Chapter 6

The first thing Harry saw when he blearily opened his eyes was a flash of red. He sat up suddenly, worried for a minute that another strike was coming, when his vision settled and he noticed the bouquet of spider lilies at his bedside table next to his glasses.

"Sweetheart," came a soft voice.

Harry inclined his head to the side, neck stiff from days of lying on his back, and saw his Mother smiling at him tenderly from the other side of the bed.

"Mum," he said suddenly, reaching out to her.

She took his hand in hers and held it tightly.

"Oh, sweetheart, I'm so glad you woke up," her voice was breathy and when Harry put his glasses on he appreciated how tired she looked.

He looked wearily around himself, rubbing his neck to try and loosen the knotted muscles there.

"What day is it?" He asked.

"The 28th of December." She told him softly.

He did the maths in his tired head.

"Three days?" He asked, "I've been here for three days?"

She nodded.

"Yes, the doctor's put you in a synthetic coma or some such so they could operate around the bleeding."

A light went on in Harry's brain.

"Oh yeah, I was stabbed." For fucks sake, he added to himself.

He glanced back to his Mother to see a tear falling down her cheek and felt instantly guilty.

"Oh, Mum, I'm sorry..."

"No, don't you apologise," she said, attempting a smile. "You're okay now, that's what matters."

Harry nodded to himself as he shifted uncomfortably, acutely aware of the bandage on his side.

"What happened to Dean?" He asked.

"Well, the minute you collapsed he ran for it, so we called the police and they picked him up hiding at one of his friends' houses nearby. He's been arrested but they haven't charged him yet."

Harry rubbed his temple.

"Oh, my head." He said. "I've got a terrible headache."

"It's this damned room," she said, "all white, it's awful. I told the doctor it was headache-material but he didn't listen. I did try to spruce it up a bit..."

Harry found himself smiling as his Mother prattled on, it suddenly felt like a very normal day which made him feel enormously better.

"Yes," he agreed after a moment, "thank you for the flowers, they certainly 'spruce the place up'."

"Oh, those weren't from me, darling, those are from Eggsy."

"Eggsy?" Asked Harry softly.

"Oh yes, dear, he's here all the time." She said, squeezing his hand slightly. "Oh you should have seen the poor thing, utterly destroyed, we all kept telling him you were stable and going to be okay but no, I don't think he's slept since Christmas."

Somewhere in the back of his mind Harry felt touched at the amount of attention he'd received but that was overshadowed by the gut-wrenching worry that was doing more to his intestines than a knife ever could.

"Can I see him?" He asked suddenly, eyes wide. "Please?"

"Of course you can," his Mother informed him, "let me call the doctor first though, just to make sure you're okay."

A useless conversation, a bathroom break, a few painkillers and a changed bandage later and Harry lay in bed, head rested against the back wall when the door opened and Eggsy closed it behind him.

"Eggsy," Harry breathed out as the younger man practically ran to him and climbed onto his lap. Harry couldn't get another word out before Eggsy kissed him earnestly for what felt like several minutes, clutching at his back.

There was something so intense in Eggsy's lips against his own that Harry felt like his heart was breaking. He wrapped his arms around the younger man's body in a silent affirmation that he was there, that he was okay, that he was still able to hold Eggsy the way he'd promised himself he always would.

When Eggsy finally pulled away, his face was lined with tear tracks and his lips were pink and swollen, he looked like a tragic beauty.

Harry stroked his cheek reassuringly.

"Don't cry," he whispered, "it's okay."

Eggsy closed his eyes and fresh tears fell down his cheeks, he shifted slightly on Harry's lap as his hands fell to his chest and he merely held him there, like he was trying to convince himself that Harry was still there.

When he opened his eyes again, he was met with Harry's soft gaze and let out a long, shaky breath.

"You scared the shit out of me," he said quietly, looking down at his hands on Harry's chest. "I thought you'd left me."

Harry eased Eggsy's face up to his, Eggsy's eyes looked so young and so innocent that he almost felt bad for how much he loved him in that moment. Almost.

"I'm not going to leave." He told him.

"Promise?" Said Eggsy immediately, eyes fearful. "Promise me you won't leave." He repeated desperately.

"I promise." Harry said quietly and Eggsy smiled shakily as he pressed a lingering kiss to Harry's forehead.

After a moment, Eggsy seemed to become very aware of himself, he shifted slightly.

"Am I hurting your stitches?" He asked.

"A little." Harry replied honestly.

Eggsy tried to climb off of Harry's lap but Harry's hands found his hips and held him firmly in place.

"Don't you dare."

Eggsy smiled shallowly at him as he reached a hand out and stroked Harry's cheek gently, hyper-aware that he was the luckiest man on the planet to have a second chance to do this.

"What did the doctors say?"

"Apparently the wound was really shallow," Harry told him, "so I'll be able to leave in a few days. Your step-father is not a very good shot."

"Ex step-father." Eggsy said immediately.

"How is your mother doing?" Harry asked, concerned.

"I think she's in shock," Eggsy admitted honestly, "I'm just glad we got that fucking tosser out of our lives."

"You know what this all really means, though?"

"What?" Asked Eggsy.

"That you grew up your entire life being in danger, and your sister did, as well. Your Mother is going to have a hard time forgiving herself for that."

Eggsy sighed.

"I'm sure she'll find a way." He muttered.

The pair fell silent, Eggsy stared at Harry for a long moment.

"I'm sorry." He finally said.

"For what?" Asked Harry.

"This is my fault," he said, "if we'd never met, never gotten together..."

"Then I'd be utterly miserable and alone, and I would have never forgiven myself for letting that gorgeous man walk out of my office." Harry finished immediately, running his hands up Eggsy's back comfortingly.

"So..." Began Eggsy quietly, "you still love me?"

Harry closed his eyes momentarily as he nodded his head.

"Yes, I still love you."

Eggsy presented him with a small, embarrassed smile before he ducked his head down.

"Oh," he began quietly, not looking at him, "that's...good..."

"I love you, you prat." Harry repeated, a grin finding its way onto his face. "That's never going to change."

Harry pulled Eggsy down into a tight hug, ignoring the biting pain in his stitches as the younger man shifted against him.

…

Eggsy shoved another few grapes into his mouth as Harry opened his eyes slowly.

"'Ornin'", Eggsy said.

