read sixty first gang!

There is no better way to aggravate a wound than to scratch it. Once a medical professional has done a clean job of stitching it up, it can tend to itch as it heals, but it's the one thing they tell you not to do, to let it heal on its own.

And the same rule applied to emotional wounds, they needed the same level of care and patience to heal too. Billie knew it, Dr Sharon had helped her understand the importance of doing so, and yet she was sitting in her office, ahead of a match against Brighton, scratching that wound.

She knew better than to search her name online, she'd trained herself out of the habit when she was with Brad, and of course on bad days she'd fallen down the rabbit hole of reading the vile things that middle aged men hiding behind anonymous accounts would say about her.

Even though she knew better than to do so, she found herself doing the very same thing as she sat at her desk, reading Reddit forums where the leaked photo of her had been posted after Oliver had the injunction lifted following Billie's failure to accept his business proposal. She knew that it was better to avoid those forums, that they were simply the opinions of people that shouldn't matter to her.

But there was a part of her that wanted to prepare herself for what the fans might chant during the match, like some sort of fucked up exposure therapy. She knew what Jamie would think if he found out, he'd be devastated and he'd be gutted to see her do something like that to herself.

His opinion was the one that mattered most, and yet she couldn't stop punishing herself.

"You okay, Bils?" Jamie asked as he lingered in the doorway to her office, just minutes before he and his team were due to walk out onto the pitch ahead of their match against Brighton and Hove Albion.

"Huh?" Billie looked up from her laptop, quickly switching tabs to where she'd previously been editing a 'What's In My Kitbag' video that she'd filmed with Jamie and Sam a few days prior.

"I said, are you okay?" He replied, making his way across to her desk.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Billie hummed as Jamie leant against the edge of her desk.

"Because we've got a match today," Jamie reminded her, as though it weren't common knowledge, "And I know that if you aren't okay, you'll pretend to be okay because you think it'll distract me from playing."

"You're really good at the whole psychological analysis thing, J," Billie sighed as she leant back in her chair, "But, I am fine."

"It's fine if you aren't fine, Bils," Jamie assured her, because he knew the photo was back online, and he knew her well enough to know that she would consider it a burden to talk to him about it, "I know you've not been feeling completely yourself since the whole photo thing."

"Jamie," Billie stood up, slotting herself between his legs, not wanting to distract him from what she believed were more important matters, "I'm fine, and the first second I'm not, you'll be the first to know."

"What if I'm on the pitch?"

"Then you'll probably fake an injury to get subbed off so you can check on me, which I definitely don't want you to do, alright?" Billie instructed him as she placed her hands on his shoulders.

"I just like knowing that you're okay," Jamie sighed, taking her hands in his and squeezing them three times, "We're basically telephonic, so I'll know if you're lying."

"Do you mean telepathic?" Billie smiled.

"That's what I said, so yeah," Jamie nodded with a grin.

"If you say so, pretty boy," Billie sighed, "Now, we should probably go join the team."

"You're the boss," Jamie smirked.

"In every sense," Billie grinned as Jamie kissed the top of her head, wrapping an arm around her shoulder and guiding her out of her office and towards the locker room.

Jamie hadn't been entirely honest, because he knew what Billie would say. That morning when Billie had returned to her office to prepare for the match, Jamie had made his way up to Rebecca's office. He'd asked her if she knew of any lawyers who would know how to deal with a situation like Billie's, knowing that she had a lot of famous friends. She was reassured to know that Billie had a man like Jamie in her corner and gave him the details of a few contacts she'd called upon herself when she was with Rupert.

"Billie!" Rebecca's voice echoed down the corridor as she approached the pair, "How are you?"

"I'm good," Billie nodded, "We're good."

"I'll see you in a minute," Jamie whispered, kissing the top of Billie's head before making his way into the locker room.

"He's been taking good care of you, it seems," Rebecca smiled fondly.

"Yeah," Billie nodded, "He keeps asking me if I'm okay."

"And are you?" Rebecca raised her eyebrows in intrigue.

"I think so," Billie answered, knowing that she could trust Rebecca nod to judge her for reading the online discourse surrounding the photo, "When I don't look at what people are saying online."

"Billie," Rebecca sighed empathetically, "There is only one person's opinion of you that matters, and it's yours...you are surrounded by love, love that you completely deserve."

"They all think that I leaked it myself," Billie replied honestly, knowing that Rebecca would understand, "Like I'd do it for attention or something."

