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onceuponaoneshotfanfic · 11 months

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Something There (Chapter 11)

9.4k words

Roy Kent x Reader

Warnings: Language, fluff, references to smutty things, Roy and Bucky being bad at hiding their relationship, fluffy fluff

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“Morning, Coach.”

I turned around, smiling when I saw Roy walking down the hall towards me. “Morning, Coach,” I repeated as I paused to wait for him. “How was training with Jamie?”

He rolled his eyes as we began walking towards our offices. “It was training with fucking Tartt. What d’you think?” He nudged my shoulder. “Plus, I’ve been having a hard time getting out of bed lately.” He raised his eyebrows at me and lowered his voice. “Especially when someone wakes me up with a-”

“Roy! Hey, Roy!”

With a growl, Roy stopped and turned to watch Nate shuffle over to us. “Yeah?” he practically spat. When I elbowed him, he rolled his eyes. “I mean, yes Nate?”

The assistant coach quickly started chattering to Roy about the lineup for their match the next day. I took advantage of the distraction to unabashedly stare at Roy; fuck, if he wasn’t the handsomest man I’d ever met. For the millionth time over the past week, I wondered how the hell I’d resisted him for so long. With his animated eyes and his little smirk and the world’s thickest eyebrows, I felt a blush creep up my neck as I gazed at him- especially when my eyes began trailing down his figure, remembering everything we’d been up to earlier that morning.

Once Nate walked off with a little wave, Roy turned to me, clearly amused to find me checking him out. “See something you like?” he teased as we resumed our walk.

“Absolutely not,” I said, sticking my tongue out.

“Shame,” he hummed. He glanced up and down the empty hallway before leaning in close. “Because I see something I like very much.”

Before I could think of some sarcastic comment, he ducked his head and stole the smallest kiss. Laughter bubbled past my lips as I chased his mouth, not ready to have him pull away from me yet. He chuckled and took a step back.

“Fucking needy,” he tsked, urging me to keep walking.

I rolled my eyes. “Fucking tease,” I countered. “And we’re going to get caught if you keep doing that shit.”

All week, Roy had found every opportunity he could to kiss me, or flirt with me, or touch me, despite my light reminders about being at work. And, despite my protests, I had to admit: it was heaven. And I didn’t care that everyone could see the way we smiled at each other and joked with each other, acting very much like kids with crushes. Roy Kent and I were giddy, and the whole Dog Track knew it.

It was even more obvious that night at the Whippets match.

Lucas and I were watching the team warm up before the game, making sure we were set to go, when a flash of white in the owner’s box caught my eye. Lucas followed my gaze and let out a scoff of a laugh.

“Is Roy Kent wearing a Whippets jersey?” he snickered, elbowing me. “Wonder who he’s wearing. Hope you don’t get jealous!”

Before I could threaten my assistant coach with physical violence, Roy turned back to talk to a smiling Rebecca and Ted, revealing a bright number six and those familiar five letters: BUCKY.

My entire body was immediately covered in a deep flush. Roy Kent was wearing my jersey. I wasn’t sure if any guy had ever worn my number. In college, I’d had a couple of boyfriends who were fellow athletes, and I liked to make signs for their games. At one point I’d briefly dated a professional baseball player and wore his jersey when I watched him. But to see a guy- my guy- wearing my name and number proudly?

Fuck, if that wasn’t the sexiest, sweetest thing I’d ever seen.

Ted leaned forward and said something to Roy, who immediately twisted back around. He looked in our direction and smiled, a real, glowing smile, the rare kind that lit up brighter than the stadium lights. All I could do was shake my head and offer up that little salute he always did; he just threw his head back in laughter and returned to his conversation with Ted and Rebecca.

When I turned back to Lucas, his smug face looked so damn punchable. “Well,” he hummed, crossing his arms and raising his eyebrows. “What do we have to say for ourselves, Buckaroo?”

I tugged at my blazer, as if that would somehow hide my blush. “I don’t know,” I mumbled. “Maybe he just really likes the number six, Lucas. It is his number too, after all.”

“Or maybe he just really likes a certain coach.” Lucas bumped his hip into mine. “What about you? Do you like him?” He waggled his eyebrows at me. “Like, like him like him?”

I rolled my eyes. “Shit, what are you, twelve?”

“Bucky.”

Despite myself, a smile crept across my burning face. “If I say yes, will you shut up so we can focus on the match? Because I’d really like to win.”

Lucas wrapped an arm around me. “Oh definitely. Want to make sure we impress your crush, yeah?”

“Fuck off,” I laughed, allowing myself one last look at Roy- who was already smiling at me.

He knew he was practically drilling holes into her figure. But, despite being in the same room as both coaching staffs, Keeley, and Rebecca, Roy couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when she was wearing his favorite leggings and a particularly flattering sweater as she murmured something to Lucas, doing a much better job at acting casual in front of their coworkers.

“I won’t keep you long,” Rebecca began with a smile. “I just wanted to tell you all how… how very proud I am of everyone.” She gestured to the newspapers on her desk, giddiness crossing her face. “Everyone’s buzzing about the Whippets and Greyhounds, saying we’re going to… going to…”

“Win the whole fucking thing!” Keeley finished, shining with pride. “Sorry,” she whispered to Rebecca, who glared at her for stealing the moment.

Rebecca laughed and turned back to the gaffers. “Yes. We’re currently the top picks in both leagues, if you can believe it.” Her eyes shifted between the two managers. “Thank you,” she murmured. “I know it’s been… a journey, getting to this point.” Everyone shifted awkwardly, watching the two managers carefully. “But we are almost to the fucking finish line, Richmond!”

Everyone laughed and let out playful hoots and hollers. Roy couldn’t help but watch the joy on her face as she and Lucas did their little fist bump ritual. When she caught him staring, she rolled her eyes playfully, as if the blush on her face wasn’t obvious to him- and everyone else in the room.

“One more thing,” Keeley spoke up, bringing Roy back to earth. “With all the hype, there’s lots of press requests. And we’ve got this really great suggestion to have an interview with a coach from each team, to talk all about how successful both squads have been, the chemistry here at Nelson Road, the idea that both of our teams might be champions.” She smiled, eyes scanning the faces in front of her. “Any volunteers?”

To the room’s surprise, Roy spoke up. “Should be the managers, yeah?” He glanced at the Whippets coaches, noting the smug grin on Lucas’s face. “They’re our fucking teams.”

Those red lips that Roy had been kissing earlier that morning curved into a smile. “Agreed. If everyone’s okay with it, Roy and I can handle the interview.”

Keeley didn’t bother hiding the delight on her face. “Managers it is then,” she hummed. She waved her hands. “The rest of you can take off, just need these two to stay.”

Once the room emptied, the managers sat down in front of Rebecca’s desk. Taking advantage of the cover the wooden desk provided, Roy tapped his shoe to hers, pleased with the way she tapped back and left her sneaker pressed against his.

Smiling knowingly, Keeley began tapping at her tablet, taking notes. “Alright, well, of course they’ll ask about the clubs, about how the players get along, what it’s like sharing the Dog Track. They’ll ask about your opinions on each other’s coaching styles.” Her eyes flickered to their faces. “Anything… off-limits?”

The two managers glanced at each other, not sure what to say.

