house tour, pt 01
pairing – dr. jack abbot x neighbour!female reader
rating – mature. minors dni
wc – 9.6k
series masterlist
series summary: for the past eight long months, jack has had the twelfth floor of the orpheus building all to himself. the calmness was nice, but he missed knowing that there was a living soul next door. little did he know that, in a slow spring morning, he would meet his new neighbour. and the love of his life.
chapter summary – after eight months of having the 12th floor to himself, jack finally has a new neighbour. he has no idea how to react when she’s the opposite of what he expected.
warnings – fluff, angst and smut, the holy trinity. age gap (reader in her early thirties, jack in his late forties). jack is off his game as the reader is the first person he has feelings after his wife died, mentions of said late wife. reader is a complete menace and it drives jack insane, but she’s also a bit shy. reader is bi and works with art. reader thinks rabbot is a thing. reader has two sisters. mentions of situationships and bad relationships with parents (reader), homophobia, narcissistic mom and dead parents(reader’s friends). male masturbation, oral (f receiving), p in v, cowgirl. usual medical talk. she/her pronouns and afab!reader. no specific descriptions of body type, race or ethnicity, but reader is described to have hair long enough that jack plays with it. all lowercase for styling purposes.
a/n – heyyy! this is officially the biggest piece of media i have ever written. i am feeling proud but i also have no idea what to think about it. i’m worried about the pacing and the setting so idk, imma start rambling here. there will be a few other parts as i want to get into certain things reader shared with jack, but i don’t know when they will come out and if they will be this big. feedback is appreciated! hope you enjoy it and thank you for reading 🤎
dividers by @/uzmacchiato and @/bronzewasp
saturday, may 10th, 2025. 08:15a.m.
jack can’t believe he’s home already. last night’s shift had been a slow one. only one trauma, triage was weirdly empty and most of the cases that showed up were simple. not even shen saying the “q” word was enough to ruin it. but as slow as it was, the week started to weigh on him. he’s thankful that he has this sunday off.
the elevator sits there on the ground floor, empty and the door open, waiting for him. he presses “12”, enters the password and presses “confirm”. the door closes as he rests against the cold steel wall. jack closes his eyes and a deep sigh leaves his body, the heaviness of six straight shifts finally settling over his body. the ride is fast, too fast for his liking as he was sure he was going to fall asleep there.
the elevator stops on his floor and the door slides open again. it’s noisier than usual, the apartment to his left had its door opened, cardboxes everywhere, inside and outside on the shared hall. lively feminine and masculine voices are heard, accompanied by laughter. jack looks around and hums, new neighbour, he thinks. that’s interesting. he enters his apartment before he has to be friendly.
jack moved there a few months after his wife’s passing. life was proving to be too hard to deal with grief and living in a house filled with memories. so he found an apartment in a fancy building not too far from the hospital, a loft with spacious rooms and high ceiling that made it feel breathable, non constricting. jack liked the fact that there weren't many people around him, as he shared the floor with one other unit only.
the en-suite bathroom is foggy, the pressure of the hot water doing wonders to relax jack’s muscles. he thinks about his last neighbour, mr. bocca, an old man in his seventies that came from argentina, who made a comfortable living for himself, married “the most beautiful californian woman” (his words, not jack’s) and had three children, two boys and a girl. mr. bocca was a nice neighbour, would always chat with jack, exchanging quips about his time in the argentinian army during the dictatorship and how he had to flee because he was against it, meeting and marrying his wife, how nice it was to share life with her, raise their children together and how difficult the few first years after he had lost her were, how he wanted her to meet their grandchildren and how he had vowed to never marry again.
mr. bocca’s health deteriorated during his last months in the building, making his children admit him in an assisted living facility closer to them. that was eight months ago and, since then, jack has had the floor to himself. way too quiet for his liking.
as he drifts to sleep, jack thinks of mr. bocca again and wonders if he’ll end up like him.
monday, may 12th, 2025. 05:45p.m.
it’s the first time since saturday morning that jack leaves his house. he hates to admit it, but he spent almost of his time off sleeping. he had plans for that weekend, go grocery shopping (he was forcing himself to eat healthier), run around the park, try the new restaurant ellis told him about and grab a few drinks with robby. next thing he knew, jack had slept for almost twenty four hours straight, only waking up around 10a.m. on sunday with his phone blasting with a phone call from robby, letting him know that he woke up not feeling so great and would use his own day off to sweat it out. jack silently thanked whatever god was out there and only got out of his bed to piss, take a shower and eat the leftover thai food he had on the fridge.
as he closed his apartment’s door, he was met with muffled laughters and barks. a family, he thought. a young family, husband with a wife and a kid, also a big dog if the strong bark is any indicator. the elevator pings, announcing its arrival, and wakes the man from his daydream. jack notices the bittersweet smile that adorns his face on the elevator’s side mirror, and shakes his head to push away the “what ifs” he knew were coming.
monday, june 30th, 2025. 08:03a.m.
as soon as jack sets foot inside his building, the elevator’s door starts to close, he shouts, asking whoever is inside to hold it. they do and he walks as fast as he can without his prosthesis hurting him even more than it already is. he had ordered a new one, but the company had messed the shipping up and it would take a bit longer to arrive.
first thing jack notices is the hand that blocks the door for him. feminine, well manicured nails that housed a very intricate nail art that resembled some painting he knew he had seen in a museum abroad. then, he meets the owner.
dressed in all black sportswear that hugged her body in all the right places. hair in a ponytail, a bit messy from the work out, some pieces sticking to her sweaty skin, chest heaving as her breath regulated.
a beautiful woman, probably one of the most beautiful he has ever seen. younger than you too, old man. his brain reminded him.
“good morning.” she greets him with the brightest smile he has seen in a while.
jack clears his throat to mask the fact that he was stunned and gives her a “good morning” back.
as he goes to press his floor’s button, he notices the “12” is already lit.
