AN: Finally got around to finishing the second part in this series. First part is 'End of the Beginning' and the third part is 'Uncommon Blue' which I already posted a couple of weeks ago. I'm loving these boys so much, and I've got a few other one-shots in the works for them, so stay tuned if you're digging this pairing too, because there is plenty more to come. Enjoy!
Elton was true to his word, Harry Hart was now in possession of two tickets to an Elton John show, complete with backstage pass.
In Cambodia, he'd asked Elton for two, with no one specific in mind to take the second, but asking for one ticket was just altogether too sad.
The point was, he had a spare ticket and he didn't see why it should go to waste.
With Kingsman in tatters, Merlin gone and Eggsy in Sweden, Harry was as close to friendless as a man could be. There was one though, that he might be able to take; his new Bedivere.
He approached the former Agent Tequila, suddenly feeling rather ridiculous, but pressing on because he'd made his mind up to ask.
"You wouldn't by chance happen to be an Elton John fan, would you?"
Tequila gave him a smirk. Harry was slowly growing used to the roguery which he supposed the American considered charming.
"Now what kinda question is that?"
"A genuine one. It's no coded homosexual advance, if that's what you're implying."
"Aw, and here I was getting my hopes up."
"Stop it," Harry chided, "and answer the question."
"Well," the younger agent said thoughtfully, "he's not my favourite but I don't mind some of his stuff, like 'Honky Cat' and 'Tiny Dancer'. They're alright..."
Harry's mind flashed back to a conversation he'd had with Merlin, a man who was the closest thing he'd had to a best friend for thirty years, and he hadn't even known the man's favourite singer. He was determined not to repeat his mistakes. Maybe the reason no one came looking for him in Kentucky was that he'd never taken the time to properly reciprocate the bonds of friendship.
"Then what singers do you like?"
"All sorts, but mostly I like them old cowboy crooners."
A nauseous wave rolled over in Harry's stomach, there was one song he knew he'd never be listening to again.
"You don't mean John Denver?"
"Not a fan?"
"A friend was, and I can't bear to listen anymore."
"Lucky for you I was talking about guys like Frankie Laine, Marty Robbins, Glen Campbell, Gene Autry... You know 'Cry of the Wild Goose', 'Rawhide', 'El Paso City' stuff like that. Hell, even Elvis knew how to belt out a proper cowboy tune."
"You've no interest in Elton then?"
"Now what's this all about, Arthur?"
"Well as it so happens I have a spare ticket and I was wondering-"
Before he could finish a delighted grin spread across the American's face.
"Hold up here. Are you asking me to go see Elton John with you?"
Harry sighed, both at the interruption and his own ineptitude.
"It appears so."
"And you're sure you really wanna go with me?"
Harry didn't see why he shouldn't.
"I said so, didn't I?"
Tequila thought it over for a moment longer before finally agreeing.
"Why hell, sure, I'll go with you. I reckon I'd like that."
"You would?" Harry blurted out in surprise. "I mean good. Yes. Great. I'll see you tonight then."
Tequila flashed him another one of those cocky grins.
"Looking forward to it, boss."
xxx
Harry wouldn't say he was Elton John's biggest fan, but he certainly enjoyed his songs and admired his musical talent immensely.
He was particularly looking forward to songs like 'Goodbye Yellow Brick Road' and 'Rocket Man'.
First though, before the show, he was going to make use of the backstage pass Elton had supplied him with. He'd never been backstage at a concert, and he'd also not had a chance to speak to Elton since Cambodia. He was looking forward to both. The only downside was the slight guilt he felt about abandoning his guest, albeit just for a little while.
"I'll probably only be fifteen minutes or so, I'm sure Elton has more important things on his mind than indulging a silly old spy right now."
The show was at Hyde Park and the venue was packed.
Tequila gave him an amused smile.
"You're not that old..."
Harry gave him a good-humoured sigh before he headed off, flashing the card on the end of a lanyard to gain access to the fabled backstage area.
xxx
Tequila had to admit he was surprised when he'd received the invitation. He hadn't thought Harry Hart liked him all that much. Sure, he was friendly enough, but he was still hung up on the past. Even though they had begun to rebuild Kingsman, Harry was still focused on Eggsy, who was now a Scandinavian prince not a spy, and sometimes Tequila thought he still expected Merlin to walk through the door. That man may have had no respect for a '63 reserve, but he'd proved his mettle, and Tequila was sorry he would never get to know the agent better. Maybe Harry's standoffishness was understandable, he'd been through a lot.
