#kingsman reader insert

‘The main control room should be south from where they are now.’ You pull up the map on the big screen which hangs in front of you and Merlin, pointing out where Galahad and Lancelot should be going next. As he’s relaying the information to the other men, you hack into the mainframe the criminal organisation and start going through the different files. ‘Any updates about the nuclear files?’ Galahad’s voice comes through the speakers and Merlin looks at you. ‘Working on it. Just focus on getting to that room.’ The screen in front of you shows Lancelot’s feed. He’s following Galahad through the many hallways and twists and turns they take, taking down guards whenever they come across them. Their moves are deliberate, quick and efficient. You turn back to your screen and after a few minutes you’re finally able to access the file Galahad had asked for. ‘I’m sending you the file now, Galahad.’ ‘Thanks Tristan.’ He replies. They have finally reached the door to the control room. Lancelot holds his watch against it and it opens. Silently, the two men enter the room. ‘Lancelot, I need you to connect us to the controls.’ Merlin states and the other man follows the order. Your screens fill with the necessary information and you start working on fully disarming and disabling  the system. ‘Galahad, please flip the green switch on your right.’ You request. Before he can really do so, a loud bang interrupts him, followed by the sound of shots. ‘Lancelot, you take those men while Galahad follows Tristan’s orders.’ Merlin’s Scottish accent seems thicker momentarily. You’ve noticed it only really happened when he was in more stressful situations; one time when you almost got kidnapped, it was so thick you could barely understand him despite having a mostly Scottish family. Calmly, you instruct Galahad what buttons to press and switches to flip. After a few minutes of him following your lead as you type away at your computer, you’re done. ‘Galahad. Lancelot. The system has fully been disabled and disarmed. Get back to the jet.’ They start running through the building and Merlin glances at you, giving you a small smile before going back to helping them follow the quickest route out of the building. 

‘You did well, Tristan.’ Merlin ruffles your hair and you smile at him. ‘Thanks. You didn’t do too badly yourself, old man.’ He laughs and lightly punches your arm. ‘I’m not that old, your mother is 10 years older than I am.’ You snort and teasingly say, ‘And you Merlin, are 12 years older than I am.’ After that comment, a comfortable silence settles between you. There were a few more tasks you had to complete before tomorrow, so you decided you would spend the evening and night at the mansion.  About an hour after the mission finished, Merlin leaves, leaving you alone in front of the large screen filled with documents. Quietly, you continue working for a few more hours before you call it a night. You’d finished your side of the report, only needing Galahad and Lancelot for the final few details. You’ll probably ask them about those during the debrief tomorrow afternoon. 

Once you’ve locked your computer and turned off all the lights, you silently walk to the kitchen, where you start making a pot of tea. The room is dark, as you only turned on the light above the stove. A sound from behind you catches your attention. Looking back, you see that your two colleagues have just returned from their mission. ‘Evening gentlemen.’ You greet them. ‘Tristan, good evening.’ Galahad walks up and stands next to you, just as the water starts boiling. ‘Would you like a cup?’ Your hands continue moving, putting in the tea egg to let the leaves steep. He hums in response as he grabs two more cups. ‘Chamomile?’ Galahad quietly asks and you nod. A comfortable silence settles between the two of you while Lancelot leaves the room momentarily to put some of their things away. Once the tea has sufficiently gained colour and flavour, you pour some into the three cups. Grabbing your own, you sit down next to the chair you’d draped your suit jacket over. Harry sits down across from you and puts down Lancelot’s cup next to him. You both quietly drink your tea, your eyes scanning that day’s paper. When you look up, you notice his eyes are trained on you, making you a bit nervous. Before you can say anything, though, Lancelot walks back in and starts talking about their flight back to England and the newest Royal scandal of the week. The other man’s attention shifts to his colleague who is talking excitedly. Your eyes scan Galahad’s features. He is handsome, smart, quick-witted, and a gentleman. A combination which has led you to, over time, develop a bit of a crush on your colleague. 

‘Tristan, what do you think?’

You turn your head to face the other man. ‘I think the situation escalated unnecessarily, had the royal family handled it properly, this would’ve never become public.’ He smiles and Galahad interjects. ‘I agree with Tristan, this situation could have easily been avoided.’ The two men continue talking and you sip your tea.  ‘Gentlemen, I’m heading off to bed. I’ll see you tomorrow morning at the debrief.’ You stand up and put your cup into the dishwasher. It was already 11 o’clock. ‘Tristan,’ Galahad stands up, ‘if you’ll allow me, I’ll walk you back to your room.’ Smiling, you nod. ‘Of course Galahad; thank you.’ He leaves the room with you and as you walk, he leans sideways in your direction and whispers. ‘Thanks Tristan. I was a bit tired of Lancelot talking. He’s been going without pause from the moment we got on the jet.’ It didn’t surprise you in the least. ‘Of course Galahad. Lancelot tends to talk quite a lot; I suspect his favourite sound may be his own voice.’ He snorts. ‘I suspect you might be correct.’ The hallways are silent except for your quiet footsteps and conversation. The distance between the two of you seems to become smaller as you continue walking and talking; until you stop in front of your door. ‘Galahad, thank you for accompanying me.’ You turn to face him and smile. ‘Of course Tristan, it was my pleasure.’ His voice was quiet. The silence between you is tense and Harry seems to slowly be leaning closer as he holds your eye contact. Moments, which feel like hours pass, but he doesn’t make a move. Your noses almost touch when he seems to snap out of a sort of trance and clears his throat, pulling back quickly. ‘Ah Tristan, I should get going. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’ll see you tomorrow.’ As he walks away, you stand frozen in your doorway.

The following morning you watch the sunrise outside, a hot cup of coffee in your hand. It seems no one else is up yet. You’ve left your suit jacket in your room and have your sleeves rolled up, the crisp air touching your form. Behind you, you hear your dog walking and sniffing around. ‘Ares.’ The Doberman walks to your side. ‘Want to go for a walk?’ He barks and you pet him behind his ears. ‘Let’s go.’ You smile and he runs into the field in front of you, with you following calmly. Upon your return, you’re greeted by Merlin, who looks to have woken up not too long ago. ‘Morning Tristan.’ Ares excitedly runs up to the Scot. ‘Morning to you too Ares.’ He puts down his coffee and pets the dog with both his hands. ‘You’ve got an awful lot of energy today, haven’t you?’ ‘He really does, he’s been running around for over an hour already.’ You laugh. ‘I’ll bring Albion to play with him later today.’ He takes a sip of his coffee. ‘I’ll be back momentarily, can you watch Ares for a second?’ He nods. ‘Thanks.’ you say and smile at him. You walk into the kitchen through the open doors. Putting down your cup, you start brewing another cup of coffee. The kitchen is still quiet, but you know that more of the agents that have stayed the night will probably start walking in soon, though it probably won’t be many. Lancelot and Galahad you knew for sure, others you weren’t too certain about. ‘Morning Lancelot.’ You say as you hear the man walk in. ‘Agent Tristan.’ He greets. ‘Want some coffee?’ ‘Yes please.’ The smell of another fresh coffee fills the air. You smile as you hand him a cup. ‘You feeling alright?’ ‘I will once I finish this.’He groans before the two of you clink your cups. ‘See you at the briefing in an hour.’ 

You spent that hour with Merlin and Ares, mostly in silence. The Doberman is as happy as can be, with the Scot and you taking turns throwing a ball into the field and having the dog return it. It was nice spending time with your uncle like this. Usually you have to be  quite serious around him, as you mostly speak to him here, at Kingsman. Now, you can, even if it’s just for a moment, relax and have the relationship you used to have when you were younger and neither of you were a part of the secret service. ‘Uncle Hamish, we should probably get ready for the briefing.’ You say as Ares runs into the distance. He has his eyes closed, enjoying the warmth of the morning sun. ‘Just five more minutes; Galahad will be late anyway, he seemed a bit off yesterday evening when I saw him.’ That last comment piques your interest, but you decide not to pry. The meeting room was still empty when you walked into it with your uncle. A few minutes pass before, you are joined by Lancelot, who is, once again, talking excitedly. While you don’t necessarily have the energy for him, you stay professional and listen with intent. He is still talking your ears off when Galahad finally arrives, about five minutes late. Despite Merlin having made a comment, it is still quite unusual for him to be late. 

‘Glad you could join us, Agent Galahad.’ Merlin calls out from the far end of the room as the other man enters. ‘Terribly sorry for my tardiness.’ Harry excuses himself. ‘Morning Galahad.’ Lancelot greets him, instead you just wave at the agent. Everyone sits in their usual spots, with Galahad across from you and Merlin to your left, though he almost immediately stands up, walking in front of the screen which shows the most vital information related to the mission. Most of the information isn’t new to you, as you’d helped your uncle prepare. Whenever Galahad or Lancelot give additional information, which you hadn’t been able to gain before the meeting, you write it down into the report. Your attention is fully focussed on what everyone is saying, that is until you notice that Galahad’s eyes seem to linger on you a bit longer than usual whenever you make a comment. Eventually, his eyes meet yours. He quickly looks away and focuses on Merlin, who is saying something about the risks which may occur in the future. Yesterday’s mission has likely only slowed down the organisation, meaning that you’d still have to find its core and try to eliminate it. Still, all the new information which has been gained is quite useful. Your gaze reverts back to your laptop screen as you continue typing away. 

‘Agent Tristan, could you please explain to these gentlemen what you did to fully disarm and disable the system?’ Merlin’s sudden attention to you surprises you, but you stand up confidently and walk to his side. Galahad’s eyes seem to burn into the back of your head as you do so. ‘So how we did it is -’ Everything goes smoothly as you explain the process thoroughly to the other agents. Hopefully, you’ll be able to join them in the field next time, rather than having to sit and watch from the sidelines to assist them from a distance. You aren’t sure that’ll actually happen however, as it really depends on what kind of mission it’ll be and what is needed of you.  After a few minutes, you’re able to sit back down. Neither Lancelot, nor Galahad had any questions, which you assume is probably a good sign. There are only a few more things you need to discuss, with most of them only requiring only a little of your input from time to time, so you silently drink some tea as Lancelot and Merlin talk. Galahad is remarkably silent, only asking a few questions or making comments when he deems it necessary. Usually, he’s more talkative and tends to lead the conversation, but today he seems to have chosen to leave that to Lancelot. As your uncle is saying something about the implications of such an organisation having access to nuclear weapons, you feel another foot hit yours. At first, you ignore it; but when it happens again, you look around. It couldn’t be Merlin or Lancelot, leaving Galahad as the only suspect. You quickly look at his face but he acts as if he’s innocent. When you feel a third tap, you let your eyes meet his. The lines around his eyes crinkle mischievously, while the rest of his face doesn’t seem to change. You tap him back, your oxfords hitting the side of his silently. This time, his eyes do not divert to Merlin or Lancelot, and it almost feels as if you’re the only person in this room with him. The feeling is short lived however, with his gaze shifting away when his name is mentioned by one of the other men. Still, his foot remains in place, connecting the two of you. Despite the intimate gesture, his feelings for you remain unclear.