After a moment, Roy shrugged. “Just don’t ask us if we’ve had sex,” he joked, trying to diffuse the awkwardness.

Rebecca chuckled. “We already know the answer to that one anyways.”

The panic on both of their faces was evident; how the fuck did Rebecca know?

She stared at them with furrowed eyebrows. “Well, someone went and confirmed it in that press conference,” she reminded them, gesturing to Bucky. “Sorry, guess that was in bad taste.”

Keeley cleared her throat. “Well, if there’s no other concerns, I’ll go ahead and email The Richmond Star-”

Roy clenched his fists so hard, his knuckles were noticeably white. “The fucking Richmond Star?” he repeated, sitting up straight. “I fucking swear, if it’s that little twat Willows-”

“No, no,” Keeley quickly assured him, ponytail wagging as she shook her head. “No, that bastard got fired.” She glanced at Bucky. “Sorry, I know the two of you, I mean you were…”

“Nope, absolute bastard,” the manager assured her. “World’s biggest dick.” She realized the way she’d phrased it. “No, not- ugh, I mean he is the world’s biggest dick. Not that he has-” She shook her head, rolling her eyes. “You know what I fucking mean.”

Feeling amused by her flustered expression, Roy leaned over. “Who does have the world’s biggest dick?” he asked with a smirk.

She narrowed her eyes at him, wearing a playfulness only he could see. “Fuck off, Kent.”

“Oi, gaffers.” Keeley snapped her fingers at them. “Focus.” She nodded at Roy. “Leave her alone. We get it, she’s seen you naked.” She snorted. “Who in this room hasn’t?”

Rebecca raised her hand, wrinkling her nose indignantly. “Um, I haven’t seen Roy naked. And I would like to keep it that way, thank you.” She grimaced at Roy. “No offense.”

Keeley nudged Rebecca. “You’re missing out.” She winked at Bucky. “Isn’t she?”

Roy cleared his throat. “Alright, if we’re fucking done-”

“Oh!” Keeley tapped at her tablet. “No, one last thing.” She tapped again at her tablet, her expression suddenly shifty. “I just… wanted to ask if either of you had anything to say about this.” She turned her tablet, revealing a dark, blurry photo; it was the two of them at the club, the night of their first date, holding drinks and probably flirting.

Roy squinted. “Fuck is that?”

Keeley raised her eyebrows. “Supposedly the two of you. Apparently, you guys went to a club together, danced like horny teenagers, and left together.” She smirked. “Sound familiar?”

The Whippet shook her head. “Not really.” She looked carefully at the photo. “Kind of does look like you, Kent. Especially with that Johnny Cash, Man in Black outfit.”

Roy snorted and rolled his eyes. “Yeah, but that girl’s much prettier than you.”

“Dick,” she laughed, rising to her feet. “Well, if there’s nothing else, I’m heading to training.” She waved to the girls before turning to Roy. “Later.” With a little salute, she was gone.

With a smirk, Roy watched her leave, shaking his head as he turned back to his flabbergasted friends.

Rebecca leaned forward, her voice low. “Are you two fucking shagging?” she hissed, just as Keeley squeaked, “You’re totally sleeping together!”

Roy growled, wondering if they could see his face tint pink. “What the fuck?” He shook his head. “You guys are fucking lunatics.”

“Oh, come on,” Keeley scoffed, batting her eyes at her ex. “You’ve been attending her matches, you’re getting along better than ever, and you spent half that meeting undressing her with your eyes. Either you’re having sex, or you’re about to.”

“Right.” Roy stood, shaking his head again. “You two can go get fucked.”

“I bet you and Bucky can too,” Keeley cackled at Roy’s retreating back.

Waving his middle finger behind him, Roy left Rebecca’s office, slamming the door for good measure. He turned to the stairwell, pleasantly surprised to find a pretty smile waiting for him a couple steps down.

“Guess we got caught at the club,” she hummed as Roy approached. “At least it was dark, so it’s hard to be sure it’s us.”

“Yeah.” Roy touched her face gently, studying her expression. “You alright? With the photo thing?” He stepped close to her. “You okay?”

She nodded, a small smile on her lips. “Yeah,” she assured him as she placed her hand on top of his. “It’s different this time, you know? I’ve got you now.” She stood on tiptoe and quickly pressed her lips to his. “I know I’ve got you, so they can take all the photos they want.” She let go of Roy and started to walk downstairs. “Gotta head to the pitch, Coach. Let me know if you want to get into some trouble later.”

“With you?” Roy teased. “Always.”

I watched Roy’s knee jiggle as Keeley introduced us to the reporter- Mitch something or other- and walked us through how the interview would be. Keeley’d had the idea to have us sitting in the stands, Roy in his usual dark Greyhounds shirt and me in a white Whippets fleece; with a flirty wink, she’d said the contrasting colors looked great together.

“Alright, coaches,” Keeley squealed, offering us a thumbs up from next to the camera. “Let’s do this shit!”

Mitch, sitting in the row in front of us, did a quick introduction, mentioning the fact that both of our teams were in first place and showing no signs of slowing down.

He turned to us with a friendly grin. “Coaches, how are you feeling coming into the final stretch of your seasons?”

I looked over at Roy, offering to let him answer first. His eyes held the smallest bit of nervousness as he gazed back at me; I knew he wasn’t a fan of this kind of thing, but it finally dawned on me that he was probably worried about me, about us. With the tiniest smile, I pressed my knee gently against his, offering a silent We’ve got this.

I turned back to the camera with my best smile. “It’s exciting,” I started. “There’s a great energy here at the Dog Track right now, and we’re all just really excited and proud of all we’ve accomplished so far this season. We all can’t wait to see the Greyhounds and Whippets finish strong.”

Roy sat up straight, nodding in agreement. “The Greyhounds have been steadily building towards this, for a few seasons now actually. And the Whippets came right out of the gate strong as hell. It’s pretty amazing to get to experience this together.”

“It’s amazing to see the teams get along so well,” Mitch agreed. “How was the adjustment, sharing Nelson Road?”

Roy shrugged, keeping his knee pressed to mine. “The teams did great, actually. The guys were very welcoming to the Whippets, didn’t complain once about sharing the changing room and facilities. And the Whippets are fantastic.” He smirked at me. “Might miss them if they get their own training facilities.”

“Oh, no one told you we’re kicking you guys out?” I teased before turning back to the camera. “Yeah, the Greyhounds did a great job helping us feel right at home. Honestly, everyone at Nelson Road is amazing. Nate Shelley has been one of the great secrets of our success. Don’t tell the Greyhounds, but I’m hoping to poach him.”

Mitch laughed. “Good sportsmanship there.” He raised his eyebrows at us. “So, the teams got along great from the start. But rumor has it the two of you weren’t exactly best friends when the Whippets first arrived?”

We both paused for a moment. When I looked at Keeley, she was wearing a shit-eating grin. Stupid fucking Keeley.

“Well,” I started slowly. “We, er, had a rocky start, for sure.” I shrugged. “Growing pains. I think Roy would agree, we’re both very competitive and, well, stubborn. So it was a recipe for discomfort.”

Roy snorted, quirking a thick eyebrow at me. “Growing pains?” he repeated with a teasing scoff. “Fuck off, we hated each other.” He shrugged and turned back to Mitch with a grin. “Honestly it’s a miracle neither of us ended up buried under the pitch or something.”

