False Pretenses vs True Love, True Love Wins

by Gothraven89

It was supposed to be a regular day until Jaime shows up and it's deja vu, he says he's hurt and can't train. He's acting like he was when he threw the tantrum for Ted benching him and bucked training. Everyone assumes the worst but what happens when Ted decides to be level headed and look past the resurgence of the awful prick attitude? Eventual Roy/Jaime, protective Richmond fam!

Disclaimer:I do not own anything Ted Lasso, it is all the property of NBC, Apple TV, Warner Brothers, the show's creators. I make no profit, it is all just for fun.

Warning: Strong Language, Depictions of Domestic Violence, Threats of Sexual Violence, and Sexual Intimacy

Note: Ambiguous timeline

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False Pretenses vs True Love, True Love Wins

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It was a bright and glorious morning over Richmond, the shops and buildings opening to greet the newest day, it's denizens going about.

At AFC Richmond Football Club on Nelson Road, it's occupants were no different and staff and players alike trickled in and got ready for the day, opening up their offices and getting settled in with their first cup of tea or coffee while down in the main locker room the place was already abuzz as the team went about changing into the training kits and horsing about playfully in between. In the Coaches joined office Ted, Beard, and Roy were already standing around the white board with the pitch diagram on it, moving around the little blue magnates that represented the lads and jotting down notes and direction arrows for possible new plays.

Everything was normal, except that there was one person missing from their ranks.

" Hey guys, anyone seen Jaime?" Goodman asked as he looked about for the striker in question.

There was a wave of negatives and shrugs from everyone. It wasn't like Jaime to be late, he was usually one of the first people in, but today there was no sign of him yet. Shrugging it off as him being stuck in traffic or running late for whatever reason, the lads all went about finishing up getting ready. It was another five minutes before the side door to the locker room swung open and in walked Jaime Tartt, dressed in his signature black and smokey white hoodie and black jeans, duffel bag slung over his shoulder with only a few minutes to spare.

He was met with a wave of greetings, to which Jaime grunted and raised his hand in a half-wave, his expression closed off and a definite defiant glint in his eye. Instead of explaining his near lateness, Jamie set his bag down inside his buddy and then sat himself down on the bench in front of it, burying his hands into the pockets of his hoddie. He stared off with a sneer on his face that honestly had no business being there.

Before any of them could ask Jaime what was going on, Ted, Roy, and Beard chose that moment to come out of the office.

The three of them immediately noticed Jaime sitting where he was, still dressed in his street clothes and not making any move to get up and join in training. It was Roy who spoke first with a deeper frown that usual.

" Oi Tartt! Why the fuck aren't you changed?" He growled.

Jamie looked up at him and tilted his head back, chin out in challenge as he spoke.

" Can't do trainin' today coach, 'm hurt." He said with an ugly little smirk coming to his lips.

In an instant the bottoms of everyone's stomach dropped out, those who could remember the Jaime Tartt of before, who was a prick all the time and the outright bully, being transported back to that day, where Jamie had smirked in similar fashion, gone about with a chip on his shoulder and refused to change and train because of a bruised ego instead of an actual injury. Jaime had acted out because Ted had benched him mid-game. It had proved to the rest of the team that they were good and could win without the striker but had left Jaime smarting after being the glorified goal-scorer for so long.

So much had happened since then, Jaime himself had changed for the better and yet here was old Jaime, prick extraordinaire come back to them in full force for no apparent reason.

Ted just blinked at Jaime, his face slack with confusion while Coach Beard's own expression grew stony, no doubt remembering how this same piss-poor attitude from Jaime had led to Ted nearly loosing his full temper and also going off on Jaime loudly and in-front of everyone about the importance of practice. Beard bit his tongue to keep from saying anything sarcastic and just folded his arms over his chest as he gave Jaime a silent, disapproving look.

In an instant the entire locker room was speaking all at once, an uproar of outrage at Jaime's show of douchey defiance.

" Tartt you betta cut whatever bullshit's gotten into you and get dressed, or I'll have you running laps from end to fuckin' end all fuckin' day for this whole fuckin' week in what you got on now." Roy seethed as he loomed over Jamie.

The lads all watched in horror and awe as Jaime just snorted loudly and rolled his eyes, his smirk growing.

" Does he have an actual fuckin' death wish or somethin'?" Isaac asked quietly as he looked to his other teammates in utter confusion, earning helpless shrugs before they all turned their attention back to the stand off that was still happening between Jaime and the coaches.

Ted had yet to utter a word, just eying Jaime with confused brown eyes. As he took in the young man sitting before them with his legs wide and his hands in his pockets, Ted noticed a few things now that the initial astonishment at Jaime's bizarre turn in behavior had faded a bit. The young man was giving off an air of relaxed casualness amidst his defiance towards the three of them, but Ted could see that he was tellingly not leaning back and resting against his cubby in any way. On top of that Jaime was paler than normal, faint circles under his eyes indicating he hadn't slept right. Ted pushed aside the negative emotions Jaime's attitude dredged up and once he did his every instinct was screaming at him loud and clear that something was seriously fucking wrong here and it wasn't just the resurgence of Jaime's previous piss-poor attitude.

" Like I told ya, 'm hurt so no trainin' for me coach." Jaime said with that infuriating smirk back in full force.

Roy looked like he was a hair's breath from actually lunging at the younger man, Beard looking ready to intervene if need be, so Ted spoke up fast; sending the dark haired former footballer an appeasing look before turning to Jaime and speaking to him directly.

" Where are ya hurt Jaime?" He asked sincerely.

There was a beat of silence where no one spoke, no one moved, no one seemingly breathes. Jaime looked up at Ted still smirking and unblinking, but the moment Ted's question registered to him, the smirk was sliding of Jaime's face.

" Wha'?" Jaime asked as he sat up a bit, barely holding back a wince at the movement.

" Where are ya hurt Jaime?" Ted asked again, softer this time.

Jaime blinked, and then blinked again before he spoke.

" Why are ya askin' coach?" He asked stiffly.

" Well Jaime, I am just as confused as everybody else here with the way yer actin' and I'll admit I was about to get mighty upset at ya for backslidin' so drastically ya went straight to the Dark Ages but then I stopped to think about how you were yesterday. You were running around makin' passes, doin' the drills and the plays, hangin' out with everyone and smilin' and laughin'. You were absolutely fantastic." Ted explained with a searching look at Jaime before he continued with a small smile coming to his face as the rest of the team nodded and murmured in agreement while Jaime himself actually averted his eyes for a moment, making both Roy and Beard's frowns deepen.

" And to top it all off you and Will had us all wildly entertained after trainin' with that impromptu cup-stackin' competition between ya that I know you let Will win." He finished as he looked to said Kit-man who was standing beside Dani with a water bottle in his hand, sharing a nod with the younger man before he turned back to Jaime who tilted his head in silent askance at what Ted was getting at, and he wasn't the only one as Ted felt multiple eyes on him.

" What I mean is that this isn't like the last time ya said that you were hurt and couldn't do trainin'. That was you throwin' a hissy fit for yer own bruised ego. Well the days of you being like that are long past done and none of what precipitated that happened here and now, so if ya say that you are hurt, even with that same unpleasant attitude that ya had when you were actually bs-in', well I am gonna be inclined to say that I believe ya Jaime. So where are ya hurt?" Ted finished with his hands out.

There was another beat of silence before Jaime finally spoke.

" Y-You believe meh?" He asked looking quietly gobsmacked.

At this point both Roy and Beard had lost their own anger, worry creeping into it's place like winter air under the door as everyone watched the prickish facade slowly melting away from Jaime.

" Yeah I believe ya Jaime so if yer hurt then we'll take care of ya, simple as that." Ted said, meaning it with every fiber of his being.

They watched with bated breath as Jaime averted his dark blue eyes to the floor, his face growing even paler, all earlier defiance evaporating from him as his entire body seemed to just totally deflate into brokenness. Letting out a shaky breath and not raising his eyes from the floor, Jaime finally moved. He slowly pulled his hands out of is pockets, the color bleached from them as well as he pushed himself up to his feet, his expression pinched but stoically held neutral. Ted, Roy, and Beard watched with everyone else as Jaime reached for the zipper of his hoodie and slowly pulled it down to undo the garment. The sound of the zipper going down was unnaturally loud in everyone's ears as he undid it. When the hoodie fell open, it revealed that Jaime had a plain white t-shirt underneath. Jaime shrugged off the hoodie and tossed it lightly behind him on the bench before with a sigh of total resignation, he slowly turned around and crossed his arms to grip the hem of his shirt.

Every heart was pounding hard as they all watched Jaime slowly pull up his shirt to reveal his back to them, and when it emerged in full every heart came to a grinding halt at the horror that was revealed.

" Oh my fuckin' God." Roy whispered, his dark eyes blown as wide as they could go.

" Jesus Christ." Beard breathed with his mouth hanging open.

Ted just stood silent, his face set in stone and his eyes wide, the color leaching out of him much like it had from Jaime.

Dead silence, dead silence reigned over the entire locker room as every set of eyes was focused on Jaime Tartt and the ghastly state of his back. So focused were they on the sight that no one even flinched when Will dropped the water bottle he was holding in shock.

What had been pale and completely flawless skin just yesterday was now a mess of long, vividly bright red bruises that were dark purple around the edges, going all up and down his back in every which direction. He had been mercilessly flogged with something long and hard. How Jaime was even upright was anyone's guess as he slowly turned around to reveal a few more vivid, fresh bruises on his chest and stomach that were a combination of the same harsh straight lines that littered his back and jagged circles predominantly all over his stomach before he lowered his shirt and hid away the horror of his physical state.

Roy took a slow, cautious step forward and spoke.

" J-Jaime?" He called gently, more softly than anyone had ever heard him be.

Jaime slowly looked up and finally met Roy's gaze. The moment their eyes met, Roy's heart sought to lurch itself clean out of his chest.

The person staring back at Roy was not the twenty something star footballer and completely loveable erstwhile thorn in his side. No, what stared back at him was not a grown man but a little boy, a child who was utterly and totally terrified and hurt, screaming out to him, to anyone for help. Before Roy could force his frozen body into motion, Ted was stepping forward, closing the distance between him and Jaime. Jamie looked to Ted with his dark blue eyes wide and fearful, the American gaffer looking back at him with his own coffee brown eyes stricken. With a choked off gasp, Jaime turned away from Ted, his badly trembling hands coming up to cover his face as he hunched over as best as he could.

Hiding from everyone, ashamed, crumbling.

" Jaime no, no it's okay. It's okay bud." Ted said softly as he raised his hands.

" 'm gonna reach out and touch your shoulder okay." He said, telegraphing his movements and reaching out when all Jaime did was shudder.

Ted carefully gripped Jaime's shoulder and lightly pushed it to make Jaime stand up straight and turn back around to face him, the young man still bowing his head and covering his face with his blanched hands. It was a nightmarish sight to behold for everyone in the room, none of them having every seen Jaime like this. Yes they had seen him be arrogant and brash, they had seen him contrite and apologetic, they had even seen him weeping in Roy's arms. They had never seen him like this before, so terrified that he had basically collapsed in on himself and tried hiding behind his own hands.

Ted took a deep breath to calm himself down before he reached for Jaime's hands, covering them with his own and feeling how frigid they had become before he gently and carefully tucked his fingertips under them and gripped them. Jaime resisted lightly when Ted slowly pulled on his hands, but with a shaky breath and resignation pouring from him in waves, he let Ted pull his hands away. Tears were glistening Jaime's dark blue eyes. Feeling his own eyes immediately start to burn, Ted squeezed Jaime's hands tight before he brought them to his own chest, turning them and pressing them into the fabric of the dark navy blue AFC Richmond sweater he was wearing. It was all in an effort to ground Jaime, to let the boy know that Ted was right there with him, solid and sure, not going anywhere.

A silent promise to keep Jaime safe.

Jaime finally lifted his eyes and met Ted's imploring gaze. Ted took his hands off of Jaime's hands on his chest and slowly, carefully reached out. Once again telegraphing his movements and giving Jaime every chance to pull away or say no, instead Jaime stood silent and trembling, allowing Ted to gently take hold of his pale, colorless face. Jaime's eyes fluttered for a moment at the contact, Ted's benevolent touch soothing him, if only marginally as the gaffer spoke.

" Jaime?" Ted began.

Jaime looked back at Ted and gave a small, jerky nod in reply.

" Can you tell us what happened? Who did this to you?" Ted asked quietly, holding back his own desperation of wanting to know who had dared to do this, and also his sinking suspicion that he and everyone else already knew the answer.

Behind Jaime and the coaches, the other lads all silently and carefully drew nearer, not crowding about but close enough to hear.

Jamie took in as deep a breath his could with his back twinging hard in protest. He blinked slowly and the tears pooling in his eyes broke free, carving twin trails down his cheeks as he spoke.

" D-Dad." He said succinctly.

The whole room tensed with knowing rage, Roy instantly looking murderous while Beard clenched his jaw tight. All around the room Jaime's teammates grew angry and protective as one. Dani himself stood with his jaw and fists clenched, while Sam had fiery ire in his dark eyes. Ted however, did his best to remain calm and assuring as he nodded for Jaime to continue.

" I-I got home from trainin' last night and saw that there were a package for meh. It were the floor cleaner I 'ad ordered a couple days ago cuz I'd run out yeh?" Jaime began, Ted nodding again in encouragement.

" When I'd opened the package there were a whole bunch a shredded paper inside it too and some of it spilled out onto the floor. I went and got a b-broom and dustpan to clean it up when my bell went off. Opened the door and me dad were there, stinking drunk an' askin' for m-money." Jaime explained before he shuddered in Ted's hold and more tears spilled from his eyes.

" I told him to leave, that I weren't gonna give him no more money 'cause all he's eva done is blowed it on drink and gamblin'. I said no and he didn't like tha'. Next thing I knows he's shovin' his way into my house and punchin' me in my stomach a whole buncha times. I f-fell and then somethin' harder was hittin' meh and I realized he'd picked up the broom I were using earlia and he started wailin' on meh with it. He got meh in the chest a couple times before I rolled over and curled up." Jaime croaked out.

" Fuckin' hell." Roy whispered, his own eyes growing overbright at Jaime's harrowing words.

" He jus'... He kept hittin' and hittin' and cursin' meh until he actually fuckin' broked it over me back. I stayed as quiet as I could cuz me makin' any noise just pisses him off worse cuz it means 'm soft. After he'd broke the broom he poked me back with his foot, askin' if I were alive. I-I said I was and he were like, good then I 'ad better wire him the amount he'd asked for and that it were a pity the broom broke cuz he were of the mind to sh-shove it up m-my hole to keep teachin' me a fuckin' lesson about talkin' back to him and refusin' him. S-Said since I were such a fuckin' puff I-I'd probably enjoy it. I curled up tighter and he... he fuckin' laughed at me and even jabbed my arse cheek a couple of times with the pointy part cuz he were still holdin' the broom bit. He c-called me a worthless f-fag and then he l-left finally." Jaime choked out haltingly, the horror of what he had gone through the night before playing in vivid full technicolor across his mind's eye.

A loud sob from behind them had Beard and Roy turning to see Colin Hughes promptly burst into unashamed tears, his hands covering his mouth in abject horror while a pale and horrified Jan Maas wrapped his arms around him from behind to try and comfort the lad. The others were no better and many of then had angry tears in their eyes and open despair etched into ever line of their faces.

Beard felt his own stomach roll violently, knowing first hand the kind of man James Tartt Sr. was from his own run in with him, but to hear that this awful excuse for a human being could sink even lower than that and do such things to his one and only child just made Beard itch for a chance to get his hands on him.

" J-Jaime, did you get yerself checked out?" Ted asked once he got his voice to cooperate with him, minutely tightening his hold on Jaime's face while trying to remain calm.

" N-No coach." Jaime replied softly, averting his eyes as he continued.

" I jus' laid there on the floor for a while before I picked meself up, locked all me doors, and went upstairs. I uh... I wired him the money like he wanted and then I showered with cold wata and cleaned meself up as best I could. I didn't go to hospital cuz they'd have called the police and it woulda just pissed him off even more cuz he always either makes bail or I pay it. I just went back downstairs and ate somethin' light cuz my stomach were hurtin' bad by then, and then I went straight to bed." Jaime finished before he looked to Ted.

" 'm sorry I were nearly late Coach. It just... really hurt a lot when I got up this mornin'." He choked out, looking honest to God apologetic.

It stole the breath right out of Ted's lungs, and pretty much everyone else's as they all gawked at Jaime for thinking they were all somehow still cross with him for nearly being fucking late to training today.

" Aw Jaime." Ted sighed, utterly heartbroken while Beard had to duck his head and purse his lips hard against the powerful wave of emotions threatening to drown him.

Jaime just shook his head before he continued.

