#infedility

Ship(s): lo’ak x reader, Neteyam x reader

Warning(s): smut, angst, infidelity, marking, scents, possessiveness, breeding, and mentions of pregnant!reader

Part 2 of “My Best Friends Brother”

The sun shined through the marui and you shifted, gently from the light boring onto you. You sat up and looked to your left, drowsily. Your hair was disheveled and your body was sore especially your lower half. Neteyam slept peacefully, his chest rising and falling with each breath.

Your blush crept up to your face, recalling last nights events. You quietly and quickly began to pick up your articles of clothing and began to get ready for the day, leaving Neteyam in your bed.

Once you finished getting ready, you felt clean from the waters of eywa and the new loincloth. As you were getting ready to wake up Neteyam, there was a hefty knock at your door. You eyes immediately shot up and your tail went low, frightened. You don’t want anyone to see you like this, especially not with Neteyam. You gently but hurriedly shook Neteyam, not giving him much of an explanation before pushing him into the other part of your marui.

As the door creaked open, you looked out, there was Lo’ak. “ah- good morning, lulu,” he greeted, the nickname slipping off his tongue like some sort of treat. “up for some ikran racing, since you have your own, now?” you snorted a laugh and added “oh, yeah, the ikran that crashed into a mountain, no thank you.” before attempting to close the door. Lo’ak put his arm through and stopped you just in time. “Listen, Ni’alu, im so sorry about-“ and that’s when you felt a presence behind you. Large, hot, and restless.

You’ll never forget how Lo’ak looked at you. He looked at you as if you had tore his whole world apart. His brother, his perfect brother, with his .. his best friend. He hurriedly turned around and walked away, his shoulders down in defeat and his fists clenched at his sides. how stupid was he to think, maybe just one person would choose him? so stupid.

You turned around and pushed Neteyam back, closing the door to your marui behind you. “What the hell, Neteyam? What was that!” You exclaimed, your tail thumping the floor in agitation. There was no need for him to expose himself, neither of you at that. “What? All I did was show the little twerp you were spoken for.” He said, before straightening up to his height, standing over you. His eyes scanned down your frame. A smirk dancing on his lips at the new beaded top, after he had tore your old one off you the night before. “We’re mates, remember? You’re mine, now.” Whispering the last part to you before walking past you and out of the marui, his steps heavy and vanishing quickly.

The shift in you and Lo’ak’s friendship was evident. He stopped showing up to your home in early morning, he stopped inviting you to hangout with him, he even stopped asking you for help at the one thing you two enjoyed, Ikran tipping. It was like buffalo tipping but with Ikran. This left you with a lonely feeling and even made you want to run. Run away from this life, go back to your home with all of your people who need you. It was selfish of you to stay this long anyway. You were 22 years old, still acting as if you do not have a responsibility, waiting on you. It is your birth right, and you have to fulfill it before there is no more to have a right to.

You walked through the Omatikaya village and seen the looks people gave you. You could only imagine how they thought of you, how they felt about you now, and how so disappointed they all must be. You were supposed to be Lo’aks. That’s what everyone believed especially.. Neytiri.

You hadn’t even thought about her. How would she feel? What would she think of you? Many questions filled your headspace and you shook them off, just trying to focus on heading to Lo’aks marui. The Omatikaya peoples watched you in hushed whispers and some loud, barbarian like about how much of a slut you were for leading on two brothers for all this time but you couldn’t bring yourself to assure anyone that, that was not your intention because in a way, no matter what you say, that’s exactly what you did.

“Why’d you have to have her? You couldn’t just find another Ezxrin woman?!” Lo’ak yelled, connecting a punch to an angry looking Neteyam. Neteyam’s head went backwards but he quickly bounced back. Neteyam roaring as he threw a punch to Lo’aks gut, bringing him down a whole lot faster. As they wrestled on the ground, Neteyam was able to get Lo’ak in a headlock. Neteyam brought his lips to Lo’aks ear and whispered, “no womans moans compare to hers.” Lo’ak beared his teeth and began to struggle more, attempting to grab Neteyam face. “Deep i-in my heart, i hate you, Neteyam.” His voice sounded so genuine, Neteyam subconsciously softened the lock, allowing Lo’ak to overpower him and begin to punch straight at his face.

By the time, you had made it there, Lo’ak was bandaging himself up while a rather bloodied Neteyam limped himself up and on Lo’aks bed, rubbing a wet leaf over his scarred body. You immediately ran to Neteyam, beginning to take over and help him clean himself up. “Neteyam! What happened, talk to me.” You said, immediately, not even severing a glance to Lo’ak. Lo’ak looked at you and closed his eyes, feeling tears but not allowing them to show. He just turned back around and continued what he was doing. Neteyam noticed though, which gave him enough satisfaction to smirk. “I’m okay, Hona. Are you and the baby okay?” He slipped out. At hearing that, Lo’ak shot up and stormed out, not even caring to hear the rest.

“Baby? What baby, Neteyam?” You asked as Neteyam just lifted your chin and kissed you. “Nothing. Abit of delusion i guess.” He said before placing his forehead to yours. you stayed there for a moment, just sitting. Listening to the rustle of the trees, the chatter of people outside and the quiet window brushing against Lo’aks marui. You looked at him, a bit skeptical, before you brushed it off and began to finish attending to his wounds.

His scent was all over you, like a type of woodsy maple. You were sure everyone could smell it as you walked back to your marui. There were eyes glued to you. You were sure you’d die right then and there. Until you bumped straight into a very plump chest. You looked up to only be met with a pair of striking eyes. Neytiri. “Ni’alu? A word, please.” She said with such a monotone tone, you didn’t know what to think. Your heart raced in your chest as you followed her to her marui. Once, you arrived, there was Jake. Jake Sully. You had never been too close with him, he was always thinking of ways to win wars and acting on ideas, you never caught the chance to know him more than as “Neytiris husband.”

She sat you in the living room and brought in some tea, some real herbal tea, that heals you from the inside out. She took in a deep breath as she sat, and drunk her tea, licking the drip off her overly pump lips. Her sun kissed eyes then looked straight at you. She didn’t say anything. Not at first. Just stared. Then she asked the question “what happened?” You sat there, dumbfounded for a moment. “What happened?” You repeated. “Yes, my child. What happened at the cliff?” She asked, going into a bit more detail. You made a “ohh” sound before a smile broke along your features, you thought for sure this was about her sons. You quickly explained how you “accidentally” fell and Neteyam saved you, all because you were running from Lo’ak and weren’t watching your step. Neytiri could tell you were lying but she didn’t push. She just shook her head and scolded you.

“That was very dangerous. I don’t wanna hear anything else about this happening. Do you understand me?” She asked. She then looked at your face and her eyes softened. She could never be too harsh with you. You were an exact duplicate of your mother. Ash-shaded skin, white hair, and those soft purple eyes. (Description of reader from: @lilacnavi) You had her face shape, her eye shape, almost every single thing except for your markings. You had the markings of your father, a great warrior before his only objective became vengeance. “I’m so glad to have you for my son.” She added, which made your heart shatter. Was this still a form of lying if you don’t say anything. “N-ney-“ “shhh.” She cut you off. “I know it doesn’t seem like it now, but im sure eywa has brought you into his life for that exact purpose. We love you, Ni’alu.” Your eyes teared and before you knew it, you were laying on neytiris chest as she hummed a tune, Rox’yal would.