“1202?” jack asks.
“yeah!”
“i’m your neighbour, 1201.” he says, extending his arms to shake her hand. “jack abbot.”
she gives him her name, a smile still present on his lips. “i’ve been meaning to introduce myself but couldn’t figure out if i had a neighbour or not.”
jack snorts. “yeah, as you can see,” he points to his scrubs “my working hours are all over the place.”
she laughs, a sweet laugh that makes jack want to hear it everyday. “makes sense.”
he nods, a tiny, silly smile appearing on his face. before anyone could say anything, the elevator pings, stops and open its door. “well, this is us.” jack says and holds the door for her to get out.
“it was nice meeting you, jack.
“you too. if you need anything, feel free to knock.” he tells her as he opens his door.
“you too, jack abbot.” is the last thing he hears as she closes her own door.
jack locks his apartment and rests his forehead on the thick wood that separates him from the shared hall, releasing a breath.
“i’m so fucked.”
wednesday, july 2nd, 2025. 05:55p.m.
jack hears the other door opening as he’s locking his, a bit of a commotion with it.
“hey, jack!” the beautiful neighbour greets when he turns around. medium wash denim shorts, white tank top, birkenstocks and glasses. jack was never one to pay that much attention to what a woman was wearing, of course he would notice when a dress fit nicer than usual, always telling liz how good she looked. but there’s something about the younger woman that just made it look so effortless, like everything she chooses to wear, the most basic outfit, is cool because she is even cooler.
“hey! and who is this?” jack asks, playful smile as he bends down to play with the biggest fucking bernese mountain dog he has ever seen.
“oh, this is theo.” she says, patting his head, fingers brushing jack’s lightly. “my baby.”
the elevator arrives and jacks stands straight, right hand going to the door to hold it so the mom and dog duo can enter it. she stands on the back left corner, theo sitting in front of her, leaving the right corner by the door to jack.
she pays attention to jack with a playful smile. cargo pants and a black, tight compression shirt that hugs his arms way too well, backpack by his feet. the salt and pepper of his hair and the stubble of a nor here or there beard fit him freakishly well, like he was born to be a dilf. a ring on his finger that leaves her wondering if he is married, which is weird, since the loft always seems so empty. he looks at theo with the most endearing smile.
a beat passes. another one too.
“there nothing behind his eyes.” jack says, amused.
that earns him a hearty laugh. “oh, nothing!” she exclaims, “you know how you can hear the ocean when you press your ear to a conch? it’s the same when you press it to his head, except you just hear the wind.”
the older man laughs and scratches the dog’s head once again. “he’s a really beautiful dog. never seen one this big.”
“thank you.” she says, a bit proud. “i think he respects you. theo is usually very jumpy.”
“i’ve been told i have an imposing figure.”
“just a little bit.” she agrees, stressing the ‘little’ with a hand gesture.
the ground floor arrives, door opens and once again jack holds it for them. she gets off and walks with her neighbour to the building’s entrance in silence.
“bye jack, hope you have a nice shift.”
he nods, giving her a “have safe walk you two.”
as usual, jack arrives at the ptmc thirty minutes earlier. dana and robby are at the hub discussing some patients when he sets foot inside.
dana is the first one to greet him, not with words, no. just a teasing, knowing smile.
“what?” jack asks.
“you either had sex or something really good happened to you.” dana answers, the affirmation making robby lift his head so fast from the chart he had been staring at for the past couple of minutes, he almost got whiplashed.
jack gives the blonde woman the most stunned look.
“you do have a lighter look on your face, brother.” robby adds.
“didn’t have sex.” i wish i did. “have a new neighbour and met her at the elevator. she has this big, goofy looking bernese dog, theo. we talked, i pet the dog, that’s it.” jack adds, exasperated.
“a she, huh? first name basis with the dog and everything.” dana says, elbowing robby.
to add fuel to the fire, robby goes on saying “i bet he wanted to pet something else.” and wheezes.
“i swear to god–“ jack cuts himself and groans. “i’ll meet you in ten for the rounds. you better not say another fucking word about this.” jack leaves, storming off to the lockers.
thursday, july 24rd, 2025. 07:51p.m.
jack enters the elevator and his neighbour is already there. something is off in the air today. their floor button wasn’t pressed, she is literally just standing there. body pressed tight to the corner she always liked to stand on, head bent, looking at the floor. hair a bit mussed, one hand over her mouth and the other holding what looked to be a very heavy bag.
“good morning.” jack says in a very apprehensive voice as he entered their floor and password.
“mornin’” she gave back, voice barely above a whisper. the look on her face was one jack never expected to see: eyes red with tears that threatened to spill and a very pained expression.
“hey, hey. is everything ok?” he asks as he crosses his way to her, one hand squeezing her right shoulder in a grounding motion.
she nods her head ‘yes’, but as she did, the tears starts to spill out, and she shooks her head ‘no’.
jack hugs her, arms tightly pressed on her middle back, one hand caressing her hair lightly. she presses her head to his chest, sobbing. he cherishes the feeling for a bit, scolding himself for indulging in it when she’s in clear distress. a feeling deep inside tells him that he wishes this happened in a different circumstance.
“what happened?” jack finally asks after a minute or two, voice as soft as he could muster.
the elevator is almost at their floor when she finally answers. “just got broken up with.”
it pings. jack lets her go, confused expression as he looks at her. he grabs her bag and his backpack that he had thrown on the floor as soon as she started crying. the doors open. “broken up with?” he asks as they step out of the elevator. she nods her head.
the elevator’s door closes once again, going to god knows which floor now. they stand in the common hall in a shared silence for a moment. her eyes looks around the small space between their units, thinking that they needed to decorate it. meanwhile, his eyes studied her, thinking that he needed to cheer her up somehow and also try to understand the whole break up situation. nosy, nosy jack.
he’s the one to break the silence. “you working this morning?”