" An' 'm sorry for the way I were actin' earlier. I figured if I jus' acted the same way and said I were hurt and couldn't do trainin', you'd all get mad and put meh on cone dutey like ya did last time. I was bankin' on all of ya headin' out to the pitch without meh and then I could go sneak off and see Liam and Derek." Jaime explained before he let out a broken little huff.

" I guess I didn't realley think things through yeah?" He said looking tearfully embarrassed.

" Damn fuckin' right you didn't." Roy growled without any real heat behind his words of chastisement as he stepped up to Jaime and Ted, his dark eye boring into Jaime intensely.

Jaime looked up to meet Roy's dark eyes, his own stomach twisting in knots as he spoke.

" I'll do the extra laps for ya Roy, promise." He said quietly, looking contrite.

In an instant Roy's jaw was hanging open, like the hinge holding it together had shattered completely. He stared back at Jaime totally gobsmacked, uncomprehending of what had just come out of the lad's fucking mouth. After everything that had just been revealed, the horrifying ordeal Jaime had gone through just the night before, the lad was still willing to take the punishment Roy had doled out to him while he had been unknowing of the true situation. The boy was still willing to take the lumps from Roy on top of what his father had given him. What the ever loving fuck? When the ability to speak returned to him, Roy spoke the first thing that came to mind.

" Fuuuuuuuuuuuuck." He drawled out with all the breath in his lungs before he closed whatever distance remained, looking between Ted and Jaime as he spoke.

" Let's get him over to Liam and Derek yeah?" Roy said as he looked to Ted, barely keeping his own voice from trembling.

Ted blinked and seemed to snap back into focus, a determination filling his brown eyes as he nodded.

" Y-Yeah." He said, sending Jaime a pointed look when the lad looked like he was about to protest.

" Like I said Jaime, it's our job to take care of ya, and you just admitted that you didn't get any kind of medical help. So come on, let's get you checked out alright?" Ted asked as he reluctantly let go of Jaime's face, the both of them immediately missing each other before Ted gently took hold of Jaime by his left arm. Roy immediately fell in step, gripping Jaime firmly but gently by his right arm.

" Clear the way now boys." Beard called as he looked sternly to the gathered team.

The lads all obediently parted down the middle, standing aside and clearing the way for Roy, Jaime, and Ted to pass with Beard following after them. As they started making their way towards the medical office across the locker room, Jaime kept his gaze averted, his skin alight with shame and mortification. It was irrational he knew, none of them would judge him for the state that he was is, but he'd rather it was yesterday again when he was okay, happy and smiling, just having a good, normal day.

As he walked Ted turned his gaze to the rest of the lads, hoping to assure them but quickly realizing there was something else that needed to be taken care of. His priority was getting Jaime to Liam and Derek first though. The walk was equal parts tortuously slow and whiplash fast as Liam and Derek actually rushed out of their office and met them halfway. Liam and Derek took over escorting Jaime into the exam room, Ted, Roy, and Beard following close behind. They all piled into the room, the two team doctors helping Jaime up onto one of the exam tables. He groaned softly at the movement jarring his abused body but obediently took a seat and let Derek peal of his t-shirt so that he and Liam could see for themselves the horrific state the poor lad was in.

There was plenty more swearing from both doctors as they set about assessing Jaime's injuries as carefully as they could. They poked and prodded at him, declaring that nothing appeared to be broken but also advising that it would be better if Jaime got x-rayed just to be sure. Jaime vehemently refused, looking like a cornered wolf ready to bolt at any moment.

" Roy, ask a couple of the boys to get Rebecca and Higgins down here asap. They need to know and maybe the Boss Lady can convince Jaime to get fully checked out." Ted said to Roy, who nodded mutely and headed for the door back out to the locker room while Ted and Beard immediately stepped forward to try and calm an agitated Jaime down.

" Oi!" Roy called as he stepped out into the main locker room and was immediately mobbed by the Greyhounds.

" Colin!" He called first, said lad immediately rushing forward with a swipe at his reddened eyes.

" Yes Coach?" He asked eagerly.

" I need you to go and get Higgins wherever he's at!" Roy said, and no sooner had he done so Colin was off running out the room and down the to go find Richmond's still migratory HR man.

" Dani, you go and do the same for Rebecca, get her here pronto." Roy said as he turned to the teams other striker.

" Si! On it Coach!" Dani said before he too rushed off out of the locker room and up the nearest flight of stairs.

There was a beat of charged silence before Sam stepped forward.

" How is he Coach?" He asked quietly.

" Derek and Liam are still lookin' over him but it don't look like anythin's broken at least." Roy replied.

" His heart must be Roy." Sam said before his whole face crumbled.

Roy could only sigh and open his arms, Sam all but running into them with tears streaming. In an instant Roy found himself surrounded by similarly upset young men. If he'd had arms big enough he'd gather them all to him. Instead he just called out reassurances as best as he could, in his usual gruff way. He got a couple of smiles and nods, Sam composing himself and letting go only for Moe Bumbercatch to take his place.

Roy didn't mind.

Back in the exam room Ted and Beard looked on as Liam gently applied arnica gel to the worst of Jaime's vivid bruises. Jaime sat stone-faced, falling back to the habit of using stoicism to shield himself from everything that was happening around him and everything he was feeling inside. Ted and Beard both knew better than to try and convince him that he should still go to the hospital to get checked out, so they just stood and waited for back-up.

They didn't have to wait too long as a statuesque blond swiftly entered the exam room with a bespectacled man following right on her heels.

" Good lord!" Leslie Higgins exclaimed in horror as both he and Rebecca Welton came to a grinding halt upon laying eyes on Jaime's deeply injured back. Jaime turned his head to see who had arrived and immediately sighed in resignation before turning away, the picture of defeat. Rebecca couldn't say anything but they watched as she quickly gathered her wits about her and schooled her features into a calmer, neutral expression before she continued making her way towards the.

She was resplendent in a pale grey power suite with a cream colored blouse underneath. Higgins was in one of his smart suits in a nice earthy shade of brown. The pair made their way over to Jaime.

" Hello Jaime." Rebecca greeted as normally as she could, all the while with pure rage swirling inside her gut at the state of the young man before her.

" Hi Ms. Rebecca." Jaime replied with a wan smile.

Rebecca found herself smiling back warmly. It was their compromise between Jaime always calling her Ms. Welton and her insisting he could call her my her name. Jaime and Higgins shared a simple nod and smile in greeting.

The smiles were gone far too quickly from them all as Rebecca immediately asked for an explanation, Dani's recount to rapid and bilingual for her to fully understand when the young man had come running to her office, begging her to come downstairs. Higgins had had a bit better luck with Colin, who had stayed composed enough to explain Jaime's situation, but he wanted to hear everything straight from Jaime himself.

As Jaime haltingly explained his father's assault on him to Richmond's owner and HR Man, Roy quietly made his way back into the exam room and stood beside Jaime, a solid and unmoving presence, a source of reassurance to the deeply hurt and shaken lad.

By the end of it Higgins was wiping at his eyes and Rebecca had to swallow several times against the lump lodged in her throat. Ted, Beard, and Roy all had to fight to keep themselves composed as Rebecca finally spoke.

" Now Jaime, I understand your reluctance to go to the hospital to get properly examined, but would you be interested in a compromise of sorts?" She asked hopefully.

Jaime perked up at this and spoke.

" What's the compromise?" He asked curiously.

" You'll still get fully checked out." Rebecca began firmly, Jaime hanging his head.

" But it won't be at the hospital, it'll be at my personal physician, Dr. Weatherly's clinic just a couple of streets over from here." Rebecca finished.

Jaime still looked somewhat hesitant as Higgins spoke up.

" We really do need to make sure that you are alright Jaime, things could be broken that Liam and Derek can't sus out even to the best of their abilities." He explained before he grew more somber.

" I take it that along with your reluctance to go to the hospital directly, you are also not inclined to involve the police on this matter correct?" He asked knowingly.

" Correct." Jaime said flatly without looking at any of them as Higgins sighed and nodded.

Roy looked ready to blow his top for a moment but thankfully reigned it in as he spoke.

" Jaime." He began, waiting for Jaime to reluctantly look his way before he continued.

" You said before that yer old man always made bail and got out after he's been taken in, well it ain't gonna fuckin' be like that this time. We can make sure he can't come anywhere near ya, maybe even use the fact that he'd been let out so many fucking times only pull this kind of shit against him." Roy explained as he looked to Rebecca and Higgins.

" Roy is right Jaime." Rebecca said, explaining further at the young man's look of askance.

" Higgins and I can get our team of lawyers on this, have them petition the court for a restraining order to where you father wouldn't even be allowed to set foot in Richmond let alone anywhere near you. And if we get the authorities involved, surely we can make a request to the courts that your father be denied bail because there's a clear history of him being a danger to you and others ever single time he's been out on bond. Either way we are going to do all in our power to keep you and everyone else here safe."

Jaime nodded, but still looked so hesitant and fearful as he picked up his shirt. Roy immediately stepped in, taking the shirt from Jaime and expertly looping the young man's arms through the sleeve in an effort to keep Jaime from having to move to much and aggravate his injure body. Roy pulled the shirt up and over Jaime's head before the young man took over and slowly pulled it down the rest of the way, sending Roy a grateful look and feeling warmer, but no less vulnerable. Ted then stepped forward and spoke.

" Jaime, you don't have to press charges if you don't want to but I still think gettin' checked out and gettin' the restrainin' order would be helpful at least. One makes sure that yer okay and we get a record of what yer dad did and the other will keep him away and land him straight to jail if he doesn't." Ted said encouragingly.

Jaime looked to his coach, Ted's earnestness making his heart ache as he shook his head.

" 'm scared Coach." He croaked out before he could stop himself, instantly looking mortified and hanging his head.

Every other heart in the room just about shattered as Ted, Rebecca, Higgins, Beard, Roy, Derek, and Liam all deflated and looked deeply pained.

" Aw Jaime, I know, I know." Ted said with a sigh as he reached out and put his hand on top of Jaime's dark haired head before he shook his head.

" Hey, hey." He beckoned, waiting for Jaime to look up at him before he spoke.

" It's okay to feel like that Jaime, heck as I speak now this is scaring all of us. Yer dad is an awful piece a work and he's hurt ya bad, and he's still out there roamin' Scott free and demandin' money from ya." Ted said with a shake of his head.

Jaime's breath hitched and he looked deeply conflicted before he spoke up.

" He said more before he left Coach." Jaime revealed, everyone instantly growing tense at that.

" What else did the fucker say?" Roy growled.

" Jus' warned meh that if I ran to any of ya, he'd come back with his friends and get at every one of ya. He were still drunk and ramblin' but he said that he'd give ya a taste of his favorite brass knuckles Ted. Make propa mince meat outta ya." Jaime explained, everyone growing cold at his words before Jaime's eyes went to a stone-faced Coach Beard.

" Said something about you Coach Beard since you's the one that tossed him outta Wembley that day only he don't even know ya name, just said that he's still got a pipe in his closet for me otha American coach." Jaime continued, Beard gaining several alarmed looks his way but saying nothing. Then Jaime turned pained eyes to Roy.

" For you he said he'd take out yer other knee and make ya a fully useless gimp."

Roy gritted his teeth to the point of pain as he seethed at Jaime's words but again kept himself in control. When Jaime turned his eyes to Rebecca, he looked like he was gonna be physically ill at any moment.

" I won't say back what he said he'd do to you Ms. Rebecca." Jaime said apologetically as a fresh wave of tears came to his dark blue eyes.

" Jesus Fucking Christ!" Roy swore as he stepped away to pace for a moment, everyone else looking equally disturbed before Ted reached out and gripped Jaime's shoulders.

" Well Jaime, the way I see it that is actually a plus for us then." The American gaffer said steadily.

At the many looks of askance leveled his way, Ted elaborated.

" Mr. Tartt in his drunken wisdom just saw fit to threaten each and every one of us with some form physical violence, after already beating you, his own son. Now I ain't in possession of a legal mind either American or British, but I do believe that this is more than adequate grounds for me and all of you to level your own charges against Mr. Tartt for terroristic threats is it not?" Ted said as he looked about the room.

" Hell fuckin' yeah it is. I want the whole fuckin' book thrown at him." Roy said with a savage glint in his eyes.

" Count me in." Beard said simply.

" Indeed." Rebecca said with a nod and an impressed look at Ted.

" Wha? Yer all gonna press charges?" Jaime asked incredulously.

" He threatened ya and now yer sayin he's promised violence against each of us. You better believe none of us are gonna stand for that kinda nonsense." Ted replied without hesitation.

Jaime looked around at the many determined and dead serious faces around him, Rebecca looking absolutely furious as the implications of what Jaime had dared not to reveal. Seeing all of them, some of the biggest authority figures in his life pissed off not only about the threats made against them, but also on his own behalf finally made something ease inside Jaime as he spoke.

" I-I'll press charges too then, you all been right about all of it and I were jus' being dumb." He said with a sigh.

" Oi, none of that Jaime." Roy barked while Ted shook his head.

" Yeah, listen to Grouchy Goodness here." Ted said, earning a mock glare from Roy before he continued.

" There was nothin' dumb about yer hesitation. You been been put through the ringer and you can still change yer mind about pressing charges, the rest of us are surely gonna be enough to curtail yer old man. Main thing now is that we get you checked out by Rebecca's doctor yeah?" Ted said, refocusing everyone to the most immediate issue, Jaime's well-being.

After that things were a bit of a blur for Jaime as he was summarily whisked off to Rebecca's doctor's by Roy and Ted, stopping a moment to be mobbed by his relieved but heartbroken teammates. Sam got Jaime his hoodie, going so far as to holding out out for him to loop his arms into. Any other time Jaime would have tried to be macho and made a joke, but seeing the worry and sadness on Sam's face had the young man relenting. These were his teammates, not his dad and his mates, he didn't need to be the hard and strong manly man they wanted, he was with the people who wanted him just for him, just for being Jaime. Jaime, Ted, and Roy had left with many hugs and multiple reassurances from Dani in both Spanish and English.

Rebecca's doctor's clinic was just a few streets away like she said, a nice and tall red brick building with a big parking lot. The moment they all stepped in, Dr. Weatherly himself, a grandfatherly type with a thick head of white hair and matching beard, was there to greet them and immediately lead them upstairs. Ted and Roy had had to stay back as the good doctor and his nurses descended on Jaime. Dr. Weatherly, having been appraised of the situation before hand by Rebecca, had started with his own physical examination of Jaime while one of the nurses went about taking pictures of every bruise and abrasion before they had summarily wheeled Jaime away to get proper scanned.

Roy and Ted didn't have much time to sit idle though as within maybe five minutes after seeing Jaime off, another nurse was arriving with a man and a woman in dark suits. The pair introduced themselves as the two detective constables who had been dispatched to get Jaime's statement.

Ted spoke to the man and Roy the woman, both of them not sparing any detail as they recounted everything they had witnessed to the best of their knowledge. By the time Jaime finally came back out of the scanning room and changed back into his street clothes, Ted had just about talked the ears off of both constables while Roy had grunted in agreement.

When it came time to take Jaime's statement, both Roy and Ted planted themselves on either side of him, a show of solidarity and also as subtle a warning as they could make to the two constables to be careful with Jaime in his vulnerable state.

Jaime steadily recounted everything that his father said and did and then went on to say that the broken broom pieces were still laying on the floor of his foyer where James had tossed them, both constables looking quite pleased with this information as it meant potential finger prints and physical evidence of James' presence and the scene. They asked Jaime to share where he hid is spare key so that they could get their crime scene unit over and into his place to process everything. They assured Jaime that he would be informed the moment the techs were done processing everything they needed and allowed back to his residence before they finally took their leave to get the ball rolling. Hearing how James Tartt Sr. had threatened to actually violate his son with a fucking broom seemed to galvanize them even more than they already were if the fire in both their eyes as they had left was anything to go on.

Once the constables were gone, Dr. Weatherly returned with the results of Jaime's scans. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief when Dr. Weatherly happily reported that none of Jaime's bones were broken, or even cracked. Most of the damage, though visually horrific, was localized to the soft tissue. A small favor of Tartt Sr. being so drunk and Jaime being so fit. He had hit Jaime hard enough to leave him terribly bruised and broke the broom, but had not been able to break any bones and Jaime's powerfully built muscles had provided enough cushioning to keep his bones in tact.

Asshole regardless.

Dr. Weatherly had also reported the barest discoloration to Jaime's liver indicating a bruise, no doubt from one of his father's punches to his gut, but that it was thankfully minor and due to clear up on it's own within a few days. Jaime himself relayed that the pain in his stomach from the night before had already receded and he'd been able to eat a banana before he'd left. The lad had summarily wilted under Roy's scathing glare at revealing that that was all he had eaten thus far for the day.

