#Bobby Moch needs a hug

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Bobby always worried the boys hang out with him outside of rowing stuff because they feel obliged to hang out with him. Like he’s the skinny little dude yelling at them all the time, why would they want to hang out with him?? But they actually genuinely freaking love him and he just doesn’t have as high of self esteem as he pretends to.

[starrvsn]

౨ৎ ּ ׅ ۫ ✧ 。BOYS IN THE BOAT ˚₊ ꒰ TO BE LOVED .

﹙ MOVIE/FANDOM ⠆THE BOYS IN THE BOAT ﹚

𝟒𝟏𝟏. some of the fictional characters of the boys in the boat comforting you when you’re upset. (for anyone in need of some tlc)

INCLUDES ⠆joe rantz, don hume, bobby moch, george hunt and chuck day

BOBBY MOCH ⠆

ever since you’ve started dating it had become very easy for bobby to read you, you were like an open book to him. so when he met you after practice and your sweet melodic voice didn’t greet him the second you saw him, he knew something was wrong. bobby doesn’t hesitate to start comforting you, he didn’t even need to know what was wrong from him to make you feel better. he knew the last thing you wanted was for him to ask you why you were upset so he sticks to comforting you. he hugs you; soothingly rubbing your lower back as he holds you close, his presence alone calms you down. soon he asks what had happened but doesn’t force you to tell him, he doesn’t dare to. then he’s praising you with soft compliments as he pressed kisses on your face, hair or hands. he overall just wants you to feel happy and appreciated since you do so much for him.

DON HUME ⠆

don isn’t the best at comforting people, especially people of importance so seeing you sitting in front of the piano with tears in your eyes when you looked at him, he froze. a plethora of thoughts racing through his mind as he tried to figure out was wrong but most importantly what he could do to make you feel better. he takes cautious steps towards you and kneels when he gets to his desired spot that is as close to you as possible “you alright darling?” he asks rubbing your arms comfortingly, he doesn’t say much when he’s comforting you, he lets his actions speak for themselves. you nod wiping all your excess tears away, telling him how frustrated you are over this piece you were learning. don’s heart breaks a little seeing you so upset like that, he wanted to cheer you up in anyway he could so the first thing that came to mind was the piano so he’s quick to move his hands on the keys of the instrument, playing the only song he really knew. the washington fight song; as he plays and softly sings the words— a soft smile tugs on your face as you begin to sing along, resting your head against his arm as he plays.

JOE RANTZ ⠆

he reacts instinctively. as soon as he sees you enter his dorm with a solemn face he’s already on his feet comforting you. it was every evident in your relationship that joe just wanted you to always be happy and obviously it isn’t fool proof because sometimes things get to you. he tries his hardest to always put a smile on your face and that’s exactly what he tries to do to turn your frown upside down. he takes his time because the last thing he wanted to do was overwhelm you more, he asks whats upset you and from how you tell him is how he differs on how upset you are. if you hadn’t said anything at all you were far too upset but if not you weren’t to upset to respond to your boyfriend. so when you didn’t reply he immediately comforted you into a hug before bringing you to his bed so can cuddle, he lays atop you while he speaks softly about how strong and lovely you are while drawing soft patterns on your arm, later he tries to make you laugh and it always works to make your mood brighter. he praises you before pressing a sweet kiss to your lips.

GEORGE HUNT ⠆

the second he sits beside you in the library, he felt something was off. at first he couldn’t tell but there was a certain tension in the air and when george looks over at you it’s like he could see a cloud hanging over you, he wanted nothing more than to swat it away… but of course there wasn’t a cloud over your head but he now knew you were upset. he could especially tell from how aggressively you were turning the pages of your textbook. he knew better to bombard you so he kept his distance letting your mood soften a bit, but it doesn’t stop him from glancing ever so often trying to not look over so often. but ultimately you come to him when your ready and that is when he gives you his undivided attention and all the love and comfort he can give. physical affection comes easy to george so him comforting you has become a second nature to him, even if it leads to him speaking so sweetly to you to you. he bombards you with kisses, cuddles and words of encouragement and reassurance to make sure any negative thoughts you had go away and all you can think about is him, caring less that you’re in a public place.

