Work Text:
The new bouncer looks like he wouldn’t hurt a fly, and he blushes through a mumbled, “Um, Jamie,” when Tyler asks his name.
He’s big, sure, and those arms are definitely something Tyler will be more than happy to stare at from behind the bar all evening, especially in the tight T-shirt the guy’s wearing for his first shift. But Tyler’s pretty sure that “Um, Jamie” isn’t gonna last the night. He honestly doesn’t know what Monty was thinking when he hired him.
The rush of a Friday night keeps Tyler too busy to pay much attention to anything but pouring drinks and flirting for tips. He’s good at this. Can charm a girl into giggling as she slides him an extra five, or a guy into leaning in close while adding another round to his tab.
“Hey Segs, I think the kid’s having some trouble,” Klinger tells him with a nod over his shoulder on his way past Tyler to the register.
Tyler looks over and sure enough there’s poor Miro getting harassed by a couple of guys who probably should’ve been cut off an hour ago.
The kid’s just trying to bus the table beside them, so who knows what set them off. But Tyler can already see this going sideways super quickly, judging by their red faces and Miro’s panicked expression.
Or, well, Miro’s version of panicked. The kid could probably stare down the barrel of a gun with a shrug and a strained, “Oh, cool.”
Tyler starts to head over with an easy smile in the hopes of diffusing things, but he’s still a couple feet away when one of the guys knocks over a barstool and really gets in Miro’s face, clenched fists starting to rise. Shit.
Of course Tyler’s still gonna step in, but it’s probably not going to end well for him. Tyler is not good in a fight. He’s just not. He’s in great shape, and sometimes just flexing can intimidate someone into backing down, but if push comes to shove and he has to throw an actual punch, he’s screwed.
It is at this moment that “Um, Jamie,” like a god damn knight in shining armor, steps in and starts hauling the two guys away.
One of them throws a punch that Jamie easily dodges, and then Jamie cold clocks the dude so hard he’s on the floor and slow to get up.
The other guy starts backing away, but Jamie grabs him by the collar of his shirt, lifts the one still on the floor to his feet with the other arm, and manhandles them both out of the building.
And okay, wow. That was hot. Tyler is not usually the type to get turned on by violence but holy hell “Um, Jamie” could get it.
Tyler does a quick check on Miro, who is, of course, already back to loading empty glasses into a tub like nothing happened. Then he heads back to the bar to continue slinging drinks. And if his eyes keep wandering towards the door where Jamie is stationed, he can hardly be blamed.
“Impressive display earlier,” Tyler says once the place has closed. He’s counting out all the tips to divide up while Roope and Miro stack chairs on tables, and Klinger and Esa finish breaking down the bar. Jamie and Rads are both leaning against the counter in front of Tyler, waiting for their cut.
Jamie ducks his head and blushes a little. “I can throw a punch when I have to,” he says softly. And now that Tyler’s seen what a beast the guy can be, this whole bashful thing is actually pretty adorable.
“Hey, I punch too,” Rads says, playing up being offended. “I great puncher.”
Tyler pats his arm. “Yes you are, and we’re all very proud.”
Jamie laughs a little, and it’s almost a freaking giggle, oh god that is too cute. Tyler’s not gonna survive him.
“So, how’d you end up in a dive like this?” Tyler asks innocently.
Rads narrows his eyes at Tyler, like he just figured out what game Tyler’s playing.
Jamie seems none the wiser, though. He lifts his head to meet Tyler’s gaze, and woah those are some big brown eyes. Tyler feels his heart stutter in his chest.
“Oh, uh. Played some minor league hockey, but got injured pretty early on.” He shrugs. “Worked at my brother’s gym for a while, but this pays better and is easier on my hip.”
“That’s awesome, I love hockey! Were you any good?”
“I was okay.”
“I bet you were as much a beast on the ice as you were with those two shitheads tonight.”
Jamie blushes. Even his ears turn red. Tyler is done for.
Rads rolls his eyes and then holds out his hand to Tyler. “Flirt on own time. Money now.”
Jamie chokes.
Tyler hands Rads his share of the cash with a mild glare. Rads blows him a kiss as he turns to leave.
“Ignore him. He’s just mad you’re taking his place as my favorite enforcer.”
Jamie shakes his head. “Don’t worry, I didn’t actually think... I mean, you’re--” He waves a hand at Tyler, his eyes lingering over where Tyler’s shirt is strategically wet enough in a couple places to show off some of his abs. (Listen, the tips are totally worth it.) “And I’m...” Jamie waves the same hand at himself with a self-deprecating half-smile.
Tyler blinks, caught off guard by Jamie’s apparent lack of self-awareness. “Uh, dude, do you not understand how hot you are?”
Jamie’s expression doesn’t change. “Seriously, you don’t have to placate me. I’m good.” He points to one of the stacks of bills on the counter. “That my cut?”
Tyler nods dumbly, completely floored by Jamie’s response. Or lack of one, really. Has the guy never been flirted with before? Is he really this oblivious?
Jamie takes his money, gives a little salute with another ducked head, and heads for the exit.
From Tyler’s left comes the sound of slow clapping, and he turns to see Klinger and Esa smirking at him.
“Oh shut up,” Tyler tells them, but all they do is laugh.
“So did you take actual lessons in how to strike out, or do you come by it naturally?” Esa chirps.
Tyler gives him the bird, grabs his own share of money, and heads to the back for his stuff.
The thing is, Tyler’s not used to having to really work for it. If he likes someone and they like him, great. If they don’t like him, onto the next person, no big. He’s never met anyone that he felt the need to put in a whole lot of effort for.