Harry inclined his head to see his boyfriend sat perched beside his hospital bed with a bunch of grape stems lying next to him.

"I thought those were supposed to be for me."

"That's what you get for being asleep." Eggsy commented, reaching out and taking Harry's hand in his own.

"You don't have to be here, you know," Harry commented. "You should go and get some rest, enjoy the rest of new years."

Eggsy rolled his eyes but didn't reply.

"I've got news, anyway." He said after a moment.

"Oh?" Prompted Harry.

"Yeah, I start tomorrow." He informed him.

"Really?" Asked Harry, surprise in his voice. "On January the first?"

Eggsy nodded.

"Yep, it syncs up with the course, I've only got about three weeks training left to complete, anyways."

"Do you feel up to it?" Harry asked. "It has been a while since you've been out there."

Eggsy shrugged.

"I'm sure I'll get back into the swing of it in a few days, don't you worry."

But Harry still looked uneasy.

"I still worry about you." Harry admitted, glancing down. "After what happened at Dartmoor..."

"You're worried about me but you're the one lying in a hospital bed." Eggsy scoffed.

"Yes, and now you've experienced it perhaps you can see how scared I was." Harry replied immediately.

Eggsy froze for a moment, unsure how to respond to such a thing.

"The way I see it," Eggsy began softly, squeezing Harry's hand a little tighter, "we can't spend the rest of our lives scared that the other is going to get killed, we have to make our own decisions," he smiled gently, "you told me that once."

Harry paused in thought for a moment.

"The rest of our lives." He echoed.

"Yes," said Eggsy immediately, grinning coyly at him. "Soz, bruv, but you're stuck with me."

Harry grinned at him and reached his free hand out to pull the younger man into a kiss when a knock came at the door.

He sighed as Eggsy laughed silently.

"Yes?" He called.

The door opened and Eggsy watched as an attractive young doctor walked in.

Eggsy gave Harry a pointed look which Harry pointedly ignored.

"Mr. Hart, how are you feeling today?" He asked, walking around the bed.

"Uh, fine." Harry replied a little inarticulately, "everything is fine, when can I go home?"

"Tomorrow," the doctor informed him, "but you have to adhere to our conditions?"

Eggsy raised an eyebrow.

"What conditions?"

"A month's bed rest," the doctor informed him while Harry sighed. "Mr. Hart, you've still suffered abdominal trauma that still needs to heal, it is in your best interests, and in the best interests of those around you, to listen to me."

"Don't worry, doc," Eggsy said, giving him a wink, "I'll make sure he stays in bed."

Eggsy had to stop the laugh bubbling in his throat as Harry turned a bright red but the doctor, to his credit, didn't seem to appreciate the innuendo.

"I don't know why I bother," Eggsy said the minute the doctor left the room.

Harry rolled his eyes.

"I think you have a thing for voyeurism," Harry told him.

"So now I'm the carer to the sick invalid," he voiced, "that is an interesting turn of events."

Harry huffed.

"You are gonna let yourself be taken care of, aren't you?" Eggsy asked.

"I suppose so," Harry smiled, "it won't be half as bad now that I have a sexy nurse to look after me."

"Really, whose that then?" Eggsy asked with a raised eyebrow.

The next few weeks passed in one giant blur for Eggsy, caught up with the startlingly hardcore training he'd forgotten about and in-between that sharing a care routine with Harry's parents and friends. Eggsy was honestly shocked at how mobile his parents still were but he supposed a lot of that was to do with a good life style.

Harry, for his part, was getting increasingly annoyed at being confined to his bed and Eggsy supposed he should have found it irritating but it just made him smile.

He supposed he was just glad that Harry was there, he could have been attending his funeral instead of his own graduation.

"I wish you could be there," he muttered as he lay next to Harry in his bed, with Harry comfortingly stroking up and down his naked back.

"I know." Harry murmured. "I want to be there, too."

Eggsy forced himself to bury his own selfish needs down to the pit of his stomach and pressed a soft kiss to Harry's cheek.

"No worries, you'll be out and about next week, then we can really celebrate."

"Yeah," Harry smiled, returning the kiss, "now get dressed, you don't want to miss it."

Eggsy dutifully changed into his Royal Marine Commando uniform and turned to Harry, who sat propped up in bed.

"How do I look?" He asked.

"Ridiculously attractive." Harry replied.

"Really?" Eggsy asked, smiling shyly.

"Really." Harry replied. "You have to wear that to bed some time."

Eggsy smirked as he gave Harry a salute and left the bedroom.

…

Eggsy couldn't help the overwhelming sense of pride he felt as he marched with his comrades in the open ceremony, being cheered on by the baying crowd before them.

He felt such a sense of pride and accomplishment, particularly because he'd had such a bad turn in the middle but still sprang back. He found it hard to believe that he was really there, that this was actually happening, it all felt very surreal to him.

The only thing that would have made it better were if his boyfriend was stood in the crowd but that couldn't be helped, he banished the sadness as he reminded himself that Harry would be waiting for him when he got home.

The formalities had been explained to Eggsy and his troop, they were to walk up to the erected stage and would each receive their commendations from a senior naval officer.

As Eggsy lined up to walk onto the stage the minute his name was called out, he felt a mixture of nerves, excitement and nostalgia for sports day all at the same time.

Because of 'Unwin', Eggsy was one of the last to be called up which gave him the advantage of watching the others go out before him.

When his name was finally called, he walked onto the stage, passing Phillips who gave him a pat on the back.

He straightened his green beret nervously as he walked out across the stage to the nameless officer who saluted him; Eggsy saluted back.

Eggsy looked out, embarrassed, as he heard a small number of people erupting into joy in the crowd.

He looked out and saw a few of his friends cheering, and Roxy and his Mum and Harry all stood together, whooping and whistling at him.

Eggsy's eyes fixated on Harry, smiling proudly at him in the crowd. The only way Eggsy could see him clearly was because of the contact lenses he was wearing; their entire relationship seemed to weirdly become full circle in that moment.

Despite the annoyance Eggsy felt at Harry disregarding his own recovery to come and be with him on one of the most important moments of his life he still felt his heart skip a beat in his chest, exactly as it had done when he'd received that phone call from him about his glasses, and he realised he wasn't mad at all. He couldn't seem to tear his eyes away, there must have been hundreds of people present that day but it was like they were the only two people in the world.

