Merlin tried to ignore Galahad's call for the third time as it flashed across his lens.
But the little ponce went through the emergency comms this time. So Merlin had to answer it.
This was yet another example of the little 'generational problem' they had between them. Eggsy was of the generation that wanted to resolve the problem right now — right as it was happening — drop everything. Merlin's generation? You ignore the problem until at least one of you dies.
Merlin's last grudge held for two years. And it'd only had to be confronted again because Harry Hart came back to life. That ruddy bastard.
"Piss off," Merlin growled to the audio-only connection, "I'm busy."
"S'alright, guv." Even when it couldn't be seen, Eggsy's bright and cheeky smile had this way of translating directly into a cheerful timbre in his voice. Obnoxious. That's what it was. "That's why I'm comin' to you, yeah?"
"Don't y' dare—" Merlin started to warn; as the doors to his workroom opened, he was out of his chair, rounding on Eggsy the moment the errant agent entered, "—compromise this mission!"
Merlin had the lad shoved up in an instant, pinned hard and bodily against the wall, with one hand grasped unapologetically around Eggsy's neck. Trying to literally circumvent Galahad's natural tendency towards vocal overexpression.
"Guv—" Eggsy choked out; still trying to smirk, the arse. "I — don't — compromise."
"An' I don't ha'e time for this." Merlin snarled, leaning in towards that bonny little grin, hissing his next words in his lad's ear:
"I don't ha'e time for you."
It wasn't nice.
And it wasn't true.
Strictly speaking.
But Merlin had his reasons.
"Doesn't — hafta — take long." Eggsy cheeked, rolling his hips forward a fraction. The cold unrelenting metal of Merlin's teched-up prosthetics was already digging into Eggsy's legs, but now he could feel that other hard thing Merlin had concealed under his unassuming work trous.
Merlin's eyes narrowed. "Lives are at stake, Galahad."
Eggsy pursed his lips into a pout — and a genuine one; not mocking. Merlin eased the grip on his throat.
"Your life's at stake, too, you keep goin' on like this." Eggsy protested.
Merlin's eyes roamed over the look of insubordinate concern he was getting. He swallowed — "Missions come first." — then pushed himself away, turning to get back to his screens — "An' y' know tha'."
Merlin cleared his throat then, quickly getting back to the business at hand: "Aye, Lancelot, I'm with y' — sending th' updated schematics now."
" 'Course I know it, guv…" Eggsy rubbed at the fading impressions on his neck, and raised his voice, "But I'm callin' dibs on 'second', yeah?"
He grinned.
Merlin couldn't ignore that forever.