But Jamie is different. Over the course of the next few weeks, Tyler kind of falls a little bit in love with the guy. And not just because of the arms, or the cow eyes, or the deceptively soft voice. It’s, like, the whole package.
Jamie is a complete nerd about hockey. He loves his siblings something fierce. He will step up for literally anyone if they need it, like he wants to protect the whole damn world from harm. He gets excited about seeing new pictures of Tyler’s dogs. Tyler wants to get down on one knee right there in the bar.
Only nothing Tyler says or does gets Jamie to believe him.
He’s not even being terribly subtle anymore. Not that anyone would ever accuse Tyler of subtlety. But when he ties a cherry stem into a knot with his tongue and sets it on a coaster that has his phone number scrawled across it at the end of a shift one night, and all Jamie does is blush, take his cut of the tips, and head for the nearest exit... Like, come on.
Klinger and Esa have a bet going about the whole thing. Tyler’s unclear about the specifics, he just knows that he’s been getting laughed at a whole hell of a lot more than he used to.
At least Roope and Miro are too young and new to the place to make fun of him.
...Unless they’re doing it behind his back. They do both have poker faces that are way too good for their ages.
The point at which Tyler finally breaks is in the middle of a shift on a crowded Saturday night, when he looks up from the Old Fashioned he’s in the middle of making to see Jamie in a close, hushed conversation with some guy that Tyler is already planning the murder of.
The two of them are close enough that Tyler can’t even see the other guy’s face as he whispers into Jamie’s ear.
And Jamie doesn’t even blush! He just whispers back like this is normal, like the two of them have been having hushed conversations in bars for years, and that is just not... That’s not okay! If someone is gonna whisper into Jamie Benn’s ear, they better damn well be whispering about how amazing he is to the point that it elicits a reaction from the guy!
Tyler finishes making the drink, throws the towel he had slung over one shoulder at Klinger’s overly-amused face, and heads over.
“Go out with me,” he says when he reaches Jamie.
Jamie rears back, startled.
The other guy snorts a laugh. Which at least gets Jamie to snap out of his surprise and awkwardly stumble through an introduction. “Er, uh, Jordie? This is Tyler.”
Jordie smirks. “Yeah, I figured.”
But Tyler really doesn’t care about introductions right now. “Is that a yes or a no? If it’s a no, I’m sorry, and I won’t make it weird, I promise. But please just put me outa my misery already.”
Jordie is grinning now, and turns to look at Jamie. “Told ya,” he says, which makes no sense to Tyler but he doesn’t really care to parse it out right now.
“Hey, I told you before, Seggy,” Jamie says evenly. “You don’t have to placate me. I know you're not serious, and I know I’m not--”
“But you are,” Tyler interrupts, stepping forward, into Jamie’s space, and putting a hand on his forearm. “And I really really want to date the hell out of you.” Tyler removes his hand and adds, “I mean, if you’re up for it.”
Jamie stares at him for a long moment, the cacophony of the bar around them fading into the background as Tyler waits, breath held.
Finally, a small smile tugs at Jamie’s lips, and he nods. “Alright. Yeah.”
And then they both stand there grinning at each other like a pair of doofuses for who knows how long, until Jordie punches Jamie in the arm and then sticks out a hand for Tyler to shake. “I’m his brother, by the way. In case he failed to mention me. He definitely hasn’t failed to mention you. Repeatedly.”
Tyler takes a moment to process that while shaking Jordie’s hand, only to have his thoughts interrupted by Jordie pulling him forward with said hand and putting him into a headlock with the other. “That said, you hurt Chubbs and I’ll end you.”
“Okay, shit! Uncle, you fucker!” Tyler yells, but they’re both laughing, and he’s already certain he’s going to love every single person in the Benn family.
Jordie lets him go, and the face Jamie is making at Tyler when he straightens is... God, if he can be personally responsible for causing that face to happen every day for the rest of his life he will die happy.
Tyler has to go back to work, and so does Jamie, but they grip hands for a moment before parting. It is entirely too sappy for Tyler’s usual MO and entirely too wonderful for him to complain about.
At the end of the night, Tyler counts out the tips. Miro and Roope are whispering furiously to themselves as they stack chairs, which is a little suspicious, but he’ll ignore it for now. Klinger and Esa exchange money between them, and Esa is looking way too smug for Tyler to want to ask for the details of their bet.
Rads takes his cash, but pauses before he leaves. He grabs Jamie by the neck and pulls him forward to smack a kiss on his cheek. “You good one,” he says with a decisive nod. “Don’t fuck up.”
“Was that my shovel talk?” Jamie asks once Rads is out the door. “Because I thought the Russian version would include a lot more threats on my life.”
Tyler laughs. “He likes you more than he lets on. And, you know, he wants me to be happy.”
Jamie raises an eyebrow in question.
For once it’s Tyler’s turn to duck his head and blush. He forces a shrug, trying and failing to sound casual. “You make me happy.”
The silence that follows is long enough that Tyler starts imagining all the ways he could start over in a new city with a fake name. But then Jamie puts a hand on his and leans forward across the bar. “You make me happy too.”
Tyler grins and leans forward as well so he can kiss him.
Jamie kisses back with the kind of confidence that he generally only displays in a fight. It’s somewhat startling and such a huge turn on that Tyler’s making a strangled pleased noise before he can help himself or remember that they probably have an audience. Somewhere in the background someone gives a wolf whistle and someone else makes exaggerated gagging noises.
Jamie pulls away with a smirk and a twinkle in his eyes that tells Tyler the guy, for maybe the first time since they met, knows exactly the effect he’s having.
And all Tyler can think is: finally.