If youβre making posts about the Off Campus boys and purposely excluding Jalen/Tucker, youβre weird. Iβll even take it a step further and say youβre sinister
date night gets interesting when robby unknowingly interrupts yours and jackβs dinner with a date of his ownβand no one is more nosy than the Abbots.
contents: smut, references to erectile dysfunction (i couldnβt help myself, sorry), being lil judgy and sexy together π«Ά, a whole lotta fluff and smut tbh, lighthearted bullying of robby (he deserves it sometimes).
[jack abbot x fem!reader; wc: 6.0k ]
masterlist | other jack abbot fics
The restaurant was crowded for a Tuesday night.
Clinking glasses and consistent chatter, it would have been easy to get lost in the noise but when Jack was in front of you, smiling with those eyes that never seemed to leave you, it was practically impossible to be distracted by anything but him.
ββ¦So Henderson came around looking around for an attending and of courseββ Jack gestured to himself proudly and you scoffed over the rim of your glass.
βHow humble of you.β
βOf course.β You motioned for him to continue, biting the side of your lip to disguise the effect of his charm.
βHe takes me to this guy, maybe thirty years old, who canβt sit down. The reason? He lost a bet and shoved a piece of wood up his asshole.β
βJesus, Jack!β You shushed. Your eyes darted around to the surrounding tables. βWeβre in public!β
βAnd Iβm a doctor,β he replied casually. βThings happen. I canβt keep them bottled inside or Iβll implode. Besides, this was likeβ¦ a βyou need to know this kindβ of thing.β
You lifted your glass again to wash the taste of his story out of your mouth. βI think I want to be left out of the βneed to knowβ from now on. Save that discussion for Dr.ββ
Just as you felt the wine hit your tongue enough to muffle his therapistβs name, you caught a figure over Jackβs shoulder. Tall and unmistakable, the wine shot out from your lips and back into the glass like a waterfall.
βHoly shit,β you mumbled.
βWhat?β Jack asked concerned. His hand flashed across the table, clattering with your utensils. βWhatβs wrong?β
βRobby.β You coughed, βHeβs on a date. Here.β
Jackβs neck careened in question as if he didnβt catch your words. You tried not to bring attention to the table, muffling your coughs with a napkin, and Jack took the glass from your hand carefully.
βHe didnβt say anything at rounds this morning.β
βIβm not kidding.β You put the napkin back down. βHeβs literally right there. Did you tell him we were coming here?β
βNo.β Jack shook his head. He spared a fraction of a second to glimpse over his shoulder and clock Robby and his date near the host stand at the front of the restaurant.
Goddamn. Perlah was right. The rumors, which he had always taken with a grain of salt, were true.
βI thought he wasnβt dating anymore.β
Jack shrugged. βEvery time he dumps someone he swears it off. But heβs a shit liar and gossip spreads fast whenever he makes eyes at someone.β
Your face curled in aversion of Robbyβs romantic life. Just the thought of himβ¦ yeah, it made you want to seek out therapy too.
Michael Robinavitch was a serial daterβor, a serial wine, dine, and βleave someone behindβ type of guy. Nothing ever worked out for him and you were always glad to give him a list of things to work on when he and Jack watched a Steelerβs game in the garage.
Youβd seen it hundreds of times. Well, maybe not hundreds of times but enough for you and Jack to both come to the conclusion that Robby was never going to be one to marry. It wasnβt in his cards because he made stupid decisions and you, more than Jack, felt terrible for the women who fell into Robbyβs little trap.
But you were a woman. There were some things that even if Jack tried his absolute best to understand, he wouldnβt be able to.
βSo the woman isβ¦?β You asked curiously.
As they stood behind rows of tables and decor, Robby and his date conversed differently than you and Jack did. It was new, a little nervous, and complete with a layer of discomfort anyone with a soul could feel 20 feet away. The uneasiness of their stature didnβt surprise you in the slightest. After a certain age, what people expected out of dating wasnβt the same as if they were young and without commitments. Robby had a million of them, youβre sure the woman did too, and thatβs a tricky path to navigate.
βNoelle Hastings,β Jack said flatly before grabbing a piece of bread from the basket at the center. He ripped it in half and handed you one.
You took it without thought. βWho isβ¦? Jack, you gotta be more specific here.β
βSheβs a nurseβmore often a case manager of insurance cases that fall through. Sheβs a rain cloud in a suit but works a lot of days so I donβt see her much.β
βHigh praise,β you droned and he sighed, chewing hard on the bread.
βOne of the day shift nurses said itβs been goinβ on for a while.β
βAnd he didnβt tell you?β
Jack shook his head. The glass of water in front of him was suddenly more interesting than the conversation and you quirked a brow. His morose imitation of disappointment was cute.
Maybe they werenβt really good friends, he thought disappointedly. Was he really going to be stuck with his friends at the VA, some first responders, and the six elderly women who harassed him, sweetly, at the YMCA?
He didnβt even want to think about the women of your once-a-month book club.
He didnβt need to read about hockey players who fucked and World War II nurses who fell in love with soldiers.
You had a soldier right in front of you. You could just live out those fantasies with him instead.
βAre you upset that he didnβt tell you he was dating again?β You asked him and Jack pursed his lips in annoyance.
βNo.β
βYes,β you corrected with a chuckle.
βI think itβs a dick move not to tell your best friend that youβre dating someone.β
βJust like it was a dick move to not tell him about your little blue pill incident?β You pried with a smile and he met your eyes in a flash. Jackβs finger pointed at you accusingly.
βHey now,β he warned. βIβm drinking water on purpose this time for you.β
βI didnβt ask you to, honey. Iβm only joking.β
βThatβs unconvincing.β
βOkay, soothsayer.β You grinned, elbows on the table and chin resting against your locked fingers. βYou think you know everything? Letβs play a game then.β
βBaby, this was supposed to be a nice dinner.β
βA game wonβt ruin it.β
Jack breathed in hard. He loved the dramatics; acting like the world was going to fall to pieces if he wasnβt one hundred percent present in the moment. It was a game, not a blindfolded eating contest where heβd accidentally eat a bug instead of his steak.
βWhat kind of game?β He settled instead.
βBetter strangers.β
βNo.β
βWhy not?β
βBecause.β
βThatβs not a why.β
βI donβt really want to imagine whatever the fuck Robby is talking about just to get into that womanβs pants,β Jack explained but it was choppy and his eyes bounced around the tables behind you rather than look directly at you.
