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jxmieoleksiaks · 9 months

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to the ends of the earth

a/n: aaaaa s'been a long time since I wrote anything so I am admittedly a lil rusty, but here's my entry to @wyattjohnston's summer fic exchange 2023 (thank you as always demi for organizing!) for @jxmieoleksiaks - it's my first time joining a fic exchange, writing with an OCm and writing for Jamie, but I do hope you enjoy this! 💚

word count: ~2k | pairing: jamie oleksiak x OC | warnings: alcohol, mention of/attending a wedding, bonus stars players sprinkled about and just good 'ol friends to lovers fluff

summary: a new admission leaves phoebe rethinking her friendship with jamie.

It should be alarming to have a big, burly man climb into one’s window, but not for Phoebe Bennett.

“Aren’t you a little too old to be climbing up trees and into people’s windows, Jam?”

“And aren’t you a little too old to be hiding from parties, Peebs?”

Jamie lacks grace as he stumbles into her room, but still sticks the landing and stretches his arms out as he bows. Instead of applause, he gets a scoff and snarky reply in return. “You should never call a woman old. I’m surprised your mom never taught you that.”

He looks up looking for any indication that Phoebe could be mad. He knows deep down that she wouldn’t be, but it’s been a while and distance has the tendency to brew doubt in friendship, no matter how old and familiar.

Jamie smirks once he confirms he’s right. Phoebe’s far from mad, struggling to keep a straight face as she moves to get up from bed.

“She did, actually.” He stands to full height but keeps his arms outstretched, an overdramatic oof coming from him when Phoebe quite literally falls into his arms. “Taught me how to lure you out of your room too, baby.”

She scoffs in reply, pushing herself up on two feet and holding her hand out. Like clockwork, Jamie drops a bag of sour candy, much to her delight. “S’nice to see you still remember the little things and the little people, J.”

“Ha, ha, very funny Peebs.” He slings his arm around her and leads her out the door. “C’mon, need to see the other little people I’ve left behind in our little ol’ town of Toronto.”

Jamie’s welcome home party is in full swing by the time the two make it next door to the Oleksiak’s backyard. He’s quickly whisked away though by a nosy neighbor who claims they haven’t seen him in ages.

It was a lie. They saw each other at the store this morning.

Phoebe’s about to make a beeline back for her room when she hears Tyler before seeing him.

“Peebs, baby, how are you!” His drawl and his presence are endearing despite the unnecessary pet name he tacks on. “I’ll see you at the wedding, yeah?”

“Not if you call me baby again.” Phoebe teases, taking a sip from the bottle of beer he’s offered her. “Are you sure it’s okay that I come? I know these things tend to be… intimate.”

“This thing you refer to,” Tyler leans in as if he was sharing a secret. “My wedding? Yeah, it is intimate, Phoebe, not-baby.” He raises an eyebrow, waiting for acknowledgement at his not-pet name before continuing, “A gathering of nearly 500 of my closest friends and family.”

Phoebe’s unable to stop the snort that escapes her, Tyler throwing his head back in laughter as Mrs. Smith from across the street shoots them a pointed look.

“Only the near and dear at Tyler Seguin’s wedding, of course.”

“And you, Phoebe baby, are near and dear—near, far, wherever you are.”

The night continues on as such, banter and laughter shared between the two, an unlikely friendship born from Phoebe's numerous Dallas visits that miraculously stood the test of trades and time.

It isn’t until late and a small bonfire is built that Jamie finds Phoebe, her smile sticky sweet from the company of childhood friends and s’mores. Tyler’s nowhere to be found, the seat beside Phoebe empty and with Jamie’s name on it.

He takes a bite of the s’more she held out for him as he plops down.

“I told Tyler I’d be at his wedding.”

“M'not surprised, I never thought you wouldn’t be.”

“I thought it’d be weird.” Phoebe turns to face him with a shyness that Jamie knows only comes out when she feels like she’s overstepping. “I know it’s mostly going to be with the boys and their significant others.”

“Your point being?”

“Keyword: Significant.”

Jamie rolls his eyes at that, reaching out for another s’more that Phoebe promptly moves away. “Peebs. ”

Phoebe isn’t sure if Jamie’s huff of frustration is at what she just shared or at his loss of snacks.

“You’re significant. You’re another person. You're a significant other.” He gets another groan and a whack on his shoulder for that one. Jamie rethinks his strategy. “Phoebe, you’re Tyler’s friend—he wouldn’t have asked you again tonight if he didn’t really want you there.”

Phoebe gnaws on her lip, still unsure but satisfied enough with Jamie’s reassurance to hand him the last s’more.

“Hey,” Jamie senses Phoebe’s apprehension and reaches out, pulling her legs up to his lap. “If it’ll make you feel better, I’ll take you as my date, do the whole works. Match with your dress and pick you up and everything.”

“You still would’ve picked me up and been my ride even if I didn’t tell you, Jam. I live right next door.”

“Yeah, but Peebs, baby, come on. Tyler really wants you there, wants you to stand witness to him actually being decent for once in his life.”

She finally smiles at that one, giving Jamie a playful poke to his stomach. It’s a short-lived victory though when he says his next words.

“You’re basically a significant other anyways. The entire Stars roster thought we were dating my last year in Dallas anyways.”

Phoebe’s smile instantly drops, curling her legs away from Jamie and underneath her. “What?”

“Yeah, I denied it of course.” Jamie tries to laugh it off, but Phoebe doesn’t miss the flush that appears on his cheeks. “Pavs was the only one who really believed me. Said me liking you wasn’t too far off but that you’d never go for a guy like me. I told them you totally would though.”

