#i have this strange hc that roy drinks straight black coffee

[cloudynyims]

A story of a little borrower who has lived in AFC Richmond since Jamie joined the team(the first time). It takes place a little bit after he leaves and returns to AFC Richmond (yknow, once he’s had some character development). Please excuse how it begins abruptly. Also, the team knows about the borrower. Well, except Jamie. (Can you tell who’s asks I’ve been reading too many of?) about 2.4k words!

Things had been rough since Jamie returned to AFC Richmond. Their open lifestyle with the team abruptly halted. They still remembered the day he came back. 

They were waiting in the locker room for the team to finish training. If they weren’t watching the practice with Ted, they waited near Sam’s locker. Sam was always kind and respectful toward them, regardless of what happened on the pitch. However, this time he walked in, he seemed nervous about something. 

“Sam, what’s—“

“You need to get out of here. Now,” He interrupted. They froze, as Sam never acted like this. He immediately noticed the effect it had on them and sighed, lowering his tone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to lash out like that. But there isn’t much time. Jamie’s back; he’ll be in here any minute. We can talk tomorrow, okay? But you have to go.”

Sam, the team, and the borrower all knew that Jamie finding them would be a terrible idea. They nodded and promptly climbed down the bench to the floor. Wasting no time, they sprinted back into their hole in the walls. Once they were safe, they listened, waiting until they heard Jamie’s voice, confirming the unthinkable. So it was true.

Their mind swirled with conflicting emotions at that moment. Jamie, the one person on the team they thought was gone for good, was back. And probably no different than before, judging by what Isaac had told them about Jamie’s whereabouts since he left Richmond. Apparently, he was on some reality show that got him kicked off of Manchester City. And now he was back here.

A pit formed in their stomach thinking about the last few months. Not having to hide around, not being scared for their life, and not being worried about being vigilant 24/7 were luxuries they had come to enjoy under the care of the team. Now it felt like they were returning back to before. Before the team found them and while Jamie was still here. A life of fear, sleepless nights, and constant anxiety. 

That was about a month ago, and they still were petrified of him, just from everything they heard. From that day onward, they were usually on Roy’s person at all times. The team came to the consensus that they didn’t even want Jamie to know the borrower existed, which they were perfectly fine with. So, they spent a lot of time around Roy, because Roy only put up with Jamie when it was absolutely necessary. 

Getting used to Roy was a learning curve in itself, considering how protective he was. They were often in his pocket while he coached, just so he could ensure that they were safe. Not that they minded, they just missed their autonomy. Frankly, they hadn’t had much freedom or relaxation since Jamie came back. Everyone wanted to keep them out of his hands, so they weren’t roaming around like they used to do when they were bored. 

On another note, they had been in Roy’s pocket a few times when he and Jamie argued. It was unpleasant, to say the least, and the duo always were arguing over nothing. They both spoke way too loud, and the poor borrower's ears always rang for a little bit afterward. Roy usually deaded the conversation pretty quickly when he finally remembered they were with him. Even still, these were some of their only impressions of Jamie, which did not counteract their initial wariness around him.

They were already skeptical of Jamie, even before the team found them. So, after they got comfortable with players, the borrower asked what they all thought of Jamie. Sam had told them a little about what it was like having him as a teammate. Isaac and Colin filled them in on how he treated them, and even Dani had something to say about Jamie as a teammate. Roy, obviously, hated Jamie’s guts, but his criticisms were backed up (for the most part) by the team. None of the reviews were strikingly positive. All of these different and consistent stories solidified their opinion that Jamie was not someone to be found by.

The team only managed to keep them hidden from him for a month or two. One day after practice, Ted called the coaching staff in for a meeting in his office. Roy left them in his office, assuming they wanted some time out of his pocket. He was correct. “Stay right here, Ted wants me for a quick meeting in his office,” Roy said gruffly.

“I’m not a child, Roy. I can go where I like,” They stated, knowing that they wouldn’t leave of their own accord anyway. 

