Roxy's brain was in a haze when she finally knocked on his door at 01.30 in the morning. She had spent the last two days crying, her brain going at a million miles per hour as she tried to process the news. Indeed, she'd never imagined that Percival's death would hit her so hard. She felt like she'd gone through all the five stages of grief over and over again in the past 48 hours; denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. But every time she thought she had finally reached the 5th stage, she went back to anger or disbelief. By now Roxy was mentally exhausted, and she desperately needed someone to talk to about it. She had stayed in her room at the Kingsman quarters, waiting for Eggsy to return from his mission. As soon as she'd heard he'd come back, she'd wandered to his door in her sleep shirt, face pale with dark circles under her puffy eyes.

She was about to knock again when Eggsy opened the door, giving her a puzzled look. He was wearing a white undershirt and black boxers, his hair still slightly damp after having taken a shower.

''Hey Rox, what are you still doing up?'' He asked, surprise in his voice.

He didn't know. He had just come back from a mission and Merlin hadn't told him yet. Normally, all Kingsman agents were briefed immediately after a fellow agent's death. However, the organization was currently experiencing internal issues, most which had to do with the debate about who should officially become the next Arthur. Almost a year had gone by since Valentine's failed world-wide massacre, and in the messy aftermath Merlin had taken over as head of Kingsman. After all, he was the longest-serving member alive after Galahad had died. However, as some agents who opposed Merlin had pointed out, this arrangement was supposed to be only temporary, and now it was time to take a vote and officially choose a new Arthur. The issue was, Merlin suspected there were still 'rotten apples' in the Kingsman lines; old associates of Valentine who, unlike Arthur, had survived V-day. Until all members had been thoroughly investigated, Merlin (and those agents who supported him) had refused to organize a vote. Percival had, of course, supported Merlin, and news of his death could potentially aggravate the already difficult situation. The last thing Merlin needed was giving someone yet another reason to question his leadership. He had decided to wait for two days, just until they finished investigating all Kingsman agents.

Roxy knew about Percival's death because she'd been monitoring the operation together with Merlin when a hand grenade had ripped her mentor to pieces in the middle of the Saharan desert. They'd both sat in front of the monitor for a while in complete silence, too horrified to say anything. Merlin had been the first one to speak, his voice barely a whisper. He'd asked Roxy to wait the two days before telling anyone about Percival's death, and she'd agreed with a quiet nod, devastated and tears running down her cheeks.

And now she was standing there, looking at her friend and fellow agent in the eye, ready to tell him everything about what had happened to Percival, ready to pour her grief onto him, to open her heart...

She couldn't do it.

Instead, she did something that surprised them both. Placing both her hands on Eggsy's chest, she pushed him back into his room, closing the door behind her with a light kick.

''Roxy what are y…''

Eggsy couldn't finish the sentence, as Roxy had already buried her hands in his hair and pulled him down for an intense kiss. Eggsy tensed for a moment, but he didn't pull back. After a brief moment of confusion, he relaxed, and found himself kissing her back, cupping her face with his hands. The passionate kiss went on for a while, until Roxy's hand reached down to tug at his shirt.

''Hold on, Rox, what's going on?''

Eggsy had placed his hands on Roxy's shoulders and pulled back, a frown on his face. Normally Eggsy would rather bang his head against a concrete wall than interrupt a kiss with a beautiful woman, but the situation felt strange. There had always been chemistry between him and Roxy, and Eggsy knew she could feel it too. It was just a matter of time before they fell into each other's arms. The past year had been very intense with them trying to piece the organization back together, but Eggsy knew it would eventually happen.

Intimate relationships between Kingsman agents were not technically prohibited, but they were generally frowned upon. This was a dangerous job, and getting feelings involved could jeopardize a mission. This had partly discouraged Eggsy from making a move on Roxy, at least until the situation had been stabilized. However, as he now stared down at his friend and fellow agent with whom he'd just shared the most passionate kiss of his life, a kiss he'd been waiting for a long time, he could not help but suspect something was wrong.

''I'm serious, Rox, what's going on? You look upset'' His hands were still placed firmly on her shoulders, and he leaned in to take a closer look at her face, slightly narrowing his eyes. He'd just come back from a mission in Belfast about half an hour ago, and he was about to go to bed when he'd heard a knock at the door. He'd been surprised to find her standing there in her night shirt, eyes slightly puffy and hair mussed. She looked beautiful as always, but there was something off about her expression, a mix of sadness and confusion. His room was dark, so he couldn't see her face too well. Roxy was good at hiding her emotions, after all, she was a Kingsman agent. It bothered him that she had to do that with him too.

Roxy blinked for a moment, slightly taken aback, and quickly dropped her gaze to her feet. Her brain was still in a fog. For a split second she thought about telling him everything…

Again, she couldn't do it.

It was as if her tongue was broken, and all the words and all the grief were stuck somewhere deep in her throat. She couldn't talk about it, she didn't want to think about it. Not now.

Roxy closed her eyes for a moment. She needed this break tonight, and Eggsy was going to give it to her. When she lifted her head back up to look at him, she was already wearing her 'mask'. With a small pout on her lips and hooded eyes, she had now entered her seductress-persona, the one she used on honey-pot missions whenever she had to seduce dangerous criminals or corrupt politicians. Roxy was extremely good at it; it always looked casual and effortless; genuine. But unlike with all the other men, this time it was genuine. She really wanted Eggsy tonight, right now, on his bed. So she wouldn't have to think. So her mind could rest while her body worked. If in order to get that she had to become someone else, so be it. She tilted her head ever so slightly, a smile curling on her lips.