The meeting comes to an end, you and Galahad act as if nothing happened when you stand up. Everyone leaves the room and as he passes you, he slips a small folded note into your hand. You do not get a chance to read it though, as Merlin immediately starts up a conversation with you as you walk the wing of the mansion where the individual kingsman offices are located. ‘Tristan, could you send me the report after lunch?’ You nod. ‘As long as we’re going on a walk with Ares and Albion after, you know he’s missed you lately, and this morning wasn’t enough to make up for that.’ He laughs. ‘Of course.’ Together, you walk into Merlin’s office, where you quickly discuss the last few details before you leave for your own. There, you work on the report for a bit longer, adding the finishing touches before sending it to Merlin. Ares lays in the corner of your office, playing with one of his toys quietly. The folded piece of paper sits next to your keyboard, still not read. Once you’ve finally finished the report, you grab and slowly unfold it. Galahad’s handwriting is neat, but not delicate.

Tristan,

Meet me in the library at 21:00 tonight. 

Yours faithfully,

H

‘I suppose I’ll go read in the library tonight, Ares.’ You whisper before you put the note into your drawer and motion your dog to follow you to the kitchens to have lunch. He walks at your side when you enter, and calmly waits as you brew tea and make lunch. Once it’s ready, you decide to eat it outside, as the weather is quite nice today and Ares will be able to run around before you go for the walk with Merlin.  Half an hour passes before you’re joined by your uncle, who has his dog, Albion, with him. She’s a border collie who is usually quite serious and focused, but gets very excited when she gets to play with Ares. The two of them are best friends, so you and Merlin try to have them meet up and go on a long walk at least once a week. This doesn’t always happen though, as duty calls whenever it does, resulting in having to cancel quite frequently, which happened the past few weeks. Today isn't such a day though, and once you both finish your lunch, the four of you start walking your usual round around the grounds. You and Merlin chat away about anything and everything while Ares and Albion run around together and fetch a tennis ball from time to time. It’s calm and you’re enjoying yourself. It’s always quite nice to spend your time like this. All nice things must come to an end though, and after forty-five minutes of walking, you have to return to work.  ‘See you later Tristan.’ Merlin says before walking to his office, taking Albion with him. ‘Later.’ You wave before walking in the opposite direction. Galahad hadn’t been there when you returned from your walk, so you assume he’s at the shop to get a few things in order. It’s probably for the better, as you aren’t sure what you would do if you were to cross him in the hallway right now. He’s constantly giving you mixed signals. Yesterday, he seemed to lean in to kiss you before pulling away suddenly. Today, he almost continuously avoided your gaze, yet wanted to stay connected in some way that wasn’t visible to others, and he wrote you a note telling you to meet him later.

‘Fuck.’

You whisper to yourself. You’re falling for him, hard. You have been for a long time. You always told yourself it was merely a crush, but you’re unable to deny it any longer. This revelation isn’t your biggest problem though. Your biggest problem is whether he would even be interested, as he’s constantly giving those mixed signals. Tonight you’d decide whether you’ll ever act upon your feelings or not. You’d never particularly cared for the kingsman code which prohibits any relationships, though it hasn’t been necessary for you to break it either, as you hadn’t been interested in any relationships in the first place. Kingsman always comes first in your life. This means that you’ve never actually taken the time to think of finding a partner or date around. What you are worried about, is that Galahad is someone that always follows the rules and doesn’t even think about bending, let alone breaking, them. This may be an explanation for him being so hot and cold with you. Still, it’s confusing and worries you. ‘Good afternoon agent Tristan, is everything alright?’ Arthur greeting you pulls you out of your thoughts and you realise you’re standing in front of the door which leads into your office, your hand on the doorknob. You have probably been standing there for a couple of minutes now. Quickly you turn the knob and start walking in.  ‘Ah yes Arthur, I was just lost in thought. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have some paperwork to attend to.’  You smile at him before swiftly closing the door once Ares has entered the room as well. 

The evening couldn’t come soon enough. Thinking of whatever Galahad could possibly tell you continued racing through your mind the entire afternoon, meaning that you were quite distracted for the most part. Merlin visited you shortly before dinner to discuss the report and what he altered before sending it off to Arthur. While he clearly noticed that you were distracted, he decided against saying anything about it and left. Shortly thereafter, you decided it’d be a good idea to go for another walk with Ares, as it’s a good way of distancing yourself from the setting in which you usually see Galahad. This time, though, the walk lasts for several hours, with the sun starting to set once you start heading back to HQ.  When you arrive back at HQ, it’s nearly nine, so you decide to bring the Doberman to your office before heading to the library. Galahad, or Harry which you rarely ever refer to him as, is already there, waiting for you. He turns to face you and smiles when you enter before greeting you. ‘I’m glad you could make it agent Tristan.’ You nod nervously but try to sound casual. ‘Of course, any time, Galahad.’ His eyes look over your form and you do the same. The tension between the two of you is palpable but you try to ignore it as best as you can. For a moment, nothing happens. The both of you stay still, frozen in place.  Suddenly Galahad moves again and walks up to you. In a moment of passion, he grabs your face and kisses you deeply. It’s so intense it feels as if he’s bruising your lips. When you don’t move, he starts pulling back. Quickly, you pull him to you once more and kiss back, one of your hands in his hair and the other pulling his tie. The two of you fight for dominance and he pushes you against one of the bookshelves, his left hand now resting on your hip.  Eventually, he pulls away and rests his forehead against yours, his eyes still closed. For minutes, the two of you stand like this, silently enjoying each other's presence and closeness. ‘Tristan.’ He whispers. ‘Yes Galahad?’ The man sighs and slowly leaves your embrace. ‘Shit.’ You hear him mutter under his breath. ‘Shit shit shit.’ He backs away, as if he’s only just realised what happened. ‘Galahad, what’s going on?’ ‘I cannot do this Tristan.’ His voice sounds almost desperate. ‘Galahad, what do you mean you cannot do this?’ He doesn’t reply and walks away, leaving you alone in the library.

You didn’t see Galahad the rest of that week and you threw yourself into work, only leaving your office to go out with Ares. If you hadn’t had him, you probably wouldn’t have left your office in the first place. That Friday morning, Merlin comes in unannounced and finds you sleeping with your head on your desk. He wakes you and you slowly sit up straight. Your suit jacket is discarded somewhere in a corner and you look a bit of a mess with your hair all dishevelled.  ‘Are you sure you’re feeling alright Tristan? You really shouldn’t be overworking yourself.’ Your uncle asks you, he sounds quite worried. ‘I’m fine Merlin, I promise.’ He sighs. ‘You do not look or act as if you’re fine. What’s going on?’ You just shake your head. ‘It’s nothing really, I’ve just had to catch up on some work. Please don’t fret it.’  ‘We both know that’s a lie, Tristan. You’re always ahead of everyone when it comes to paperwork.’ He stops for a moment. ‘Look, both you and Galahad have been acting off all week and we can’t have that. I don’t know if there’s anything going on between the two of you, but I want you to fix it, especially if it’s affecting you like this.’ His voice is stern. ‘You should go talk to Galahad then, I’m not the guilty one here.’ You stand up for the first time in what feels like years, your knees and back hurting with every move. ‘I don’t have the energy for all this, go talk to him if you want to know more.’ Silently, you usher him out of your office and shut the door behind him. While you love your uncle, you really couldn’t deal with this right now.

The scotch in the corner of your office had been a little too appealing. That combined with the very limited amount of food you’d had over the past few days, made it very easy for you to become drunk. You sit in your chair feeling very sorry for yourself, as you do in such situations. ‘You know Ares, I’ll go talk to that asshole. He kisses me like that and then he avoids me all week. I suppose that’s not very gentlemanly of him.’ Standing up, you feel dizzy and you have to grab a hold of your desk to keep standing. The world seems to be turning and Ares looks to have multiple heads. ‘Fuck.’ You hadn’t realised how badly the scotch had affected you. Still, that didn’t stop you, and you stumble through your office door. The hallway is empty when you enter it, as is usual at this time of night in HQ. Galahad’s office is only a few doors down and you try to walk there as normally as you can. Taking a deep breath, you knock multiple times. When there’s no immediate answer, you knock again, but more loudly. ‘Galahad, I know you’re in there.’ Your voice is loud enough for him to hear on the other side of the door, but not loud enough to wake any of the other kingsmen. Though they probably wouldn’t wake up unless you screamed loudly enough for it to reach the other side of the estate. Moments pass, but the door is eventually opened by the agent. ‘Tristan.’ He greets you solemnly. ‘I need to talk to you, you pretentious asshole.’ The words fall out of your mouth and there is no stopping them. ‘You are no gentleman. You invite someone to talk to them alone after MONTHS, LITERAL MONTHS, of looking at each other longingly and flirting, then kiss them in the way you did and JUST WALK AWAY LIKE THAT?????’ He finally looks up at you and realises the state that you’re in. ‘WHAT IN THE HELLS IS WRONG WITH YOU INCOMPETENT PRICK????’ You jab your finger into his chest. ‘Tristan, you are in no state to discuss this, please go to bed.’ He grabs your hand. ‘YES I AM, I AM A GROWN ADULT THAT CAN MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS. YOU ARE NOT MY MOTHER.’ ‘Yes you are, but you’re currently incapable of making any good decisions. So, please quiet down before you wake up Mr. Pickle.’ Before you’re able to respond, he grabs you and surprisingly easily throws you over his shoulder. ‘Now, I’ll be escorting you to bed, as you don’t seem to be capable of doing that yourself.’ He completely ignores your protests, which continue for about five minutes before you realise there’s nothing you can do about this situation. He only puts you down when you’re in front of your bedroom door, as he needs you to open it. ‘I’m going to put you down, but please stay quiet. I don’t want you to wake everyone up.’ You nod and mutter to yourself as he puts you down. ‘Still an asshole though.’ He laughs to himself. When you finally have both your feet on the ground again, you’re stable momentarily before you start falling over again. Galahad notices and steadies you by grabbing your shoulders. ‘Careful now, sweetness.’ His lips touch the shell of your ear and you slowly feel yourself going red. You ignore it though, steadying yourself with his help before walking to your door and unlocking it. When you try to open it you almost fall into your own room and so Harry catches you, before the world around you slowly goes dark.