“no.”
“come here then.”
they enter his apartment. jack sets her bag by the door and his backpack inside the coat closet. they walk together, jack takes off his scrubs, neatly folding and setting it on the back of his sofa. she takes the apartment in, a nice decor that she doubts he did it by himself, feels lived in but extremely neat. army precision neat.
he guides her to the kitchen, tells her to sit down on one of the stools by the breakfast counter.
jack thoroughly washes his hands and arms before opening his fridge, gets two beers out, opens them and hands her one.
“jack, it’s barely eight in the morning.” she tells him incredulously.
“doctor’s orders.” he says, she laughs, the first positive expression that came out of her this morning. they clink the bottles’ necks together and drink.
“so, why did this stupid boyfriend of yours break up with you?” he questions as he opens the fridge again, grabbing an assortment of ingredients.
“girlfriend.” jack’s head snaps up at her immediately as he hears the word, brows furrowed and eyes wide, a shocked expression on his face. she lifts one single eyebrow, silently daring him to say something.
he notices, clears his throat and says “sorry, wasn’t expecting it to be a girl. nothing against it.” he stutters. “i’m not homophobic.” voice in a whisper.
she snorts. “i’m bi, jack.”
a silent ‘oh’ leaves his mouth, face in an understanding expression. “makes sense.”
she decides it’s better not to comment on it. “anyways, i don’t think i could call her a girlfriend. it’s more of a situationship kind of thing.”
“situationship? what the fuck is that?”
she laughs so hard he looks back at her again. “you really are an old man.”
“hey!” jack exclaims, face filled with fake offence.
she explains what a situationship is to him and, in true jack fashion, he asks “so why are you sad about that? seems like you dodged a bullet to me.”
her shoulders sag. “i don’t know. i wasn’t exactly in love with her but i did have strongish feelings. it’s weird because she was always telling me how amazing i was and saying how she could see a future with me, but never really took it to the next level and whenever i tried to talk to her about it, she changed the subject, saying that she adored me but didn’t want any bigger responsibilities right now.” she runs a hand through her hair and continues, “at first i was ok with it, i also didn’t want anything serious, i had just gotten this big promotion at work and i knew i wasn’t going to be able to dedicate myself to a relationship. but that was nine months ago.” she ends with a dejected sigh.
“again, you dodged a bullet, sweetheart.”
she agrees with him, “yeah.”
“you spent the night there?” he asks, eyes flitting between her and the eggs.
“i did. we went to dinner, she had been raging about this restaurant for months and how she wanted to take me there. the night was great, food was amazing, we went back to hers since it was closer, fucked like usual,” jack chokes on spit and tries to hide it with a cough. she continues like nothing had happened, “well, she was more eager than normal,” jack says a silent prayer
“anyways, we slept. then i woke up this morning and, i’ve been having this empty feeling for a while, you know? like, i was ok with what we had but something was missing, but at the same time, i knew it would go south either way. she noticed i was weird, asked about what was bugging me, so i told her, we fought and she broke up with me.”
the bluntness stunned him and for a moment, all he could say was “i see. so the bag…?”
“is full of my shit that i left there during the relati– during whatever the fuck we had.”
jack nods, thoughts pondering on his head. “has she left anything at your place?”
“mhm.”
“put it in a box and give me her address. i’ll deliver it myself.” jack says as he turns the stove off. what comes next startles him. she laughs a full bellied laugh, laughs and laughs and laughs, enough to bring tears to her eyes and hiccup a bit. she washes it down with the rest of her beer. jack stares at her, right hand in a “go on” motion, urging her to explain.”
“oh, she would lose her shit if she saw you at her door with her crap.” she giggles. “you– well, a man like you, linked to me in some capacity… she never met you before, would probably put two and two together and assume we are at least fucking, that to her would be the lowest of the blows.”
jack does his best to not let the words get to him, trying to control his blood flow. “and why is that?”
“oh…” it comes out of her almost like a squeak, a tiny, high pitched noise. for the first time in months, he saw her embarrassed, a completely different woman from the one that had said some atrocious things to him a few minutes ago like he was one of her best friends. “well, let’s just say that she has her reasons.”
he agrees and doesn't touch the subject anymore.
jack sets the table. scrambled eggs, bacon, waffles, some square sliced fruits and that special coffee he keeps in the back of his pantry, saved for when he wants to indulge himself on bad days. i could do this everyday with her, he thinks and shakes his head a second later, as if to rid him of the thought.
“listen, sweetheart–“ he stops and in a commanding voice says “eat.”
she mumbles an “ok” and he only resumes his speech when she shoves a piece of strawberry in her mouth.
“you are an amazing girl. you’re smart and funny and i’m pretty sure there are a lot of people who would love to have you as their partner.” me, i would love that. he thinks, then continues, “trust me, i’ve had my share of heartbreaks and i’ve broken a few too. it feels like grief, like mourning a person who’s still alive and what could have been, but it gets better, and i’m sure you’ll find someone as amazing as you and that is willing to give you what you deserve.”
she feels like crying again, but hold the tears. “thank you, jack.”
they eat together in silence for a while, cherishing the good food and even better company.
“i’m sure you’ve broken many hearts, jack. more than you are willing to admit.”
“what could you possibly mean by that?”
“you’re a hot guy, jack.” she bites a piece of bacon before adding, “very charming. i’m pretty sure some of your colleagues and patients have creamed their pants because of you. not a “women exclusive” thing either.” she quips.
“i’m hot– creamed their pan– what the fuck?” jack asks, face red and a look that screams ‘get me outta here’.
he knows he’s a good looking guy in a rugged way, having been hit on in the ED a few times, but nothing ever prepared him for how direct his neighbour is.