The next few months were quiet.. heavy in a way. There were no fights, no commotion and not one troublesome meddling by some kids. It was weird. You weren’t an idiot, you knew Kiri and spider were avoiding you as well. Tuk didn’t understand everything yet so she still treated you the same but it was limited. Every time you two got too close or were in a decent conversation, Kiri or Lo’ak, himself, was pulling her away and leaving you alone with yourself.

You sat in the cave, alone. Lo’ak hadn’t came here since. This used to be y’all’s special place, now it was just something with lost memories. You looked up as tears weld in your eyes. ‘Oh, Eywa, i wish you’d guide me.’ You thought to yourself before water pebbles began to slowly roll your cheeks. Neteyam was a constant to you though. Even though, he had a hard time expressing it, he tried to let you know just how much he loved you. He did that through catching you dinner, cleaning your marui, even massaging you. Which ended up in sex, and your queues reunited.

A few hours passed and you gave up hope that he would ever come back. So you sighed and got up, heading inside the cave to gather your fruits you had got just for you two. ‘Thump.’ You heard it. That was not an imagination. You turned around, quickly, aiming your knife straight to the intruders neck. Lo’ak. Your hand went down quickly and you dropped the knife. He just looked at you, his eyes fierce and so damn bright. “Why?” He muttered to you. Your face contorted into one of confusion. “Why what?” He fell to his knees in front of you, pulling on your loincloth. “Why him!” He exclaimed, tears slowly spilling from his yellow orbs. “It was us. It was supposed to be us!” His words carrying a deep and brutal grunt between each us. All you could do is lower your head in silence, listening to his pitiful thoughts and series of ‘why’s’. You wanted to apologize but you just didn’t understand why you should.

Against your better judgement, you began to apologize. Your words desperate and pathetic. You stood there, letting him sob on your bottom half as you sobbed into the skies of Eywa. Your hands quickly wiped your tears and you tried to compose yourself, even managing to make Lo’ak stop. “It just kind of happened.” You started. “He came over and one thing led to another and we were mated that very moment.” You said, not going into detail to a rather hurt Lo’ak. Lo’ak stared at you and he nodded.

You both sat there in silence, heading just outside the cliff, watching up into the sky. “It’s beautiful tonight, isn’t it?” You asked. Lo’ak didn’t care too much about the sky, but he did care about you so he looked up. Then looked at your curious face of the sky and he smiled softly, whispering “yeah.. beautiful.” He said as you looked down at him and made direct eye contact. Your eyes softened as well as his as realization dawned upon you. You don’t know what possessed you but you began to come in close and Lo’ak did too. Your lips parted and not even a moment later, you guys were locking lips like a couple of teenagers in a high school musical. “I love you.” He whispered between kisses, low and sultry, sending shivers up your spine.

Lo’ak held you softly, contrasting from the rough ground beneath you. Your fingers clutched at his back, your nails leaving crescent marks on his skin. You were pathetically looking for something to give you clarity as the heat coiled in your lower abdomen. Your chests were flush against one another as his hips stuttered against the swell of your ass.

Lo’aks thrusts were deep, and unforgiving. You could feel his dick in places that only Neteyam should be able to reach. Your mate. That you were cheating on, with his brother. But you couldn’t stop and think about that when Lo’ak grabbed a hold of your hair and pulled you back, making you arch impossibly farther. All you could hear was the squelching and muttering of how “perfect” your pussy was, how nice, wet, tight it felt.

He kept a heavy fist in your head, as he continued his brutal assault on your pussy. He even laughed abit, saying things like “you hear my pussy talkin’ to me? yea.. she missed her ‘real’ mate.” He leaned over you and pulled you closer, whispering “gonna fill you up with all my babies, how does that sound, yawne?” As you didn’t answer, his hips stilled and he pulled out. You let out a loud whimper at the empty feeling, looking up at him with pleading eyes. “Yes, yes!” You answered, just wanting him back inside you.

He smirked and positioned his tip back up to your glistening folds. Even smearing his tip on top before pushing inside, slowly, deliberately, stretching your tight hole open with each fat inch he was willing to give you. His lips found your neck and bit into it, hard. Leaving marks upon marks over your neck to your chin. You gasped, arching your back, your hands immediately finding his hair, pulling with an urgency you could quite figure out yet. He began to move, his rhythm slow and teasing. Feeling him slowly drag against your walls. You writhed against him, beginning to move your hips to match his pace, maybe even a little faster.

Your nipples began to brush up against his chest, only making them impossibly harder. “Fuck, Lo’ak, harder,” you murmured to him, your hands falling from his hair to his shoulders. Lo’ak only responded with a gentle “yes, yawne,” before setting a harsh pace that left you crying out. You screamed, a primal sound, you were sure all of the Omatikaya people could hear from the village not to far from here. His hand shot up to your mouth, amazingly not messing up rhythm. You were unbuckling and fast, you eyes lolled to the back of your head and your legs began to shake, making you lock them around Lo’ak, digging your heels into his ass, pushing him deeper inside you.

You broke as he hit up against your cervix. You let out a loud moan into his hand as you came. His cock was dripping as your fluids built around your walls and his dick, leaking out slowly. You thought he was gonna pull out but he didn’t. He kept going, whispering “better than Neteyam, right, lulu? Tell me, please ma lulu.” All you could do was let him ride out his orgasm inside you, feeling rope after rope bump into your womb.

He pulled out and collapsed next to you. His breathing was heavy and rigid. As well as yours, you turned over and looked at him as his queue was heading straight for yours. You were about to get up but it was too late and you didn’t really have the strength. You were mated. Again. Your eyes widened as you felt all his nerves connect with yours. You felt what he felt. All of it. The love, the hurt, the yearning. He needed you like he needed the forest. And he hadn’t planned to let you go. Especially not to his brother.

Once you were sure he was asleep, you gathered your belongings and got up as fast as your jelly legs could. You put on your beaded top and your loincloth. You looked around before finding your knife on the floor, you tucked it into your hand and took off into the night. You couldn’t face the Omatikaya after mating with both sons. They would really look at you different. And you couldn’t handle that from Neytiri, especially not her.

Lo’ak had woken up the next sunrise to find you, gone. He looked around and even patted where you once were to see if he was dreaming still. Upon realizing, he was awake, he looked inside and found your things gone as well as you. He believed you had just went back to the village and sighed, getting himself together and dusting himself off.

Once he made it to the village, he went to his marui and found his brother, sitting on his bed. “What’s going on?” Neteyam turned around and picked Lo’ak up, slamming him against the marui door. “Where is she?!” He yelled before Jake busted through the door, demanding Neteyam calm down. Neteyam did what was told of him and let go of his little brother, letting him fall to the ground. “Where is who?” Lo’ak let out, letting out a little cough before looking up at his father. Jake sighed and pinched his temple. “Ni’alu. She is missing.”

Lo’aks eyes widened and he got up, fast. He pushed past his brute of a father and ran all the way to your Marui. He bursted through the doors, only to find everything the exact same. There was no signs of forced entry or you even gathering things to take with you. You were just gone. Like as if you were a figment of his imagination. He would’ve thought that if your clothes and the effect you had on him wasn’t so.. there, reminding him of you, every moment of every second.

