Pre-Season

Jamie got up at quarter past three on the first morning of proper pre-season training. He went downstairs quietly and got ready, drank his protein shake and thought he could sneak out but then Roy called out to him as he was tiptoeing past the other man's room.

"Whatcha doin' up?" Jamie asked, poking his head in.

"I have a plan for your training for the week, but I hadn't finished it last night," Roy held out a piece of paper for Jamie.

Jamie walked over and grabbed it. "Thanks, grandad, but you better get some more sleep."

"Fuck off, see you at six."

"See you then."

Jamie turned on the headband light and started out of the house. He looked down at Roy's handwriting and grunted. He tilted the paper until he could see it properly and shook his head – writing like a fucking doctor but he could make it out, so he set his watch and started warming up. He ran through the training Roy had set out and returned home just after six. The light in Roy's room was on so he turned the kettle on before walking to the other man's bedroom.

"You do it all?" Roy asked, looking over his book.

Jamie nodded. "Just gonna go and warm down, yeah? I put the kettle on, you gonna make me a cuppa?"

Roy grunted. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"I'll get meself some pineapple and bread."

"I'll make it," Roy said, throwing off the blankets – he covered his knee in the night now and Jamie looked down at the healing wound. "Make sure you cool down correctly."

"I know," Jamie said with a laugh. "Honey on me wholemeal bread?"

"Fuck no."

Jamie shrugged, unsurprised but he could hope. He went down to the gym and started his cool down routine. By the time he was done he went into the kitchen to find Roy sitting at the kitchen table, across from him was a plate with some wholemeal bread, pineapple, and a protein shake. He noticed there was a slight sheen to the bread and bit his lip against smiling at the hint of honey he knew was on the bread. Jamie slipped into the chair across from Roy.

"How are you feeling?" Roy asked.

"Not to bad, me fitness is still pretty good, yeah? Thanks for working out a new plan for me."

Roy sighed. "I want to be out there with you."

"Want me to come back to take you to rehab?" Jamie asked, not knowing what to say except I want you there too but he'd told Roy that the previous week and the other man had just looked sad.

"Ruth's coming, she wants to see what the physio is giving me and ask a fuck-tonne of questions, Phoebe's going to see Keeley at work for a visit."

"It's good that she's still friends with Keeley," Jamie said, trying to act normal, she hadn't been over while Jamie had been staying with Roy and the other man hadn't really brought her up and Jamie wasn't going to. He thought again about the unsent message on his iPad.

"I don't want her to miss time with someone she likes just because I couldn't make the relationship work."

"You're a good uncle."

Roy looked down into his mug, but the tips of ears coloured and Jamie filled with warmth. He'd first noticed it in Amsterdam – the way Roy's ears coloured when he was proud of something.

"Beard and Nate are going to come over after training if you want to hang out with some of the lads."

"Don't want me to hear the secret coach business, eh?"

"Don't be a twat, just want to give you the option of going out with the other twats since you don't need to rush back."

Jamie liked hearing Roy talk like it was obvious that Jamie wasn't going anywhere and that no matter if he went out, he'd still come back here afterwards.

"I'll see what everyone wants to do," Jamie said. "Need me to get anything on the way home?"

Roy blinked for a moment, thinking, and then shook his head. "We'll go shopping on Saturday, we need a bit of everything and I'll double-check I can with the physio."

Jamie nodded, he took the last bite of his bread, savouring the sweetness, and then stood up. "You want the first shower?"

Roy shook his head. "You better, I don't want your body cooling down too much with sweat evaporation."

Jamie nodded and put his dishes on the sink before bouncing up the stairs and went to have a shower, rolling his shoulders under the hot spray – Roy's shower was even better than his own.

When he was done, he packed his training kit up, and went downstairs to listen out for Roy while he had a shower – the other man didn't even swear at the universe about the fact he shouldn't shower without someone to listen out in case something happened anymore. That had only taken nine days and a loud lecture from Ruth for him to give in. When Roy was done, he came out of the bathroom wearing a towel around his waist again. Jamie liked to pretend he wasn't affected by it but mostly he just tried to keep his reaction minimal.

"Alright?" Jamie asked.

"Yeah, head out. I've got Dr Sharon at 10."

"Good."

"I've spoken with Rebecca about offering her a permanent position."

Jamie froze, "yeah?"

"Yeah, she's been really effective for me and she was great when she was here so I've suggested her as on level with us coaches in regards to ensuring everyone is fit to play."

"Fuck," Jamie breathed out. "That's a great idea, Roy."

"Maybe that guy at Sunderland wouldn't have beaten me to shit if we'd both been better at being good people."

Jamie smiled. "Weren't your fault."

"I made the joke but yeah, I know it was on him that he reacted like that."

Jamie nodded. "I'm gonna head to training, call Will if you need anything – I can't have me phone."

"I know, train hard."

"Always, coach."

Roy grinned. "Get out of here, you prick."

"Sure, you twat."

