"You're going to kill me," Harry grumbled as Eggsy slid under the sheets, wrapping his arms around Harry's waist and pulling him close. It had only been an half hour since the shower and he could feel Eggsy pressed tight against his back, firm and ready to go again.

"Tired you out already?" Eggsy asked, sounding surprised.

"Did you forget that I spent the whole day in physical therapy, and the last month recovering from this?" Harry rolled onto his back and motioned to his head. Eggsy looked suddenly abashed.

"Ahh, well yeah. I did...for a bit," Eggsy muttered, cheeks flushing as he pulled his hips back, giving Harry some space.

"As did I, which I am grateful for. I don't get many opportunities to get it off my mind," Harry ran a hand through Eggsy's damp hair to try to soothe the boy's embarrassment away. "Just give me a little more time Eggsy."

"As much as you need, promise," Eggsy leaned into the touch on his head and smiled softly, blue eyes sliding closed as he nestled his head into Harry's shoulder.

He might kill me anyway, looking like that.

It was still hard for him to believe that things had progressed this far, even with Eggsy clean and smelling of his soap, tucked up close against him, swimming in Harry's oversized night clothes. Harry wasn't sure what entity he had pleased to get this lucky, but he was grateful. He had tried (although he hadn't succeeded very well) to keep his distance from Eggsy while he was still a recruit. He was twice Eggsy's age, and it wasn't proper to have the thoughts that raced through his mind. When he had left for Kentucky he had been cross, but he had also been disappointed. Not so much disappointed that Eggsy wouldn't be a Kingsman, but disappointed that he wouldn't have an excuse to be near him anymore.

Now everything had changed. Eggsy was a Kingsman after all. He could have his pick of anyone he wanted, and instead of choosing some young thing without age lines that had unlimited stamina (that wasn't recovering from severe brain trauma), he had chosen Harry. Defects, age, illness and all. Harry leaned down and placed a kiss on Eggsy's temple, overwhelmed by sudden gratefulness.

His mind went to the mission that Eggsy was assigned to. He hadn't ever heard Eggsy admit to being afraid of anything before, and that worried him. Of course, he didn't know the details, just that Eggsy was going to a Spanish speaking country and that he was one part of a larger plan. It wasn't something they did too often, working in teams. Most missions dealt with the discretion of one or maybe two agents. Big ones required more, but didn't happen as often. It seemed unconventional to send Eggsy on another big mission less than six months from his last one. Yet he wasn't Arthur, and he didn't get to make such calls. The North American branch probably did things a little different, which would explain why Delaware had done it this way. He made a mental note to try and ask her or Merlin about it tomorrow, if he got the chance.

Eggsy shifted a little next to him and Harry returned his gaze to Eggsy's face. He was breathing deeply, mouth slightly open, cheeks still a little flushed either from their earlier activities or the warmth from the shower. Affection swelled in his heart like a balloon and he found himself grinning like a loon. Eggsy was a beautiful sight when he slept, uninhibited by anything and relaxed in a way Harry was certain he had never been at that age. He was also a bit envious of Eggsy's ability to fall asleep so quickly. Years of seeing the things he had made sleep come a little less easier at night, although the recovery from his head wound and the added physical therapy helped keep him exhausted enough that it hadn't been a problem lately.

Harry fought against his own exhaustion in order hold onto the night a little longer, to relish the feeling of Eggsy pressed into his shoulder, and to bask in the afterglow from activities he had been deprived of for far too long. As these things usually go, however, he was unable to fight it for long and sleep finally won.

Eggsy woke up from a nightmare of rough hands, sour breath and a painful tightening in his stomach. He blinked awake quickly, heart pounding. There was a warm body pressed against his and he froze, momentarily forgetting where he was. He glanced back and promptly relaxed as he realized it was Harry. Still, his skin felt dirty and he didn't want to be in the bed any longer, regardless if it was just a dream or not. Eggsy slipped out from the bed as quietly and gently as he could, as to not disturb Harry. The man stirred a little, but with a reassuring touch to his arm, his stirring didn't turn into wakefulness. Eggsy slipped away, going down into the kitchen to get a drink.