The following morning you wake up in your own bed, not remembering how you got there in the first place. Ares sits next to your bed, looking up at you as you wake. ‘Morning, my boy.’ Your voice sounds more like a groan than anything else. He nudges your arm and softly barks when you eventually sit up. The light hurts your eyes as you look around, so you close your eyes and lay back down. Once you finally open them again, you notice that there’s a glass of water and a pack of paracetamol next to your bed. ‘Who put that there?’ You look at Ares and pet him before taking one of the pills followed by a gulp of water. The headache you have is slowly driving you insane, so hopefully this’ll help. Still, it remains unclear who actually put it there after probably finding you in quite the state. Usually, you could easily hold your liquor, but apparently your body had other plans yesterday. You do realise that you’re still in your clothes from the day before. So, you decide to get out of them and put on something more comfortable before calling Merlin. ‘Morning Merlin.’ Your voice is quite hoarse. ‘Ah Tristan, I was wondering when you’d call.’ He sounds quite amused for some unknown reason. ‘What do you mean?’ The Scot laughs. ‘Well, I got a notification earlier this morning that you’d be out of the office today because you’re ill. Thing is, agent Galahad is the one who notified me, which is a bit odd to be honest.’ You groan. ‘Well he’s right about me not feeling well.’ Slowly, you lay back in your bed.  Merlin didn’t talk to you for much longer after that and he remained quite vague about what Galahad had told him about the night before. Despite you desperately wanting to know what had happened the night before, you decided that would be a problem for tomorrow before heading back to sleep.

That night, a knock wakes you from your slumber. You almost jump out of your bed at the sound, scaring Ares a bit. ‘One moment please.’ You shout at the person behind the door before calming your dog. ‘I should take you out for a walk in a few, shouldn’t I? I’m so sorry Ares.’ After whispering that, you stand up and walk to your door. Opening it slowly, you reveal Merlin’s form. ‘Good evening Tristan.’ He smiles. ‘Thought I’d bring you some dinner.’ The tray he’s holding has a plate with a baked potato, some carrots and broccoli, and some beef, accompanied by a large glass of water and a cup of your favourite tea. He walks in once you’ve further opened your door, putting the tray on the small table that stands in the corner of your room. ‘Do sit down.’ His voice is soft. You do so silently, Ares laying down next to you. ‘Thank you.’ Your voice is soft and you start eating your first meal of the day. Merlin sits down across from you. ‘I do hope this was a one time thing, Tristan.’ He sighs and takes off his glasses, pinching the bridge of his nose with his other hand. ‘It won’t happen again, sir.’ Your voice can barely be heard from across the table. ‘Look, you’ve been doing flawlessly so far, so getting drunk and insulting go Galahad isn’t something that’ll affect you or your career in any way. It can, however, have an effect on how well you’re able to work with him in the foreseeable future.’ Your eyes don’t meet his. ‘Now that I’ve scolded you for getting drunk and acting in the way you did, I would like to know why. Harry hasn’t wanted to tell me anything and I’m against just checking your glasses if I can ask you.’ Your plate is only half finished but you’re already full and you put down your cutlery. ‘I’m not sure you want to know.’ Leaning back, you make yourself more comfortable in your chair. ‘Galahad has really said nothing?’ He shakes his head. ‘Well then, I suppose I’ll tell you what’s going on; under the condition that this will strictly stay between the two of us. Not even Galahad can know.’  ‘Why are you being so secretive about this?’ He enquires. ‘You’ll understand once you hear the full story. Now do you promise?’ You hold out your hand with your pinky ready for him to intertwine with. And he does. ‘I promise.’ A smile creeps onto  your face. This is something you’d always done with him when it comes to promises, starting when you were just a little kid. ‘So, as you may have noticed the past few weeks, there’s been some tension between me and Galahad, or Harry.’  You start. ‘But this has been an underlying issue for years now -‘ 

That night Merlin listened as you talked about how the situation between you and Galahad had unfolded over the past few years and more in detail about the past week or two. Understandably, it was quite a bit for him to take in, and at first he wasn’t certain how to feel or respond. If you hadn’t been who you are to him, he would’ve been fine with it. But with the familial ties you have, and the fact that he and Galahad are best friends, made him hesitate. Yet, he promises to keep quiet and have you and the other man resolve it by yourselves. He would, however, urge his friend to do so if the issue isn’t resolved within a week, meaning that you’ll have to hurry up when it comes to talking things out. He did make clear that he isn’t against you having a relationship with the older man, his tone may have even been slightly supportive, which was somewhat unexpected.

The next time you finally see Harry it’s Sunday. Exactly three days since you’d last seen him and had had the drunken encounter. There you stood, in front of his apartment, your heart pounding in your throat. He’d been at the shop the past few days while you were at the mansion. Merlin was quite convinced that Galahad was, in fact, avoiding you, so he’d suggested you go visit him that evening. Well, suggested was quite a loose term in this case. It was more that Merlin just dropped you off here and told you to ‘Go ahead and talk it out’. Obviously, this was his way of forcing you to do so, as he is quite sick of having the two of you avoiding each other.

Finally, you ring the doorbell and you stand there waiting nervously for Galahad to answer. He does after a few minutes and the confusion is quite evident on his face. When he doesn’t say anything, you start talking. ‘Sorry to bother you Galahad, but Merlin’s dropped me off so we can talk things out.’ You smile sheepishly and he sighs before letting you in.  You have never been inside his home before, so you look around curiously as he leads you into his kitchen. He was wearing his usual attire, save for the glasses. Apparently, he had been cooking dinner when you rang his doorbell. As you look around the room, not moving, he clears his throat. ‘Would you like to join me for dinner Tristan?’ The question is logical, yet you aren’t certain whether he actually wants you to join or if he’s asking it out of obligation. You’re hoping it’s the former rather than the latter. ‘If you don’t mind. Otherwise we can talk and then I’ll leave, I don’t wish to intrude Galahad.’ He motions you to sit down. ‘I would love for you to join me, I’m almost finished cooking dinner anyway, so do feel free to have a seat.’ When you do so, he turns around to face the stove once again before finishing dinner. It is a simple yet delicious meal, and you appreciate the gesture of him inviting you to join him. It is mostly spent in silence, save for a few comments appreciating his skill, or talking about the goings on at the shop and HQ. 

You had known Jack for a few years now, and though his constant flirting would often get on your nerves you had a soft spot for him. Well, maybe more than a soft spot. You couldn’t help but get nervous around him, as butterflies often bombarded your stomach every time you were around him. This of course, annoyed you to no end.

You took solace in the times you were not around him; hoping that the feelings you were seeming to develop would disappear. But in those times when you wouldn’t see him for days, or weeks at a time; you found yourself missing him. And, much to your annoyance, every time you saw his face or heard his voice again, the butterflies would flood back.

And in this very situation, when he smiled at you from the window seat of your hotel room, the butterflies seemed more powerful than ever.

“Agent Whiskey.” You greeted him with an almost unusual tone of professionalism.

He rose from his seat and grinned at you, before quickly making his face stoic and lowering his voice a bit “Vesper.” He said in an almost mocking tone.

You rolled your eyes lightly before throwing your bag on the bed, trying to suppress the smile that threatened to form. “How did you get dragged into this then?” You asked him, attempting to sound casual to hide your ever growing nerves.

“Actually, I volunteered.” He said as he walked up next to you.

You could feel him staring at your face, as if trying to catch a moment you might slip up, and show your true feelings. But you were a professional, not to mention stubborn. Straightened up you turned to him, your face even “Now why would you do that?”

“Well-” He began, a smirk evident on his face “When I heard you needed to attend a gala, partnered up with someone to be your beloved, well I just couldn’t resist.”

“You should have tried harder.” You replied back making his smirk turn into a crooked grin.

Turning back to your bag, you ignored his continued gaze as you took out your outfit for the gala “I hate undercover missions.” You said casually “There’s a reason I prefer the stealth sector.”

Whiskey took a small step closer, his chest now barely pressed against your shoulder “There’s no need to be nervous darlin’, I’ll be there the whole time.”

You rolled your eyes lightly as you smirked to yourself “And what if you make me even more nervous?” You asked quietly with a joking tone before you moved to put your clothes in the closet.

Whiskey smiled from his place at the bed after you spoke, but doubt played on his mind. He made you nervous. But was that good, or bad?

- - - - -

After devising a plan with Whiskey before the gala you got ready in the bathroom. Checking over yourself in the mirror once more, you jumped slightly when there was a knock on the door.

Whiskey's voice called out through the door “You done yet?” He asked, his voice clearly laced with some annoyance.

You rolled our eyes “Yeah, yeah, I’m coming.” You called out before walking to the door and yanking it open. Walking out and past Whiskey who was standing by the door, you walked to your bag to make sure you had the micro-gps to slip into the judges drink. Glancing back at Whiskey, you did a double-take as you realized how heavily he was staring at you.

“What?” You asked as you stood up straighter, feeling nervous all of a sudden.

He shook his head lightly as a smile spread across his face “Just wasn’t expecting you to look like that.”

You glanced down at your outfit, sure it was pretty extravagant, but so was his, so was everyone’s surely. You looked back up at him, a bit of perplexion on your face “Look like what?”

“Well, that...Attractive.” He said quickly. Seeing a small quirk of offense on your face he quickly reiterated “Not that you aren’t normally attractive, you are, this is just-” he motioned his hands around vaguely “A different type, you look...great.” He finally said, lost for any other words.

You shuffled a bit in your place “Thanks. You look good too.” You added on before turning back to what you were doing. Whiskey smiled at you from behind, taking the opportunity to look you over more.

- - - - -

As you walked towards the large mansion, behind various people entering, you had your arm looped through Jack’s. You looked up and around at the large house, only some of the countless windows lit. “What do you do with that many room’s.” You said randomly.

Jack looked from you and then up at the house. He shrugged his head a bit “I’ve got no idea. Half of ‘em are probably empty.”

You silently agreed as you approached the doorway. You showed your invitations before being led in, your coats being taken as you were welcomed. You caught Jack’s eyes grazing over you again, and tried to push away the heat rising up your neck.

Once in the main room, your eyes scanned across the people's faces. You recognized many from the organization, but your eyes remained locked on one man, in the center of the group. You leaned your head towards Jack’s ear and he leaned in to meet you “The man at the center of the group, dark blue suit, obnoxious grin, that’s him.”

Jack nodded, looking him over he squinted a bit, just now really realizing that you might have to get him alone. He was almost alarmed at the amount of jealousy rising in his gut, especially when he saw the judges eyes lock onto yours.

You caught the judges eye, and lightly nodding your head in greeting you gave him a smile, which he happily returned. ‘Well that was easy’ You thought to yourself, at least he’s noticed you now. And as his eyes flicked to Jacky beside you, who had quickly looked away as to not be caught staring as well, you saw something flicker behind the judges eye.

You and Jack made your way towards the windows, a bit away from the crowd. As you did, Jack glanced back, catching the judge watching you as you moved. Another pulse of jealousy erupted through him. He pushed it down ‘It’s the job Whiskey, get it done.’ He told himself, he couldn’t lose his cool, not here, not now.

Jack was telling the truth when he said he volunteered, he was also telling the truth as of why. Though he knew you thought he was not being serious.

What he had not told you however, was that he was the one who convinced Champagne that you should be the one on this mission. He just wanted a chance to be close to you again, but he had not paid too much attention to what he got you into. He had to let you go be with another man, not for long, and not to do anything he wouldn’t approve of. But just the thought alone made his skin crawl, and now he was regretting coming just a little bit.

As some music started to flow throughout the room, he smiled to himself as he turned to you “Shall we dance?” He saw the hesitation in your eyes as you looked out at the other guests, filing into the middle of the room. Jack wanted to dance with you, but he knew he would need to convince you for other reasons, “It’ll give him a better chance at seeing you.” He said, hating himself for it.