My Tears Ricochet

Ambessa Medarda x Reader

Part One of: Our Tears Ricochet

Synopsis: You and Ambessa have been married for nearly two decades—and your love was one many people could only dream of achieving. But when your wife leaves overseas to visit her daughter, you strained relationship finally reaches it’s peak.

cw; afab!reader; angst ; infidelity ; local cuisine makes an appearance ; suggestive behavior ; Ambessa being a bad wife

Special thanks to @hell0-ki55y for the prompt. I hope you like it :). Might do ‘Pretty In Pink’ one next.

……

The warm ocean breeze flowed through your (h/c) hair as you gazed upon the horizon. The ship slightly rocked side to side, and you knew you were bond to get seasick soon.

You were currently on your way to visit your wife—the formidable General Ambessa Medarda. She had recently took leave from Noxus to come to Piltover, though her reasons were scattered. You two shared a constant stream of letters back and forth, and she told you how the journey went and her rants of disgust towards the council. Sometimes that’s all she wrote to you about. You didn’t mind. What you did mind—however—was when the letters stopped coming.

It started off small—you wrote one letter to her and didn’t get a reply. Simply shrugging it off and saying to yourself ‘maybe it got lost in the mail’, you sent another….and another…and another. It didn’t take long for you to suspect something.

Piltover was as greedy as they are unpredictable. While you doubt they would’ve done anything to Ambessa (considering they would lose much,much more than they’d gain), you wouldn’t take any chances. Anything could’ve happened.

She could’ve fallen ill—or worse. At first the thought of it simply slipping her mind was there, but it quickly vanished. Ambessa was never one to let anything associated with you slip her mind.

What really set your suspensions high was when her daughter, Mel Medarda—who you had a close relationship with for most of her life, one you cherished—replied to a letter you sent asking about Ambessa.

‘You should come see for yourself.’

The sentence left you in a state of confusion—but also reassurance. Ambessa was fine, but….something was wrong. It wasn’t how your wife doing….

It was what your wife was doing.

……

The ship finally arrived at the docks of Piltover. The few servants and guards that were aboard the ship disembark and helped you unload the few bags you brought with you.

You looked around—searching for Ambessa. You had sent a letter saying you were worried for her and would sail there, but you knew she hadn’t gotten it.

Instead, you were met with the council member and your lovely step-daughter—Mel.

She smiled as you approached. It had been a while seen you’d seen each other, and she towered over you. You engulfed her in a big, warm hug—one that she seemed to desperately need.

“Oh, Mel…”, you said into her shoulder.

“Mother…”, she whispered back. She had gave you the title years ago, yet sometimes, you still felt you didn’t deserve it.

The two of you shared a moment of silence, taking in each other. Her gaze was soft and warm, yet pity lied beneath it.

You smiled and held onto her shoulders. “Mel, look how much you’ve grown!”

She laughed, “Wish I could say the same for you.”, she said as she gazed down at your shorter frame.

You bumped your hip against yours as you two intertwined your arms. “I stopped growing many, many years ago. It’s something I’ve came to peace with.”

The two of you continued to talk as your servants and guards trailed you with your few belongings. You commented on the things you saw, asked Mel how her position as a councilwoman was, and who her new boy-toy was all about. She visibly cringed when you brought him up. Though, she would’ve dwelled more on that topic than the one involving the whole reason you came here.

“What’s going on with your mother?”, you finally asked.

Mel looked around, now slightly uncomfortable. She replied to you with a simple “Hm” as the two of you continued walking. You halted her in her tracks.

“Hm? Really? Your mother’s acting weird..and now you too?”

She bit the inside of her mouth before she sighed, now fully facing you. “Did you notice anything strange before she left?”

You were taken aback by her question, but after a moment of thinking , you answered, “Well, she has been quite distant as of late. But, you know how she can get. And she hasn’t been reply to the letters I’ve sent her.”

Mel looked at you as if she had solved a puzzle—the thoughts connecting in her mind. But there wasn’t an ounce of celebration on her face. She grabbed both of your hands, contemplating what to say next. “I’ll take you to see her. She’s not far from here.”

You looked at Mel in confusion, while she took you softly by the hand and led you towards Ambessa.

The rest of the walk was spent in an uncomfortable silence.

……

You arrived at a beautiful building. While the sight of it was breathtaking—it was as just as plain as the rest of Piltover.

Mel nodded towards the entrance. “She’s in there”, she whispered.

You nodded, and signaled for your servants and guards to wait here. You hiked your skirt and began to ascend up the white stairs. You spared one more glance in Mel’s direction, and found her speaking with your servants and guards. Your excitement was uncontrollable as you got closer and closer to the entrance. You hadn’t seen your wife in weeks—and the things you wanted to do to her were unspeakable. You bit your bottom lip just thinking about it.

For a moment, you could hear was sounded like men’s laughter. You brushed it off, until you heard it again—though this time it was muffled.

What had taken you aback the most—however—was the sound of your wife’s deep, low breaths. The ones she made when she…

No.

After an eternity, you reached the top of the stairs. And it took everything in you not to scream right then and there.

There Ambessa was, her back turned to you as she sat upon a large, lavish couch. From where you stood, you could see her the coils of her grey hair fall on her shoulders as she laid back. Sat perched on her lap was a man—with fiery auburn hair and pale skin. He was petite and charming—almost like a woman. His lips were full as he licked them and his green hungry eyes raked over your wife’s frame.

Her honey-kissed hands roamed his body in ways only she had promised to touch you in. You felt a mix of emotions all at once at the sight. Anger, resentment, confusion, surprise, sadness. You wanted to scream and shout. Every painting and vase in the room didn’t know how much you wanted to break it.

But instead of doing any of that, you simply whispered her name.

“Ambessa?”

The man’s eyes shot open as he suddenly looked towards you. Embarrassment and surprise was evident on his face, but he made no move to get off Ambessa’s lap.

Your wife finally turned around to catch your eye, and you’d never seen her looked so surprised. Looking her in the eye was your breaking point as you rushed out the room, hot tears streaming down your face.

“Y/N!”, she called out your name, but to no avail. She moved to get up, but noticed the twink still on her lap.

“Get off me, you fool!”, she roughly pushed him off. He fell to the floor with a thud and stared at Ambessa’s frame as she raced out the room. The wine was long gone—now spilled across the once white pristine floor.

“Wait! Y/N!”, she called out once again. She looked around frantically, and noticed some of her guards stationed at the bottom of the stairs.

“Stop her!”, she commanded, but they ignored her as they ushered you into a car.

Mel closed the door just as her mother was about to approach. She pulled on the handle, only to find it locked.

She stopped to look inside the glass, and found the last person she was expecting—Mel. She looked at her mother sternly in disappointment through the glass. There wasn’t an ounce of sympathy. She simply shook her head. With a wave of her hand, the car was off.