βYouβre so jealous, Mr. Abbot,β you gave a playful accusation. βTheyβre being satβshould I call them over? Let them join date night instead?β
Jackβs fingers dug into his eyes. βWhy are you such a menace today? After all I do for you?β His tone lifted. βAnd what happened to Doctor? Iβll also option Staff Sergeant or Professorβfor your choosing, of course.β
βJack,β you lamented. βYou worked two doubles and two SWAT shifts this week. Iβm allowed to be a pest.β
He was the one who made the reservation to make up for his absence in the first place. Jack knew, he always did, when he wasnβt being the A+ worthy husband he should be. It was a casualty of his species, or, perhaps just his sanity, but he knew what to do to make you feel wanted when his career shifted things around.
βFine. We can play.β
βKinky, Dr. Abbot,β you winked. βJust beware. Theyβre sat in a boothββ you counted the tables with your eyes ββseven tables away.β
βWell itβs not like Iβm gonna scream Robbyβs fictional conversation across the room.β
You picked up another piece of bread and repeated what Jack had done before.
βSave the screaming for later. Weβve got a long night ahead of us.β
βNow who just said that in a public place?β Jack tipped his head to the side, accepting the air kiss you sent hurling in his direction as a result.
βYou know itβs true.β
βYeah,β he murmured lowly. Jackβs eyes crinkled at their sides, appreciating the light heβs caught you in at the moment.
Robbyβs presence couldnβt ruin date night. It was an intrusion into your bubble, sure, but Jack would swim through a million Robbyβs to reach your shore and he would play a thousand silly games with you to hear you laugh. If you wanted to make shit up about Robby and Noelle? Fuck it. He did too.
βSoβ¦β you tapped your fingers on the table. βWhat do you think they did before they got here?β
Jack sipped on his water in consideration. βI think Robby worked until 7 but she got off a little earlier or didnβt work today. He showered at work, brought his stupid sweater with him, and picked her up on the way here.β
βSolid choice.β
βHow do you think they met?β He asked you.
βWork, obviously,β you said, matter-of-fact.
βNo shit, Sherlock,β Jack snickered. βI meantβ¦ romantically.β
βI think someone set them up on a blind date. Maybe someone from her side of the hospitalβnot someone from the ED.β
Jack nodded and caught the server returning to your table with your dinners in hand. Over Jackβs shoulder, you watched the back of Robbyβs head turn to their own server and order drinks.
You didnβt think for a second that your constant glancing in their direction would be an issue.
With thanks, the server left you both to eat but the questions kept going.
βAlright.β You halved the portion of hericots verts on your plate and scooped them onto Jackβs one-note plate. βWhy do you think theyβre at this same restaurant, right here, right now?β
Jack ate one of the beans first. βDestiny.β
βThatβs a lame answer.β
βI thought it was transcendent and thatβs your opinion.β
βYou really think itβs destiny? To be at the same place as his very annoying, very married, friends?β
βHe might have a problem with himself getting married but I donβt think he hates hanging out with us. Itβs like a little family of sorts.β
βAh yes,β you awed. βThe child I never wanted to have: Michael Robinavitch.β
βI donβt know,β Jack replied truthfully this time. βItβs a pretty popular place and not far from our work so I think it was probably out of convenience. Do you think heβs in love with her?β
You laughed, audibly, and not quietly. Eyes flicking back to the booth and accidentally catching Noelleβs gaze at the same time.
It didnβt change your answer.
βFuck no.β
βI agree,β Jack smiled. βFuck no.β
βBut Iβll give him a chance,β you admitted, sipping on your drink. βHe deserves to be happy with someoneβ¦ even if itβs hard to imagine.β
Jack cut a piece of his steak and held his fork out to you. βWhat do you think theyβre talking about?β
βWork.β You eyed the piece of meat to see if it was cooked enough but you should have known Jack would have cut up his entire dish to find the one piece youβd eat.
βBoring,β Jack heckled.
βWere you not talking about a piece of wood up someoneβsββ you motioned with your fist ββyou know?β
βThatβs different.β
Your eyes narrowed in a challenge. βNot really, honey. Itβs basically the exact same thing.β
βWell itβs different because weβre married. And when youβre married, you can talk about boring stuff.β
Now your eyes rolled. Jack smirked, cutting up another piece for himself.
βI wish I knew that when you talked about MREs.β
βYou wound me,β Jack quipped. He popped the steak into his mouth and chewed when you came back with:
βNoβan IED did that for me.β
He just about choked.
βCareful,β you warned him casually. The light glint in your eye didnβt disappear. βYou canβt die on me yet. We have plans later.β
βWhat the fuck happened to the game?β He asked, wiping his mouth with his napkin. βWhy am I catching these strays, baby?β
βCatching strays? Did you learn that from the kids at your work?β
βTheyβre like twenty-two,β Jack corrected. βAnd yeah, I did. I think I used it correctly.β
βMhm,β you hummed and finished off your wine. βWhat do I think theyβre talking about? My answer hasnβt changed: work.β
βStill boring.β
βAgreed.β You nodded.
A quiet lull met the table as the food became more important. For all the nights you had to eat alone, having Jack present was a gift enough. He silently invaded your space. Filling every nook until shapes of him left indents in places he hadnβt existed beforeβat the kitchen table, on the couch, a second toothbrush in the holder, and a dip on his side of the bed.
As you ate, your gazes would meet across the table for brief moments in time.
No one ever looked at you like Jack did. Whatever he was feeling, you saw it in the curve of his eyes. The lines, as they stretched in pleasure and listened to you animatedly talk about anything, grew in adoration the longer you were together.
You imagined by the time you are old and the wrinkles have overtaken what you looked like in the present, Jack would still see you in the same light.
And not everyone is that lucky.
Jack cleared his throat and reached out his left hand onto the table top. You grabbed it as his thumb ran back and forth over your knuckles.
βSorry about picking up the extra shifts.β
Two doubles. Two SWAT shifts in one week.
βSometimes I donβt realize that Iβm even doing it,β he admitted.
