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Leaning over the side of the nurses’ station, Mouse snagged one of the tree shaped chocolates from the bowl that he knew Maggie kept tucked away. He’d spent enough afternoons in the ED that he knew where most of the snack stashes were. He knew about the nurses’ bowls of sweets, and where Hannah stored the good tea, and the combination to Will’s locker so that he could steal a bag of chips or cookies.
That particular stash was why he was there. Chips and cookies weren’t a healthy meal, and it was hard to make the time to sit down and eat something substantial, or so it had been explained to him one night when they’d been on their way to a movie and Will’s stomach had growled loud enough to be heard over the low radio station. It had made Mouse laugh, in the moment, but it had set off a domino effect that led to how many long lunches he’d been taking. Someone had to make sure Will had something to eat beyond snacks.
Hence, he’d showed up every day that week with a bag of food.
Monday’s delivery had been sandwiches. It was simple enough that it could be brushed off as something small without much meaning behind it. It would be food, real food, without a big, obvious gesture.
Tuesday was tacos. Mouse had swung by a hole in the wall place he passed on his way to work every morning and gotten a little of everything. He’d made a mental note when the spicy chicken was well received, and he liked the veggie medley’s balance of mushrooms and peppers. It was reasonably priced and tasted goo and it had options for his dietary preferences.
Wednesday was less lucky. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d had a veggie burger that was inedible. There had been plenty that he didn’t enjoy and wouldn’t order again, but he rarely came across one that he couldn’t even finish. That day, his own lunch had been half of Will’s fries and a bag of miniature cookies from the back of a locker.
He almost missed lunch on Thursday. There was a case that Intelligence needed his full attention on. It was after the usual time that he would arrive at Med with food when he emerged from a deep dive into a suspect. The only reason he left the district at all was because Jay made a teasing comment about the standing date he was late for. The joke probably wouldn’t have been made if he knew that the standing date was with his own brother, but they weren’t sure how to tell anyone outside of a few select friends at Med, or if it was even worth it. So, on Thursday, they both sat in the doctors’ lounge and ate a bag of chips.
On Friday, he made sure to be early. It gave him time to go to the taco shop and get orders of the ones Will had enjoyed the most. And, because of a consult requested by Crockett, he could enjoy a piece of chocolate before he had to be a responsible adult.
“You know, if you keep eating those every time you’re here, Maggie is going to eat you.”
He was already unwrapping the candy when he looked over at Hannah, leaning against the nurses’ station counter next to him. The first time he’d met her was outside of the ED, in a community center gym, talking about sobriety and the days when it was hard to stay sane. When he left his jacket at Will’s apartment and came in to pick it up, running into her had been a happy accident. It meant he didn’t get bored while he waited to eat.
“No, she won’t. She likes me.” Mouse shook his head with a smirk and reached down into the bowl again. He pulled out a peppermint chocolate square and offered it to her. “Besides, how would she find out? You wouldn’t tattle on me, would you?”
She narrowed her eyes at him but took the chocolate. She even went so far as to glance around conspiratorially before ripping it open. “You’ve been bringing Will lunch a lot this week. Are you ever gonna bring enough to share with the rest of us? Or does he get special treatment because you’re sleeping together?”
With a scoff, he glanced down at his hands to try to hide the warmth flooding his cheeks. It was true, but announcing it to the entire department wasn’t something he was planning on. They hadn’t even told Jay yet, because he didn’t need to know that his brother and best friend spent that much time together, let alone what they were doing with all that time.
“I told you about that in confidence.”
“No one around here is that blind. Thanks for the chocolate.” Hannah looked at him with an eager, too bright smile. Because she was right. He wasn’t being subtle anymore. “Are you going on Wednesday night? I can give you a ride if you need it.”
“Where does he need a ride to?” Will appeared on his other side and was already pulling the bag of tacos toward himself. He’d snuck up in the busyness of the emergency department, familiar enough that Mouse didn’t even blink at the new presence in his space. “Are you making plans without me? That’s so rude. After all I’ve done for you?”