"Let them, let them know that you're proud of your body, and that it's nothing to be ashamed of," Rebecca instructed her, "You are far too young and talented to worry yourself over the opinions of some gross middle aged men, alright?"

"Thank you," Billie smiled.

"Now, do me a favour and make sure those boys of ours are in check," Rebecca told her, knowing that the team's company would provide both comfort and a distraction from her anxious brain.

"I'm so glad to have you," Billie wrapped her in a hug, and she meant it wholeheartedly, Rebecca had filled the void of maternal love that Billie's life lacked. While it wasn't ever Rebecca's intention to be that to Billie, it was a relationship both women cherished, they were as much sisters as they were friends.

"Likewise, young lady," Rebecca smiled as she embraced her, "I'll see you after the match."

"Not if I see you first," Billie blew her a quick kiss before entering the locker room.

She quickly observed how Colin approached Isaac, attempting to offer him a pre match handshake, as the pair often did before a match. But Isaac simply stared back at him, as though he had nothing to say. It was weird the first time she'd seen Isaac give him the cold shoulder, but to see it a second time felt as though there was more to it.

"Alright, fellas, here we go, focus up, y'all!" Ted clapped his hands together as the three coaches entered the room before Billie could say anything to Colin or Isaac, "Coach, who we got today?"

"Brighton and Hove Albion," Beard announced as Billie slotted into a gap between Colin and Jamie.

"Brighton, Hove and Albion, I didn't know we were playing a law firm," Ted remarked, earning laughs from the team, or rather, from everyone except Colin, "Okay, let's bring it in, here we go."

Billie slotted into the huddle between Jamie and Van Damme, watching as Isaac removed his hand from the pile when Colin placed his on top of it. She knew Isaac could be stubborn, but whatever was bothering him, she knew that eventually it would have the same effect as putting a mento into a bottle of Coca Cola.

"Go ahead, Captain," Ted instructed Isaac, "Count us off."

"Richmond on C," Isaac declared, "A, B, C!"

"Richmond!" The team exclaimed before dispersing and making their way out to the pitch.

The match was well underway, almost twenty five minutes and neither team had yet to score. Brighton's Cooke had the ball at his feet, heading down the pitch towards his team's goal, Sam staying close behind him. But with a touch too heavy, Cooke lost control of the ball, allowing Isaac to kick it.

But what could've been a goal kick for Richmond, became a corner kick for Brighton.

"He's not playing like himself," Billie muttered as she stood beside her brother as they watched the players line up in preparation for the corner.

"Yeah," Roy sighed regretfully, his nerves easing as Brighton's ball flew through the air, landing in Van Damme's arms.

Billie watched as the ball was passed to Colin, who quickly looked for space to make a pass forward, but Brighton had him surrounded so he passed it back to Maas. Kipling stepped in, intercepting the ball and passing it on to Cooke who sent in for the pitch to Miller who knocked it past Van Damme and into the goal with ease.

"Fuck!" Roy exclaimed as Billie stood beside him, not having much to photograph in such a dire situation for Richmond.

"Roy," Billie nudged her brother as she watched Isaac storm down the pitch towards Colin as Brighton celebrated their goal.

"The fuck's that about?" Roy huffed as Isaac shouted at Colin, the pair just far enough from the coaches and Billie that none of them could make out what was said.

"I don't know, but whatever it is, he's taking it out on Colin," Billie muttered as Jamie and Sam stepped in, guiding Isaac away from Colin in a desperate attempt to diffuse the situation and return to the matter at hand.

Just seconds remained of the first half as Richmond did their best to maintain possession of the ball, hoping or perhaps praying for an equaliser to see them through.

Colin passed the ball to Sam, who passed it backwards to Dani, sending it infield to Jamie who passed it back to Sam, who sent it back to Dani. Billie watched with bated breath as Dani took his shot, but Brighton's keeper was there to collect, moments before the blow of the half time whistle.

Billie made her way back down the pitch, wandering somewhere between Colin and Isaac, hoping to grab Colin to check that he was alright in the fifteen minutes that sat between them and the second half.

"Same old Richmond!" A fan in the crowd chanted as the team trailed towards the tunnel, "Still a shit show!"

Billie could see Jamie was already reaching the tunnel, a few paces ahead of her, Dani beside him, and she desperately hoped that the 'fan's' words wouldn't affect Jamie's mindset.