βI just want my husband home, Jack,β you squeezed his hand. βI think you need to start putting your schedule on the fridge.β
βMaybeβ¦ do you think Robby ever apologizes for not being a greatβ¦ partner?β
βOh hell no,β you amused. βHeβs never apologized for anything in his life.β
βNo he has not.β Jack agreed with a grin. βBut really, sweetheart. Iβm sorry about that.β
Your heart skipped a beat. βI love you, you know that?β
βI think youβve told me once or twice.β
βPossibly a few times more.β
βYeah,β he hummed. βI love you too.β
Seven tables away, Noelle Hastings was trying not to overthink on her fourth date with Robby.
Her hands folded over her napkin thrice in two minutes and as they waited for their beverages, she couldnβt help but feel the nerves of dating begin to catch up to her. Robby had been nothing but a gemβdifferent from what she had heard and seen around PTMC and unexpected, based on the looks sheβd been getting the last few weeks whenever she stepped foot into the ED.
Noelle took in the restaurant. She observed the people in the room to calm herself downβpeople watching, it was easy. She could imagine their lives and not focus so heavily on her own before she spiraled completely.
There was a gaggle of friends in a booth on the opposite side of the room chatting animatedly; an elderly pair of sisters catching up at a table in the center of the room, and then, a pair she couldnβt stop looking at.
The first thing she noticed was the smile on the womanβs face. Noelle was never the most confident in her abilities to read exactly what people wanted, but she knew what it was like to be in love and to feel it in every ounce of your body. She knew the ways in which a smile could stretch across a face, blurring your vision during fits of laughter. Noelle knew when a woman leaned across a table to take the hand of her loverβs in hersβonly to press a kiss into his palm and bring it back downβwas something only those truly at peace with their adoration did.
And she couldnβt stop staring.
The ring on the womanβs finger glinted every time she talked. Occasionally, also with a knife waving around unknowinglyβto which the partner (the assumed husband) would try very hard to make her put down. Noelle glanced down at her own barren finger and wondered if that would ever be her fate if she kept chasing men like Robby.
βYou alright?β Robby asked her after fifteen minutes of spotty conversation.
Noelle nodded, straining a wry smile. βYeah, fine. Just tired.β
Robby accepted the excuse. βShifts have been long lately?β
βVery. It doesnβt make for great conversation though. Iβd rather not go over the mountains of Medicare paperwork sitting on my desk right now.β
βI donβt blame you.β Robby shook his head, picking up his glass and holding it out to her to toast.
βTo a week done and aβ¦ weekend free of distractions.β
Their glasses clinked softly in the space around them. As Noelle drank, her eyes strayed from Robby again and landed back to the table of the married pair but as she looked, the woman caught her eye and lost it in an instant.
βYou know,β Robby started. βIβm not really believing you when you said everything was fine.β
βIt is. I justβnothing. Itβs fine. Truly, it is.β
βThen why do you keep looking everywhere else but at me?β
Noelle looked at the table again, catching the womanβs sight another time before Robby followed the trail. Like a hound on a scent, he turned around, arm perched on the back of his booth seat, and fell on the table of Noelleβs attention.
βOh, fuck.β
Noelleβs face dropped. βDo you know her?β
Robby turned back around and ran a hand over his beard. His head wobbled from side to side before deciding on the easiest way to answer.
βYes, I know her,β he said slowly.
βOkay,β she nodded just as deliberately. βAnd is this like anβ¦ ex-girlfriend situation orβ¦β
βOh no,β Robby blurted. βHell no. I would neverβsheβs,β he laughed βI would be six feet under if I even had an inkling of a thought about her.β
βWell she keeps looking over here, so.β
Robby glanced back over at you and Jack.
βSee the man sheβs with?β Noelle acknowledged it. βThatβs her husbandβDr. Abbot, from the night shift.β
βOh,β Noelle said. βThe Abbots, then.β
βMhm. And from where theyβre sitting, theyβre probably just as confused.β
βConfused about what?β
βYou see, Jack there, heβs a friend. A good friend. Maybe my best friend but I donβt knowβ¦ you know I donβt have a ton of those. I told him that I wasnβt looking for anyone right now because I didnβt want him toββ
βKnow about us?β She finished for him.
Robby agreed with a bob. βYep.β He popped the βPβ and drew his finger around the lip of his scotch glass.
βIf it makes you feel any better, I havenβt told anyone about us either.β It did make him feel better.
βDo you mind if I?β Robby gestured with his thumb to your direction.
βAre you going to ask them to join our dinner?β Noelle asked jokingly. Robbyβs mouth quirked but he ignored it because of course not. The last fucking thing he wanted was for you and Jack to start interrogating him about his love life.
He had married friends. He had married co-workers. But you and Jack? Together? It was like he was handling a live grenade and if it went off, half of it was for the amusement of you both and the other was out of spite for his⦠lackluster history.
βIβll be right back.β
βShit, Jack,β you sputtered. βI think Robby saw me.β
Jack put his fork down and rose his eyebrows. βYou werenβt being very subtle, baby. Every five seconds youβre looking over there.β
βI was trying to be,β you explained.
βLet me justββ
From your peripheral, Robby slid out of the booth and straightened out his sweater before pivoting on his feet and walking toward your direction.
ββheβs coming over here.β You gave Jack a giant smile. βDo I have anything in my teeth? Jack.β He wasnβt looking fast enough. βTeeth?β
Jack squinted, barely able to see a speck of anything because of the lightingβhe had to pull out his readers to even read the menu. βNo youβre fine.β
βRobby?β You feigned innocence, dazzlingly him with a toothy grin. βWhat a small world.β
βHey!β Jack played it off too. Fairly well, you thought. He could have been an actor. βWhat are you doinβ here?β
Robbyβs eyes bounced between you and Jack. He thought it was slightly hilarious how, even though heβd caught you staring, that the niceties and horror-like smiles the two of you were giving were cute.
βOh you know,β he started, βjust on a date.β
βReally?β You gasped, suddenly interested and Jack kicked you under the table with his bionic foot. βYouβre dating again?β
Robby shrugged. βHere and there.β
βWell good for you. Really.β
βI came over here becauseββ he cleared his throat and dipped his head as he stepped closer to the table, ββyouβre being really fucking weird to my date.β
You scoffed, seeking out Jack who sat back against his chair casually. Your eyes shrunk in distrust that he was going to make you fend for yourself.
βPlease. I was just shocked to see you, thatβs all.β
βAnd you, Jack?β Robby asked.