As for Harry himself, Tequila's feelings were complicated. He'd spent a year watching the guy scribble pictures of butterflies all over his cell walls, acting timid as a mouse. He'd also seen the footage from Kentucky so he knew what the man was capable of.
Then the Kingsman agents had showed up, and Eggsy had forced Harry to remember by threatening to kill a puppy. It was weird, but it had worked, and the two Galahads had kicked ass while he'd been on ice because he couldn't get his shit together. No doubt his weakness was part of the reason Harry didn't exactly like him, but the Englishman had given him a chance to redeem himself, knighted him Bedivere and taken him in as a Kingsman. He appreciated that, so if Harry was lonely, sitting through an Elton John concert was the least Tequila could do.
That wasn't entirely true though either. If he was honest his feelings weren't all that complicated. Simply put, he liked Harry and wanted to spend time with him, regardless of whatever he was or wasn't doing right now. It wasn't like Harry was ever gonna see Elton again after tonight, there was no need to be jealous.
He was actually a little surprised that Harry had been so open about accepting Elton's offer. He would have thought a proper English gentleman would be a little more discrete about hooking up with the rock star.
He was even more surprised when Harry came bolting back out into the crowd, cheeks burning brightly.
"Whoa there, hombre," Tequila said, hooking the older agent by the arm. "What's got you running out of there like a scalded cat?"
Harry looked wildly around, finally settling his gaze on Tequila. He huffed out a breath and straightened his suit.
"Backstage pass indeed. I'll never, ever be listening to 'Rocket Man' the same way again."
Could it be possible that Harry had misinterpreted the invitation?
"Wait, wait," Tequila grinned, barely able to contain his laughter. "Elton John offers you a backstage pass and you don't know he's making a play at you?"
"Well it is rather naïve now that I think about it. Perhaps we should just go."
"Now hold up there for a second. Are you serious? These are kickass seats. Let's just stay for a bit, he's not gonna attack you from on the stage. Really, you should be flattered."
"Good lord," Harry muttered, looking mortified, "if he's the best I can do..."
"You honestly weren't tempted?"
Harry looked rather affronted by that.
"Certainly not. He's much too old, and quite frankly altogether too flabby, for my tastes."
Tequila finally gave in to the laughter. And yeah, he was pretty sure Harry could do better.
xxx
The show was about to begin. They sat only a few rows from the stage, Tequila to his right. Harry was certain he couldn't enjoy it now. Although he had to admit he felt much more settled with the younger agent by his side, even if it had taken him a good five minutes to get his laughter under control.
"Hey," Tequila said, touching Harry's thigh to get his attention and leaning in close. "Separate the art from the artist. Johnny Depp turned into a massive dickhead, but Sleepy Hollow is still an awesome movie." Harry huffed out a laugh, he supposed he couldn't argue with that. Maybe he would try.
The lights dimmed completely and then a spotlight singled in on Elton at the piano. As crowd fell silent it was impossible not to get swept up a little in the excited anticipation.
A strain from the piano filled the air and Elton opened his mouth to sing.
"It's a little bit funny..."
And when Harry turned to catch a look at Tequila, grateful to have him there, he found the other looking back at him. Their eyes connected and when Harry's heart skipped a beat... Well, he had to admit that just a little bit, it was.
xxx
A few songs into the set and Harry had relaxed a bit. He'd more or less forgotten the narrowly-evaded molestation and found himself enjoying the music, being transported to various moments in time, catching random fragments of memories, all sparked by familiar melodies and lyrics.
When Elton launched into 'I'm Still Standing' it was Eggsy he found himself thinking of. He couldn't place it exactly but maybe he'd heard him singing along to the song once during those times they'd spent together at Harry's as teacher and student. He missed those days, Eggsy had brought a purpose and vibrancy back into his life that he hadn't experienced for a long time.
xxx
When the show had finished, Harry was quick to leave the concert venue but he found he wasn't ready for the evening to end quite yet. The melody of 'Something About The Way You Look Tonight' kept circling around in his head, conjuring silly, romantic thoughts. He wondered if he wasn't trying to recapture some of what he'd had with Eggsy, and even if he were, would that be such a terrible thing? Trying to salvage a little happiness from the tattered shreds of his life?