“yeah, you’re a dilf!” she says in a voice that may sound innocent, but the look in her eyes tells him otherwise. she’s the devil.
“i’m a dilf?” jack echoes.
“mhmm. dad i’d lik–“
“i know what that means.” he cuts her off, hands frantically moving in a ‘please, stop’ motion. “i don’t have any children, though.”
“well, it’s the sentiment. you are what, fifty?” jack hums, confirming. “so you’re in the age range. you also have this very comforting but imposing, when needed, vibe. a dilf.”
“jesus fuck, you are worse than i thought.
it’s surprising how naturally they fall into easygoing banter. jack asks her what she does for a living, she tells him she’s an art dealer for a gallery and a museum in pittsburgh, and a few private clients, “rich men with too much money to spend and egos bigger than their bank accounts.” she tells him that she also does some social media content, “nothing big. at first i just wanted to share some art knowledge to anyone who wanted to hear. it picked up some traction, i have around thirty thousand followers on tiktok, i know it’s not much and, to be honest, i don’t really care about the numbers, but it makes me happy that the views reach a good number of people. from time to time i sprinkle some ‘a day in the life’ videos, they keep asking for it, so why not. it’s not enough to make bank but i’ve gotten some crazy deals because people have seen my work there so that’s amazing. that’s why i’m not working today. i kind of make my own schedule.”
jack instantly grabs his phone and follows her. he admits he’s not much of a user but had the app downloaded because some of the younger staff kept annoying him about memes and stuff.
she asks and he tells her a bit about him, about the army, that he lost a leg and that led him to emergency medicine, how he became a widower a few years ago, which earns him a coo, an “i’m sorry” and a “couldn’t imagine losing the person i vowed to live the rest of my life with.” jack tells her it’s not easy, that there are highs and lows since grief is not linear, but it gets less and less rough.
they chat about random things, animals, trips, food, she calls him an old man again and, when he notices, it’s almost noon.
“holy shit, i need to grab some shut eye. i have a shift today.” jack tells her as he glances to his watch.
“i’m sorry i took too much of your time, jack.” she says as she gathers the plates and utensils.
he gives her hand a light slap, taking the objects from her. “it’s fine, i haven’t had this much fun in a very long time.”
“thanks, jack. i had a great time too.”
saturday, august 19th, 2025. 01:23p.m.
“please hold!” she asks, jogging from the entrance to the elevator with theo. a tall, older man greets her with a toothy smile.
“good afternoon.” he says and she greets him back.
confusion hits her when she sees the “12” button lit and, as if on cue, the man asks “are you going to the twelf–“
“the twelfth too, yeah.”
“oh, you must be jack’s neighbour. i’ve heard a lot about you.” he shakes her hand and scratches theo’s head. “i’m michael robinavitch, a… friend of jack’s. you can call me robby.”
she smiles at him, a bit contained. introduces herself and theo, tells him jack probably isn’t home, that he had mentioned he was going to visit his late wife’s sister today. robby tells her that he was aware and he had the keys. the elevator finally arrives and as they are parting, she says “if you need anything, feel free to knock.”
robby laughs when he finally closes the door of jack’s apartment, all the whining jack did over his neighbour for the past few months finally making sense. he grabs his phone, shoots jack a quick message saying “just met 1202. your behaviour is justified.”
all he got back was a “fuck off.”
thursday, august 21st, 2025. 11:45a.m.
the residents of both apartments open their doors at the same time, she hears one extra voice. “hey, you two.” she greets.
“hey, sweetheart. you met robby, right?” jack asks, holding the elevator door for her to enter. robby gives her one nod.
“i have. like, two days ago.”
“he works with me,” jack says, looking up at the older man’s eyes. “robby is having some plumbing issues in his apartment and a big renovation is required. he’s going to stay with me for a while.”
for some reason, that surprises her. she brushes it off, says something about how nice it is to share the apartment with someone and asks if they are having a day off. robby answers this time, says that indeed they are, that it’s rare for both of them to have a day off together. jack mentions that they are going around the city for a beer circuit that some restaurants and breweries are throwing and invites her to join them. she thanks him but denies the offer, telling the men that she’s going to meet a friend.
they say their goodbyes as they step outside of their building, and once again she tells robby, “you know, if you need anything, just knock.”
friday, august 22nd, 2025. 09:15a.m.
they meet at the side walk in front of his building. she’s coming back from pilates and jack is getting out of an uber, a couple of reusable bags in hand and his backpack. she grabs one of the bags silently, and waits for him.
“how was the date yesterday?” she asks as they enter the building.
“what date?” jack counters back, confused.
“the one you had yesterday with your fiancé.”
jack enters the elevator first and stands back. as he drops the bags he asks her, completely confused, “what are you on about?”
“your fiancé, robby. or boyfriend, i don’t know. you guys went out yesterday, how was it?”
the elevator’s door is closed but it stays still. the “12” is lit, jack had pressed it as soon as he dropped the bag but he hasn’t made a movement ever since she said “your fiancé, robby.”
“you think robby and i are engaged?” jack asks, his voice so calm it’s almost scary. he looks at her and raises an eyebrow, asking for an answer. all she does is shrug.
jack raises his eyebrow again, this time emphasising with a “go on” with his head.
“yeah, i thought so?” she says, almost unsure. she types the password so she has something else to look at instead of jack.
“robby is my best friend. what made you think we’re in a relationship?” he questions, voice still very low.
“it’s the way you look at him.” jack raises an eyebrow again, rerouting her answer. “it’s endearing, seems reassuring, like it has sentiment behind it. besides, robby is giving bear.”
“‘giving bear’?”
“i’ll let you google this one.” she giggles.
he shakes his head and lets out a defeated laugh. “we are only friends. i told you i was married to a woman, and i’ve never, you know–“ been with a man.
