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1.
Bitty’s halfway through what he thinks may end up being his best maple apple pie recipe yet when his phone buzzes during the opening of Love on Top. He rolls his eyes fondly at Jack’s contact photo before pressing accept and positioning his phone between his ear and shoulder.
“Mr Zimmermann,” Bitty grins, “I was just thinking about you but that doesn’t mean you have the right to interrupt my Beyoncé.”
“Oh sorry about that,” a voice he only faintly recognizes comes through the phone, chuckling, and Bitty jumps, pulling his hand up to double check that it is in fact Jack calling, only to be met with the familiar picture of him and Jack at the end of the year banquet, smiles matching, Jack’s eyes accidentally flitting to Bitty’s face right when the picture was taken.
“Uh...did you go through a late puberty or something?”
There’s a deeper laugh on the other end, “Eric! It’s me, Bob! Sorry to startle you...and uh interrupt your Beyoncé of course.”
“Oh!” Bitty immediately straightens up. Even though it’s just a voice call, he feels suddenly underdressed in his tank top and short shorts, “Mr. Zimmermann, what brings you to my phone today?”
“Well I’m having a bit of a baking emergency,” Bob explains, “and I’ve been told you’re the person to call. I had to steal Jack’s phone to get in touch with you, so we don’t have much time. He’s been on it more this summer, it’s a tougher job than it would have been say...last summer.”
“Oh...uh probably missing the boys!”
“Right…” Bitty can almost hear a wink in Bob’s voice.
“So baking emergency?”
“That’s right! Well, Jack’s home for his birthday as I’m sure you know and I want to bake him a cake instead of ordering one, I mean, Eric, I insisted despite Alicia’s protest, but now I’m realizing it’s a lot harder than expected.”
“Oh, I’m baking for the occasion right now too!”
“Oh...are you coming up? Jack didn’t tell us…”
“Heavens no! I am a southern house guest Mr. Zimmermann, if you were expecting me, you’d know. I’m just mailing it.”
“Ah…”there’s that smirk again, “Okay. That’s very nice of you Eric.”
Bitty clears his throat, “Now the cake. I’d walk you through it step by step but you said you didn’t have much time?”
“Yeah, I snatched Jack’s phone when he went into the shower, we only have a few minutes.”
“No problem. Look, why don’t you give me your email and I’ll send you a few links that’ll walk you through it just as good as I can. I can even add some of my own tips!”
Bob breathes a sigh of relief, “You’re a lifesaver Eric. Jack’s always raving about your baking skills...among other things.”
“Uh...so what was the address?”
“Right, that’s [email protected]. Don’t forget the second N!”
“I could never,” Bitty smiles fondly, scrawling it on a piece of paper, just in case.
“Okay, I gotta go kid, but listen, make sure you’re resting up, that blow you took was pretty bad and we need you back in next season.”
“Oh uh, of course Mr. Zimmermann.”
“Okay, thanks a lot Eric!” and with a click, he’s gone and Beyoncé’s voice is filling the room again, picking up right where it left off, as if he didn’t just promise to give former NHL player and current multimillionaire Bob Zimmermann baking tips. Bitty sighs into his hands for one long moment before promptly returning back to his recipe.
2.
Bitty can’t sleep.
He has a French test tomorrow and he’s somehow still perfecting his mixed berry scone recipe and Jack had given him this stupid smile after practice today that he can’t stop seeing whenever he closes his eyes. He’s resigned himself to perfecting the art of falling asleep with his eyes open when his phone rings.
He usually wouldn’t bother answering an unknown number this late at night but he’s bored and figures, what the hell? Maybe there’s a wrong number meet cute in it for him. “Hello?” the man on the other end sounds too old for him, he realizes quickly.
“Hi there,” he pushes on anyways, his southern manners getting the best of him.
“Oh it’s you! This is Bob Zimmermann.”
“Oh,” Bitty sits up straight, “Uh, hi.”
“I’m really sorry to call so late. I usually call Shitty but he didn’t pick up and Jack gave me your phone number in case of emergencies.”
“He...emergency?”
“Yeah, listen it’s,” there’s a sharp sigh from the other end, “Look I’m really sorry to worry you it’s just...I talked to him earlier this evening and he wasn’t doing so well, stressed about recruiters and graduation and then he stopped answering my texts. I...I know he’s not that kid anymore but sometimes…”
“Say no more,” Bitty’s already on his feet, “I’ll go check on him and then I’ll call you back.”