"You're absolutely rubbish, stop basing the ball around and bloody do something!" The same fan shouted, "You're a disgrace to the badge!"

Billie had found herself walking alongside Colin who walked as though his head were heavy, his gaze focused on the trampled grass under his feet.

"You're all playing like a bunch of fucking-"

It was bitter, it was fucking twisted, it was a word that shouldn't have been uttered in that space, or any space at all, and it lingered, like the smell of smoke would cling to everything. Billie watched as Colin's steps faltered, knowing that the weight of what he carried on his shoulders was only made heavier by the words spoken in anger by that singular fan.

Colin continued into the tunnel, headed for the locker room, and Billie had every intention of checking in with him; she'd tell him that she knew the truth if it would allow her to reassure him that the fan's words meant nothing. But before Billie could consider talking to Colin, Isaac was going off like a grenade.

"What the fuck did you say to me?" Isaac shouted at the fan as Billie glanced over her shoulder in search of her brother who was strolling down the side of the pitch, ahead of Beard and Ted.

"What?" The fan shrugged.

"What did you fucking say?" Isaac asked again as he launched himself over the hoarding and into the stands, charging up the stairs towards the fan in question, grabbing him by his shirt, "I said 'what did you fucking say?'"

Billie waved Roy down, who was quick to hurry towards her as the ground's security attempted to intervene hoping they could pull Isaac off of him.

Roy attempted to usher the rest of the team off of the pitch while keeping his attention on Isaac, "Isaac!"

"Number five!" The referee held up a red card, pointing at Isaac.

"Fuck's sake," Roy muttered as Billie lingered beside Sam, unsure of where she was most useful.

Two of the stadium's security officers guided Isaac back down the steps, Roy hauling him back onto the pitch side before, gesturing for Sam and Bumbercatch to take him back into the clubhouse.

"Oi!" Roy shouted at the remaining security officials, gesturing to the fan who'd triggered Isaac's reaction, "Get him the fuck out of here!"

The stadium's security guards, who's responsibilities didn't usually go beyond keeping an eye on fans who'd had one too many, stared blankly at the club's former captain, because they'd heard him, but none of them wanted to be the person to do it.

"I said 'get him the fuck out of here!'" Roy repeated himself, just as Isaac had.

Billie watched as the fan was removed to the stadium, glancing up at her brother who's jaw remained clenched, "You good?" She muttered.

"I'm fine," Roy shrugged of her concerns, "You alright?"

"Yeah," Billie nodded, "We should probably head back in."

"Too fucking right," Roy sighed.

The Kent siblings returned to the locker room to be met with an unsettling silence that had no doubt followed the slam of a door from Isaac who remained seated in his space on the bench, his fists clenched as anger continued to pump through his body. Billie felt a need to sit beside Colin, so she made her way across the locker room, sitting beside him without so much as a word.

Jamie gave Billie the slightest of smiles from his side of the room by way of letting her know he was there. He wasn't entirely sure what had unfolded after he left the pitch, but from the sombre empathy that lingered on Billie's face as her gaze flitted between Colin and Isaac, he knew it had bothered her.

"Alright, nobody's gonna say nothing?" Ted glanced around the silent room, "Sure, no, I'll kick it off, Isaac, what the hell happened?"

"One of our fans said some ignorant shit!" Isaac shouted.

"Okay, what'd they say?" Ted asked as Isaac shrugged off his question.

"I heard it," Sam answered, "He said the f-word."

"Fuck?" Jamie remarked as the team frowned in confusion.

"No, the other f-word," Sam replied.

"Fuuuck," Jamie muttered in drawn out realisation.

"If it helps the fan has been removed," Higgins told the team, "And I apologise for my dad," He joked, promptly realising it hadn't quite landed, "Sorry, not the time for jokes, read the room, Leslie."

"Okay, I get it, Isaac, look, what that guy said, inexcusable, alright?" Ted focused his attention on Isaac, "But, man, your reaction to it ain't gonna be taught in any Tibetan monasteries anytime soon, you know what I'm saying?"

"Yeah, now we're one man down," Jan remarked.

"Isaac, come on, man, it's nothing we haven't heard before," Sam added as the room became fueled with conversation.

"Exactly, it's just poopy, ignore it, man," Jamie said with only a slither of understanding of the weight of that man's words, by no fault of his own.

"Ignore it?" Isaac shouted as he stood up, "I don't wanna fucking ignore it!"