I couldn’t help chuckling. “Yeah, he’s not wrong. We were… kind of awful. It’s a bigger miracle that the rest of the coaches didn’t all conspire to murder us both.” I gave Roy a gentle punch in the arm. “But we get along swell now.”

“What changed?”

“Well…” Roy gazed at the blue sky for a moment. “Honestly, I got to see her interact with my niece. We ran into each other one day, and she was just so damn nice and friendly. They’ve met a couple times now, and my niece just absolutely worships her.” He shrugged, ears tinted pink. “Kind of hard to hate someone when they’re your favorite person’s hero.”

Fuck. My heart hammered in my chest, listening to the affection in Roy’s voice; to anyone else, he was all soft because he was talking about Phoebe. But I knew that the tenderness he spoke with had quite a bit to do with his feelings for me. Feelings that were completely and totally mutual.

“And you, Coach Buck? When did your opinion of Roy change?”

Trying to keep myself from looking as giddy as I felt, I folded my arms and smiled at Mitch. “You know, I’m not one hundred percent sure,” I admitted. “We’ve had a lot of small moments of respect and friendship that I think added up over time. Before the season started, we had this team retreat, and the two of us had a great chat about how great it would be to both win the whole thing. And with the Whippets-Greyhounds game, he was fantastic with my players. And-” I sat up, grinning. “-we have this routine where we run together after work every day and watch crappy reality shows. I think just, over time, I came to respect Kent as a manager and enjoy our friendship.” I nodded towards Roy. “I’m really lucky to call him my colleague and friend.”

Roy’s eyebrows were impossibly high. “Fuck,” he chuckled. “Making my blush over here, Bucky.”

I loved the way my name sounded in that gruff voice.

Mitch was obviously amused watching us interact. “Clearly there’s a lot of respect and affection between the two of you. Especially since you’ve been attending each other’s games pretty consistently lately. Roy, you even wore a Whippets kit with Buck’s name on it the other night. Is there a reason you two’ve been so supportive of each other lately?”

In case either of us missed the not-so-subtle implication, Keeley made a circle with her fingers and slid her index finger in and out, winking at us dramatically. I battled the urge to roll my eyes at her and instead turned my attention to Roy, who decided to answer first this time.

“I mean, have you seen the Whippets?” he was saying. “They’re kind of fucking brilliant to watch. She’s a fucking great manager. ’Course I like watching them.” He turned to me expectantly, waiting for me to sing the Greyhounds’ praises.

Instead, I put on my sassiest smirk. “Honestly, sometimes there’s just nothing good on TV, so coming down here to watch this guy coach has to do for entertainment.”

When I looked at Roy, his eyebrows were raised cartoonishly, and his mouth was open in amusement. “Oh, sorry,” he laughed. “Didn’t realize your gold medal was in breaking my fucking heart.”

We sat there for a moment, eyes narrowed at each other dramatically, mouths twitching from trying not to laugh. Finally, Roy broke into a little snicker, the one that made my heart skip a beat, and I quickly joined him in uncontrollable laughter. Shoulders shaking, I leaned forward and instinctively rested my hand on his knee, trying to catch my breath and regain my composure. When I caught the mischievous sparkle in Keeley’s eye, I immediately withdrew my hand, realizing what I’d just done.

Luckily, Mitch kept things going. “So, with all the time you’ve spent watching each other coach, have you learned anything new?”

The interview went on, with more laughter and opportunities to compliment each other. As much as I tried to stay professional, I couldn’t help the way I gushed over Roy and the Greyhounds, although I did manage to keep my hands to myself for the rest of the interview. Some little part of me dreaded this interview coming out; it would be clear to anyone with eyes that Roy Kent and I were crazy about each other. But, as he talked all about how much his players admired my Whippets, I found that I didn’t mind people knowing that I liked this man. Not really.

“Alright, so, as the season comes to a close, I’ve got to ask the tough question,” Mitch wrapped up. “If one team wins and the other team doesn’t, will you still be happy for each other?”

I didn’t hesitate. “Absolutely. We’re one team here at Nelson Road. We celebrate each other here.”

Roy tilted his head towards me, holding out his closed fist. “Richmond til we die.”

“Richmond til we die,” I echoed, touching my fist to his, not bothering to hold back my soft smile.

Once Mitch wrapped up and the cameras stopped rolling, Keeley finally exploded, the way she clearly had been dying to do the entire time. “Holy shit,” she gasped, scrambling over the seats until she was perched in front of us. “You two should be arrested for public indecency, eye-fucking each other like that on camera. There’ll be children watching this, you perverts.” Her grin was wicked.

“Fuck off, Keeley,” Roy grumbled, standing up. He stretched his arms over his head, revealing a peek of tummy I fought hard not to stare at. “A fucking thank you for not fucking up the interview would be nice.” He nodded to me, almost smiling, before stalking off, leaving me alone with a still-smirking Keeley.

“You two’re pretty damn cute together,” she continued, raising her eyebrows at me.

“Fuck off, Keeley,” I sighed with an eyeroll.

Her smirk only grew. “Spoken like the future Mrs. Roy Kent.”

With no one around, Roy whistled a little as he sat in his office, looking over some plays Nate had left him. The Whippets had the late practice, so Roy was wasting time until they ended training and he could do his nightly routine of jogging with their gorgeous manager. He was looking forward to an evening of mocking reality show contestants and shamelessly gawking at the way she wore her sports bra and running shorts. Once, the ogling was so bad, the two managers went at it in the team showers; if Roy was being honest, he was kind of hoping for a repeat. He was sure that, with a few flirtatious words growled just right, he could convince her.

“Could we speak with you a moment?”

Roy looked up, immediately ceasing his carefree whistling. Higgins was in the doorway, wearing that nervous smile of his and adjusting his glasses, Beard crossing his arms just behind him. Both men looked ready for a chat- fuck, hopefully not some Diamond Dogs shit- as they entered the office and closed the door behind them.

After a quick glance to the still-empty Whippets office, Roy cleared his throat. “Need something, fellas?”

Beard gave a little cough into his fist and held out his phone to Roy. “Higgins, uh, saw something interesting on the security cameras the other day. We just wanted your thoughts on it.”

Frowning, Roy took the phone from his assistant coach and hit play on the screen. He squinted at the recording of the computer screen, recognizing his own office and wondering what the world was so important-

Fuck. On the screen, he and Bucky entered his office, still dressed from their run, laughing and shoving each other flirtatiously. Onscreen Roy tugged her close, his fingers greedily grazing over her bare skin as he pulled her into a deep kiss, one full of affection and joy, the kind of kiss that said I love you without needing to put those words out there. She threw her head back, obviously laughing, and shoved him away playfully as his lips tried to find her bare neck.

Roy remembered that evening clear as day. They’d gotten a little competitive on the treadmills, trying to see who could run the most before Lust Conquers All ended, and afterwards they lightheartedly argued about whether his knee or her ankle gave the bigger disadvantage. They’d finally called a truce, admitting they were both pretty damn broken, which was what prompted Roy to kiss her. She’d had the good sense to remind him that there were still a few people in the office, which prompted them both to hurry and gather their things to go home so they could pick up where they left off.

