#and the domesticity of it all just reminds me of jack and bitty so much

[skeletonzimms]

oh i just know jack and bitty cut each other’s hair. jack’s been cutting his hair on his own for a while, and one day bitty needs a trim for an important dinner with his boss or his agent but his barber’s booked and he can’t find another place that can fit him in on time. jack offers, and bitty’s hair looks great. the next time bitty needs his sides shaved or a trim on top he just asks jack to do it. (he sends an apology text to his barber who promptly tells him it’s nothing to worry about and that that’s the sweetest thing ever. they keep in touch.) another time when jack walks out of the bathroom from doing his own hair, bitty points out that he missed a spot and sits jack down on the toilet to fix it for him. then bitty heads to youtube to find a few tutorials, and the next time jack goes to cut his hair, bitty sits him down again and does it for him. it becomes a ritual for them. sometimes they talk, sometimes they don’t. but they do it like clockwork. it’s always something they can look forward to doing together

[bittysvalentines]

Snapshots of Domesticity

From: @mamashitty

To: @bajillionkittens-voltron

A series of snapshots of domestic bliss for Zimbits!

Rating: General. 

 I Hope you enjoy the fic! I couldn't decide on one fluffy and domestic Zimbits thing to write, so I went with four little snapshots.

Bitty was tired and his whole body ached. Muscles that he hardly ever used when playing hockey were screaming at him. He had not realized how many things he had accumulated over at the Haus in the time he had lived there, he had not realized how many things he had left behind at his Mama’s house that he had wanted to move in with Jack once it became official. He had thought that he had already moved in most things worth moving in throughout the past two years, but apparently not. 

He had not realized that some of the stuff he had been holding onto was so heavy either, at least, after hours of moving. 

There was still so much to be done. Boxes were scattered all over the condo, but Bitty was too tired to deal with them. After family and friends had helped him move, he had had to bake them a pie while they waited for the pizza they had ordered to be delivered. He had hummed and blushed when the realization hit him that the kitchen in Jack’s was officially his kitchen too. It did not matter that Jack had always called it Bits’ kitchen because then it was not quite as official. It had only been his kitchen on random weekends, over the summer, and on school holidays. But now it was always his kitchen, and well, if Bitty needed a moment to himself with that information, no one noticed.

Everyone had gone home a few hours ago, and Jack had tugged Bitty by the waist onto the couch. He had squirmed on Jack’s lap, twisting around so he could capture his mouth in a kiss. A sleepy kiss with no promise of much more even though there had been so many plans about Jack’s their bed earlier in the day, when they had both been so fresh-faced and naive about how exhausting moving could be. Bitty told Jack to put a documentary on, that he was only going to rest his eyes a little bit, and then they could move to the bed. He could feel Jack chuckle silently at that.

He fell asleep.

“Bits, Bits…” He felt Jack gently shaking his shoulder. His eyes opened slowly to look at his boyfriend, confusion as to where he was, and why his body was sore before he remembered.

“Jack,” Bitty replied, his voice thick with sleep.

 “We should get into bed,” Jack replied, and Bitty could just hear the faintest hint of laughter in those words. 

“No, too comfortable,” Bitty said, with a pout and then Jack was laughing.

“Bitty,” he said, and Bitty continued to pout. 

“Fine,” Jack huffed out in reply, but Bitty noticed a glint in his eyes.

“Jack…. What are you thinking?”

“That I will just have to carry you,” and even though Jack did not shrug, Bitty could hear the shrug in his voice. 

“Jack, no. We’ve spent the whole day moving, I can get u---...”

But of course his boyfriend did not let him finish that sentence. Of course his boyfriend scooped him up, and flung him over his shoulder. Bitty tried to protest but his own laughter swallowed it up. 

“At least I get a nice view of your beautiful ass from up here,” Bitty said, after his laughter died down. Jack dumped him unceremoniously on the bed. Bitty rolled onto his back, looking up at his boyfriend, and oh, that face was just as nice as that ass. He reached up to tug Jack towards him and kiss him. Maybe they could act out some of their bed plans after all.

Bits had still been sleeping when Jack had returned from his morning run. He had tried to entice his boyfriend to come with him, kisses along the neck, but all he had received was an elbow in the gut and a muffled ‘go away!’ and so Jack had listened, climbing out of bed and grabbing his running gear to change in the bathroom so as not to disturb his sleeping beauty any further. 

Now that he was home again, and Bits was still asleep, Jack took his clean clothes and opted to take a shower in the guest room instead. Bits was somewhere in the pile of blankets on their bed, and it made Jack’s heart swell just thinking about it. He also decided, then and there, that Eric deserved breakfast in bed, and he hoped, by showering in the other bathroom that Bits would not hear and therefore, continue to sleep.