The good doctor had handed over a prescription for pain meds and muscle relaxants over to Ted and also laid down the law and made it quite clear to not only Jaime but also Ted and Roy that Jaime needed to let his body heal for at least two weeks before even thinking of stepping out onto the pitch for anything other than setting up cones, if even that. He had leveled a look so stern and warning on the three of them that even Roy Kent found himself shrinking just a tiny bit under those seasoned hazel eyes before the doctor had relented and smiled warmly. The smile left his features through as Dr. Weatherly grew somber and also assured them that he would submit the picture and medical reports to the police to aid in the ongoing criminal case that was being built against one James Tartt Sr.

The three of them finally took their leave of Dr. Weatherly and headed out to Roy's giant G-glass, the two coaches each pulling out their phones as they went. Ted immediately texted Rebecca and Higgins to apprise them of what the doctor said, while Roy did the same to Beard, both of them letting everyone know that they were finally on their way back to the club.

If, after he had just climbed into the back of Roy's behemoth monstrosity of a vehicle, Jaime started sobbing without shame and Ted naturally gathered him to his chest and carefully held him to his chest while Roy watched on wordlessly with his hands all but crushing his steering wheel, no one else were around and Jaime could have this time to not be okay.

Jaime had calmed down by the time Roy was pulling back into the Richmond car park, looking adorably embarrassed despite all of Ted's reassurances. He was stiff as he climbed out of Roy's car, his body no doubt depleted of all adrenaline, letting how hurt he was all over known loud and clear.

" Oi Ted." Roy called as he rounded to the other side to Ted and Jaime.

" Yes Roy?" Ted asked.

" Lemme have his prescription yeah? I'll go and get it filled at the pharmacy down the road while you get him inside and get some actual fuckin' food in him." Roy explained as he sent Jaime a lightly exasperated look, Jaime rolling his eyes but clearly holding back a genuine smile.

Roy found himself internally relieved and thrilled to see Jaime's playfulness slowly returning, but externally remaining stern because he was going to do all he could to look after the golden-legged idiot.

" Sure thing Roy." Ted said as he dug into his back pocket and pulled out the paper in question. He handed it over to Roy with a shared nod.

" Thanks Roy." Jaime said quietly, looking almost shy.

" Yer welcome, now go and fuckin' eat somethin' before ya keel over." Roy said gruffly, sending the lad another one of his usual glares but silently pleased beyond words when it got him a full, unabashed smile from Jaime, and one from Ted as well before he finally turned and stomped off toward the far exit of the car park to get down the road to the pharmacy like he said he would.

Ted and Jaime watched Roy go with his signature robotic gate before Ted turned to Jaime and promptly wrapped an arm around his shoulder, still being infinitely gently and mindful of the young man's still tender injuries.

" You heard the man, let's get ya fed." Ted quipped before his own stomach let out a loud rumble.

" You and me both Coach." Jaime shot back before he and Ted shared a chuckle and headed inside.

As they disappeared through the doors of the club, down the road Roy quietly ducked into an alleyway on his way to the pharmacy and let out a shaky exhale, leaning hard against the wall of one of the buildings and bracing his hands on his knees. He gritted his teeth hard enough to hear then clacking together in his own head as he sucked in lung fulls of air through them.

Rage. Pure, unadulterated rage coursed through him as his mind mercilessly replayed everything that had happened before his eyes.

Roy wanted to scream, he wanted to scream till his throat tore and his lungs bled, he wanted the whole world to know his fury, he wanted James Tartt Sr. to know his fury and just try to run. He wanted to board the next train out to Manchester and find the bastard, preferably at 4AM in the dead of night where anything red looked black in the moonlight. He wanted to do all manner of unspeakable things to the bastard for ever daring to lay even a single finger on Jaime.

Jamie.

Jaime with tears streaming from his dark blue eyes, bruises littering his pale skin, the defiant smirk melting away into astonishment that Ted had cared enough to look past his act to ask him where he was hurt. The truth coming out, the lad still willing to run laps for him.

Guilt, horrid, acrid guilt settled in Roy's stomach like a stone. In an instant Roy felt the fiery hot rage of before melt away into a silent desolation, self-deprecation for not seeing past the smokescreen Jaime had been trying to put up, for not being more like Ted who had forgone his own upset and saw past it all, and just genuinely wanting to make sure Jaime was actually okay.

With another shuddering exhale, Roy pushed himself away from the brick wall and stood up straight. He forced away the lingering tendrils of anger and reached into the pocket of his track pants, pulling out the little white piece of paper Ted had handed him.

Jaime's prescription from Dr. Weatherly.

The reason why he was down the road from the football club. Getting a hold of himself and schooling his features back into his regular frown, Roy stepped out of the alley and resumed his way to the pharmacy that was just round the corner. He may have utterly failed Jaime this morning, but he would be damned if he kept fucking up now.

He had tasked himself with getting Jaime's prescription filled for him, so that's what he would fucking do because it was damn fucking time he took care of Jaime for real, like he was fucking supposed to.

Back at the club, Ted and Jaime entered the canteen, which was not yet full of hunger footballers since the lads still had a couple of minutes left out on the pitch before they'd head in for lunch. Ted all but herded Jaime into a chair closest to the counter that separated the kitchen from the dining area as he spoke.

" What sounds good to you Jaime? and no need to count calories, yer gettin' a day off from the diet." Ted declared with a grin.

Jaime found himself smiling back, feeling more at ease than he had been all day and he was actually quiet famished if he were to be honest. A look at the menu standing up in it's little plastic holder had Jaime perking up because today the canteen were serving beef or chicken meat pies.

" Today's special then, I'm so hungrey I want both chicken and beef!" Jaime declared with his usual flare.

" You got it bud!" Ted practically beamed before he hurried off to place Jaime's order.

Jaime felt his face heat up a little at his own boldness, but it actually felt good to be himself and voice what he wanted, even if it was just lunch.

Ted had just stepped back over to Jaime when the canteen doors sung open and the Richmond Greyhounds piled in like a great deluge.

" Hey guys look, Jaime's back!" Matthew Goodman cried with pure joy, every single face lighting up as they all caught sight of Jaime sitting at one of the canteen tables.

All at once everyone rushed forward, Jaime getting up from his seat too, but at the very last moment the lads all slowed down instead of mobbing their missing man, forming a crude line and being extra gentle as they hugged and greeted Jaime and asked after him, Will immediate handing him a water bottle. Ted found himself inundated with questions too and answered them all, assuring his boys that Jaime would be okay, that it really did look worse than it actually was. Everyone settled in to lunch, placing their orders and recounting out morning training had gone with Coach Beard running them hard in an effort to keep their minds off of what had happened. Beard just shrugged at the looks sent his way.

Jaime's mood only lifted further as Roy trudged in a few minutes later, white paper back in hand and signature scowl firmly in place.

" Here." He said bluntly as he handed Jaime the pharmacy bag and took a seat on Ted's free side.

" Thanks Roy." Jaime said as he looked in the bag to see not only a bottle of white pills, but several tube and tubs of pain relieving ointments and gels, way more than what Dr. Weatherly had written down as far as Jaime could make out when he had caught sight of the prescription. Jaime felt his heart skip a beat as it dawned on him that this meant that Roy Kent himself had gone out of his way to get him some extra pain relief items for his injuries. Jaime looked up to meet Roy's dark eyes, a thousand things passing between them and yet nothing at all as Jaime gave him a wordless nod and a smile, Roy nodding back before he looked away.

A couple of minutes later one of the lunch lads finally brought out Jaime's double order of meat pies, both looking gorgeously golden and glistening in the light with fresh steam swirling up from them. They weren't overly large, but still hearty looking and they smelled absolutely wonderful.

" You sure you can eat all that amigo?" Dani asked as he looked from the pies to his friends.

" I am prettey peckish." Jaime replied with a grin, everyone deeply pleased to see it on his face.

Jaime waited for the rest of the table to get their food, allowing his pies to cool down before they all tucked in. Everyone ate and enjoyed but Jaime was fully aware that all eyes were subtly on him. Before this would have set him on edge and pissed him off, now though, now Jaime could see it for what it truly was. They were all just looking out for him after the day he's had, because they cared.

They cared.

Jaime made sure to share some of his pie with anyone who hadn't ordered one for themselves, getting samples in turn from his teammates. He was sure to give Ted and Roy some too, Ted happily accepting while Roy gave a token grumble before actually nodded in approval when he finally took a bite. Lunch was lively and thoroughly enjoyed, especially when Rebecca made her way down and joined them, deeply relieved that Jaime had received the best news possible regarding his medical check-up. Higgins was tellingly absent so Rebecca explained that she had sent the HR man over to Jaime's house just to keep an eye on things while the police were still processing the scene and also be the go between should anything come up. She enjoyed a nice chicken salad before taking her leave to head back upstairs and keep coordinating with the club lawyers about everything they were legally proceeding with regarding James Tartt Sr. It was as everyone was heading back to the locker room after lunch that they could all see that Jaime's energy was waning.

" Oi Jaime, we're gonna go see the physios and get you iced down." Roy declared before he turned to the rest of the lads.

" Rest of you lot get to the gym and be careful yeah?"

There was a wave of "Yes Coach" from the lads, including Jaime before Ted and Beard herded them off towards the gym, while Roy steered Jaime towards the physio room. Roy had to send Ted a look to assure the gaffer that he had things handled, knowing Ted was super reluctant to leave Jaime's side, but he had the other players to think about, they needed him too after all. They were all reluctant to part but they understood, Jaime needed further treatment for his injuries and they needed to focus on the rest of their day of training.

When they reached the physio room, they were greeted warmly by one of the physical therapists, Daniel, who was already waiting for them with a cryovest on hand, filled with fresh ice packs in the front and back for Jaime to wear. It was a damn good investment in Roy's opinion seeing as to how Jaime was bruised up on both side. Daniel immediately frowned at the sight of Jaime, who looked pale and drained, and was subtly doing his best not to hunch over too much. It was clear the lad was in pain even with the painkillers he'd gotten at Dr. Weatherly's office. Jaime handed his white pharmacy bag with his meds over to Daniel so the performance therapist could have a look at it's contents while Roy wordlessly helped Jaime out of his hoodie and shirt. Daniel immediately swore before he could stop himself at the sight of Jaime's multiple injuries, totally horrified and outraged despite having been apprised of the situation by Coach Beard before hand. Other than that Daniel didn't say anything further as he brought over the cryovest. Roy and Daniel worked together to get the vest on Jaime, the physio making sure the garment was done up correctly and only as tight as Jaime felt comfortable with.

Jaime shivered lightly at the ice against his tender flesh, but it also felt soothing in a way since his skin was well fevered with all the blood pooled around his many injuries.

" Let's get you settled." Daniel said as he gestured to the slightly raised physio bed.

" Yeah." Jaime nodded before he stepped forward.

Roy and Daniel stayed close but didn't go any further, letting Jaime climb onto the bed on his own.

The lad groaned softly as his abused body protested the movement and he was still shivering lightly from the ice against his bare skin, but he gritted his teeth and climbed onto the bed, laying down on one of his uninjured sides and settling his head on the dark blue pillow Daniel had provided.

" You'll have to take another pill in a couple of hours, but for now just let the ice do the work yeah?" Daniel explained as he draped a light blanket over Jaime.

" Yeah." Jaime said with a sigh as Daniel took his leave.

Roy pulled up a chair next to Jaime's head and sat down so that he and the younger man were more or less at eye level.

Dark, almost black eyes met those of dark blue. They said nothing, Jaime tired and pale, Roy ever watchful. It was with a small sigh that Jaime finally broke the silence between them.

" You don't gotta stay with meh." He said quietly.

" I want to." Roy said without missing a beat.

" Okay then, tell me a story grandad." Jaime said with a pale version of his usual smirk.

Roy snorted and rolled his eyes, gladdened beyond words that Jaime was still exhibiting that signature sass of his. He decided he'd indulge the lad.

" Alright then, I'll tell you about the absolute madness that happened after we won the fucking Champions League." Roy declared, watching with his own heart soaring as Jaime's entire face lit up with pure, unashamed joy.

Roy went on to regale Jaime with the truly ludicrous and epic tale of how after celebrating on the pitch, then the locker room, and then at the local pub, downing the equivalent of nearly three bottles of pricey champagne and other alcoholic drinks he can't really remember, he had woken up in one of his teammate's hotel room tangled around four other teammates and a lovely young lady with his toe nails painted neon fucking orange, one of his wrists with a handcuff around it while it's mate was completely gone, hickeys in surprising places, and half of his famous chest hair missing clean down the middle.

Jaime was grinning ear to ear and forced himself to giggle instead of guffawing like he wanted to, because laughing were painful at the moment, Roy chuckling along with him. Jaime naturally fell into a hilarious story of his own during his time with Man City when they had all gone Scott Carson's house for his birthday and since Jaime weren't much for drinking it was him who had had to later fish several of his inebriated teammates from the little koi pond Carson kept in his backyard. Even Pep the gaffer had tried to climb the literal walls and Jaime was sure someone somewhere had a picture of him doing his best to pull the bald football phenom back down to earth by his ankles.

If both of their hearts shared a pitter patter over good memories, it weren't a bad thing at all.

In the gymnasium Ted and Beard oversaw the team work out, making sure everyone was careful their bodies and the heavy equipment. There was a definite pall over the room and it had everything to do with the one Greyhound that was missing from their ranks. Not being able to stand so many mopey faces, Ted was struck by a nice idea.

" Hey Dani, come hear for a second?" Ted called.

The Mexican striker immediate got up from the floor mat he was stretching on and trotted over to his coach, not nearly as energetic as he should have been.

" Why don't you head over to the physio room and check in on Jaime?" Ted suggested, a smile coming to his face when Dani immediately brightened up.

" Now mind you just spend a couple of minutes okay, then I'll send in the next man okay?" Ted explained.

" Oh like rotation yes?" Dani asked.

" Exactly, so off you go." Ted said as he gestured to the door.

" Si Coach, gracias!" Dani beamed before he all but flew out the room.

Ted smiled and turned away, getting an approving nod from Beard before he turned his eyes to the rest of the lads, many of whom were already looking miles happier as they caught on to Ted's actions. Ted's coffee brown eyes landed on a smiling Sam, who wordlessly nodded and sent him a grateful look back, signaling that he'd be next up once Dani came back.

Jamie and Roy both looked up and grinned as Dani Roja's made a surprise appearance, prancing into the physio room with a softer version of his usual chant of "Na na na na Dani Rojas!" Roy got up and let Dani have his seat while he went off to the corner to make himself a cuppa, leaving the two Richmond aces to talk. Dani animatedly regaled Jaime about the happenings of the early morning training while he had been at the doctors, recounting a hilarious little mishap where O'Brien got caught in his own net and nearly tore his butt again.

When Dani reluctantly took his leave after about ten minutes, Roy was pleased to see Jaime's spirits uplifted from Dani's visit. Jaime's spirits only rose higher when a couple of minutes later a grinning Sam Obisanya appeared through the doorway bearing some jaffa cakes for all of them. It didn't take Jaime long to understand that all of his teammates were going to be making appearances throughout the rest of the day, and he was all for it. Besides feeling really loved, Jaime felt safe and protected because through it all, Roy never left his side. Ted and Beard were the last ones in to see him, asking after him and apprising him and Roy of a couple of new plays Beard had come up with.

Towards the end of the day and after Daniel had gently massaged pain relieving cream onto all of his bruises and made sure he was hydrated, Jaime and Roy rejoined everyone in the locker room. It was as everyone was getting ready to head home that Leslie Higgins reappeared in their midst.

" Hey Higgins, glad yer back!" Ted greeted warming as he and the HR man shook hands.

" Glad to be back before everyone headed home!" Higgins replied before he turned his attention to Jaime.

" Jaime, I am pleased to report that the police have released your house after they gathered everything they could evidence-wise, down to the last speck. I made sure everything was in order and locked. You are free to head home if you wish to stay there." He explained.

" Yeah I do want to, stay at my own house I mean." Jaime responded.

It earned him an unhappy grumble from his teammates and a small scowl from Roy but Jaime stood firm.

" I ain't gonna let him take my house from meh, an' I sent him the fuckin' money so he probably won't come poking around till he's burned through it." Jaime said with a muted bitterness to his tone.

" Be that as it may, I think I speak for everyone when I say that I still don't think you should be by yerself right now-" Ted began only for Roy to speak up.

" I'm stayin' with him." Roy declared like it was a give in.

" Wha? You can't just- I am a grown man an' you didn't even ask meh if I-" Jaime began to say when Roy just gave him a scathing look and shook his head and pointed a stern finger at the younger man.

" Well after the shit you pulled today, tryin' to hide what your shitbag dad did to ya and get us to think you were just being a big fucking prick all over again, you betta understand that I ain't lettin' you outta my fuckin' sight for the foreseeable future!" Roy growled, meaning every word.

Jaime gaped at Roy, not expecting those words. He looked ready to protest again when Ted stepped in.

" Now Jaime." He said, making sure Jaime's attention was on him before he continued.

