Chapter Text
Normally, on a hot day like this in Georgia, because lord knows the South is basically an oven in the middle of the summer, Eric wouldn’t be baking. It’s a strange thought, Eric not baking, but he didn’t truly enjoy the idea of walking into a sauna in his own home, which is what it felt like every time he turned on the oven whenever the sun was out. And his mama and Coach hated his baking in the middle of the day during the summer. His mama already fluttered around the house before she left to the airport.
The airport…
Eric groaned and continued mixing the batter in his bowl for the cake he was trying to make. The “Welcome to Georgia” cake he was making for…Jack.
Jack.
“Goodness gracious,” Eric whispered, filling the cake pan and ignoring the heat that seemed to fill the entire kitchen because of the oven’s pre-heating. It was silly to even think about baking in the middle of the day in Georgia, but Eric couldn’t help his stress baking, he needed to get this nervous energy out of his system because he had no idea what he was going to do when Jack got here.
He hadn’t seen him, truly seen him, since graduation. He had been messaging and Skyping him occasionally, and both had constantly sent him into embarrassing blushing messes that he had to hide away in his room at times for fear of his parents figuring something out.
And Eric had explained this all to Jack, which always made his heart clench at the thought but Jack was just so understanding.
Just another reason to be nervous.
Honestly though, he had no idea what to expect. He didn’t know if Jack was going to come in and swoop him off his feet, which he wanted and also didn’t want in case his parents saw, or if he was going to come in and simply say ‘Bittle’ before ruffling his hair. That would probably be the worst case scenario actually, and probably crush him in the process.
Eric sighed and pushed the cake into the oven, wiping the sweat off his brow and looking around the kitchen. He began to clean up the area, hand washing the dishes and drying them before returning them to their proper places. He didn’t think Jack was that cruel, to kiss him and then drop him like a fish, but there was that one part of him that kept telling him every time they talked that it wasn’t real, that the messages from Jack meant nothing.
He turned in on himself reflexively, an action that he found himself doing often whenever he came home to Georgia, something he hated doing now that he knew what it was like to be himself in public. But it was a defensive mechanism, and the nagging in the back of his mind was becoming overwhelming.
Eric sighed as he finished cleaning and looked out the kitchen window to check on Coach.
Coach was leaning against the fence in their backyard to talk to their neighbor, waves of heat coming off the grill a few feet away. They laughed as the neighbor’s youngest son imitated a hockey swing and Eric could only guess that they were talking about his team’s latest trip to the NCAA hockey finals.
Eric tried not to be hurt that his dad was talking about his team’s hockey feats. Coach was proud of him for that, he knew, even if they weren’t really hockey savvy in these parts. But, Eric could’t help but think, if Coach were to tell his neighbor that his tough-hockey-playing son was inside baking a cake for his teammate’s visit, he was sure his dad would bid farewell to his neighbor and make his way back to the grill.
The timer knocked Eric out of his reprieve, reminding him that he was baking a cake and he needed to get the cake out of the oven or it would burn.
He frosted the cake quickly and placed it on the table the moment he heard laughing and the front door opening.
“Eric? Sweetheart? Jack is here!”
Eric closed his eyes, taking a deep breath through his nose and trying to settle his beating heart before calling out to his mama, “I’m in the kitchen!”
He heard his deep chuckle before he saw his face, something he’s missed and has only seen through his webcam for the past couple of months.
Jack was just as tall and handsome as he had been the last time Eric had seen him. The smile on his face and unguarded fondness in his blue eyes nearly made Eric's knees gave out. To save him from embarrassment, he pulled out his phone, “Jack! Oh, let me get a picture of you with my mom! I promised my followers photographic evidence of your arrival.”
His mama placed a hand on Jack’s shoulder, laughing as Jack took off his hat, his eyes still on Eric. “He hasn’t even settled in yet!”
Eric snapped the picture quickly, ignoring the fact that he had photographic evidence of Jack smiling and looking at him, and smiled to himself, “It’s alright, I’ve already got it. We can settle you in now Jack.”
His mother turned to look at Jack, “Jack, you want one on your camera with Dicky?”
Jack’s lips twitched, his eyes, that were still settled on Eric, shined with amusement, “Oh. Only if Dicky wants to.”
“Oh my god, stop.” Eric could feel his face heating up under Jack’s scrutiny, and he hoped that the heat in the kitchen could be reason enough for his red cheeks. “C’mon you silly boy, y’know you want a picture.”