“Text me,” Bob corrects quickly, “Alicia’s going to be back in from the bathroom in a minute. She worries if I worry. And listen maybe don’t mention this to Jack, I don’t want him to have another thing on his plate. I know this isn’t exactly conventional it’s just...sometimes I can’t be the one to get through to him.”
“Got it. No worries at all.”
“You’re a good kid, Eric. I see why Jack’s so fond of you.”
“Oh I don’t know about that.”
“He is! Thanks,” Bob hangs up and Bitty sighs deeply, dropping his phone to his side and making his way across the hall. He knocks sharply and waits a long moment before Jack shows up at the door, hair tousled from laying down, sweat lining his forehead, and shirtless. Only for Bob fucking Zimmermann.
“Bits?” his voice is gruff. “What’s up?”
“Uh…” he realizes in his rush over that he never came up with an excuse so he tells the truth, “I can’t sleep.”
“Oh,” Jack nods. “I can’t either. Do you want to...come in?” Jack steps aside slowly and for a moment, Bitty lets himself think it’s shyness. He shakes the thought away and moves past him, hovering awkwardly by his bed while Jack flicks the light on.
“Take a seat,” Jack sits down and pats the comforter beside him and god, he knows he’s just a worried parent with a son worth worrying over but wow, fuck Bob Zimmermann.
Bitty sits and fiddles with his phone, careful not to click it in case Bob’s texted. The light in Jack’s room is dim, like it broke and he never got it fixed so it would always be perfect and cruel mood lighting.
“Are you okay?” Jack asks.
“I could ask you the same question,” Bitty nudges his shoulder into Jack’s and looks up just in time to see Jack smile. There it is again.
“Well I asked you first,” Jack nudges him back.
“Ah kindergarten logic, I’m impressed,” Bitty grins and then he admits the one thought he wouldn’t let enter the orb of can’t sleep anxieties, “I’m sad about graduation.”
“Yeah. Me too. But hey, Shitty will just be in Cambridge and I’ll just be in Providence. Things won’t change as much as we think,” he looks down at his feet, “at least I hope so.”
“Wait, really? Providence?”
“Well...yeah. I haven’t told the boys but I mean...come on, you didn’t really expect me to go too far did you?”
“I just thought,” Bitty looks down at his bare feet that don’t touch the ground on Jack’s bed. He swings them back and forth, “You have to do what’s best for your career.”
“Providence is best for my career,” Jack shrugs, without giving any further justification. “I swear,” and to Bitty’s surprise, he holds his pinky out, staring at him expectantly.
Bitty rolls his eyes, “Continuing with the kindergarten logic tonight I see,” he locks his finger in Jack’s and lets go after a short second like it’s too hot to touch. “We should um...get to bed. But you’re okay, right?”
“Yeah,” Jack nods, “Yeah, I’ll be okay.”
“Good,” With a rush of adrenaline, he squeezes Jack’s bare knee reassuringly, before heading back across the hall, not looking back to give Jack (or his abs) a second look.
EB 11:04 P.M.
He’ll be okay! Nothing to worry about Mr. Zimmermann!
Unknown 11:05 P.M.
That’s great to hear. Thank you.
Bitty sits in the dark of his room and watches as three more dots appear and then disappear, a few times until:
Unknown 11:10 P.M.
I meant what I said, by the way, about Jack being fond of you. I hope you know that.
Unknown 11:12 P.M.
You’re a good kid Eric!
Bitty locks his phone and tosses it on the bedside table, closing his eyes and waiting for sleep to come over him.
3.
Bitty spends Sunday’s Harry Potter marathon jammed between Ransom and Holster on the god forsaken couch. They’ve taken mercy on him and have laid a blanket down before but that mercy doesn’t extend to the fight they’re having while Bitty is jammed in the middle.
“I’m not saying you’re jealous,” Ransom says, “I’m just saying you seem a little upset the ghost touched my butt and has never touched yours, dude.”
Shitty grins, “He has a point dude.”
“There is no ghost oh my god-”
“Y’all please-” Bitty’s interrupted by his phone ringing and sighs in relief, assuming it’s Jack who can hopefully use his captain voice and try to absolve the situation. And when that doesn’t work, he can slip away unnoticed and talk to him until he falls asleep. He sighs, maybe a little too dreamily. He misses him so much.