He saw the moment you weighed what he said, as well as the moment you decided he was right. Setting your drink down you nodded “Alright, but be warned, I’m not the best.”

He chuckled a bit “That’s alright, I don’t judge a person by their dancin’ anyways.”

You smiled a little as you took his hand and he led you towards the center of the room. And as the music began to play, he raised your hands up as you brought your hand to his shoulder. He placed his other hand on your waist as you began to move along to the music. You realized quickly that Jack had done this before, you smiled a bit, amused at the thought.

“What?” He asked, seeing the amusement on your face.

“I just wasn’t expecting you to be this good.”

Jack smirked, unable to help himself “Well I’m better at other forms of dancing.”

You rolled your eyes at his joke, and though you attempted to stifle a laugh, it came out nonetheless, making a proud smile cross his face. And for the rest of the song, he got lost in your presence, almost forgetting what you were there for again. But as the music stopped, and a figure approached the two of you, he remembered. His gut clenched as the man stopped and smiled at the two of you.

Feigning a smile at the man Jack nodded his head in greeting as the judge’s eyes lingered on you. “Hello, I’m Judge Robert Trapman, I just wanted to introduce myself, I don’t think I know either of you.”

Whiskey put on his best polite smile and shook the Judges hand “Oh no Sir, we are visitors from Texas. I’m Mr. Callaghan, and this is my spouse Mx. Callaghan.” He said as he introduced you, feeling a slight fluttering in his chest at the mention of calling you his spouse, fake name or not.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you Judge.” You greeted, keeping your eyes locked with the judge for much longer than you were comfortable.

The judge smiled brightly. “Oh, yes of course, I heard you two made a great donation tonight, I’m so glad you came, and I thank you very much for your generosity.” The Judge said, and though his voice conveyed gratitude, you could see underneath that he could hardly care.

As your eyes flicked down to the glass in the judge’s hand, you got an idea, one that would save you from having to seduce the judge any further from here. “It looks like your drink is empty, Judge.” You said sweetly, referring to the empty glass in his hands.

The judge looked down and let out a dry chuckle “So it is.”

You looked at Whiskey “Dear.” You feigned “Why don’t you go get the judge another drink.”

“Of course!” Whiskey said cheerfully as he patted the judge on the shoulder “What’ll you have sir?”

“Gin and tonic, thank you very kindly.” He said, Jack nodded before turning to you “And what about you darlin’” He said as he reached for your hand.

Allowing him to take it, you secretly slipped him the micro-gps capsule. “Nothing for me, thank you.” You said, watching as he pressed a soft kiss to your knuckles before leaving you alone with the judge.

Turning to the judge you smiled sweetly at him “It’s a lovely gala isn’t it?”

He turned and looked around. “Oh yes, beautiful.” He looked back at you and smiled “Made even more so by your presence.”

You feigned a giggle and bright smile at the judge, but felt you gut clench at his words. Jack, who could hear your conversation through his coms, rolled his eyes and mocked him in a low whisper, allowing your giggle to have a bit more honestly behind it.

As Jack retrieved the drink for the judge, he felt a sense of relief as he discreetly dropped the micro-gps into it, glad that you would not have to be alone with the judge for too long. He was even happier that you did not have to get the judge alone anywhere else, it was working out better than he had hoped. As he quickly returned to your side, he had to push down rising anger as he saw how close the judge had gotten to you, and how clearly uncomfortable you were.

“Judge.” He said as he maneuvered around him and right back at your side. The judge reluctantly moved his eyes from you and to Jack. He smiled, though annoyance was clear on his face.

Taking the glass from Jack he nodded his head a bit “Thank you.”

The judge turned back to you, now ignoring Jack's presence. “How long are you two gonna be in town then?” He asked as he brought his glass to his lips, taking a small sip.

“Only for the gala I’m afraid judge.” Jack broke in, answering for you.

The judge smiled a bit, though obviously fighting back even more annoyance as Jack butted in. “Now that’s a shame, sure I can’t convince you otherwise? There’s a charity lunch tomorrow, I’d be happy if you came.” He asked, looking back at you.

Before Jack could break in again, you answered “That is very kind of you judge, but we have other priorities back in Texas.”

“Oh, well, then we must enjoy the time we have tonight then.” He said with a grin, one that sent chills down your spine. The judge rose his glass towards you a bit in a silent cheers before taking another drink, this time downing the rest.

Both you and Jack internally celebrated now that you knew he had swallowed the gps. And Jack, at this moment, took the opportunity to get you both out of there. As another song began to start, Jack saw the moment in the judges eyes as he began to ask you for a dance. But Jack was faster.

He set down his glass on a nearby table “Oh!” He exclaimed before looping his arm though yours. “If you’ll excuse us judge, I’d like to have another dance with Mx. Callaghan if you don’t mind.”

As you both smiled politely at the judge, Whiskey dragged you back out onto the dance floor, pulling you into form as you fell into rhythm with the music.

“Well that went better than expected.” You said quietly.

Jack nodded “I don’t know about you but I’m ready to get the hell out of here.”

You nodded in return “Couldn’t agree more.” As you moved to pull away from him, Jack tightened his grip on you a bit, pulling you a bit closer.

“Now now, not quite so fast. It might be a bit too suspicious if we leave too hastily. Besides, I wanna finish our dance.”

You saw the small smirk on his lips and you shook your head lightly smiling to yourself “Fine, but just this one.”

“Just this one.” Whiskey repeated as you locked eyes.

It took you a moment before you were able to break his gaze, and you saw his mouth twitch into a barely noticeable smile. After dancing in comfortable silence for the rest of the song, the music faded, and Jack took your hand in his. He could see the judge looking around the room, surely for you. Leaning down towards your ear he whispered “Lets go, before he gets to you.”

Nodding, he pulled you along and you slowly exited the room, smiling at people as you passed. And as you finally got to the door you took your coats and quickly exited, both of you relieved as you were finally driving away and back to the hotel.

- - - - -

After kicking Jack out of your hotel room after he not so subtly suggested a “sleepover”; you got on a jet the next morning and met up with Champagne.

“The judge hasn’t made a move to their base yet, but we have some intel that he will be attending a meeting this evening. So good job Agent Vesper, your involvement in this mission is over. I thank you for your good work.”

You nodded and smiled as you rose to leave “Thanks Champagne. Though...” You trailed off a bit, making him look at you with curiosity “Please never send me in like that again. I don’t like surprises.”

He let out a chuckle. “Okay, okay. I promise.”

Turning, you left him with a smile and made your way out of the building. As you exited and began to walk back towards your car, a voice called out from behind you. “Leaving without saying goodbye? ”You turned to see Whiskey leaning against the side of the building. As he straightened up and began to walk to you he placed his hand on his heart “You hurt me Y/n.”

“Well I figured you're already left, so I didn’t bother to look for you.” You answered honestly.

“I ain’t leavin’ till tomorrow. Which, I wanted to talk to you about.”

“Suggest another “sleepover” and I’m walking away.” You said in a joking tone.

He smiled at you and rose his hand up “No no, but a proposition nonetheless.”

You tilted your head a bit “What kind?”

He glanced down for a moment as he began to talk “Well you see. The mission I’m heading out for tomorrow, will go a hell of a lot smoother if I’m not alone. And since we worked so well together last night, I thought….” He trailed off.

You squinted a bit at him “What’s the catch?”

“Who says there’s a catch?”

“Jack.” You said with a warning tone.

He couldn’t help but smile as you said his name before he let out a chuckle “Alright, alright. The catch, as you call it, is that we’d need to act like a couple again. This time for longer than a single night. But, I honestly think we got it down.” He said as he took another step closer, a smile on his face as he met your eyes.

There were those butterflies again. You adjusted your stance as you crossed your arms. “Just how long?”

He shrugged his shoulders “Just a few days.” He said casually.

“And what kind of mission is this exactly?”

“Weddin’” He said quickly.

“A wedding?” You asked.

He nodded and you gave him a slightly exasperated look “You’re gonna have to give me more to work with Jack. Why would you be attending a wedding for a mission?”

He shifted uncomfortably as he rubbed his face with his hand before shrugged his shoulders again “Okay it’s not necessarily a mission as it is a...personal...chore.”

“A personal-” You began to repeat before stopping, a small smile of realization coming across your face “Whose wedding is it Jack?”

He hesitated for a moment, “My cousins.”

Jack had mentioned to you a few times before, how dedicated his mother was to setting him up on horrible dates when he was younger. And how desperately she was for him to be happy.

You let out a laugh “You want me to fake being your date so your mother doesn’t try to set you up with someone at the wedding don’t you?”

Jack was almost surprised that you guessed exactly what he was doing. He let out an almost shy laugh as he rubbed the back of his head “Well, I guess I am.”

You let out another laugh, “Unbelievable” you said, shaking your head. Your heart was beating rapidly in your chest as you realized just what he wanted from you. And to your surprise, you weren’t really afraid to say yes. And seeing the shy, and almost desperate pleading behind his eyes you felt guilty at the thought of saying no. “Alright, I’ll do it.”

He seemed a bit surprised by your acceptance. “Yeah?”

“But only if this means you owe me a favor in the future.”

He clapped his hands together “You got a deal.” He bowed slightly “Thank you.”

You let out a short laugh “I do have a question though.”

“What’s that?” He asked.

“Why do you want me to go? What’s so bad about your mom trying to set you up? You go on random dates all the time?” You asked.

Jack felt a slight tug in his chest. “I used to. Not anymore. I always have the same problem with those random dates.”

“What problem?”

He smiled at you, a fond smile that made tingles crawl up your neck. “None of them are you.”

Your heart halted in your chest for a moment. Jack took a step forward and leaned down, pressing a quick kiss to your cheek. Stepping back and away from you, his smile was wider now. “Meet me here, tomorrow morning, eight a.m.” He said as he turned and walked away.

Left to watch after him as he went, you repeated what had happened in your mind. ‘None of them are you.’ And the kiss to your cheek. Your face was burning now as you tried to calm your heart. Finally turning away and walking towards your car, you began to think of what just might happen tomorrow, at the wedding, and after.

Would you regret this? Or would it turn out better than you could imagine?

xx End xx

A fake date, leading into another fake date??? Omg lol. I honestly had NO IDEA what I was doing with this fic for the entire thing. And the ending came to me as I was writing.

**Part Two**

General Taglist: @criminaly-supernatural, @caswinchester2000Requested Taglist: @hybrid-omegaverse, @thicc-in-semicorrect-places, @spuffyfan394

It was the little things really, that made a difference. Little things over a long period of time really could change the way someone felt, the way someone perceived the world, themselves. Eggsy never did some grand ol’ declaration of your beauty or your worth, didn’t do one event and hope it would change the way you saw yourself. He just reminded you every through little words and little actions of the way he felt about you and the way he wished you felt about yourself. It was a persistent and subtle effort that had an undeniable effect.