𝑴𝒐𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒊𝒈𝒉𝒕 𝑶𝒏 𝑯𝒆𝒓 𝑺𝒌𝒊𝒏 ✧

✦𝓜𝓪𝓼𝓽𝓮𝓻𝓵𝓲𝓼𝓽 ✦

One-Shot 🌙✨

💋 Pairing:

Kim Taehyung x Married f!Reader (Brazilian, curvy/thick)

🎭 Genre:

Forbidden Lust • Infidelity • Vacation Romance • Slow-Burn Tension • Emotional Desire • Guilt & Want

🌺 Setting:

Luxury Hawaiian Resort • Moonlit beach • Warm ocean breeze • Neon nights • Tropical cocktails • Accidental run-ins • Lingering glances

🔥 Kinks & Themes:

↳ Intense attraction • Age gap tension • Dress play • Power imbalance energy • “You keep looking at me” moments

• Risk of getting caught (suggestive) • Heavy staring • Flirtation that feels like a sin • Shame tangled with desire

• Breathless tension • Emotional conflict • Forbidden temptation • Guilt-ridden longing

🚨 Warnings:

☠️ Infidelity • Taboo relationship • Dubious morality • Power imbalance • Heavy romantic/sexual tension

• Reader described as curvy/thick with body-focused compliments • Emotional conflict • Toxic lust undertones

• Not suitable for minors

⛔ M I N O R S D N I | 1 8 + O N L Y

📝 Word Count: ~2.3k

Status: In Progress / Can be expanded

💄 Summary:

A Hawaiian vacation with your closest friends was supposed to be simple sun, rest, and a break from the heaviness waiting back home in Brazil. No drama. No complications. No danger.

But danger arrives in the form of a beautiful, younger stranger whose eyes find yours every time you enter a room. At the pool. At the bar. In the lobby. His gaze lingers too long, too knowingly, like he can see the parts of you that motherhood and marriage quietly smothered.

One moonlit walk becomes a confession.

One confession becomes tension.

And soon, the soft Hawaiian breeze feels heavier each time he’s near.

He shouldn’t want you.

You shouldn’t want him.

And yet, under the silver glow of the ocean, desire becomes impossible to ignore.

A vacation wasn’t supposed to change your life

but he looks at you like you’re a storm he’s been waiting to drown in.

pairing: Frankie Morales x f! reader

notes: Just a quick heads-up—this fic includes themes of infidelity, which I don’t usually write. It fit the emotional chaos of this particular story, but please take care while reading. The angst queen is back babyyy 👸

tags: no physical description of reader, heartbreak, smut with feelings, a lot of angst, we love pathetic man, drunk! Frankie, drugs mention, infidelity, exes to???, hate sex (kind of), hurt and no comfort

summary: He begged her to come over, and she did—but only to remind him what losing her really felt like.

word count: 2,6 k

Y/N is a recent college graduate and finds herself inexplicably attracted to her mom (Baran Al-Hashimi's) new work romance. Jack Abbot finds himself yearning for the young daughter of the new attending at his job he's been dating all summer.

Word count- 8,152

Pairing- Moms bf Jack Abbot x Al Hashimi’s daughter

Overall story warnings- Smut, Light body shaming, y/n is Dr Al hashimi’s daughter,Morally grey characters, infidelity,masturbation,smut, protected and future unprotected (whoops) sex, the spiciest things you can think of will prob cum up in this story if i so choose hehehe

Notes- I KNOW Baran mentioned that she has a son but that doesnt mean she doesnt have other kids and i heard a little birdie say its canon shes divorced. cheating trope love forbidden love, sorry dont let your girlfriend get in the way of meeting your wife. If that's not for you I don't think this is your piece diva. LMK what you think thoooooo

Chapter 1- The seed

Being back home from college was not all you had hoped it to be. With the job market and economy what it was you would be lucky to work at Taco Bell after getting your degree. At least you could get more quality time with your family though! That's what you would assume by staying home for the summer but you would be wrong.you had thought you were getting closer to your younger brother and your mom but  It had apparently been three months since your single mother had started dating her widowed coworker. She barely mentioned anyone she worked with in general and at first you had hounded her about how bad of an idea it would be to get involved with a man who hadn't been with anyone in eight years. 

“Mom don't you think there might be a reason he's been single all this time?”

“Oh so you think to stay single after being married there has to be something wrong with you?” Your mom quipped in return that summer night that she sprung her love life update on you.

You groaned and rolled your eyes to rebuttal “That's different, getting cheated on is hard to get over and..”

“Oh and your wife dying isn't hard to get over y/n!” 

Your mom Baran was a beautiful and successful doctor. She was born in Iran and raised in America at a refugee camp where she met your dad during high school. They fell in love and like most high school sweethearts thought it would last all time. That is until her panic attacks started. Having a mom that was a doctor in Afghanistan during the war was very difficult, but becoming the surrogate mother of your little brother while she was gone was even more difficult. On top of the constant fear that something bad was happening to your mom at her hospital, you spent your tweens making sure your younger brother Omar was coping with having no mom better than you were. Then when the hospital attack by the Taliban struck in 2019, your mom never fully recovered. She came back from war with nightmares stirring her awake in the AM hours, and series of dissociations when discussions of motherhood or babies came up. You thought from the very start of her being back home that your dad was seemingly unhelpful or not supportive, but nothing could have prepared anyone in the family for the shocking discovery years later that he had been sleeping with one of his paralegals at his law firm over the roughly two years that she'd been back . So from California to Pittsburgh you, your mom and your brother went.

Your mother didn't really date. You thought if she did that she would bring it up to you but four years of college went by with no updates to her dating life. So to then hear the summer after you graduated from Buffalo university that suddenly your mom was “talking to” her widowed coworker, you were gagged. She never mentioned her work friends on the phone and your brother hadn't seen it coming either.

“Stop calling it ‘talking to’, we’re grown adults not a situationshipping” she barked while putting air quotes around what you assumed she meant as “situationship”

“Ughbd” you sighed and went to your brothers room to seek validation with him 

“At least she's getting over dad…i guess” Omar mumbled while playing video games on facetime with his friends. That's what being a 17 year old boy will get you on the emotional intelligence front. 

Flash forward to now. You're in your backyard for your moms birthday party. A bunch of her coworkers are there. A scrawny mousy guy she told you they call Huckleberry sits next to you. His name is Dennis though,,, you think. Out of all her coworkers there, he's one of the ones closest to your age and talks to you as you lounge in the plastic summer chair. There is also a kind and funny older woman named Dana and the Doctor your mom had replaced on his sabbatical Dr Robby. Excluding some other younger doctors who mostly squabble and keep to themselves in the shade across the grass, people mingle with each other. Not you though! You missed out on too many tanning opportunities during college to let a 100* August day pass you by. Of course then there was “Dr Jack Abbot”.The aforementioned coworker that your mother has apparently been seeing all summer behind your back. Now their romance is in front of your back. They get along well enough but you just don't understand the appeal in the older doctor for your mom. Why wait all this time after a difficult divorce to pick someone with even MORE baggage than she had, 

Sure he's broad shouldered and muscular and has a raspy voice and is kind of a silver fo.. Ok maybe you do get the appeal but it doesn't matter! You just really don't understand why your mom, this soon after leaving your work centered and emotionally avoidant father, would date a work centered and emotionally avoidant doctor. She had apparently asked him earlier today if he would consider moving into your house to which he said… 

“Oh!,, i hadn't thought of it Baran, but let me mull it over the weekend.” Your brother had overheard them discuss it while bringing out the plates and napkins to the backyard patio table.

You had on a white bikini with blue polka dots on it and white shorts and a mesh white short sleeve over top. You grew up swimming and pecked at your poor mother to pick a house with a pool here in Pennsylvania despite it being impractical on the east coast of the country. Omar and you had however insisted that and I quote “Cali babies need a pool”. 