''The only thing that is wrong is that you've made me wait for so long, Eggsy. I know I'm not the only one who can feel the electricity between us…'' Roxy gazed at him through hooded eyes, her voice like caramel and honey. She placed one hand on his strong chest, and another one on his cheek; softly, gently. She leaned a little bit closer, so she could whisper in his ear.

''Ever since you left for your mission in Belfast I haven't been able to think about anything but you...I couldn't sleep…That's why I look so upset. When I heard you'd come back, how could I just stay in my room?'' The lies rolled off her tongue like liquid velvet.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Eggsy wasn't stupid. He was an experienced agent, top-of-the-class-material just like Roxy. He could easily read body language and he could definitely tell when someone was trying to bullshit him. And yet, he couldn't stop himself from falling for her words. It was as if his brain had suddenly become mushy…or maybe it had exited his head altogether. Point was, he was half hypnotized by her words and her body language, by those fingertips gently caressing his neck, by those beautiful curves under her light-blue sleep shirt. If Harry could have seen him now he would definitely have smacked him upside the head, hard. Falling like that for some 101 honey-pot seduction tricks even a toddler could spot! What a bloody disgrace.

But then again, this wasn't just any pretty lady whispering in his ear and raking her fingers down his chest. This was Roxy. And Roxy was pretty damn special...

She had now taken a step back, removing herself from Eggsy's grip. For a moment he panicked, thinking she was leaving because he had broken their kiss.

But Roxy wasn't going anywhere. Instead, with swaying hips she walked to the big desk by the window, and sat on it with her legs folded. With a swift gesture, her right hand cleaned the table of a bunch of papers and books Eggsy had there lying around. Without breaking eye-contact with him, she reached down to slowly pull her sleep shirt over herself.

If the rational side of Eggsy's brain hadn't been shut off yet, now it certainly was. All he could focus on was the light pink bra and matching undies. Her mussed hair looked wild under the moonlight seeping in through the window, and there was a spark in her deep green eyes.

''What are you waiting for, agent Galahad?'', she purred, eyes full of challenge and a mischievous grin on her lips as she slowly unfolded her legs.

After a brief staring contest, Eggsy narrowed his eyes, a serious expression on his face. He took a couple of quick steps to the desk, and with strong hands he grabbed Roxy's hips and pulled her closer to the edge of the table, situating himself between her legs. This took Roxy by surprise, and she momentarily lost her balance, falling backwards so that she was now lying on the desk, her thighs strapped around Eggsy's waist. After regaining her composure, she looked up at Eggsy, who was now removing his white t-shirt. Looking at his defined abs, Roxy noticed she was lightly panting. She reached up to rake her nails down his chest all the way down to his happy trail, making him hiss between his teeth. She could feel his strong muscles twitching under her fingertips, filling her with excitement.

Roxy couldn't get enough of him, running her curious hands over every bit of skin she found. She'd always known Eggsy was gorgeous, but catching a glimpse of bare skin in the sparring room was completely different from actually having said body right there on top of her. She felt intoxicated as Eggsy's strong hands caressed her neck, her breasts, her thighs, exploring every inch of her, just as she did with him. He was still standing by the desk, so he bent over to gently run his teeth across her lower abdomen, making the muscles of her belly tense. Roxy whimpered, her hands firmly gripping his hair. She tried her hardest to control herself when Eggsy's tongue started exploring her, but her hips started to come off the table. Eggsy swiftly grabbed them with his hands, securing them on the edge of the desk, never once removing his head from between her thighs.

After climaxing, Eggsy's collapsed on top of her, burying his head in the scent of her neck. Roxy gently ran her fingers through his hair as they both slowly cached their breath again. They laid on the desk for a while, listening to each others heartbeats.

But eventually, Roxy's satisfied humming was interrupted by the memory of Percival's death, grief and anxiety slowly creeping back into her mind. A dark cloud was hovering over her head once again.

Eggsy was happily resting against Roxy's neck when he noticed her growing tense under him. Did he do something wrong? He lifted his head and gave her a questioning look.

''You allright, Rox?'' Eggsy gently placed his right hand on her blushed cheek, stroking it lightly.

Roxy looked at the worried expression on the young man's face, and she felt guilty. She gave him a small smile, trying to push the dark cloud aside.

''Yeah I'm fine, you're just heavy, Eggs. You've put on a lot of muscle this past year'' She tried to sound flirtatious, giving out a little laugh, but it didn't come out too convincing. Her smile immediately dropped when Eggsy started removing himself from her.

''Shit, sorry Rox. I didn't mean to hurt ya''

She could have screamed at that moment. There was nothing she loved more than having a beautiful man lie on top of her after sex. His closeness and warmth consoled her, even if they couldn't take her pain away. Roxy quickly sat up on the desk and placed a hand on his shoulder, afraid he'd leave.

''No, Eggsy, you didn't hurt me at all I just…''

The cloud was preventing her from thinking again. She was sitting on the desk half-paralyzed, Eggsy standing in front of her, trying to figure out what was going on.

''Seriously, Roxy, what the heck is going o-'' A feeling of worry was creeping back into Eggsy's mind now that his brain was starting to kick back in. He was about to question her again when his cellphone lit up and Merlin's voice echoed in the bedroom.

''Galahad, are you still up? I'm afraid I must deliver terrible news about Percival…''