It wasn’t that you hated your body per say, rather you were highly insecure and uncomfortable in it. It was hard to explain, less a deep hatred and more a displeasure. It came from a place deep within yourself, a place that had been created by other people, by the world. You’d grown up fat, with a plump waist. a soft, big stomach, with fat rolls, and big thighs, and fat underneath your chin and chubby cheeks and thick fingers. Growing up like that made you a target for a lot of people, not even just other kids, but adults. Parents, grandparents, uncles, aunts, doctors, people in the street. You were constantly told that being big wasn’t good enough, that you needed to lose weight because losing weight would solve the problem. Your body being the problem. Losing weight would make you pretty, worthy, deserving of respect and of love. While you knew that to be false, those feelings of insecurity and discomfort within your own body do not go over night. You are left with them as you try to jump those hurdles to becoming accepting of it and comfortable within it. 

Eggsy had known from the beginning of your relationship that you weren’t completely comfortable with your body or your weight. It was in the way you deflected compliments and shied away from physical affection. The look of discomfort around strangers. All the little things. So it was the little things that he did to change that. 

It started with small reminders whenever he saw you, mixed with delicate and kind physical affections. 

You smiled shyly as you moved to meet Eggsy halfway as he turned the corner you’d been waiting for him on. He met you with a gentle hand to your waist, an area you were very aware of and a sweet kiss to your cheek. All very swift, but all reminding you that you were safe with him.

“Hello, beautiful, how was your day?” Just a passing compliment, not one you were supposed to respond to, but enough to make you stop and smile just a little more. 

“Really, really boring. Mr Matthews came in again and you know how he likes to complain about the slightest little thing.” Talking about the regular visitor to your place of work. 

Each time he saw you he’d call you beautiful, or pretty, or lovely. Each time he saw you he’d focus sweet and kind affection on areas he knew you were cautious of and each time it slowly started to work its way into your brain that at the very least Eggsy really did think you beautiful. 

It continued with boasting to his mates. He was never ashamed of you, not like some lads were.

“You wish you were as lucky as me, Jamal! You seen Y/N lately?” Eggsy pulls you into his side on the sofa as he takes the mick out of Jamal who’s rolling his eyes but smiling nonetheless.

“Yeah, well there is only one Y/N, can’t exactly get another one, mate!”  Ryan barks from the corner, beer in hand, joining in. Despite their appearances Jamal and Ryan were both very nice lads and they never made you feel unwelcome, which you were grateful for. They also always seemed to join in on Eggsy’s attempts to make you feel beautiful which was sweet. 

“Damn right, there’s only one.” Eggsy smiles at you, pressing a kiss to your temple before taking another swig from his beer and continuing with his ribbing. Nights like this were filled with laughter, but Eggsy always managed to include you, and he always managed to somehow boast about you. Proud to call you his. 

It continued on and on in many more ways, in the way he kissed you and pulled you into his lap not giving a damn that you were heavier than other people. 

“Come here” He reaches out his hands to your hips and carefully brings you to his lap, careful enough that you know you could break away at any moment. You know that’s been done on perfect. It’s the lack of care he has for the weight of you against his legs or the dip of your wide hips under his hands. It’s the gentle way he kisses you, a hand at the back of your neck to keep you as close as possible. It’s the way he sighs into your mouth that tells you this is it for him. This means as much to him as it does to you. It’s him that makes you completely forget about your body and just enjoy being there with him. 

He showed it in the way he’d brush his fingers against your cheek and gently lift your chin when you were too sad to look him in the eyes. In the way he convinced you to dance in the club even though you were self conscious of dancing, let alone dancing like that. It was in the way he held you tight at night and smoothed his hand over your rolls and gripped your hips. It was in the way he told you he loved you with shining eyes and a bright smile. In the way he tried to make you laugh. In the way he tried to protect you from everyone who might hurt you, quick with his words but even quicker with his fists. Everything Eggsy had ever done and would ever do reminded you that you were beautiful to him and that soon reminded you that you were just beautiful. Just worthy. Just good. Just wonderful. Not beautiful to only him. Not worthy to only him. But beautiful regardless. Worthy regardless. 

(also please listen to Body like a back road by Sam Hunt, it’s so good)

Got a girl from the Southside, got braids in her hair

First time I seen her walk by, man I 'bout fell up out my chair

Had to get her number, it took me like six weeks

Now me and her go way back like Cadillac seats

When Tequila thinks back to the first time he met you, he instantly recalls your braids. Long and black, covering every inch of that pretty little head of yours. Thinking about it now, he recalls how it had taken a minute to register that those were in fact braids and not just strands of hair. He watched you saunter past him, you and your girls giggling about something when you suddenly made eye contact with him. He just about tumbled out of his chair when you sent a wink his way, those big hazel eyes set against your melanin skin instantly being saved in his mind for later. The remainder of the month that the rodeo was there he made a point to speak to you. From complimenting your braids, to inviting you to watch him (even if he was just a rodeo clown), to you finally having pity on the boy and giving him your digits. Several years later and you were closer than ever, finding yourselves working for the same intelligence agency. Crazy how that works. 

Body like a back road, drivin' with my eyes closed

I know every curve like the back of my hand

Doin' fifteen in a thirty, I ain't in no hurry

I'ma take it slow just as fast as I can

The way she fit in them blue jeans, she don't need no belt

But I can turn 'em inside out, I don't need no help

Got a hips like honey, so thick and so sweet

It ain't no curves like hers on them downtown streets

“Agent Vodka, you will find the remainder of your debriefing packet back in your quarters, but if you’ll follow me I’d like to give you some new tech.” Ginger said, watching as (Y/N), Tequila and Champ removed their Statesman issued glasses. “Sure! Can’t wait to see what you’ve been cooking!” (Y/N)said, getting up and following the femme tech wiz out of the meeting room. Tequila jumped a little, feeling the junoesque woman glide her hand along the back of his neck, causing goosebumps to rise. Champagne smirked, the small yet intimate interaction not lost on the head of Statesman. Tequila (oblivious of his superior’s playfully chastising gaze) continued to watch you strut out of the room, your curves stretching against your blues jeans. The same blue jeans that had been laying inside out on the floor of his bedroom that morning. 

“While you two Knuckleheads may think your little secret is safe, the teasing and ‘Fuck me eyes’ ain't lost on anyone boy.” Champagne laughed, watching the former rodeo clown flush with embarrassment. “I'm sorry sir, it won’t happen again sir,” Tequila said, watching his Superior get up and leave the room. “Don’t worry about it Tequila, just know there ain’t no other girl like (Y/N) out on them streets. And one other thing, don’t call me sir it makes me feel old” Champ said, chuckling as he closed the door. Tequila relaxed, pulling a Polaroid he had of you out of his wallet. There sure as hell was no other girl like you. 

We're out here in the boondocks with the breeze and the birds

Tangled up in the tall grass with my lips on hers

On a highway to heaven, headed south of her smile

Get there when we get there, every inch is a mile

It was one of those rare occasions, a day to relax before inevitably some jackass somewhere would just have to enact some evil scheme. Tequila had surprised his girl with a picnic, including a batch of his mediocre attempt of recreating her Grandma’s lemon bar recipe. The young woman smiled, and ate them despite how dry they were. She knew he had tried his best, and didn’t want to hurt his feelings. 

Tequila had led her further into a large patch of land, the overgrown grass up to their waists. Despite potential bugs or snakes, the couple had laid there sharing kisses and stories and enjoying the time off. At some point Tequila had noticed how still and quiet his girlfriend had become only to realize she had fallen asleep, cuddled against his chest. He kissed the top of (Y/n)’s head, breathing in the coconut scent of her scalp conditioner. God how he loved her braids, that pearly smile set against soft brown sun-kissed skin, those hazel eyes. God, he loved every bit of her. “I love you” he whispered, he hoped those words had only been heard by himself, the breeze and the birds overhead. “I love you too”, (Y/N) whispered back a small smile settling upon her features, before further falling asleep. Tequila smiled softly, god was he in heaven?

Body like a back road, drivin' with my eyes closed

I know every curve like the back of my hand

Doin' fifteen in a thirty, I ain't in no hurry

I'ma take it slow just as fast as I can

Sam Hunt was one of (Y/N)’s favorite singers, so it was only natural that Tequila would yank her onto the dance floor, the young couple happily two-stepping; with the sounds of “Body Like A Back Road” booming through the speakers. The young woman laughed, her eyes closed showing off the glittery gold eye shadow that had been dusted across lids glinting in the neon lights. Tequila was a little more quiet than usual, something that was not lost on his partner. However, unbeknownst to (Y/N), there was a small black velvet box starting to weigh heavy in his jean jacket pocket.  About halfway through the song, he passed (Y/N) off to Eggsy to dance with, under the guise of needing to use the bathroom. 

Eggsy and Elise sat inside a small café in the mall, bags sitting around the table as the two choked on their coffee from laughing at each other.  After brunch they were going to head back to the house to look through everything and then take the dogs for a run.

“Fuck, you are the best.  Merlin couldn’t have picked a better baby.  Seriously!  Ya gotta tell me though, mate- how is he?  Ya know…”

She giggled, “so good.  Fuck, Eggsy I mean this morning he made me finish without touching me.  I’ve got a bruise on my ass that still kinda hurts but it’ll fade.”

“Spanking?”  He raised an eyebrow and sipped on his coffee.

“Ya, I uh, took another shift and wasn’t able to talk to him a lot the other day.  I guess that meant I needed to be ‘punished’?  I don’t know, I mean I kind of enjoyed it.”  

Elise pushed the eggs she was eating around her plate, heat rising to her cheeks as she suddenly felt out of her element.  She still wasn’t sure how she felt about the bruise yet, how she felt about being ‘punished’ because sexually it was amazing- all in good fun- but, that had not been his intention when he did it.  Hamish wanted it to hurt her while it happened, the sudden realization that she had actually been disciplined like a child made something curl in Elise’s stomach that she loathed.  Shame.

“Does he- does he hit you?”  Eggsy said it dead serious, now looking at her more intently.

“What?  No!  He just-” she sighed and decided to show him instead of saying anything, sitting her phone down on the table instead of typing on it.

“What?”

“Just wait.”

As they finished up their brunch 15 minutes had passed and Elise’s phone had gone off at least 9 times.  It made Eggsy roll his eyes.

“Oi, he’s one a those kind then ain’t he?  The needy kind.  Never pegged him as that sort.  Oh well, but as long as he don’t treat you bad.  Don’t matter how much money someone offers you, babe don’t ever let ‘em make ya feel shitty.”  

She grinned at him.  Oh, they were going to be best friends.

~

“Hamish, she’s perfect for you, really and so diligent.  Keep helping her pay tuition and maybe she could come work for the company.  She’d make an excellent analyst.”  Harry and Hamish were sitting at the table enjoying some after dinner drinks and watching their young lovers have fun.

They were in an upscale nightclub, Harry and Eggsy had flown over to celebrate another win for the company and six months of Hamish and Elise’s arrangement.  Everything was going so well, Elise looking happier and feeling better than she had in years, Hamish much the same.  He couldn’t help but smile watching them drunkenly spin around the dance floor.

