dennis leans against the nurses’ station counter like he had all the time in the world. the er is buzzing with a frantic energy, typical of a friday shift. it’s chaos — normal, expected, almost comforting in the way ptmc’s er could be when you were used to the madness.

dennis’ curls were tucked, a few strands astray — escaping as usual; a pen dangled between his fingers as he reviewed the chart you’d just placed down. he didn’t even have to look up to know you were standing there — he always knew, always tracked you in a room the way other people tracked crash carts or open beds.

it’d become your… thing, lately. quiet, unspoken orbiting around each other. trading charts, passing jokes under your breaths, drifting together in trauma bays until someone finally pulled you apart for separate cases. it would’ve been cute if either of you had an actual life outside of this hospital.

which was exactly why dennis had spent the entire day psyching himself up.

his eyes flicked down to you now, warm but edged with a seriousness that didn’t quite match the chaos around you. he slid the chart toward you; your handwriting next to his, tiny evidence of the not-date you had simultaneously called organizing discharge paperwork last week. the two of you worked together with such ease that the nurses at the station had started exchanging knowing looks; dennis pretended he didn’t see it, though he absolutely did.

he pushed off the counter and stepped closer, his voice softer than usual, low enough that only you could hear over the usual er noise.

he gently nudges the chart back toward you, fingers brushing yours. “you know…” he murmurs, eyes flicking up to your face, “i was… thinking maybe we try doing something that doesn’t involve triage forms or trauma bays for once.” he clears his throat. “would you… want to go on an actual date with me?”

the question hangs between you, carving out a strangely quiet space in the loudest department in the entire hospital.

dennis looked shy now. there was a slight bounce in his foot, a tiny tell he probably didn’t realize he had.

around you, the er continues its frenzied rhythm: overhead pages, clattering supply carts, nurses calling out vitals, a paramedic team rolling in a new case — but dennis doesn’t look away from you.

he doesn’t let the moment get swallowed by the job.