" Lemme start by sayin' that no one here thinks ya aren't a full-fledged adult. It's not about you being capable of looking after yerself, it about you not having to because you got all of us." Ted explained.

At Jaime's confused looked, Ted elaborated with a small sigh.

" Like I said before, ain't nobody in this room alone. We're all a team, we're meant to be there for each other through thick and thin. If not for Roy callin' dibs it woulda been me insistin' on stayin' with ya at yer place or heck I'd be takin' you home with me instead. I am sure every single person in this room woulda offered for you to stay with them." Ted said, earning a wave of affirmatives at his words, even from Will.

Jamie ducked his head, his cheeks heating up, genuinely moved by the show of solidarity from everyone. When he looked back up, Ted had stepped closer and was looking at him with quietly pained eyes, even though he was still smiling.

"As to what Roy said about you tryin' to hide what happened to you from us and actin' like a prick again to do it, I think what he meant is that ya kinda did rattle our trust in ya a little bit Jaime." Ted began gently.

At Jaime's alarmed look of askance, Ted explained.

" That first time, when you said you were hurt and ducked out of trainin', it was because you were actin' out after I benched ya. This time around, you tried to get all of us to think you were fakin' it when in actuality you weren't just hurt, you were seriously assaulted. Now I know you put on the act to try and protect us after all the threats yer dad made, but this still hurts bad Jaime, maybe even worse than that first time because we know the real you now, the wonderful young man that you truly are, and instead of turning to us, you tried to turn all of us against ya." Ted said sadly.

The color drained out of Jaime's face as he looked about the room, everyone from Roy all the way to Will looked quietly devastated at the truth in Ted's words.

" I-I..." Jaime trailed off, unable to form any kind of reply.

" I might not have yelled at ya like I did that first time and others were super harsh before they caught onto my line of thinkin'." Ted said as his eyes went to Beard and Roy, who both averted their gazes as he continued.

" But I am devastated none the less because ya didn't deserve any of it, not what yer dad did, and not how harshly we reacted. You were in real pain and we almost didn't see it in time. I mean, with the state that yer in, I wouldn't have even had you even touching the cones, and Roy here was fixing to make you run full laps." Ted said, watching as Roy barely held back a flinch before he quickly continued.

" Pretty sure he feels absolutely awful about that, just didn't know how to say it so he's gonna show ya instead, by bein' there for ya and standin' guard for us as it were. Appreciate it by the way Roy." Ted said with a warm look at Roy.

Jamie turned sharply to Roy, who was staunchly avoiding meeting his gaze.

" R-Roy man c'mon, don't be like that." Jaime breathed as he stepped closer to the other man who shook his head.

" I shoulda seen like Ted did, shoulda fuckin' stopped and thought about it like he did, instead I thought the worst of ya and I woulda ended up hurtin' ya even more." Roy said quietly as he finally looked up and met Jaime's devastated dark blue eyes.

" I ain't stayin' with ya because I am your coach and got an obligation, I am stayin' with ya because I fuckin' care about ya, like we all do ya little prick." Roy said, barely keeping his own voice from wobbling at he powerful emotions that rose up inside him.

Jamie stood wide-eyed at the words that had just come out of Roy Kent's mouth, and as he took a stunned look about the room he saw that Roy's sentiment was shared by every other lad in the room, even Higgins nodding wordlessly in agreement with Roy.

" I am sorry." Jamie blurted out as he looked about the room.

" I-I am sorry... I never meant... I didn't- I just... I weren't worth it... h-he said that I were worthless." Jaime choked out before he could stop himself.

There was a collective groan through the whole room at Jaime parroting his father's sickening words. Higgins looked close to fully bursting into tears.

" No you're not." Jaime turned as Beard stepped up to him and reached out, gripping firmly by his shoulders yet still being mindful of his injured state as he looked at him intensely.

" The only one who's worthless is him, he'll never see what we see, he'll never understand and it's his loss, not yours. You, all of you boys." Beard said as he looked about the room at all the lads with a small, sad smile to his lips as his eyes came back to Jaime and he finished.

" You all are worth everything to us coaches." He said, meaning every word and letting his own mask of stoicism drop for just a moment.

In an instant Jaime and Beard were being mobbed by the rest of the Richmond lads, many of them tearful, all of them deeply moved. Ted, Roy, and Higgins all found themselves pulled into the massive collective hug, not minding one bit because it was what was desperately needed.

About an hour later...

Jaime pushed the front door of his house open and led the way in, Roy following close behind carrying both of their duffel bags, at his insistence.

After they had finally taken their leave of the football club, after Jaime tearfully apologized to all of his teammates, Roy had bundled Jaime up into his giant G-Class and headed first to his own townhouse to pack a few days worth of clothes and some other essential items before they had headed off to Jaime's. Rebecca had asked Jaime for the keys to his Aston Martin so that her personal driver could drop it off for him later in the evening and then Uber home. Now here Roy and Jaime were, safely arrived at latter's house.

News of police coming to Jaime's house had thankfully not broken, due in part to the police being subtle and Keeley Jones gladly stepping in to work her PR magic. They all knew the story would get out eventually, especially once Tartt Sr. was rightly arrested, for now though the storm had been staved off.

Roy had just toed off his shoes and stepped away after setting them in Jaime's shoe rack when he nearly ran right into the young man himself.

" Oi what-" Roy began to say only to stop as he got a good look at Jaime.

The young man was standing in his foyer, not moving an inch, his dark blue eyes training on the completely spotless hardwood floor in front of him. Roy knew immediately that in Jaime's mind's eye, the spot was not empty, he were seeing himself curled up in a ball while his drunken bastard of a father loomed over him with a broken broom.

" Jaime." Roy called gently.

Jaime blinked and seemed to come back to himself as he tore his eyes away from the floor and focused on Roy.

" Lemme show you my guest room yeah?" He said with forced lightly as he gestured to the staircase that led upstairs.

" Yeah." Roy said with a nod before he dutifully followed after Jaime.

As he glanced about the place, Roy was a bit surprised by how warm and cozy Jaime's house actually was. He'd been expecting some modern monstrosity with sharp edges everywhere, instead the living room was filled with soft greys and deep blues, and naturally tons of football memorabilia. Upstairs the walls were a darker shade of charcoal with artwork and photos adorning them. Jaime led him down the hall till they came to stop at a room right near the bend. Jaime pushed the black door open to reveal the interior.

It were a moderately large room with high ceilings, the walls painted a dark, slightly blackish mauve. The curtains were black and at the center of the room was a neatly made queen sized bed with a black frame that had what looked like crushed velvet panels on the headboard and foot. Dark grey pillow and sheet set and black comforter finished off the look. Beneath the bed was a plush grey rectangular shaggy rug.

Tasteful dark, almost black mahogany furniture, some paintings of black horses, and a large standing mirror in the corner finished out the room.

It were as if the room were somehow tailor made to Roy's own tastes.

" Not bad Tartt." Roy said as he finally handed Jaime back his own duffel and then stepped into the room. He set his bag down by the foot of the bed.

" Thanks." Jaime said lightly as he waited for Roy to rejoin him.

" There's an attached bathroom down there." Jaime said as he pointed to a smaller hallway across from the bed, Roy nodding in understanding before Jaime turned and pointed to a closed black door just perpendicular to the guest room.

" Thas my room right there." He said as he gestured for Roy to follow, Roy immediately glad that he would be so close should Jaime have any need of him.

Jaime opened the door to reveal his bedroom. Roy was expecting at least this room to be completely outlandish, a true reflection of Jaime Tartt, footballer extraordinaire, but the only thing that was truly loud about the room was the bright orange leopard print headboard of Jaime's king-sized bed that had the rest of the frame in simple matte black and stood on a wide raised dais. Everything else about the room was sleek and elegant in desire as well black and silver trimmed, art-deco style furniture and a large black and white geometric patterned rug on the floor before the bed to tie everything together. There were shelves with silver and black framed pictures and a bookcase that was surprisingly enough filled with books and other nick nacks Jaime had collected. He had a couple of silver framed English National Football Team posters up as well. It was all very tasteful and understated despite it's owner being anything but. When Jaime noticed Roy eying his headboard, he just shrugged.

" Keeley picked it, said it'd jazz up the room a bit and I held onto it cause I liked it too." He explained.

Roy felt a small twinge at the mention of Keeley Jones, both his former girlfriend and Jaime's. After he had gotten back from his solo trip to Marbella, he and Keeley just didn't have the time for each other they needed and deserved, so they had parted ways sadly but amicably. It still hurt like fucking hell to have lost her, and Roy couldn't find it in him to fault Jaime for holding on to a piece of his own relationship with that wonderful woman.

" It does yeh." Roy grunted with a nod.

" I still got this one big white cheetah print Ottoman storage footstool in my room, keep spare blankets in it." He added.

" Oh nice!" Jaime said with a genuine smile.

" Speakin' of Keeley, I actually got a text from her while you were sayin' yer byes to the lads. Told me not to cook anything cause she's gonna be here with dinner for us in a little bit, take out from yer favorite Thai place." Roy explained.

" Oh she didn't hafta do that." Jaime said with a fond smile, though as Roy noticed, he didn't totally light up like Roy thought he would at the news that Keeley were coming over.

" You and I both know she wanted to. Fuckin' pissed to high hell she was when she found out about what happened to you from Rebecca." Roy explained.

Jaime ducked his head and looked honestly shy, something he rarely ever was. Roy felt his heart to that strange flip-flop again but quickly dismissed it as he spoke.

" How 'bout we freshen up a bit and then head downstairs and you can show me the rest of the place yeah?"

" Sounds good." Jaime said with the rare, shy smile of his.

Roy nodded, his and Jaime's eyes lingering on each other, a charged silence between them before Roy forced himself to turn away and head back to the guest room. Once he shut the door behind him, Roy let out the breath he was holding and shook his head. He had to get a grip of himself, Jaime was counting on him, hell Ted, Beard, Rebecca and all of fucking Richmond had entrusted him with guarding Jaime after he'd basically taken on the task. With a new determination Roy strode over to his duffel bag and pulled out some fresh clothes, a t-shirt and sweats, naturally all in black. He sent a quick text off to the Richmond group chat to let everyone know they had arrived to Jaime's safely before he popped into the attached bathroom, finding it to be just as tastefully decorated with white and grey tiles and a standing shower that he immediately stepped into.

He took a quick, icy shower to cleanse himself of the day. He stepped out feeling a bit more invigorated as he toweled his hair and changed into his clothes. He gave himself a once over in the standing mirror before he headed for the door. He stepped out of the room and only a couple of minutes later Jaime was stepping out of his bedroom, dressed in soft looking grey sweats and a dark blue AFC Richmond hoodie.

" You take yer pill?" Roy asked immediately as he stepped up to Jaime.

" Yeh, 'm good Roy." Jaime replied with a nod.

" Les go downstairs then, show you the rest of the place." He added with a gesture towards the stairs.

" Hmm." Roy grunted before dutifully following after Jaime.

Jaime showed him about living room, Roy taking a liking to the large rectangular kinetic art coffee table in the center of the room with the little metal ball rolling away, making complex patterns in the sand under the glow of the soft LED lights built in. It was this quiet, tranquility inducing piece that again, Roy had not expected to fall within Jaime's tastes. There were framed pictures of a smiling blue eyed woman with dark blue eyes the same and Jaime's, no doubt his beautiful mum. Roy especially liked the pictures of her wearing bright red lipstick and a crocheted bright red beanie hat shaped like a cherry of all things.

Jaime's kitchen was fully modern and minimalist in style, white and grey in color with a string of teardrop shaped hanging over the counter. The fridge were white and seemed to almost melt into the rest of the space. There was a dining area by the windows with a white glass dining table and matching chairs with a chandelier hanging over it that patched the lights hanging over the kitchen counter, only this one had a black wire frame boxing them. Roy bit back a smile when he say that Jaime had a centerpiece on the table that were a trio of little crystal footballs.

Across the hallway was Jaime's personal workout room, filled with state of the art equipment and a TV, but what Roy's eyes went to the moment he stepped into the room was what was hanging on the center wall.

" Y-You've still got it?" Roy croaked out as he slowly made his way into the room, his dark eyes gazing at the image of himself, framed and forever frozen in time as he roared with rage.

It was a poster of him when he was all of twenty-four years old and soaring high with Chelsea, the poster Jaime admitted to having at the gala two years ago.

" Yeah." Jaime said with a casual shrug and a telling pinkness to his cheeks.

" Mum were the one who gave it to meh for my ninth birthday and... it's y-you innit?" He added, stumbling a bit at the end and averting his eyes shyly.

Roy blinked at the young man before him, his entire opinion of Jaime irrevocably changing yet again, like it had done in that locker room at Wembley, or when Jaime had owned up to his gaff for telling Keeley that he still loved her and then apologized to him sincerely. Roy felt a powerful surge of protectiveness wash over him as quickly shook himself out of his stunned reverie and spoke.

" Yer Mum picked a good one." He said lightly.

" Yeah she did." Jaime said with a fond smile, that faded far too fast at his next words.

" God rest her soul." He said softly and bowed his head.

Roy felt the bottom completely drop out of his stomach, but before he could even think of what to say to this latest startling revelation, the chime of the door bell sounded.

Keeley were finally here like she promised, and it provided the perfect out for the two of them as they hurried out of Jaime's training room and down the hallway to the front door to greet her.

The petite blond was stylish as ever, with her mile-high heels and a furry hot pink jacket over a black corset dress. She carried in with her a veritable Thai feast that Roy quickly took over carrying after he sent Jaime one of his patented warning glares when the injured lad tried to step forward. Keeley was immediately hugging Jaime with care before herding him over to his sofa while Roy took the food into the kitchen before joining them. Both Roy and Jaime could see that her bright blue eyes were slightly red and irritated, signalling she'd shed a few tears at least.

She were gentle in asking after Jaime, and horrified when he actually showed her his back. It was all she could do not to start sobbing all over again. She didn't ask for Jaime to recount anything, he did point to the spot on the floor just a few feet away where his father had beat him, and tried to joke about how he would stick to just vacuuming now, but it fell a bit flat. Roy rescued them from the heaviness by asking if they were ready to eat, to which Jaime and Keeley readily taking the out as they all shuffled into the kitchen where Roy had set everything Keeley had brought out on the dining table.

Jaime gave both Roy and Keeley the stink eye when they took over again, Roy asking where Jaime kept his plates and utensils while Keeley grabbed up some glasses for them and made her way to the fridge where Jaime kept some sparkling drinks. When Roy set down the plates, Jaime felt his heart do another flutter as instead of sitting across from him, Roy set his own plate down beside him while Keeley's he put at the head of the table. If this detail was not lost on Keeley herself, she made no comment and instead focused on rattling off everything she'd brought, a combo of all three of their favorite Thai dishes.

Conversation turned to how Keeley's PR firm was doing and she was more than happy to regale them about the ups and downs of her business venture.

Roy was glad to see Jaime enjoying the food, but under his watchful gaze the older man could see that the young man's multiple injuries were bothering him. He was hunched and his movements slower than normal. Once a good chunk of the food was eaten and the leftovers stowed away, Keeley took her leave, exacting strict promises from them both, in Jaime's case to rest and let himself heal fully before even thinking about getting back to training, and in Roy's, to call her for anything and everything and take all care of Jaime. She also assured them that she and her team would keep the journos away, and that it would be Jaime's call if he wanted to make a statement and to who. With a few more hugs and reassurances, Keeley headed home, leaving Roy and Jaime to each other.

" You wanna cuppa or watch a movie?" Jaime asked.

" No, we can have a cuppa in the mornin', right now yer goin' to bed." Roy said without missing a beat.

Jaime looked mutinous for a moment before he deflated and nodded.

" Will you help meh with my back?" Jaime asked, sounding painfully unsure.

" Of course. You jus' head on upstairs and get ready for bed while I shut everythin' off yeah?" Roy said with gruff assurance.

Jaime nodded, sending Roy a quietly grateful look before he made his way over to the front door to punch in his security code and set the alarm before he shuffled off upstairs. Roy watched him go, seeing for himself how gingerly Jaime was moving now. With a sigh, Roy walked about the downstairs sending a quick text to the Richmond group chat wishing everyone a goodnight and once again assuring everyone that Jaime was alright. He got several relieved replies before he set to work shutting off every light he could see but leaving the coffee table on so as not to plunge the whole place into darkness.

Roy quickly made his way up the stairs, his own bad knee twinging a bit like it normally did at night. He got upstairs and made his way down the hall, making his way towards Jaime's bedroom. He paused at the door and called in.

" Jaime? Can I come in?" He asked.

" S-Sure Roy." Came Jaime's soft, pained voice from inside.

Instantly alert, Roy quickly stepped over the threshold, his eyes going straight to where Jaime was waiting for him, sitting over the edge of his bed with his back to him, hunched over. His blue Richmond hoodie lay on the bed beside him, leaving him in the baggy blue t-shirt he was wearing underneath it. Jaime sat up and looked over his shoulder, sending Roy a wan smile as the older man drew near.