The room felt quiet and Billie interlocked her hand with Colin's, squeezing it in the same way he'd done in the locker room at Wembley over a year ago as she'd been witness to Jamie and his dad.

She squeezed three times. 'I've got you.'

Colin squeezed back three times. 'You've got me.'

"We shouldn't have to deal with this shit!" Isaac shouted, before pulling off his captain's armband and shoving it into Sam's hand before storming out of the room.

"Alright," Ted hummed as he turned to follow Isaac out of the room.

"I got it," Roy assured him before making his way out of the locker room.

Billie kept her hand interlocked with Colin's and she'd keep it that way as long as he let her, she didn't know if Colin knew that she knew, but as Colin looked down at Billie's hand interlocked with his, the tattoo on her wrist she'd got to honour her relationship with Jamie, it was in many ways an unspoken acknowledgement of support. It reminded him of when Alfie had told him about how he'd come out to Billie as a teenager, how she'd shown him nothing but love, and as he looked down at their hands, he knew that he was safe with her.

Billie's gaze wandered over to Jamie as he gestured to Sam and then the captain's armband before pointing at himself. Sam simply gave him a middle finger with a smile of gold, struck by an unexpected sense of confidence in his ability to take on the responsibility.

"What the fuck was that all about?" Van Damme remarked.

"Colin, do you know?" Sam asked the Welshman who simply shook his head.

"It's none of our business, boys," Billie said in an attempt to divert the conversation, hoping it wouldn't unsettle Colin.

"Guys, it's pretty obvious," Bumbercatch added, "Isaac's gay, right?"

"Well, statistically speaking, ten percent of the population is homosexual," Jan remarked, "So it's not that surprising."

"So there are probably more people in this room who are gay," Beard shrugged as the team one by one turned their gaze to Jamie.

Jamie who glanced around at his teammates and his girlfriend before he sat upright with a proud smile on his face, holding his hand to his chest, "I'm flattered," He smirked proudly, as Billie blew him a kiss which he caught with his free hand before kissing his knuckles.

"Guys, we don't need to discuss this any further, okay?" Sam told the team, "All Isaac needs now is our support."

The team hummed and nodded in agreement, knowing that their perceptions of their captain had not been faltered or swayed by such revelation.

"Alright, fellas, let's focus on the second half," Ted attempted to rally the team, "Now what we got-"

"Woah, woah, hold on," Colin stood up, letting go of Billie's hand, ready to stand upon his own two feet, "Isaac's not gay."

To know someone is to see them for everything that they are, to understand what makes them tick and the nuances of their character that make them so unique. To be seen by someone is to be vulnerable, to bear your heart, your wounds, your scars, and know that you won't face judgement, that you will be embraced with love.

As Colin stood in the locker room, surrounded by people who were more than just his teammates, they were his brothers, Trent was the man he'd been able to confide in about what weighed on his heart, Billie was the best friend that enabled him to channel the belief that he was in fact a 'strong and capable man.'

He knew that he could trust them, and he knew that he wanted to trust them, that he wanted to let them see him, and to be seen was to be vulnerable, to know that if you fall, you will be caught.

"I am."

The words were heavy, and yet so natural as he spoke them, as though he had been waiting a lifetime to utter them, but as he did, it were as though a weight had dissipated from his heart. The thirteen year old Welsh boy on the local park's muddy football pitch, who wondered if it'd ever feel easier to carry, was beside him all the way.

"So, we're cool?" Colin asked as Billie's eyes welled up with pride, unable to explain what exactly it was that she felt as she watched Colin share his truth with the team.

"Of course," The team nodded in support.

"Yes, amigo," Dani smiled, "You're gay, big whoop, but we don't care, right, guys?"

"Yeah, all good," Reverberated around the room.

"Now, hold on, actually," Ted hushed the team, and Billie knew that the team were about to be served one of Ted's many parables, a parable that Trent knew would be too lengthy to scribe, so promptly began recording Ted on his phone (He learnt the hard way from the way his hand ached after attempting to scribe down the Arsenal half time talk), "Colin, we do care, you know, when I was growing up back in Kansas City, I had a buddy named Stevey Jewell, he was a huge Denver Broncos fan, but we were all growing up smack dab in the middle of Chiefs country, so he used to catch a lot of guff for it, you know?"

Billie wasn't exactly sure what it had to do with Colin coming out, but she was willing to listen nonetheless.