CHUCK DAY ⠆

like bobby; chuck can read you very easily, especially emotionally. he can tell immediately that something is wrong when he goes to pick to you up from your last class of the day; assuming you’re upset about something that happened in class. chuck tries his absolute best to get your mind off it while at the same to reassuring you and praising you as you spend your day together. in a more quieter fashion he would take you on walks to the park so you could clear your head and even open up to your lover on what had made you so upset, it concerns chuck the most because you get super quiet when your upset. he misses when your talking his ear off about your day but he knows that it’ll subside eventually and he will try his absolute best to help you feel better.

ownership of starrvsn. please do not repost, modify or translate.

[seasidesandstarscapes]

Uncharted Waters - Chapter 7

Previous

Chapter Summary: Bobby comes home at last

Chapter Rating: G

Words: 1705

A/N: here it is…the final chapter…I’ll miss this AU but hopefully I’ll have little one shots to explore more of their lives after!!!!

-

AO3

or

Bobby isn’t surprised when he’s the last boat to dock for the season.

With dusk rolling in, Bobby can see the warm light from the bar, already hears his friends’ laughter.

As he’s tying up, footsteps on the dock catch his attention and Bobby sighs at the raised eyebrow Ulbrickson gives him. His eyes are unreadable, he flips through the pages on his clipboard, but they don’t talk even when Ulbrickson tugs the pen from his ear and clicks it.

One nod is all it takes before Bobby starts unloading crates with the help from a few other dockhands. He bites back a grin when he keeps bringing stock up and Ulbrickson’s eyes widen just a fraction, his pen scribbling down different numbers.

By the time Bobby’s done, he’s ready for a beer, but he waits for Ulbrickson to do his weighing and calculations.

“You pulled through, Moch,” Ulbrickson digs out his wallet and starts counting out bills.

It’s as much as Bobby expects but the money still feels heavy in his hands. He hasn’t had this much since his first season.

“I wanted to ask you,” Ulbrickson starts as he adjusts the clipboard. “Would you be interested in becoming a co-owner?”

Bobby blinks. “Of your business?”

Ulbrickson nods. “That’d be ideal. You’ve had some rough patches but your intuition isn’t just luck. I think we could pull some pretty big numbers together.”

Bobby can’t believe his ears. He stares as Ulbrickson, mouth starting to drop open.

“Of course, if you accept, you’ll have to spend a season on Jim’s boat.”

“That’s fine!” Bobby blurts out and then collects himself. “Thank you, sir. For the opportunity.”

“It’s Al,” Ulbrickson smirks and holds out a hand. “Welcome back, Bobby.”

Bobby shakes Ulbrickson’s hand fiercely, unable to keep down his smile. When Ulbrickson disappears, Bobby sprints to the bar, door slamming open with his entrance.

Everyone’s eyes are on him but it turns into cheers as his friends descend on him. He’s bombarded with questions, smothered in hugs and finally he gets his beer.

It’s good to see his friends.

Each one talks over the other, telling Bobby about their fishing stories though he’s sure they can’t compare to his. He smiles and laughs where he should, but the thought of Don weighs heavy on his mind. Bobby isn’t sure if he should even mention what he went through, let alone if anyone would believe it.

“Give him some air!” Joe breaks the onslaught and Bobby gives him a grateful smile. “Joyce hasn’t even had her chance with him.”

It’s easy to fall into Joyce’s hug. Her hold is fierce, reassuring, and Bobby lets himself exhale. Joyce doesn’t miss the rattle at the end but she doesn’t make a show of it. All Bobby gets is a raised brow, pursed lips and Bobby gives her a shrug, a promise to talk later.

The silent answer satisfies Joyce, but she doesn’t leave Bobby’s side. She sticks around as the boys take their time, interests turning to the dartboard and pool table. Watching is nice. Bobby has forgotten about the little moments like this. His breathing isn’t as tight, the smiles he sees warms his heart.

“So, did Ulbrickson talk to you?” Jim slides up to Bobby with Shorty in tow.

The looks on their faces makes Bobby grin and he tries to act coy.

“Hope you can handle me next season,” Bobby raises his glass.

Shorty’s eyes light up and he hugs him, planting a wet kiss on Bobby’s cheek. Bobby scowls, wipes his face dramatically, but his smile comes all the same with Jim’s boisterous laugh. He could never leave this and he makes a point to never forget what good he has in his life. Despite his thoughts drifting back to Don, his heart has settled.

In this moment, Bobby, to his shock, is happy. His friends are warmth and comfort, a new future starts now.