Jack loved to cook for Eric. His boyfriend might have better skills in the kitchen but Jack was no slouch in that department, and maybe it helped, having Eric to watch and learn from in the kitchen. He grabbed one of the aprons, and slid it on, before he set to work on breakfast. Soon, the kitchen was smelling pretty good, not Eric’s level, but still good. Coffee was going and he poured a glass for himself and one for Eric (sweetened just how he liked it even if it made Jack cringe to put that much creamer and sugar into the mug). Once the food was done, he found the breakfast trays, and plated the food, before carefully arranging the plates and mugs on the tray. 

He pushed the bedroom door open with his foot, grateful for the foresight not to shut it all the way earlier. On the bed, he saw that Eric was now sitting up. The comforter was wrapped around him like a burrito, and he was scrolling through his phone, a frown on his face. Eric was just looking up as Jack entered, and his expression changed, a pleased smile replacing that frown.

“Jack, you didn’t have to make me breakfast,” Bitty said, his voice still sounding more sleepy than not.

Jack shrugged his shoulders and carefully set the breakfast tray down on the bed. He leaned in for a kiss and Eric huffed, mumbling something about his morning breath, but he still gave a kiss. 

“I wanted to do this, bud. What’s going on?” Jack asked, slipping into bed beside his boyfriend, being careful not to upend their breakfast in the process. He grabbed his fork, watching Eric as he began to eat. 

Jack would never get tired of watching Eric. It did not matter what his boyfriend was doing or not doing. He could see the change in emotions on his face, as he glanced quickly down at his phone and then back up at Jack. Jack thought he saw some hope in his expression, but it was quickly drowned out by worry. And then, Eric was taking his own bite of food, and satisfaction danced across his face. Jack really liked that look the most. He waited a beat or two, before pressing again.

“Bits…” Jack reminded him, gently. 

There was a huff of breath before Bitty set down his fork and looked over at Jack. “I received a message about an interview. It is not for the job I really want, but it is in my top four.” 

“That is great!” Jack said, truly excited for his boyfriend, (Jack would never grow tired of thinking of Bits as his boyfriend and it really did not matter how long they had been together or the fact they lived together now. Boyfriend, boyfriend, boyfriend!) but Bitty looked uncertain like he was trying not to get excited. 

Bitty had graduated some months ago, and he had immediately started looking for a job. Even with moving in with Jack and the whirlwind of another playoff run for the Falconers. Jack could see that the longer Bits went without finding a job, without getting bites on his resume, the more anxious he got. He came home to a kitchen filled with baked goods quite frequently. He had tried to tell Eric not to worry--but he knew that Eric wanted to work. That Eric did not want to depend on Jack and Jack’s money. Eric wanted to make his own way in the world, and Jack, he more than respected that. He understood it.  He could also understand the hesitancy too for excitement on Bits’ part. 

“I just… what if they end up not liking me after they meet me? I’m different on paper than I am in person,” Eric said, pushing at his food with his fork, before spearing it and plopping it into his mouth. 

“They will love you, Bud. You are more vibrant in person,” Jack offered, and Bitty rolled his eyes, leaning towards Jack to press a kiss to his nose. Jack grinned at that. 

“You have to say stuff like that because you are my boyfriend,” Bitty said, with a roll of his yes. 

“I don’t have to, Bits. I’m saying it because it is true,” Jack said, and then he nudged Eric gently with his shoulder. “Why don’t you tell me about this job, and I’ll tell you all the reasons you are qualified for it.”

He could see Bitty blushing faintly at that, and then Bitty ate some more food, and began to talk in animated detail about the job. Jack listened, he really did, even if he sometimes got lost in the way Bits’ eyes lit up his whole face as he talked. He kept a running list in his head of what made Eric qualified for the job, eager to show his boyfriend just how lucky the place would be to have him. 

Hockey season was a few short weeks away. It meant that Jack’s routine had kicked into high gear once more with practices, conditioning, and preseason games. Eric sometimes felt like they were two ships passing in the night, but at least they lived together now. Jack was not the only busy one. Eric had gotten a job! It was far from his dream job, but there was the potential for growth, and it was padding out his resume. He liked the challenge of his work, he liked his coworkers too. It was nice having somewhere to be and feeling a little like he was actually contributing financially to the household. It was nice being busy when Jack was so busy too. 