When the ceremony was over, Eggsy stayed and chatted with some of the other recruits for a few moments before he excused himself and set off to find his family in the large crowd.

Roxy was the first one on him when he found them all chatting to some other family. Eggsy made a loud squeak when he felt all of the air being knocked out of his body as she jumped on him.

"Jesus, Rox," he said.

"I'm so proud of you," she said delightedly, pulling back and kissing his face six times consecutively, "you look incredible!"

Eggsy wanted to roll his eyes and laugh it off but he couldn't bring himself to, he grinned back at Roxy hugely.

"Feeling pretty incredible." He answered and she laughed before she hugged him again.

"Hey, Mum," Eggsy greeted, making a point of walking past Harry to give his Mother a large hug.

"Babe," she greeted happily, wrapping him up in her arms, his little sister grabbed his cheek happily and Eggsy smiled and gave her small peck on the cheek. "I'm so proud of you." When she pulled back, Eggsy could see she had tears in her eyes.

"Oh, don't cry," he said immediately, "you know if you cry, you're gonna make me cry."

"I'm sorry," she said, smiling as a tear dripped down her face.

Eggsy shook his head as he felt moisture gather in his own eyes.

"No, don't you dare, don't you dare."

Eggsy felt a pair of warm hands wrap themselves around his waist from behind.

"Don't cry, my love." Came Harry's soft voice in his ear. "This is a day of celebration."

"Oh, is someone talking?" Eggsy asked, looking around himself, "because it's certainly not my boyfriend because he's in bed."

Michelle and Roxy 'oooh'ed loudly at the statement and Harry laughed as he twisted Eggsy around in his arms until he was facing him.

"You shouldn't have come." Eggsy reprimanded him lightly, but not finding the strength to be actually angry with him.

Harry merely smirked down at him.

"You are joking? Did you honestly think for one second that I was going to miss out on one of the most important moments of your life? After all the time we've waited?"

Eggsy smiled sweetly as he leant up but Harry held him in place.

"Are you sure?" Harry asked. "With everyone here, with all the marines?"

Eggsy leant up and pressed a kiss to his lips.

"Is that a good enough answer?" Eggsy whispered happily.

"Come on, put him down." Said Michelle. "Let's go grab something to eat."

Eggsy, Harry and Roxy shared a look as they followed Michelle, ever since the stabbing she'd been unconsciously nicer to Harry, probably because she somehow felt it was her fault for letting Dean into their lives but Eggsy suspected it was because of that night in the hospital waiting room.

She'd spoken about his father, she never spoke about his father, he supposed it had to mean something.

Somehow they'd managed to end up at a pub later that evening and all piled into a corner-table.

Eggsy winked at some girl who looked him up and down in his uniform and laughed at the look Harry gave her.

"Right, first rounds' on me." Roxy said, "what's everyone having?"

"Gin and tonic," Michelle answered.

"Just a pint," Eggsy said.

"Oh, just water for me." Harry replied.

Roxy raised an eyebrow to him and Harry responded by pointing at his side.

"Oh, right," she said, giving him a sympathetic look before moving away to the bar.

"I've got some news." Michelle finally said.

"Oh?" Eggsy asked. "About what?"

"About Dean."

Harry and Eggsy both looked at his Mum in unison.

"He's out on bail." She said, looking glum.

"What?" Asked Eggsy incredulously while Harry remained silent.

"Apparently they didn't have sufficient evidence to charge him."

"They got like five witness statements from us all," said Eggsy, anger growing in his face. "What, was the hole in Harry's fucking stomach not good enough for them?"

"Eggsy," Harry said calmly, slipping a hand comfortingly on his thigh.

"But..." Eggsy tried before Harry cut him off.

"I'm sure Dean has done a lot worse in his past," Harry said, smiling minutely, "I mean, just look at those..." He trailed off, not wanting to mention the incident in the pub in front of Eggsy's Mother. "Anyway, my point is that as long as he stays away from us, all of us, then we'll be happier for it."

Michelle smiled slightly in his direction before she reached across the table and took Harry's hand in her own.

Harry started a little at the movement but didn't pull away.

"I'm sorry." She said sadly. "About what happened..."

Harry shook his head immediately.

"No, this wasn't your fault. This wasn't anyone's fault, trust me..."

Eggsy stood to help Roxy carry the tray of drinks she was holding as he saw her make her way back to the table.

Noticing Harry and Michelle holding hands and talking quietly, she sent a weird, questioning look in Eggsy's direction and he sent a weird look back in response.

"So," Roxy said, sitting down and raising her glass. "To Eggsy. The greatest guy in the world."

Eggsy blushed as they all toasted him and turned away, spying the dance floor on the other side of the room for the first time.

He turned back to Harry with a sly grin on his face.

"Let's dance."

"No."

"Let's dance."

"No."

"Oh, come on," Eggsy grinned, tugging on his arm. "I'm so good at it now, and you can't turn me down, not today."

Harry rolled his eyes as he allowed Eggsy to pull him up and drag him across the room, leaving Roxy sniggering behind them.

Eggsy slipped his hands around Harry's neck as they reached the dance floor.

He noticed the girl he had winked at when they walked in give them a disgusted look and walk away and Harry smirked smugly at her as she left.

"Of course, you're not the jealous type." Eggsy said, eyebrows raised.

"Wherever did you get an idea like that?" Harry asked, smirk still firmly in place.

"Thank you," Eggsy said after a moment, allowing his fingers to tease the back of Harry's neck.

"What for?"

"For coming today," Eggsy explained, "I haven't actually said it."

"Oh, you're welcome." Harry's eyes seemed to twinkle slightly. "It might seem a little cheesy coming from me, but I'm proud of you. I'm so proud of you."

Eggsy blushed as he gave Harry a bashful smile before looking away out of embarrassment, Harry tilted his head as he watched the pink spread across his cheeks, wondering if there were a more beautiful human in the world.

Probably not.

"Not just about today," he clarified, "about everything. For taking care of me, for getting us through what happened. You're so strong, Eggsy, strong enough for the two of us."

"You're the strong one," Eggsy pointed out as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

"Says the Marine looking at me." Harry replied.

"Says the Veteran looking at me." Eggsy said immediately.

"Still," Harry began, "I couldn't do any of this without you."

"Nah, you can pull through anything." Eggsy replied.

Harry chuckled slightly.