It had been a fun, flirty evening. Probably Roy’s favorite since they started dating, actually. But Roy wasn’t exactly thrilled to see evidence of it on his assistant coach’s phone. With a suddenly dry mouth, Roy glanced up at the two men. Higgins was still wearing that anxious smile, eyebrows raised expectantly. Beard, on the other hand, was gazing at Roy skeptically over the tops of his sunglasses.

“So?” the American prompted, snatching his phone back. “Anything to share with the class?”

“Ah…” Roy stared at the phone in Beard’s hand, as if his unwavering gaze could somehow erase the footage from the device- and his friends’ minds. “I mean, you fucking know…” He shrugged. “We don’t fucking hate each other anymore, I guess.”

Higgins’s smile became gleeful. “How long has this been going on?” he practically sang.

Despite himself, the corner of Roy’s mouth ticked upwards. “About two weeks,” he admitted. “Did that grand gesture shit. Took her on a real date.” He bobbled his head. “It’s… it’s fucking nice.”

“What was the grand gesture?” Roy was sure he could see a hint of a smile in Beard’s eye.

Fuck it. Maybe he didn’t hate gushing, at least not when it was about her. “Got her a ball signed by the 1991 U.S. women’s team.” He gestured towards her office, towards that poster. “The team Brandi Chastain played for. Left it outside her apartment, she chased me down in the rain, I confessed how I feel about her. Had our first date that night.”

The gasp that flew out of Beard’s mouth was almost inhuman. “Holy Nora Ephron,” he breathed. He gripped Roy’s shoulders tightly. “You. Did. Well.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Roy grumbled, shoving Beard’s hands off him, pretending he wasn’t pleased to receive such high praise. “Just don’t fucking tell anyone, alright? We’re trying to keep things quiet and shit. Got enough attention with those fucking photos, we’d like to just be able to date like normal people for a bit.”

“We understand completely,” Higgins assured him sympathetically. “You two should absolutely have your privacy, everything you’ve been through.” He let out the tiniest giggle. “But goodness, we are so thrilled for you!” He took Roy’s hand and shook it enthusiastically. “Honestly, Roy. You deserve to be happy.” His smile softened. “You both do.”

For once, Roy didn’t mind being doted on. Instead, he smiled and accepted his friends’ congratulations and promises to keep quiet. He was still being gushed over when that familiar pretty face appeared in the office next door, offering him a smile that had him thinking they might end up skipping their run and just get their cardio done in his bedroom.

Keeley and Rebecca couldn’t believe that Roy had actually said yes to this. I was a little less surprised, but only because I’d managed to convince him in the shower that morning.

Manager Mondays, Keeley had called it. Our Richmond Star interview had been a massive success; TikTok and Twitter had gone a little wild with clips of us gushing over each other, deciding that the managers of two soccer teams were their new ‘ship’. Keeley decided to capitalize on our newfound popularity by doing weekly videos of us answering fan questions on Instagram; she’d been understandably nervous to ask Roy, but, thanks to my private methods of persuasion, he’d begrudgingly said yes.

He already looked like he was regretting it as we sat together in the stands, Keeley leering at us as she started the camera. Sensing that Roy was tensing up, I gently pressed my knee to his, immediately feeling his body relax at my touch. He glanced at me with slightly raised eyebrows and a soft nod, giving in as he often did these days.

“Alright, coaches,” she said in her most professional voice. “First question: who is your favorite female footballer?”

A smirk appeared on that bearded face. “Gee, I wonder who you’re going to say,” he quipped.

Forgetting about the camera, I gave him a light shove. “Yeah, yeah,” I grumbled good-naturedly. I turned my attention back to the camera. “My childhood hero is Brandi Chastain,” I confirmed. “I’ve got her poster in my office actually.” I nodded to Roy. “Who’s yours?”

His smirk softened as he gazed at me. “Is it too cheesy to say you, Coach?”

“Suck up,” I mumbled, pretending I wasn’t blushing furiously at his very public praise.

Keeley giggled and read the next question. “Do you guys think it’s funny that, when you were playing, you both wore the number six?”

Roy raised his eyebrows in exaggerated shock. “Oh shit, we wore the same number? You’re fucking kidding.”

“Really?” I snorted. “You literally just wore my kit to my game last night, Kent.” I squinted at Keeley. “Can we edit his answer out?”

“Definitely not. You two are adorable,” Keeley chuckled. She looked down at her phone. “Alright, here’s another one: what is your type? You know, romantically?”” She waggled her eyebrows at us.

Roy frowned. “Did someone really fucking ask that?”

Keeley held her phone close to her chest. “Absolutely. All of these questions come from fans. Now, go on.” She nodded to me. “What’s your type?”

I snuck a glance at Roy, whose smug face had my mind racing. “Well,” I started, sitting up. “Guess I’d have to say I like blond hair and blue eyes. I’m not really into fellow footballers, if I’m being honest.” I wrinkled my nose. “Oh, and I think foul language is insanely unattractive.” I turned to look at Roy, whose eyes were full of amusement. We both just sat there for a moment, smirking at each other, enjoying our little game.

“Roy?” Keeley asked, sounding far away as I focused on those brown eyes I loved so much.

Turning back to the camera with an expressionless face, Roy simply said, “Whatever the opposite of Bucky is.”

My jaw dropped as he looked back at me with the most self-satisfied look on his face. He got me, I had to admit. We both broke into fits of laughter, shaking our heads at each other. This definitely wasn’t going to help our new reputation as “Richmond’s Sweethearts”, but neither of us seemed to care; we were just having too much fun together.

After a couple more questions, Keeley dismissed us with a proud look on her face, not needing to point out how far we’d come since our first disastrous photoshoot. As soon as we were alone, Roy’s hands were on me, laughter still in his eyes. Instead of returning the embrace, I shoved him away playfully.

“Oh no,” I reprimanded in a light voice. “Not your type, remember?”

“Come on,” he chuckled, gripping my hips and pulling me to him. “You know you’re the fucking dictionary definition of my type.” He pecked my cheek. “Darling,” he added, in that low voice he often used when he was trying to convince me of something.

And damn, if it didn’t work.

“Prick,” I breathed as his lips brushed against mine.

“You love it,” he reminded me before kissing me deeply.

Yeah. I really fucking did.

Phoebe watched her Uncle Roy and Coach Bucky carefully as, not for the first time in the last couple of weeks, they prepared dinner together. They’d been hanging out a lot, she’d noticed. It seemed like almost every time Phoebe was dropped off at Roy’s, Bucky was already there. The three of them would eat dinner, or watch movies, or kick the football around the backyard, or play Princess and Dragon with two dragons.

Not that Phoebe minded. She adored Bucky. Hell, she kind of worshipped the woman. She was sporty, and fierce, and funny, and kind, all things that made Phoebe excited to hang out together. But something in the way her Uncle Roy smiled at the American had her little mind turning and turning until finally, something clicked.

“Coach Bucky, are you Uncle Roy’s girlfriend?”

The two managers froze, exchanging tense looks before turning their gazes to the little blonde who gazed up at them expectantly.

“What makes you think so, Pheebs?”

Roy had never heard the Whippet manager speak in such a squeaky voice. It was kind of adorable, he thought.