It’s not long before he needs a refill, the night still young. Most patrons are regulars, the bar in its usual steady chaos. Bobby glances at the bar to see how busy Hazel is, but what he sees instead makes his heart stutter. His knees almost buckle underneath him.

There, sitting at the bar, is Don. He’s dressed in jeans, a dark shirt and a ragged hoodie. A pint is placed in front of him and he takes a small sip before his eyes drift. When they land on Bobby, the smile he gives Bobby is worth a million words and Bobby stumbles over to the bar.

He can’t hear the music. The conversations fade away and when he sits on a stool next to Don, Bobby tries to convince himself this isn’t a dream.

“Don?” Bobby’s voice doesn’t sound like his own, his hands tremble.

The nod he gets, the shy smile, is all he needs and Bobby doesn’t hesitate to pull Don into a kiss. He doesn’t care who sees, what stories start. All that matters is the man in front of him. Don’s touch sends Bobby flying, his body trembling at such a simple gesture.

“How—? When—?” There’s so many questions and not enough breath.

Bobby’s thoughts are a flurry and he holds onto Don as the world melts back into view. His hair shines in the dim light of the bar, the corner of his mouth turns up just so slightly.

“Made a deal with a sea witch.”

Don’s voice washes over Bobby. It’s soft, low, and beautiful. Tears well up in his eyes and Bobby lets out a soft gasp.

“Hope you’re alright being stuck with me forever now,” Don grins.

A laugh leaves Bobby and he gives Don a playful smack. “God, you’re a bastard.”

Don’s smile never falters and he brushes his nose against Bobby’s. “You love it.”

Before Bobby can reply, Don kisses him again. Tears flow down Bobby’s face, but they’re no longer ones of sadness. Don is here, real and loving him. Bobby doesn’t want the moment to end. Then, a clearing of the throat gets their attention.

Their kiss breaks and Bobby wipes his eyes with his sleeve. He’s a mess, doesn’t even know where to begin explaining himself. However, Hazel doesn’t say a thing with her kind smile. She hands him a napkin and Bobby gives her a grateful nod.

“He on your tab then?” She asks when she slides them two full pints of beer.

Bobby nods, finds his voice. “Yeah, thanks, Hazel.”

She gives Bobby a wink before her attention is drawn elsewhere and Bobby turns back to Don. Don has taken hold of his hands, their knees knock together. With a final sniff, Bobby comes back to himself, questions racing through his mind.

“How did you learn to speak so fast?” Bobby blurts out before he can stop himself.

Don shrugs, gives a nonchalant shake of his head.

“Oh no, you’re not getting away with that,” Bobby laughs. “You’re going to talk the rest of the night or so help me.”

“It’s a long story,” Don keeps playing the game.

“Lucky for you, we have all winter,” Bobby teases.

A thought strikes him then and Bobby squeezes Don’s hands. “Do you still want to be called Don? What’s your real name?”

“Wouldn’t be able to pronounce it,” Don chuckles. “I like the name you picked out for me. It…it’s nice.”

Bobby blushes and he glances around at the crowded bar, where his friends are. Somehow, no one has noticed the two of them in their own little bubble. Bobby’s shoulders flex and his breath catches in his throat when hazel eyes flecked with gold stare back at him.

“Don?” Bobby starts, his voice on the end of shaking. “Be honest. Did you give up your life for me?”

Don places a hand on Bobby’s face and Bobby leans into the touch on instinct. The silence is muffled by the sounds of the bar, but Bobby can sense it all the same.

“It’s...complicated. I’ll have to return to the sea come spring but only until winter comes back. Half and half sort of deal.”

Bobby nods. There’s more to this than Don is saying, but for now, it’s enough. Just to have him back at all sends Bobby into a joyful tailspin.

“Well, I’ll be out on the water all summer then,” Bobby grins. “Thank you.”

Don tugs him into a kiss and Bobby melts. He doesn’t deserve such a kind, selfless man and yet here Don is all the same. With their embrace, Don’s hand trails from Bobby’s face down to the string of the necklace. He tugs it out from under Bobby’s shirt, lays the shell against his chest.

There’s a smile on Don’s face when their kiss ends, his fingers linger on the outline of the shell, just brushing against Bobby.

“You found it.”

“No thanks to you being sneaky,” Bobby huffs with a smile. “It was a promise, wasn’t it?”

Don nods, a faint tinge on his cheeks. “I knew I had to come back to you, whatever it took.”