“Baby can you go grab me a drink from inside my love?” Your mom cranes her neck backwards from the patio table where she's grazing a salad to sickeningly sweetly ask Jack for a white claw from inside. 

“Of course angel” Jack says with a smile. He makes very brief eye contact with you when he sees you looking over and you quickly look forward. Jack heads back into your house to what you assume is the kitchen to get your mom another white claw. Your mom goes back to speaking farsi with her cousin Yena. You take a look at your phone and see that its six pm. 

“Oh crap” you blubber and start to get up to go back into the house and to your room. “Whats wrong?” Whitaker asks you looking up with the sad puppy eyes he always sports. 

“Nothing just ironically enough. I have a date tonight at 7:30 and I should probably change and get ready before we cut the cake and sing happy birthday to my mom so I can head out right after” I say as I pick up my phone and drink to start heading inside.

“Ok well ill be here when you come back out” Whitaker says as you lightly pat his shoulder at the manner of speaking he has. So kind and bashful as if you're leaving him out here to fend for himself in the forest.

You scurry up the stairs into your room and pick out something to wear. You find a cute maroon corset top with black lace trimming to pair with a black skirt and boots. You usually like to keep it more lowkey on dates with just a pair of flattering jeans or something but this hot august day will probably not allow such an outfit. You spruce up your makeup here and there and pull your hair down from its claw clip. Letting it fall down to your shoulders. You look in the mirror and think you look nice enough and look outside your bedroom window to the backyard to see if it looks like the real birthday festivities are hopefully starting soon. You leave your room and start through your kitchen and living room to go back to the back sliding doors to your backyard when you hear a throat clearing.

You turn to see Jack there at your kitchen island on his phone nursing a beer holding such strong eye contact with you while your moms requested ice cold white claw is on the island in front of him. He stares at you and you can lightly hear a baseball game type audio emitting from his screen.

“You do know in the time it took you to grab the drink my mom wanted I got fully changed upstairs right” you lightly chuckle while sauntering over to grab your moms drink and give it to her yourself. “No it's alr-” Jack starts as he sees what you're doing and goes to grab the white claw can himself. For a brief second your hands touch his and in the time it takes your hand to get off the can from the shock of touching you, it seems your synapses have done a full scan on your moms boyfriend. His forearm and biceps are genuinely insane. More built than a doctor in his 50s? Ya 50’s oughtta be.

“Sorry i was just gonna bring it to her after i saw the score” Jack says as he lightly lifts his phone indicating he's watching a game. Which you had seemingly already gathered by the bright pang sound of a baseball bat hitting the ball you kept hearing ever so often from the speakers. “Its fine jack i was just teasing” You say in a soft voice while walking to the fridge yourself to grab some water. It is 100* degrees after all, so you're thirsty yourself. And as jack turns his phone off and sets it on the kitchen island to turn to watch you while bringing the beer to his mouth slowly, you suddenly feel thirsty in more ways than one

“Why’d you change?” Jack says with a soft light sincerity you rarely hear from his scratchy usually militant voice. You take a sip from your water bottle and swear you see his eyes drop to your lips for a millisecond.

‘I have a date after this….” You start. “Big joke i know, ive been here what all summer after college and never had any prospects besides randos at bars but this was the only time he was free so I'm hoping my moms cake stuff can wrap up before 7 ish so I have time to get the uber to drive me so im not la..” You start to ramble when Jack cuts you off.

“uber?” he says inquisitively. You twitch your eyes at him as if to signify you're not understanding his confusion.

“Ya its this new anthropologic way of getting from a to b via motorized vehicle are you not familiar?” You backhand as you drink some more of your water and feel the cool fresh liquid go down as butterflies accompany it from Jacks honest laughter from your sarcasm.

“No i just mean..” he trails off before clearing his throat to continue. 

“I guess im just old fashioned, I would assume he would come pick you up” He shrugs offhandidly.

You start to feel a little embarrassed. It never occurred to you to have your date pick you up. The random man named “Adam” , (a commercial pilot that your friend Joy who actually used to work with your mom and Jack at the Pitt as a student doing her rounds who is now very close to you, found for you to meet), never mentioned even the idea of coming to get you. And the way Jack is baffled by the plan makes you think you must look like some girl who doesn't make guys treat her right.

“Im a big girl Jack i can uber myself to a restaurant” You say with just the slightest tinge of defensiveness. Truth be told it would be nice to have a guy pick you up for a date. Go up to your door with flowers, open the door for you to his car, pull the chair out at the nice clean open restaurant he chooses only because he knows it has your favorite cuisine or something.  But that's just not realistic in the big 2026.

Jack puts his hands up in surrender and grabs both his almost finished beer and your mothers white claw. “Ok big girl” He says while sauntering over to the backyard doors just in time for your brother to be walking in to grab your moms cake. Omar starts asking you for help with the cake stuff but your mind is sort of dazed. Sometimes Jack will use this softer voice with you where you can hear the crinkle and rasp of his voice pour into your ears, it's a sexy voice that a more damaged part of you wonders if it's his “bedroom voice”. The thought makes your face feel hot until you consider that if it is his bedroom voice, then that means your mother hears it at night and that makes you wanna die. 

Jack is a great guy and sweet man who makes your mom happy. You wish that could be enough for you. That you could see your mom as a strong woman in a male dominated field, who has been cheated on and is now a single parent to two children, and see that she more than anyone deserves a good guy. No matter what you joke about with her, whether it be his missing leg or widowed status or unhealthy relationship with working, you know he's still genuinely the perfect guy. So why wouldn't your mom be with a perfect guy. Why wouldn't a perfect guy want the perfect woman in her. 

You light the candles on your moms cake as everyone in your backyard starts to sing to her. You see the flames above the 44 on the cake and wonder if Jack ever thinks an almost 7 year gap is too much. You hope he doesn't not for your moms sake but for the parasite in you that wonders his beliefs on an age gap that more than triples that.

After your moms birthday you said your goodbyes to most at the party. You kissed your mom on the cheek while she was deep in conversation with Dr robby on what you can only imagine is some study on some disease or treatment or insert medical thing here. You scan the backyard to say the cordial goodbye to jack that your mom so strongly reminded you to give, but when its been five minutes without sight of him you leave having only said bye to Victoria,Trinity, Samira,Mel,Frank,Dana, and Whitaker. 

To say that the date was a waste of time would be an insult to a waste of time. Adam was nice enough and tall but somehow like you did with every guy, you found issues. There just wasn't that spark. You want someone that you're comfortable with that also gives you butterflies. That in itself was proving to be very difficult to find in your early 20s. You stayed out with Adam for longer than you probably should have. Maybe you thought that the longer you were near him that maybe something might happen to make you feel whatever it is you were supposed to.

You let him walk you up to your front door, which is nice enough considering you went dutch on dinner and as Jack so graciously made you realize ; he did not offer to pick you up! He drove you home though, most likely with the thinking that maybe you would invite him in and he could get some at your house for taking you out. But you weren't interested.

“Goodnight” Adam says while going in for a kiss. You moved your head ever so slightly so that the kiss landed on your right cheek. 

“Ya.. Goodnight” you say as you feel yourself start to pity the poor guy as he stands there getting red from embarrassment. 

What the hell, you think. Kissing isn't a big deal. You close the distance between you with a quick perfunctory peck on the lips to give him at least something to send him on his way.