"I'm not sure I can pull through anything, for example, bombs. I don't think even you think I'm quite good enough for that."

"I think you're a superhero." Eggsy merely said, face open and eyes unwavering.

Harry stared at him for the longest moment before he let his forehead rest against Eggsy's.

And it was then that his decision was made for him.

…

Eggsy picked up the post on his welcome mat and grinned hugely at the Kingsman logo on the front of the first letter.

He opened it quickly.

Dear Mr Unwin,

It has been a year since your last Optician's appointment and we recommend scheduling a check-up for optimum eye health and safety.

Warmest Regards,

Arthur Pendragon.

Eggsy's grin remained in place as he placed the letter down. A whole year. He couldn't believe it.

He laughed to himself as he opened the other letter.

…

Harry vaguely remembered someone telling him that an engagement ring should cost three months salary, but he wasn't sure if they had a universal number in mind or meant it subjectively.

He went with subjective as he stepped into a jewellers in Hatton Garden and began to peruse some of the glass cabinets.

"Are you looking for anything in particular, sir?" A man in an expensive black suit asked, smiling softly.

"Yes," Harry said. "An engagement ring."

"Ah," the employee's smile grew wider, "of course, sir, if you'd like to follow me."

Harry followed the well-dressed employee over to a glass case by an array of expensive watches and frowned at the various diamond and sapphire-studded ovals that looked back at him.

He spied a selection of plain bands and glanced over them before his eyes settled over a simple silver band that was plain except one thin line of rough diamonds against the edge.

"This one is perfect." He said to the employee.

"Certainly, sir." He said. "Although, don't you think that your girlfriend would prefer something a little more...extravagant?"

Harry grinned up at the man.

"I don't think my boyfriend would appreciate that, no."

Harry stifled a laugh as he watched the employee's face turn red.

"Oh, sir, I do apologise."

"It's fine," Harry waved him of, "nothing can annoy me today. I'll take it."

Harry left the jewellers smiling to himself as he felt the comfortable weight of the ring box in his coat pocket.

If he were strictly honest with himself, he'd been toying with the idea of asking Eggsy to marry him for the last few months but unconsciously so, the idea hadn't really solidified until the evening of his graduation.

It must have been all the talk of ceremonies and achievements, reminding him that if he wished to spend the rest of his life with Eggsy, he could make it official.

He quietly thanked the gay marriage act as the walked to his car.

Eggsy tapped his legs quietly as he stared around the Kingsman Optician's waiting room.

"Eggsy, you can go in now." Merlin called over to him.

"Thanks, M." Eggsy replied before grinning to himself and opening the door to Harry's office and slipping inside.

"Hey." He said, sitting down in the chair opposite Harry.

"Hey," Harry replied, turning away from his computer desk and fixing Eggsy with a soft smile. "How has your year with correctional lenses gone?" He asked, smirking.

"Alright," Eggsy replied coyly, shrugging before the pair of them erupted into laughter.

"Unfortunately for the pair of us, we actually have an appointment so we can't have sex on the desk."

Eggsy frowned exaggeratedly.

"But..." Harry continued, "hope is not lost, for I have a special feast prepared at home."

Eggsy grinned as he hopped up from the chair and leant across the desk, pressing a kiss to Harry's lips.

"Happy anniversary." He said softly.

"Happy anniversary." Harry replied, kissing him again before he pulled the weird apparatus Eggsy would never get used to from the wall.

"Now, if you'd like to rest your chin against here..."

And what proceeded was the classic eye test Eggsy had come to know and love. Including old favourites such as 'read the tiny fucking numbers on the card' and 'green or red: you decide,' finished with a edge-of-your-seat round of 'here's a bright light shined directly into your fucking eyeball.'

Eggsy rubbed his eyes slightly as Harry pulled away from him. He generally loved it when he couldn't think straight after Harry did strange things to him but this wasn't one of those times.

"Well," Harry said, typing something into his computer. "It doesn't look like your eyesight has improved since last year."

"You mean I'm going to have to keep wearing glasses?" Eggsy asked, mock-frowning.

I'm afraid so," Harry replied, "it's a shame you look so damn good in them."

"God, I want to jump you now." Eggsy all but growled across the desk.

Harry grinned at him.

"Not just yet," he said, hesitating for a moment, "I actually have something to say..." Harry's fingers skimmed over the drawer in his desk, acutely aware of the engagement ring concealed safely inside.

He'd originally planned to ask him later that evening when they were celebrating their anniversary but he'd realised not long after he'd made the decision to ask him at all that he really wanted to propose to Eggsy in his office.

He wasn't sure particularly why, but Kingsman just seemed to be the centre of things. They'd met there, Eggsy had asked him out there, they'd shared their first kiss there...hell they'd even had sex in there a few times.

It just felt special, it just felt home.

"Actually, I've got something to say as well." Eggsy said, looking suddenly forlorn.

Harry's fingers wavered at his desk drawer handle.

"Oh?" He asked.

"Yeah, I got this fuckin' letter this morning," Eggsy began, slumping back into his chair. "It's work, they're sending me away."

"What? Where?" Harry asked.

"The naval base in Falmouth," he told him, "apparently it's some new health and safety course all new recruits have to pass to pick their chosen profession, something to do with E.U directives or whatever."

"How long will you be gone?"

Eggsy sighed.

"Two months."

Harry took in the news and Eggsy's glum expression and took his hand away from the drawer, settling it on the desk.

"I'm really sorry," Eggsy said, and he sounded sorry, Harry felt the emotion in his voice tugging on his heart strings.

"It's okay," Harry said reassuringly, smiling at him. "It's not the end of the world, it's only two months."

"Will you wait for me?" Eggsy asked, a little sarcastically.

"Of course I will." Harry replied seriously.

Eggsy stood and circled around Harry's desk, pulling the older man up into a hug.

"Thanks for the best year of my life." Eggsy said softly against him.

Oh, I plan to give you many more.

"No worries."

…

Harry stopped them outside of his door.

"Hold on," he said, "stay here, just give me two minutes."

Eggsy rolled his eyes and Harry opened the door and slipped into the house.

While he was gone, Eggsy allowed himself a few minutes to sulk at the sudden departure he was to have with his entire fucking life.

Screw health and safety, he'd just spend the last year of his life proving to them that he was good enough. Why would they recruit him if they didn't think he could do the job properly?

He was brought out of his thought process by Harry opening the door.

