۶ৎ chef!jack abbot x sous chef!reader
chef abbot likes teasing you. you like him. chef abbot likes your dishes. you like him.
۶ৎ warnings: sexual tension ? reader is younger than jack
۶ৎ a/n: hi omg so i haven’t written fanfiction in years but I’ve been an avid reader and pretty much decided to give it a shot again! none of this has been proofread or anything but I’m excited to be making stuff again! my requests and inbox are open for blurbs or short fics :3 and i’m incredibly multifandom
you really shouldn't have looked at the way Jack was slicing tomatoes mid service, fingers firm pressed against the fruit, long digits wrapped around keeping it in place while his forearms flexed as he pushed the knife through the flesh of the tomato.
it was embarrassing really, you were a sous chef, talented and capable but the older man was making your chest tight, and the freckles certainly did not help.
"four minutes!" you hear him bark as he throws the sliced tomatoes into the pan of pasta.
"yes chef!" you answer snappy as always as you pull the duck off the sizzling pan and run it to the plating station where Dana takes over with tongs
sear, season, run to plating, and repeat.
you thought you had shook the nerves the silver haired chef had given you but when he guides your hands near the end of service as you sear duck in butter it resurfaces like eggs boiling.
by the time service ends your heart is fluttery and your hopeful that you did at least okay in the new environment.
you may think you did well
“your dish was a real hit” he leans against the surface of the counter.
“you think so?” your eyes flicker to the sweat that’s beaded on his forehead.
“I know so, front of house said that it was the most ordered all night” the curve of his jaw was sharper under the lighting of the kitchen.
a smile works its way onto your lips, “that’s great,”
“Jack” he corrects tapping his fingers against the counter. you watch as his eyes flicker across your face to your dirty apron covered in sauce and seasoning.
he nods once, before he lifts himself up and moves to help clean up, he always did after service. Even if his leg was killing him, even if it was a shitty service he always stayed.
“do you ever sleep?” you question a half joking tone on your voice as you grab a rag to wipe your station clean
he glances up at you, “do you?”
“you’ve been all over the world so i’ve been told,” his eyes are analyzing you and you can feel the familiar heat of your embarrassment creeping up your neck.
“yeah I mean, I wanted a wider perspective new experiences” your explanation feels dumb on your tongue.
“new experiences?” he inquires and you can’t tell what he’s thinking. you never can quite get a read on him.
“yeah you know like, different cultures and food” your gaze flickers across his face down his bare freckled arms that flex as he pauses scrubbing the grill to watch you.
“huh” is all he says before focusing on his task at hand.
“what?” you ask instead eyes watching the muscles in his teeshirt flex with each push of the grill brush
“nothing just, wondering why if you’ve got all that experience why your here” he glances over his shoulder at you
“maybe I like helping the elderly” the joke slips from your lips
“oh ha ha” he remarks sarcasm dripping from each sound like it came directly from his pores.
“i’m serious I saw your restaurant and thought this old guy needs help, thought i’d offer my expertise”
he steps toward you, “i’m not that old”
“so?” he steps forward again,
you can smell the sweat on his skin.
“so your gonna break a hip”
you watch his jaw twitch.
“if you thought I was gonna break a hip they wouldn’t let me cook”
he crowds you against the counter.
“they probably owe you a favor”
you feel the warmth he radiates now.
“is that what you think?”
you swallow hard, feeling the heat of a flustered blush working its way up your neck.
his eyes are heavy on you watching. analyzing. waiting.
“can you handle the heat?” his words are gruff
“what?” confusion settles in the forefront of your mind
his lips hover close to yours, you can feel the exhale of his breath across your skin, it makes your mind fog.
“if you can’t handle the heat rookie get out of my kitchen” he exhales hard before he pulls back just as fast as he approached.
you were a sous chef first and foremost, but at the end of the day you were human and god did you want him.