Roy rolled his eyes and started walking toward Ted’s office. “I mean it. I don’t want that prick to find you,” He said over his shoulder before closing the door to his office. And so, they sat contentedly on Roy’s desk, waiting for him to return from that meeting with Ted. 

With nothing better to do, they listened as the team filed into the locker room. The team were slightly more lively than usual, so it must’ve been a good day on the pitch. It made the borrower miss the times when they would watch the team practice from Ted’s shoulder. They saw a new side of the team that they never knew when they lived in the walls. They saw the one passion they all shared for football. 

The room suddenly became tense, and they could only imagine that Jamie walked in. The team still wasn’t very fond of him. Curiosity was testing them, and they wanted to peek out the window but remained on Roy’s desk. They were still curious, but they didn’t want Jamie to see them. Jamie would never willingly visit Roy, as far as they were concerned. So, being in Roy's office was the safest place for them. 

One could imagine their surprise when a few moments later, Jamie sauntered into the room.

“Roy? Where are you, mate? Just want to have a little chat with you, is all,” Jamie said as he leaned against the doorframe of the office. They froze. They weren’t exactly in his line of sight, but they were definitely visible. They watched, eyes wide, as Jamie waited for a response that didn’t come. 

“Fucking hell, I don’t have time to wait around for that bastard,” Jamie muttered under his breath before inviting himself into the room. He glanced around at the various shelves in the office as he slowly walked in. “Won’t even coach me, the ass.” Clearly, Jamie wasn’t in the best mood. Or, he could just be unhappy with Roy. Both were fair guesses. 

But it didn’t matter to them, because they were on the verge of being seen. By Jamie Tartt. Jamie wasn’t the tallest on the team, but his presence seemed so large at that moment. Thinking quickly, they ran behind Roy’s coffee cup and sat behind it, trying to catch their breath. They had never been this close to him before, and it was terrifying. 

Jamie looked around the office space. It was pretty barren of any decorations, so characteristic of Roy. If he was going to wait for Roy to come back from wherever he was, he might as well make himself comfortable. With a sigh, he plopped himself down on Roy’s desk chair. 

He aimlessly swiveled in the chair as he looked around. He leafed through a few of the papers on Roy’s desk before getting bored. He then started drawing on the whiteboard but quickly got tired of that as well and resigned to doing nothing.

Jamie was about to pull out his phone when he noticed the coffee cup on the desk. An idea came to his head. What better way to mess with Roy than to finish off his drink? Was it a good idea considering Jamie came to talk to Roy about coaching him? No, but it was too golden of an opportunity for him to pass up.

With a smirk, Jamie grabbed the cup, and they watched in dismay as their hiding spot was easily lifted away. They were rooted to the spot. They couldn’t move. Jamie was going to see them, and there was no avoiding it. Their mind was telling them to run, but their body wouldn’t listen. They could only watch.

Jamie, on the other hand, wasn’t paying attention. He took a long sip of the coffee only to nearly spit it back out. “Of course, he would drink straight black coffee,” Jamie scoffed. As he went to return the cup to its original position, he locked eyes with them. 

Their mind raced; their heart pounded. Time was at a standstill. They didn’t want to look up at him, but they also couldn’t tear their eyes away. Everything the players had ever told them about Jamie came rushing to the forefront of their brain. 

“No teammate has ever made me feel as bad about myself as Jamie did.”

Sam’s words specifically echoed in their head, along with their panicked thoughts. With all of these swirling in their head, they could barely pay attention to what was going on. He was just so huge. They had grown used to feeling small since being acquainted with the team, but the unease of it all resurfaced tenfold. They had deja vu from the day the team first found me. 

Jamie just… looked at them. His expression was one of confusion, then it morphed into disbelief, and finally curiosity. He blinked a few times as if he was trying to convince himself that they were real. Slowly, he set the cup on a different part of the desk without taking his eyes off them. Now they had his full attention. They shuddered involuntarily.

