Chapter Text
Bitty had the same soulmate from the day of his birth, till the first proper day of college. Other people would have felt bitter, to have their mother be their soulmate, and in fact it was basis for its own fair share of bullying, but Bitty liked it.
He liked baking with her, and he liked making the kitchen their home. It was warm and uncomplicated, and his mother was his soulmate.
She was his soulmate, until the aforementioned day, when he started college and met the whole hockey team. Especially the captain.
Bitty stumbled, tried to hold himself up, and touched Jack Zimmermann. That was it, and suddenly his mother as best possible match was replaced. Just like that.
Of course he was excited at first, a possible romantic soulmate is everything he ever dreamed of. And since his mother was such a good match, Jack should have been an even better one. Should have been the key word, since the boy left Bitty in the locker room without a backward glance.
“I know mama,” Bitty sighs into his phone, wishing he would have skyped with his mom instead, “It was just a little disappointing, to be shrugged aside like that.”
“Give him some time,” she assured him over the phone, “you don’t know what happened in his past, or who his last match was. Maybe something happened, or it’s more complicated than you know, Dicky.”
“Yeah you’re right mama,” Bitty sighs and tries not to get impatient just with the thought of all the obstacles, he’ll probably has to overcome. He had hoped for something easy, just like his mom, but it seems like he was gonna have to fight. It’ll be worth it, he just knows that.
“His name’s Jack,” Bitty says, “he seemed nice to some of the older boys.”
He tries to remember the smile on Jack’s face, when Shitty had tried to jump onto his back.
“It’ll all work out, Dicky, you’ll see!”
His mama’s word are reassuring as always, and just for one second, he already misses their bond.
The next day, he walks to the Haus after his first class, and tries to bring himself to go inside. Bitty’s nervous, doesn’t know if he’s even welcome. It’s Jack’s place, even though it should be his now too, but after yesterday he is scared of what Jack might’ve done or said.
Did he tell others? Does he want Bitty off the team?
Bitty nearly comes to a stop, but remembers that it’s not up to Jack, even if he’s the captain. He can make his time at Samwell hard, yes, but Bitty had worse. He can take it. He just needs to…
He stands in front of the Haus’ door, and pumps himself up, to just walk inside.
“Just go straight to the kitchen,” he tells himself, “just to the kitchen.”
He pushes inside, as silent as possible and runs for the kitchen.
“Just a little bit of baking,” he mutters to himself and starts unpacking his backpack.
Bitty’s taking his second pie out of the oven, when Shitty walks in the kitchen, and flops down onto one of the chairs.
“Can I have a slice?” He asks, but he already magically has a plate in front of him on the table, and is starting to cut in the pie. Bitty tries to be satisfied, that he at least uses plates, but can’t keep the frown off his face.
Still he says, “Sure, of course, just help yourself.”
He puts the second pie on the table, and sits down, to taste the first one he baked.
He hopes, it’s not half as bad as the one he sadly made in the common kitchens in his dorm, and is pleasantly surprised, when it’s good. Still not as good as the ones he made at home, still not half as good as the ones he had made in the presence of his mother – his soulmate – but he tries not to mourn too much after them. He probably won’t ever do pies as good as these ones.
Bitty doesn’t cry. He doesn’t.
“So, I guess Jack is your soulmate,” Shitty says.
Bitty chokes on some apples and jumps up to get water. He doesn’t sit down again, after he doesn’t still feel like dying, trying to get some false sense of distance.
“He told you?” Bitty asks. “I mean, yes I guess he is.”
Shitty shovels just another piece of pie on his plate, and shrugs. He is not watching Bitty, and Eric is suddenly glad for it.
He busies himself with washing up the dirty bowls, ignoring the silence between them, when they are gratefully interrupted by Ransom or Holster. Bitty’s still not sure, which of them is who, so he doesn’t try to say anything, when one of them walks in.
“Yo Bits,” Ransom or Holster says, sniffing at the pies, as if he’s trying to test them for something, “you made more pies?”
“Yeah,” Bitty smiles and gets another plate out of the cupboards, “you want some?”
Ransom or Holster – Bitty should really find out who’s who, he’s just too nervous to ask again after they’d already been introduced – lets out a whoop and fills their plate with… a lot of pie.
“I’m gonna bring Rans a piece,” obviously Holster says, and runs out of the kitchen again. He doesn’t mention Bitty being in the Haus or the soulmate thing.
Bittys relief is short-lived, because walking out the kitchen, Holster holds the door open for Jack.
Scowling, grumpy Jack. Bitty’s soulmate Jack. Running away Jack. Refusing to talk to Bitty, Jack. Never gonna love him Ja-
“Can I talk to you, Bittle?” Jack interrupts his morose thoughts and Bitty jumps a little bit, when Jack is suddenly standing a little too close to him. He sets his game face, and nods.
“Sure Jack, what’s up?” He smiles for good measure, even though he really, really wants to hide. But instead of being able to hide, Shitty gets up and leaves the two of them alone in the room. Bitty thinks of his mother’s reassuring words and smiles once more up at Jack.
He can do it, he thinks, he can make Jack change his mind.