Oh they absolutely affect one another. Bits is completely off his game and out of sorts even before they get on the ice, really. He barely says two words while Coach is at the Haus.
Jack mentioned in the previous comic that Bits hadn't seen his father since March. I'm finding it hard to believe Bits is calling his dad either, or really talking to him at all. I'd put money down on Suzanne having been the go-between for the entire visit. Bitty didn't even read the text his dad sent that he'd landed; or if he did, it didn't merit a response.
I'm more willing to believe that Coach, who lives in the South and has his entire life, doesn't know how to refer to Jack (as Bitty's boyfriend) because Bitty and Coach don't talk. They talk near each other and past each other when they're in the same place, but they don't talk to each other. For a lot of reasons, not just because Bitty's gay or did figure skating or whatever. But I don't think it's a lack of love or even acceptance for his kid.
Which does not diminish Bitty's feeling about the situation! He's allowed to be upset that his father hasn't said anything about him and Jack. But has he even talked to his dad about any of it?
*shrug* Like I said above, I've got a lot of complicated feels.
I think this falls in with how I feel about reading WIP fanfic. Sounds weird, but bear with me. I like having a payoff for my feelings investment at a (relatively) defined point in the future. Cliffhangers are not my friend, but I can't help myself.
Plus Coach is doing things I recognise from people in my life. Maybe he's on his way to acceptance, and you're probably right that the fact they've not spoken is probably lifelong (or at least somewhat ongoing). We've seen them talking Hockey before iirc, but my initial reaction was definitely gut-churning anger/fear combo. You know, at least until someone writes some fix-it, or we get another update to clear matters up somewhat.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2019-06-21 08:57 pm (UTC)Jack mentioned in the previous comic that Bits hadn't seen his father since March. I'm finding it hard to believe Bits is calling his dad either, or really talking to him at all. I'd put money down on Suzanne having been the go-between for the entire visit. Bitty didn't even read the text his dad sent that he'd landed; or if he did, it didn't merit a response.
I'm more willing to believe that Coach, who lives in the South and has his entire life, doesn't know how to refer to Jack (as Bitty's boyfriend) because Bitty and Coach don't talk. They talk near each other and past each other when they're in the same place, but they don't talk to each other. For a lot of reasons, not just because Bitty's gay or did figure skating or whatever. But I don't think it's a lack of love or even acceptance for his kid.
Which does not diminish Bitty's feeling about the situation! He's allowed to be upset that his father hasn't said anything about him and Jack. But has he even talked to his dad about any of it?
*shrug* Like I said above, I've got a lot of complicated feels.
no subject
Date: 2019-06-21 10:44 pm (UTC)Plus Coach is doing things I recognise from people in my life. Maybe he's on his way to acceptance, and you're probably right that the fact they've not spoken is probably lifelong (or at least somewhat ongoing). We've seen them talking Hockey before iirc, but my initial reaction was definitely gut-churning anger/fear combo. You know, at least until someone writes some fix-it, or we get another update to clear matters up somewhat.
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Date: 2019-06-22 01:20 am (UTC)This is the hard part, for sure. But I have hope that the end of this chapter in Bitty's life will be happy.
If I'm wrong, we still have fic.