Shout-out to ivefoundmygoldfish(melonpanparade) for beta-reading!

I first wrote the second part for kingsmankaiju's prompt on Tumbr a while back and decided to add James' POV and publish it.

I mentioned the hot chocolate thing in Once in a Lifetime for those who've read it, but it's not necessary to now that story to understand this one-shot! (Also, the navy blue jumper James is wearing is the one Roxy wears in the first chapter, but that's sorta unimportant.)

No Place like Home

Footsteps on the stairs, the light tapping of bare skin against wood, caused James to look up from where he was sitting on the couch. A pair of small feet came into view, shuffling on the carpet in the doorway to the living room, followed by the slim body of a nine year old girl in blue pyjamas. She looked at him with huge eyes, hands clutching a teddy to her chest.

"Shouldn't you be in bed?"

"I can't sleep," Roxy mumbled, lowering her gaze guiltily.

Setting aside the book he had on his lap, James drew his pyjama clad legs up onto the couch. Smiling warmly, he patted the spot beside him. "Come here…"

Clearly relieved, Roxy padded across the carpet and climbed onto the couch. She snuggled into James' side and buried her face in the soft fabric of his navy blue jumper, letting his warmth comfort her. After draping a blanket over their bodies, James tucked one arm securely around her small frame and stroked her back lightly.

"What's got you worried, sweetheart? Is something the matter?" he asked, although he had a feeling he knew very well what kept her up. It was the very same reason he was still awake at this late hour, but he had no intention of telling her that.

The girl raised her head, worried blue eyes meeting his brown ones. "He promised he'd be back by now. And he always keeps his word."

Smiling weakly, James absently brushed a strand of blonde hair out of her face. "I'm sure he's fine." Liar. "He probably just got held up in traffic or something like that." He didn't believe his own words and– for a terrifying moment – was sure Roxy would see straight through him. But she had already nestled her head in his jumper again and missed the guilty look crossing his face.

The truth was he was sick with worry, waiting impatiently for the phone on the table to ring. And yet, wishing it wouldn't, afraid of the news it would bring. Percival had left almost a week ago on an undercover mission with Galahad – to accomplish what was said to be a fairly easy task – and had been scheduled to return at 5pm today. Everything had gone fine, until HQ had suddenly lost contact.

A huge explosion was the only thing Merlin had been able to capture by hacking into security cameras before those also went dark. No one knew if the two agents were injured or captured. Or worse, dead. But James didn't dare consider that possibility.

Roxy's voice interrupted his pondering, effectively keeping him from venturing down that trail of thought any further. "Can I stay up, please?"

James found himself agreeing without even trying to argue. He was quite sure there was no power on this earth that could resist those huge puppy eyes. Percy would certainly scold him if he found out. "If you want, yes."

She nodded firmly.

"Care for some hot chocolate?" Knowing full well Roxy wouldn't say no to that, James moved to get up even before she could answer. Sure enough, a smile stole its way onto her face and he quickly walked to the kitchen, his heart a tad bit lighter just by seeing the joy in her eyes.

A moment later, James came back, two steaming cups in hand. After passing one to Roxy he sat down again and straightened the blanket over their legs. Roxy took a careful sip, closing her eyes at the taste. Mirroring her, James brought his own cup to his lips and sighed joyfully.

"Feeling better?"

"A lot, yes," Roxy agreed, winding her free arm around James' to grasp his hand. "Love you."

He gave her hand an affectionate squeeze, careful not to cause her to spill her chocolate. "Love you, too."

They stayed like that for a while, silently sipping at their cups of chocolate. James wasn't quite sure who was comforting whom, but he was glad Roxy was there. Although still worried, it was indeed easier if one wasn't alone with their fears, and he found himself breathing a little lighter.

It was dark outside when Percival finally returned home from an extraordinarily long and exhausting mission. He and Galahad had looked into a terrorist group organization in Russia which was experimenting with a new type of explosives. They were about to depart when suddenly all hell broke loose.

They'd been forced to shoot their way out, lost all communication and barely managed to steal a plane. Their escape from the explosion tearing the building apart was managed only by sheer luck, the radar, and long distance communication getting destroyed due to the pressure wave. Trying to handle the damaged plane while making sure Galahad – who'd been injured quite badly – didn't pass out had been challenging and Percy would be lying if he said he'd been confident they wouldn't crash into the Alps.

But as fate would have it, they hadn't sunken in the Channel either, but had somehow landed at HQ instead. Morgana had met them in the plane hangar, immediately tending to Galahad and dragging Percival with her. After making sure Harry was stable and not bleeding out from the serious gun wound in his abdomen, she had turned to the dark haired knight.