βI didnβt even know you were here,β Jack said and you kissed your teeth.
βAlright, alright.β Robby didnβt believe either of you. You two were also shitty liars. βActually, Jack, Iβve been meaning to ask you about something anyway. I heard it a few months ago and I just never got around to it.β
Jack glimpsed at you in caution.
βYeah, brother, whatβs up?β
Robby glanced at you, quirking his head to decide whether or not it was worth it. βYou know whatβ¦ nevermind.β
βYou sure?β Jack asked with a critical stare.
Robby thought on the rumors heβs heard and the uncontrollable embarrassment that would follow Jack. The man would be mortified to have those words, the idea of him exposed for the sake of Robbyβs pettiness.
βItβs nothinβ that canβt wait until next shift.β
βThatβs in a few days.β
βStill,β Robby said. βIt can wait.β
βSo a co-worker?β You asked Robby not meaning to be overly judgmental. βAgain.β
βAnd youβd rather see me with one of your reading friends, huh?β Robby observed dryly.
βNot sure.β You placed your napkin onto the table beside your finished meal. βI just think that someone outside of the field might give you peace of mind.β
βWell, maybe if you met her, your perspective might change.β
Robby looked back over his shoulder at Noelle and gave her a tight smile. Jack shook his head, disbelief washing over him at Robbyβs assumption that this one will stick.
βYou gonna let her eat by herself or do you wanna pull up a chair?β Jack wondered aloud.
βI just want to make sure that ourβ¦ business wonβt be intruded upon.β
βBusiness?β You couldnβt help the laugh that came out. βShit, Robby. Do not call her βbusinessβ ever. Youβll never get her to come out with you again.β
βAnd how did Jack get you to go out with him more than once, let alone marry him?β
Now he was just being petty.
βHave you seen him?β You feigned trivial spite. βHe could be mute and still have more charisma than you.β
βI think we see Jack in two different lights.β
βJack is right here,β Jack spoke up. βPlease include said man in your conversations. And I bagged her, she didnβt bag me, brother. A good man knows that.β
Jack sent a wink tumbling into your direction and you felt your cheeks warm.
βYou two areβ¦ something.β
βWeβll leave you alone,β you told Robby. βWeβre almost done here anyway.β
βThank you,β Robby said half-heartedly.
βNow go back to her. Sheβs probably more bored than she was before,β Jack waved him off.
Robby retreated back to his table and Noelle gave him a coy face as they settled back into their date and you and Jack made amends with the end of half of yours.
βAnd thatβs why we donβt play games at dinner,β Jack followed Robbyβs absence with.
βOh, please,β you mourned with a flair. βDonβt act like you didnβt like getting to knock him down a peg.β
βIβd much ratherββ
βDonβt finish that sentence, Dr. Abbot.β You warned.
βI didnβt say anything!β
βMaybe itβs time to leave, huh?β You pushed your plate further away from the edge. βMove on to somethingβ¦new.β
βYeah?β Jack said wisely. βGot any ideas?β
βA few.β
He dug into the pocket of his dinner jacket and flipped open his wallet before the check had been printed. Jackβs mind began to wander to a million different places, impatient to make it to the car and speed home for the sake of his own wants.
βWhat if we just dine and dashed?β He asked seriously.
βAnd be banned here forever? I can already see the headline: local veteran flees establishment for sex.β
Your eyebrows lifted in incredulity. βSure, Jack. Whatever helps you sleep at night.β
βI think we will both sleep very well.β
βIs that a challenge?β You asked him, leaning forward on your elbows.
Absentmindedly, Jack rolled the sleeves of his dress shirt and your eyes locked onto his arms immediately. Anyone else there, Robby and his date, be dammed. What the fuck were you thinking? A game to guess whatever Robby was talking about when you had a fucking feast of a husband right in front of you?
Dipshit. You scolded yourself the more time he took rolling the fabric over each crease.
Jack nodded lightly. His head barely moved.
βIβll have you out like a light by ten.β
You short circuited for a second. A glitch in your matrix running scattered, barely coherent thoughts by your brain.
βWhere the hell is our server?β
It had taken Jack a long time to love his body after he came home. Though it had been many years and heβd come to accept that his memory of self would never be the same, when he was naked beside you, there was nothing to protect him from his thoughts.
And after the many attempts at trying the little blue pill? He performed sporadically and each time was a shot in his armor already scuffed with damage.
Yet you held his face in your hands so gingerly that it paved over the cracks in his facade. It helped build him up, strengthening his conviction that he was still worthy to be the man who pleased you and was able to satisfy you in the end.
A softness in your countenance made the muscles in his back contract. You felt him tense beneath your fingertips, the sides of his torso drawing rigid. You loved so deeply. It poured from every ounce of you but most in the way you looked at Jack. He witnessed you in vulnerability; the sheen of sweat on your forehead a testament to it. Your eyes flicked down between your bodies and he grunted as your reflex made your walls constrict around him.
Your breath hitched. Hands sliding from the sides of Jackβs face to his neck, pulling him in closer until one inch more would contort your view. His gaze turned hooded. The side of his mouth pulled, lines forming as he thought about you and nothing but you.
Jackβs pace picked up, challenging himself and his position. Leg be dammedβheβd deal with the soreness later. He pressed his thumb in the spot behind your ear; the joint of your jaw moving it as your mouth fell open softly, a whine he hadnβt heard in awhile meeting the audible thwop of his cock thrusting into you. It was an obscenity heβd welcome time and again so long as it meant he could feel you like this, have you between his hands, and loving him all at once.
βShit,β you let out a quiet, warm laugh that tickled his face. βHoly shit, Jack.β
He kissed the side of your mouth and let his lips linger there.
Your chest blossomed with tenderness that nearly hurt. You loved him. You loved the curls on his head and the way his heart burned with empathy; his drive to keep moving forward amidst nights where his memories consumed every bone in his body. Jack was unyielding in his support of you and God, you could feel it in the way he moved.
βKeep breathing, love,β he whispered.
A hand fell down to grasp his forearm hovering above your chest. Small indents of crescent shaped moons met his graying hairs and defined veins before smoothing out. Your hand was damp with toil, seeking to mark him with remnants of you heβd never want to wash away.