Cause we were just kids when we fell in love, not knowin’ what it was.  I will not give you up this time~

Eggsy and Elise were cheek to cheek and singing along as best they could.

We are still kids, but we’re so in love.  Fighting against all odds, I know we’ll be alright this time~

“They’re cute, aren’t they?”  Hamish asked, his voice sounding wistful like he was thinking out loud instead of asking Harry a question.  

Harry noticed the way he was staring at Elise.  Remembering the night he met Eggsy in a club much like this, the same dazed expression on his face as Hamish had on his now.  His friend was getting attached quickly and he knew before long Hamish was going to give in to his emotions and ask her to be in a relationship rather than this kind of arrangement, he only prayed that Elise felt the same.  

“Quite cute.  I think Eggsy is going to start getting sick rather soon, so we should get going back to the hotel.  I hope you two make it home safely, give the dogs my love.”

It was also time for them to go and as soon as they were in the car Elise had her head against the window, humming and on the verge of sleep.  Hamish reached over and rubbed his hand up her thigh to get her attention, when she turned and smiled at him the streetlights caught her face and lit up her eyes even more- it made his breath catch.  She had him wrapped around her finger, he wondered if she would use that to her advantage if she knew just how far he would go to make sure she was happy.

“So, did ye have fun?”

“Oh my gosh!  So much fun!  Eggsy said they would be back in a few weeks for some kind of company dinner, I can’t wait to see him again.”  

Hamish licked his lips and took her hand in his, trying to steady himself- “Speaking of the company dinner-“

“Hmm?”

“It’s more of a Gala.  Posh, upper class- ye know all the things ye hate… I want ye to be my date for it.  It’s very relaxed, great food you’ll love it.”

The happy, drunk haze that she was in suddenly cleared and Elise bit at her lip in worry.  God, she knew this would happen eventually, it was practically part of the checklist for being a SB:  Arm Candy.  The problem was that Elise didn’t feel like arm candy material, she was just a good fuck and entertaining company.  How the fuck did he expect her to make him look good at a GALA?

“Are you sure?  I mean you don’t want someone a little more, I don’t know- polished?”

Merlin laughed at her reaction and brought her hand up to his lips, “no, I want ye there with me, it’ll be fine.  We can go dress shoppin’ tomorrow, get some shoes and jewelry while we’re at it.”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa that’s a lot.  Like, jewelry is a bit much don’t you think?  I don’t want you spending a lot on me, especially if I’ll only wear it once.”

“Come now, doll.  If ye say yes I’ll let ye top tonight when we get home.”

A small gasp, “Really?”

“Yes.”

There was the sound giddy anticipation and a seat belt clicking off followed shortly by a hand undoing his belt.  Wet kisses pressed along his jawline until the grip on the steering wheel tightened, when her hand wrapped around his cock the grip turned white knuckled.  Getting to ride was a rare treat since Hamish liked being in control most of the time, but in her current haze Elise felt her brattiness rising and it made her hellbent on getting what she wanted.  And she wanted to ride him in the car, now.  She adored doing things in this expensive fucking car, especially when she was in an intoxicated state, much like now, and the leather of the seats felt even more luxurious than they already were.

“I don’t want to wait until we’re home.”

“Stop bein’ a brat.  It’s f-five more minutes- fuck, love if you don’t stop I won’t make it till we get home.”

A whine, “just pull over.  We can make it fun, pretend I’m a hitchhiker you picked up at the bar and I can give you a sloppy blowjob outside of the car...on my knees...in the dirt.”

“Jesus-” Hamish let out a shaky breath and peeled one hand off the wheel to wrap in her hair and pull her from his neck, “you certainly are in a filthy mood tonight, but ye don’t have ta be outside on yer knees to do that, dove.”

Elise practically buzzed with excitement as she repositioned herself- knees on the seat and ass up so she could lean over the console and take him into her mouth with such vigor it made Hamish laugh. “Poor thing, you act like I don’t let ye suck my cock as much as ye want.  Then again maybe that is all ye really want to be, a cute little cock warmer.”    

The only response was a deep moan that vibrated in her throat and it was all Hamish needed to take one hand off the wheel and peel up her dress, thankful now that she had worn it despite his objection that it was too short and tight and that people would be all over her.  Which they were, but he was the only one taking her home to fuck her senseless so they could stare all they wanted.  How wet and warm she was already only made him go faster, her lips slick with it as he rubbed them through the thong, pushing it aside to slide a finger along the slit and then delve into her so agonizingly slow that Elise came up for air and almost sobbed.

“Daddy-”

“Ye have better things to do with that mouth than speak.”  He snapped hooking his fingers inside her and giving a hard tug for emphasis.

A small giggle at his breathless anger before she went back to doing something useful with her mouth, working harder to make it extra sloppy how she knew he liked it but will never admit because he’s still somewhat of a gentleman in bed.  Elise planned on breaking him of that if it was the last thing she did.  Spit was running out of the corners of her mouth to roll down his balls and soak into the pants and the noises- absolutely fucking obscene.  

“Finally.”  Hamish took a sharp turn into the drive way and pulled Elise off him by the hair to put the car in park.

He threw open the door to get out when Elise gripped his shirt and yanked him back into his seat so she could climb onto him.  And with one leg propped outside the Jag for stability and the other folded against his thigh she slid down with a satisfied, loud moan.

“Dirty girl, what will the neighbors think if they hear us out here?”

“We can get out and you can bend me over the hood if you’d rather they be able to see us too.”

“God, I love it when ye get like this.”

Hamish anchored his hands on her ass, but let her stay in control with the riding as she went harder, coming down on him with a distinct and wet clap that echoed in the night.  There would be indents in the leather of the headrest from her nails after.

“I’m gonna cum, I’m gonna cum-” Elise broke down into a mess when her orgasm hit her and instead of letting her ride it out on her own Hamish took the opportunity to regain control.

He wrapped an arm around her waist and pushed onto the top of the steering wheel with the other for leverage as he thrust into her sharply.  His own peak approaching far more quickly than he would have liked, maybe the roadhead hadn’t been such a great idea.  

“Oh god, Elise fuck-”

“Do it, do it, do it.  Cum for me daddy, please.  Please.”

With his face buried in her to muffle his moans that came out far louder than hers Hamish pressed against her harder while he finished, incidentally also pressing her against the horn.  The shouts of several angry neighbors were the only things that brought them down from their highs as they laughed.  Elise wrapped her arms arounds around him as he did her, face still nuzzled into her chest.  He kissed the bare skin there tasting salt and sex, and muffling his words as he whispered them.

“I love you.”

“Hmm?”  Aw there was his Elise, sweet and sleepy after getting all of that filth out of her system.

“Nothin’ lass.  Now come on, le’s get ye inta bed- we have a big day of shoppin’ to do tomorrow.”  

The next morning Elise found herself extremely out of her element in a high end dress shop sporting Vera Wang posters and no price tags- never a good sign.  The clerk knew, she had to have known what they were because she gave Elise that all too familiar pretentious look of ‘fucking sugar baby’ immediately followed by ‘God, we don’t even have your size here’.  Never the less she met them with a smile and eagerness that could only come from commission based pay.

“Good morning!  How are you doing today?  What are we shopping for?  Anything special?”

Elise opened her mouth to-

“We’re attending a gala in a few weeks.  She needs somethin’ black and flattering with heels to match.”  He looked down at her with a smile, “right?”

“Yes?”

“Good, now I have ta go next door to the jewelers, take care of her please.”

“Oh of course, let’s see what we can find!”  

Elise was turned around looking at some obnoxious mermaid fit gowns when she heard Hamish lean down and whisper to the attendant something along the lines of “don’t tell her how much anything costs, if she leaves here happy I’ll give ye a 20% tip”.  Holy shit did that change things because before she knew what was happening the attendant was complimenting her hips.

“You have such a lovely frame!  Although it isn’t one we see often in here… but I think an A-Frame cocktail dress would fit nicely...you can walk in heels, right?”

“Yes, I can.  Uh, how much does one of these usually go for though-”

“Oh, look at this one with lace accents!”

Four dresses and maybe one too many mimosas and mini quiches later Elise felt like she was going to have a nervous breakdown.  The dresses were all gorgeous, flirty, and young- exactly what Hamish had wanted, yet not what she felt comfortable in.  She didn’t want that.  Didn’t want to show up to a Gala as a pretty, dumb armpiece and be stared at like the play thing that everyone would think of her as.  Eggsy would be there, thank goodness, but without him what was she supposed to do?  Stand around with Hamish, just smile and nod like a good little girl being shown off?  How did she let herself get sold into this-

“Are you ok, Elise?  Do you not like this one?  Not what you want?”

Elise blinked and looked at the reflection, “No, no it’s gorgeous.  I just- I don’t want to look the part, I wanna look like I belong there, ya know?”

She made desperate eye contact, praying that the attendant would understand what she meant.  To her relief, “Danielle” according to her name tag, nodded slowly.

“We can do that.  We just got some lovely gowns in and I know a sheer one that will make your…date forget about the cocktail dress.” And then softer as she took hold of Elise’s hand, “I see a lot of other girls much less polite than you come in here with the same type of man as yours, going to even bigger events.  Trust me, you’re gonna do fine.”

She smiled and squeezed, “Thank you.”

The look on Merlin’s face was…surprised when she showed him the floor length dress in the box, but the smile on Elise’s and her approval of the jewelry made him forget he had ever suggested a cocktail dress.  That was it.  The hard part was over and as far as Elise was concerned she now had a few weeks to learn as much about the company as she could.  Stocks, ethical business practices, taxes, heads of departments- if she was going to do this, she was going to do it right.    

~

“What do you think about the current state of the Kingsman stocks and the company outlook?”  Percival asked, his gin and tonic lying forgotten in his hand as he and several others looked to Elise for her answer.

“Well, considering the fact that it’s been over six months since the company began its partnership with Microsoft I think it may be hitting that plateau of investing interest.  The stocks will probably fall a little, but I think Kingsman is in good enough health to afford to pay off some extra dividends and get that enticement back up.  Maybe offer a special deal to college students, they already love the brand and any promise of growth in their lives is always a welcome one.  I mean just by getting out there and talking about it on campuses could generate more cash flow than we have coming in from current holders.”

Elise took another drink of her cocktail and smiled at the sharply dressed business men, who nodded their approval and drank with her.  Hamish had deposited her at the bar and went off to deal with some formal business matters, his colleagues becoming very curious about who Merlin was carrying around on his arm.  Percival had not expected an actual answer out of her, then again if anyone was going to bring in a gorgeous girl that knew her shit it was Merlin.  He was currently leaning against a table talking about quarterly results with several of their biggest stockholders including Joseph Hesketh, who was quick to ask about his date.

“She’s a cute little thing isn’t she?  Looks a bit young too, Hamish I didn’t take you as the uh, cradle robbing type.  Not following in Hart’s footsteps are you?”  Joseph’s eyes locked on to Eggsy across the showroom floor, the sugar baby brat was in line for a promotion that his son should be getting instead.