He accepts the call without bothering to look at who it is, because Shitty’s there and his mom has bunco tonight so there’s no way it’s anyone else. “Jack can you please settle this ghost butt debate?”
There’s a laugh on the other end and a voice deeper than his boyfriend chuckles, “Uh, not Jack but I can still settle it for you if you’d like!”
He straightens up, as much as he can still squished between the two, “Uh who…”
“Oh, this is Bob! I got a new phone but Jack gave me your number, I hope that’s alright. Although if you’re busy-”
“Oh, no, no!” he jumps up, squeezing his way out from the two, “It’s fine Mr…” he speeds past Lardo’s pointed gaze until he’s clear in the kitchen, “It’s fine Mr. Zimmermann,” he coughs. “Um what brings you to my number!” He’s having an odd feeling of deja vu.
“It’s Bob, please Eric, I’ve told you this. And I was just on the phone with Wayne and he was telling me all about his son-in-law so it reminded me to check in with mine!”
There’s so much to process Bitty decides to just ignore that last bit and instead says, in a voice that comes out way too squeaky, “...as in Gretzky?”
“Yup that’s the one!”
God, Bitty loves Jack but he really does not feel up to having the most intimidating in-laws in the world. Shit, not in-laws but-
“Eric? Did you hear me?”
“Hi, hi yeah sorry! Connection!” he laughs, “Uh… what was the question?”
Bob laughs. It’s similar to Jack’s but louder, easier, kind of like how Jack’s gets when he’s really not focusing on how he sounds. “It was how are you?”
“Oh! I’m good! Just hanging out with the guys and Lardo, of course, and Shitty’s here which is always nice! Um… I made pizza?” God he suddenly can’t think of a single interesting thing to say. Wayne Gretzky’s son-in-law probably goes skydiving every weekend.
“Homemade pizza? That’s amazing you’ll have to teach me the recipe when you come visit!”
“When I… visit?”
“Yeah, I was thinking maybe you could come up during winter break! After you celebrate Christmas of course! Hanukkah will be over by then but we could show you the Montreal way of celebrating new years, eh?”
“Oh um… yeah. I’d love that.”
“Hey, I watched the game last weekend, I was talking to Jack about it this morning, you’re really playing a stellar season Eric! You know, I wouldn’t be surprised if those boys made you captain next year.”
“Oh gosh,” Bitty presses a hand to his head, “That’s um. Really nice of you to say.”
“Well I’m not just saying it, I mean it.”
“Oh I…” Bitty swallows his urge to be humble as best as he can, “Thank you.”
“Of course! Say hi to my boy the next time you talk to him. You know almost every time I try to call him lately I get a busy signal, isn’t that funny?”
“Oh well…” Bitty feels the sudden urge to apologize.
“Eric. I’m messing with you,” Bob chuckles, “I’ll see you in December okay?” and with one click, the line goes dead and Bitty slips back to his marathon, dazed, and ignoring the outcry that he disappeared to the kitchen but didn’t return with pie.
4.
Bob calls Bitty’s phone the exact second that they land. Bitty thankfully has his number saved now, complete with a contact picture, so he knows to answer appropriately.
“Mr. Zimmermann!”
“Eric Bittle! I've told you a thousand times, call me Bob!” Bob’s voice booms and Jack, who’s dutifully rolling up Bitty’s headphones, clearly hears by the grin he gives him, “Welcome to Montreal!!! I wanted to be the first to say it!”
“Unfortunately, the pilot beat you to it. But your son,” he gives Jack a mock glare, “Was too busy watching some history documentary on the little TV to do the same. So you’re second!”
“Sounds like my Jack. Hey how was your flight?!” Bob sounds so enthusiastic it’s almost overwhelming after the past few days spent in the calm of being around Jack and only Jack, in the quiet glow of his Providence bedroom.
He quickly shakes the thought because Jack and Bedroom aren’t two things to think of together when in public. “Great!” he considers for a moment before admitting, “It was my first time flying first class.”
“No way! Well I’m glad to be your first!” Next to him, Jack chokes on the ginger ale he’s finishing up and Bitty lets out a laugh. “Okay kiddo, we’ll be at baggage claim to get you in a few!”
“Oh we actually don’t have any bags checked, just carry ons.”
“I know but what kind of in laws would we be if we didn’t give you a proper greeting?!” It’s not the first time or even the second that he’s called himself that to Bitty but it is the first time with Jack in earshot and Bitty blushes a deep red while avoiding his boyfriend’s gaze. “Okay, I’ll leave you to deplane! See you soon Eric!”
