Chapter Text
Thank God for captain/goalie bonding time, honestly. Because there was no way that Jack would’ve been cool enough to find this truck without Snowy. He’d never been to this neighborhood before, actually. When the team was home, Jack usually just hung out in the streets between his apartment, the rink, and Roger Williams Park. This was also why Snowy insisted that they hang out in his neck of the woods since Jack was a “stuffy old man” and if Snowy went to “the same damn deli one more goddamn time, I’m gonna fuckin lose it. Jesus fuckin Christ, you’ve actually made me sick of pastrami.”
And, okay, Jack could admit it, Snowy’s neighborhood was definitely more fun. It’s full of young couples and grad students, the streets lined with cute, weird shops and the food... He doesn’t think they’ve actually eaten at the same place twice since they moved their weekly “dates.” Snowy has insisted that they need to try everything before they start repeating so they make sure it’s definitely the best. Plus: “Dude, you gotta get out more. You’re a young, you’re educated, you live in an awesome city, and you’re making Captain America looks well-adjusted for fuck’s sake.”
“I get out!” Jack protested.
“With the team, sure,” Snowy admitted. “And to literally the same five places you always go. You’ve gotta explore, man.” He shook Jack’s shoulder. “Don’t you remember what college was like?” Jack turned and looked at him with a tiny wrinkle forming between his eyebrows.
“Um, Samwell was kind of in the middle of nowhere. There was like, one street with a coffee shop and some bars, UHOP, and then it was all frat houses and professors. If you explored too much, you were just hiking.” Snowy heaved a put-upon sigh, casting his eyes upwards.
“I swear Zimmboni, sometimes you make me understand what Nana meant by ‘the lord testing me’.” Jack shrugged.
“What can I say? I like routine. Where is this place anyway?”
“It’s Friday, so he should be over near Brown.” Jack had no idea what Snowy meant by that, but he chalked it up to goalies being weird and just nodded, following along.
They smelled the food before they saw anything, and Snowy moaned, clutching his empty stomach.
“That good, eh?”
“Oh my God, you literally don’t even know. This is the best pie in the world, and I will absolutely say that to my mother’s face. You are about to have a fuckin religious experience today.”
“Pie? Snowy, I don’t really think that’s -” Snowy held up a hand to silence Jack’s protest.
“Bro, if the next words out of your mouth include ‘diet plan’ or ‘nutritionist’ I’m gonna need you to shove it up your ass for a few minutes here. Trust me, even you won’t care about the sugar after you get a mouthful.”
“I’m just saying, we need a lot of calories, not empty ones.”
“It’s mostly fruit! That’s like, so goddamn healthy. If you get his mixed berry pie you can get three out of your five daily fruits and veggies right here!” Jack rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help smiling. It really did smell good. And just a slice couldn’t hurt.
As it turns out, just a slice could in fact hurt: right in Jack’s pride. Where they were headed happened to be the cutest food truck ever. It was peach colored, with a giant cartoon pie on the side, Bitty’s Pie-up Truck written in curling script beneath it. He was stupidly replying to a message from George, confirming that he could still dog sit for her and her wife over the weekend, when Snowy ordered his slice, so he only dimly registered the pleasant southern lilt that took his order. And then Jack puts his phone away and steps up to the window -
- and promptly lost all capacity for speech. The man smiling down at him from the window was completely gorgeous; big brown eyes, blonde hair shaved on the sides, the long top falling in soft waves over his forehead, with freckles on his button nose and dimples oh fuck. The man was talking.
“-se me sir? Are you alright?” Jack managed to focus in on what he was actually saying by the end of his sentence and realized that he’d just been standing there gaping at him. His cheeks burned.
“Oh um, yes I’m fine, sorry.” Snowy, who had abandoned him to check his eyeliner in the van’s side mirror, snickered at Jack’s fumbling. The man still looked concerned, but said
“Well, what can I do for you then?” Jack quickly looked at the menu, realizing that he had absolutely no idea what to order and rattled of the first thing he saw.
“Um...Maple Apple please?”
“Just a slice?”
“Yes please.” Jack could feel the flush at his ears now. He really just needed this interaction to be over so he could walk away because he was literally going to die of embarrassment if he stood there another minute. The man nodded and turned away, cutting a slice and heating it up in a microwave for a few seconds before passing it through the window to Jack on a paper plate with a napkin and plastic fork. “Thank you,” Jack said meekly as he took the plate and paid for the slice.
“Thank you. Have a great day, now! And come back real soon.” Jack nodded and smiled as genuinely as he could manage through the oppressive shame. Snowy wasn’t even trying to pretend he wasn’t laughing at Jack, who promptly grabbed his elbow and dragged him away from the truck, towards the picnic tables at the park.
“Fuck you,” he grumbled.
“Oh my god, holy fuck,” Snowy cackled. “That was literally the funniest shit I have ever seen. Bro, you have, like, negative game. I’m texting the team chat, they’ve gotta get in on this primo chirping.” Jack sat down on the bench and put his head in his hands.
“No, don’t tell them, oh my god.” Jack’s phone vibrated in his pocket, and when he checked it, he saw that Snowy had indeed spilled the beans.
Caw Caw Motherfuckers
Snowy: lol zimmboni just tried to wheel the pie truck guy and totally crashed and burned
The phone vibrated several more times in rapid succession.
Tater: Is okay zimmboni, I teach you how to get date. We go clubbing this weekend, I show you how it’s done ))))))
Poots: lollllllll
Poots: sucks to suck bro
Poots: yo tater can i get in on those plans i gotta see this shit
Tater: Yes!!!! We get whole gang together, go have great time!
Poots: sweeeeeet
Marty: much as i’d love to help set up a playdate for zimmermann, i’ve got the in-laws this weekend so no can do for me
Thirdy: ^^date night Saturday, you kids have fun now. And for the love of god teach Z how to flirt, it’s tragic.
Guy: You bet your asses I’m there! I’ll teach the babies how it’s done.
Tater: You are having no game, I’m school all of you!
Guy: I have a WIFE aka PERMANENT PROOF OF GAME
Guy: so suck it
Zimmboni: fuck you snowy
“No seriously,” Jack said, looking up at him from across the table. “Fuck you, Tater’s going to make me go clubbing.” Snowy didn’t even have the decency to look sorry, just smiled smugly around a mouthful of pie. Jack grimaced at the thought of getting dragged out partying, but picked up his fork and took a bite of the the pie before it could get cold. “Oh, heavens to Gretzky that’s good.”