Her observant eyes had closely inspected his body, frowning at the damage she found. She had tended to the cut on his forehead first and continued to stitch and bandage the gash on his leg. Percy had stepped over what he thought was a corpse—only to find out it wasn't when the man raised a knife and injured him. After administering painkillers for his two bruised ribs, Morgana had proceeded to lecture him on being careful in his current state. His head seemed fine, but one should be aware of the risks of a concussion. Even if it was just a mild one.

To his great relief, Morgana hadn't objected when Percy insisted on returning home, although she hadn't been very pleased either. The knowing look in her eyes had told him she knew exactly why he didn't want to stay at HQ any longer and Percy was more than grateful.

Careful not to make any noise in fear of waking up Roxy, Percy opened the door and stepped over the threshold. Everything was dark, leaving him to wonder where James was. He longed to finally be in his lover's arms again, to bury his head in his shoulder and forget the painful ache thrumming through his body. If someone was able to distract him now, it was the childish man with his jokes and wide grin that never seemed to disappear.

His craving for a cup of tea led him towards the kitchen, where he found dirty dishes in the sink and spaghetti leftovers. Although shaking his head at James uncleanliness and lack of persistence when it came to certain necessities, Percy couldn't help but picture him eating dinner with Roxy, both their faces smudged with tomato sauce. They had probably bet on who could put the most noodles on their fork and into their mouth, and Percy felt regret for not having been there.

As he leaned onto the counter, his hand came into contact with a powdery substance. Taking a closer look he realised it was chocolate powder and he felt a pang of guilt upon realising the implications. Of course they'd waited for him, and probably worried when Percy hadn't returned as planned. It had been far too late for Merlin to call James upon his return, leaving the other agent in the dark concerning Percival's well-being.

Tea forgotten, Percy hurried to the living room. And sure enough, James and Roxy were lying curled up on the sofa, buried under multiple blankets. James had slung one arm around Roxy – who was clutching her teddy in her arms – to keep her from falling off the couch. Percy couldn't help but smile at the awkward angle the other agent had sprawled out on the couch; it was noticeably too small to carry his tall frame. His eyes caught sight of a book lying on the table; next to it two empty cups. A faint snoring could be heard over the ticking of the clock on the mantle.

Percy watched his little family for a moment, feeling the tension leave his body to make way for exhaustion. Not willing to move, but too tired to stand upright any longer, he slowly crossed the distance to the couch. There was no way all three of them would fit the way it was now. However, sleeping alone upstairs or carrying Roxy into her bed wasn't something Percy felt ready for. He considered his options for a moment, before carefully collapsing the sofa bed while trying his hardest not to wake James or Roxy. His caution was partly unnecessary, because although James was an agent, not even a hundred horses could rouse the knight from his slumber.

Roxy, on the contrary, was disturbed by the movement. She sighed dreamily and opened her eyes a crack to peer at him through her eyelashes. A smile found its way to her lips.

"You're home…"

Carefully sliding a pillow under her head, Percy gave her a warm smile of his own. "Yes, I am. I promised, remember?"

She nodded, her eyes already drifting close again. He leaned forward to press a kiss to her forehead, before standing up to fetch another pillow and a second blanket. After removing his tie, socks and shirt and taking off his suit pants, Percy crawled under the blanket besides James.

To Percy's surprise, James had sensed his presence after all, and turned to him with a displeased groan.

"Your feet are freezing…" James mumbled, eyes still closed.

Grinning playfully, Percy pressed both his bare heels against James' thigh. "Aren't you happy to see me?"

James merely hummed in response and opened his eyes. The coldness against his legs was worth the sight of the blue eyes that met his, staring back at him lovingly. Smiling, James carefully reached out to take off Percy's glasses and laid them down on the table.

James then leaned in and whispered, "You have no idea," before closing the distance between their faces. Percy immediately sank into the kiss and pressed himself closer to James. They pulled apart after a few seconds, foreheads still touching.

"I'm glad you're home."

"So am I," Percy responded, feeling genuine relief for the first time since landing at HQ. It was here in the company of the two people he held most dear, that he realised what might have been lost and what consequences his failure to return would have had.

Lulled by James' breathing, Percy banned those thoughts from his mind and let sleep claim him instead. He'd already drifted off, when James mumbled something that vaguely sounded like "Love you, Percy," already half-asleep himself.

"Love you, too, James," was all Percy replied. And it was all that mattered.

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