Phoebe shrugged, leaning her elbows on the kitchen island. “Well,” she started slowly. “You’ve been hanging out with us a lot, and Uncle Roy has been in a very good mood lately, and you two smile at each other a lot.” She looked thoughtful for a moment. “It kind of reminds me of when Keeley was Uncle Roy’s girlfriend.”

Again, the two managers stared at each other, neither quite knowing what to say. Roy cocked his head at the woman he hadn’t called his girlfriend yet, but who he definitely, absolutely adored, the woman who his niece idolized. She stared back, her red lips curling upwards, tempting him to kiss her and confirm Phoebe’s suspicions.

Instead, he turned to Phoebe and opened his mouth. “What would you think if she was my…” His eyes flickered back to the pretty American. “… girlfriend?”

It was the first time he’d said that word in a long time. First time he said it about her. And the way her eyes lit up told him he should definitely keep saying it. With a blush, he turned back to Phoebe, who looked just as thrilled, practically bouncing up and down with excitement.

“I think it would be wonderful,” Phoebe gushed. “And Mum would be happy too. She says that ever since the charity game, it’s been obvious you two fancy each other.” She blinked up at them. “So? Is she your girlfriend?”

Roy paused. They hadn’t discussed this, not really. They were clearly crazy about each other. They’d spent practically every day and night together since their first date. Roy wasn’t interested in seeing anyone else anytime soon, maybe not ever; he knew she felt the same, even if they didn’t say it. He was absolutely head over heels for the woman and definitely wouldn’t mind making things a little more official, even if it was a bit quicker than most people would.

“I think she is,” he finally murmured, leaning across the kitchen island to gaze softly at the pretty manager. “If she wants to be, that is.”

Fuck, her smile was fucking bright, so red and kissable. “She definitely wants to,” she teased, eyes sparkling as she raised her eyebrows at Roy.

“In that case-”

Roy zipped around the kitchen island to Bucky, grabbing her by the waist and planting a firm kiss to her lips, eliciting a joyful squeal from her throat. She laughed against his mouth before pulling back and nodding meaningfully towards Phoebe.

He rolled his eyes and planted one more kiss to her forehead. “Sorry, Pheebs,” he hummed to his niece, not sorry at all.

The rest of the night was spent enjoying dinner and watching cartoons. Well, Phoebe watched cartoons; the newly official couple chose to instead gaze at each other over the top of her head, exchanging smiles far too shy for two people who spent nearly every night in each other’s beds. Once Phoebe was picked up and had eagerly announced to her mother that yes, Coach Bucky was Uncle Roy’s girlfriend, the two managers made their way to the bedroom, choosing to just throw on pajamas and sleepily crawl into bed.

Roy turned onto his side, taking in the sight of her in an old Greyhounds sweater of his- a sight he could get used to. A sight he wished he’d gotten sooner. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye, mouth twitching upwards.

“What, Kent?”

He cleared his throat. “Was just… thinking.”

She quirked an eyebrow. “Not already rethinking the girlfriend thing, are you?” she teased.

“Absolutely fucking not.” He reached out and gently traced the shape of her nose with his finger. “Just wondering… if you and I… if those fucking photos hadn’t…” He scrunched his eyebrows. “D’you think we’d have gotten together after the gala? If it wasn’t for… everything?”

There was a long pause before she turned onto her side to face Roy. “Honestly?” Roy nodded. “No.” She tugged at the sheets beneath them, thoughtfulness coloring her face. “Your reputation kind of scared me,” she admitted. “I figured, you know, that night didn’t mean anything to you more than ‘Hey, good sex with that really annoying but hot woman’. So, I’d planned on just going back to normal. Whatever normal was for us.” She offered an awkward smirk. “I mean, I would’ve definitely said yes to an offer to repeat that night, but I figured you would be up for a couple hookups and that’s it.” She shrugged. “Good hookups, though.”

“Right.” Roy stroked her face, the heat from her cheek practically burning his thumb. “No, I fucking get it. I mean, I figured you absolutely fucking hated me. That you regretted everything. And I, you know, tried to avoid things, but once I realized how I fucking felt and was ready to tell you…” He wrinkled his nose. “You weren’t exactly available.”

The two managers stared at each other in silence for a moment, their eyes trying to say everything their words couldn’t, trying to express how hurt they’d been after the gala, how badly they both wished they could go back to that night, how if only, if only, they could turn back time and not be idiots.

But sometimes, words work better.

“I’m sorry,” Roy finally murmured. “For all of it. That this took so fucking long.”

She nodded and turned her face to kiss the palm of his hand. “Me too, Roy. I’m sorry.” Her expression softened, that familiar playfulness gleaming in her eyes. “But hey, we’re here now.” She leaned forward and pecked his lips gently. “And I, for one, am pretty damn happy.”

The weight that had started to settle in his chest immediately dissipated, replaced with the bliss that smile of hers often gave him. “Me too,” he agreed, grabbing her hip to tug her against his chest, bringing her face towards his. “You were worth the fucking wait.”

After Roy and I explored the benefits of being boyfriend and girlfriend, we collapsed onto the bed, our huffs and breathy chuckles filling the room. As Roy reached around trying to gather the clothes we’d sloppily discarded, I turned over to grab my phone from its familiar spot on the nightstand that sat by what was now my side of Roy’s bed.

Hey! Dinner after the Greyhounds game tomorrow? Feels like forever since we’ve hung out.

Officially out of my post-orgasm bliss, I sighed and re-read Lucas’s message. He was right; it had been a while since we’d done something outside of work. I’d been so occupied with Roy, and hiding that I was occupied with Roy, that I’d been a pretty lousy friend. It was something I always swore I’d never do: neglect a friend for a guy. And even though Roy wasn’t just any guy, I still knew I needed to give Lucas much more attention than I’d been giving him lately.

“Oi. What’s wrong with you?” Roy handed me the sweatshirt he’d thrown across the room earlier and stared at me with perplexed concern. “Is it my turn to ask if you’re rethinking this ‘official relationship’ thing? Because I will fucking fight you if you think you can stop being my girlfriend already.”

A snort flew out of my mouth as I put Roy’s sweater back on. “Fuck off, you know I’d beat you in a fight, what with your shit knees.” I pecked his cheek and shimmied back into a comfortable position. “Nah, just got a text from Luke asking to hang out.” I shrugged. “And I’ve been a shitty friend lately, because you’re getting all my attention. And I know he’d understand why I’ve gone MIA on him, but…” I bobbled my head. “You know.” I sighed. “And I hate hiding things from Lucas. Especially because I know he still feels like crap after everything with George-”

“That’s a weird way to pronounce ‘Satan’,” Roy grumbled, earning an eyeroll from me.

“Anyways,” I continued, giving Roy a playful shove. “I just don’t feel like a good friend lately. And it sucks. He’d be really happy for us, you know? But, I mean, he’ll find out when everyone else does. And he can be excited then.”

Roy stared at me for a moment, a frown on his face. “Tell him.”

His straightforward reply had me blinking. “Excuse me?”

“Just fucking tell him.” Roy wrapped an arm around me and tugged me close so my head was on his bare chest. “Luke’s your best friend. He’s not gonna go fucking blab. Like you said, he’ll be happy for us.” He kissed the top of my head. “Fucking tell him.”

