i lied- i finished it today :D shorter than i originally planned, but dude it’s been two years and i really wanted to finally finish it for my own peace of mind...
The days after family weekend are weird.
Most things get back to normal, but Bitty has more and more the feeling, that Jack wants to make up for the way he acted and what he said– buying him coffee after coffee, walking him to classes, and the touching...oh the touching.
Jack never acted as if the little touches they shared were unwelcome, even before the family weekend, but now he positively seeks out Bitty’s skin, and it makes Bitty flush with desire and longing. He tries to gauge, if Jack is acting out of guilt or if he actually wants a closer relationship with Bitty, but he is as hard to read as ever and Bitty can’t help but revert to his anxious self.
He misses the easy soulmate relationship he had with his mother; no second guessing, no messy feelings, and especially no freakin’ blushing.
---
“So, how do we start?” Jack asks, and Bitty ignores the twist in his stomach at Jack’s arm once again brushing his.
“We start with the dough,” he says and puts all the ingredients on the table.
Teaching Jack how to bake is the most fun Bitty had in a while, and when they leave the dough to chill, he has mostly forgotten about the strain that had been between them.
Jack had apparently not, and before Bitty can even think to fill the silence with more baking tips, Jack casually slides closer to him and carefully smiles at him.
“I never realized just how close you and your mother actually were,” he says, picking at the hem of his shirt. “It seems nice– she seemed nice!”
There is a long breath of silence after Bitty’s agreeing hum, but then Jack suddenly croaks a desperate "sorry".
He takes a step towards Bitty, reaching for his hand, but not taking it. It’s the most unsure Jack had been with him for a while.
"Bits, I’m so sorry. I didn’t understand before. I’m sorry for pushing you away and never…"
Jack pauses and takes a deep breath.
“I really thought you were a hockey match for me. And then you had so many problems with checking, and I started helping you, so I thought that was the reason I was your match. You had such a perfect match before, and then you got me…"
Bitty’s hand trembles, when he finally closes the distance and takes Jack’s hand in his.
“It’s okay," he rushes to say, "you don’t have to apologize. I’m just glad to have you in my life! You’re a pretty great soulmate just the way you are."
Jack’s careful smile lights Bitty up in totally new ways.
- - -
He calls his mother that evening, happy for the first time that week.
“Mama,” Bitty whispers into his phone, “I think maybe it can work. Jack and I were backing today, and it was really good! It was just as easy as when we…I missed that so much, I missed you so much. But today I didn’t."
- - -
The next day Ransom and Holster try to set him up for the Winter Screw.
Bitty makes his awkward excuses and leaves them behind to hole up in his room and practice his 'I’m gay' speech, when suddenly he turns around mid-sentence, and his world comes crashing down.
Or at least that is what his anxiety tells him, as a frozen Jack stares at him from his position in Bitty’s door, still holding onto the knob with one hand. They are both looking at each other with wide eyes, and for one second Bitty really, truly believes Jack will be done with him.
Instead Jack looks to the side, to Bitty, to the side again, and Eric finally spots the faint blush on his cheeks that two months he would have misunderstood as anger.
"I uh," Jack starts, "I wanted to ask, if you maybe wanted to go with me to the Winter Screw. Since we’re soulmates and all, and…"
He doesn’t finish the sentence, just scratches his head with one hand, and sends a surprisingly shy glance Bitty’s way. Bitty tries really hard not to faint.
"Um," he hesitates, "like a date?"
As soon as it’s out of his mouth, Bitty already regrets asking. He should have just agreed, in whatever way Jack meant, and not made it weird. But before he can take it back, Jack is already standing in front of him, close enough to touch.
"My father said I should show you, that I…" Jack sways a little, like he wants to reach out, but doesn’t let himself. He sounds frustrated. "I know we didn’t have the best start. And I didn’t realize at first, that I… that I… I really like you, Bittle. Bitty. And I…I hope…"
He breaks off again, but this time he doesn’t look away from Bitty. Instead he reaches out, for his hand with a sigh.
"Yes, a date," Jack says, "please?"
- - -
They are standing at the side of the dance floor, talking softly with each other, when a tall, blonde girl walks over to them.
For a moment Bitty’s nervous, that she’ll ask Jack to dance and Jack will actually go with her, but then she stops in front of them and looks Bitty quickly up and down.
"So this is your soulmate?" She asks Jack, and with a smile Jack takes Bitty’s hand in his and nods.
just after part 2, as a preparation, because i will finally post the last part (soonish (side eye, but will she though?))