“well, i just assume everyone is bi unless stated otherwise.” she quips.
jack looks at her, the fondest smile adorning his lips. he thinks he’s lucky to have her in any capacity in his life.
“why are you looking at me like that?” she asks, shy for the first time jack had known her. he truly thought it was impossible.
he shakes his head and chuckles, “nothing. you are insane, you know that?”
“thought so too for a while, my psychiatrist thinks it’s just adhd.” and laughs at her own expense.
they get off the elevator and she helps jack with the bags, dropping the one she had by his door. without much thinking, he side hugs her, hand squeezing her waist and kisses the top of her head. “have a good day, sweetheart.”
with her head down, jack can’t see the way she bites her lips and touches her warm cheek. barely above a whisper, she says “you too, jack.”
later that day, jack finds robby in the ptmc’s roof. it hadn’t been one of those days, but gloria was so up his ass that he needed a breather.
jack tells him what happened that morning, that she thought they were in a relationship, that jack looks at robby with ‘sentiment behind it’ and robby finds it all so funny. they google “bear men meaning” together and the results crack the men. robby laughs the most honest laugh he had given in years, he thinks. jack wonders how she knows that stuff.
“she’s kinda right,” robby says, rubbing his beard and then his belly “i am ‘giving bear’.”
jack shakes his head.
“what is going to take you to finally ask her out, man?” robby inquires.
“robby–“
“don’t, don’t give me the ‘i am worthless’ talk. you’re clearly head over heels for her, she’s funny and super smart, quick witted. actually gives you a run for your money. your type to the t.”
“she’s also some decades younger. besides, i don’t think she likes me that way.”
“are you afraid of being called a perverted old man?” jack’s face scrunches in disgust. robby laughs. “i don’t think you’ll. also, i think she does like you that way, should’ve seen the stinky eye she gave me that day i met her alone.” robby squeezes his friend’s shoulder. “ask. her. out.”
tuesday, september 16th, 2025. 12:00p.m.
she thinks her sister is awfully quiet. avery had taken her wisdom teeth out, all four of them at once. she didn’t say much during the drive home, only muttered something about theo and drooled a lot.
she parks at her spot, thankful that it’s near the elevator and, luckily, the machine is there waiting for them. she does the usual routine to get to her floor, hoping it goes up without much of a hassle.
it stops one the ground floor. the door opens, and, by a miracle, it’s just jack and robby.
“who do we have here?” robby asks with his toothy grin.
“this is avery, my sister. pretty girl took out all four of her wisdom teeth. at once.”
“ouch.” jack grimaces.
a few seconds go by and avery asks “which one is your hot dilf neighbour?”
her eyes go wide, she mouths an “i’m so sorry”, jack’s face is red all over and robby is fighting for his life trying not to laugh.
“i’m the neighbour. jack.” he says and tries to smile.
“huh. jack, jack, jack… he’s so your type.” avery giggles and lays her head on her sister’s shoulder. she lifts her head fast, as if she remembered something important, a little drool coming out that the older woman automatically cleans it. “you should fuck him.”
it’s a commotion. robby laughs hysterically, jack is stiff as a board and she apologises profusely. only for avery to continue her assault on her sister’s reputation. “you should fuck the other one too… have a threesome, they look like they would be great at it.”
silence falls in the elevator. the three older people stare at each other, the second born sister whispers “avery, please.” and the youngest lets out an incoherent mumble, hugs her sister closer and snoozes on her shoulder.
the thirty second ride felt like a three hour trip, no one daring to say a word or even look at each.
when they finally arrived at their floor, silence was still present, but jack and robby went out of their way to assist her, grabbing hers and avery’s bags and opening her door.
jack helps the woman settle her younger sister comfortably on the couch.
she walks the friends back to her apartment’s door. she sighs and looks at them before apologising. “i had no idea she would be like this, i’m so sorry.”
“it’s ok, sweetheart.” jack reassures her.
robby agrees and goes on with “anesthesia kicks ass. she won’t even remember us when she wakes up.”
“yeah, still…” she gives them a tiny smile.
jack gives her one of his side hugs, squeezing her waist in a reassuring manner. “update me on her, will you?” she agrees with a nod “yell if you need anything.”
it’s after they are back inside jack’s apartment that robby acknowledges “told you were her type.”
jack mutters “the both of us, apparently.”
saturday, november 1st, 2025. 08:09a.m.
jack knew he should’ve accepted when robby offered him to change his shift, but had to play the hero, had to be the model senior attending.
the halloween shift was hell. four different patients with broken limbs, one minor and one critical car accident, two ods and countless drunks. jack had been puked on three times.
he should have stayed home.
jack hadn’t seen her in over twenty days, some work trip to europe took her away from him, but they kept in touch. talked daily, her sending pics of painting and sculptures she thought he would like, him updating her on weird cases he got to work on.
on a friday she sent him a selfie of her crying after seeing manet’s works at the glyptoteket. jack thought it was the sweetest thing he had ever seen.
no one knows, but the picture is saved on his camera roll, favourited even. he likes to look at it after tough cases.
he asked her if she wanted him to steal one of the paintings, to which she replied “please!!!”
on a saturday he sent her a picture of the sunrise seen over the ptmc’s rooftop, captioned “not as cool as one of your fancy paintings, but beautiful nonetheless”, that got him a “this is better than any painting, jack.” he didn’t reply, the only thing he had in mind was i wish you were here with me.
surprisingly, they got closer after the whole fiasco with avery. the first couple of days were a bit awkward, she still apologised profusely and even got her sister to do the same, jack laughed it off and told it was fine.
later, the youngest told her that she only apologised because the way she said it, not because she did, “i didn’t lie.”
they created a small routine outside of the elevator. jack would make breakfast on the days he got home on time, she would make lunch when their schedule aligned. they got to know the other’s job better, jack and robby visited one exposition she had helped curate and an immense sense of pride bloomed on jack’s chest.
she gave them a private tour, explained what each paint meant, the process and the techniques and why the curator chose those specific pieces.