"Okay," Harry said, "close your eyes."

"Do I have to?"

"Yes, close them."

Eggsy diligently closed his eyes and tried his best to fight off the waves of annoyance that had manifested within him but couldn't quite quell the feeling.

He allowed Harry to lead him into the house and was so used to the layout that he knew he was being led into the dining room.

"Can I open my eyes yet?" He asked.

"Not yet," Harry said, leaving his side. "Not yet, not yet, not yet. Wait...now."

Eggsy opened his eyes and looked in front of him and felt all the annoyance dissipate into nothing.

"Oh," he said as he took in the dining room, swathed in darkness with nothing but tea lights illuminating every area intimately, there was a bottle of expensive champagne perched within a cooler of ice and a large bouquet of fresh, red roses in the middle of the table.

"This place looks magical." Eggsy breathed.

Harry grinned as he pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"I thought you'd like it," he said before walking to the dining table and pulling out a seat.

Eggsy sat down dutifully and watched Harry as he sat down opposite.

"You know what I've just realised." Eggsy said.

"What's that?" Asked Harry, pre-occupied with pouring Eggsy a glass of champagne.

"That I'm so used to being with a gentleman, that if I was ever with anyone else, I wouldn't know what to do. I'd constantly be walking into doors and falling on my ass because I'd expect him to hold everything for me."

"Then he'd dump you for being such a fucking moron and you could come back to me."

"Sounds like a plan," Eggsy smirked, accepting the proffered champagne flute. "What I mean," he continued, "is that I've...kinda...you know...gotten used to having you around..."

"Is that so?" Harry asked.

"Mmm." Eggsy replied. "So, if you wouldn't mind being around for a long time...that would be cool."

Harry smiled, mainly because Eggsy had no idea how true his words were.

"To being around for a very long time," Harry toasted, and Eggsy clinked his glass gently against his.

"What's for dinner?" He asked.

"McDonalds." Harry replied quickly.

"Really?" Eggsy asked, glass hovering in the air.

Harry stuck his tongue in his cheek.

"What, I thought you liked McDonalds?"

"I...do, but..."

Harry's face broke out into a grin.

"I'm kidding, there's steaks in the oven."

Eggsy shook his head.

"I love how you think you're funny..."

"I am funny," Harry replied, standing and pressing a kiss to Eggsy's forehead before he disappeared into the passageway that Eggsy knew led to the kitchen.

Eggsy turned in his chair and watched Harry walk away, smiling to himself.

Eggsy sighed around the meat in his mouth and Harry took a deep breath.

"Is it okay?" He asked.

"It's perfect." Eggsy replied.

Harry visibly relaxed.

"Oh, thank God, I don't really cook steak a lot."

Eggsy smiled hugely around his mouthful, vaguely remembering mentioning to Harry that he loved steak once whilst simultaneously wondering why Harry had ventured at cooking it.

"To be fair, I don't think there's anything you can't do." Eggsy said.

Harry's mind was drawn back to what Eggsy had told him on the day of his graduation.

I think you're a superhero.

But in Harry's mind, there was only one super man at the table.

Harry stood and walked around the table and into the living room then up the stairs. Eggsy watched him go in confusion until he heard the first few drum beats of 'Slave to love' by Brian Ferry emitting softly from above.

Harry walked back in slowly and held his hand out to Eggsy.

"What?" Eggsy asked.

"Dance with me." Harry smiled.

"What, now?"

"Now."

Eggsy put his knife and fork down and dutifully slid his hand into Harry's and allowed himself to be pulled up the stairs, he could hear the music getting louder and then Harry pulled him into the master bedroom. Harry's bedroom had much the same treatment as the dining room; the lights were low and candles were illuminating the space intimately.

Eggsy turned to Harry and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you sure you want to dance?"

Harry curled a hand around Eggsy's waist and pulled him tightly against him until there was no space between them.

Eggsy gasped softly at the sudden closeness and gently allowed his hands to roam Harry's shoulders. Eggsy felt suddenly intoxicated despite only drinking one glass of champagne. The room was warm and dark and the air smelt sweetly of rose, the music drifting around them was strangely erotic and sensual and Harry, Harry was so close to him and he could feel every contour of his body against him and...he laughed to himself; slave to love.

The pair began to gently sway in the lowlight and Eggsy was perfectly content until he felt Harry curl a hand around his thigh and hitch his leg up against him.

Eggsy let out a small breath at the sudden friction of their crotches and at the intense eroticism of what Harry had just done.

"This isn't like you." Eggsy whispered against Harry's skin until he felt himself being dipped low to the ground. Thanking his primary school gymnastic lessons, he wrapped his leg around Harry's waist tightly so when they were pulled back up they were impossibly close, like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle settled together.

Eggsy watched, breathless at the charged air around them, as Harry's eyes visibly darkened in front of him and he made a noise low in his throat before hoisting Eggsy's other leg around him and picking the boy up as if he weighed nothing.

Eggsy didn't even have time to let out a surprised yelp before Harry was kissing him, hard. Eggsy sighed wantonly around Harry's tongue as it pushed fiercely into his mouth and connected with his own.

He held his arms tighter around Harry's neck as he tried to get used to the sensation of passionately kissing someone and clinging onto them at the same time. Letting go without letting go. He supposed he would just have to trust Harry not to let him fall.

He pulled back slightly and merely stared at Harry's face, cheeks tinged red, hair falling into eyes that were bright and flecked with hazel, before he kissed him again, pushing his tongue past Harry's lips and letting their tongues slide together perfectly as he let go of everything around him, the only feelings in the world were Harry;s tongue in his mouth, Harry's lips against his and Harry's arms around him keeping him upright.

"Wait, wait, wait..." Eggsy said a little breathlessly, pulling back from Harry, Harry merely surged forward and captured his lips again, Eggsy kissed him back earnestly before forcing himself to pull away, pressing soft kisses to Harry's jaw as he did so. "Wait, wait, stop, put me down..."

Harry gently relaxed Eggsy's legs to the ground and Eggsy stumbled against him, Harry held him up by his elbows and supported his weight.

"Are you alright?" He asked softly.

Eggsy presented him with a shaky smile.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm good, I'm good." He worked to support himself on Harry's arms for a moment until he pushed himself away. "Just give me one sec, okay?"

Harry looked at him for a long moment until he said, "okay."