His voice was honeyed around words of soft reassurances. Jackβs eyes rarely left yours when so vulnerable. Even when your body was arching into his, chasing after a high only he could help you reach, he watched you and your lips and your sighs.
His teeth pulled back on his bottom lip as he drank you in. And before he even realized he had let go, your hand was splayed against his jaw, thumb gliding over the same lip.
Jack leaned forward, pushing his mouth against yours. You opened up for him without him needing to ask. His tongue slipped against yours, pulling a sound from you that the heavens created just for his ears. Jack took the your hand resting against his face and guided it back to the pillow above your head. His fingers slotted between yours as he slowed down his hips, rocking his cock into you as deeply as it could go.
βOh fuck,β you careened. Eyes fluttering and rolling with your head tipped back against the pillow.
Jackβs free hand slinked from your head to between your breasts to your clit where it settled with pressure. He bobbed his head at you, urging you to continue down that path.
βBaby,β he said lilted. βI got you. I got you.β
βJaββ you started but he nodded as though he knew what you were going to say. His fingers moved fast and rough with the help of the lube that left its residue around you.
βYouβve got me too, yeah?β Jack said lowly and it vibrated within your bones.
βOf course,β you exhaled.
Jackβs muscles trembled in an effort to hold himself back because he knew you werenβt there yet. He felt your toes curl in as they brushed the back of his legs. Your left leg dug into the mattress behind the clean line of what existed before and the other into his thick calf.
His voice continued barely above a whisper. βGod, I fucking love you. So much. I love you so fucking much.β
Maybe it was the tone, or combination of his hands and his unrelenting pace but you groaned, a cry of appreciation, straight into Jackβs heart.
βYou almost there, baby?β He begged. βIβm there. Iβm there. I wanna feel you. Iβm gonna wait for you.β
You couldnβt remember the last time you finished together. Usually it was half and half. Jack would get you off, then youβd fuck and heβd come later. Swap it a million different ways but it still didnβt happen together frequently. Except it had been days. Long, tiring days of wishing to be beside one another and finally you were as close as you possibly could be.
And Jack pleaded for you.
He coaxed an orgasm from your body that had been dormant for days. Your shoulders trembled, quivering when you felt the delicate pulsing of his own fill you as his hand in yours nearly crushed the feeling left in it. His fingers removed themselves from your clit and grasped your hip tightly.
Jackβs mouth captured yours immediately.
You both chased the electricity that sparked on all nerves. There was no time to allow breaths to catch up. Every second that surpassed as the high faded into a tired relief lingered in a gentle preserve of desire.
You bit down gently on his lip and tugged. Jackβs hand loosened its grip on yours but didnβt let go completely.
His eyes stayed closed.
He listened to you recover and felt himself soften against the spasms you had no power over. There was no rush to clean up, to change the sheets, or lay down completely. Jack held you close and reminded himself that his time outside of your union could be reduced for the sake of these moments.
Your hands ran up his back and around his shoulders, pulling him closer. They burrowed into the back of his head and into his hair damp with sweat.
βIβm so proud of you,β you sighed.
For all that heβs done, all that heβs given, and whatever might come next. A small piece of him rewarded himself on not needing his support in the back of the medicine cabinet for the first time in monthsβa strange, selfish reason to be proud of himself. But you were proud.
And he prided himself in that.
βCome on.β He rubbed his thumb into your hip. You shook your head, placing your lips to his again.
βI donβt wanna,β you murmured against his mouth. βFive more minutes.β
βIf we shower, you can wash my hair,β Jack suggested as though it would move youβit didnβt. Nevertheless, he still kissed you back.
βLay with me, Jack.β
Five minutes turned into ten⦠then you got to wash his hair.
And you were asleep by 10:05, just like he promised.
Four days later, Robby arrived in the ED with a newfound pep in his step. Everyday was unpredictable for him lately and the good days were far and few between, so, he took an inch and made it last a mile when the satisfaction rattled through his soul.
Jack was already talking to Dana at a computer about a patient in South 17 when Robby joined them, setting his bag down on the floor where Jackβs was already packed and ready to go.
βDid I miss hand offs already?β Robby asked both of them.
βJack asked me to come in early so he could get a jump start home,β Dana detailed and Jack logged out.
βIβve got places to be, people to see,β Jack said causally. Robby scoffed, eyes looking around the hub at his staff.
βYou mean your wife.β
Jack nodded once. βAnd if I get out of here inββ he glanced down at his watch ββfive minutes I can catch her before she gets out of bed.β
βIsnβt that sweet,β Dana cooed. βTake notes, Robinavitch. You might need it someday.β
βOh, I donβt know about that.β Robby put his glasses on, dipping them low on his nose. βAbbot might not have the best advice.β
Jack saddled his bag onto his shoulder. βDid the date not go well?β His brows lifted in no apology. βIt was quite a fun thing to experience, if I do say so myself.β
Robby laughed an βuh ohβ as though he were being challenged.
βWell, Iβd hate to be on the other side of what dates look like.β
Jack narrowed his eyes, gazing at his friend with speculation before walking out of the hub. Dana backed off as Princess came snooping with an air of gossip waiting to be unleashed.
Robby gave Jack a few steps head start before jogging up to catch him.
βIt actually went very well, if you care,β Robby said quietly. βWeβre getting drinks after work tonight.β
Jack stopped. He looked at Robbyβs face and knew in an instant that he was being honest. He did like Noelleβeven if he had a strange way of showing it.
βGood for you, brother.β Jack slapped a hand on his back. βIβm happy for you.β
βThanksβ¦β Robby tilted his head. βIs she?β
βIs she what?β Jack asked. βWho?β
βIs your wife happy?β
Jackβs enjoyment broke. βWhat?β
βOh, sorry,β Robby chuckled. He shook off an imaginary thought. βI was gonna talk to you about this, remember? I heard from someone a few months back that there was a littleβ¦ problem? An age related one?β
βAnββ Jack paused, lightly offended. βWhat the fuck are you on about?β
βI donβt knowβ¦ just this likeβ¦ little blue pill problem?β
God. Jackβs face lit on fire. Who the fuck blabbed?
