Chapter Text
Jack Zimmerman had had a long night. Practice was tiring; the coaches had basically drilled them to death, and he knew he hadn't been at his best. The whole team was nervous for their game next week, against one of the best teams in the league. So when he got home, Jack just collapsed on the couch, intending to stay there for the end of time.
Until his stomach grumbled and he realized he hadn't eaten since lunch earlier that day. After a close inspection of his fridge and cupboards, he concluded that there was no food that he wanted and decided to order takeout. Slumping back to his previous position on the couch, he unlocked his phone and decided to order pizza. Cheese and olives, just like always. When he reached the end of the form and he was asked if he had any special requests, he remembered a funny story Shitty has told him once.
So it's a super complicated premise, but basically Shitty had been super drunk and told the pizza place to send their cutest delivery guy. When a dog showed up with a pizza box strapped to its back, Shitty had literally broke down in tears and cuddled the dog until Laredo forcibly removed him.
Thinking that he needed a laugh and a cute dog, Jack typed “send your cutest delivery boy ;)” and clicked send before he could second-guess himself.
After staring blankly at his screen, which now read “Thank you for your order!”, he opened up the messages app and tapped out a text to Shitty.
message to Shitty B. Knight
just asked pizza place to send cutest delivery boy
message from Shitty B. Knight
you crazy boy !!!!! ;);););)
message to Shitty B. Knight
calm down I’m expecting a dog
like you told me about
message from Shitty B. Knight
ok sure w/e you say
gtg luv ya have fun with ur pizza boy ;););)
message to Shitty B. Knight
bye, shits
Jack sighed and locked his phone, smiling. Shitty was truly… unique. Jack’s stomach grumbled. He reached across the couch and grabbed the TV remote, flicking to the first sports channel he came across.
~
Eric Bittle was having a day. A stressful, long day. Early morning skating practice with Katya, a few hours volunteering at the local day-care (he was angling for a job), and finally a shift at the local pizzeria. A long, tiring shift full of awful customers with only him and one other person working. It was nearly ten o’clock when they got their last order, and his coworker was nearly halfway out the door. “I'll take it,” Bitty sighed.
“Thanks, Eric. You're a saint,” the other guy responded as he swung the door open.
“Yeah, yeah. Have a good night,” Bitty responded, grabbing his coat and the pizza box. Cheese and olives.
He grabbed the order sheet to double check he had everything - he did - but stopped short when he saw the special request. send your cutest delivery boy ;) Oh, lord. Bitty was not in the mood to deal with some probably-drunk, probably-straight girls. It's a pizza place, for god’s sake! Not a… a strip club, or whatever! Ugh.
Well, he did promise. Sighing for what felt like the umpteenth time that evening, he closed the door behind him and left for his car.
When he got to the address on the sheet, he rode up in the elevator, and knocked three quick times on the apartment door. Taking a deep breath, he resigned himself to an awkward, vaguely sexual encounter with giggly drunk girls. He was not expecting the man who answered the door instead.
“Hey,” came a deep voice when the door swung open.
Bitty was stunned into silence by the incredibly tall, handsome, very fit man standing in front of him. Definitely not a group of drunk girls.
“Um, are you… okay?” Came the voice again.
“I, um, yeah, I'm fine, it's just that on your order form, you, um. Well, you asked for, ah, a cute? delivery boy, and I was just gonna… gonna apologize, that's all.” Bitty was sure his face was bright red, and he looked at his feet to (hopefully) cover it up.
Bitty couldn't believe the next words he heard.
~
“They, uh.. you still got my request right,” Jack blurted out, then immediately felt a flush spread across his entire face and neck. “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry, I shouldn't have said that, it was uncalled for and I don't even know what was going through my head except that you're really cute and oh shit I said it again, I'm so sorry-”
“No, it's fine, I mean…” the delivery man giggled awkwardly, also bright red. “Just… unexpected? And if it helps, you're cute, too...” The end of his sentence trailed off.