"But me? Me, I told him it didn't affect the way I felt about him at all, you know? I told him that I 'didn't care,' and I didn't, you know?" Ted explained, "But then in about 1998, he had to watch back to back Super Bowls with the Denver Broncos in 'em all by himself."

"First one, he ate an entire seven layer dip from Price Copper, all by himself and it just wrecked his stomach, he destroyed the toilet in his parents basement," Ted continued, "I remember the rumour at the time being that he caused nine thousand dollars worth of damage, next year he did the same thing, all by himself, must've thought it was good luck or something, cause I wasn't there, cause I 'didn't care.'"

"But I should've cared, you know? I should've supported him, I should've been at his house both them years, sharing that seven layer dip with my friend while his garbage-ass team wins back to back Super Bowls," Ted remarked.

"Coach, did you just compare being gay to being a Denver Broncos fan?" Colin frowned in confusion.

"You know what? I did, and I regret it, sorry about that," Ted replied.

"What the fuck are Denver Broncos?" Jamie asked.

"That's a very good question too," Ted replied as Beard pinched the bridge of his nose, "It's an American football reference, an absolute fumble in this situation, I apologise, but the point is, Colin...we don't not care, we care very much, we care about who you are and what you must've been going through, but from now on, you don't have to go through it all by yourself."

"Yeah, you hear that? You got us, mate, we got you," Jamie assured him, reiterating the unspoken message in Billie taking a hold of Colin's hand earlier, unaware of the depth of his words.

"You've got us for life, boyo," Billie stood up beside Colin, nudging him with a smile.

"Okay, well, look, I hate to bring up work in a moment like this, but we do have a second half of a match to play," Ted reminded the team, turning to Beard, "Coach, what we got?"

"Playing a man down," Beard remarked, "What do we do differently?"

"Absolutely nothing!" The team exclaimed.

"Let's go," Jamie clapped his hands together as the team gathered in a huddle, Colin gestured for Billie to stand beside him, grateful to have her beside him.

"Okay, alright, Captain, count us off," Ted nodded at Sam who was oblivious to his role.

"Oh, wow that's me," Sam rambled with a smile, "I don't know what to say, I'm honoured to be your captain, and you know, I love you guys so very much."

"On three," Jamie declared, "One, two, three!"

"I love you guys so very much!" The team exclaimed with smiles on their faces, Jamie wrapped an arm around Sam as the team made their way out of the locker room, leaving just Billie and Colin in the locker room with Trent who hung back on the physio bench.

"I'm proud of you, boyo," Billie grinned as she wrapped Colin in a hug, "So fucking proud."

"I'm sorry I never said anything," Colin smiled, "It wasn't that I didn't trust you-"

"Hey," Billie cut him off with a smile, "You never have to apologise for any of that, okay? I might not know what it's like to go through what you've been dealing with, but I get that it's not easy, and none of that warrants an apology, alright?"

"Thank you," Colin whispered.

"And when you and Alfie fancy a double date, you just let me and Jamie know, alright?" Billie smirked knowingly.

"How did you-" Colin raised his eyebrows in disbelief.

"You both together just makes sense," Billie grinned, "And I couldn't be happier for you."

"Alf was right," Colin smiled.

"Alfie Sykes is always right, except for being an Arsenal fan," Billie glanced across the room at Trent and then back at Colin, "I'll see you on the pitch, boyo."

Colin was a man reborn as the final whistle blew, assisting in two goals that secured Richmond a comeback and a well deserved three points for his team. It was as though someone had lit a fire beneath him, he was a man reborn.

"Congratulations, Ted, that's eight wins in a row," Trent remarked as he joined Billie and the coaches in the office, Ted pouring a portion of whiskey into his rainbow mug as Billie sipped hers from her old One Direction mug (naturally).

"Oh, come on now, Trent, you know I don't care about winning or losing," Ted reminded him as Beard blew a raspberry.

"Feels fucking good when it happens though, right?" Billie grinned.

"Indeed, Sporty Spice," Ted smiled as Roy entered the room, thumping his chest like a gorilla, "Truth is, the only way I could be happier is if my arm feet were covered in barbecue sauce."

"How you feeling about the win streak, Roy?" Trent asked as Ted poured his fellow coach a glass of whiskey.

"No way, do not come near me with that shit, you never talk about a streak," Roy huffed, "Our grandparents were happily married for fifty one years 'cause they never said a fucking word to each other, scram."