He hangs up before Bitty can say bye, as he always does, and Bitty lets out a groan into his hands. He wishes he could just sigh dramatically into Jack’s shoulder but they’re in his hometown now and it looks like the woman in the row over is not so subtly trying to snap a picture of Jack much to Bitty’s chagrin.
“You okay bud?” Jack is blissfully unaware of the woman as he seems to be unaware to anyone but Bitty. Bitty will never fully understand this, how Jack can make him feel like he’s the center of his world. It scares the shit out of him and makes him the happiest person on the planet at the same time.
“I’m nervous,” he admits.
“Why?” Jack raises one eyebrow, in that unfairly sexy way he always does.
“It’s your parents Jack. And I’m...me.”
“That’s exactly why you shouldn’t be nervous,” Jack elbows him, the closest they can get to physical contact in public right now. “They’re going to love you. They already love you. How could they not?”
“Oh.” Bitty curses himself. The Zimmermann boys have this uncanny ability to render him speechless.
The fasten seatbelt sign turns off and Jack secures his UGA baseball cap to his head, unbuckles himself and stands up to grab his duffle and Bitty’s suitcase. Bitty watches Jack, the way he thrums his leg anxiously, the way his Samwell t shirt clings to his body, the way his eyes flit over Bitty instinctually every few seconds. Sometimes Bitty gets so caught up in the way that Jack looks at him he forgets that he must be looking back the same exact way.
It almost feels like more than enough PDA in itself but then Jack lets himself look for more than just a second and that’s all they do is look, Bitty sitting and Jack standing, but when it’s over Jack is smiling to himself this stupidly big smile and Bitty finds himself doing the same as he unbuckles and follows Jack off the plane.
5.
They are, at the end of the day, still a long distance couple so although Bitty loves spending time with Bob and Alicia Zimmermann, he really does, this doesn’t stop him from taking full advantage of the time without them.
Bitty waits a respectable eight minutes after they’ve left the house post breakfast the morning of New Years Eve before straddling Jack on the living room couch and kissing the lights out of him.
Jack makes a noise of surprise before kissing him back full force and a few minutes later (or maybe more than a few, he’s not sure), Bitty is starting to think that he could, considering the day, literally do this until next year when his phone starts to buzz in his pocket.
Fighting against every part of his body telling him to ignore it, he pulls back from Jack and checks the caller ID. “It’s your dad,” he tells Jack, still panting.
Jack frowns, “Well that’s unfortunate. Don’t answer.”
Bitty laughs, “Jack! I have to!” and presses the phone against his ear, and swatting at Jack as he leans down to kiss his neck, just once. “Hello?”
“Eric!” Bob’s voice comes just as excited as ever, “Uh...did you and Jack go for a run?”
“Oh uh…” Bitty steadies his breathing and uses his hand not wrapped around Jack’s neck to cover his mouth and stifle the barked laugh he’s letting out, “Using the at home gym. You know how Jack is about his...cardio.” This time Jack’s laugh makes it through Bitty’s hand.
“Right. Sorry, Alicia told me not to disturb you but I just wanted to know if you have any preference for champagne, for tonight. You’re legal here you know! Although it doesn’t matter much considering we’re not going out...wow I’m talking too much!”
“It’s fine!” Bitty’s voice comes out much higher than he means it to, “And anything’s fine, really!”
“Oh okay…” Just as Bob can probably hear Jack’s muffled laughter on his end, Bitty hears Alicia’s distinct giggle on his. “Uh Eric?”
“...yeah?”
For a second the southern anxiety in him clenches up and he feels like he is about to be on the receiving end of a gotcha moment, of you really didn’t think I’d support you doing that with my son in my house now did you?
But Bob says, “Alicia and I will be out for another hour, at least.”
“Oh um...I uh…”
“Now don’t waste that time stammering,” Bob adds and hangs up, leaving a mortified Bitty to press his face into a laughing Jack’s chest.
“Oh my god, Jack!”
“I told you not to answer the phone,” Jack laughs, wrapping his arms fully around him and pressing a kiss to Bitty’s chin when he leans up to look at him.
“I underestimated how breathless I was...oh don’t get that smirk on your face, you know what I mean!”