Jamie smiled brightly and turned to grab his bag and leave the house. He went to training and it was good, different but good – Beard was still here, and Nate had always looked at football in a different way than other gaffers…Jamie could understand the way he saw things, it was just like how he saw the game and why he'd known he needed to be middle cog in their version of total football. Jamie had always seen football differently than how some of his teammates did. He missed Roy though, they all did – Roy saw football different too; he had played so well and so hard that he could see things that other people couldn't. It was why Jamie had loved the extra training – he wanted to be the fucking best player in any league, and he knew that Roy Kent was one of the only people in the world who could get him there. They trained hard and well and when it was over, he did go back to Ola's with the rest of the team. They asked him how Roy was doing; none of them seemed surprised that he'd moved in with their Manager to help him and Jamie felt something warm and soft in his stomach at the knowledge that he'd come so far it was expected he'd put himself out for someone he l-who was important to him. Beard messaged just after five to let him know the coaches were done so he said his goodbyes and headed back home.

He frowned at the fact the door was open when he arrived and his heart started beating when he heard shouting, he dropped his bag and ran, passing through the entryway before he recognised the voice…Keeley?

"Keeley?" he said, coming into the lounge room and looking between Roy and Keeley.

"And you," she shouted. "You didn't tell me either, what is it with fucking footballers."

"Ah, I don't understand," Jamie said.

"Keeley found out about my knee today when she saw Phoebe," Roy offered.

"Fuck, you didn't know?" Jamie asked.

She frowned at him. "Of course, not, you two might have been the poster children for toxic masculinity in May but you didn't think it was weird that I hadn't checked in or come over once?"

Jamie looked at Roy and watched the other man shrug. "I didn't really think about it."

She gaped at him.

"Sorry, it's just been busy, yeah? And it's only been three weeks since we got home from Brazil and…"

"I want us to be friends," Keeley said, "but you've got to want to be friends as well."

"You're right," Roy said. "Keeley, I was hurt that you and I couldn't make it work and so I didn't tell you about the operation. I was waiting for you to be ready to talk, I suppose."

"I called you," Keeley said.

"You did?" Jamie asked, then turned to Roy. "You never said anything."

Roy grunted and then grimaced. "It was when…it was before you came."

"Oh," Jamie said.

"What?" Keeley said. "What does that mean?" She looked between the two of them and there was something on her face that reminded him of the hurt on her face that night at the auction.

"Roy weren't too good before I showed up, yeah, he weren't talking to no one, ignored me too until I moved myself in."

"You moved in?" Keeley asked.

"To help Roy, yeah, he was being a twat and I came to stop him being one."

"Hypocritical prick," Roy mumbled. Jamie grinned at him.

Keeley looked between them, her eyes flickering with something that Jamie couldn't quite work out – he knew it was a little sad and a little happy but there was also something in there that made him feel exposed.

"I care about you both," Keeley said. "I'm glad you're such good friends."

"Thanks," Roy grunted. "Me too."

"Yeah," Jamie said slowly. "He's me best mate, Phoebe even said so."

Roy smiled at Jamie and shook his head. "You two are a fucking menace. Ruth asked if we can have her this weekend – she needs to work overnights."

"Great, she and I can keep practising that fake out move then you can take us to that nice place around the corner from the park."

"No fucking ice cream."

Jamie laughed. "Stop being a twat about ice cream."

"I'm not a twat, you're too quick to give her ice cream."

Jamie laughed. "That's why she don't charge me when I swear."

"Fuck you."

Jamie laughed. "What do you want for dinner tonight?"

"I got all the stuff ready for pasta, just need you to help me cook it," Roy said.

"Mint, that one with pumpkin?"

"Yeah."

"See, this is why Fifi knows I'm your best friend."

"I've got to go," Keeley said, Jamie startled and turned to her.

"You can stay for dinner," he offered. "Roy always makes enough to freeze some, yeah, then I can just heat it up for us later."

"No, I've got a date," Keeley said. "I'm trying out Bantr."

"Good," Roy said, nothing in his tone sounding jealous. "That's good, let us know you get home safe, yeah?"

Keeley smiled at them brightly. "Of course, Rebecca knows all the details too. Have a good night."

"Do you want to meet us for lunch on Saturday?" Roy offered. "Phoebe would love to see you and we can start being friends."

"Yeah, you'll love the café, it's great and Roy approved nutrition-wise."

"Let me know where and when, and I'll let you know."

Jamie saw Keeley out and she stopped to give him a tight hug before she left. He frowned after her for a few minutes, not sure quite why the hug felt odd. He closed the door when Roy called out to him and went back into the lounge room.

"How was training?"

Jamie grinned and bounced into his chair and told Roy all about it, and the fun they'd had at Ola's and how everyone had asked after him. Roy suggested a few tweaks to his training for the next morning and then ordered Jamie into the kitchen so they could make dinner.

After dinner, they watched a few episodes of this cracking show about a demon and an angel. Finally, it was time for bed so they settled in their respective rooms and Jamie fell into the type of sleep you could only get after a great day of training.