On the bedside table was the white pharmacy bag Roy had given him earlier.

When Roy came around Jaime kept his gaze averted, pursing his lips and looking quietly embarrassed.

" Whas wrong Jaime?" Roy asked quietly.

After a moment of hesitation, Jaime forced himself to look up and meet Roy's dark eyes.

" Could you help meh with my shirt please it just... it's realley hurtin' a lot now, even afta I took the pill." He said softly, a tell-tale sheen to his dark blue eyes.

Roy had to clench his jaw hard to keep from cursing out James Tartt Sr. til he was blue in the face. He gave Jaime a wordless nod before he bent over and slowly reached out to grip the bottom of Jaime's shirt. He pulled up he garment with infinite care, Jaime letting out a shaky breath and doing his best to be still. Roy pulled up the shirt til he was at Jaime's armpits.

" Let's get yer arms out first yeah?" He said quietly.

Jaime nodded mutely, sending Roy a grateful look when the latter did his best to pull the short sleeve open as much as possible to make it easier for Jaime to get one arm out, and then the other. Jaime still couldn't hold back a groan of pain at the movement. Roy pulled the shirt up the rest of the way and finally maneuvered it over Jaime's head by pulling the collar as wide as he could. Jaime winced slightly as his upper body was laid bare, shivering slightly despite the room being at normal temperature. Roy felt his full stomach roll as the sight of the bruises that adorned Jaime's front. The circular bruises from Tartt Sr.'s fists and the long bruises from the broom seemed to have spread some more despite all that time Jaime spent in the cryovest. It couldn't really be helped seeing as to how the assault happened just the night before.

" Lay down on yer front, I'll get the pain gel on yer back first." Roy instructed.

Jaime nodded, looking completely worn and in pain as he gritted his teeth and did as Roy told him. He slowly eased himself backward further onto his bed and then lowered himself down onto his front as carefully as he could so as to not aggravate the bruises on his chest and stomach. The moment Roy's eyes landed on Jaime's back, he was transfixed in renewed horror. Like the bruises on Jaime's front, the deeper bruises adorning his back had spread out and grown more vivid. The image of them would remain etched into Roy's mind forever.

" Looks worse now don't it?" Jaime asked knowingly without looking up at Roy.

" They'll fade before ya know it." Roy replied with surety as he reached over to the nightstand to pick up the crumpled white pharmacy back.

He pulled out a large white tub and a silver tube, two of the best topical pain relievers he was familiar with due to his own personal experience rehabing his knee.

" I am gonna start now alright?" Roy declared, waiting until Jaime gave him a wordless nod with his face mushed into the pillow beneath him before he set to work on Jaime's back.

For what felt like hours, Roy gently rubbed the contents of the white tub onto Jaime's bruises before following up with the contents of the tube. Jaime lay still, hyper-aware of Roy's lightly calloused hands on his skin, the older man's caring coming through with each touch. If anyone would have told him just a couple of years ago that one day Roy Kent would be here doing this for him, Jaime would've laughed his head clean off and told that person to fucking sod off to Antarctica. Yet here and now, his childhood hero turned coach was taking care of him. Jaime felt a wave of hot gratitude wash over him with his throat feeling tight and his eyes burning. He stayed silent though, not wanting to disturb Roy in his task.

" Roll onto yer side yeah, I'll get yer front done." Roy said once he was satisfied with Jaime's back.

Jaime pushed himself over onto his side with a small hiss, giving Roy the access he needed to treat the bruises on Jaime's front. He started with the fist-shaped bruises to the young man's stomach and worked his way up to the long bruises over his chest. When Roy had just finished treating the last bruise over Jaime's chest, Jaime reached up and gripped Roy's hand. He looked up at Roy with grateful but uncertain eyes. The touch had the both of them feeling like a live-wire was connecting them as Roy spoke.

" What is it Jaime?" He rumbled quietly.

" I uh... I can't thank ya enough for what you done for meh today and I... I know 'm probably makin' things weird but, could you just... I mean... Could you s-stay with meh?" Jaime halting asked, all but whispering and averting his eyes as a crimson flush came to his cheeks.

Roy blinked, definitely not expecting the request, but he quickly shook himself of his astonishment and spoke.

" It's alright Jaime, bed's plenty big enough, I'll stay with ya." He said, hoping to sound casual enough while his heart was racing inside his chest as he squeezed Jaime's hand in assurance.

Jaime immediately looked palpably relieved, unconsciously rubbing his thumb over one of Roy's knuckles before he caught himself. With a surprising amount of reluctance, Jaime let go of Roy's hand.

" T-Thanks Roy." He said softly, not really looking at Roy.

" Hmm." Roy grunted eloquently before he continued.

" I'll be back in a bit, just gonna go brush my teeth." He explained.

" Y-Yeah, I'll do the same." Jaime said quickly with a nod as he slowly climbed to his feet.

Roy and Jaime stood facing each other for a long moment before Roy finally took his leave. The moment Roy was safely back in the guest room he let out a profoundly shaky breath and shook his head. Out of everything he was expecting, Jaime asking him to stay in his bed for the night was not it, not that the older man didn't understand why. It made Roy's heart bleed all over again, knowing Jaime was still fucking scared out of his mind.

Roy made quick work of getting to his bag for his toothbrush before ducking into the en-suite. With his nerves coiling about in his gut, Roy mechanically brushed his teeth. Once he had rinsed out his mouth for the final time he looked at himself in the mirror.

" Yer fuckin' take care of him like you said you fuckin' would." Roy said to his own reflection, steeling his resolve before he headed back out of the room.

Again he came to stand by the doorway to Jaime's bedroom and announced his presence, waiting until Jaime gave him his express permission to enter. As he stepped into the room, Jaime slowly shuffled out through the door to his own en-suite bathroom, redressed in the baggy shirt he had been wearing earlier, giving Roy a smile that looked more like a grimace.

" Which side would ya prefer?" Jaime asked as he and Roy made their way towards Jaime's king-sized bed.

" Whichever side yer not takin'." Roy said succinctly.

Jaime nodded and made his way over to the side of the bed he'd laid on when Roy had tended to his injuries, Roy wordlessly coming to his side and pulling the black covers back for him. Roy then gripped Jaime's elbow lightly and held the young man steady as Jaime gingerly got into bed, making sure to lay on his side. Roy pulled the covers up over Jaime, resisting the urge to go ahead and tuck him in fully. Jaime nodded wordlessly, his own face heating up both at Roy's helpfulness and because of how at ease it was putting him after the terror he had been in since last night.

Roy quickly made his way around to the other side of the bed and climbed under the covers, secretly really enjoying the feel of Jaime's no doubt pricey bed linens as he lay flat on his back. There was plenty of space separating them with Jaime's bed being king-sized, and yet they still felt close to each other, secure in the other's presence. Roy turned his head to eye Jaime as he slowly pushed himself up onto his elbow with a grunt. Before Roy could get on him for getting up and aggravating is injuries, Jaime suddenly clapped his hands loudly twice and in doing so, plunged the room fulling into darkness as both bedside table lamps and the dim lights in the ceiling all turned off as one.

" Why am I not fuckin' surprised that you got fuckin' clap-on clap-off lights." Roy quipped in the dark.

" Hey man, it beats having to get up when yer already tucked in, and especially when you got company of the sexey kind and ain't fixin' to kill the mood." Jaime quipped without turning to face Roy.

" Jus' funny since every ad I ever seen for the fuckin' clapper been all about how convenient it is for the elderly, especially little old ladies who live alone." Roy commented with a smirk in the dark as he turned his head to eye his bed mate.

Jaime snorted and then groaned, laughing lightly before he slowly and carefully turned over onto his other side so that he was facing Roy.

" Callin' me an old fuckin' lady are ya?" Jaime asked without any heat and a tired smile on his pale face.

" If the frilly lace nighty and nickers fit?" Roy clapped back without missing a beat.

There was a beat of silence and then Jaime and Roy were dissolving into hearty chuckles.

" Awww c'mon man, don' make meh laugh so much." Jaime groaned while still chuckling.

" Alright, alright get a hold of yerself." Roy said with mock sternness.

Jaime settled down and the two of them just breathed for a bit before Jaime sighed.

" Night Roy." He said quietly.

" Night Jaime." Roy said back.

Roy silently watched as Jaime shifted his head deeper into the pillow beneath his head and shut his eyes, wincing slightly against at every ache radiating through his body before his breath slowly but surely evened out. It left Roy feeling quietly relieved that Jaime drifted off so fast, no doubt the exhaustion of this whole clusterfuck of a day finally too much for the lad to keep at bay. Sleep did not come as easily for Roy though. He turned his head away from the sight of a sleeping Jaime and laid on his back, his dark eyes staring at the high ceiling but not really seeing it, instead all Roy say was the vivid, unrelenting replay of the day, his mind naturally tormenting him with how he had threatened Jaime with extra laps in his street clothes because the lad were acting like a prick only to get slapped hard in the face with the revelation as to why. With guilt once again burning a whole through his stomach, Roy laid there for a good long while before his eyes finally drifted shut and he fell into an unsettled sleep.

The next thing Roy knew he was abruptly yanked back into consciousness by a blood-curdling scream and his own loud curse of shock. He sat bolt-upright with a sharp gasp, his sleep-leaden eyes darting about the room in confusion for a moment before settling on the source of the scream.

Jaime.

Jaime in the grips of what looked like the mother of all nightmares as he writhed and thrashed about in agony, tangled in the comforter.

" Dad stop, please stop!" Jaime yelled as he curled in on himself as small as he could.

" C-Coach help meh! Ted! Ted! Beard!"

Then with a low groan, Jaime called out a different name.

" R-Roy help meh! Please make him stop he's gonna kill meh! Sam! Dani! Colin! Matt! ANYONE PLEASE!" He all but sobbed desperately.

" Oh fuck!" Roy whispered as he scrambled to his knees and crawled over to Jaime.

" Jaime? Oi Jaime!" He called out, trying to cut through the haze but failing miserably.

Roy carefully reached out towards the sobbing young man, laying one gentle hand over Jaime's trembling head and the other over his shoulder.

No sooner had Roy touched Jaime, he suddenly found himself with his arms full of badly trembling Tartt who lunged forward with a broken, terrified yell. He wasted no time in wrapping his arms around the younger man and holding him firmly, though still being mindful of Jaime's injured state. Jaime fisted his hands tightly into the back of Roy's shirt, burying his face into the center of the older man's chest and screaming with all the force he had in him.

Each scream, though muffled, was like a lance directly to Roy's heart as he felt his own eyes fill with burning hot salt.

"Jaime! Jaime wake up! Please wake up lad!" Roy yelled as he stroked his hand up and down Jaime's back before burying his fingers into the younger man's hair, holding the back of his head and giving it a light shake in an effort to get Jaime out of his terror induced stupor.

Jaime's screams seemed to stretch out for all eternity, reverberating though Roy's heart without mercy until Roy finally unwound his arms from around Jaime and held the sides of his head firmly as he pushed Jaime away from his chest so that they were face to face. It shattered Roy's heart when he saw that Jaime had his eyes screwed tightly shut with tears leaking past the seam, his mouth still wide as he gasped and cried in the phantom grip of the terror his father had caused him. With determination filling him, Roy set to work.

" Jaime wake up! Wake up right fuckin' now!" Roy barked sternly. He repeated the order several times, determined to break through to Jaime.

After several tense moments, Jaime gasped sharply and opened his eyes, coming back to the present world. Roy and Jaime stared at each other for the longest moment before Jaime's entire body shuddered.

" R-Roy was I dreamin'?" Jaime breathed out shakily.

" Y-Yeah, it were just a dream. Yer safe now, he's gone and I won't ever let him come anywhere fuckin' near ya again. None of us will, you mark my fuckin' words. Yer safe, ya understand, yer safe and 'm right here yeh? I am right here with ya." Roy said as he stroked his hands over Jaime's sweat dampened hair and tear-stained sheets.

" O-Oh God... Oh God Roy. Roy." Jaime breathed before he dissolved completely.

" I know Jaime, I know lad. Shhh. Shhh. I know." Roy said as he gathered Jaime back into his arms, laying them down. Much like he had done in that locker room at Wembley, Jaime tucked his face into the side of Roy's neck and cried, his whole body hitching with his sobs as he clung to Roy.

" H-He woulda raped meh Roy. He woulda fuckin' raped meh with that broom if it hadn't broke." Jaime moaned in despair.

Roy felt the bitter salt finally leak from his own eyes at that, hot and bitter as he tightened his arms around Jaime as much as he could.

" He'll get his Jaime, that bastard will get his for alls he's done to ya. For now just cry as much as you want, it's okay, just cry as much as you need to 'cause I ain't goin' anywhere darlin'." Roy said with his voice going croaky at the ending promise.

Jaime drew back from Roy a bit so that he could see his face, his tearful eyes growing wide as he saw the tears flowing from Roy's dark eyes. He unwound one of his arms from Roy's back and reached out to wipe at them, looking utterly mortified.

" M'sorry Roy." He murmured brokenly.

Roy just shook his head and gathered Jaime back to him as the young man started lightly sobbing again.

" None of that lad, 's alright. All of this fuckin' broke my heart along with everyone else's. That ain't yer fault in anyway." Roy explained with fresh tears flowing free as he cupped the back of Jaime's head.

" Roy it hurts." Jaime groaned as his well-abused body came alight with fresh waves of pain in the aftermath of all of Jaime's writhing and thrashing.

" I know Jaime, I know. Just breathe through it, you've taken the meds, it'll fade soon." Roy assured, feeling totally helpless because he couldn't give Jaime anything further for the pain, he'd already had the prescribed amount for the night and he'd be damned if he risked putting Jaime in any kind of danger with such a powerful painkiller.

Jaime cried silently for a little bit longer, his every exhale ending in a soft groan that further shattered Roy's heart. Roy just murmured quiet assurances and stroked his hand up and down Jaime's back, feeling the light heat radiating from beneath his t-shirt, knowing that Jaime's many bruises were painfully fevered. Thankfully Jaime calmed down as the minutes passed by until, much to Roy's relief he felt Jaime's breath even out and his body grown slack against him.

Sleep would not come for Roy again that night though, his urge to protect taking over any need to rest. On top of his own despair at seeing Jaime in such a state, Roy once again felt the murderous anger rise up inside him towards the one responsible for all of this.

James Tartt Sr. better not be in any part of Richmond, and he had better hope it were the police who found him, because if Roy ever got his hands on him, he'd find a way to destroy that fucking piece of shit down to the last atom of the man.

A few hours later, early morning at Nelson Road...

The lads were all in the process of changing into their training kits for the day, the air about the room somber and all of them feeling incomplete. Many eyes turned to the one cubby that stood devoid of a football player.

Number 9. Their number 9.

Everyone had Jaime on their mind, wondering how he was doing today, just twenty-four hours after his own father had brutally attacked him. As far as they knew, both Jaime and Roy wouldn't be in today, Ted having ordered Jaime to strictly resting today.

So imagine everyone's shock when the side door to the locker room swung open and Roy Kent walked in with his eyes a bit sunken and his face harder than usual, wearing his signature all black attire and carrying his duffel bag with none other than Jaime Tartt following after him. Jaime was looking tired and quietly somber, but otherwise alright, wearing acid washed jeans and a white hoodie with matching white trainers. His hands were buried in his pockets as he usually did when he were nervous.

" Mornin'." Roy grunted as he paused on his way to the Coach's office and looked about the room, sending the lads a warning look that basically did the part of him screaming that they all better be extra fuckin' careful now that he'd brought Jaime to them despite his awful physical state.

" Mornin' guys." Jaime added with a wave and a genuine smile that lit up his face.

" Jaime!" Sam cried, his own face lighting up along with every other lads in the room.

Sam rushed forward, slowly down at the last moment and then very carefully pulling Jaime into a loving embrace. One that Jaime returned whole-heartedly, his spirits immediately brightening as the other lads all cautiously gathered around him and Sam, smiling and looking honestly relieved to see him.

Roy watched on as after Sam drew away, Dani stepped forward to give Jaime a hug next, looking a little misty-eyed but thrilled to see his amigo.

The light clearing of a throat behind him had Roy looking over his shoulder to see Ted Lasso and Coach Beard standing just in the threshold of their shared office. While Beard looked openly unamused, Ted had a small smile on his face at the sight of Jaime and the boys enjoying their impromptu reunion, but his dark brown eyes held a thousand questions. Roy nodded mutely before he turned back to the lads.

" Oi!" He called.

All eyes turned to him, Colin still keeping hold of Jaime protectively as they all looked to their coach in askance.

" I know you all were expectin' neither of us to come in, but I thought it best to bring Jaime here instead of watchin' him mope about at home all day. Don't make a huge fuckin' deal about it and make sure he don't try nothin' funny, he's not to lift even one single cone, understood?" Roy growled.