Eggsy gave him one last grateful smile before he dived into the on-suite bathroom and closed the door.

Eggsy striped out of his clothes quickly until he was wearing nothing but the tight-fitting black boxers he'd bought for the occasion.

He checked himself in the mirror, frowning at the small tent that was already forming there, before he reminded himself that Harry was waiting and ran a hand through his hair to give it a cultivated messy look before searching through the pockets of the hoodie he'd discarded and pulling out his glasses case. He snapped the case open and propped his glasses on the end of his nose and turned back to the door.

On the hook he saw the black, silk dressing gown Harry owned. He'd told Eggsy once that he only used cotton dressing gowns for showering but preferred silk when he was in bed, owing to it being softer.

Eggsy had rolled his eyes and shrugged it off as some learned snob thing but now he walked across the small room and ran his hand down the slippery, soft material before he pulled it down and slipped it over himself, shivering at how it felt against his skin and suddenly understanding why Harry liked it so much. It was a little big but he supposed it would have to do.

He took a deep breath before he opened the bathroom door.

Harry turned from where he was standing at the sound of the door clicking open again and his breath hitched in his throat.

Eggsy leant against the doorway wearing his black silk robe, the dark colour contrasting against his alabaster skin as it fell open over his taut stomach, leading down to a pair of black boxers that hugged against his skin.

His hair was a sculpted mess and his mouth was open ever so slightly; eyes full of imperceptible concern and framed perfectly by the dark-framed glasses he was wearing.

Harry merely stood there for a few moments, utterly captivated, until he seemed to find his footing and walked slowly to the perfect boy leant coyly against his door frame.

Harry took Eggsy's frame into his arms and pressed a soft kiss to his lips, Eggsy sighed happily, both at the relief that he hadn't made a fool out of himself and because he loved Harry's tender kisses. They made him feel special and wanted and invincible.

Harry slowly walked the pair of them back to the bed, his hands roaming up and down the silky fabric at Eggsy's back. Eggsy moaned softly as he felt Harry's touch through the soft fabric and instantly decided that this was a very sexy item of clothing that definitely needed to make another appearance in the bedroom.

The kiss didn't break even when Eggsy's legs hit the side of the bed and buckled against it until they both landed on the soft mattress.

Eggsy blindly unbuttoned Harry's shirt and allowed his hands to roam his chest, fingers teasing the muscles there and running gently along the scar on his side as Harry ran a hand through Eggsy's hair, his fingertips brushing past the small scar on Eggsy's temple.

Eggsy couldn't take his hands away from Harry's skin, he felt like they were on fire, even when Harry pulled away from him Eggsy still fumbled around until he tugged his shirt completely off and slipped a hand into the waist band of his trousers.

"Eggsy..."

"In case you didn't get it..." Eggsy whispered, pressing a line of soft kisses to Harry's neck. "This means you can do whatever you want with me..."

Harry pulled himself out of reach of Eggsy's mouth, eliciting a whine of disappointment from the younger man, before he put all of his weight onto his elbows and stared at him.

"Anything I want?" He clarified.

Eggsy nodded before he reached forward and kissed his neck again.

"And what if I told you I didn't want you to touch me?"

Eggsy paused, lips stilling against Harry's neck before he slowly pulled back and sat, cross-legged against the headboard, hair a mess, glasses askew, the too-big silk gown splayed around his legs.

"Okay..." Eggsy said slowly, his expression almost pained as he looked back to Harry.

Harry grinned hugely to himself when he realised exactly what he wanted. He wanted to see that look Eggsy gave him when he was utterly destroyed, he wanted to hear the broken moans that spilled rebelliously from his mouth.

"Come here." He said softly and Eggsy practically bounded over to him like an over-eager puppy. Harry made short work of flipping Eggsy over until he was resting on his stomach.

Eggsy raised his head slightly, wondering exactly what was going to happen until he felt Harry's fingers push the delicious silk up his back and then swiftly drag his underwear down his legs before tossing them aside.

Eggsy felt his breath catch in his throat as he allowed his head to sink back down onto the pillow, pulling his arms up and resting on them. He berated himself for still getting this worked up because he couldn't count how many times he and Harry had done this but he supposed if he ever got used to it, it would break his heart.

Eggsy sighed contentedly as Harry began to gently sweep his hands across the backs of his thighs, stopping gently to massage the cleft of his ass.

Eggsy bit down slightly on his arm as Harry ran a fingertip across Eggsy's forever sensitive hole and then, Harry's gentle hands were easing him up onto his knees.

Eggsy knew what was coming before it happened but he let his head fall between his arms anyway.

"Fuck, Harry..." He said softly as he felt the older man's breath ghosting dangerously close to him. "I said anything you wanted."

"This is what I want." Harry murmured from behind him. "I promised you I'd show you what a gentleman is like."

Eggsy wanted to laugh but he couldn't, he was so caught up in the moment. In the position he was in and the position Harry was in he couldn't help but feel immensely vulnerable. He reminded himself about his earlier thoughts of letting go and had just began to relax his breathing when the tip of Harry's tongue tickled his entrance.

He bit down harder on himself, aware he was going to leave a mark, as pure sensation shot through his body.

"Harry..." He breathed out again as the older man began to lap gently at the exposed flesh, every now and again his tongue probed against his hole slightly but never actually penetrated him.

Eggsy felt his bones melt inside of himself and he sunk down into the bed, his arms and legs becoming jelly beneath him. Harry gripped his thighs firmly to keep him in place as he pushed his tongue through the ring of muscle of Eggsy's hole.

Eggsy cried out at the sudden sensation of having it inside of him, of flexing down and feeling the hot, wet tongue sliding against his walls, setting him on fire.

"Uuh, Harry..." He began, "fuck...Harry...babe..."

Harry hummed gently against Eggsy and felt the man stiffen underneath him. He remembered the last time they'd done this, the minute he'd put his tongue inside of Eggsy, the younger man had told him it was too much but he hadn't done so this time. Instead, he was whining into his arm, hips rocking back slightly against Harry's ass like he wanted more but he was scared to take it.

Harry slowly, agonisingly slowly, pulled his tongue from the confines of Eggsy's hole, making sure to lick against his sensitive walls on the way out. Eggsy spasmed beneath him and arched his back, calling out as he fisted the sheets next to him.

"Did you come, my love?" Harry asked softly, tenderly stroking Eggsy's thighs.