βI have no idea what youβre talking about.β
Who the hell talked? Who told the only person that Jack specifically wished never knew about his Viagra problem?β
βNo?β Robbyβs mouth quirked into an amused frown. βOkay, so nothingβs wrong in that department?β
βN-no.β Jack could have slapped himself for the stutter. βBut itβs not fucking age related, Robinavitch. And youβre older than me, fucker. So, donβt even go there.β
βIβve never had a problem.β Robby shrugged and Jack began walking away before anymore questions could be asked.
βAt least Iβm married!β
βSee ya, Abbot!β Robby bid easily as Jack threw up his middle finger. βMind your own business next time!β
βFuck off, Robby!β
And the ambulance bay doors closed behind him with a swish.
a/n: jack has such vibes that i simply canβt resist him. heβs an itch we canβt (donβt want to) scratch.
reblogs, comments, and likes keep writers writing. thank you for reading! plus reblogging is like⦠super cool tbh
and if youβre looking for a little more jack abbot erectile dysfunction lore that can totally be tied in here, check out fic: i got a bad desire
Wishful Thinking, Mindless Dreaming - Steve Harrington
summary: You left Hawkins and all your relationships behind. Five years later, you can barely look at yourself, and at the one person who you never should have left.
pairing: Steve Harrington x Reader
word count: 3.9k
warnings: angst, some fluff, minimal swearing, hopeful ending
a/n: i'm back for the first time in months. sorry for not writing, but i'm feeling a bit better and thought it's about time to put a couple of words on the page.
masterlist
Maybe it was the morning rush of trafficβthe idle hum of wasted fuel as they came to a stand still on the main streetβthat made you feel normal again.
It was familiar. A sound that pulled a chord deep within your soul, suddenly rewinding the past five years of anguish and anomie until you were nothing more than a young, dumb, high school student wandering the main street with your friends.
Window shopping with music you could almost hear and the sickly-sweet smell of pastries from the bakery wafting by on a lone autumn breeze. Eyeing off a new jacket that you knew you couldnβt afford, but your friends egging you to try on, to which you always conceded with a bashful smile as the material settled on your shoulders like it was made for you.
Even now, the jacket still fit, seeming to have molded better than you to the changes from your teenage years to early adulthood.
Some of the shop fronts on either side of the street were still empty, their previous tenants unable to rebuild after the βearthquakeβ, but most were showing new life, the power of hope and resilience pushing them on like a lone flower growing on the sidewalk.
Hawkins hadnβt changed all that much since the last time you had been there, and yet, nothing was the same.
It didnβt feel like home anymore, and you didnβt think it ever would again. Not after the way you left. Not after you let it all go on a whim.
You werenβt even sure why you were back. The excuse of your auntβs birthday was just thatβan excuse. There had been many raised eyebrows and hushed whispers when youβd shown up that morning, going back on your promise to never step foot in the town again.
Youβd ignored them, clinging to your glass and any semblance of control with an iron grip as you stood in the corner of the room by yourself, no one having the nerve to side up to you and start a conversation, lest you decided to rip their head off.
An ugly scar on the relationships youβd torn apart when you shredded all contact with your past life.
The longer you stood in that stuffy room, the closer the walls drew in, until finally the laughter and music became too loud, too forced, too much, and you slammed the glass down on the nearest surface and fled.
Just like you always did.
Now, the breeze was colder than you remembered, but you couldnβt find it in yourself to care. Not as it worked to cool your heated cheeks and the sweat on the back of your neck.
It was a mistake to come back, you told yourself, head ducked low to avoid the eyes of passers-by. It was a mistake to think that anyone would welcome you back with open arms. It was a mistake to come back and see the life here flourish while you were withering away to nothing.
Once. Then twice. And on the third time, every thought youβd had a moment ago descended into an ear-piercing silence.
Your breath hitched, and he seemed just as dumbfounded to see you standing on the precipice of your old life as you were.
He whispered your name, and everything around you came back in screaming colour.
βSteve,β you choked out, barely able to think anything else, because he was here. He was in front of you.
He swallowed down his shock into something more approachable, but his eyebrows were still pulled together as he took you in.
You wanted to turn your head and shield him from seeing you like this. He had no doubt noticed the bags under your eyes that seemed like a permanent fixture in your life now. Your frown lines that were etched into your face from the sheer amount of time you spent like that. And worst of all, your glassy eyes that had misted the second you laid eyes on him.
βWhat are you doing here?β he managed after a second.
You fumbled for the reason, the words tumbling around like rocks in your mouth. βIβuhβthereβs a party. For my aunt. Now.β
βOh,β he said suddenly, and as if realising that he was still in the middle of the doorway, stepped aside and moved to open the door wider for you. βAre you wanting to come in?β
βNo. No. Iβm justβ¦β The sentence wavered out into nothing. What were you doing? What had been your plan aside from coming here to seek refuge?
You could feel Steveβs eyes still on you, and you pulled your jacket tighter. It was out of comfort more than anything, but he took it as a defence against the chill.
He cleared his throat and glanced back inside. You could see him vaulting a thought around behind his eyes, trying to work up the courage to ask the question that you desperately hoped he would. βDid you want to get a coffee?β Together, he didnβt say.
Your answer was instant.
+
The light streaming through the partially closed curtains roused you from sleep. From the way it poured into the room, it had to be mid-morning, the overhead fan already working overtime to fight against the unusually hot spring heat.
You groaned as you blinked the sleep from your eyes, but quietened immediately when the arm slung over you pulled tighter. He was warm, the thin t-shirt barely doing anything to stop the natural warmth he radiated at all times.
It became particularly useful for you in winter, but on hot days like this, it was almost too much.
βSteve,β you whispered, trying to pull away from him. His grip didnβt let up. βSteve,β you tried again, this time rolling over to face him.
His hair was a mess, the majority of it falling in a wayward pattern all over his face. It was longer than it ever had been while heβd been at high school, and you had to admit that you liked being able to brush your hands through it, just like you did now.
βSteve,β you murmured, twirling your fingers through the strands around his temple. He hummed, an acknowledgement without actually opening his eyes. βItβs your birthday, baby.β
While the information wasnβt new to him, he still furrowed his eyebrows and heaved in a long breath through his nose before cracking his eyes open. βWhat?β
You smiled at him. βItβs your birthday.β
βMy birthday?β he questioned, and if it werenβt for the fact that you knew he struggled to process anything for the first ten minutes he was awake, youβd have thought he suffered short-term memory loss while he was asleep.