You step into the front of your house and kick off your shoes while locking your door shut. You squint at the digital clock above the stove you can see 40% of from the front door to check the time. You realize you're too far and your phone died during the car ride home so that's not an option so you step through the living room to your kitchen. The last time you checked your phone it had just hit midnight when Adam was starting to drive you home. 

You take the final footing into the kitchen to see the time up close (12:18 am)  when you hear a little sound from next to you. Its your cat walking towards you but even more interesting is the man sitting at the kitchen table behind your cat. Jack is sitting there with a notepad looking at you when you notice him. 

“Ummm hi” you say in a quiet enough voice so as to not wake your brother or mom while caressing your cat Delilah.

“Hey…” Jack begins

“Your mom wanted me to write down what you guys are missing in the fridge for groceries so she can pick them up tomorrow and i thought i would busy myself anyways till you got home” He says while setting the pen and pad down.

“oh …ok” You start as you slowly simmer down your body to unzip your long boots. 

“I feel bad, my phone died. My mom was probably checking my location and freaking out. I'm sorry she made you stay up for me, that's my bad” You say as you finish zipping down both boots and take them off.

You look up to see that Jack is looking at your legs. Actually maybe he is just looking at your face since your head is down taking off your shoes…. But it really does look and feel like his gaze is glued to your thighs and calves. 

Jack slightly shakes his face as if waking up from a dream to look at you inquisitively. 

“What?”

“I just said that I was feeling bad cuz i--”

“No i heard you i just am saying what because i never said your mom asked me to stay up for you” Jack says like I have made some heinous assumption.

“I just thought maybe she was worried about me”

“And I wouldn't be worried about you?” Jack says softer than he's said anything so far tonight.

You get a little quiet and start fiddling with your skirt to which you see Jack's Adam's apple bob when he notices. 

“Your mom only asked me to make a grocery list for her before I went to bed and I decided to wait up while doing it. I was the one who wanted to make sure you got home safe” Jack comments.

Now that was a barrel of laughs. Dates your mom for three months and suddenly is making sure you get home safe. Is he going to cut the crust off your sandwiches or claim not to be the step dad but the dad who “stepped up” now? You're an adult he's barely known for a summer. What a joke.

“Ummmm last i checked Jack im not 16 years old. And I don't see any father here to make sure I get home safe, you're not my dad and I'm a grown woman” You slyly comment while Jack gets up to walk the list over to the fridge to hang it for tomorrow morning for your mom to use. 

He just places a magnet over the list, sticking it to the fridge door when you stop talking. 

He looks down at you and suddenly you think he's both way too far away from you and inappropriately close all at once.

He looks down his nose bridge at you and lets some air light puff from his lung. 

“Im very aware youre a grown woman dont worry” He says while letting his eyes drop to your outfit. You knew you weren't dressed like a nun but even after hours of being at dinner and then drinks with a man,  this moment is the first time you realize how much skin you are actually showing. Like the cells in your body didn't register being on display until Jack looked at them.

“And i am even more aware that im not your dad”

“Ok… well good” you mouth with no confidence to be seen anymore. 

Jack just smiles and takes some steps backward until his feet leave the kitchen tiles to the hallway wood flooring. He starts to turn to leave when you hear him impose “ Im glad youre home now though” he says while walking away facing the hallway to the first floor bedroom that your mom sleeps in. 

“Oh?” You vocalize breathily.

Jack turns back to you just before opening your moms bedroom door and offers a statement that tickles your stomach. 

“Ya.. you look … good… and whatever his name is didn't deserve to take you home looking like that” 

He makes the slightly flirtatious declaration and then makes a small cute cringe wave goodnight to you and goes into your moms bedroom. 

You stand there for a beat before running up the stairs to your room and getting ready for bed at speed that lightning itself would envy. As you're going to bed and plug your phone in to charge and when it flashes on you see the new time. 12:25. Seven minutes. Seven minutes in a kitchen with your moms boyfriend got you more hot and bothered than nearly five hours killing time with a handsome pilot around your own age. Life is hell.

You go and wash your face and brush your teeth and contemplate if Jack was hitting on you or just auditioning for the role of your stepdad. Hopefully the former because you already had your own protective dad. A daddy in the sense of a dilf doctor though? You could go for that. 

You shake your head and spit out your toothpaste as you climb into bed. You start to toss and turn but can't stop thinking about Jack's god forsaken voice. Him calling you a big girl earlier today with such a splash of innuendo and sass. Or him struggling to gulp out that you looked “good” dressed up for your date, since you can imagine any other adjective would have made him feel he was being blatantly inappropriate. 

You'd spent the summer somewhat pretending the “hot mess” your mother was wasting time with, wasn't there. But now he's more there in your eyes than ever. 

You think about him now. His long nimble fingers that save lives. His freckled body today in the short sleeve he wore at the party. Those gray curls that would feel so good under your nails as he devoured you whole. Suddenly your finger is moving down your form and lands on your clit under your pajamas. You have thought jack was hot but touching yourself to the thought of him is a new level of attraction. You pick up speed and you're beginning to shake and sweat in bed tossing and turning. You wonder if his years on you would translate to experience in the bedroom, you have to believe it would. You put a finger inside of yourself and start to groan not out of pleasure but frustration. Three of your fingers could maybe equal the delicious stretch you know maybe only ONE of Jack's fingers could accomplish. Jack's fingers going nails to knuckle inside of you is what you dream about before your quick orgasm. You wonder if Jack could make you cum that quickly or would it be a slower, harder and stronger orgasm so it's worth it. 

You try to close your eyes to sleep  blissfully unaware of the ordeal in your moms room. Jacks own hand around his dick rubbing back and forth in your moms bathroom to the image of your light smirking laugh or the thick expanse of your thighs that would be great pillows to die on. You both just go to bed and hope your relationship to each other is unchanged after this. While secretly hoping though that everything will be different when you see him next. 

You wake up with a groan at your alarm. 

“Ugh” You groan and roll over to turn it off. You have been trying this new thing of going to the gym in the morning to start feeling more disciplined. Then whether or not the job hunting goes well that day, you still feel accomplished by having gone to the gym.

You go to your closet and pick out a nice matching set for your gym day. You put it on and put your hair in a low ponytail just so it's out of your face. Finishing off your look with some bb cream and mascara just to feel a little put together.

You scurry down the stairs to make yourself some breakfast when you see your mom and jack at the table. 

“Arent we getting a little old to just passively be “dating”” Your mom questions him while taking a sip of her morning coffee.

You slow down on the bottom steps. Careful to not rush in before you can hear at least some of what they're saying. 

“I agree Baran it isnt that so much as its that i have my own house and thats where i had a life with emma and thats were ive lived for decades,..”He starts 

“I just can't sell and move in with you and your kids no matter how much I care about you guys”. You can hear the struggle in his voice. You have seen some photos of Jack and his late wife. Emma was a beautiful woman. Didn't look physically like you or your mother, but she was a beautiful woman who he was with for almost 12 years. Stayed supportive and kind to Jack through his multiple tours as an army medic and sadly lost her life to a very aggressive sarcoma eight years ago. Which you knew to be cancer through your years of having a doctor mother.

“I understand honey it's just I obviously love being with you and would love to live with you thats all” Your mom says with a lilt in her voice and begins to stand up to put her coffee mug in the sink. Jack follows her to the sink and puts his arms around her and buries his face in her hair. 