“What the fuck…” Jamie trailed off. As he gazed at them, he leaned a little closer. His lips were slightly parted in awe, and they could barely feel the breath of his exhales. “You’re just a tiny little thing, aren’t you?” He whispered. If they weren’t so terrified, they would’ve noticed how quiet his voice was. 

They caught sight of movement out of the corner of their eye but didn’t react quickly enough. They could only flinch back as Jamie moved his hand. They tensed up and squeezed their eyes shut, anticipating the unpleasant, sinking feeling of getting picked up against their will. They felt nothing. They peeked up to find that his hand stopped right next to them. “You’re smaller than me hand,” he marveled, still in awe of the fact that they existed.

Jamie frowned, seemingly confused as they shrunk away from his hand. Their reaction prompted him to really look at them, to take in all the emotions littered across their face. “You’re shaking. Are you alright?” In truth, They hadn’t even noticed when they began trembling. But Jamie was starting to see all of their anxious habits: from how they had barely moved since he saw them to how their eyes darted around, searching for an escape.

They couldn’t even form the words to respond; all that escaped was a sharp inhale. Their throat felt tight from the trepidation of the moment. Their body wouldn’t listen to them, even though they desperately wanted to run far, far away. Their silence seemed to perplex Jamie further. If he kept asking questions, there would be a point that they would have to respond. There was no other way out of this scenario. 

His voice dragged them out of their thoughts. “I’m sorry if I scared you,” he said, looking a little bashful. “You… you can understand me, yeah?” They barely nodded, finally giving him a semblance of an answer. He sighed with a gentle smile. “That’s good. If… if you don’t mind me asking, what are you doing here? In the club, I mean.”

There was a beat of silence. They knew they had to talk to him at some point. They took a deep breath, trying to calm their nerves. “I’m… waiting for Roy,” They mumbled, staring at their hands. Jamie couldn’t suppress a smile as he heard them speak for the first time. Such a tiny voice that fits them so perfectly. A part of him was still in disbelief that someone so small existed. Then he registered what they said. 

“You’re waiting for— You know Roy Kent?” His voice rose a bit, filled with disbelief. They nodded and backed up a few steps, growing a little more nervous. Jamie noticed and immediately softened his expression. Roy wasn’t his favorite person, but he knew had to curb his distaste for their sake. Clearly, it was making them nervous. Given how they were acting around him, he could rightfully assume that they were more comfortable with Roy.

“Does anyone else know that you’re here?” He asked, keeping his voice soft.

They nodded but hesitated before answering, wondering how he would take the answer. “Um… the rest of the team knows,” they said, purposefully avoiding his eyes that were trained on them. 

Jamie sat back in the chair, thinking for a moment. After a bit, he finally spoke. “So, everyone on the team knows about you, except me.” He stated, mostly to himself. “And you’ve been here for how long?”

“Three years, b-but the team only found me last season,” was their barely audible response. 

Jamie was sort of frustrated. He knew earning the team’s trust would be difficult, but for them to hide something like this from him was a low blow. To think that his teammates thought he’d possibly hurt them was the reason they never told him. Jamie knew he hadn’t been the best teammate in the past but, this hurt.

Then he looked back down at them again. They had not only spent the last season with the team but also lived in the club for two seasons before that. His heart twinged as he imagined how terrifying he must be to them. They had seen him at his best and worst. He could see that even though they were talking to him and being somewhat cooperative, they was beyond uncomfortable. 

Their hands were winding around each other in a nervous fray; their body and muscles were tense, ready to flee at a moment’s notice. Jamie ran his hands through his hair, contemplating his next words. 

“I’m gonna go,” Jamie began. He could tell that they perked up at those words, but swallowed his pride and continued. “I can talk to Roy later. I don’t want to make you any more uncomfortable than I have. But, I want you to know that I would never hurt you, yeah?”

They tilted their head and nodded warily. “Good.” True to his word, Jamie stood up and made his way to the door. “Cheers.” He walked out of the room, leaving them more confused than anything.

this is heavily unedited so if there are any typos plz let me know :) also, this will probably have a part 2 BUT don't expect it in a timely manner unfortunately. this took me way too long to write argh.