" Yes Coach!" Came the wave of obedient responses while Jaime just sent him a dry look before he deflated and dramatically fell back into Colin's arms, earning chuckles from everyone.

Roy then turned to Ted and Beard, stepping into the Coach's office and shutting the door behind him.

" Morning Roy." Beard said casually.

" Yeah, mornin' Roy." Ted added as he bounced on the balls of his feet.

" Hmm." Roy grunted in response.

There was a beat of charged silence before Ted finally spoke.

" What's up Roy? I thought we all agreed that you and Jaime were gonna take the day, have him rest?" He asked casually.

" I thought so too." Roy began before he sighed and shook his head.

" Except last night, after I put the pain creams over Jaime's bruises for him he asked me to stay with him and I did, he got a king-zised bed so it were fuckin' big enough for us both and all, and after I had just fallen asleep I come awake again to him screamin' his bloody fuckin' head off in full terror, having the fuckin' mother of all fuckin' nighmares about what that piece of shit did to him."

In an instant Ted and Beard were deflating and nodding in understanding.

" He fucking twisted himself up trying to get away, then he curled up as tight as he could, beggin' his old man to stop. He started screaming for all of us Ted. The both of you, me, all the lads. He screamed for all of us." Roy continued gravely as he looked to Ted and Beard.

The two coaches looked absolutely stricken, Ted's eyes over-bright with tears while Beard had his jaw clenched painfully.

" He should be here with everybody, if he were at his house I have no doubt he'd spend the whole day just starin' at the spot on the floor where his shit-stain father beat him like he did last night when we got to his place last night after trainin'." Roy finished as he himself deflated and felt exhausted to his very bones.

" Ya made the right call Roy. It's already been good for his spirits bein' back with the boys." Ted said with a nod as he reached up and gripped Roy's shoulder firmly, sharing a nod with the dark eyes man.

" He's safer here anyway." Beard said simply.

Roy nodded and told Ted and Beard about Jaime's despair at the heinous threats his father had made to him regarding the broom the sick fuck had broke, and how the poor boy had then cried himself to sleep. Ted and Beard barely managed to keep themselves composed. Ted took charge, sending Roy off to go get changed while he and Beard would go rally the boys for the morning training and eagerly greet Jaime themselves.

Roy lingered a moment to look through the coach's office window, watching Ted cordially greet Jaime and then pull the lad into a gentle hug of his own. Jaime looked right at him through the glass as he hugged Ted back tightly, a look of understanding on his face. Roy pursed his own lips and forced himself to meet Jaime's dark blue eyes before he nodded and turned away and headed for the coach's smaller locker room to change into his coach's garb for the day. Now was not the time to burst into tears again, he may have brought Jaime with him to cheer up the young man, but Roy came in himself because he needed to put all of his focus into something other than wanting to rend Jaime's sperm donor limb from limb. He were here to do his fucking job, and be fucking productive.

Roy quickly got changed and by the time he emerged from the coach's office everyone was changed and ready.

" Alright gang, let's get out there!" Ted declared as he led the charge out of the locker room.

Beard followed with an indulgent look while the lads all followed after the American Gaffers, Isaac walking with Jaime, an arm draped casually over Jaime's shoulders as he chatted Jaime's ear off about the latest haircut he'd perfected. Jaime looked over his shoulder, his eyes seeking out Roy. Their eyes met amidst the throng of other people. Jaime sent him a shy, warm smile that instantly had Roy relaxing just the tiniest bit. Roy sent Jaime a warm look of his own before he looked away and focused on bringing up the rear of the procession of young footballers, Moe Bumbercatch coming up to him, both to thank him for bringing Jaime in to be with them and also asking him about the mechanics of one of the latest plays they were working on. Roy was more than happy to give Moe some clarity as they all headed up the tunnel onto the pitch.

Ted had Jaime take a seat in the front row, keeping him close to the coaches while they oversaw warm-ups and then started running drills. Everyone could see the quiet yearning in Jaime's eyes as he watched his teammates go about training like normal. They all felt bad, but at the same time it couldn't be helped until Jaime had healed up. They all took solace in seeing how much brighter Jaime was simply being there among them instead of how he had been yesterday, acting like a prick out of a misguided attempt to hide what had happened to him, the naked terror he had displayed after Ted had seen past the ruse and gotten through to him just by being his kind and caring self. Now Jaime was smiling and cheering on his teammates and playfully trash-talking here and there, earning smiles and a few quips back from the teammates he were harmlessly ribbing. Will made his way over and handed Jaime a water bottle, Jaime smiling at him in thanks.

The boys made their plays with Dani stepping into Jaime's role, and they pulled everything off without a hitch, but it really just wasn't the same. Jaime would be out for two weeks, strict doctor's orders, and would understandably be missing the upcoming game. It was another reason they all wanted to collectively kick Tartt Sr. arse from Manchester to Richmond, and then straight to Dani's native Guadalajara for good measure.

Midway through the morning session Rebecca and Higgins made a surprise appearance on the pitch. Rebecca was eye-catching as always in a deep, forest green peplum dress while Higgins looked smart in a classic black suit. While Richmond's owner and HR Man were both not thrilled that he wasn't resting, they were happy to see Jaime looking miles better than he had yesterday. Unfortunately, they didn't have any news yet regarding the person responsible for sidelining one of Richmond's aces. All Rebecca and Higgins could say currently was that the police were still looking with all diligence while the lawyers and Keeley's PR team were hard at work keeping things under wraps.

After the morning training session everyone headed to the canteen for lunch. Several of the lads wanted to share their lunch with Jaime, leaving the younger man blushing but happily accepting a taste from everyone. Sam was especially pleased as he had actually brought a lovely Nigerian rice pilaf he had made the night before, his dad's special recipe. The coaches were ever watchful over their charges, none more so than Roy as he stayed close to Jaime but not enough to hover. By the end of lunch, everyone could see that the pain was slowly getting to Jaime again. Roy reminded him to take his pain-pill before asking Jaime if he needed to go see Daniel in the physio room.

"I'll be okay Roy, the pill will kick in in a little bit yeh?" Jaime assured Roy as they walked side by side surrounded by the rest of the lads who were making their way to the TV room where Ted and Beard were going to show some game-play films of Brentfort for the upcoming match against them.

The rest of the day passed in much the same way, Jaime in the midst of his teammates, bantering and smiling, trying not to wince too much. The sadness and heaviness were still there, just faded to the background. When it was time for everyone to head home, Isaac and the lads asked if, since tomorrow was an off day, it would be alright if they all went out to dinner at Diba's, that nice Persian place Richard mentioned a few weeks back that had really good kebabs.

" You got this one here at kebabs." Jaime quipped as he playfully tapped his shoulder against Roy, wincing but smiling even as Roy glared at him, both for the cheek and for purposely causing himself that bit of pain just to be cheeky. At the many expectant looks leveled on him, Roy rolled his eyes.

" He ain't wrong." The grump grunted, as though it physically pained Roy to admit it, earning a wave of happy cheers from everyone, even Ted grinning widely.

Everyone finished packing up and headed out of the club, hungry and just eager to just hang out after hours and unwind. They all piled into their cars, Ted and Beard hitching a ride with Roy and Jaime in Roy's G-class, confirming the restaurant's address on the group chat before heading off.

When they got there, the whole team was greeted warmly by the owner herself, who guided them upstairs to the restaurant's private dining area, which was much appreciated. Dinner was a casual but warm affair, and the food and drink was excellent, Richard blushing at the many complements he received for finding the place, including from Roy who very much enjoyed his lamb kebabs. Jaime opted for the roasted eggplant moussaka with lamb and nearly wiped his whole plate clean it was so delicious. Ted was enjoying a nice sauteed chicken dish with grape leaves when his phone chimed in his back pocket. Ted pulled his phone out to see who had messaged him, a smile coming to his face.

" Excuse me a sec." Ted said as he got up from his seat near the head of the long table that had been set up. Roy and Beard both watched him go but wisely said nothing, going back to enjoying the food and company.

Ted returned maybe five minutes later, looking a bit more relaxed but somber as his brown eyes immediately went to Jaime who was in a deep conversation with Colin and Dani.

" What's up doc?" Beard asked lightly as he forked himself another piece of fried halloumi.

Ted took his gaze away from Jaime and looked between his fellow coaches, subtly gesturing for them to come a bit closer so he could speak to them and only them.

" Just got off the phone with the Boss Lady herself, she's happy to report that Manchester police just picked up one James Tartt Sr. on multiple charges and are holdin' him without bond. They found him blowing the money Jaime gave him in an illegal gamblin' ring involving dog races under a nail salon and he thought they were on him about that, couldn't be bothered at all 'bout what he did to Jaime." Ted explained gravely.

It took everything Roy had in him not to roar with savage delight that the sperm donor had been apprehended, and also rage at the callousness of the bastard for immediately blowing the money he had basically beaten out of Jaime on some pointless, illegal vice. Fucking hell Roy was pissed off on behalf of the poor dogs that were being raced too. Roy managed to keep himself under control while Beard took a long swig of his wine before letting out a profound sigh.

" All of us, especially Jaime are safe now. We'll deal with the rest as it plays out." He said lightly, though there was a quiet maelstrom in his dark eyes.

" Coach is right, let's just enjoy the rest of dinner with these fine young gentlemen." Ted said before he looked to Roy.

" We should break it to him together, I'll ask you two up to my place for a sec after you drop me and Beard off?" Ted asks.

" Yeah, it'd be good to keep it private 'cause I ain't sure what his fucking reaction's gonna be." Roy agreed while Beard nodded.

With that the coaches broke their little huddle and casually went back to eating dinner and interacting with the rest of the team. If Roy's eyes found Jaime's often, he owned that fully as he felt some of the tension ease within him on Jaime's behalf. That bastard was behind bars, it was nowhere near enough in Roy's opinion, but it's what would have to do for now at least. Roy would focus on enjoying the rest of his evening, do some fucking cartwheels on the fucking inside or what have you.

Inevitably dinner drew to a close and everyone had to head home for the night. It was a bit late but okay since tomorrow was an off day for the team. Jaime shared fond goodbyes with his teammates, especially an extra long hug from Dani before he joined Roy, Ted, and Beard in the parking lot.

" You doin' okay there Jaime?" Ted asked almost immediately.

" Yeah coach, 'm hangin' in there. The pain pills only do so much but I don't wanna take more than 'm allowed." Jaime replied with a nod.

" Good man." Beard said with an approving look while Ted and Roy both gave Jaime their own versions of proud looks, of course with Roy, Jaime wondered if he were just constipated already from all the kababs the older man had inhaled this evening.

The four of them all piled into the G-Class and headed in the opposite direction towards Ted's place.

Jaime was a bit more talkative, him and Ted having an easy conversation about how good the food was, Beard chiming in every now and then, especially entertaining them all with this story of the one time he tried to actually make fried halloumi himself and nearly burned down his then girlfriend's place and decided to leave it to the professionals from then on. Roy allowed himself a few chuckles but quickly grew somber as he remembered that they were going to Ted's not just to drop the gaffers off but to also break the news to Jaime about his dad.

Roy found a parking spot, Jaime frowning at him in confusion for a moment before Ted spoke up.

" Yeah Jaime, actually need ya to pop upstairs to mine for a sec." Ted said lightly with a warm smile.

Jaime immediately tensed, knowing something was up.

" Y-Yeah, sure coach." He said quietly.

Ted, Beard, and Roy all relaxed just a bit at Jaime's agreeableness before they all climbed out of Roy's car. The walk was made in charged silence, Ted, Roy, and Beard all mulling over what to say to Jaime. They reached Ted's place in know time and yet it still felt like they were walking through molasses as they got to his door.

" It's me dad innit?" Jaime asked the moment he was over the threshold, pinning all three of his coaches with a look.

" Why don't you have a seat first? We'll explain." Ted said as he gestured to his couch.

Pursing his lips and nodding curtly, Jaime made his way over to Ted's couch, looking up in a bit of surprise when Roy smoothly sank down beside him.

" I was gonna wax poetic about how brave you've been and how great it was to have you with us today, but lemme just get to the point." Ted said quickly.

" Jaime, durin' dinner I got a call from Rebecca informin' me that yer father's been arrested up in Manchester. He got busted under a nail salon partakin' in illegal gamblin' activities and a slew of other charges that actually have nothing to do with the charges we've levied against him here in Richmond for hurtin' you and threatenin' us. They're holdin' him without bail so he ain't gettin' out. And the multiple restrainin' orders have gone through so even if he could get out, he can't set foot in Richmond without landing himself right back in the slammer." Ted explained gently.

Ted's words were met with utter silence, Jaime gaping at him with his dark blue eyes wide.

" Yer safe now Jaime, he's locked up." Roy said quietly.

Roy's voice seemed to snap Jaime back to reality as he let out a shaky breath. Then the next moment he was on his feet and trying to fly across the room to Ted's door, Beard physically stepping in his way the only thing stopping him from escaping.

" Woah Jaime, where are you going?" Beard asked in utter confusion while Roy shot up for the couch and Ted strode forward.

" Coach I have to go, I have to get out of here!" Jaime said with terror radiating from him.

" It's okay, Roy will take you back to yers and-" Ted began to assure only for Jaime to almost violently shake his head and wince as his bruised body protested him trying to run off to begin with.

" N-No, I don't mean my place! I mean Richmond, I gotta get outta Richmond! I should leave fuckin' England entirely!" Jaime said shakily as he sent all three of his coaches a pleading look to let him go.

" Oi Jaime, Jaime what the fuck is goin' on?" Roy asked gruffly but gently.

" Yeah Jaime, yer not makin' a whole heap a sense here. What do ya mean you have to get out of England entirely?" Ted added.

" Just take a deep breath and calm down first." Beard said as he sent Jaime a reassuring look.

Jaime's eyes darted between his three coaches before he did as Beard suggested, taking in deep breath and holding it before slowly letting it out. He repeated it at Ted's encouragement and rubbed a hand over his heart for good measure with Roy did so himself. It worked and Jaime relaxed a bit before he spoke.

" It... It ain't ova jus' because my old man is in fuckin' jail! He's landed in jail before and I bailed him out the first few times when I were able, but wheneva I took too long or outright refused to give him a single cent, he'd send his mates Denbo and Bug and some otha blokes I don't even know ova to... to straighten me out and encourage meh to be a good son for my d-dad." Jaime explained with his face crumbling.

" Jaime." Roy gritted out before he slowly reached out and brought Jaime to him in a careful bear hug, much like he'd done at Wembley.

There was no hesitation from Jaime this time as he immediately melted into Roy's arms and wrapped his arms around the other man in turn, looking so painfully young that Ted and Beard felt their throats close up for a moment. It was Beard who composed himself first as he turned to Ted.

" We gotta call Rebecca, tell her about this potential threat." He said quietly.

Ted quickly cleared his own throat and nodded, fishing his phone out of his pocket.

" It ain't no fuckin' potential threat, he just said they've done this before, that they been fuckin' doing it every time the bastard landed his ass in jail." Roy growled.

" Besides, it won't do ya any good Ted." Jaime said as he drew away from Roy to look to Ted and Beard.

" Since me dad ain't gettin' bail there's no point to them comin' ova quick as they could to get the money outta meh. Besides that, all them restrainin' orders and shit you all got filed and the charges I pressed were all against me dad, not his fucking drinking buddies who like me fer their punchin' bag whenever he asks or if they fuckin' feel like it. They ain't done anythin' to get put away and I don't think me dad's fuckin' stupid enough to just sic them on meh the moment he got tossed in jail." Jaime said in utter resignation.

" Hey now Jaime none of that." Ted said as he strode forward and reached out, gently clasping Jaime's shoulder as he spoke.

" If that's the case, then we will use it to our advantage. You know that they are comin' and now we do to, so we'll be ready for when these unsavory individuals do cross the line and try somethin'." Ted said with a steely determination in his coffee brown eyes.

As he gazed at his coach and also saw the determination filling Roy and Beard's eyes, Jaime dared to believe in Ted Lasso's words.

About an hour later at Jaime's house...

The chamomile tea was the perfect level of hot and fragrant as Jaime drank it down, his inside growing warm in the process. He and Roy were sat in his living room, both of them nursing steaming cups of the herbal tea in their hands, a loaded silence between them. There was so much Roy wanted to say to Jaime, so much he wanted the lad to know, but he didn't want to make a sound and rattle the already frazzled young man any further. Roy was certain he'd just put his own foot firmly into his own fucking mouth if he tried.

" Y-You don't gotta stay with meh tonight... In bed I mean. 'm okay Roy." Jaime said finally without looking up from the tea cup clasped in his hands.

Roy looked up at Jaime and frowned when he saw how quietly pained Jaime looked after having said the words. He saw right through the smokescreen of 'fine' Jaime was trying to put up.

" Well 'm glad yer okay Jaime, but... what if I'm not okay?" Roy asked quietly as he set down the tea cup in his hands onto the little saucer he'd brought with him when he'd made the cuppas for them, trying to be careful about Jaime's beautiful, highly expensive coffee table.