“Everything alright?” His dad asks, as if they don’t both think about the giant elephant in the room.
Maybe Jack should be grateful, that he’s not making it a big deal, but then again he thinks ‘am I really this broken? does he really have to be this careful with me?’.
Of course it makes him bitter, makes him snap at his dad, even though he would do nothing rather, than pour his heart out. But that’s not their relationship, has never been it.
“I’m fine.”
Maybe it’s his fault, Jack thinks, it’s all because he always reacts so prickly, maybe…
“Just, if you want to talk,” Bob says, “I’m here for you… I’m always here for you!”
Maybe it is time to be better. Just not hockey this time, but a better person. If after all this years, his father still hasn’t given up on him, maybe it was time to put his therapist's words to use.
Message: Hey Sami, I wish you a fun Valentine’s Day and that you really enjoy the day! You asked for Zimbits & PB&J so I hope I got you something you’ll like. Lot’s of love from your Valentine ️
Notes: PB&J Getting Together, a kinda canon future!fic
Kent had tried to stop his team, he swears he had tried. But now, standing on the ice right next to Jack, he wishes he had tried harder.
For the first time since he became captain he is kinda glad, that Carl is arguing with someone and this close to dropping his gloves. He is pretty sure he couldn’t unfreeze right now, even if it would cost them the game.
He tries not to look at Jack, as he shoves Swoops away.
“Haha, funny joke,” he chokes out, when he gets a weird look from Swoops. He should have tried harder.
Other Characters: Kent Parson, Senor Bun, Kit Purrson
Tags: Alternate Universe - Witchcraft, Past Kent Parson/Jack Zimmermann, Getting Together, Situational Comedy
Summary: Bitty owns a bakery. Kent owns a sporting goods store. All of this would be fine, except they are both witches and both sell magical supplies out of the back. And they are right next door to each other. Enter Jack Zimmermann, a mortal, and Kent’s ex. Bitty doesn’t know whether to curse Kent or thank him. He’ll settle for being exasperated.
“Please, Bitty?” Chowder was giving Bitty his best puppy dog eyes. Bitty never could resist that look, and Chowder knew it, damn it.
“I don’t know…” Bitty told him, and Chowder’s face lit up, sensing his victory. “I never play video games,” he added desperately.
“That’s exactly what we need. We already have people who know what they’re doing.”
Bitty folded his arms and gave Chowder an unimpressed look, but Chowder just grinned at him.
“We want to make sure a total noob can jump right in and start playing too.”
“With that kind of talk, I hope you aren’t on the sales team. ‘Total noob’,” Bitty muttered.
“I brought everything you need to play,” Chowder said, ignoring him. He held up a VR headset - a fancy one with attached headphones - and a thin pair of gloves. “It’s all set to connect, you just have to turn it on. After you put it on, of course.”
“You want me to do this right now?” Bitty eyed the equipment as if it was a poisonous snake. He didn’t have anything against it, it just wasn’t his cup of tea. No matter what Chowder said, it didn’t make sense that he and Dex wanted Bitty to test their new game.
“I want to get you started, that’s all. You don’t have to actually play it right now.” It was obvious from Chowder’s tone that he really wished Bitty would.
“And how is this different from regular VR?” Bitty asked as he pulled on the gloves.
“It’s like, the next level. Total virtual immersion. Or as close as we can get for now. Like the Matrix or OASIS in Ready Player One.” Chowder held out the headset for Bitty to take.
“I’m not one for science fiction, but even I know the Matrix is not a good thing.” Despite his words, Bitty put the headset on, leaving one ear uncovered so he could listen to Chowder’s instructions.
“Okay, there are two modes,” Chowder said as the visuals began to load. “There’s augmented reality where the game world overlays the real world. So your couch becomes the trunk of a fallen tree or something. You need some space for that because the game world is so extensive. I mean, there’s this quest where-”
“Chowder, honey, can we get back to my tutorial?”
Chowder cleared his throat. “Yeah, it’s just- It’s swawesome that it’s finally real, you know? Anyway, we also have what we’re calling autopilot mode, so you can explore the game world without needed too much actual movement. To switch it, you just have to…”
Chowder went on, but Bitty barely heard him, because he was standing at the edge of a dark and forbidding forest. The trees were literal works of art, realistic-looking, but not so realistic that his brain kept insisting something was off, the way CGI people made him feel. Bitty would swear he could hear birds chirping and insects buzzing. He adjusted the headset, muffling Chowder’s words. Yep, birdsong, bees, and a breeze ruffling the leaves on the trees.