“Im sorry angel, I feel the same way just let me figure it out but i promise im as in this as you are” He says with a kiss to her hair.

Wanting this to end before it continues you finally descend the stairs to walk into the kitchen. You aren't sure whether to outright greet them as to kill their moment but your decision is made for you when they both turn to see you at the sound of you entering. Jack moves slowly away from your mom probably so as to not make a child uncomfortable at a man cuddling up their mom. Not knowing that you would only be uncomfortable out of envy for her and not out of cringe.

You wave at them when they look at you and smile.

“Morning guys” You say with a slightly lower morning voice and walk towards the fridge to get some eggs to scramble.

“Morning دختر” Your mom says while turning the sink on to wash the dishes that were used by her and jacks breakfast.

“Listen y/n i asked for off the day after my birthday because i wasnt sure how much i would drink so i switched with Dr shen and am covering his night shift so Jack and i will be home all day until i leave and if its going to be nice out i thought we could go to the jersey shore until like 5 today all together!” Your mom says with a smile as you crack your eggs into the pan. 

You can't help but notice from the corner of your eye as your mom speaks how, ever  so slightly Jack will look down at what you're wearing. This gym in the morning regimen is fairly new for you and Jack is usually coming back from his night shifts at this time so he isn't at your house so early normally.

“Youre not working the night shift also Jack?” You question while you scramble your eggs in the pan as it cooks.

“Nope” He says with a pop on the p consonant.

“My guardian angel aka your mom got me to ask for a whopping two days off in a row since i did two doubles last week” He says when he puts a hand on your moms waist and affectionately squeezes as she finishes the dishes and puts them on the rack to dry.

“Yes my night owl deserves some rest and relaxation so we should really hit the beach while we are all free and your brother is still here” She says with a manufactured frown at the end to remind you of your brother leaving for college soon. 

“Ok sure id like that” You start as you put your finished eggs on a plate to scarf them down. 

“Lemme just finish my breakfast and go to the gym and when i get back we go?”I ask while eating the eggs.

“Sure!” Your mom starts as Jack still has his hand on her hip. She scowls a little when she sees you scarf down your eggs.

“Keep eating eggs like that and you'll need more than the gym to hit the beach though!” she chuckles and starts walking to her phone being charged on the counter to check how hot it will be for the beach. You roll your eyes and finish your eggs.A mother is a girl's first bully as they say. As you finish your eggs you look back up to see Jack is looking at your mom annoyed and then makes eye contact with you. He shakes his head disapprovingly as if to apologize on her behalf and winks before he walks back into her room. What the hell was that?

The gym went well and you felt accomplished. You always liked working out and having that be part of your life. Made you feel strong and disciplined. You got home and changed into your bathing suit and put on a cover up and started to apply sunscreen when your brother Omar walked into your room. You looked at him through your huge vanity mirror reflection. “You ever heard its rude not to knock?” You quip at your brother only to see him roll his eyes and plop on your bed.

“Are we really going to the beach as a like… “family” ? Your brother asks offhandedly while squishing one of your pillows like it's a stress ball.

“First off its the beach not taking christmas pictures all together, second we are NOT a family” You say as you finish putting sunscreen on and turn to look at your brother. You spoke with a light airiness to your voice but as you turn and see your brother's expression the frills of your comment die on your facial expression. He looks genuinely annoyed. 

“You know he told mom he doesn't feel comfortable with dad coming to my college going away party” Your brother says with a stern look

“Oh?” you say genuinely surprised. Jack didn't seem the jealous type with your mom by any means.

“I asked mom and that's what she said. I think im going to go home tonight and see dad for the week if he's not coming for the party next weekend”

“Omar, how are you getting there? That's not a quick trip and you have to pack for UCLA” You say in your best concerned sister voice. While your mom was in the middle east you had developed a real skill of locking in to a maternal side for your little brother. One you weren't sure how to turn off now that she's back.

“y/n Im an adult now, I understand what dad did to mom and to the family is unforgivable but he's my dad. He should be at my graduation party and this rando mom is seeing shouldn't be able to control when we see our dad” Omar exclaims and tosses your pillow back on the bed. He groans and lays back. You sigh, getting off your vanity bench and going to lay next to him and stare at your ceiling. 

“I understand the sentiment of classic  "you're not my dad” moments but maybe if mom knew you really wanted dad there maybe she would explain that to Jack” 

“I don't know she seems pretty hypnotized by him, what the appeal is ill never know” Omar scoffs.

Part of you wants to explain the obvious appeal of a 51 year old silver fox who has saved lives longer than both of you have been alive and still manages a boyish charm and attitude but…

You don't think that would be helpful.

“I promise if Jack knew how upset you were to not have dad there,I don't think he would be pushing for him not to come” You say as you grab your brother's hand. You believe what Jack said this morning when he thought it was just your mom listening. He cares about all of you. Whether it be waiting up for you on a date or what would make Omar happy for his going away party.

“Whatever”

He squeezes your hand though so you can tell that his “whatever” has real heart in it. “Now get up and get ready were going to the beach each lets go get away” You say as you push him to get up and off your bed and quote nicki minaj (Fuck Maga Minaj tho). Your brother laughs and walks out “Ok ok “ he says as he walks towards his room across the hall. 

Your mom is driving with Jack in the passenger seat and you and your brother in the back. It's a perfect beach day. You can't remember the last time you had a family beach trip. Not that this one is a family beach trip. It's a trip with your brother, you, your mom, and your moms boyfriend who you have sexual tension with. Which would make this a family if this were the twilight zone.

Your mom goes to kiss Jack on the cheek at a red light and he smiles while for the fastest instant looks at the rearview mirror to see you. You were watching. Of course you were watching him, you masturbated to the thought of him the night before. You quickly avert your eyes while pretending to be so enthralled by the music playing in your headphones. 

You set up on the beach and jack and your brother dig into the sand to put the umbrella in. You lift all the bags and the cooler onto the blanket you have already set up when your mom stops you. 

“y/n Its alright, Jack or Omar will do it”

You find it sort of humorous. This woman is a highly respected doctor in an er full of men and somehow comes home to enjoy her son and her boyfriend doing manual labor for her. 

“I can lift stuff Mom i go to the gym remember” You say with an airy laugh and set everything up. 

You finish setting up and begin taking off your coverup top and unzipping your shorts. 

“Ugh i wish you would find a bathing suit that covers those ugly tattoos” Your mom groans while taking off her skirt to show her one piece black and white bathing suit. She looks very pretty in it. The sentiment is not exchanged for your look however. 

“Ugh mom” You groan as you finish taking off your clothes and begin to lay down on the blanket. Jack gulps as he sees you in your bathing suit. Seeing a glimpse of a bikini under your clothes through the summer is one thing. Seeing the full picture of it is another. He begins to will away the blood rushing south as he peels his eyes away to finish setting the umbrella up with your brother. 

“I dont understand tattoos i really dont” Your mom lays down to tan next to you but then pulls out a big hat to wear to shield her face from the suns rays. 

“I didn't know you had….” Jack gets out in a tone higher than his natural register as he brushes off his hands from the sandy task of setting up and goes to sit in a beach chair next to your mom. 