The two men fall silent, soaking in the memories, their shared grief and fear of the unknown. Perhaps they would’ve kept sinking into the past but raucous laughter pulls them from their thoughts. Bobby looks over at his friends, smiles at their drunken happiness.

His eyes lock with Joyce and she tilts her head, juts her chin out towards Don. Bobby can only give her a shrug and her eyes dance with excitement.

“Maybe we’ll introduce you tomorrow,” Bobby bites his lip.

Don hums, nuzzles Bobby’s jaw before they both sit properly on the stools.

“So, what can you tell me about yourself, Don?” Bobby gives him a cheeky grin and his face flushes at Don’s small laugh.

“What do you want to know?”

“What kind of bed you sleep on of course!” Bobby teases. “You never did give me a straight answer.”

Don’s laughter is music to his ears, his voice grows in confidence, sure and steady like the waves of the ocean. Bobby’s heart beats strong in his chest and he falls further into his adoration of Don, knowing with all his soul that this is real.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

What if the reason Bobby messed up during whatever pinnacle race in the previous season was because he was literally having a medical emergency. Like he couldn’t make clear judgement because of the insane amount of pain he is feeling as he’s trying to bellow out calls to the crew. And he just assumes that’s the reason he got kicked off because Coach Al was just so angry and emotionally charged about losing that he didn’t give Bobby a chance to explain.

Now that Bobby’s back in the boat, absolutely nothing is going to take him out of that seat. He’s going to push through anything and everything for his boys and ensure that win, he’s going to ignore the stabbing pain radiating from his abdomen even if it kills him… and his body sure is trying to kill him.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Sudden revelation paid Bobby Moch a visit as well. His came as he sat, in the shade under a tree in a wide-open field on Travers Island, opening an enve-lope. The envelope contained a letter from his father, the letter Bobby had re quested, listing the addresses of the relatives he hoped to visit in Europe. But the envelope also contained a second, sealed, envelope labeled, "Read this in a private place." Now, alarmed, sitting under the tree. Moch opened the second envelope and read its contents. By the time he had finished reading, tears were running down his face.

The news was innocuous enough by twenty-first-century standards, but in the context of social attitudes in America in the 193os it came as a profound shock. When he met his relatives in Europe, Gaston Moch told his son, he was going to learn for the first time that he and his family were Jewish.

Bobby sat under the tree, brooding for a long while, not because he suddenly found himself a member of what was then still a much discriminated against minority, but because as he absorbed the news he realized for the first time the terrible pain his father must have carried silently within him for so many years. For decades, his father had felt that in order to make it in America it was necessary to conceal an essential element of his identity from his friends, his neighbors, and even his own children. Bobby had been brought up to believe that everyone should be treated according to his actions and his character, not according to stereotypes. It was his father himself who had taught him that. Now it came as a searing revelation that his father had not felt safe enough to live by that same simple proposition, that he had kept his heritage hidden painfully away, a secret to be ashamed of, even in America, even from his own beloved son.

— The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown

[savvylittlecoxswain]

I need fics about Bobby trying to get the boys to like him when he first gets assigned to them. And it definitely wasn’t easy because he doesn’t hold anything back when they’re in the boat. Ulbrickson put him with these boys because of that exact reason. He doesn’t hold back punches, isn’t afraid to completely pick them apart when he can. Problem is they’re just as new to him as he is to them.

Those first days are brutal because he needs to find out what makes each of them tick, find out how far is too far, and the only way to do that is to reach it. Once he’s got a baseline things get better; he knows when to push them, but he also knows when to stop, when to crack a joke, or when to boost their confidence. They’re improving and everyone knows it, building up that respect just a bit, but there’s still hesitation when he gives them instructions.

And out of the boat they pretty much give him the cold shoulder, never inviting him to hangout or waving back when he sees them on campus. It’s hard, but somethings gotta click, somethings gotta happen that triggers them to acknowledge that he’s their coxswain and not just a coxswain.

Maybe they find out the varsity team is messing with him again, their taunting turning more physical now that he’s not the coxswain of their boat

Maybe he has a health scare or a particularly awful asthma attack and they need to step up and help him, making them realize that they really care about the little guy

Maybe they’re all having a great day but Bobby isn’t like he’s just having an off day (which he is perfectly entitled to but they just didn’t think that was possible for him).

