fic: mr. bubble (gh, scrubs + family, lanaverse)
Title: Mr. Bubble
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 26 - Blowing Bubbles
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
For once, they were all actually home for dinner.
The schedules of two busy doctors, a teenager with more extracurricular activities than one person should be able to handle, and an elementary school aged son with an increasingly busy schedule of his own, meant too many meals were eaten on the run or in shifts. Which meant that whenever it was possible, family dinner was an obligation that no one dared say no to.
It was all very Rockwellian in theory, but in practice it was anything but.
"So Lana," Robin asked, scooping up a forkful of salad. "How was dance class?"
Lana shrugged. "It was okay."
"Just okay?"
Lana shrugged again. "Yeah." She took a bite of potatoes.
Robin looked across the table at Patrick in frustration, and saw that he looked like he was smothering a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he sobered, taking that as his cue to try to pry more than one word answers out of their daughter.
"How about school?" he asked. "Anything exciting happen there?"
"No," she said suspiciously. "What is this, 20 questions?"
"Yes," Robin said dryly. "And you're not playing along."
"Oh," Lana said, chewing her lip. "Am I in trouble or something?"
"Can't parents just want to know about their daughter's life?"
Lana shook her head. "No."
"Well, this one does, so spill. Or I'll get rough."
Lana made a face but obliged. "Um, I got an A on my history essay, we got new lab partners assigned in science class, they're supposed to announce the spring ballet next week, and Molly and I want to go to the mall this weekend. Satisfied?"
"I suppose I'll have to be," Robin sighed. She turned to Matt, who was occupying himself by blowing bubbles in his milk. "Matthew!"
Matt stopped immediately. "Yes, Mom?"
"Do you or do you not know better than to do that?"
His eyes went wide and innocent. "I must have forgot."
"Right, like you forgot last week and the week before," Robin said dryly. "Don't do it again." She narrowed her eyes at Patrick. "Weren't you supposed to be making sure he was eating?"
"He was!" Patrick protested. He gestured towards Matt's plate. "Is or is not most of his dinner gone?"
Robin buried her head in her hands and started muttering under her breath to herself.
Patrick, Lana, and Matt watched in fascination as their normally incredibly together wife and mother had a nutty.
"Robin, sweetheart," Patrick tried. "Are you alright?"
"No," was the muffled answer.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Robin didn't answer.
He tried again. "Why don't you go take a nice relaxing bath, and I'll make sure the hooligans finish dinner and start on their chores and homework? How about that?"
She raised her head a fraction. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, god," Robin muttered, standing and making a beeline for the door.
Patrick bit back the snarky remark that she'd left an obvious opening for and eyed his children. "Alright, eat up. And no funny business."
Sensing this wasn't the time to argue, Lana and Matt silently obeyed.
*
An hour later, Patrick walked cautiously into the master bathroom, a glass of red wine in hand. He hoped the peace offering would soothe any remaining frazzled nerves.
Robin was stretched out in the tub, covered by a layer of bubbles, head tilted back and eyes closed.
Without opening her eyes, she said, "I can hear you lurking."
Patrick crossed to kneel next to the tub. "It's creepy the way that you do that, you know."
"I do." She cracked an eye open and spotted the glass of wine. "Is that for me?"
"It is." He pressed the glass into her hand and picked up a bath sponge, dipping it in the bubbles and running it along the length of her exposed arm. "Need any help with your hard to reach places?"
"Why Dr. Drake, are you trying to seduce me?" Robin asked coyly, eyes sparkling with mirth over the rim of the wine glass.
He smirked. "That depends, is it working?"
"Maybe..."
"Well then, I'll just have to try harder, won't I?" He leaned over the edge of the tub and pressed teasing kisses along her jaw line. "How's that?"
Her eyes crossed as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. "That's just fine."
"Just fine?" he pouted. "I must not be trying hard enough."
The hand that wasn't clenched around the stem of the wine glass groped for the front of his shirt, tugging him closer. "Any harder and I pull you into the tub with me," she gasped.
"An intriguing offer, but I think I'll pass." He leaned back on his heels. "You ready to get out?"
She pouted. "You're a tease."
He laughed and stood, grabbing a towel from the hook. "A tease, really?"
She nodded, standing up and stepping out of the tub. "A tease."
He wrapped her in the towel, drawing her against his body. "That would imply I'm not planning on following through." He bent his head to nip at her pouting lower lip. "I am."
"Well in that case..." She shrieked with laughter as he scooped her up in his arms, and carried her into the bedroom. "You’re really going all out with this seduction thing, aren't you?"
He grinned. "What can I say, I like a challenge." He dropped her onto the bed. "And baby, you're the very definition of the word."
"And they said romance goes out of a marriage," Robin said dryly, pushing herself up on her elbows.
"Hey! What else is running herd on our kids so that you can take a nice, relaxing bubble bath, complete with wine compliments of your loving husband, if not romance?" Patrick demanded, crawling onto the bed, and leaning over her.
"Parenting."
His eyes narrowed. "You enjoy being difficult."
She shrugged. "Guilty as charged."
He slowly undid the knot of her towel, peeling it back from her skin. "And you said I was a tease."
She fisted a hand in his shirt tugging him down on top of her, and all thoughts of anything else vanished from their minds.