“this is incredible.” robby said and praised her. “you did a great job.”
she shrugged and felt her cheeks get warm, “i just connected people and places.”
“don’t down play it, this is hard work. it takes a level of knowledge that not many people have.” jack says, and in a warmer tone tells her “i’m proud of you.”
if they were in a cartoon, she would have smoke coming out of her ears and head would have exploded. jack had never seen her this shy, her murmured thank yous almost impossible to hear.
he thanks god she never visited the ptmc and hopes it stays that way, all she knows about it is what he shares with her.
jack took their routine so seriously that, after one MCI that made him flank her on his day off, he denies donnie’s invitation for a beer, leaving the hospital as fast as he could to go on with their plans.
“when do we get to meet the missus?” dana shouted at him on his way out.
abbot knew she had arrived in pittsburgh on the 30th after she texted him, saying that she landed, but would only be home on the 1st of november because of halloween.
jack assumed she would be staying with friends and attending some party. his suspicions were confirmed when he heard footsteps that stopped right in front of him.
jack has his back pressed on the farthest wall of the elevator, head bent down, trying to regulate his anxious thoughts before going up to his home. an order from his therapist after pittfest. jack had complained that being alone at home was turning to be torturous. he couldn’t sleep because his thoughts went into overdrive, only calming down when he was busy.
his therapist told him to look at these thoughts as files and use the duration of his walk back home to catalogue it and put them away. on rough days, he would stay a little longer in the lobby.
the sound of familiar footsteps woke him from his mental exercise. black boots with thick heels entered his field of vision, making him lift his head slowly. latex covered her body, the shiny material hugging her curves tightly, barely leaving anything for imagination. the zipper that secured the jumpsuit was opened enough to grace him with her cleavage, the skin there slick and shiny with sweat. there was a lopsided smile on her face and a fading tint of red lipstick on her lips, and eye makeup that had smudged some.
she looked the hottest he had ever seen and he thanked past jack for not putting his jacket away on his backpack, as all the blood on his body concentrated in one place.
“hi, jack.” she was tipsy, the older man could tell. but just enough to make her feel good. “missed you.”
“missed you too, sweetheart.” jack said, gaining him a hug.
he could feel the way her breasts touched his chest and prayed to god, hoping that she wouldn’t feel his hard on.
the ride was awfully quiet and as soon as the elevator stopped on their floor, jack walked out of the machine, shouting “see you later.” at her.
jack didn’t bother putting his backpack and jacket in their right places, walking straight to the bathroom, taking his clothes off on the way. he jumped straight to the shower, not letting the temperature regulate thinking the cold would help him a bit, but it only got worse when he closed his eyes. images of her flooded his brain, the feeling of her boobs on his chest still very present. jack cursed, called himself a ‘dirty old fuck’ as he spat on his hand, finally taking pity on his hard cock.
the head was angry, a shade of red that looked painful. he gave his shaft three long, torturous strokes, slowly increasing the speed. jack was never very vocal during his time alone, but the images on his brain helped change that. the room soon was filled with soft groans and whiny moans. he was getting closer, growing erratic by the second. jack focused on his head, his most sensitive part, and in seconds, he came with a guttural groan.
he watched the water wash his spent down the drain as he tried to catch his breath.
monday, november 24th, 2025. 09:30a.m.
jack finds her at the garage today, five big reusable bags around her, the sixth being retrieved.
“we throwing a party?” jack says, making her turn around to meet him.
she gives him a puzzled look, finding it strange to see him there. “what are you doing here?”
“where am i supposed to park my car?” jack asks like it’s the most obvious thing.
“huh… you’re always walking around everywhere, no idea you had a car.”
“yeah,” jack says as he hugs her. “last night was too cold and i got lazy, so i drove to work.”
she closes the trunk of her car and locks it, and when she turns back around, jack is holding four of the bags, leaving the two lightest ones for her. “show off.” she mutters and jack taps her foot.
“tough shift? you’ve arrived later than usual.”
“shift was ok,” she holds the elevator door and he continues “just had a really hard case come right by the end of it, so… you know.”
she nods. it takes her a little while to speak again, but when she does, she asks “are you working this thanksgiving?”
“fuck no, halloween was enough. why?”
“i’m throwing a little thanksgiving dinner,” she nods, pointing towards the bags “just a few friends. nothing big, none of us really celebrate it, more of a ‘four kids with dysfunctional families trying to find a sense of normalcy’ type of thing.” she laughs and jack follows. “i’d love it if you’d come.”
“wouldn’t miss it, sweetheart.”
“great,” she responds enthusiastically. “you can invite robby too!”
he agrees and they finally arrive on their floor.
jack follows her, carrying the bags inside her apartment. he spends the rest of his morning there, helping her put the groceries away.
thursday, november 27th, 2025. 05:30p.m.
jack arrives earlier than what she had told him to. a mix of anxiety and him feeling shitty after she told him she would be making the dinner by herself.
he knocks to let her know he’s coming in. it was something that became ingrained to their routine. both had each other's doors’ code now, they would just text or knock to let them know they were coming in.
“is it seven already?” she asks, time a mystery to her.
“no, five thirty. just wanted to help you out.”
she snorts and doesn’t say anything against it, knowing it would be futile. “thank you, jack.”
they work together perfectly, better synchronicity than most married couples.
jack checks the drinks, helps her finish off a few dishes and sets the table. he’s thankful that the table is set as a self-serve bar, not in the traditional ‘everyone-around-the-table’ way. he thinks this helps ease the awkwardness, and makes the get-together feel more homey.
she checks the time on their phone, 06:30 glows back at her.