βYeah,β you affirmed. βHappy birthday.β
There was a long moment of silence as he finally understood what you said and his eyes opened fully, revealing the deep chocolate that youβd fallen for, and would continue to chase for the rest of your life.
βItβs my birthday,β he said, and after a second added, βIβm so old.β
You scoffed, shuffling as he rolled onto his back. βYouβre not old. Youβre barely 19.β
βAnd thatβs practically 20, which is almost 21. Iβll be 30 before I know it.β He caught your eyeroll, and you barely had time to prepare yourself before he jabbed his fingers into your side causing you to squeal. βDonβt make fun of me. This is serious.β
βI never said it wasnβt!β
βThen why are you laughing at me?β
βBecause youβre freaking out over nothing. Aging is a part of life, babe. It happens to everyone.β Despite the thankful smile he threw your way, there was still a subtle sadness behind it.
You knew it was because he felt like his childhood was ending, and that sooner or later he would have to get a proper job working for his dad, and this bubble of weightlessness would burst.
βYou know,β you said, βIβll still love you. No matter how old we are. No matter what happens, that will always be true.β
His eyes softened, the tentative smile widening. βI love you,β he said, and the pebble of truth sent ripples through your soul.
+
When the waitress took your order, you couldnβt help noticing the way her eyes lingered on him just a moment too long.
You couldnβt blame her. Time had done wonders for Steve, fine tuning him into a handsome young man, all broad shoulders and arms that had become toned with the work heβd done for the town to help rebuild.
A weird silence settled over the two of you when he looked up from the menu.
You wanted to ask him about how heβd been, about anything and everything, but your tongue was cemented to the roof of your mouth, and all you could do was stare at him.
After darting his tongue across his lips, he asked, βHow are you?β
βIβve been good,β you lied, used to the bitter taste the words left in your mouth. βHow are you?β
He nodded his head. βYeah, good. Just working at the Rehabilitation Centre still.β
Working felt like an understatement. According to the newspapers you read on occasion, Steve Harrington was leading the trauma recovery unit to help people understand and deal with the trauma theyβd faced when the town had been ripped apart. Before that, heβd been a part of the clean up crew and assisted with rebuilding the town.
And to him, it was just working.
But you couldnβt say that to him. You couldnβt tell him how amazing he was, and what difference he was making to peopleβs lives, and just how proud you were of him. Not anymore.
βThatβsβ¦good,β you finished lamely. βHowβre the kids?β
The kids that you abandoned, a tiny voice in the back of your head whispered.
Steve gave you a quick once over, as if assessing if he was going to tell you. βTheyβre good. Senior year this year. High schoolβs been rough for them, you know, with everything, but theyβre doing well. Theyβre nerds, so what can you expect.β
It was just a joke, but for the first time in five years, you smiled.
He returned it, albeit close-lipped. His guard was still up, an invisible wall that was keeping you at a distance.
It hurt, to be on the receiving end of his coldness.
By nature, he was aloof, carefree in a way that had attracted you to him in the first place.
Now, he was burdened with the shadows of doubt that you had created.
The shame threatened to burn you alive.
+
Steve driving was a common sight.
So common, in fact, that he had been dubbed the taxi service by the kids, the Harrington household receiving numerous calls at all times of day or night begging him to drive them wherever they needed to go.
And despite his groaning and moaning and protesting, Steve Harrington could never say no to taking them across town at two in the morning.
βHenderson, shut up,β he muttered, turning down the radio that the curly-haired boy had reached through the seats to turn up.
Steve was teetering on the edge of insanity, the lack of sleep combined with the atrociously noisy freshman all squashed up in the back seat of his BMW. His eye twitched, fingers drumming out random patterns on the steering wheel to try and ground himself in the present moment.
You could only watch on with bleary eyes as he tried to keep himself on this side of going to jail for murdering a gaggle of freshman.
βWhat?β Dustin said, leaning forward to turn it up again. βItβs just music.β
You snapped forward and smacked his hand away. He had the gall to look offended.
βWhatβd you do that for?β he screeched.
βBecause youβre being annoying.β
βHey, if anyoneβs being annoying, itβs Max. She wonβt move over, and Iβm stuck on the floor.β The resulting punch he received on the arm was loud enough that you heard it from the front seat.
βI am not,β she snarked. βYouβre the one who called us all and said it was an emergency.β
Sleep still clouding his voice, Steve added, βYeah, and if we get to Mikeβs and I find out itβs not an emergency, youβre dead, Henderson. Got it?β He yawned, setting off a chain reaction for everyone except Dustin.
βHeβs just grumpy heβs missing out on his beauty sleep, Dustin,β you murmured.
Steveβs eyeroll was almost audible as he pulled up out the front of the Wheelerβs place, Mike vibrating with excitement in the driveway. Will was more subdued beside him, but both their smiles grew tenfold when Lucas, Max, Dustin, and El clambered out of the car.
The doors to the car were slammed shut with little more than a βthank youβ from Lucas and El, and they were all practically tripping over each other to get inside the house. The two of you watched after them, ensuring they all got inside safely.
Without the constant chatter of the kids, the car was a hell of a lot quieter, but despite it, your previous exhaustion was creeping away from you.
Glancing over at Steve, you could see his eyes threatening to close, so you reached out and placed a hand on his arm. βYou want me to drive?β
He looked at you. βNo, Iβm fine. I just need to go back to bed,β he answered as he peeled away from the curb and into the night.
βPretty boy need his beauty sleep?β you teased.
As you watched him laugh from the passenger side, you couldnβt imagine a better life than this one.
You recognized them as the family who had lived down the street from you as kid. The five years hadnβt been as kind to them, skin sagging as age brought them further from their youth. They had always been kind to you as a kid, a little overbearing, maybe, but constant and kind.
Seeing them now, your stomach soured in an awful way and your eyes averted before they could catch them.
Steve saw it all. The shift in emotion. The way you fiddled with the sleeves of your jacket that he knew mean that you were nervous.
The jacket he had bought for you seven years ago.
When you finally returned your gaze from the linoleum tabletop to his face, his expression had softened a fraction. Anyone else mightnβt have noticed it.
But you did.
So, you took a leap.
+
Everything was wrong.
The silence from the main street that was torn in two. The busker than normally stood on the curb was gone, another victim to Vecna.