Author: empressearwig
Claim: Robin/Patrick
Fandom: General Hospital
Theme: 26 - Blowing Bubbles
Disclaimer: Any character first appearing on the series General Hospital does not belong to me. All original characters do.
For once, they were all actually home for dinner.
The schedules of two busy doctors, a teenager with more extracurricular activities than one person should be able to handle, and an elementary school aged son with an increasingly busy schedule of his own, meant too many meals were eaten on the run or in shifts. Which meant that whenever it was possible, family dinner was an obligation that no one dared say no to.
It was all very Rockwellian in theory, but in practice it was anything but.
"So Lana," Robin asked, scooping up a forkful of salad. "How was dance class?"
Lana shrugged. "It was okay."
"Just okay?"
Lana shrugged again. "Yeah." She took a bite of potatoes.
Robin looked across the table at Patrick in frustration, and saw that he looked like he was smothering a laugh. She narrowed her eyes at him, and he sobered, taking that as his cue to try to pry more than one word answers out of their daughter.
"How about school?" he asked. "Anything exciting happen there?"
"No," she said suspiciously. "What is this, 20 questions?"
"Yes," Robin said dryly. "And you're not playing along."
"Oh," Lana said, chewing her lip. "Am I in trouble or something?"
"Can't parents just want to know about their daughter's life?"
Lana shook her head. "No."
"Well, this one does, so spill. Or I'll get rough."
Lana made a face but obliged. "Um, I got an A on my history essay, we got new lab partners assigned in science class, they're supposed to announce the spring ballet next week, and Molly and I want to go to the mall this weekend. Satisfied?"
"I suppose I'll have to be," Robin sighed. She turned to Matt, who was occupying himself by blowing bubbles in his milk. "Matthew!"
Matt stopped immediately. "Yes, Mom?"
"Do you or do you not know better than to do that?"
His eyes went wide and innocent. "I must have forgot."
"Right, like you forgot last week and the week before," Robin said dryly. "Don't do it again." She narrowed her eyes at Patrick. "Weren't you supposed to be making sure he was eating?"
"He was!" Patrick protested. He gestured towards Matt's plate. "Is or is not most of his dinner gone?"
Robin buried her head in her hands and started muttering under her breath to herself.
Patrick, Lana, and Matt watched in fascination as their normally incredibly together wife and mother had a nutty.
"Robin, sweetheart," Patrick tried. "Are you alright?"
"No," was the muffled answer.
"Is there anything I can do?"
Robin didn't answer.
He tried again. "Why don't you go take a nice relaxing bath, and I'll make sure the hooligans finish dinner and start on their chores and homework? How about that?"
She raised her head a fraction. "Do you mean that?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, god," Robin muttered, standing and making a beeline for the door.
Patrick bit back the snarky remark that she'd left an obvious opening for and eyed his children. "Alright, eat up. And no funny business."
Sensing this wasn't the time to argue, Lana and Matt silently obeyed.
*
An hour later, Patrick walked cautiously into the master bathroom, a glass of red wine in hand. He hoped the peace offering would soothe any remaining frazzled nerves.
Robin was stretched out in the tub, covered by a layer of bubbles, head tilted back and eyes closed.
Without opening her eyes, she said, "I can hear you lurking."
Patrick crossed to kneel next to the tub. "It's creepy the way that you do that, you know."
"I do." She cracked an eye open and spotted the glass of wine. "Is that for me?"
"It is." He pressed the glass into her hand and picked up a bath sponge, dipping it in the bubbles and running it along the length of her exposed arm. "Need any help with your hard to reach places?"
"Why Dr. Drake, are you trying to seduce me?" Robin asked coyly, eyes sparkling with mirth over the rim of the wine glass.
He smirked. "That depends, is it working?"
"Maybe..."
"Well then, I'll just have to try harder, won't I?" He leaned over the edge of the tub and pressed teasing kisses along her jaw line. "How's that?"
Her eyes crossed as he hit a particularly sensitive spot. "That's just fine."
"Just fine?" he pouted. "I must not be trying hard enough."
The hand that wasn't clenched around the stem of the wine glass groped for the front of his shirt, tugging him closer. "Any harder and I pull you into the tub with me," she gasped.
"An intriguing offer, but I think I'll pass." He leaned back on his heels. "You ready to get out?"
She pouted. "You're a tease."
He laughed and stood, grabbing a towel from the hook. "A tease, really?"
She nodded, standing up and stepping out of the tub. "A tease."
He wrapped her in the towel, drawing her against his body. "That would imply I'm not planning on following through." He bent his head to nip at her pouting lower lip. "I am."
"Well in that case..." She shrieked with laughter as he scooped her up in his arms, and carried her into the bedroom. "You’re really going all out with this seduction thing, aren't you?"
He grinned. "What can I say, I like a challenge." He dropped her onto the bed. "And baby, you're the very definition of the word."
"And they said romance goes out of a marriage," Robin said dryly, pushing herself up on her elbows.
"Hey! What else is running herd on our kids so that you can take a nice, relaxing bubble bath, complete with wine compliments of your loving husband, if not romance?" Patrick demanded, crawling onto the bed, and leaning over her.
"Parenting."
His eyes narrowed. "You enjoy being difficult."
She shrugged. "Guilty as charged."
He slowly undid the knot of her towel, peeling it back from her skin. "And you said I was a tease."
She fisted a hand in his shirt tugging him down on top of her, and all thoughts of anything else vanished from their minds.