Hannah scoffed and pushed herself away from the counter. She even shook her head at them, all but smirking. “Thanks for the chocolate, Mouse. Text me if you need a ride. If you bring lunch tomorrow, I like poke.”
He rolled his eyes and smiled while giving her a small wave. Once they were alone, or as alone as they could be in a semipublic hospital, Mouse turned to look at the man next to him with a shrug and a small, sheepish smile. “We have a meeting Wednesday night. She’s just trying to save me bus fare, and sometimes we get coffee afterwards. You don’t have to worry about it unless you want to come to a Narcotics Anonymous meeting.”
“As long as you’re both okay, I won’t worry. What did you bring today? Tacos again?”
“I got extra of the spicy chicken you liked, and an extra side of guacamole.” Mouse pulled the bag back toward him so that he could open it and let the warm, aromatic air loose. “I’m starving. Let’s go eat.”
He didn’t even hesitate before turning around to head toward the lounge. Technically, he wasn’t supposed to be there, but he had an escort, now. Nowhere in the hospital was off limits when he had Will – who wasn’t following behind him, for some reason.
With a furrowed brow, Mouse fought the urge to frown while he looked back at the man still by the counter. Will was looking at him with an unreadable expression, his eyes soft in a way that Jay’s got, sometimes. Usually while looking at Hailey. “What? What’s that look for?”
With a small shake of his head, Will stood still and seemed to just watch him for a long moment. The seconds stretched out almost uncomfortably long before he actually responded with words. “You’ve been here with lunch every single day this week. And you haven’t come over after my shift at all since our movie night last weekend. And I had to beg you to do that.”
“Because you suggested it as a date night, and I don’t date.”
“Right. No relationships for the ever independent Mouse Gerwitz.”
Mouse bit his tongue and pushed his expression into a weak smile. It was true. He’d never been in a steady relationship, and after watching how his parents’ marriage had unfolded, he knew that wasn’t the life he wanted. Everything was easier without commitment, without having to worry about how his mistakes would affect someone else. “Well... yeah... but you know that. I told you that a long time before we started doing any of this. That’s never been a dealbreaker before.”
“It’s not a dealbreaker at all.” Will shook his head and finally stepped toward them, their conversation much more private once they didn’t have to speak across half the width of the ED. “I just... I want you to be aware that people who aren’t in relationships don’t bring each other food every single day for a week.”
“I didn’t bring you lunch yesterday. We ate chips.”
Clearing his throat in a way that sounded like he was definitely suppressing a laugh, Will stepped closer to him again without bothering to hide his grin. “But you came, and sat with me until I had to go back to helping patients. That’s not really noncommittal behavior. Based on this week, I would have thought we were dating.”
The scoff that escaped was louder than he meant it to be, and Mouse had to hold back a stunned laugh. He wasn’t successful. “What? No! No, we’re not. If we were dating, that would be a relationship, and I don’t do those. We’ve talked about this. More than once. Today.”
“Mouse...” Will’s voice was gentle and patient, as if every second of conversation wasn’t eating away at the time they had to actually eat the food he’d brought. “I know you don’t do things like this. But it’s because you don’t want it, not because you can’t do it. You’re actually really good at being an attentive boyfriend.”
“I can’t-”
The protest was cut off by a short, gentle, exceptionally chaste press of Will’s lips to his own. It was enough to stun him into silence, which was probably the only reason he could hear the quiet, excited gasp that sounded suspiciously like Hannah.
He’d just been kissed.
By Will Halstead.
In the middle of a busy emergency department.
“Oh...”
Will was still wearing a smile, patient and soft, while nodding toward the door to the lounge. Everything was exactly the same as when he arrived with their lunch, but also completely different. The reality of it all was catching up to him all at once – was he dating Will without even realizing it? They saw a movie together, and they had lunch together, and he’d just been kissed in front of so many people without the expectation of anything beyond it but his time and his company.
“Come on. You promised me chicken tacos, and I’m starving. We can talk about what this – or isn’t - during our lunch.”