Jack chuckled and placed his hat on Eric’s head backwards before handing Eric’s mom his phone. “You’ve got to wear the right gear, eh?” He wrapped his arm around Eric’s shoulders, pulling him closer.
“Aww, Dicky, you and Jack look adorable!” His mother squealed, snapping a few pictures for Jack before handing his phone back. “Do me a favor sweetheart and take Jack to the guest room? The one across the hall from your room? Your Aunt is coming down for the weekend and she’ll be taking the guest room beside us. I need to make sure your Daddy is doing alright in the heat.”
Eric nodded and watched his mama make her way into the backyard, trying not to be hyper aware of how close Jack still was and the fact that he still had his arm around his shoulders.
“So,” Jack started, placing his phone in his pocket before smiling down at Eric in a way that made him want to melt, and it may not be so hard in this Georgia heat. “Dicky?”
Eric pressed his lips into a thin line at an attempt to keep himself from smiling, “Oh, shush you.” He elbowed him lightly in the side before spinning out of his arm and grinned up at him, “Come on, I’ll show you where you’re going to be staying while you’re here.”
“Wait.”
Eric didn’t exactly get a chance to react to Jack pulling him into a hug and, for a moment, he was terrified that Coach was going to walk in and say something or make things awkward for both of them.
But, instead, he allowed himself to live in the moment and wrapped his arms around Jack as well. This was Jack. Jack knew about him and liked Eric for being the Eric, Bitty, he was at Samwell…even if he didn’t know the Dicky, Junior, he was at home.
He felt Jack’s lips brush against the top of his head and he couldn’t help but smile into Jack’s chest. “I’ve missed you, Eric.”
His heart was beating loud in his ears as he pulled away to look at Jack. He closed his eyes as Jack pressed a small kiss to his forehead, “I missed you, too.”
The smile on Jack’s face was small, but so, so happy and it filled Eric’s heart to the brim to think that he was the reason why Jack was smiling like that. “C’mon you silly boy, I have to show you where you’re staying,” Eric said, pulling away and turning the Falconers hat on his head forward. He grabbed Jack’s hand and began to give him a small tour of the house, walking him through the living room and showing him the bathroom he’ll be using before walking him into the second guest bedroom.
He opened the closet, to pull down a blanket that they forgot to pull out for the bed, as Jack sat his bag and suitcase at the foot of his bed, “In case you need anymore blankets, they’ll be up here. Georgia days may be as hot as witch’s boiling pot, but the nights get pretty cool.”
Eric turned, blanket in hand, and came face to face with Jack, who still had that same heart-warming smile on his face. “Um…”
Jack’s hand came up to cup Eric’s cheek, his thumb brushing against the corner of his lips. His other hand came up to remove the cap off Eric’s head.
It was quiet for a moment, Eric couldn’t breathe. His throat was tight and his mouth had gone dry; he was sure that if he tried to speak, he would gag.
But that’s okay, because Jack must have known. He had to have known how much Eric wished he would do something, to be brave to do something while they were here, here in his home.
Jack leaned down, catching Eric’s lips with his in a gentle, much needed kiss. And it was just as amazingly wonderful as it had been the first time, it was bliss. And Eric was lightheaded, unable to think of anything but Jack and his hand against his cheek, his lips pressed against his own.
It was a short, sweet second kiss, a welcome back to something that Eric was desperate and eager to go return to. It left him just as dazed as he was the first time.
Jack pulled away from him but didn't move away, his breath washing over Eric making him dizzy and unable to think clearly. He pressed their foreheads together, and the thought that Jack didn't want to move away from him made his heart race. "I wanted to do that for a while."
It was just a whisper, like a secret you say behind closed doors, which is technically what's happening considering where they were.
Eric hated that he had to keep Jack a secret but he was still too scared.
"Hey," Jack's voice was gentle as his hand went under Eric's chin to get him to look up at Jack. "What's wrong?"
Staring up into those brilliant blue eyes, Eric didn't think he could lie. "I just wish you didn't have to be a secret here. This is...Georgia, no matter how they may shun me, is my home."
"Eric..." Jack was quiet for a moment. "I...I want this. If you want this too, then I don't mind being a secret. I..." His hand fell from Eric's face and, for a moment, Eric was scared that he was going to leave. "I can't exactly imagine what it would be like to come out in the NHL my rookie year."