“Ya she has a few, Got them while mom was in afghanistan. She was a bad kid” your brother says with an exhale of air like he wants to laugh as he goes to sit at the end of your towel. Killing space which makes you lightly kick him with your feet, 

“Ive read that many people get tattoos to cover scars and  i always think that would be interesting for my thigh” Jack says as he takes off his bottoms to reveal swim trunks. 

God damn. His unamputated leg is so thick and muscular you want to trace every vein and muscle. As he takes his shirt off to follow and you are borderline getting heat stroke not even from heat. 

“Ive heard that too..” Omar interjects 

“Would you ever do that?” 

“Nah the prosthetic covers the scar most of the time anyways” Jack says as he begins to take the fake leg off.

“Baby what are you doing?” Your mom shoots up at seeing him take his leg out of the prosthetic and set it in a bag so as to not get it sandy.

“Ummm, i dont like the tan lines i get from the leg attachment and sand gets into it sometimes and i rather not worry, why” Jack says sort of suspicious at how taken aback your mom is.

“I get it my love im sorry i just… nothing whatever makes you comfortable” 

Your mom has always been a little too interested in appearances. Wearing bbl jackets over her scrubs to show her form at work. Disliking your tattoos or the fun hair colors your brother tried out in his emo phase while he was at war. Never getting named in medical depositions, using AI to do her work so she can't be blamed for any errors. You sometimes wonder if that's what bothered her most about your dad. Some generational foreign mentality of shame that chips at her for having a man's children only to have him embarrass her by cheating on her. 

You for a moment look at jack to gauge his expression when your brother mentions wanting to go in the water. You squeal and say you will go with him and you both stand up to go into the ocean. You begin to swim around and ride the waves with Omar. Trying not to think about what sweet nothings Jack and your mom are probably saying to each other on the shore.

What you don't know is the annoyance Jack feels at your moms reaction to his leg back at your set up on the sand

“What was that reaction to my leg?” He says, a little annoyed with an eyebrow raised. “It's nothing, I'm a doctor. I see nothing wrong with your leg, I'm fine with it” Baran says with sincerity and pulls out a kindle and flips to face it to do some reading while she tans on her stomach.

Jack puffs out air. He didn't want someone to be “fine” with his leg or act scandalized if he whipped out his appendage in public.  He wants someone to barely notice it because they're too in love with him as a person.

“I don't understand why she feels the need to show so much” Your mom mutters more to herself than anyone looking back slightly at the vast ocean.

“Who?” Jack responds thinking she might be speaking in regards to her book. 

“y/n!” Baran mentions to then go back to her reading and Jack starts to feel his blood boil like a frog in water and wills himself to look at you. You're in a little green bikini. Maybe you're showing a lot of skin but he wasn't complaining. Your thick thighs and perky ass have him in shambles. And don't even get him started on your rack. He never gets to really appreciate your tits out of fear of checking you out blatantly at the front of you where you could look up and catch him. Now that hes able to take in the perfect handfuls on your chest, he's really taking that into advantage. Hes found himself many times looking at your legs. Maybe it was because of his amputation but he found legs and specifically yours, fascinating. They were so strong and muscular and yet you made the look so feminine and soft. Like buttery shaved and soft skin on a strong piece of you that he wished so many times to have wrapped around his skull till it cracked from the power he knew you had in your thighs.

“I think she looks good” He spit out desperately trying not to voice crack at 51 years old from arousal. 

Your mom sighs as you begin racing in the water with your brother. 

“Not sure, she's starting to look a little… i dont know… stocky. She used to look like me, I'm not sure what happened. Hope she doesn't start getting the wrong attention.”

Jack wants to tell her he's the one giving you the wrong attention. That all he thinks about is you. Your round ass and thick thighs. You’re too young for him. You're his girlfriend's daughter. It doesn't change how you make him feel. Your mom is scared that your look probably has men interested in you only to get laid, but it's the getting to know you that is the danger. The way you laugh as your brother splashes you, the way you put bird food out in the backyard for the birds, the way you wash the dishes and clean the house when your mom is tired from long shifts. Both sides shouldn't live in one person so easily. You should not be allowed be literal walking sex and also be a funny,kind,smart caring girl. How is he supposed to put sunscreen on your mom as you swim without wishing it was your body under his hands? Touching the parts of her body he wishes were more like yours or lathering up sunscreen on features he now knows have ink on you. 

You breathe heavily as you stop short of the line of demarcation set out in the ocean for the beach goers to know how far out they're allowed to be.  You look back at where everyone is set up and see Jack putting sunscreen on your moms back and legs as she's flipped on her stomach to tan.

You look at your mom and think about the pictures of Jack's late wife that you've seen. Both her and your mom had similar frames and vibes and were around the same age but seemed different enough. You like how you look though. You're you and attractive with strong features that have you thinking back on Jack looking at your legs or saying you looked good last night for your date. Looking and checking a woman out is one thing. Being genuinely attracted to someone is another. Jack can notice he has a hot.. Stepdaughter? Gross. Well a hot whatever you are to him, without really wanting you. Especially as much as you want him. 

Omar and you start heading back to the beach towels and upon seeing you come over Jack opens the cooler to hand you both some water and pulls out a container of fruit your mom had cut. Leave it to foreign moms to cut some fruit. 

As you start eating the frozen grapes you can't help but gaze at Jack and his body as he rummages through the assortment of fruit. He stops at one and looks confused.

“Baby what the hell is this?” Jack laughs while pulling out a funny looking red and bumpy fruit. 

Before your mom can flip around to see what hes talking about you laugh and throw one more grape in your mouth and begin to speak as you chew,

“Its a lychee” You start which only seems to befuddle him more.

“Mom had a long time friend at her old hospital in California who was from the Caribbean who introduced her to all kinds of food” Omar says as you grab one to show it to Jack up close.

“You have to suck it”

His head still hangs lower but flicks his eye up to smirk at your instruction.

You start to get so red and then throw the Lychee back into the container and go to your towel to lay, pretending you don't get how wrong that just sounded. When you hear the slurping sound next to you and look up, you see Jack mouthing at the fruit staring straight at you. You gulp and look for your sunglasses so he won't see you continue to fawn at his assault on the fruit. 

You're wetter now than when you were in the ocean. 

On the way home from Atlantic city your brother lets Jack and your mom know about his plans to go to California for the week to be with your dad. Your mom is slightly annoyed and Jack is supportive enough. Which to you is more than enough proof that he had no problems with you guys being close to your dad. When you get home hours later, your mom is getting ready for her night shift as your brother gets his bag ready to head to  California. Your mom kisses Omar on the cheek and goes to Jack to give him a long hard kiss before she heads to her car to drive to the hospital for her night shift.

You look away and hug your brother goodbye. You would’ve done that anyways it just happens to be at the same time your mom and Jack kiss It was definitely not on purpose to not torture yourself with envy, For sure not.

As your moms drives off, Jack offers to drive your brother to the airport. Which again seems like such evidence that he genuinely wants the best for Omar. Just like you thought. You tell Omar as much as you walk him inside to security at the airport. 

“Well dont kill yourself from boredom home alone with him” He laughs after you defend Jack. As he heads over to line up at security and you walk to the exit of Pittsburgh International Airport you realize that your brother is right. With your mom at work and your brother on his flight, you have the whole night to stew over your horniness for the man dating your mother. 

But for me, it left a lifelong trauma, insecurities, and a feeling of being unworthy of love.