Jaime looked up sharply at that, his dark blue eyes wide and his lips parted, clearly not expecting such words out of Roy Kent.

" Roy?" He asked softly, his blue eye searching Roy's dark ones.

" What if 'm not okay with any of what been happenin' and I wanna stay with you because bein' with you, knowing I can be there to keep you safe, makes me feel a little less not okay?" Roy answered, his voice a quiet croak instead of the signature growl he was known for as he let his own exhaustion and heartache shine through his eyes, vulnerable in a way he rarely ever allowed himself to be.

Jaime let out a shaky breath, his dark blue eyes growing overbright at Roy's words, each one like a punch to his already tender gut.

" Well, okay then." He all but whispered with his lips turning up into a small, shy smile.

A little while later found the pair heading upstairs and repeating the steps they had taken the night before, Roy gently tending to Jaime's back before they parted to go through their individual nightly ablutions before reuniting in Jaime's bedroom, Roy being the one to clap to turn the lights off this time, earning hearty but restrained chuckles from Jaime.

Now Jaime lay on his uninjured side while Roy lay on his back, a respectable but no longer canyon like distance between them like there had been the night before. It was a thoughtful quiet between them in the darkened room now, both of them feeling a little less on edge at being so close. It was Jaime who gently broke the silence.

" Roy?" He began, waiting for the former footballer to turn his head and look at him.

" Yeah?" Roy asked.

" Could I tell you about me mum?" Jaime asked uncertainly.

Roy blinked, a bit stunned by the question, but he quickly turned over onto his side and faced Jaime fully as he nodded.

" Yeah Jaime, tell me all you want about her." Roy said with quiet eagerness before he continued.

" I'll tell you about my grandad if you like?" He asked in turn.

Jaime grinned brightly in the blueish moonlight filtering into the room through the windows as he nodded his head enthusiastically.

For what felt like hours after, Jaime and Roy shared stories about Jaime's mum and Roy's grandad, the two most beloved people to them who they had sadly lost many years earlier.

Jaime's mother's name was Charlotte, but everyone in their quaint little neighborhood where Jaime grew up called her Cherry with love, so she were Cherry Tartt and embraced it fully. She'd wore cherry shaped earrings, cherry red lipstick, even had a cherry shaped beanie Jaime got her for mother's day when he were all of twelve years old. Like he had mentioned during the curse lifting ceremony, she were the one to ignite his love for football He lost her to blood cancer a little before he turned were to turn fifteen, she had only been 43 years old. After that he'd had to deal with James Tartt Sr. in all his known nastiness all the fucking time he after moved into his mum's flat and turning it into a beer soaked den out of a horror movie. For Jaime being at the football academy was his escape, and he moved out the moment he turned 18. Not a day went by that he didn't miss his Cherry mum.

Roy's grandad was Gregory Kent, life-long Chelsea F.C. fan, lover of Shepard's Pie and beer, famous for his levelheadedness in a family full of hotheads, Roy himself included. He taught Roy to always had a proper work-ethic and to be disciplined, but he also reminded Roy to always have fun with whatever he was doing, because that was always the best way. The man was just a good soul who cared not only for his family, but was also a bit of a grandad to the whole neighborhood, always willing to give any young bloke some proper advise when needed. Roy went off to Sunderland and his grandad passed peacefully in his sleep at the age of 72. Roy thought of him every time they won a match or just had a brilliant time in training.

Roy and Jaime made each other laugh, they made each other shed a tear or two, most of all they dropped all pretense and simply got to see the realist versions of each other.

They drifted off to sleep together, the problems that still loomed fading to the background for the moment as they both actually slept the whole night through. No terror or screaming, just uninterrupted sleep.

In a seedy pub up in Manchester, Denbo Cullens and Bug Fielding shot back little glasses of hard whiskey and seethed at the empty spot in their usual spot, where their friend James Tartt Sr. was meant to be, but was tellingly absent. They were waiting word from their buddy, the go-ahead to head down to Richmond and pay James' little good for nothing puff of a son a visit to properly straighten him out and get him to have James released. They just needed the words and they would make the little pussy pay dearly.

Back at Jaime's, if come morning light Jaime woke up with Roy's heartbeat in his ear since he was using the older man's chest as pillow and said man woke up a few seconds after only to discover that he had his arms wrapped around Jaime like an octopus, neither really freaked out about it, no really, just a hazard of sharing a bed is all. They just said good morning as casually as they could before slowly untangling themselves from each other, immediately feeling bereft of each other's warmth but mutually stomping down on their shared yearning, before parting way with Roy quickly heading back to Jaime's guest room. They both took quick, cold showers and tried to get a grip. They came out of their respective rooms in near perfect sync, dressed for the day. Roy had on the usual black, only it was a long sleeve shirt and black jeans instead of the leather jacket combo, while Jaime had on tight black jeans with distressed striped over the thigh, his favorite grey Henley shirt, and one of his familiar floral patter light jackets over the whole thing. Roy wordlessly gestured for Jaime to go ahead of him, the young man smiling warmly at him as he passed. They made their way downstairs, Roy lugging his duffel bag with him.

Roy set his bag down in the foyer before he and Jaime made their way into the kitchen. Roy was just about to ask Jaime if he wanted him to make him a breakfast burrito when both of their phones chimes with incoming messages. They each pulled their phones out and upon reading the messages they both look up at each other at the same time.

" Fuck." They breathed as one.

News of James Tartt Sr.'s arrest had broken, Keely and Rebecca couldn't keep it under wraps any longer.

" Damn it we're gonna get mobbed, even with the police around keepin' an eye on things like Rebecca asked 'em to." Jaime said as he quickly made his way towards the windows on his living room.

He peered cautiously through the blinds and sure enough, there were people gathering around his front gate.

" Like flies to shit." Roy grumbled as he came up behind Jaime.

" You callin' us shit mate? Tsk,tsk,tsk." Jaime chided mockingly with a grin over his shoulder at Roy.

" C'mon I'll make us breakfast." Roy said with a roll of his eyes.

" Yeah, I'll call Ms. Rebecca and see if she can get the bobbies to push the journos back." Jaime said with a nod as he followed after Roy and pressed the number for Richmond's indomitable owner.

Roy angrily made breakfast, they angrily ate together, and then angrily made their way outside to the driveway where they piled into Roy's G-class as fast as they could, ignoring the flashes of cameras going off in a frenzy and dozens of voices shouting for their attention all at once, but thankfully it was from across the street with the police holding the tidal wave back after Rebecca came through for them. Roy backed out of Jaime's driveway, the young striker stoically staring ahead as the flashes of light and shouting intensified as Roy's car drew nearer to the throng of people that was gathered.

Thankfully by the time they reached Nelson Road, the journalists that had gathered there had been thoroughly dispatched and warned to keep away. Everyone was just a little more protective throughout the day, and Jaime understood why. The lads carried on like normal, bumming around the locker room, ribbing Richard for his latest supermodel squeeze while the coaches discussed strategies for the upcoming match. Keeley called and assured Jaime that she and Richmond's PR were already working of statements for him to chose to release to the public, and no one was going to breathe a word about the sordid details of James Tartt's assault on him.

" I mean I guess you could look on the bright side, if there are so many people hangin' about here at my place, me dad's mates'll hopefully not risk tryin' anything." Jaime said with a shrug as he took a bite of his turkey and Swiss sandwich while Moe and Colin nodded sadly and ate their lunches beside him.

" Yer right about that, it's still super invasive." Ted said with a sigh as he took a bite out of his chicken Cesar salad.

Around them the rest of the team was bustling about enjoying lunch.

" At least Manchester police are keeping an eye on your dad's friends." Beard said as he ate his potato salad.

Roy just grumbled as he took a big bite of his toasted caprese sandwich.

Things were now a cat and mouse game with the journos, and a waiting game with Tartt Sr.'s gang of lackies. Roy woulda been just as glad going up to Manchester and bashing a few heads in himself, but thankfully thought better of it. Besides, he best focus on his job.

" Less talk about the shitty situation we're in because of the idiot sperm-donor, more talk about how we're gonna trounce Brentford." Roy declared.

Everyone immediately brightened up at the change in subject, Jaime, Moe, and Colin immediately going into a possible strategy they'd been discussing since the morning. Ted, Beard, and Roy watched on with quiet pride as the three lads showed off their ideas using the salt and pepper shakers and their phones and whatever else they could find in their pockets to set up a makeshift diagram for their coaches.

After lunch, Jaime was whisked away upstairs to Rebecca's by the combo of Keeley and Higgins to go over the sample statements and pick the one he wanted to be released to the media. Roy felt a tell-tale itch under his skin at not having Jaime close by, but he quickly quashed it down and focused on resuming training with the rest of the lads.

When Jaime stepped into the indoor gym a good forty-five minutes later he looked alright, his eyes were tellingly a bit red, but otherwise he smiled warmly as he was greeted warmly by his teammates. Roy and Jaime's eyes met across the gym, the older man tilting his head lightly and the young man understanding as he made his way across to Roy.

" You okay?" Roy asked gruffly as he looked Jaime over for himself.

" Yeah, 'm fine Roy. Gotta admit it were a bit more difficult than I thought it would be, comin' up with the proper thing to say about me dad and bein' sure not to give away anythin' I didnt want out there yet. Got emotional about it without meanin' to but Keeley, Ms. Rebecca, and Higgins were there, and there was hot chocolate too so it weren't too bad." Jaime said with a slightly embarrassed smile.

" Yeah, hot chocolate's a bit of a cure all innit?" Roy said with a nod, inwardly doing cartwheels when Jaime blessed him with a fleeting, but full bright grin.

A few nights later...

" Alrighty then, lets get to some questions." Ted said with one of his signature bright smiles as he sat behind the table in the press room, facing the many journos gathered.

He pointed to a familiar brunette lady, who introduced herself to the room before she spoke directly to him.

" First off, congratulations on tonight's wondrous victory over Brentford." She started, earning a rumble of nod and similar congratulations from the rest of the room.

" Thank you kindly, the boys were amazin' tonight." Ted said.

Amazing was an understatement as the Greyhounds had trounced the Toffees as they were know 4-0 with Sam and Colin putting in two each with assists from Dani and Moe Bumbercatch while the lads charged with defending had not allowed any Brentford man to break through.

" Speaking of the boys, may we inquire as to the status of Jaime Tartt?" The lady inevitably asked, everyone eager to hear about Richmond's Number 9 who had been forced to sit the game out due to an undisclosed injury.

" Well now, Jaime's doing alright. He's under strict doctor's orders but in a couple of weeks he should be healed up and back out on the pitch." Ted said.

The lady nodded and sat down, knowing her time was up as Ted pointed to another journalist. This time a bald-headed man in wire-rimmed glasses stood up.

This man's questions were all about trying to wheedle information about the situation with Tartt Sr.'s arrest but Ted was having none of that as he hearkened back to the statement that Richmond had released with Jaime's blessing regarding the matter, and that he would say nothing further about it.

Try the they mind, no one broke through the boundary Ted Lasso put up with a kind smile and a steely, unshakable resolve underneath. Down in the locker room the Greyhounds were celebrating to their heart's content. Jaime himself was flying high despite having to sit the game out, dancing about with an ecstatic Dani despite his still healing body protesting loudly. He even allowed himself a couple of sips of the champagne that was flowing but nothing more than that. The party only grew more exuberant when Ted rejoined them after wrapping up his press conference. The gaffer broke out his famous victory dance and got a good chunk of the lads to give it a try. Jaime was cowed by a single look from Roy. They did pump fists together though and share smiles all throughout the night as Richmond celebrated their win.

But while Richmond was reveling, in a jail cell in Manchester an unkempt man sat and seethed. James Tartt was fucking pissed as he picked and his own scraggy cuticles and glared at the gray, dented up wall in front of his like it had personally offended him simply by existing.

James slowly clenched his fists and looked up at the ceiling.

The brat would pay, he would make sure Jaime was taught a lesson he would never forget. He'd make sure his mates knew when to set out for Richmond and pay Jaime a proper visit.

That was the all consuming thought in James Tartt's mind as the jail guards called lights out and his cell was plunged into stagnant darkness for the night.

Jaime would pay for putting him here.

A couple of weeks later, in the dead of night just into Jaime's neighborhood...

" Denbo, yer sure Kent's finally hit the road and left the little fairy all by himself?" Bug Fielding asked quietly as he looked to his mate.

" Yeh 'm fuckin' sure, been here all week staking the place out, waitin' fer the fuckin' gimp to finally head out. I seen him pack his things into his big black car and head off early this mornin'. Police aren't makin' rounds anymore either so they must be thinkin' Jaime's finally safe. Jimmy's boy won't know what's fuckin' comin' fer him." Denbo said with a twisted grin.

He looked behind at his and Bug's three other burly mates from the pub who all wanted to have a go at the pussy that got their good friend imprisoned. James himself had given them the go ahead once Bug had popped over at the jail to visit him, the two of them casually talking about the happenings at the pub with James wishing he could get all the lads together so they could go see one of Jaime's upcoming games. It had been the signal for Bug and Denbo to gather the lads and come down here to Richmond. Denbo had gone ahead, keeping as best an eye as he could on Jaime's place for any opportunity. Said opportunity landed in his lap as he had seen Roy Kent finally bugger off and had immediately phoned Bug to get himself and the lads down to Richmond so that they could strike now, at nearly 2AM.

They all had small but no less dangerous weapons hidden on them, knuckles and knives, and of course they could always improvise like James had done with the broom a little while back.

The group of men rounded the corner and went into their version of "stealth mode" crouching low and using the cars parked along the street as cover while they edged closer and closer to Jaime's house. They walked up the path that led up to Jaime's grey colored door, Denbo and Bug gesturing for the three other blokes to stand back while they did the honors, snickering and grinning at the pain and suffering they pictured inflicting on Jaime the big shot footballer presently.

Bug pressed the door bell while Denbo reached into his inside jacket pocket and pulled out a set of well-worn brass-knuckles. He'd swung by James' place and grabbed them before heading down here to Richmond, figured it were appropriate so James could get a taste of the action in spirit.

" C'mon you fucking pussy-ass bitch, wakey wakey and open up." Bug hissed hatefully.

They were like a pack of rabid dogs, having cornered their prey and were just waiting to move in for the kill.

" Oh! Get ready lads, here the fucking bitch comes!" Denbo whisper shouted as he and Bug heard movement from the other side of Jaime's front door. The three nameless brutes Denbo and Bug had brought along all shuffled closer eagerly.

" We should definitely steal his fancy little car for good measure." One of the terrible trio said with a grin, his fellows nodding in enthusiastic agreement.

The lights came on inside the house, Denbo, Bug, and their buddies all with feral grins on their faces.

The lock was undone with a soft click, and then the door was swinging inward.

" Heya Jai-" Bug began to say only for his voice to evaporate in his throat.

The grins melted away with equal speed from the faces of Dendo and the others, eyes slowly growing wide.

It wasn't dark blue eyed Jaime Tartt who answered the door. No, it was a bigger, meaner, angrier wolf who revealed himself.

Roy Kent stood tall and dressed in black, with his face bleached of all color and seemingly made of granite, every inch of him radiating a cold, murderous fury that went beyond all words.

He didn't say a single word, just glared at the five men standing at Jaime's door way. Terror coursed through all five of them anyway, because this wasn't Roy Kent the footballer turned coach, this was Roy Kent off hours without anything to hold back his full, unbridled rage.

" Evenin' fellas." A deceptively cordial voice said from off to the side.

The voice was distinctly not British and had Denbo, Bug, and the three dunderheads all startling as a figure appeared out of the darkness at the side of Jaime's house.

Ted Lasso casually strolled out of the darkness with his hands in his khakis and his blue Richmond puff jacket on. His face was kept carefully neutral but even in the darkened doorway, there was a hardness to his dark brown eyes, a protective rage as the American gaffer came to lean casually against the door frame and flack Roy Kent.

" Technically it's morning." Came another quiet American accented voice as Coach Beard materialized on Roy's other side with the same casual air about him but his own eyes cold and almost shark-like as he gazed up his two remaining assaulters from Manchester.

" You boys are in a world of trouble." Said strong female voice behind them, silky smooth with an undercurrent of steel.

The five would be tough guys whirled around and found themselves faces Rebecca Welton herself, towering and goddess-like in a white trench coat and sky-high heels. All by herself she was a force to be reckoned with, her bright blue eyes almost white with quiet rage, but flanking her on either side was the entire AFC Richmond football team, from Captain Isaac McAdoo with his signature frown all the way to a glaring Will Kitman, who still had smudges of khol on his jaw-line from when he had played as a decoy Roy to make Denbo the dumbass think that Roy had finally left Jaime alone.

Then the whole front yard was suddenly filled with bright, jarring light as the Richmond Police finally announced their presence, guns drawn and weaving past the congregation of quietly irate football players to make some much needed arrests.