Oh.
Jack ran a hand through his hair and moved to sit on the bed, the hat hanging from his fingers loosely and he ducked his head, avoiding Eric's eye. "You deserve better than that. You deserve to be more than an athlete's secret."
Seeing him so torn made Eric's heart clench and he found himself smiling in spite of himself. He walked over to Jack and grabbed both of his hands, the hat and blanket were tossed on the bed, and kneeled in front of him. "Hey," he whispered, trying to meet Jack's eyes so he could see how sincere he was being. "Jack Zimmermann, don't you dare think I would rather have anything else but you." And it was true, even if he probably shouldn't be thinking along those lines quite so soon.
Eric swallowed and decided to take the chance. "It's not like I haven't thought about it. Y'all athletes have it hard and I figured, if we ever did become- um...y'know-"
"Boyfriends?" Jack's smile was back and it was teasing and Eric was having a hard time biting back a shy giggle.
"Yes, thank you. Well, I figured it would be hard for you no matter what you decided, right? It's going- goodness, I mean, you're going to be fine."
"We're going to be fine."
The emphasis Jack pushed onto that one simple word made Eric smile.
"Right," Eric agreed, slightly breathless all of a sudden. "We can both get through this. And if we have a problem, we can worry about fixin' it when we get there."
The smile on Jack's face cleared Eric's own worries from his mind. He was right, of course he was, they could worry about it later and he was going to be happy now.
Eric raised an eyebrow, feeling his own confidence seep into him upon this realization, his smile melting into a teasing smirk as he looked up at Jack, "Well, Mister Zimmermann, we soon won't be fine if you don't ask me good and proper. I may be a simple, southern boy, but I won't say no to the works." He winked at Jack, who gave a quiet chuckle in response.
Jack looked down at their hands, fingers tangled together and pressed his lips together. Eric waited with bated breath, was Jack actually nervous? That was…adorable.
Blue eyes, bright and unyielding, bore into Eric’s brown eyes, and Eric was sure he would never be able to get past how beautiful Jack’s eyes really were. ”Eric, will you be my boyfriend?"
Eric smiled the widest he had all day, nerves and fears forgotten as he tightened his grip on Jack's hands. It was not something they had talked about, more of an idea of what could happen. They seemed to have just tiptoed around it, avoiding the subject completely while texting and Skyping - though, that may have been Eric’s fault because that constant doubt had clouded over the possibility every time.
But this, this was so much better than he imagined it could possibly be.
“Well, it’s not a plane and a banner in the sky, but it still has it’s charm.”
He leaned forward and pressed his lips against Jack’s, feeling both of their smiles twisting together as they kissed. Jack released one of Eric’s hands only to have it trail up his arm and rest on his neck, his fingertips grazing along the short cut that Eric decided to keep.
There was nothing to interrupt them, no planes to catch or dinners to go to. It was just the two of them in the Bittles’ guest bedroom and neither of them seemed to want to be anywhere else anytime soon.
But Eric knew, if he didn’t go to his parents soon, his mama would start looking for him. And goodness, that would not be a good thing.
“We should go,” Eric whispered against Jack’s lips. “Last thing we want is Coach to find us here.”
He felt Jack nod against him, Eric’s eyes still closed as he tired to memorize the feeling of Jack being so close and it being okay. It was alright, they were alright. His heart was stuttering in his chest, his head was light and he was slightly dizzy, his fears began to play in the back of his mind at the thought of one of his parents walking in. But Jack squeezed his hand again and all he could think of was that this was actually happening, and he didn't feel so alone anymore.
He opened his eyes and saw Jack staring at him, a smile on his face and his eyes studying Eric in a way that made him blush all over. It was ridiculous how one look could do that to him, but to be fair, Jack pretty much had the smolder down pact.
"Okay," Eric mumbled, pressing one more kiss to Jack's lips before standing up. "Let's go, Mr. Zimmermann. I spent all afternoon in this heat baking you a welcome cake and, by golly, you're gonna have some."
Jack's eyes shined with amusement, tangling his fingers with Eric’s. “Go on, show me this cake.”
Eric could get used to these new feelings, the feelings of adoration and happiness replacing those of fear and loneliness.
Jack squeezed his hand and Eric smiled as he led him back into the kitchen.