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Jamie had been having a great day. Training had gone well for everyone, and the spirits in the locker room were high, as they generally had been since their promotion. Richmond was preparing for their first game back in the Premier league, and they were ready. Jamie was ready.
What he wasn’t ready for was driving up to his house and seeing his dad’s car parked in the driveway.
He immediately stepped on the gas and kept going, only pulling over when he was sure he was out of sight of his house. He could feel his breaths coming faster, and he couldn’t stop his hands from shaking. Why the fuck is he here? How does he know where I live? Can’t go home, can’t go home, not safe, can’tgohomefuck—
••••
Ted was sitting on his couch watching Bake Off when his phone started vibrating. He raised an eyebrow at the caller ID, but answered immediately.
“Hey, Jamie, what can I do for you?”
He was met with nothing but fast, quiet breathing. He felt his throat tighten, and he began tapping his hand against his thigh. “Jamie, are you okay?”
“Yeah,” Jamie responded immediately. “Yeah, I’m fine, I— I’m sorry I called. See you tomorrow.”
“Jamie, wait,” Ted said quickly. “You know if there was anything going on, you could tell me, right?” He was met with silence again.
On the other end of the phone, Jamie nodded before realizing Ted couldn’t see him. “Yeah, I— it’s just—“ he closed his eyes. “My dad is at my fucking house, or at least outside of it, and so I can’t go home, can’t go to my fucking house, and I don’t know what to do and so I’m calling you. Again, sorry. I’m just going to go to the pub or something for a few hours until he leaves, sorry for calling, I was being a baby, but—“
“Jamie, I’m texting you my address,” Ted interrupted, taking care to speak slowly and calmly. “You can do whatever you want, but I want you to know you’re welcome here.”
Silence again, though this time Ted could’ve sworn he heard a sniff.
“I understand. Thanks, Coach. I think I’ll just go out for a bit, but I appreciate it.”
“Alright, Jamie. Stay safe, you hear? Call me if you need anything.”
“Thanks, Ted.” Jamie hung up the phone.
Ted immediately closed his eyes and began to count his breaths. In for four… hold for seven… out for eight. When he felt like he wasn’t about to pass out, he reopened his eyes and assessed the situation. A call like that from any of his players would be enough to make him anxious, but having seen in person what Jamie’s father was capable of, he knew he was going to spend the night worrying. He stood up, got himself a glass of water, turned the sound on his phone, and sat back down to watch TV. If Jamie needed anything, he would let him know. He would be ready, just in case.
••••
Jamie ended the call feeling like an idiot. Why had he thought it would be a good idea to call Ted? He was a fucking adult, and he could avoid his own damn problems without calling for backup. He finally started to drive again, ending up parked outside some random pub. He walked out of his car, clenching his fists tightly to try and stop his hands from shaking. He held his head high as he walked inside; he was Jamie Tartt, after all, and Jamie Tartt didn’t get caught slouching into bars by himself, looking like a kid lost at the mall.
As soon as he entered, though, all hope of keeping up an appearance was lost. It was loud, way too loud, and crowded. The smell of alcohol immediately made him nauseous; it was as though his father was breathing down his neck. Someone bumped into him, and the rough contact jolted every nerve in his body. He spun around and left as quickly as he’d come. He burst outside, the cool air sending another shock through his system.
“Hey, Jamie Tartt!” someone yelled. He looked over in dread to see two guys approaching. “Can we get a picture?” He nodded, throwing up a peace sign before escaping to his car.
You’re Jamie fucking Tartt. You are not going to have a fucking breakdown just because you can’t go home. And you’re not going to bother Ted.
••••
Ted had begun to doze off, but he shot up straight at the sound of knocking on his door. He walked across the room and opened the door to a very small-looking Jamie Tartt. He’d shrunk in on himself, somehow, the sleeves of his sweatshirt pulled over his hands, his posture slumped. He was still holding his head up, though, his eyes meeting Ted’s as he opened the door as if he was expecting a challenge.
Ted smiled. “Hey, Jamie, nice to see you. Will you come in?”
Jamie nodded, and Ted moved back to let him in.
“Why don’t you come into the kitchen? Can I get you anything?”
Jamie followed Ted as he walked into the kitchen. “Uh, a glass of water would be great, if you have it.”