“i’m gonna take a shower,” she says as she dries her hands on the apron she’s wearing and unties it. “gotta get ready, promise i won’t take long. you know your way around but yell if you need anything.”
“yes, ma’am.”
jack thinks it’s funny how comfortable he feels in her apartment. it feels like home to him. the feeling is behind the trinkets she has scattered around the living room, the soft throw blanket that lives on the back of her green couch, it’s on theo, that always lays his big head on jack’s lap, just like he is doing now.
he excuses theo, getting up to go through her vinyls. he remembers the first time she showed him her collection, the number of records amusing to him. it made him a bit giddy knowing they had a lot in common, at least musically. he stops when he finds a copy of “the best of sade”. jack takes it out of the sleeve, lifts the tonearm and lays the record on the platter. carefully, he drops the needle and the first notes of “your love is king” fills the room. jack does a little two-step dance, making theo shake his fluffy tail in excitement.
“c’mon, big guy. you gotta dan–“
“didn’t peg you for a sade girl.” she interrupts him as she emerges from her bedroom.
“you know i’m rock guy, but i’m a man–“ jack gulps when he sees her “of taste.”
she wasn’t wearing anything scandalous, black long sleeved turtleneck, short gray pleated skirt and tights, barefoot. hair down and no make up, just her and the scent of her cherry perfume.
before she has the chance to reply, the doorman calls, announcing that one of her friends has arrived. fifteen minutes later, it’s robby’s turn and not much long after, the last of her friends arrive.
the night goes better than he had expected. jack had been apprehensive the whole day, worried about what her friends would think of him. a feeling he hasn't known since he started dating liz.
they are all very nice kids, the three of them in her age range.
the first one to arrive, john, is an accountant at the museum. they had started working on the same day, and the fact that they were both rookies brought them together. john had been kicked out of his home by his dad when he was seventeen, a few days before graduating high school, after his dad found out he is gay and was dating his best friend. he hasn’t seen his family since.
aeisha was the sweetest girl he had ever met. a couple years younger than her friends, she’s a teacher at a public school, pretty close to the ptmc. she went no contact with her mother a few years ago due to her narcissistic tendencies.
the last one was jia, a journalist with a dark sense of humour. on her turn to share her story, she just shrugged and said “they died.” and turned around to grab a cold cut on the charcuterie board.
jack finally understood the dysfunctional family comment she made earlier this week and made a mental note to ask her what’s her excuse to not be with her family.
jack laughed a lot and saw robby having just as much fun as him. he couldn’t remember the last time they were able to just relax, to talk about anything other than what happened at the hospital daily. of course they had to share stories, weird cases, the ones that got them the most and things like that, but it was nice having curious faces looking at them, truly interested in what they had to say.
robby was the first one to leave, saying he had to wake up early for his shift. thirty minutes later, the rest of her friends were gone too, jia was driving and aeisha and john were going to get a ride with her.
“what are you doing?” she asks when she sees jack picking up the mess in the living room.
“tidying it up.”
“i’ll take care of this tomorrow, jack. it’s ok.”
“no, you’ve spent all day on your feet cooking. it’s the least i can do.” he says and as she tries to protest, he cuts her off. “don’t care. go sit in the living room. play with your phone or something.”
she giggles and says “yes, sir.”
jack is awfully methodical about it, years of military precision kicking in. first, he cleans off the living room, grabbing all plates and cups, leaving only her glass of wine on the end table by her side, taking the rest to the kitchen and discarding what was needed in the trashcan. then, he moves to the table, stores the leftovers on tupperwares, one dish per container, storing them in the fridge. lastly, he loads the dishwasher with the dirty dishes.
meanwhile, she’s sitting on the far end of the couch, looking at the photos she took that night and reading unopened messages. one of them is from aeisha, a single picture that had jack and her as the main subjects. jack sat on the armchair that faced the coffee table, she sat on the floor, back pressed against jack’s leg, head resting on his knee, while he caressed her shoulder. jack looked at her with a fond look in his eyes, one that she hoped it meant what she thought it did. she looked at robby, who was telling a story very enthusiastically, making her and her friends laugh. at the bottom, the caption read “looks like someone is in love.”
she saves the picture, adding it as the third slide of her little dump of the night.
soon, jack comes back, a bottle of wine in one hand and a glass in another. he shakes the bottle, silently asking “more?”
she lifts her glass, saying “keep it like that and i’ll think you’re trying to court me.” as he fills it.
jack laughs and says “something like that.”
he sits on the other end of the couch, noticing that theo had already gone to sleep. he thanks her for the night and she thanks him for coming and for helping. silence falls between them, but it’s a comfortable one. she texts some people, he closes his eyes and listen to the music, they enjoy each other’s company.
it doesn’t take long for jack to break the silence again.
“can i ask you something?” he says as he opens his eyes, noticing that sometime during their silence the both of them sprawled on the couch, scooching closer.
“yeah, of course.” she answers, locking her phone and giving him her undivided attention.
jack mulls the question over in his head a few times, trying to find a way to word it without sounding insensitive. “why aren’t you spending thanksgiving with your parents? i– i mean, everyone shared their reasons and it got me thinking of what yours would be.”
“it’s fine, jack.” she replies, grabbing his hand, idly playing with his fingers. “my parents are doctors, not emergency like you and robby, they have their own private practices. my mom is a dermatologist and my dad a cardiologist and, to put it lightly, they hate that i didn’t follow their footsteps, hate even more that i work with art.”
jack mouths an “oh” and she nods.
“they keep throwing jabs at me whenever i’m around, saying that it’s never too late to change careers, how i could do something ‘more useful’. last time i saw them was like, two christmas ago? they were a next level of ruthless that day. so i just grabbed my purse, said goodbye to my sisters and left and haven't come back since. we occasionally text just to let the other know we are ok, but i just don’t have any interest in associating with them.”
jack is shocked. “what about avery?”