He drank the water slowly as he tried not to remember the dream, or the impending mission. Failing horribly, his mind went over all the worst case scenarios. He paced around the kitchen, ignoring how cold his feet were on the tile. Eggsy glanced at his phone every few minutes until he made up his mind.

"Eggsy? What's wrong?" Roxy's voice was sluggish, but filled with alarm. He had woken her up.

"Sorry Rox, I didn't mean to wake you. Well, I mean, I knew you'd be asleep. This was dumb. I'll go, yeah?" He grimaced, wishing he hadn't called.

"Well I'm awake now, might as well tell me what's going on," she sighed and he smiled. He didn't deserve a friend that good to him.

"Just...a little worried about the mission. Not sure I'm the best to go through with this…" he trailed off thinking of his dream.

"Eggsy, you're a Kingsman. You're one of the only people that I'd trust to go through with this," her voice held only conviction and he loved her for it.

"Thanks Rox. Still doesn't mean I'm good for this one," Eggsy sighed.

"Why not?"

And there it was, the million dollar question. There were several ways he could answer her, with some off handed joke, a slight hint, or a brush off. He opted for the truth. She was kind enough to answer his call, he wouldn't spout bullshit at her.

"Cause I've been through this before. Bein' someone's play thing when it's the last thing in the world that you want," the words spilled out quickly and he held his breath waiting for her answer.

"How old were you?"

"Fourteen. Old enough to know what was going on, but young enough to be unable to fight back," he spat, disgusted with himself.

"Your step-dad?" she asked, razor sharp even half asleep.

"Yeah. Bloody tosser," Eggsy muttered.

"I'm sorry Eggsy. It's not easy to get past something like that," Roxy's voice oozed sympathy that he wasn't looking for.

"How would you know?" he snapped, suddenly irritated. He hated pity, and he certainly hadn't called her because he wanted pity.

"You had your step-dad. I had my uncle," Roxy's voice had gone from warm understanding to cold and sharp in an instance.

"Oh shit." Eggsy felt worse than he had in a long time.

"Yeah. It was shit," she agreed and he could hear her sigh on the other end. "It's shit, but it was the best thing that ever happened to me."

"You what?" he blanched, certain he had heard her wrong.

"That's when I decided that I wasn't going to let anyone take advantage of me again. I asked my mum if I could take self defense classes. I wouldn't tell her why I was so determined to take them. She knew something was up, just not what had happened. So she called my godfather Alexander for advice, since she knew that he had some training in that area. He took me out the next day for lunch and though I never told him why, he seemed to know. My uncle died of a heart attack three days later, the same day I was enrolled with one of the best self defense teachers in Britain."

"Jesus Rox," Eggsy breathed. "Did your godfather kill him?"

"No. Alexander is a sweetheart. Percival though, he's ruthless. He didn't want his godchild to live in fear anymore."

"Percival is your godfather? Shit." Eggsy was impressed.

"Mhmm. When I graduated top of my class he enrolled me in different classes. Boxing, fencing, karate, kick-boxing...anything to keep me active. It helped keep my mind off what had happened. You know what?" Roxy asked.

"What?"

"It didn't matter. I'm still just as afraid now as I was at twelve. I just know how to use that fear to my advantage and not let it paralyze me anymore. The fear keeps me sharp and keeps me fighting. You just have to hold onto that Eggsy. What happened to you, what happened to me...that doesn't control who we are or what we do. It isn't something that defines us as people. It's just something horrid that happened to us that we couldn't control. Now we know better, and we know how to handle it," her voice was steady and firm.

"So you're saying that since we've dealt with it before it'll be easier to deal with it again?" he asked.

"No. It'll be just as hard. Maybe harder. I don't know. I just know that we're stronger than that. We'll get through this mission Eggsy, and it will be horrible, but we'll do it because we're going to be saving people. People who aren't as strong as us. People who don't have a godfather who can save the day. People who can't stop this from happening to them. That's why we're going to do this mission, and why we're going to succeed." The ferocity in her voice would almost be scary if it hadn't been so heartfelt.