“You sure?” I twisted around to look at him.

He rolled his eyes. “Just say you’re telling him before I change my fucking mind.”

I kissed his chest gently. “Thank you.”

Despite Roy’s assurance that it was fine to tell Luke about us, I felt incredibly apprehensive as my assistant coach and I sat on my couch, eating takeout and absently watching a Meg Ryan movie. As if he could sense my nervousness, Lucas sighed and set down his food.

“What’s up?” he demanded with a snort. “Don’t tell me you slept with Roy Kent again.”

Well, that was as good as an opening as I’d ever get. “Fine,” I chirped, casually taking a bite of my dinner, not bothering to look at my best friend. “I won’t tell you that I slept with Roy again.” I took the smallest pause. “And again. And again.”

Lucas snatched the food out of my hand and slammed it on my coffee table. “I’m sorry, what?”

It was challenging trying to hide my stupid smile all the damn time; this time had to be the worst. “Roy and I… we’ve…” I nodded, hoping my grin and raised eyebrows were enough for Lucas.

“You guys have been hooking up?” he hissed, eyes wide as he shoved me. “What happened to all that talk about not wanting to be a ‘Roy Kent girl’? What about all that ‘we’re just friends’ shit you tried to sell me and everyone else at the club?” He leaned in close. “This isn’t some rebound from the George thing, is it Buck?”

“Well, it’s one serious rebound considering he asked me to be his girlfriend last night,” I murmured, grabbing my food off the table and settling back onto the couch casually. “I said yes, in case you were wondering.” I smiled at the takeout container in my hand. “We’re… together.”

Lucas finally began to smile. “Together together?”

I nodded. “Together together,” I repeated with finality.

I knew Lucas loved me. We’d clicked so quickly when I played for him in college, we’d stayed in touch when I was playing professionally, he was my biggest supporter when I made the switch to coaching, and he didn’t hesitate to follow me to Richmond. He was my best friend, brother, soulmate, all rolled into one. But seeing the absolute elation on his face at this development reminded me all over again about the deep affection we shared.

“Buck,” he sighed, wrapping an arm around me tightly and giving my shoulder a squeeze. “You have no fucking… you don’t even know…” He shook his head with a light chuckle. “He makes you happy, right? Treats you well?”

“Really fucking happy, Luke,” I assured him, leaning my head on his shoulder. “Roy’s… fuck, he’s something, you know? We have so much fun together, and it feels so nice just getting to know each other like this. Like, he’s an amazing cook. And he reads so much. And he’s pretty silly and romantic when he wants to be. And he’s-”

Luke squeezed me. “Good in bed?” he teased.

I sat up with a smirk. “Fan-freaking-tastic,” I bragged. “And we know we’re moving kind of fast- making things official after just a couple of weeks- and we’ve spent literally every night together since our first date- but- I mean-” I shrugged. “It’s Roy. We’ve… This…” I shook my head. “It just feels like we’ve more than earned it.”

“You deserve it,” Lucas agreed. After a moment, he narrowed his eyes at me. “A couple weeks, huh? So that means… that day I thought your ankle was hurt… when you were walking funny…”

I bobbled my head. “We may have had our first date that Friday,” I mumbled, poking at my dinner with a sheepish grin. “And I may have spent that whole weekend in his bed. And his kitchen. And on his living room couch. And once in his shower.”

“Fuck,” Lucas laughed and grabbed his takeout box, shaking his head. “Remind me not to sit on the couch at Roy’s then.”

Roy didn’t know if he’d ever been in the passenger seat of his car before. It was nice, he had to admit as Bucky turned the steering wheel. He felt a bit spoiled, like he finally understood the whole “passenger princess” shit Keeley used to joke about. She pulled over and looked at Roy with raised eyebrows.

“I’ll pick you up at six?” she asked, stifling a yawn.

“Yeah.” He leaned over and pecked her lips, not caring about her morning breath. “Thanks for driving me, babe. Didn’t have to do that. You could’ve stayed in bed, gotten some more sleep.”

A shy smile crossed her tired face. “I just wanted more time with you, Kent.” She leaned over and kissed his lips again. “Shut up,” she mumbled, anticipating a teasing response to her sappy confession. “Have fun with Jamie.”

Roy rolled his eyes. “Fat fucking chance,” he grumbled. “One more.” He stole another kiss, stroking her unkempt hair, wishing he was still in bed, wishing they could have just a little more time together before another day of going to the Dog Track and pretending they weren’t crazy about each other. “See you later.”

Jamie stopped mid-step, jaw agape. After noting that Roy was already five minutes late, Jamie’d started his run, figuring if he showed initiative, Roy might be a bit lenient with him. He was a little surprised to spot the familiar Mercedes parked along his route, rather than near their regular meeting spot on the other side of the park; he was more than a little surprised to see Roy in the passenger seat, snogging the Whippets’ manager, who looked like she was wearing a Greyhounds’ sweatshirt.

He didn’t bother hiding the glee on his face when his coach got out of the car, still wearing a dopey grin as he waved at the black car driving away. That dopey grin disappeared when he noticed Jamie, standing with his arms crossed and eyebrows raised.

“Fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck,” Roy hissed, taking in Jamie’s smug grin.

“Mornin’, Coach,” the striker hummed, looking as if he’d caught Roy with his hand in the cookie jar. “Have a nice pre-workout breakfast?”

Roy squirmed- something Jamie wasn’t sure he’d ever seen- and coughed into his hand. “I, uh…” He narrowed his eyes at a now snickering Jamie. “Fuck off, Tartt. Get running.”

An hour later, a more relaxed Roy and very sweaty Jamie sat on their usual bench, exchanging smirks.

“So,” Jamie was saying, “girlfriend, eh? Very official.”

“Yeah,” Roy chuckled, shaking his head, looking uncharacteristically light. “Fucking unbelievable, innit?”

Jamie shook his head. “Not unbelievable at all,” he argued. “The two of you… well, you know.” He nudged his coach. “Fucking inevitable. Meant to be. Like Romeo and Juliet. Becks and Posh. Lizzie and Darcy.”

Roy had to do a double take on that last one. “I’m sorry?”

“Yeah, I know shit,” Jamie boasted. “Gonna be a bit confusing around Nelson Road when we’ve got Coach Kent and Coach Kent both working there, don’t ya think?”

A snort flew out of Roy’s mouth. “Think she’ll be keeping her own last name when we get married. Hell, might even ask me to take her name.”

Jamie’s breath caught in his chest; Roy’s words came out so naturally, so casually. Jamie was scared that bringing attention to it would spook the gaffer, maybe even give the man a heart attack. “Yeah,” Jamie managed with a chuckle. “Bet she would, mate.”

It took about fifteen seconds for Roy’s eyes to widen in realization. “Wait, no,” he sputtered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “That’s not- fuck- we’ve barely started dating. That was a joke. A fucking joke, alright, Tartt? We’ve been dating for two fucking weeks. Keep your mouth shut, alright? We've only told a couple of people.”

"Including me?" Jamie laid a hand over his heart dramatically. “I’m honored.” He nudged Roy knowingly. “I assume I’m gonna be your best man, right Grandad?”

“Absolutely fucking not,” Roy grunted with a sneer.