Fic Summary: When Whiskey turns 18 years old, he receives his Gift. But what is he supposed to do with Love?
No Content Warnings. General tags: Gen (no pairing); Asexual Whiskey; Eric Bittle; Magic Au;
Message: I was so happy to see that I got your gift! Your magic AUs are some of my favourite fics and when I saw that Asexual Whiskey is your jam, I just KNEW what I was going to be writing about. I hope you enjoy!!
Connor knew what love was long before he knew he was ace. It was six year olds holding hands and twelve year olds sneaking kisses because they wanted to be grown up. It was the women in movies, pining after men and demanding roses. It was his teammates in the locker room, talking about bases and the girls they wanted to hook up with after games.
Connor knew that love was something physical and scary and frankly, he wanted no part of it.
Thankfully as everyone in his grade crept closer to their 18th birthdays, the “plant boy” jokes wound down. There was much more interesting news as people got their letters.
“I can’t believe Lauren got metal-bending and I got nothing,” Adriana complained one day at lunch, sprawled on the floor of the hallway outside their 5th period class.
“You know the Guild doesn’t actually call it metal-bending.” Whiskey said into his sandwich.
Adriana rolled her eyes so violently, her head moved as well, dragging her tightly coiled hair across the linoleum. “Ugh, you nerd. That’s not the point. Pretty white girl, I wear bows even on days where there’s no football games, Lauren. She gets to manipulate metal, Connor Whisk. Me-tal.”
“We don’t get a choice, Adri. And frankly, I’ll be thrilled when I get my letter and the Guild tells me ‘Hey, Connor, you’re off the hook. Go play hockey and don’t worry about accidentally setting your college dorm room on fire with this super exciting new superpower you manifested.’”
“Give Peder a break. He’s doing much better now.”
“Yeah, whatever, Adri.”
That evening when he got home, his mother was already at the kitchen table, Skyping her sister in Brasil, hands elegantly shaping the lump of clay spinning on the wheel.
Connor loved watching his mother work- ancient techniques interacting seamlessly with her magic. Her deep brown hands skimmed the edges of the vase, feeling for form sleeping inside the unshapen material. She once told him that her Gift was so much more than moving dirt around. From the rock beds lining the back of their desert home to the red dust she could sweep away with the movement of her hand, Ana Maria Francisca da Silva Whisk saw potential. She saw the shape of things that had been and were meant to be.
“I think I always knew,” She told him a couple years ago, combing her fingers through his hair, loose and chestnut colored, like his father. “Your avô had a farm when I was little. He couldn’t keep me out of the animal pens! He and my mother would lose sight of me for a minute, and they’d find me pelado como Adão e Eva-
“Mãe!”
“-sitting in the middle of the pigs, covered head to toe in mud.” She laughed and laughed.
That day, Connor didn’t feel much like laughing.
“Mamãe?”
“Si, meu amor?”
“Do you see anything in me?”
“O que você quer dizer?” His mother stopped the wheel and looked directly at him. Her eyes were dark, warm.
“I guess…” He stopped, unsure of the words. “I guess I’m worried.”
“Your letter?”
“Sim.”
She took a deep breath, the fine grey dust covering her hands loosening, gently floating to the floor. “Is that it?”
“I don’t know. I’m just ready for highschool to be over. Jake decided to spend all of bio making uncreative jokes about cellular reproduction. And how my gift would be to clone myself.”
“Meu amor, when we spoke about you coming out, I did tell you to be prepared. People can be cruel.”
“Okay, but I thought you meant that about the bi part, not the ace part.”
A small smile flickered across his mother’s lips. Her hand reached out to touch his cheek gently. “I just want things to be easy for you.”
“Eu sei, mamãe.” Connor sighed. “I guess I wanted to know that I’ll be something more than the weird kid.”
“Meu filho. You are so much more than I can tell you. I get glimpses of the man you will be and can only be proud.”
“Ugh, gross mom.” Connor complained, his voice rising in pitch, swatting her hand away.
“Ah! Sem graça! Deixe seu mãe dá amor quando ela pode. Amanhã você vai ficar uma homem grande!”
“Mom!” He ran off, and his mother tossed bits of clay at his retreating back.
No other than Gale Galligan could create such a beautiful tapestry…of a champion. For the Check Please Kickstarter! Gale/ @robochai has done a ton of wonderful Check Please art–check out her tag. 🍁🏆💕