Maybe he runs into an ex who wasn’t exactly a great person

Maybe they show up early to practice and find Bobby sleeping at the table in the Coach’s loft, clearly never having left after their practice the previous day. And apparently he’s been working on rowing strategy and studying film all night even though he said he was just going to rewatch their most recent footage quick.

Maybe they notice that his weight at weigh-in has been slightly declining over the course of a couple days and they need to figure out why and how they can help him because they weren’t even aware he had any weight left for him to lose

I just need Bobby struggling to connect with them like give me all the hurt/comfort fics

[savvylittlecoxswain]

What if they studied Bobby’s medical lawsuit in one of his law classes? Like the names were changed but he still knows it’s about him. And the prof is asking all the students “how much does this boy and his family actually deserve?” and Bobby refuses to answer. And he’s like Bobby you need to answer for participation credit for today’s lecture. So he’s like “fine, $100 bajillion.” And the prof just sighs and asked anyway “and why do you think that?” And he just explodes saying something like “sure, you can assign a price to the medical expenses, to the x amount of surgeries and x amount of specialist hospitals and x amount tests. That boy would spent then next x amount of years in a hospital barely able to do much more than sit up in bed. He’d collectively spend xx,xxx amount of days in the hospital. There is no fathomable cost for a childhood. “

And then he just gets up and leaves and goes straight to his boys because he’s suddenly very much not okay.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Seven Sentence Sunday

Tagged by: @sparrow-in-the-field and @nicijones

Rules: post 7(ish) sentences of your current

Ok so I promise I am still working tirelessly on this wing AU fic. The google doc has 10,000 words and is so incredibly much a WIP in that the plot is still in development, so I’m not sure when it’ll be ready haha.

Becuase I was tagged twice, here’s two separate chunks :)

Chunk 1:

“Yessir,” he confirmed. He knew he should leave it, just get into that shell and do his job like the good little coxswain the coach wants him to be. He licked the water off of his bottom lip, nervously glancing back at the boys behind him. Only Don was looking his way, watching the interaction with a frown a bit deeper than the one he usually sported. The entire line of boys flinched as a clap of thunder echoed above them. Bobby took a deep breath, compiled his thoughts and prepared himself for whatever would inevitably come from sticking his neck out for his boys. “But we have never—“

“Moch!” Ulbrickson bellowed.

Chunk 2:

Don pretended it was the chill that made Bobby's face flush red. Don leaned down and tilted his head to look directly into Bobby's eyes to relay how serious he was. "I don't want you to get sick," Don soothed. Bobby bit his lip. He didn't speak, but he didn't put up a fight. "Please?"

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Bobby with commitment issues because he’s afraid that one day he’ll just drop dead and doesn’t want to put someone through that.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

I need a fic where the crew goes to the children’s hospital to hang out with the kids and surprise!! It’s the one Bobby had been transferred to or spent a lot of time in when he got super sick after his botched appendectomy. And maybe some of the nurses recognize him or maybe he volunteered a lot after he got better because he knew how much it meant to the kids to have someone who didn’t treat them like they were fragile yet understood first hand what they were going through.

But everyone’s confused because Bobby never told his crew the full extent of his medical history. The last thing he wanted was the look of pity people got when they found out he spent like maybe over half of his life in the hospital or something idk. Obviously during their visit they start to notice some things like maybe they find a picture of him as a kid is on the wall, maybe some of the nurses are asking questions about how he’s been feeling because they care about him, or maybe he hesitates before he enters a particularly familiar room.

[savvylittlecoxswain]

Bobby’s in the hospital for some minor procedure and the boys kind of assume that he’d want to be left alone and given time to recover. They know he hates nothing more than to be seen as weak.

In reality, Bobby is terrified as fuck, even though it’s a super simple and pretty noninvasive surgery, and he wants nothing more than to have his boys by his side. And that’s what expects to have, that’s the only reason he’s able to temporarily swallow his fear. And so he’s waiting for them to stop by before the procedure, but they never came. Oh well, they’re probably going to visit him afterward then! Nope.

And very quickly he starts to spiral like he’s extremely worried he misinterpreted this whole relationship between him and the boys. Like he thought they were actually really close friends, but maybe they’re just teammates who happen to spend a lot of time together because of their sport. Maybe they only invite him out when they have free time because of how awkward it would be if they didn’t and he ran into them. Maybe they find him super annoying and insufferable but only put up with him because he’s a good coxswain.

Obviously being drugged up from surgery isn’t helping, but they’re only amplifying insecurities he’s already got in the back of his head.