“I know exactly what you mean,” Jack somehow smirks harder before swooping Bitty into his arms and standing up as Bitty lets out a yelp. “Tell your siri to set a timer for an hour,” Jack says and Bitty doesn’t have time to laugh at his phrasing before Jack is charging him upstairs.
+1
Bitty glances at the door nervously as he paces around the entryway. He knows that he has a good amount of time before Jack comes back from practice, although it would be more if he had just made the stupid call earlier.
It’s not that he’s afraid, necessarily. He loves Bob. Bob loves him. They’ve gotten so close these past few years, especially now that Bitty’s own dad is farther and not just in distance. It’s not that he’s afraid of the answer, necessarily. It’s more that he’s afraid he’ll get what he expects and realize he doesn’t deserve it.
He shakes the thought and presses the call button before he can quadruple guess himself. Bob picks up after two rings.
“Eric!” Bob’s voice booms, “Bonjour!”
They’ve been speaking in French recently so Bitty can practice more. He wouldn’t care much beyond the language requirement at Samwell but Jack’s in some hypothetical talks of being traded to the Canadiens and some not so hypothetical talks of taking Bitty on a romantic weekend to Paris.
“Bob, hi. Could we do this one in English? It’s kind of um...important.”
“Oh sure,” Bob’s voice sounds serious and...somber in a way that Bitty didn’t expect and certainly hasn’t heard before. Even when Bob calls worried about Jack (although he’s had to do that less and less in recent years) it never sounds quite like this. “Eric, listen there’s something I’ve been meaning to say to you for awhile, too long actually.”
“Uh...okay?” He forgets for a moment that he’s the one called Bob.
“Look, I just wanted you to know that I know how things are with your dad and I just wanted to say that...even if things have to end with you and Jack, as long as things are amicable which I assume they would be, I’d still be here for you. I don’t want you to think anything less.”
“Oh!” Bitty presses a hand to his heart, “Oh my lord. That’s...very...wow. I...Mr. Zimmermann I was calling or...am calling to ask if it would be okay if I um asked for Jack’s hand? In marriage, I mean.”
There’s silence for a long moment. “What?”
“Look I know this is a very formal thing to do I’m just a southern boy and it’s how I was raised and sure, I should be asking a girl’s hand in marriage, but of course that’s not happening, and even if it was it’s obviously a very sexist concept so maybe this is somehow still sexist? I’m not quite sure the ramifications of it, all I know is that I want to be a part of your family and I want to be a part of Jack’s life forever and this is really just so incredibly sappy I just...wanted to know...if that’s okay? Lord I’m rambling aren’t I?” Bitty giggles nervously.
“No I...Eric...mon dieu...ah no French sorry! Eric! ERIC!!!” His voice suddenly comes as a shout so loud Bitty has to hold the phone away from his ear for a moment. “This is the best news I’ve heard all week! All year! All decade!”
“Oh...so is that a yes or…?”
Bob laughs so hard it sounds like he’s crying and Bitty can’t be sure but maybe he is, “Are you kidding me? Eric Bittle that is a hell yes!”
“Oh gosh well thank you! Don’t mention it to Jack obviously I haven’t figured the proposal out quite yet but-”
“Oh my lips are sealed! Can I tell Alicia though? I have to tell Alicia! When you marry someone you can’t keep a thing from them, you’ll see how that feels so soon Eric! Being a husband is really something else,” Bob says fondly and it hits Bitty then that he doesn’t feel that feeling he expected to. Everything feels...just exactly as it should be. Like things are falling right into place.
“Tell Alicia, of course,” he holds onto the wall like that will steady his heart, “Thank you Bob. Really, thank you.”
“Are you kidding me? I should be thanking you for loving my son the way you do.”
“Oh no thanks needed for that,” Bitty bites his lip and he means it. They’ve been through so much together but the act of loving Jack Zimmermann is quite possibly the easiest thing he’s ever done. “Hey can I ask you a question?”
“If it’s permission to give me grandchildren you had me at ‘Mr. Jack’s dad.’”
Bitty blushes, “No, not just yet. What you said before, about being there for me if Jack and I broke up...did you really mean that?”
“Well of course I did. I mean not if you cheated on him or something but since I can’t see that happening...you’re my son Eric. How could I not mean that?”
“Oh gosh,” Bitty’s blinking back tears when he hears Jack’s truck pull into the driveway, “Listen, I gotta go, he’s home but...thanks Bob, really. For everything.”
“Of course Eric,” he can hear Bob’s grin through the phone, “I’m always just a phone call away.”