Eric had gotten home earlier than usual today and he decided to use that additional time to make Jack dinner. Homemade chicken tenders with healthy sides. He was also going to bake a pie even though he knew Jack would only allow himself one piece of it. 

He was dancing and swaying his hips to the music he had playing over the bluetooth speakers in the kitchen when Jack came home. Dinner was finished and Bitty had been in the process of setting the table, sashaying his hips as he moved along. He looked up from the plate he had just finished piling with food when he noticed his boyfriend just staring at him.

“Jack!” Bitty said, grateful he had not jumped or dropped the plate. His heart thudding hard in his chest after that scare. His boyfriend at least managed to look sufficiently sheepish.

“Sorry, Bits. I like watching you dance,” Jack said, shrugging his shoulders and Bitty hated that his cheeks turned red at that. It did not matter how long he and Jack were together, he doubted he would ever stop blushing around that boy.

“Why don’t you clean up and I’ll finish setting the table,” Bits said, moving towards the table. If he exaggerated the movement of his hips some, well, that was just fair play. He could feel Jack’s eyes tracking him as he moved and he could not help the grin that flitted across his face. 

“It smells and looks delicious,” Jack said as he headed towards their bedroom to clean up. 

Bitty just hummed, pleased with himself. 

Jack took a quick shower and was back, his hair damp still, and in lounge pants that really did not leave much to the imagination. Eric found himself swallowing, Jack could be so horribly unfair sometimes! 

And if the two of them played with each other’s feet underneath the table, if they had hardly finished eating the meal before retiring to their bedroom in a stumbling fashion owing to the kissing, well that was okay. 

It was better than okay. 

Jack could hear the music playing faintly from inside the condo as he got closer. A smile played across his lips as he thought about what Bits might be doing. Jack could picture him baking in the kitchen, hips moving just slightly to the music as he baked. Or maybe Bits would be having a private dance party, Jack had walked in on a few of those and he had been equal parts guilty for startling Bitty so much that he stopped and amused by how red his boyfriend’s face had gotten. 

He entered the condo and shrugged off his bag. He crept into the kitchen because even if he always felt a little bad about startling Eric, that would never stop him from sneaking up on him. There was no Eric in the kitchen, the music he realized, was coming from the bedroom. 

Jack crept, doing his best to be as quiet as a mouse, towards their room. The door was open and so he stood in the doorway, watching Eric as he put away laundry. He was just in a pair of boxers, his hips moving in time to the music, and occasionally, he would dance away from the pile of folded clothes to put something away before dancing back to grab another pile to put away.

Jack watched for a few seconds before the guilt of just standing there and not helping overcame his desire to just watch his boyfriend dance and move. 

“Need help, Bits?” Jack asked, and Bitty jumped, dropping the pile of shorts he had in his hand. He spun on the spot, glaring over at Jack but there was no real heat in the look. Jack flashed what he hoped was an innocent smile.

“I am almost done but if you want to help, I won’t stop you.” Bits said, and Jack stepped further into the room. He tugged off his shirt along the way, and did his best to do a shimmy out of his pants. Eric was watching him with a raised brow, and amusement. 

“What?” Jack asked, innocently. Then he exaggeratedly moved his hips to the music, failing to match the beat at all, but getting a laugh from from Bitty which had been his only real goal. He would never tire of the sound of Bits’ laugh. Especially if he was the cause of it.

“You are such a dork,” Bitty said, his voice and eyes so full of love. 

Jack wrapped his arms around Eric, pulling him close and then kissing him. Eric seemed to metl into him and the kiss. Jack let his hands wander south and then Eric was pulling away, placing his own hands on Jack’s chest and looking up at him.

“You are supposed to be helping me, Mr. Zimmermann, not distracting me!” 

It was Jack’s turn to laugh and he let go of his boyfriend, noting the briefest of pouts on Bits’ place.

“Okay, okay. Laundry first,” Jack said, and he behaved himself until the very last sock was put away. 

[hazelandglasz]

this ot3 promps with bitty/jack/kent? Person A always sleeps in the middle because they are the smallest but that also means that sometimes they end up like a whole half of the way down the bed by morning and more than once now we’ve both been terrified we accidentally suffocated them in the night (i don't even know if you write them tho... feel free to ignore the promt if you don't like them!! )

On AO3

Kent didn’t plan any of this.

Two years into their marriage, Jack and Bitty invited him to stay with them when the Aces were in town, and one bottle of Caribou lead to another and before he knew it, Jack’s lips were pressed against his while Bitty looked at them with his hand down his pants.

Though there is a veil of alcohol blurring the finest details of the night, Kent is not about to forget about it.