“So you’ve already thought about it then?”

Roy could only mage two words as he tried to keep his idiotic smile and spreading blush under control: “Fuck off.”

Somehow, Roy and I managed to be on time for work every day for the first three and a half weeks of our relationship. Sure, there was some scrambling involved, and some close calls, and some flimsy excuses about why Roy was driving me to work so often.

But this particular morning? Jamie wasn’t feeling well, so Roy had a free morning for once; we spent the extra time in his bed, easily losing track of time so that we were rushing to throw on clothes and brush our teeth and sprint out of the house with coffees and bagels in hand.

“Damn,” I huffed as I dug through my workbag. “Forgot my jacket.”

“D’you need it?” Roy asked, eyes flickering to the clock. “Dunno if we have time to go back, we’re really fucking late.”

I began digging around the backseat. “Kind of,” I grumbled. “It’s gonna be cold today. Might even rain. It’d be nice not to star in a one-woman wet t-shirt contest on the pitch.” I narrowed my eyes at Roy’s smirk, opening to make some suggestive comment. “Don’t start.” My fingers brushed against a windbreaker. “Ah!” I tugged the jacket out of the backseat, frowning when I recognized the grey material. “Damn, it’s yours.”

Roy shrugged as he pulled into the parking lot. “You can borrow it. I don’t fucking care.”

“Thanks.” Without a second thought, I slipped the jacket on over my Whippets t-shirt. Making sure Roy’s eyes were focused on his parking job, I stole a moment to bring the material to my face; I loved that Roy scent the jacket carried. And now I’d get to spend all day wrapped up in it. Maybe I should forget my jacket more often, I thought to myself as I started to gather my things. Just as I grabbed the handle on my door, I stopped, thinking for a moment.

“Something wrong?” Roy furrowed his eyebrows at me, catching the pensive look I probably wore.

I wrinkled my nose at him. “I’m wearing your jacket,” I said simply.

He nodded, confused why this was suddenly a problem. “Yeah?” I could see the realization hit him like a punch to the face. “Oh.”

“Yeah.”

Roy studied me carefully, his brown eyes lingering on the Greyhounds logo that now rested over my heart. “Are you… okay with that?”

I thought about it for a moment. Was I? I liked Roy. I liked being his girlfriend and spending half my nights at his house and having him at my apartment the other half. I knew this wasn’t some fling like Lucas had worried about; already, this was something real. I could see it in the way he smiled at me in the mornings when I woke up. I could see it in the way he cheered for my team at matches. And I could see it now, as he waited for my answer.

“Fuck it,” I said, a smile creeping across my face. “Everyone already thinks something’s going on anyways. Don’t think I really care anymore.” I leaned forward, nudging his nose with mine. “Do you?”

Immediately he shook his head. “I don’t give a fuck what they think.” He closed the gap between our mouths with a gentle kiss. “Shall we?”

As we strolled through the parking lot, both ignoring the joyful heat on our faces, Roy reached out and took my hand in his, intertwining our fingers as naturally as he did at home. He gave a squeeze as we walked through the doors, as if to say It’s all good. I squeezed back, assuring him that I felt the same way.

It didn’t take a psychic to predict that everyone at Nelson Road would notice.

When Dani and Sam passed us in the hallway, they initially wore their usual bright smiles. But then they took in the sight of Roy’s jacket wrapped around my shoulders and his fingers intertwined with mine, and those smiles quickly became perfect little Os.

As soon we turned a corner, we could hear their squeals and the sounds of their feet hitting the floor as they jumped up and down, probably clutching each other like children.

Roy raised his thick eyebrows at me and brought my hand to his lips to plant a soft kiss to my knuckles. “This was a bad fucking idea,” he hummed, his teasing tone assuring me he didn’t mean it.

The walk to our offices felt much longer than usual, thanks to the gawking stares that greeted us. Everyone from the players to the custodial staff to the team doctors looked at us as if we were wearing West Ham kits or something equally shocking. Honestly, I couldn’t blame them; a few months ago, anything seemed more likely than seeing me and Roy Kent strolling down the hall hand in hand.

The only person not shocked to see us was Lucas, who merely smiled at us as we entered my office.

“Hey lovebirds,” he called out, eyes firmly on our clasped hands. “Making your public debut?”

I shrugged. “We kind of stopped giving a flying shit,” I admitted.

Roy released my hand in favor of wrapping an arm around my shoulders. “Fuck, love it when you talk like that,” he teased, planting a kiss to my temple.

Before I could respond, a chorus of joyful gasps came from the direction of the Greyhounds’ office. Ted, Nate, Colin, and a few more Greyhounds stared at us through the giant window, delight coloring each and every one of their faces. I swore, somewhere in the back of the crowd, Isaac and Jan were hugging and jumping up and down.

“My stars,” Ted murmured, shaking his ehad. He started tapping at his phone and held it to his ear. “Becca? Darlin’, you wouldn’t believe what just happened-”

Roy rolled his eyes and turned back to me. “Your fucking fault,” he mumbled, pressing a quick kiss to my lips. “Making me late, forgetting your fucking jacket.” Another kiss. “You’re lucky I like you so fucking much.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I hummed, trying to ignore the eyes on us. “Guess I kind of am.” I gave him a small squeeze around the middle.

He planted one more kiss to my lips, flipping off his team as he did so. “Have a good day, Coach.”

“You too, Coach.”

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hi Torship 💛

How tall is everyone in your hope au? Like you mentioned a few times that shisui and inocihi are the same height so how tall is everyone else? Have a good day/night 💛

Hey Anon!

Sorry for leaving this in my inbox for so long but I have Reasons behind everyone's heights lol so I'm sorry if you wanted just a quick list of numbers but I've no chill 🤣

So most Shinobi are Athletes in my mind (the performance of the body is a tool as well as a lifestyle) and I don't mean bodybuilder 5% fat etc etc I mean high performance and high usability.

The Uchiha go one of three ways:

Mikoto is slight at 5'6 ish, Shunsuke was about the same height and so was Kagami, Itachi won't get much taller than this because he takes almost completely after his mother. Hikaku from the Warring Clans era was also like this etc, it's the most common body type in the Clan (gotta love that inbreeding, eh). Think pilates, flexibility over brute strength. Izuna was about 5'6, lean to match his katana.

Fugaku is a little broader, starting to hit that slight softening of fitness because he's got a steady in-Village job and he's doing desk work as well as hitting forty BUT he's also keeping busy and he trains hard on Saturdays. Sasuke gets to be a little taller than him but lean, think 'tennis player'. Flexible and strong but mainly limber. They're both around the 5'8 mark, which they shared with Madara and Tajima etc.

Shisui and his mother Kana are the third type, which is "I didn't know Uchiha got that tall" 🤣 Kana was a taijutsu mistress so think "heavy AND strong" and she was about 6'1, which is how Shisui reaches about 6'1-2.

Shisui was a whippet of a kid, he was one of those high metabolism teenagers and lingered around 5'6 (giving Itachi false hope that they'd be about the same height and making Mikoto nostalgic for Shunsuke and Kagami) until he hit 17 and fucking exploded upwards another 3-4 inches lmao. Coupled with the fact he was a Rookie ANBU at that age, so at the peak of his training, and with a crazy appetite... The gains also hit. He has an ass, I'm so proud :')

So... Why did I make Shisui that tall?