"It's true," Billie took a gulp of whiskey, "I might've been a kid but I remember how fucking awkward those family roasts were."

"Well done, team, congrats," Higgins remarked as he entered the office, taking a glass of whiskey from Beard, "Another one!"

"Oh, boy, Higgins hitting us with his DJ Khaled impression, nice," Ted grinned.

"Who?" Higgins replied.

"I can't believe the man with five sons doesn't know who DJ Khaled is," Billie smirked, "Although, I do respect it."

"The press is ready for you, Ted, it's a big one," Higgins told him.

"That's what the lady from the American Office said," Ted sighed.

"And the captain in the Titanic movie when he saw the iceberg," Billie added.

"I'll be right there," Ted nodded.

The Richmond press room was rarely a hive of such buzzing conversation, but as Billie entered the room alongside Higgins and Trent, she was surprised to be met with such lovely chatter, offering Alfie a thumbs up of assurance as she made her way to the back of the room, knowing that he had spoken to him after the match.

"He's on his way," Billie told Rebecca and Keeley as the group stood at the back of the room.

"Thank you, Billie," Rebecca smiled, turning to Keeley, "You gave Ted some talking points?"

"No, I haven't done that in a long time," Keeley remarked.

"Oh, God."

"Trust me, boss man's got this," Billie offered the women a knowing smirk as the door at the front of the room opened, Roy stepping into the space, the room falling silent as he took a seat at the desk.

"Yeah, alright, you got me today," Roy leant forward on the desk, "Any questions?"

The room erupted into ramblings from members of the press as Roy got comfortable in his seat.

"Fucking hell," Roy exhaled, "You, five o'clock shadow head."

"Coach Kent, do you or the organisation condone what Isaac McAdoo did today?" The journalist asked.

"What a stupid fucking question," Roy remarked as Billie felt herself tense up with concern, "Course we don't, what Isaac did was awful, he was lucky he only got a red card."

"Okay, so why'd he do it?"

Roy laughed under his breath, sitting back in his seat, "When I was first coming up through Sunderland, there was an old timer on the team, local guy, he and his wife were about to have their first kid, so during training one day, I made a joke that statistically I was probably the real dad, and the boys fell about laughing, but he went fucking nuts, he battered me, properly, I had a black eye, chipped tooth, three broken ribs, I couldn't play for six games."

Billie remembered that vividly, even though she was only little when it happened, she remembered her hero of a big brother returning home with a limp and a bruised face. Roy being Roy, the young man who missed his little sister, let her spend every evening when she came home from school playing doctors and 'looking after him.' Neither Roy nor her parents ever told her the truth, they said he'd just 'had an accident at work,' and she'd believed them as she was just a child.

"He got booted off the team, after that, no club would go near him," Roy told the room, "Then in the summer, after I could breathe again, I bumped into him in a pub, and I got the chance to say sorry for my stupid fucking joke...and he got to tell me that he and his wife had lost the baby a month before all of that went down, he hadn't told anyone, kept it all inside."

Billie had seen her brother be vulnerable, but that had always been in private, only in front of family or loved ones, the people he trusted or in few cases, when someone needed him to be vulnerable, so to see him admit that in a room full of strangers, she believed that was the best sort of progress.

"Look, I get that some people think if they buy a ticket they've got the right to yell whatever abusive shit they want at footballers, but they're not just footballers, they're also people," Roy continued, "And none of us know what is going on in each other's lives, so for Isaac to do what he did today, even though it was wrong, I give him love, and as for why he did what he did...that's none of my fucking business...next question."

The room raised their hands as Billie watched her big brother with pride, a bright smile on her face.

"Yeah, New Trent."

"Coach, let's talk about Colin Hughes," Marcus replied.

"Yeah, he's a hell of a player and a great man," Roy remarked, "I think we've underused him."

"I think you're right."

"Glad we agree, I prefer you to Old Trent," Roy replied as everyone in the room laughed, "Next question."

Roy's gaze wandered to the back of the room, flitting between the three powerful women who put him there. They each offered him a different sort of love, and yet they all had the same intention, to see Roy happy and doing what he loved, hoping that he knew that love was something he deserved. He was surrounded by strong and independent women, Billie, Keeley, Rebecca, Hannah and Phoebe, all of whom he'd put on a pedestal if he could, because they'd each taught him something different, and yet had all reached the same outcome.