Ted almost laughed before catching himself. He went about getting Jamie water, rambling as he went. “Heck yeah, I got water. D’you know they used water pipes way back in the time of the Indus Valley civilization? I watched a documentary on it one time with— well, back in the States, y’know. Anyway, point is, now we’ve got indoor plumbing, so I can most certainly get you a—“
He turned back around to find Jamie shaking, his head ducked so Ted couldn’t see his eyes. He put the glass down, and then Jamie finally let out a small, choked sob, and Ted’s arms were around him in an instant. Jamie hugged him back, tightly, pressing his face into Ted’s chest.
“Hey, it’s okay,” Ted whispered. “You’re safe here, alright? It’s gon’ be okay.” Jamie began to sob in earnest, taking deep, gasping breaths. Ted rubbed slow circles on his back, continuing to murmur quiet reassurances. He let Jamie lean most of his weight on him as he cried out all of the tension from the past hour.
After a few minutes, Jamie’s breathing began to even out, his tears slowing to a stop. He mumbled something into Ted’s chest that Ted couldn’t quite make out.
“What was that, Jamie?”
“He knows where I live ,” Jamie said loudly, pulling away. He looked worse now, somehow, his eyes rimmed with red. “My dad. I didn’t know—I never gave him my address, I’m not stupid, but he got it, somehow, and now he’s at my fucking house, and I don’t know what to do, so I’m stood in your kitchen like a fucking twat.” At that he looked up at Ted, meeting his eyes for the first time since he’d knocked on the door.
Ted nodded, his heart contracting. “I understand. Listen, Jamie, we’re gon’ get that sorted out, alright? I promise. For now, uh, here’s that water.” He offered the water somewhat awkwardly, but Jamie accepted it and drank the whole thing.
Say something, Ted, Ted scolded himself as Jamie continued to stand in his kitchen, looking lost. “Want to watch a movie or something? I’ve been watching Bake Off, but I’m always looking for new movie suggestions, if you have any.”
Jamie hesitated. “I should probably go, right? My dad’s probably gone by now, so–” he stopped when he saw Ted shaking his head.
“Jamie, I’m not holding you captive here, but I’d love for you to stay. It’s not like I got much else going on,” he said, with a smile that had something behind it Jamie couldn't quite place.
Jamie took a breath, nodding slowly. “Alright, then, yeah. Uh, I haven’t seen many films, to be honest. I always get confused, or fall asleep.”
Ted laughed at that. “Okay, then, I’ll pick. You ever seen Ghostbusters?” Jamie shook his head, and Ted’s eyes widened. “ What? Well in that case, I know exactly who we’re gonna call, if you know what I mean. Well, no, you don’t. Let’s just watch!” he exclaimed, hurrying over to the couch. He sat at one end, picking up the remote. Jamie followed him and sat at the other end, a cushion of space between them. Ted found the movie and pressed play.
••••
Jamie hadn’t meant for this to happen. He really hadn’t. One minute he’d been sitting in his car, trying to convince himself not to bother anyone with his shit, and the next he was breaking down in his coach’s arms. He barely even remembered the drive over. All he knew was that he’d felt like he needed to see a safe face or he might’ve just died on the spot, and this was where he ended up. Even now, while he had to appreciate Ted’s choice of movie, he could feel himself drifting, his pulse starting to pick back up.
What if he’s still there? What if he never leaves? He can’t actually get in, right? But what if he does?
A loud noise from the screen made him start. He saw Ted in the corner of his eye; he looked over when Jamie jumped, and though he didn’t say anything, he turned the volume down a few clicks before settling back down.
Though the low volume was better, Jamie started to feel it again, that feeling from earlier; like every nerve in his body was on high alert, and like he might pass out or throw up. He tried to wait it out as long as he could, having fully lost the plot of the movie, before making a decision. Without looking over at Ted, he shifted over on the couch, so that his right side was touching Ted’s left, from shoulder to knee. Ted, to his credit, barely reacted; he glanced over for a moment, but seeing that Jamie didn’t have anything to say, simply adjusted his arm so that it was hanging loosely around Jamie’s shoulders, and they continued watching the movie. Jamie felt the tension slipping from his body once again, knots in his stomach loosening as his head slowly dropped onto Ted’s shoulder. Ted began rubbing a light circle on his arm with his thumb, grounding Jamie even further. As his eyelids grew heavier, he decided that it was safe to assume Ted wouldn’t mind if he fell asleep.
••••
As the movie was drawing to a close, Ted began to realize that Jamie Tartt was fast asleep on his shoulder. He felt a rush of affection and anger towards Jamie and his father in turn, but he knew the anger could wait for a different time. For now, it was enough to know that Jamie was here, and that he was safe. When he woke up, they would have more to talk about, but for now Ted contented himself to quietly scroll on his phone while the credits rolled and Jamie slept on.