Merlin was on his fourth dram of good scotch so the insult didn’t sting as much as it should have, “She’s 23, tha’s not exactly a cradle robbing age.”

“My apologies, where did you find her?  She looks like she’s getting comfortable over there with Percival, seems quite friendly.”  He said it with a laugh, nodding to the bar where Elise had her hand over her mouth giggling at something the Software Developer said.

Hamish immediately scowled, his buzz turning his own insecurities to irrational anger in seconds, he huffed and turned back to Joseph downing the last bit of his drink before answering the question.

“Elise just likes to please, probably laughing at one of his fucking computer puns-“

He watched them talk excitedly to one another for several more minutes until Percival excused himself and Elise put a hand on his forearm as they said goodbye- an innocent gesture of friendliness.  Merlin took it as anything but.    

Elise was back at square one of sipping her drink alone when a younger man who didn’t seem so impressed with her knowledge slid across the bar to her side.  He was handsome- curly hair, sharp cheekbones, a jaw of marble- and apparently didn’t realize who she walked in with.

“And who’s date are you then?  Must have cost him a fortune to have you all dressed up, although I will say the company knowledge is a very good touch.”

“Pardon me?”  Elise prayed she heard him wrong, her heart beginning to beat faster.

“Oh, drop the act.  Half of these old bastards in here have an escort or a whore on their arms instead of their wives.  You look far too uncomfortable in those diamonds and dress to be used to anything and I don’t see a name tag on you which means you are not part of the American sales team, obviously.  So the question still stands; are you an escort or are you a whore?”

She was caught in the headlights.  Eyes wide, heart hammering.  Was it that obvious that she didn’t fucking belong in here in these clothes?  Was she that much of a low class fuck up?  

“Oi!  Charlie, how ‘bout you back the fuck up there, bruv.  Maybe try not to be such a posh fuckin’ prat, ya?”  Oh, Eggsy.  Thank fuck Eggsy.

This only made Charlie laugh, “Ah!  A sugar baby!  That was my next choice.  Ugh, do you lot just run in packs now?  God, I have to know who’s willing to pay to try and pull a Pretty Woman on you though.  Is it Bors?  I bet it’s Bors-”  

Eggsy was aggressively protective of Elise, he remembered his first time being thrown to these wolves and dammit if he was going to let Charlie fucking Hesketh ruin Elise’s night.  He was prepared to make an absolute scene and embarrass the fuck outta Charlie, luckily there was no need for that because right at that time Hamish was making his way to them.  The look on his face less than pleased.  Elise didn’t notice it though all she knew was that he was coming for her and she wouldn’t have to stand around like a lost puppy.  

“Hamish!  Honey, Eggsy was just introducing me to one of the other U.K agents!”

The sudden terror on Hesketh’s face was enough to make Eggsy put a hand to his mouth to try and stifle the laugh that was going to bubble up.    

“Hesketh, your father’s asking for ye, best go see to it.  And Eggsy, Harry is around here somewhere, go keep him out of trouble, please.”    

“Of course!  Lovely meeting your date, sir!”  Charlie turned sharply and drug his feeble date along with him.

“Thank goodness you came back, I missed you.  I was starting to get really uncomfortable, these people are vultures- ah!  Hamish stop, Hamish that hurts.”

He had a possessive hand around her upper arm, blunt nails biting into her skin as they paced across the room, Merlin’s long and now quick gait made Elise have to hold up the front of her dress so that she wouldn’t tread on it.

“I do not appreciate you disrespecting me like that.”

“Disrespecting you? How?”  Elise felt like she had somehow been dropped into a nightmare.  What the fuck was happening?  

“Y’ were flirting.

Ah, Percival.  She rolled her eyes, "How? How was I flirting? I was trying to make a good impression!”  

The hand around her arm tightens, nails now cutting into the skin.  Hamish would wake up tomorrow with dried blood under his nail and have no memory of where it came from.  He pulled her closer to him and fixed his gaze on her, eyes heavy and dark with rage.  Fear now joined the growing shame as she looked up at him suddenly painfully aware of how small she was despite the heels that nearly put them on fair ground, but anger was also making its way into her system.

"Why are you acting like this?!"  

"ME? You're the one soliciting with everyone else here!"  

"Soliciting?! Hamish, you told me to socialize! What's wrong? Did you not know I was fucking smart? Did you not think I'd be able to talk to people here? I'm trying to look like someone who belongs here with you and not-" she huff and look down embarrassed, Charlie’s words still echoing in her head.

"Like what? Oh like a paid date?  A whore?"  

"... ya.”  

He tosses her arm down and seethes, "Well that's all you are. I paid for everything on ye and I paid for you.  That makes you mine so, fuckin’ act like it.  Keep your mouth shut, stop flirtin’, and for fuck sake keep your hands to yourself.”

Elise turned her head away and blinked, fuck don’t cry don’t cry it’ll make the scene worse.   Bile was at the back of her throat, chest suddenly so tight she felt like she couldn’t fucking breathe.  Even though no one was watching them, Elise had never felt more humiliated in her life.  No one made her feel more humiliated than Merlin had just now, the whole relationship of trust and intimacy now broken down into labels.  The power dynamic more clear now than ever.

“I need a fuckin’ drink.  When I get back, ye better have lost that attitude.”  Another scotch was definitely not what he needed, but at this rate nothing mattered.

“You’re not who I thought you were.”  Her voice was small and strained from trying not to cry.

Hamish didn’t respond and instead stormed off leaving Elise on her own again.  She couldn’t stay here, not after that- he made it perfectly clear what he thought about their arrangement.  Made it clear that there was not a mutual respect, she was just some young piece of ass he could pay to carry around on his arm when it was convenient.  A panic attack was blooming in her throat, mascara already starting to run and blur her vision.  Elise was able to slip out the patio door before any of her sobs became vocal, how could she have been so fucking stupid?

“Somethin’s wrong.”  Eggsy had seen some of the exchange, saw Elise slip out.  His stomach was in knots.

“Darling, I’m sure everything is fine-“

“No, it ain’t.  Go stall Merlin, I need to make sure that El’s ok.”  

He handed Harry his martini and made for the door leaving the accountant looking a little bewildered.  It was easy enough to find her.  Elise was sitting on the steps leading to the gardens, it was a chilly night and most of the drunk crowd was happy to stay inside where it was warm.  To try and quell her sobs Elise was biting her fist, anything to keep the pathetic sounds from coming up.

“Elise?”  Eggsy knelt beside her and put a reassuring hand on her shoulder, she instantly leaned into him and he held her, “What ‘appened?  Is this about what Charlie said- don’t listen to him!  He’s just a posh snob, don’t know what he’s talkin’ about.”

All of his words of comfort fell short as soon as she spoke, “Hamish called me paid for.  Basically said I was just his whore.  Eggsy, I-“

More sobs came up from her lips, but Eggsy already had his phone out to grab her an Uber, one arm still protectively around her shoulders.  

“Shhh, I’ve got ya a ride, they’ll take ya back to Merlin’s so you can get your car.  Go home, take a shower, don’t think about him, love.”

“If I leave-”  Panic showed plainly on her face.  Panic and fear.

“Hey, ‘arry and I will handle him.  He’s gonna have a lot to answer for tomorrow, what he did was fucked and ya don’t deserve to be treated like that.  Now come on, they should be pullin’ up front soon.”

The poor Uber tried talking to her but eventually just handed her a box of tissues and turned up the music, it was a merciful gesture and she made sure to tip them well.  Once inside Elise could feel the exhaustion and shame seep into her, filling every fiber like she had been infected by something.  After the dress, jewelry, shoes, and lingerie lay neatly folded on a chair in his bedroom she pulled on some spare clothes she kept at the house and left, wanting nothing more than to curl up in the shower at home and finish crying.

~

Hamish awoke with the faint taste of vomit in his mouth and more churning in his stomach that drove him to the bathroom, a headache soon following.  It was the smell of coffee that finally gave him the strength to get downstairs, expecting to see Elise standing in the kitchen in one of his t-shirts, only to find Harry there instead looking just as hungover and feeding the dogs bacon.  Eggsy was hunched over the table with his phone in his hand looking uncharacteristically sullen.

“God, I feel like shit.  Where’s Elise?”  Hamish blindly took the cup Harry offered him and searched his pockets for his phone.

“How about you drink your coffee and sit down.”  

“Somethin’ wrong?”

“No, no just sit down please.”  Harry’s reply was brisk and he gave a worried glance to Eggsy who looked ready to explode.

After a few minutes of muteness with only the sound of Eggsy’s rapid texting and Harry cooking, Merlin took the bait, “Ye alright, Eggsy?  Ye seem more quiet than normal.”

He didn’t look up from the phone and shrugged, “oh m’fine.  Why would I talk though when Harry just pays me to be here and fuck him?”

“What?  What are ye-“ Hamish started, but then the previous night came hurdling back to him and he realized why Eggsy was being such a brat, “oh, fuck.”

“Oh fuck is right.”

He began scrambling for his phone, panic of the stupid shit he said adding to the knots in his stomach.  Whore he had called her a whore, a paid date, the blood under his nails was hers he-

“I have ta call her, what the fuck have I done?  We need to go to her house now, Harry ye have to help me please, please I fuckin’ love her I don’t know what I’ll do-”

Harry slammed the wooden spoon he was using down and leaned against the counter to gather his rage before looking at Hamish, the look in his eyes not as intense as Eggsy’s but enough to get the Scot’s attention and shut him up.

“No.  If you want to make up with Elise so she doesn’t leave you, which she has every right to after the absolutely barbaric way you acted towards her last night, then you are going to listen to every word I say.  First, you are not going to blow up her phone like a fucking psychopath as I know you have been doing.  Second, if she wants to see you it will be on her terms, and for God sake Merlin do not tell her you love her.”

“Ok, ok.”  He accepted the terms without argument and looked again to Eggsy, “lad I am so sorry-”

An apology was the last straw.

“Do you have any idea what you did?  She was bein’ harassed by Hesketh after you just left her at the bar and then you go and get all fuckin’ pissy because she was talkin’ to some other bloke about company statistics.  I found her cryin’ on the steps outside and when I told her to leave she freaked out like ya were gonna find out and hurt her.  She was terrified, Merlin.  Save your fuckin’ apologies for her.”

Meanwhile Elise was still curled up in bed with swollen eyes and her phone pressed to her chest waiting for Eggsy to text back.

Egg:  U ok babe?

E:  No.  I feel like I’m fucking dying if that’s not too dramatic

Egg:  I know its hard harry and I had a few falling out moments too.... he never called me a whore tho so hamish has a lot more to answer too hes up now by the way and really fuckin hungover lmao  

E:  lmao good.  Has he said anything?

Eggsy looked up from the phone for a moment as Harry sat down their plates to see Hamish blatantly staring at him because he just knew who the boy was textinig and it made his thumbs itch.