"N...no," Eggsy replied breathily, sinking back down onto the bed. "...Thought I was going to, though." He slurred.

Harry grinned to himself as he pressed the flat of his tongue against Eggsy's glistening hole whilst simultaneously trailing a finger across his perineum.

Eggsy let out a startled cry at the twin sensations and then he was pushing Harry back.

"Oh, stop, please stop..."

"Was it too sensitive?" Harry asked gently as he sat back onto his ankles.

Eggsy turned to him, face lax and eyes glazed over, the destroyed look Harry had been searching for.

"No, it was fucking amazing," Eggsy grinned lazily. "But...I can be a gentleman, too."

Eggsy crawled forward to where Harry was perched and immediately took his cock into his mouth.

"Fuck!" Harry called out by way of a startled cry as he felt himself being immediately enveloped by the wet, hot, heat of Eggsy's mouth.

Eggsy, who was still reeling from his near-orgasm experience realised that he didn't have the brain power to form any particular skill or finesse. So instead he took the base of Harry's cock into his hand, fisting it slowly as he dribbled hot spittle down the length of it.

Harry bit down on his bottom lip as Eggsy slurped at his length, dragging his mouth all the way up before plunging down again, sucking gently every time he moved and pressing the flat of his tongue to Harry's sensitive underside.

It was sloppy and unpractised and completely perfect. Eggsy sucked on Harry's hard cock like he was a starving man and Harry felt his brain go hazy at the tight, hot suction.

Eggsy took him all the way into his mouth again and Harry glanced down, watching Eggsy's closed eyes behind his glasses, Eggsy's hollowed out cheeks slurping around him, he could see the outline of his own cock against Eggsy's cheek and he felt his entire world disintegrate around him.

"Fuck, Eggsy...I want to fuck you..."

Eggsy slowly pulled his mouth from Harry's cock, sucking gently as he did so and leaving Harry's member deep red and shining with spittle.

Eggsy slowly pulled his glasses from his face and cast them aside, shedding the silk gown and leaning gently against the headboard, motioning Harry to him with his hand.

Harry crawled over to him and allowed Eggsy to tangle his hand in his hair and pull him down into a crushing kiss.

Harry moaned as he felt Eggsy's legs wrap around him and pull him closer. His eyes shot open when he felt Eggsy's hand on his cock and the head bump against his entrance.

"Wait, Eggsy..." he began, "we...haven't used any lube..."

"Harry," Eggsy said in a surprisingly low voice, heavy with wanton need, "my ass is so open from your tongue, and your cock is practically dripping from where I sucked it so hard. Just fuck me, please."

"But..."

Eggsy put a hand to his lips before kissing him softly through his fingers.

"You trust me, don't you?"

Harry stared at Eggsy for a long time before he let out a soft breath.

"I trust you." He conceded.

Eggsy merely continued to stare at him as he eased himself down onto Harry's unsheathed cock, wincing slightly at the initial entrance but his expression turned to one of tranquil bliss when Harry's cock slid easily all the way inside of him and he felt at home again.

Harry braced himself against Eggsy's hips before he leant in and kissed him softly.

Harry pulled out minutely and pushed back in gently, eliciting a soft gasp from the younger man, he licked his lips before he pulled out again and pushed back in, gentler again.

"Harry, you're not gonna break me." Eggsy whined, stroking the back of his neck.

Harry allowed his hand to slip around Eggsy's waist and held him firmly as he pulled out and thrust back in quickly, angling his thrust upwards slightly and causing Eggsy to gasp.

On his next thrust, Eggsy circled his hips ever so slightly and gasped as the head of Harry's cock brushed against his prostate.

Harry pushed up in the same direction and Eggsy gasped again, louder than before.

Harry quickened his thrusts, raw cock suffocated by Eggsy's heat, until Eggsy began to cry out at every thrust, burying his face in Harry's neck.

Harry reached a hand in-between them in the tight space that Eggsy would allow and took hold of his cock. Eggsy let out a startled cry as Harry's un-lubricated hand stroked him gently. The friction sent bursts of pain and pleasure coursing through him and before he could stop himself he was coming into Harry's hand.

Eggsy felt burning hot embarrassment shoot through him along with his come, every spurt brought with it a new load of shame.

"Fuck," he muttered to himself before catching Harry's gaze. "Shit, Harry I'm sorry."

Harry couldn't help but smile fondly at the scared expression staring back at him.

"Not to worry." Harry assured him, pressing a soft kiss to Eggsy's cheek. "These things happen all the time, I knew you wouldn't last long after I rimmed you."

"Except you lasted long after I sucked you." Eggsy pointed out, sounding dejected.

"Yes, but that's because you're a sprightly young lad and I'm not," Harry assured him, stroking his face softly before he attempted to pull his still straining cock from Eggsy's flexing hole.

Eggsy's hands found the small of Harry's back and held him still.

"Wait," Eggsy said quietly, eyes wide. "Don't. Keep on fucking me."

"Eggsy..."

"I want you to come inside of me."

"But you...you're so sensitive...it'll hurt..."

"No it won't, I want it." Eggsy said softly. "Please."

Harry worried his lower lip between his teeth for a moment in thought before he sighed.

"Can I at least get some lube?" He said.

Eggsy nodded and winced as Harry slowly pulled out of him.

He watched as Harry crossed to the drawer, his cock taut and aggressively purple against his stomach, before he climbed back onto the bed, squirting lube onto his hand.

"Wait," Eggsy said, grasping Harry's wrist to still him. "Just put it on yourself, yeah? I don't think I can take it."

Harry nodded wordlessly before he coated his still straining member with the honey-like liquid, mouth falling lax slightly at the movement as if he were applying salve to a nasty burn, before he settled back in between Eggsy's legs.

Eggsy held onto Harry's shoulders, bracing himself.

"Are you sure about this?" Harry asked quietly.

Eggsy looked like he was thinking for a moment before he nodded.

"Yeah, I'm sure. Please."

Harry lined his cock up with Eggsy's slick entrance and was shocked at how easily it slid in to the hilt.

Eggsy's eyes burst open at the thick member scraping at the inside of his sensitive ass, his hole stretched around the base.

Harry stilled completely inside him, watching with worry as Eggsy's face flexed with pain.

"Eggsy, we don't have to do this..." He tried.