Phoebe laughs in disbelief. “You’re only telling me this now because?”

Jamie opens and closes his mouth like a fish out of water, struggling to pick his next words carefully. He chooses honesty, and Phoebe does too.

“I thought you knew. I thought it’d make you feel better, too.”

“Not going to lie, Jam, I don’t know if it did.”

There’s a silence that overcomes them, one that’s unlike the quiet, comfortable moments they’ve had growing up, and Jamie instantly regrets it. They don’t see each other as often as they used to and he’d hate to make things weird in the limited time they have together.

“I’m sorry.” He says eventually, a last-ditch attempt to get rid of the awkwardness.

Phoebe shakes her head, standing and placing a hand out to stop Jamie from following. “There’s nothing to be sorry for.”

She heads towards the direction of her backyard, only to pause a few steps away. Phoebe turns around and the sight of a somber, genuinely remorseful Jamie gives her the courage to grin and say, “And for the record, Jamie, you're right. I would’ve gone for a guy like you.”

That night, Phoebe went to sleep with a fear that she'd made things worse than they already were; that her dramatic exit and admission were too much and that Jamie would stop talking to her. Thankfully, they’re both no longer sixteen with a flair for the dramatics, so she wasn’t too surprised to find him in her kitchen in the morning and every summer day thereafter.

What does surprise her is the way she feels butterflies in her stomach when Jamie shows up in her kitchen on the day of Tyler’s wedding. He’s handsome, that much Phoebe can admit, especially with his curls neatly styled and that endearing, missing tooth on display.

It’s the bouquet of flowers he has clutched in one hand that really gets her.

“Flowers?”

“Told you baby, doin’ the whole works here.” Jamie reminds, all flirt and bravado.

Phoebe actually blushes with his use of ‘baby,’ a pet name that has been thrown around loosely in their friendship, and tries to push the newfound butterflies away as she takes the bouquet with a soft thanks. She claims to hurry back up to her room to place the flowers in a vase, but both of them knew it was a feeble excuse for Phoebe to hide her giddiness.

Jamie just smiles and lets it slide. From all the years he’s known Phoebe, she’s never seen her this flustered around him and as odd as it sounds, he kind of likes it.

He likes how Phoebe holds onto his arm as they enter the wedding, how the boys hug and welcome her back as a fully fledged Stars girl with warm smiles and even warmer hugs. But what he likes most is how Phoebe seems to be looking for him every time they’re not together, something even his old teammates have noticed.

“Are you and Jamie finally together?” “Didn’t think you’d actually stoop so low.”

“Hi Robo, hello Roope, it’s so nice to see you too!”

“Sorry,” Robo laughs softly as he hugs Phoebe. Roope, on the other hand, proudly claims, “Hi, hello is for chumps,” despite wrapping her in an even tighter embrace. “Now come on, tell us—you and Jamie?”

“Oh fuck off,” Phoebe says without malice, laughing as she pushes away from Roope. “Y’know it’s nothing like that.”

“He’s in love with you Peebs!” Robo exclaims exasperated. “You’re PB and J for crying out loud.”

Roope nods and adds. “Has been, even in Dallas.”

“This is giving me Tweedledum and Tweedledee vibes and I don’t like it.”

“Would you rather have Otter interrogate you? Because he’s heading towards here right now.” Robo smirks.

“Hey, Otter!” Roope waves him over. “Come tell Phoebe that Jamie’s in love with her.”

“Fuckin’ Tweedledum and Tweedledee.”

“Does that make me the Queen of Hearts?” Otter says lightheartedly, pulling Phoebe into a hug and placing a soft kiss to her temple. “S’nice seeing you, Peebs.”

“Otter, please, save me from these two.” She looks up at him with pleading eyes. Otter laughs, but makes no effort to shoo away his teammates.

“Do you really not see the way Jamie looks at you?”

“We’re friends.” Phoebe lets out an overdramatic sigh, much to the boys’ entertainment. “Best friends, even—since we could barely walk!”

“He likes you, Peebs. Like, likes-likes you.” Robo reiterates. “Tell her your theory, Roope.”

“I knew he liked you when you two danced along to that Pussycat Dolls song.” Roope deadpans, making Phoebe let out a hearty laugh.

The memory’s a sweet anecdote in Phoebe and Jamie’s friendship, one of the last really good ones they have in Dallas. It was right after the Stars’ season ended, the team out one last time before they headed their separate ways for the summer, before Jamie made his way to Seattle.

It was that time of the evening when bars started playing slower hits that had everyone singing along, and each of the Stars started pairing up with their better halves to sway softly to the beat.

Phoebe found herself paired up too and with Jamie no less, who tucked her securely under his arm as he sang unabashedly to Stickwitu like every word was meant for her. She shoved him at that, a feeble “Fuck off” drowned in her laughter as Jamie only sang louder.

Phoebe thought little of it at the time, just two friends goofing off, but maybe Roope was right. With the trade and the move and everything in between, maybe, just maybe, Jamie meant every word of it for her.

“I think she’s having a ‘lil light bulb moment,” Otter murmurs, breaking Phoebe from her reverie. “Oh look she has.” He says giddily when Phoebe leaves the trio and makes her way over to where Jamie was.

The whoops and the hollers catch Jamie’s attention, and he puts down his glass as Phoebe approaches. “You oka–”

“Dance with me.” Phoebe cuts him off with a soft smile as she takes his hand and brings him to the dance floor. Jamie grins and follows, no questions asked.

He thinks he’ll follow her to the ends of the earth if he has to.

#Ohhhhh that was so cute!!!#with the stars guys as friends im always here for that #Pb&j thats so freaking cute #thank you thank you 💙

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