Jack wasn't sure what was going through his head when he said it, but he did. “Do you, uh, wanna come in? Or something?” He saw the face of the other man and immediately backtracked. “Not like that! No, just… I dunno, nevermind, you're working and we don't even know each other, and-”
“Actually, my shift just ended, so if the offer still stands...?” The blond interrupted him.
“Yeah, that’d be great! Not like that, I mean… sorry,” Jack sighed. “I'm awkward. Sorry.”
The other man laughed and pushed past him into the living room. “Oh, honey, you don't have to apologize!”
~
Bitty wasn't sure where all of this confidence was coming from, but he's hoping it’ll serve him well. “I’m Eric Bittle, but most of my friends call me Bitty or Bits.”
The taller man seems mystified for a moment, but shakes himself out of it and responds. “I’m Jack, uh, Zimmerman.”
“You sure about that?” Bitty teases.
“I, um, well, yes?” The man - Jack - looked so confused that Bitty just had to take pity on him.
“Relax, hun! I’m just teasing.”
~
Two hours later, the two of them had ended up on the couch, each tucked into a side, feet just barely touching. Each man was painfully aware of the space between them, but neither of them mentioned it.
“You really did that? Oh my lord, I could never!” Bitty laughed at Jack’s story, and his face went adorably pink.
Jack told himself that he was imagining the infatuation in Bitty’s eyes, that he couldn’t possibly feel the same way, that Jack couldn’t possibly feel this way because it’s only been two fucking hours since they met!
“Yeah, well, it was nothing,” Jack paused. “It’s, ah, it’s getting late, and…” He trailed off.
“Oh! Yeah, I should probably be going, I didn’t mean to-” Bitty stumbled over his words and his feet as he stood up from the cozy couch.
“No! Ah, no, that’s not what I meant. You were great! No, wait, shit that’s not what I meant either.” Jack sighed. “Okay. Let me start over. I really liked hanging out with you and I think you’re funny and smart and cute and all sorts of things and when I said that it’s getting late, what I meant was, do you want to stay?”
Jack had been looking at the floor, but when he stopped talking and heard silence, he looked up and quickly tried to backtrack. “I mean, you’re working and we don’t know each other and I’d completely understand if you didn’t even want to-”
“Jack, bless your heart, you crazy boy,” Bitty interrupted him.
“What?” Jack’s voice was small and confused.
“Of course I want to stay! Oh my word. And for the record, you’re all of those things, too.”
Jack’s head was spinning a little bit. No, he wasn’t all of those things! He was an awkward hockey robot, not the absolute ray of southern sunshine sitting across from him.
~
When Bitty was invited to stay - SUPER VAGUELY, MAY HE ADD - he was elated. Beyond elated, in fact. A hot-as-hell, funny, smart, all-around amazing guy had just invited him to stay over, and his heart felt like it was going to leap out of his chest.
But his heart broke when he heard Jack’s next words.
“No, I’m not.”
Really, how? How did this man not realize how goddamned perfect he was? You know what, Bitty was going to change that.
He stood up from his spot on the couch and took the few steps over to Jack. Purposefully keeping his movements slow, he made eye contact and leaned in until their lips were only inches apart. “Is this okay?” He breathed.
In lieu of an immediate answer, Jack’s arms slid around Bitty’s lower back and pulled him down so he was straddling him. “More than okay,” Jack breathed against Bitty’s lips, before he finally closed the gap.
To be fairly honest, Bitty did not remember even half of the details of that kiss. Those many kisses. All he knew was that it was perfect.
After who-knows-how-long, one or the other of them pulled back and rested their foreheads against each other, smiling and panting.
“That… that was perfect,” Bitty said, mind blown at how goddamned amazing this man was. Athletic, smart, funny, attractive and a good - great - kisser? Honestly, it just wasn’t fair.
“I… yeah. You’re perfect,” came Jack’s reply.
~
When Bitty woke up the next morning, he felt better than he had in ages.