He turned to Tequila, who did indeed look dashing in his denim and moleskin.
"Would you like to take a turn in the park?"
"Is this another one of your 'not a code' things? Or are you actually hitting on me this time?"
"I just meant a walk."
"Sure..." Harry didn't exactly know if that was an agreement or him being called on his bullshit, but they set off together into the park.
At night the park was lovely, the trees lining the paths were all lit up with fairy lights. There were lots of nectar-rich flowers blooming in the gardens. Harry thought he should try to make it back here during the day to see what butterflies were about. He might even start a new collection one of these days.
As they wandered in companionable silence, there was a charged feeling to the night, like maybe it could be the beginning of something. Not something vital, but something nice. Whatever would or wouldn't happen, Harry knew he wanted to get to know this young man better. This person who was standing by his side when everyone else was gone.
"Before Statesman, were you really a rodeo clown?"
A darker look stole over the Americans face.
"Yeah. My daddy wanted me to be a rancher like him, but I wasn't too keen on the stock. Horses too flighty, cattle too stubborn. All of them too much trouble. He took that to mean I was scared of 'em and told me I was no son of his. I had no money and a point to prove so I jumped in the ring with them bulls and them broncs, just to show him he was wrong."
Harry knew this tale too. He hadn't expected to have much in common with an American boy, but in this fundamental thing he realised they were exactly the same. It was an odd feeling, to suddenly share a profound connection.
"I know exactly what you mean. Real men don't paint pictures of butterflies all day long..." What they do do however is join the army. His father had been very insistent about that, and Harry had been young and desperate to prove his worth.
"Guess your daddy was a douchebag too..."
"Apparently so. You made it into Statesman though..."
"Champ saw me in the ring. Thought I had something he could work with, so he took a chance on me. Reckon I let him down though..."
"Nonsense. You bested two of Kingsman's finest. That takes real skill."
"All the same, he was happy enough to palm me off onto y'all now, wasn't he?"
"And I'm glad he did." Harry surprised both of them with his words. Tequila stopped walking, and turned to him with a curious look.
"You're a hard one to figure..."
"As are you." There was a sensitive side to this young man that Harry had initially missed, hidden as it was beneath the brashness and bravado. He'd never expected to be drawn towards anyone else after Eggsy, but he couldn't deny the pull here.
It became a loaded moment as they gazed at each other, and Harry wasn't exactly sure what to do with it. He was enjoying the evening with Tequila, but he didn't know if he liked him enough to kiss him. And that was what Tequila wanted, wasn't it? He'd been an unrepentant flirt ever since he'd arrived in England.
"Not really..." Tequila said, "I might not have polish the same as you, but I know how to make my meaning clear."
Tequila slid a hand behind Harry's head and leaned in, eyes flicking down to Harry's mouth and then back up to look him in the eye. Harry really couldn't decide if he wanted this or not. There were so many things to be considered. His fickle feelings, their respective positions at Kingsman, the age difference...
The American's mouth quirked up in a faint smile.
"Don't go getting all spooked on me now..."
Harry had the absurd thought that he was being calmed like those flighty horses the cowboy had spoken of. He didn't want to be a burden. The thought didn't have time to develop much though, not when Tequila's mouth landed on his and he was being kissed. He couldn't even remember the last time he'd been kissed outside of a mission, and he was altogether too shocked to decipher how he felt or to return the attention.
Tequila leaned back and gave him an amused look.
"Well you didn't take a swing at me, so I guess that's a start."
Realising that it was too late to decide whether or not he wanted to set off on a new road when he was already travelling down it, all Harry could think to do was concede to the new direction. And the horizon looked promising.
"Yes," he agreed, "it quite possibly could be."
AN: A big thank you to TreasureHunterGirl for her help with this series. She has even written a fic for it called 'A Place To Belong' which is a glimpse at Merlin and Roxy's story, so be sure to check that out when she posts it sometime in the next couple of days. Thanks for reading :)