Denbo, Bug, and the three idiots that followed them all went down without a fight, knowing it was pointless. James' prized brass-knuckles fell onto the grass and were forgotten in the slight chaos as the five hoodlums were taken into custody. Movement at the front door had the five of them looking in time to see a stone-faced Jaime Tartt emerge from behind Roy Kent. Dressed in grey sweatpants and a baggy black hoodie, he looked cozy and ready for bed instead of battle. Jaime wordlessly made his way past his coaches and down the path to where the police had his five would be attackers safely cuffed and kneeling.

His dark blue eyes were black and his expression cold as he towered over them and looked from Denbo to Bug, and then to the three blokes he didn't even fucking know.

There was a beat of charged silence before Jaime spoke.

" You love my dad so fuckin' much, yous all are gonna get to rot with him." He said with such coldness Bug actually ducked his head unable to look, while Denbo honest-to-God flinched.

With a disgusted shake of his head, Jaime turned away.

" Oi wait a sec! We was just taggin' along, we weren't gonna do anythin!" One of the unknown males shouted desperately. No sooner had he spoken, a wicked looking hunting knife fell out of his pocket and clattered on the pavement under him. The office holding him just shook his head, and the idiot wisely fell silent.

Jaime paused as his eyes caught the glint of metal in the grass by the path to his front door. He reached down and picked up the item, his stomach clenching when he saw that it were his dad's brass knuckles.

" Sure you fuckin' were." Roy grumbled in annoyance.

From behind him an equally pissed off Keeley Jones emerged from Jaime's house, dressed in simple jeans and a baggy pale pink t-shirt. She scoffed and had plenty of quiet murder in her own bright blue eyes as she watched a pale and stoic Jaime hand the brass-knuckles over to one of the Richmond officers.

The five offenders were then hauled off into awaiting police cars, while the entire Richmond family surrounded Jaime and watched them get transported with satisfaction and relief. The lingering police officers stayed longer to take statements from everyone and also commend them all for pulling off the plan to trap James Tartt's lackies perfectly.

Things descended into a bit of chaos after that as everyone piled into Jaime's house and basically blanketed him in love. Keeley helped Will clean up the rest of the black smudges about his face, grinning when Roy praised him for his dead on impression of him, all the way to his signature robot walk. Will had been more than happy to emulate Roy in an effort to throw Denbo off, leaving Roy securely at Jaime's side back inside the house with the evil prick none the wiser as he'd called his buddies down from Manchester, where the police had already been spying on them, just waiting for them to move so they could give word to Richmond officials immediately.

Everyone was happy and relieved, and if Jaime himself ended up all but falling into Ted's arms and shedding a couple of tears against his coach's shoulder, he couldn't really be blamed because the nightmare his father had started in a drunken rage had finally come to an end. They would deal with the fallout as it came due, but for the wee hours of this new day they would revel in their biggest victory to date.

Still, Roy was never too far from Jaime throughout.

A week later on a bright and sunny morning at Jaime's house...

Jaime and Roy sat across from each other, eating breakfast in silence. Neither man looked up from their plates as they ate the french toast and fresh fruit Jaime had made for them. They both looked to have slept poorly the night before and their expressions were pinched.

In the days following the arrest of Denbo, Bug, and their three buddies, it had been a completely chaotic media frenzy with everyone wanting the full story of just what the fuck had happened, what the fuck had been going on, and why the fuck Jaime Tartt had been at the very epicenter of the maelstrom.

Thankfully, due to the ongoing legal issues regarding the matter, the police themselves issued a gag order on the subject, so everyone would just have to wait for the scoop. Jaime himself decided that when the time came to tell his story, he would allow a sit down interview and it would be Trent Crimm, Independent who would have the privilege. For now the journo with the great hair stuck to simply asking after everyone and wanting stories about how the season was going.

Things had quieted down a bit now, Keeley and Rebecca believing that things would probably heat up again when Tartt Sr. and his buddies would go to trial since the idiots al rejected the plea deals that were presented to them along with the mountains of evidence the prosecution had against all of them, but that was months and months from now and there was no telling how things would actually turn out.

The quieting down of the media frenzy was actually the reason for the somber mood that wafted about Roy and Jaime now. The night before after they had finished dinner and were cleaning up, Roy had hardened his heart as best he could and told Jaime that it were probably best for him to end his stay, finally head back to his own place. Roy had watched as Jaime had looked utterly devastated for a split second before he'd forcibly schooled his features into a fragile but understanding smile and told Roy that it was fine, him wanting to leave now that the danger had passed. They had finished cleaning up in silence, neither being able to really look at the other.

Jaime's bruises had thankfully faded to where he didn't need the pain creams, and he slept easier with his father and his buddies locked away. Jaime was even back to training with the team, much to everyone's great joy. Much to Roy's chagrin, the young man had insisted on doing those extra laps for him, and there was no changing his mind. When they headed upstairs to turn in, they had shared a curt good night and gone into their separate rooms. Roy had fucking hated every second of last night, laying cold and alone in the guest room. Jaime had fucking hated it just as much, feeling small, just about swallowed up by his giant bed without the warm and solid presence he'd grown used to after all these days of Roy staying with him. They had both tossed and turned, separated by walls, but together in their loneliness and discomfort.

Now they were having their last breakfast together, Jaime treating Roy to his mother's special recipe for French toast. There had been so much Jaime had wanted to say to Roy come morning, but the moment Roy came down the stares dressed and with his bags packed, Jaime fell silent. It was awful, it was awkward, it was so far from the wonderful breakfasts they'd shared in the weeks past, and yet they were both eating slowly, trying to make it last for as long as possible. Inevitably the last bite was eaten and the plates cleared.

It was an off day, so they didn't have to hurry off to training or anything, Roy were just thinking it best leave now, instead of having to painfully count the hours.

Roy and Jaime stood facing each other in the foyer, the place where Jaime's nightmare had begun.

" I'll see ya at trainin' then." Jaime said quietly.

" Yeah, an' I can always stop by if you need anythin'." Roy said with nod, doing his best not to keep the desperate hope out of his voice.

" Y-Yeah." Jaime nodded as he felt his throat close up and his eyes burn.

" 'm really gonna miss ya Roy." He blurted out before he could stop himself as he looked up and finally met those dark eyes he'd stared into many a night when he'd felt his most afraid.

" I'll miss you too, but you'll see me at trainin' yeah?" Roy assured.

Jaime nodded wordlessly.

There was a beat of charged silence between them, and then as one Roy and Jaime were stepping forward and wrapping their arms around each other in a tight hug. Roy could squeeze Jaime as hard as he wanted to now, without running the risk of hurting him. Jaime squeezed him back just as tightly. They could have stood there for hours, days, even forever, instead with a crumbling heart each, they forced themselves to let go of each other.

Roy forced his leaden feet to move towards the front door, reaching out for the knob and pulling it open.

The morning light was on his face but Roy felt none of it as he looked back at Jaime.

" I'll see you later Jaime." He said softly, feeling his throat close up despite all his will to fight it.

" See you later Roy." Jaime said back, barely keeping the wobble out of his own voice as he watched Roy step over the threshold and out of his house.

Roy adjusted the strap of his bag and walked down the side path to the driveway where his G-class was parked behind Jaime's Aston Martin. He pulled his car keys out of his pocket and hit the button to disarm the alarm. When Roy reached his car he turned back to see Jaime still standing in the doorway watching him, his lips pursed and his eyes quietly pained. Roy nodded and held up his hand in goodbye, Jaime nodding back jerkily and raising his hand in goodbye back. Inhaling through his nose, Roy pulled the driver's side door open and tossed his bag into the front passenger seat before he climbed in.

Jaime turned away and shut the door quickly as the first sob wracked through him. With a soft groan, Jaime leaned his back heavily against his front door. He stubbornly kept himself from dissolving completely, just letting the tears fall free as he wrapped his arms around himself tightly in an effort to stave off the cold desolation that was blanketing him now. He sucked in ragged breath after ragged breath, feeling like his whole world had somehow just ended even though he had won against his father and dirtbag friends. With another groan Jaime forced himself to stand up straight and push away from the door. He had it in mind to just drag himself upstairs and go curl up in his too big bed for a while.

He had just taken a single step when he startled lightly as there was an loud, urgent set of knocks on the door behind him. With his heart stammering to a stop in his chest, Jaime slowly turned and reached for the doorknob on autopilot, scarcely daring to hope as he pulled the door open again.

There on the other side of the door was Roy Kent, duffel bag in hand, looking just as completely and utterly fucking wrecked as Jaime himself probably did. They stared at each other long enough for what felt like an age of the earth to pass, and then Roy was summarily tossing his bag into the house and striding forward after it over the threshold. He reached back as he went, grabbing the edge of the front door and pulling it shut behind him before he and Jaime were on each other, crashing together like waves from opposite sides of the ocean.

They clung to each other with almost bruising strength, their breath shaky and rapid in each other's ears.

Jaime drew back just a little so that he could take Roy's stubble covered face into his hands, looking up at him in tearful wonder while Roy tightened his arms around Jaime's waist. They didn't stay apart for very long as like two magnates they were leaning back in, their foreheads pressing together much like they had done during some of their most epic and appalling rows. Only now it was not rage that brought them together so intimately, now it was something far more deeper.

" Couldn't go, I couldn't fuckin' go." Roy whispered.

" Everythin' felt so cold here the moment you were out the door and I couldn't... I couldn't..." Jaime trailed off with a hitched sob.

They were tilting their heads the rest of the way, closing the sparse centimeters that remained. The moment their lips slotted together, they both groaned unashamedly and the rest of the world faded away. They had both secretly dreamed about what kissing each other would be like, especially when they had felt their loneliest. There was no comparison to reality though. Roy kissed like a man starved, and Jaime gave as good as he got. He loved the gentle, ticklish feel of Roy's stubble against his chin and his hands. When the need for air became to much to ignore, they broke apart with a gasp, but still did not let go of each other.

" Can I take you back to bed? I didn't getta fuckin' wink last night." Jaime said softly.

" I didn't either, it were just so fuckin' awful without ya." Roy admitted.

They unwound themselves from each other, Jaime stepping away for a moment to lock the front door, before rejoining Roy and intwining their hands as they walked across the foyer to the staircase. They shared kisses and chuckles the whole way upstairs and then down the hall to Jaime's bedroom. Jaime kicked the door shut behind him and then he and Roy were on each other again.

" Can we not go all the way just yet?" Jaime asked uncertainly after they drew back from kissing each other.

" Of course." Roy answered without hesitation.

" Kinda not ready for it either, but I do want you, don't eva doubt that." He added.

Roy got kissed soundly again for that before Jaime spoke.

" Could we lay togetha, without any clothes and jus' touch each otha?" He asked shyly.

" Yeah, le's do that." Roy smiled as he reached up and cupped Jaime's cheek, the younger man smiling back at him and leaning into his touch, soaking up the wordless reassurance from him.

They stepped over to Jaime's bed, standing at arm's length from each other as they started to devest each other of their clothes. It was this hallowed, intimate thing between them as Jaime pulled off Roy's leather jacket and Roy did the same with the baggy grey hoodie Jaime was wearing. Article after article was pulled away, neatly folded, and then placed on top of the long black ottoman bench Jaime kept at the foot of his bed. Inevitably, they stood bare before each other. Roy wracked his eyes hungrily over Jaime, his eyes lingering on the bruises that still marred the younger man's pale skin. They were light brown to yellowish in color now, meaning they were in the last stage of healing. They both took it to mean that if Jaime's body could naturally move on from that horrific trauma that was inflicted on it, they could move on from it mentally as well. Jaime let his eyes roam over Roy with equal hunger. The man was still well-built and fit despite his footballer days being behind him. Roy had taken off his armor so to speak, and yet Jaime felt safe and protected despite the vulnerablity they were displaying.

They stepped around to either side of Jaime's giant bed and climbed in under the covers, immediately shifting closer until they were in each other's arms. They both shuddered at the feel of each other's bare skin, feeling their blood rising. They didn't immediately give in to carnal desires, they shared soft kisses and gentle carresses, Roy chuckling as Jaime marvelled at how soft his chest hair actually was, going so far as asking him if he used conditioner or not. The lad was a literal tart.

Then the air shifted between them, growing heavier as Roy pulled Jaime in close and kissed him passionately, Jaime giving back with fervor. Their soft groans and breathly moans mingled in the air, Roy rumbling low when Jaime reached between them and touched the most intimate part of him. Jaime's sharp cry cracked through the air too when Roy latched onto one of the little buds that adorned his chest and gently worried it with his teeth. They held on tight to each other, grinding and undulating together, sharing molten hot kisses and attacking each others' skin with their teeth, leaving fresh bruises on each other that were far more pleasant and welcome than the bruises that were fading from Jaime's skin.

At one point Roy gently made Jaime turn over onto his stomach and began lightly pressing kisses to each fading bruise that still lingered on Jaime's skin. Jaime felt tears come to his eyes as Roy's warm, slightly prickly lips carefully pressed into his skin, sending electric jolts of pleasure through his ever nerve ending and more importantly then that, chasing away the lingering stain of James Tartt's abusive touch from his skin. It would fade once and for all once the bruises themselves healed fully, but Roy were just speeding it along as he left Jaime shivering with renewed want once he was done with his ministrations and Jaime had turned back over and wrapped his powerful legs around Roy's trim waist.

Roy loomed over Jaime, grinding his hips into Jaime's in turn, their foreheads pressed together. He reached up and squeezed one of the Jaime's pecs, his thumb rubbing over the little bud, making it stiff and pebbled under his touch. Jaime arched magnificently up into Roy with an unashamed moan escaping him. They writhed together, their hands exploring, teasing, taking as they praised each other for making the other feel so fucking good. The kisses began to grow sloppier, the movements les steady, the sounds more desperate until Roy and Jaime reached the apex and then then fell over the edge together in white hot ecstasy.

Roy collapsed onto Jaime with a low groan, Jaime mirror it as he wrapped his arms around the older man and stroked up and down his powerful back, feeling the muscles coil and shift under his palms. They hadn't even had full on sex, and yet what they had just experienced was one of the most profound moments of intimacy either of them had ever shared with anyone.

" I love you so fucking much."

It was right there on the tips of both their tongues, they could make such declarations with ease because somewhere between all those nights of treating Jaime's terrible bruises with his personal combination of creams and surprising Roy by making him crepes for breakfast one morning, Roy and Jaime had fallen irrevocably in love with each other. They both stayed silent though and let the deep sentiment remain with themselves.

It was too soon, it was all too new, it had just happened. They had already given each other this precious gift of pure connection through intimacy. The far more treasured gift they were holding for each other now would wait for a different, more profound moment to be revealed.

When he felt he could move again, Roy slowly pushed himself off of Jaime with a light groan. He came to rest on his side next to Jaime, who slowly rolled over so that they were facing each other. They said not a word as they looked at each other, the both of them warm and glowing in the morning light that filtered into the room through the windows. Jaime slowly reached out for Roy's hand, covering the slightly larger appendage before Roy twined their fingers together and squeezed. They felt warmth spread through them again. It was silent promises for whatever else came at them, it was all the words and feelings they had yet to share, above all else, it was hope.

They laid their for what felt like hours, sharing kisses and saying very little. When the afterglow of their intimacy finally faded, they both dragged themselves out of bed and shuffled off down the hallway to Jaime's ensuite to share a shower. It Roy immerged from the shower with some fresh bruises forming on his knees and Jaime were a little wobbly and dazed, no one was around to comment. They got dressed, Roy forgoing his leather jacket, and changed the sheets on Jaime's bed together, the younger man teasing his newly minted lover about Roy's earlier in-shower antics before they headed off downstairs to simply hang out and enjoy the rest of their off day together.

New start to the day, moving on from the lingering bad everything, forever together left for them to live.

The End.

---

Credit to Cuppachar and the anons for these two prompts as inspiration:

Roy/Jamie Prompt: Jamie comes into practice but sits looking defiant. When Ted asks him what's up, Jamie shrugs and says he's injured. It's like S1 dejavu. Everyone is confused and mad, especially Roy. Ted though, immediately asks him where he's hurt. Jamie's not expecting that but seeing Ted's genuine concern has him finally dropping the act and lifting his shirt to reveal he's badly bruised upper body. Drunk Tartt Sr. paid Jamie a visit and ended up shoving him down the stairs. Chaos ensues.

Roy/Jamie prompt: Tartt Sr. decides that Jamie's disobeyed him enough and gets the idea to get Jamie to a doctor who can "reprogram" him. When Tartt Sr. shows up with Bug and Denbo to take Jamie, they come face to face with a furious Roy Kent instead. Someone in Manchester overheard Tartt Sr.'s crazy planning and tipped off the police and Richmond. Roy's gonna protect his boyfriend. When Tartt Sr. tries to run he and his friends are surrounded by Ted, Beard, and the whole team, and the police.