Egg:  Honestly?  he cried and said how stupid he was and tha harry and i HAVE to help him because he loves you

She rolled her eyes.  Of course he would wait until he fucked up bad enough to pull that card.  It did bring on a fresh batch of tears because god she wanted him to be telling the truth.

E:  Pft.  Ofc he waits till now to say it.

Egg:  Do you want to try to work this out with him babe?  cause I wont try to make you and I can tell him right now to piss off

Elise sniffed and wiped her eyes trying to steady her breathing before she replied:  I want to try and work it out, but I need a few days.  Can you be there when we meet?

Egg:  ya ya of course

~

Elise had agreed to meet in three days on her terms and turf.  She figured that would be long enough for him to calm down and realize that he could get a better piece of ass and that he didn’t really love her.  She expected, even hoped that on the day they were supposed to come to her home he would cancel.  It made her heart ache, but her mother had not raised a woman easily crushed so she wiped away her tears and began to pick up the pieces of her life and look for a second job again.

Hamish was doing very poorly to say the least.  And it showed in everything he did, even coworkers asking him what was wrong.  After his hang over faded the memories came back of what he had said and done, how angry he felt over something so stupid.  He couldn’t think of enough words to describe how sorry he was, how would he ever be able to reconcile it?  How could she ever look at him the same after he broke all of that trust they developed?

“Are you ready?”  Harry asked as he killed the engine.

Hamish nodded, remembering the first time he came here to pick her up, he realized he’d never actually been inside and it made him feel more like an ass.  It would just be them in the house, her roommates gone for the day as promised and Elise was not as nervous as she thought she would be, after all she wasn’t the one that had to apologize.  Never the less when Eggsy knocked she still took a few moments to compose herself before answering.

“Hello, love.”  Eggsy’s smiling face was the first one she saw and thank goodness for that because it staved the tears for a little longer.  

Eggsy sat with Elise on an old leather love seat while Harry and Hamish were across the small living room on a futon.  It was silent and awkward as everyone waited for Hamish to begin, to apologize.

“I-” he tried starting, but looked down at his hands in sadness and frustration.

“Why don’t we go make some tea.  Elise you don’t mind do you?  Come on Eggsy, let’s leave them be.”

Eggsy looked ready to rebuff but Elise put a hand on his shoulder and smiled, “go.  I’ll be fine.”

When they were out of sight she refocused her attention on him with a scowl trying to hide her quivering lip and to her surprise he made eye contact with her.  His eyes were more red rimmed than normal, bags under them to suggest he hadn’t slept, even suggested that he’d been crying.  Which made Elise feel nauseous, there was something about the thought and sound of a grown man sobbing that activated her fight or flight instinct.  

“I know nothin’ I say can change the way I treated ye that night, but if I could take it back I would and I dinnae mean any of it I was drunk- which is a piss poor excuse I know, but I was and as many times as we’ve gotten drunk together ye know M’not a mean drunk, I jus...I felt angry about my own insecurites and I never never should have spoken to ye like tha’.”  His voiced cracked on the last word and he paused, trying not to start looking like an absolute mess this soon.

“You called me a whore if you don’t remember, said that you bought everything I was in and that you practically owned me.  No one has ever made me feel more humiliated and ashamed than you did.”

“I know, but ye were talkin’ ta Percival.”

“Oh no, no no no you are not turning this around and trying to justify what you said-”

“I’m not tryin’ to if ye would let me finish-”

Elise suddenly shot up off the love seat, “No!  You let ME finish!”

Hamish sat back against the futon looking genuinely frightened.  She laughed sarcastically and lifted her arms to let them drop back down at her side in a sign of exasperation.

“Are you actually going to sit there and try to act like I brought that upon myself?  That what I did constituted you digging your nails into my arm and shaking me so hard I bled?  All you have ever seen me as is a young piece of ass to fuck around with, a piece of property like another fucking piece of your company that you can do whatever you want to.”

“Elise, that is not true.  I’ve always seen ye as an equal, as a person, I am sorry.  I- I love you, I do more than I have ever loved anythin’, and if I could just prove it to you, please.”

“You don’t even know what I’m studying in school do you?  Or what I like to do?  Or what I’m scared of, who my family is, you don’t know anything about me personally because all we talk about when I’m with you is you.”  Her face started to break but she stood firm, “I liked you so much that I wanted to make sure I made a great first impression to the people you work with so you would take me out more, I learned as much about the company as I could so that if anyone asked me anything I’d know what to say.”

It had worked too now that he thought about it.  Percival and Lance were raving about her at the board meeting and suggested they follow her ideas- start getting tech into more schools, fund scholarships, get stock awareness up.  

“Did you not know I was fucking smart?  Did you think I wouldnt be able to talk to people here?”  

He felt sick when he realized she was right and then he watched her start to cry, he’d never seen her genuinely cry before and it was too much.  His instinct to protect her overruled his shame and he got up, walking to her slowly with his hands outstretched to cradle her face which she recoiled from.  

“No, please don’t cry, dove.  Ok, it’s true I don’ know what yer studying or what ye like outside of taste.” he finally managed to get his hands around her cheeks and jaw gently and continued- voice thick with tears, “but I want so badly ta learn.  I don’ want to continue this as we have either.  I want ye with me as an equal, as a partner in a relationship.”

“It would make me look s-s-so pathetic to crawl back to you after that.  I’ve seen too many women in my family go back to shitty men over and over and over and I can’t repeat that cycle.”  Elise was sobbing now, but holding his wrists and pressing her face into his hands.

“No, no, no.  You could never be pathetic, ok?  I am crawlin back to you and I know jus’ an apology will not make up for it, but I want to start over at the beginnin’ as I should have done in the first place.”

Hamish leaned down to be at eye level with her, he needed her to see how he felt.  The pain and shame reflecting in her eyes only made him more desperate to make her feel better.

“Elise Crofter, I have loved you since we got dinner at tha’ little pizza place down town when ye smiled and thanked the waitress and ye still had chocolate on yer neck and caramel on yer nose.”  He laughed through the tears and to his relief she did too before crying harder.

“D-D-don't make me laught, that’s not fair.”

“I felt somethin’ sittin’ there bullshitting with you that I had never felt anywhere else with anyone. Comfortable, no doubts about what I was doin’ or needed ta do.  I felt like everythin’ I had ever done in my life had been right because at that moment it led to me sitting there with you.”

He took a chance and pressed his forehead to hers, noses rubbing together despite the tears and snot, “and I pray that maybe ye feel the same and if not I understand and I understand if ye don’ want ta see me again, but I hope that you’ll give me a chance, let me prove it to you.”

Elise wiggled her face out of his grasp and fell into him, face pressed so hard into his chest her nose hurt.  Hands making fists in his shirt like a child would who was begging for comfort and he gave it to her.

“I love ye so much and I’m so sorry.  I’ll do whatever I can ta make up for the way I treated ye.  Therapy or I can give ye space or leave ye the hell alone, whatever ye need.”

“Just hold me, ok?  Just hold me.”

He squeezed harder and kissed the top of her head, sighing into her hair with relief.  This was only the beginning to a long road of regaining trust and establishing a relationship other than a sugar one, Elise knew that and so did he, but there was something so sweet about laying everything bare and getting to see one another at their most vulnerable.  Small sniffles from the doorway finally pulled them out of their little world as they turned to see Eggsy crying with Harry trying to make it look like he hadn’t been.

“We wasn’t snooping or anything but fuck that was so fucking sweet I couldn’t help it.”

Harry smiled and put on his best daddy voice, “Well, thanks to you two he’s going to be like this all day, how do you plan on helping me fix it?”

“How about dinner?”  Hamish offered letting Elise go to soothe Eggsy.

“Ah, yes show up at a nice restaurant with two crying young adults we’ll look like kidnappers.  Wonderful.”

The mood lightened and soon Elise found herself again riding shot gun with Hamish’s hand laced in hers. His thumb rubbing shyly against her wrist and the sun streaming through window thick and bright as honey.  

Suddenly the sound of the doorknob slowly turning made you almost bolt out of the window, but you chose to hide behind the desk instead. Your knees softly hit the ground as you hid under the desk and listened to the footsteps that made their way into the office. ‘’Someone is in here’’ a heavy unrecognizable voice began to speak as you held your knees to your chest and hoped for a miracle ‘’well go and find him!’’ you recognized the other voice to be that of you uncle. A million questions ran through your head and you started to wonder what you could have done to make your uncle this angry. ‘’This can’t be about me, it was only a smoke’’ your knees started to relax as you got yourself in a positions from which you could easier run. While listening to the conversation in the room you guessed there must be at least three other men with him. While scanning the dark room you noticed the pair of eyes hidden behind one of the massive cupboards on the opposite of you ‘’you must be the culprit’’ you thought as you stared at the hidden person. Your eyes met, and you could see some more details as the light revealed his face and tall figure. You recognized the person immediately, the man had bumped into you downstairs and apologized in the smoothest voice you had ever heard. The sound of guns being cocked startled you for a second before you made eye contact again. The men came closer and you ran out of time to think your next action through. For the past years you had been aware of your uncle’s ‘’odd jobs’’ but never thought it really through. With the many karma points you had with your uncle you thought your idea to solve the situation was an excellent one. One last look at the stranger and your nearing uncle, you took a deep breath and bumped your head against the desk. Within a second several guns were pointed at you and a man was commanding you to get up ‘’I’m sorry I’m sorry! It was only a cigarette, I was going to come back!’’ crawling from under the desk you saw your uncle’s eyes before hearing him shout to the men, ordering them to lower their guns. ‘’What do you think your doing?!’’ he hissed, pulling you on your feet from under the desk. He swore under his breath while patting the dust from your clothes. ‘’What are you doing in my office?’’ ‘’smoking, but please don’t tell my parents’’ he made a disgruntled noise before letting go of you and walking towards the door ‘’tie that tie and get downstairs’’ his voice firm as he slammed the door behind him, leaving you alone in the office.

‘’You owe me a cigarette and twenty quid for not telling’’ the man revealed himself from his hiding spot and let out a sigh ‘’I am terribly sorry, but I am afraid I only have a fifty on me’’ ‘’that will heal my soul too ’’ you extended your hand to him as he reached inside his breast pocket and retrieved a fifty pound note ‘’I feel robbed’’ he smiled as he handed you the note ‘’may I rob you of your name too?’’ ‘’only if I may rob you of a cigarette too’’. 

You leaned against the window frame and studied the man in the blue velvet jacket. He must be somewhere between forties and fifties but overall you thought he was looking rather good with his broad shoulders. With that thought you quickly looked back outside ‘’can I ask something?’’ the man suddenly asked, cocking your head slightly you agreed. ‘’What will you do with the fifty?’’ this was not the question you expected so you went for the first thing that came to mind ‘’I think I will climb out of this window, go to a pub, and perhaps play some pool. Would you like to join?’’ his eyes studied your face before motioning outside ‘’please show me the way’’. While descending, in a not very tantalizing way, you heard him hum softly the ending to song ‘’it turned out so right, for strangers in the night’’.

Song:

Frank Sinatra – strangers in the night