The cleanup was still in full force, and your second week of searching for people lost in the rubble had turned into searching for the bodies of the people who you had grown up beside.
Neighbours. Classmates. Teachers. Coworkers.
Vecnaβs carnage hadnβt spared anyone. Even though El had stopped him, it hadnβt been enough to stop him from tearing apart your home.
You had failed.
You had failed Max.
You had failed Eddie.
Everyone had depended on you, and you failed them.
The least you could do was try and find them, to try and save them. But even now, you werenβt quick enough, and anyone left beneath it all would be gone.
Those dark thoughts had begun to haunt you. They had you second guessing every move you made, leaving you wondering if youβd just tried harder, if youβd run faster, if youβd thought quicker, would everything be different?
Darkness began to seep into your everyday life, shadowing any joy and light in a cloud of distrust and agony. Because it could all be taken away from you.
Everything you loved had already been tainted by the darkness, and now that darkness was in your head.
It was everywhere.
And it was all your fault.
By the end of the second week of search and rescue, the supervisors called it.
There were no more bodies to be found. The thought should have been a good one. It should have been hopeful.
But as you shed your high-vis vest and kicked off your boots outside your door, failure was the only lonely word tumbling around in your skull.
With shaking hands, you turned the key to your front door, intent on letting yourself fall into the oblivion of sleep as soon as you got inside.
But as you stepped into your house, you froze in the doorway. Because Steve was sitting on your couch, with a bouquet of roses in his hands.
He was still dressed for his shift at the Rehabilitation Centre, nametag emblazoned with his name in giant capital letters followed by: Ask me for help!
Your eyes were laser focused on the flowers in his hands. They were ornate, over the top, and something that you would have kissed him silly for two months ago.
Now, they were a bloodstain against the mess of your house.
βWhat is that?β you asked, voice shaky.
Steve glanced between the roses and you. βTheyβre flowers. I heard that it was your last shift at search and rescue today.β
Failure clamped around your heart. βAnd you got me flowers?β
His brow furrowed, and you saw his start to second-guess himself. βWell, yeah, I just thought that it would be nice, consideringββ
ββconsidering what?β you seethed. βConsidering that I couldnβt save everyone?β
He started, taking a step back at the ferocity in you voice. βWhat? No. I thoughtββ
You barked a laugh. A sad, broken sound that reflected just how you felt inside. ββYou thought wrong. I donβt want flowers, Steve. I donβt want you to pretend that everything is OK just because you donβt have to deal with the reality of looking for people every day.β
It was a low blow. And it wasnβt fair. He did just as much to help Hawkins as you did. But your mind didnβt care about fair.
The flowers in his hands fell to his side. βWhat does that mean?β
βIt means that I donβt fucking want you to be here sprouting your βEverything is going to be OK!β shit to me right now.β
Steveβs face dropped, and hurt flashed across his face. βIβm notββ
βYou are!β you spat. βNothing is going to be OK. Nothing is going to be all right. Itβs never going to go back to normal, because everything is gone. The people. Our town. Our friends. Itβs all gone.β
He didnβt move, your words pinning him to his spot in your living room. βBaby, things will change. Itβs going to take time and effort, but we can do this.β
βNothing is going to be OK,β you said after a pause. βItβs not. And we canβt do this.β
He froze. βWhat?β
βWe canβt do this,β you repeated, not even looking at him.
His voice shook, but, still, you kept your eyes averted. βWhat are you saying?β
For a long moment, neither of you said anything. He just looked at you. But then he was angry. βNo,β he said. βNo. You donβt get to just tap out when things go wrong. Thatβs not fair.β He crossed the room in a few long strides until he was a few feet away. βWe promised we would do this togetherββ
βI donβt want to,β you cut him off. βI donβt want this.β
βI donβt believe you. I donβt believe that you want to just give up on us after three years. No. No.β You werenβt sure if he was trying to convince you or himself.
Either way, it didnβt work. βI do. I canβt do this anymore. I donβt want to do it.β
βWhere is this coming from? I know that the Upside Down stuff is bad, but weβve done it before, and we can do it again. We just needββ
βSteve,β you cut in. βI donβt want you.β
The words sliced through the room, through the world.
They were the final nail in the coffin.
Steve stood opposite you, the heart he had just held out in his hand to you bruised and bloody, all by your own doing.
A tiny voice inside your headβthe reasonable one that you had locked awayβwas screaming. It pounded against the door with all its might, begging you not to let this go, begging you not to let him go.
But you slammed it behind another door, drowning it out with the swirling darkness you had become accustomed to.
When Steve opened his mouth, his voice threatened to break you. βYouβ¦You donβt wantβ¦me?β
If you wanted to go back, if you even wanted to try and scramble back to escape the mess you had just made of both your hearts, this was the only chance.
You finally looked up from the ground and into his teary, heartbroken eyes, and you said, βNo.β
+
βSteve,β you started, aware of your racing heart and shaking hands. The way he looked at you now, you could see his wariness. You could see the way he readied himself for what you were about to say. And seeing him that way, seeing the way that you had made him, it was enough to swallow your pride. βIβm sorry.β
Whatever he thought you were going to say, it obviously hadnβt been that, because his eyes widened, and his lips parted. βWhat?β he managed.
βIβIβm sorry, for that night. For saying those things to you. ForβFor throwing you away when we needed each other most. Iβm sorry.β As you said the words, you turned the key to the door of the part of yourself that you had kept locked up for five years.
You allowed it out, and god, did it ache at the freedom.
Steve couldnβt tear his eyes from you, the raging internal battle he was having clear on his face. It was ugly, but you were its creator, and you had to face it.
You couldnβt bring yourself to say anymore, so you just waited.
You would wait an eternity for it. For him. You would give him whatever he needed from you. Even if it was to never step foot in Hawkins ever again, you would give that to him.
Whatever he wanted, it was his. Because everything you had ever had, everything you had ever been, it had always belonged to him.
Time stretched, mindless chatter droning out until his voice became the only one you could hear.
GET. AI. OUT. OF. FANDOM. Stop making headcanons with it, stop making fanfic with it, stop making fanart with it. If I see one more "asking chatgpt *blank* about *character/characters in a fandom* I'm going to lose my goddamn mind. Use your own fucking brain, stop asking AI to do everything. You could even ask other real people what they think. Just. Stop. Using. AI. In. Creative. Spaces.