“I got you a present.” Jamie/Tyler, Hockey RPF
Tyler gets to Dallas late on a Sunday, fresh off a Cup win and the subsequent “don’t let the door hit you in the ass on the way out” trade from the Bruins. Though stunned and forlorn, he’s been texting with Jamie Benn, who is a) a terrible texter, b) already clearly the best kind of idiot a lonely kid could hope to befriend, and c) so fucking pumped that Tyler is coming to Dallas. Like, he doesn’t know how Jamie made “glad ur almost here” sound like a parade but he did, and the welcome mat being rolled out across state lines is almost enough to make up for the trade.
The morning he was notified is obviously still fresh in his mind, the way no one would meet his eyes in the GM’s office, and the quick turnaround to get the basics of his stuff packed and shipped off to Dallas. Everything happened so fast he couldn’t even do anything, sat in that helpless feeling of not having any control over his own destiny every minute of every day since. He made nice, didn’t complain except to nod and smile and follow the people who worked on getting him where he needed to go, and he spends the entire flight to Dallas kicking himself for every stupid, idiotic decision he’s ever made that’s brought him to this moment, to this fucking nowhere team in a hick town.
But on the bright side, he’s played with Jamie before, has met him once or twice – and playing with Jamie, the way they can just find each other on the ice and make things happen? That might just make the transition worth it. Especially if.. well. Jamie’s got dumb hair and a dumber laugh, but Tyler knows when he’s interested in someone and Jamie is it.
Tyler gets off the plane with his bag, wishing he could have brought Marshall for moral support. He shrugs off the loneliness, used to it by now with the last few months in the locker room, everyone judging him when he rolled in late or missed practice and got scratched. He had known he was letting them down, but none of them seemed to give a single fuck about him or his career; they chirped him casually and ruffled his hair in passing, but there was no one there that made him feel like team and family and home.
So when he comes out of the gate and Jamie’s standing there with a stupid-ass grin and his enormous shoulders and the biggest teddy bear Tyler’s ever seen clasped in his big arms…Tyler is, for once in his life, speechless.
“I got you a present,” Jamie says, grinning widely. “Since you said your dog can’t come til later.”
Tyler is 100% not going to cry in the Dallas Fort Worth airport but he sure as hell wants to. “Uh, that’s cool, Jamie, thanks.”
Jamie shrugs. “I like dogs.” Tyler just looks at him, at this big beautiful idiot. How is he supposed to like, not fall in love?
They grin at each other for a minute longer, and Tyler feels that smile like sunshine, something warming in him after months (years) of just…less. Jamie hands him the bear, grabbing his duffel and slinging it over one shoulder. He wraps the other arm around Tyler’s shoulders and gives him a squeeze, casual and easy.
“Come on, Katie’s waiting in the car with Jordie.”
Tyler knows of Jordie, but– “Who’s Katie?”
Jamie looks around at him sideways. “She’s my girlfriend, didn’t I mention her?”
Tyler feels his stomach sink all the way down to his toes. This rodeo again. He clears his throat. “Yeah, you must’ve, sorry man. Can’t wait to meet her.” He takes a deep breath and hugs the bear a little closer. He’ll take what he can get.