“she gets the softcore version of their behaviour.” she stops to take a sip of wine. “i have an older sister too, emma. she’s a lawyer and lives in detroit but comes by often. avery is a software engineer, she’s specialising in the medical market. they still hate it that neither of them followed in their footsteps, but at least they are ‘useful’. i’m the useless one. second child curse, am i right?”
jack squeezes the hand that holds his as he looks at her, trying to find some sort of hurt, but she looks neutral, like she’s talking about somebody she knows and not herself.
“your sisters still visit them?”
“sometimes, not that much though.” they move even closer now, she rests her head on his shoulder and the hand that she had been holding goes behind her back, caressing the base of her neck. “the girls got incredibly mad at them that last christmas because of me, wanted to cut contact too, but i told ‘em not to. some damage control.” she laughs. “they’ll spend a holiday or two with them, emma is spending thanksgiving there but avery is at her boyfriend’s parents’.”
jack thinks about the whole situation and how well she, seemingly, takes it. “do you ever miss them?”
he feels her nodding her head on his shoulder. “sometimes.” she pauses for a bit, voice coming back softer. “sometimes i wonder what it’d be like to tell them about a promotion or bring a partner home. but then again, i can’t run after them and force them to accept my choices, so whatever.”
jack gives her neck a tighter squeeze and she sighs. “if it’s worth anything, i think you’re amazing. hot, funny, smart as fuck. fuck your parents, fuck that idiot that fumbled you, you have so many people that actually loves you.”
“you know what ‘fumble’ means, old man?”
jack snorts “that’s what you got from it? but yeah, i have young students walking around me all day, everyday. i know a thing or two.”
“i see… well, i also think you really are courting me.”
they sit up, but still impossibly close to each other. “i am. is it working?”
“i mean, i do like them older.” she giggles.
“you’re a menace.”
she agrees and continues “it has been working ever since i first saw you on that elevator, old man.”
jack sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose. he looks back at her. “you really are a menace.”
“i really am.” she laughs.
they look at each other, eyes on eyes, eyes on lips.
she’s the one to break the haze and go in for the kiss. it’s a small one, just a little peck. before she can fully part away from him, jack brings her closer. the kiss is messy, all teeth and spit and tongues fighting. jack pulls her in and she straddles his lap. she deepens the kiss, slowing it down so they taste the other better. she seeks for friction and finds jack incredibly hard. the hold he has on her ass helps steady her movements, accentuating the feeling. jack gives one singular slow thrust that hits her spot just right, making her break the kiss to let out a shaky moan.
he takes this opportunity to pepper kisses and small bites on her neck. “so needy.”
she lets out a whine when he bites the sweet spot on her neck and nods. “so whiney too. my girl is so needy and whiney.”
“jack, please.”
he squeezes her waist, making her still her hips. one hand goes to her chin, squeezing her cheeks. the thumbs the meatier part of her lips and she opens it, welcoming his thumb.
“tell me what you need, baby.”
“fuck me, jack. please.”
“you don’t have to beg, sweet girl.” he laughs and kisses her forehead. “c’mon, let’s go to your bedroom.”
jack helps her undress, working the clothes out of her body torturingly slow.
she whines again, bucking her hips on air as he takes her tights off. “let me savour this, sweetheart.”
jack undresses too, as calmly as he can, leaving only his boxers on.
he takes pity on her and finally positions himself between her legs, broad shoulders parting them. he throws the left one over his shoulder and kisses both of her thighs before diving in. jack eats her pussy the same way he kissed her, with need, want and intent. he’s so skillful that it doesn’t take long for her to get messy, she has never been this wet, she thinks. her trembling hands goes to his hair, tugging his curls a little tighter, the pain making jack moan around her clit. he senses that her movements are becoming more erratic and finally uses his middle and ring fingers to massage the sweet, gummy spot inside her. he curls his fingers twice, and that’s enough to give her her release.
she comes with an almost pornographic moan and jack thanks god that they are the only ones on that floor.
he gets up to look at her and the blissed out look she has makes his cock even harder. she smiles up at him. “you are so good, old man.” a breathy laugh leaves her lips “i want you to eat me out everyday.”
that makes jack laugh and he leans down to kiss her. “anything you want, baby.”
she deepens the kiss, hand going from his chest to his clothed hard on. she gives it a few squeezes that makes jack shudder. finally, she takes is cock out, takes her hand to her pussy to collect her juices to help jerk him off. jack murmurs a “fuck”, as the sight makes him go insane.
“i need to be inside of you, baby?”
“yeah?” she asks, almost innocently.
“yeah.”
she moves back up the bed and notices when jack winces light, feeling his leg. instead, she gets up and tells him to sit down, back against the headboard.
she straddles him again, gives his dick a couple of pumps and finally sinks in, slowly. taking in inch by inch of his thick shaft. he feels her start moving and squeezes her thigh, telling her to hold on for a bit.
a few seconds later, jack releases his grip and she moves her hips in slow, circular motions. he kisses down her neck to her chest, taking turns to suck her nipples.
she feels jack twitch inside her, signaling he’s getting closer. she uses the headboard as leverage, hands gripping the metal to help her ride him harder, jack starts thrusting too, a bit out of sync, a clear sign that he’s about to lose it. with one stronger thrust that hits her spot just right, they come together.
she crumbles on his lap and he hugs her tighter to his chest, hand playing with her hair.
“fuck.” he says out of breath.
“i know.” she nods.
they lose track of how long they stay like that, in silence, just enjoying the feeling of their bodies together.
after finally catching his breath, jack asks “wanna take a shower?”
“please.” she says, getting up and leading him to the suite.
part 02
domesticblisss 2026. comments and reblogs are appreciated.