(Nor the kiss, nor the hungry look in Bitty’s eyes, nor the itch to be the cause for it until the end of the world.)

And that’s how Kent found himself in a relationship with both Jack and Bitty. 

The long distance wasn’t really much of a problem, especially once he got swooped over by the Falconers (Jack swore he had nothing to do with it, but with that shy smile of his that tells Kent he had everything to do with it, the sly dog).

Having a proper, adult, safe relationship with Jack is everything Kent dreamt about when he was a horny teenager out of touch with his own feelings. It’s soft cuddles and shared showers, hanging out in front of the TV set, lazily making out while the movie plays out, foot massages and drawn out blowjobs.

It’s lazy and soft and domestic and tender, that’s what it is, and Kent couldn’t ask for more.

Except he does get more.

Because having a relationship with Bitty is everything Kent wanted out of a relationship once he realized he was definitely not straight, proper label still to be determined.

See, Jack is a very romantic asexual, who likes to just be with those he loves.

Bitty? Just as much of a romantic, but very much not asexual, which suits Kent just fine.

(Not that being with Jack doesn’t suit him, too. It’s just… different kinds of love that are bordering on overwhelming, but in a good way.)

Being in a relationship with Bitty is teasing touches during dinner, in or out. It’s being pressed against the door the moment they’re back home. It’s blacking out during sex and coming back to soft pets to his soaked hair.

It’s sexy and confidence and trust and, yes, just a hint of battling for dominance, and Kent doesn’t know what he did in his past lives or in this one to deserve it all.

Being in a relationship with Jack and Bitty? It gives his life direction.

Not meaning, because Kent always knew that he had to keep on going and that he had a part to play, but the two men help him in getting there.

Luckily for them all, Jack bought a very, very ridiculously large bed so their three frames fit in it.

At the beginning, Jack assumed that it was best, in order to smooth things over, to be in the middle of the bed, a sort of buffer between his two blonds. But between his early wake-ups and his bulk, the trio admitted fairly early on that it couldn’t work.

Hence, their present sleeping arrangement, with Bitty sandwiched between Kent and Jack.

It feels good, as far as Kent is concerned, to have Bitty’s compact body behind him keeping him warm, lulling him to sleep or waking him up with his touches.

(It’s even better when Jack’s larger hands follow the path lightened up by Bitty’s.)

But.

(Of course there is a but, and no, no pun intended.)

Sometimes, when he wakes up, Kent doesn’t feel Bitty behind him.

Okay, sometimes, it’s because Bitty is otherwise occupied on the other side of the bed, with a freshly showered Jack, and Kent wastes no time joining them.

But sometimes, Bitty is lying on the foot of the bed, wrapped up in Jack’s light duvet.

“What the hell, Bits,” he asked the first time it happened, and both Jack and him turned to Bitty for an explanation.

Bitty turned splotchy red, before explaining that he had to move because, “y’all are being far too hot—Jack, stop laughing!”

“That we are,” Kent added, while Jack turned away from them, shoulders still shaking with his silent laughter.

“Kent Jeremiah Parson, don’t you dare.”

“Oh shit.”

Bitty crosses his arms over his chest, as if holding himself together. “Anyway, I got too warm last night, and as much as I like your couch, Jack, I didn’t want to sleep there because—”

“We get it, Bits,” Kent says to keep their man from rambling.

“So I just grabbed the blanket and moved out of the way.”

Jack had sobered up, and wrapped himself around Bitty’s back. “We get it. Next time, just give us a little kick to make us move.”

“I would never kick you guys.”

“Not even me?” Kent asked, adding himself to the hug.

“Not even you, you jerk.”

The “out of the way” remark stayed with Kent, though, and every now and then, when he’s zoning out in the shower, he wonders if that was a passive aggressive comment or not to tell them that they are taking too much space in the bed, what with them being larger than Bitty.

It’s entirely possible, isn’t it, that the two of them pressing against him make it hard to sleep peacefully, or even worse, to breathe.

Kent freezes under the water.

What if they smother Bitty in their sleep?

“Kent, there are other people in need of a shower over here!”

Zoning back in, Kent rushes to rinse his hair and exits the bathroom precipitately. “S-sorry, Bits.”

Bitty was waiting, leaning against the wall facing the bathroom, but he frowns the moment Kent opens the door. “What’s wrong?”

“Hm? Nothing, nothing, I’m having weird shower thoughts.”

“Just shower thoughts.”

Kent rolls his eyes and kisses Bitty’s temple. “Yes, Doctor Bittle, just shower thoughts, not intrusive ones.”

Bitty doesn’t seem entirely convinced but he lets it go. “Fine. But I will get in your head, Parse.”