"No," Eggsy said, shaking his head and opening his eyes; they were sparkling. "No, it feels good. Honest. Just a little intense."

Harry pursed his lips as he pulled out slightly and pushed back in, Eggsy flexed around him every time he shifted an inch and Harry felt like he was going to black out from pure feeling alone.

Hyper-aware of Eggsy's used hole and over-stimulated prostate, Harry made a conscious effort to thrust slowly into him but that only served to string out Eggsy's blissful agony.

Every movement sent sparks flying through to his spent cock but Eggsy couldn't figure out of they were sparks of pain and pleasure.

When Harry's cock bumped gently against his prostate, he let out a small cry and his head fell back against the headboard and he unconsciously clenched his ass tight.

As Harry was brought closer and closer to orgasm his thrusts unconsciously began to speed up and despite his best attempts, he kept brushing against the pained bundle of nerves deep inside of Eggsy. Eggsy felt like he was falling apart, he clung onto Harry and an unintelligible babble of words came streaming out of his mouth.

The minute Eggsy realised he couldn't take anymore, Harry began to come inside him and Eggsy screamed.

The thick shots of come collided with his over-stimulated prostate and he felt his own cock jerk between them and squeeze out a few meagre dollops of white liquid.

Tears were forced from Eggsy's eyes as he screwed them shut tightly, trying to hide from every incredible and awesome emotion raining down on him and coursing straight through him.

Harry collapsed against him and the two of them fell into a messy pile on the bed. Eggsy clung onto the older man until his breathing evened out.

Harry pulled his cock gently from Eggsy's red hole and collapsed down next to him, avoiding his spent cock.

Eggsy shifted slightly to turn to face him but then his eyes were wide and his mouth was agape and a small whimper escaped him.

"Eggsy?" Harry asked, concerned. "What's wrong?"

Harry's gaze travelled down to Eggsy's splayed legs and between his straining thighs and saw his own come leaking from Eggsy's used hole.

"Eggsy..." Harry said softly, allowing his hand to stroke across Eggsy's chest. "That was the most beautiful...the most perfect...the most extraordinary thing I've ever seen. Are you okay?"

Eggsy nodded, eyes closed, before he opened them and turned to face Harry, his eyes were wet with moisture.

"Maybe one day," Harry said quietly, "I'll be able to fuck you without making you cry."

"If you did that," Eggsy said breathlessly, a small smile playing on his sated lips, "I'd be heartbroken."

Harry laughed and Eggsy took a moment to truly appreciate his boyfriend. He took in Harry's slightly red cheeks, the beads of sweat on his brow just begging to be licked off, his dishevelled, chestnut hair with just a hint of grey teasing at his temples.

Eggsy realised in that moment that it wasn't just that he loved Harry, it was that he had never loved anyone in quite this way before. He knew it was easy to say you wanted to spend the rest of your life with one person, a cliché, even, but...Eggsy could genuinely envision spending the rest of his life with Harry.

The thought comforted him as he drifted to sleep in his arms.

…

Harry settled Eggsy's suitcase beside him on the platform and Eggsy rolled his eyes.

"I can carry it myself." He berated lightly, which Harry knew translated into 'thank you.'

The pair merely stared at each other for a few long moments until Harry held out a firm hand to him.

"Well," he said gruffly, "it's been nice knowing you."

"You know, it's been a year since we met and you're still a fuckin' dickhead," was all Eggsy said before he batted Harry's hand away and pulled him down into a kiss.

Harry actually heard a female gasp come from somewhere to his right but he didn't care.

Harry allowed himself to savour the feel of Eggsy's lips against his own for a moment, committing it to memory for the two long months he was going to be spending alone, before he pulled back.

"Come on, your train is going to pull away without you." Harry said, Eggsy turned around to see the train had pulled in behind him, he also noticed a couple of people giving him funny looks before he raised his eyebrows in a cocky reply before turning back to Harry.

Eggsy was momentarily taken aback by the softness in Harry's eyes and the smile he was giving him. His expression was so full of love and admiration that it actually knocked Eggsy back for a moment.

He walked forwards and wrapped his arms around Harry who squeezed him gently in response.

Eggsy realised he wasn't going to feel this comforting weight against him for a long time, yesterday two months had felt like two months but today it felt like an eternity.

"I'll call you, okay?" He said as he pulled back, reluctantly pulling his arms away.

"You'd better." Harry merely replied.

"It'll fly by," Eggsy said, but was unsure if he was trying to assure himself or Harry.

"I know," Harry replied, tilting his head to the side, "just try to enjoy yourself."

Eggsy nodded before he reached up and pressed a long, lingering kiss to Harry's lips.

"I love you," he said softly.

"I love you." Harry replied quietly, and Eggsy smiled once before he picked up the suitcase at his side and turned to walk to the train.

Harry held onto his hand until Eggsy was far enough away that he couldn't reach it anymore.

Harry watched as Eggsy disappeared onto the train and it slowly began to pull away.

Harry lingered for a moment before turning on his heel and walking back the way he'd came, he passed a few unsavoury looks but was far too pre-occupied with contemplating the two long months stretched out before him after an entire year of having a companion.

As he exited the platform he felt his phone buzz in his pocket, he pulled it out, smiling as Eggsy's name flashed up on the screen.

Miss you already xx

Eggsy smiled as he watched the little tick that confirmed his message had sent appearing in the bottom of the screen.

He sat back in the seat slightly, watching as the scenery whizzed past and hoping that this trip away went slightly better than his last one.

At the thought, he pulled his phone out again and pulled up his gallery. He looked down at the picture of Harry pressing a soft kiss to his temple while he grinned.

They'd taken many more pictures by then but this was by far Eggsy's favourite. It always would be.

Harry smiled down at the text before him before he pressed the reply button to type in how much he missed Eggsy already as well.

But despite how much he was going to miss him, and despite the next few weeks of loneliness looming out in front of him – he couldn't help but smile to himself as he felt the edge of the engagement ring box through his coat pocket.

He could wait.

The End

A/N: I just want to take this moment to thank all of you who have read and reviewed and made this is really great experience for me, you guys are the reason I write so thank you :) Also, I'm half-toying with the idea of a sequel (I have some ideas) but I've resolved to only do it if people want me to so if you'd like to review with an answer or drop me a PM I'd be grateful. I don't want to subject anyone to my terrible writing if they don't want me to ;)