"J, we've become one of those couples that host our friends who are also in a couple," Billie sighed as she sat on her kitchen counter as Jamie stood in between her legs.

"I'm not sure it really counts as hosting when one of 'em lives in the same house as you," Jamie hummed, "But hearing you call us a couple still never gets old."

"What about when we get old and grey?" Billie remarked as she placed her hands on Jamie's shoulders.

"You'll still be fit, babe," Jamie told her with a smirk, "You're definitely going to be a milf."

"Speak for yourself," Billie quipped with a smile, "And don't even think about distracting me or the brownies will burn, I made them especially for Colin, they're his favourite."

"The brownies that you made from a packet mix?" Jamie teased.

"Now, now, Mr Tartt," Billie placed a finger over his lips.

"Call me that again and I'll have no choice but to distract you," Jamie mumbled as he gave her a quick kiss.

"Are you decent?" Alfie's voice came from downstairs, followed by the front door closing.

"Never!" Billie called out as Alfie and Colin appeared at the top of the staircase.

"Something smells good," Colin smiled as he and Alfie entered the kitchen. Billie watched Colin grab two beers from the fridge and it filled her with delight to know that their flat was somewhere he felt comfortable enough not to feel like a guest.

"I made some of those brownies you like," Billie told him as Jamie simply shook his head at Alfie's offer of a beer.

"Well, she says she made them but-"

Billie was quick to cover Jamie's mouth with her hand, "You're a fucking menace, Tartt."

"Speak for yourself, Kent," Jamie smirked, freeing himself from her hand by licking her palm.

Alfie glanced at Colin with a smile, "You get used to it."

"Best check your homemade brownies ain't burning, babe," Jamie teased her again as she hopped down from the counter top, gently tickling his waist before opening the oven, using a tea towel to pull the tray out, before placing it on the counter.

"Voila," Billie smiled proudly, "You boys hungry?"

"Absolutely," Alfie nodded.

"I've always got room for those brownies," Colin added despite having already eaten with Alfie at the curry house.

Billie glanced at Jamie, even though she was quite sure she already knew what his answer would be, "I'm still in training, babe, got a session with your brother first thing."

"I'm sure I can help you work it off later, if needs must," Billie smirked.

"Needs must?" Jamie frowned with a slight smirk, "That's what we're calling it?"

"God, you two are like fucking rabbits," Alfie teased.

"Well, I'd love a brownie, babe," Jamie replied as Billie began serving them up, handing them a plate each.

"We're staying at yours tonight," Alfie was quick to turn to Colin.

"Yeah, I'm only here for the brownies," Colin added.

"Alright, boys," Billie smiled, "Colin's the guest, he gets to pick the film."

"Babe," Jamie frowned, "I'm also a guest."

"You've not been a guest for a very long time, pretty boy," Billie reminded him, given that the pair practically lived between Jamie's house and Billie's flat.

"I mean, in that case, Col's not been a guest longer than Jamie," Alfie was quick to tell Billie.

"Alf, I want first dibs on film choice, don't bring me into this," Colin remarked, already having decided on his film choice.

"How long?"

"I mean, we got together like a couple of months after you introduced us," Alfie told her.

"So like nearly two years?" Billie smiled, impressed that they'd been able to keep it under wraps for so long, knowing that everyone seemed to have caught onto her and Jamie pretty quickly.

"Ha!" Jamie exclaimed, assuming he'd get first dibs on film choice following Alfie's revelation.

"To be fair, mate, you and Bils may as well have been together when you came back from City," Alfie added, turning to Colin, "The amount of pining between these two, I thought she was going to combust everytime Jamie looked at her."

"I mean you're not wrong," Billie smirked as Jamie wrapped his arms around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head.

"Fucking irresistible, me," Jamie smiled proudly.

"We're watching Flushed Away, boys," Billie decided to make the decision for them, "And if anyone complains I'll put the One Direction documentary on instead."

"Yes, boss."

afcrichmond posted:

liked by: jamie_tartt and 639,291 others

afcrichmond: A Man of the Match performance from one of our very own, Colin Hughes.

COMMENTS:
jamie_tartt: BOYO!

will_kitman: mega!

alfiesykes98: legendary scenes.

billie_kent: Wales' best export!

author's note: hope you enjoyed this update! we finally have colin and alfie!!! i can't wait for glimpses of them together tehe!