But after that sort of showepiphany, Kent is very cautious to leave Bitty enough room in the bed.

“Kent.”

You know, just being a considerate significant other.

“Kent?”

Especially since he’s the third wheel of a perfectly functioning bicycle.

“Kent!”

Kent looks over his shoulder at Bitty’s voice shouting behind him. “What? What did I do? Did I hurt you?”

Both Bitty and Jack are looking at him, concern etched all over their faces.

“Kent,” Bitty says softly, kneeling on the bed and one hand stretched out toward him. “I called your name, like, three times, to tell you that you’re too close to the edge of the bed and to get your ass back here.” He pauses, hand reaching its destination on Kent’s shoulder and forcing him to lay on his back. “What do you mean, did you hurt me?”

Kent does all he can to keep on looking at the ceiling, but Bitty’s hand caressing his arm is too much of a siren call to resist. He turns to look at them, and finds nothing but love and worry.

“We’re so massive,” he says in one breath, “and you’re, ya know, compact and small, compared to us, so I worried that I may, um…”

“Squish me?”

“Kinda.”

“Oh, Kent.” Bitty scoots closer, while Jack tilts his head to the side. Bitty throws one leg over Kent’s torso. “Did you really think that I couldn’t push you off of me, should you come close to squishing me?”

Kent starts protesting but Bitty has his hands on Kent’s wrists and lifts them over his head. “Try to make me move,” he says, a challenge in his eyes.

Kent does try to move his arms away from Bitty’s grip, or to dislodge him from his torso, but he finds out that he can’t (and that it turns him on like few things do).

“Well?”

“You’re stronger. All hail the great beast that is Eric Bittle.”

“Here, here,” Jack says, lying on his side closer to the wrestling match taking place.

“Now, are you done being a silly goof?” Bitty asks, letting go of Kent’s wrists but holding his hands instead.

“I am. Sorry.”

“‘S okay,” Bitty says, rolling his body down until he’s practically sitting on Kent’s very interested cock. “I’ll have to remind you of the benefits of communication.”

For one, that’s a lesson Kent won’t mind having repeated over and over and over and...

[lexpistachio]

You're totally entitled to your opinions on CP, but I kind of wanted to give mine? Because for me, it's like. I have to deal with homophobia and racism and transphobia on a daily basis. I watch queer movies and it's just a reminder that my life has to be filled with misery and tragedy because I'm queer. And then I see straight, unrealistic RomComs and sitcoms with happy couples and just. Why can't I have that? I get that you don't like check please for the writing, but it IS important 1/?

For me, and others, to have happy, queer, positive, hopeful media. Straight people get unrealisticly written, feel-good movies all the damn time, why can't queer people, you know? The rest of the updates could be Jack and Bittys domestic Barbie life together and I'd be happy, because that's what I signed up for. Not angst, or sadness, but a reminder that I'm allowed to be happy and that my life doesn't have to be tragic because I'm queer and mentally ill

Wow, it's nice that you got what you signed up for! Good for you. I've said this before but i don't mean to take away what you get from it, you do you, and all that jazz.

It's pretty given that people can have different expectations and different takeaways from any body of work, we can have different interpretations and they can all be valid. We may all have different ideas on what to find as enjoyable.

And again, I'm a queer brown woman born in a third world country and I'm clinically depressed, co-dependent, and have a plethora of mental health issues. This isn't a pissing contest on who can shade the most circles in the Venn Diagram of Oppression.

And for me, I enjoy a good story and I'm not getting that, period.

I've talked before about the importance of conflict for any story and how I don't think wanting a good story isn't setting a higher standard for LGBT stories, and especially so for CP. I'm not averse to fluff, but I've also talked about how this hadn't been what I expected for Check Please, because there had been real tangible issues presented in the beginning that were abandoned and neglected midway. Check Please's initial appeal for many of us when it had started was that it dealt with difficult issues that weren't as discussed in other mlm romances like anxiety and homophobia in sports. This is more evident to us who had followed CP from the (near) beginning; CP wasn't sold to me as teeth-rotting fluff that would eventually handwave the impact of these issues away after they'd been introduced. So yeah, aside from wanting a good story, it would have been nice if the story you’d been following hadn’t abandoned and mangled most of its plot points midway. I don’t think that’s asking for much, but whatever.

Aaanyway, that’s my grievance. What I don’t get however, is like, wanting to confront me about this? Because there’s no monopoly of opinions here, and surely, surely, if you’re getting what you want from the comics, my $.02 about it won’t hamper you from enjoying it, would it?