The simple answer is because Inoichi is.

There are big wordy cinematic parallels between Shisui and Inoichi somehow ending up at exactly the same height and size, of them being parallel and equal and exactly at eye height. It makes them look more alike, more uncanny when they move in sync or copy mannerisms, and it makes Inoichi appear like a third parent in Shisui's genetics lmao.

But, to be honest, it was just a huge vibe.

Shisui in canon was this little slip of a kid, same as Itachi, and it always hurt to be reminded that he never got the chance to actually come out the other side of puberty. That's also why Inoichi in No Tomorrow/HOPE AU has those moments of realising how grown up Shisui is, because we're supposed to remember that this is someone who never reached full adulthood.

Note: I do generally age Shisui up. Canon/Fanon has him around 14-16 at the time of his death and I usually aim for around 19/20.

I also enjoy the imagery of Shisui, who is known for his speed, not being built like a whippet marathon runner but being more like Usain Bolt (who is a whopping 6'5 with muscles to spare) and a decent head taller than most of his Clan. So 🤣 you end up with a whole yowling pack of Uchihas, like serious feline energy, and then Itachi hopping around like a little blackbird... And then Shisui as this huge fucking corvid bird in the middle 🤣.

Squad Two

Kakashi is about 5'11. The hair makes him taller as much as his posture makes him smaller. Sakumo was a strong man with strong shoulders and Kakashi is a little finer, a hit that Gai would barely feel would make Kakashi stagger, which is why he's so crafty and brutally efficient. Frankly, Kakashi is lucky to get this tall; weighing up the cons of a kid who doesnt care about himself being the only source of meals and nutrition for himself from four years old (Kushina's ramen doesn't count) VS Kakashi being training obsessed and having a protein meal plan??? He has very little extra weight on him, Kakashi is the one who looks like a marathon runner/cyclist.

Genma: 5'7. He's average height, average built, he has a slinkiness that the others lack because he's an assassin and that means endurance and flexibility. He is silent, can squeeze through tiny gaps, and he definitely has damaged tendons from dislocating his thumbs etc too often. Think Ballerina (Ballerino have heckin strong thighs, which Genma doesn't much), pilates, contortionist.

Raidou: 5'9, just another dude. Raidou is an all rounder so he's got functional strength and endurance. A decent amount of body weight, soft muscle definition and a fuck tonne of callouses to go with that scar tissue. He was also raised by civilians who own a spice shop so he always ate very well and his parents often give him extra food because they worry about his health. I like to think Raidou is the only one with an ass-ass.

Tenzo: at this moment in HOPE AU, Tenzo is still a teen and he's still slight. He's currently 5'8 but he will reach 5'10, and he's only just begun to show signs of those amazing Canon shoulders. As someone with a LOT of nature chakra, his muscle buildup is quite dense. He'll be the most muscular of the Squad by the time he's thirty. Right now? He's still coltish and sweet.

Shisui: see above^

Other Characters

Inoichi: 6'1, see above^

Sora: 5'5, soft but strong, lots of freckles and callouses and stretch marks because she isn't a Shinobi (the body is a tool, blah blah) so she just exists and enjoys ❤️

Ino: bby. She'll be 6ft one day tho, the tallest girl in her year by a lot~

Kushina/Mito/Uzumaki: poppet rockets. Max 5'2, if that. Change my mind (syke, you can't). Kushina was like a little ball of anger, Mito was like a perfect doll, Naruto is gonna be so so angry that Sasuke is so much taller 🤣🤣🤣. This doesn't help that theyre chakra dense so grow quick and build muscle, where the Uchiha have excess yin chakra (as do the Hyuuga and Nara), so they have much later growth spurts... so Naruto was the same height as everyone else in the Academy and the rage and disbelief will kick in when they all get taller but he stays the same lmao. They are small and strong and from a distance their chakra is monstrous so you think you're dealing with a giant and then this little petit figure with chakra like a goddamn sun yeets you into space for calling them 'squirt'.

Minato: 5'8, svelte muscles. Average height for a man but did that stop Kushina from being annoyed? No ❤️

Anko: 5'4, curvy as fuck and with thighs that can crush watermelons amen

Gai: BEEFCAKE 6FT. A beautiful youthful Bear. Look up Strong Man Challenge and then also think about woodsmen with huge arms and shoulders and matching thighs. No ripped abs, because that's erring into dehydration etc etc. Gai 🤝 Kronk = Amazing Shoulders, Arms and Back, never skips leg day

Konan: 5'8, Ballerina (but impacted by malnutrition :/)

Jiraiya: 6'4, built like a fucking Ox, the hair is like a cloak and then you hit him and it's like a brick wall. Lots of strength, big belly as well as decades of muscle compaction, I feel like one step would snap a spine yk yk

Tsunade: 5'6, she has those Poppet Rocket Uzumaki genes but Hashirama (he was 6'4, Senju average at around 6ft-6'5, Tobirama was 6'2) was a literal tree so it balanced out a bit more. She has the Most Beautiful Biceps in the world. The definition of Girlbossing the weight room with a manicure and stilettos.

Orochimaru: okay but I love the idea that he's like 6'3 with a ridiculous shoulder to waist ratio and these long, slightly ghoulish, limbs. Like he has these long, dramatic features and big hands, long fingers, boney and sinewy and just very pale and very otherworldly. Beautiful in a disconcerting way, a little too much the serpent.

Tiger: She's a Yamanaka, so she's minimum 5'9, think volleyball. Same with Fū.

Kisame: you KNOW i gotta explain Kisame in full, it's deserved. He is canonically huge. He is Heckin. However.... We gotta have some moderation (stop booing in the back row) because otherwise I have some Concerns about Kisame's more human ancestors and logistics 🤣. So I've got Kisame pinned at around 6'7 ✨. He's bulked up like Gai but not quite, think more male Gymnast (especially the hanging ring demonstrations) crossed with a woodcutter. Lots of shoulder, back and arm strength. He's in the three way hand shake (or arm grip a la Schwarzenegger gif) with Gai and Kronk, he also respects leg day. Like Gai, he has great glutes too.

Non-human sizes:

Note: Japanese Crows are usually either 'jungle crows' or 'carrion crows' but both generally grow to 50cm/19inches in length with a wingspan that's max. 100-130cm/40-60inches. This is for proportional reference. ....who am I kidding, I'm just gonna fuck around.

Akira: he's the size of a big housecat, a decent armful (30 inches approx, 2'6ft) with a wingspan that's around 70 inches.... Which is taller than Itachi 🤣 omfg

Arakan: he's about the size of a common black bird (11 inches long, wingspan around 28inches, so about Akira's length)

Kana: she is WOW. I compared her to an ox cart and a nightmare, so the imagery is great but it didn't do her justice. A Moose (😈) is about 6ft at the shoulder but upwards of 7ft including antlers so... If that's her length... that puts Kana's wingspan at 14ft across. Stunning 👏 Toad Summons have a collective fear 👏

This answer took me several hours and I've made this far too complicated but 🤷 enjoy!

Have a great day, anon ☺️

#torship #torship talks #ask #anon #hope au #not #udb #shisui #squad two

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