"You're right terrifying when you've set your mind on something Rox," he found himself grinning.

"Of course I am. I'm Percival's goddaughter, what did you expect?" he could hear the smile in her voice.

"Thanks Rox, for takin' my call. And talkin' me off the ledge."

"That's what friends are for. Now get the bloody hell out of your own head and concentrate on all the people you have to save, yeah?"

"Yeah. Night Roxy."

"It's morning, Eggsy," she sighed in exasperation.

"Morning Roxy," he smirked as she hung up on him.

Eggsy sat for a while longer in Harry's kitchen, thinking about what Roxy had said, what she had gone through, what he had gone through, and the upcoming mission. He finally decided that she was right, and he'd man up and get the job done. Those people were counting on him, and he wasn't going to let them down.

Mind made up he went back upstairs and slid into the bed next to Harry, grateful he didn't have to sleep alone with his thoughts and thankful that he had found someone who cared enough about him to let him share their bed. He moved close to Harry, arm around his waist from behind, enjoying the warmth and sense of security. Harry made a happy sound in the back of his throat and Eggsy kissed him on the shoulder, letting his worries and anxiety slip away as he closed his eyes and breathed in the scent of soap and rosewood.

Harry sat in his old hospital room waiting for Dr. Hannigan to return with his latest results on his health. A week had passed since he and Eggsy had slept together on his sofa, and it was a week before he would be deployed on his mission to Venezuela. They hadn't been able to spend as much time together as Harry wanted, between physical therapy, learning Spanish, his ever frequent headaches, Eggsy's mother and sister, and Merlin's sessions testing ARC and it's capabilities. Yet Eggsy made a point to always try and spend a little time each day with him. Usually he accompanied Harry to his appointments, but today he was with Merlin and Roxy going over another software upgrade and test for ARC. Merlin was trying to get as many functions working properly as he could before they were deployed.

Harry glanced up as the door opened. Dr. Hannigan walked in with his little clipboard of results and gave him a reassuring smile.

"You're progressing nicely Mr. Hart," Dr. Hannigan exclaimed as he took a seat to his right.

"I don't feel like I'm progressing much at all. I still have these blank spaces. Mostly words I can't remember. Early history, childhood is all but gone, schooling is a shadow. Will that ever come back?" Harry asked, trying to keep the frustration out of his voice.

"It might, or not. There is no telling. It might just take more time," Dr. Hannigan gave his usual bullshit answer and Harry resisted the urge to strangle him.

His checkups were as frequent as they were infuriating. He was always progressing nicely, and he never had any idea how things would turn out with his memories. The only real progress he that he could see was that walking was becoming easier, and his right side was slowly regaining its strength, catching up with his left side. He was at sixty percent capacity with his right side, and ninety with his left. The doctor assured him within the month that his left side would be fully healed, and his right side would be up to ninety percent. He would probably never reach full capacity on his right side again, but as long as he could get close, he'd count that a victory.

"How are the headaches? Any more migraines?" Dr. Hannigan asked.

"Thank god no. Just the small ones," Harry sighed.

The headaches were considered normal, and he was assured that they would fade away in time. As it stood now, he always had at least a faint headache at all times. Most days by lunch they were mind numbing, although he wasn't sure that wasn't just a side effect from the physical exertion. Sometimes medicine helped take the edge off. Sometimes it didn't.

The migraine that had hit him in the middle of the week, however, had been a different story. It had developed behind his left eye so rapidly that he barely made it to the toilet before he lost the contents of his stomach. He wasn't a stranger to migraines. He'd had a handful in his lifetime, but none had been like this. Throwing up had always eased the pain, but this time it hadn't. Blind spots started to appear in his vision and when he had glanced at the paperback on his shelf he found he couldn't read the words anymore. Fear had gripped him hard as he reached for the phone, wanting to call someone, but he couldn't remember how to access the numbers. Frustrated, in pain, and scared he stumbled into his bedroom, shut the curtains and crawled into bed.

Sleep was another remedy that usually fixed migraines, but it eluded him completely. The pain swept over him in waves, and more than once he thought that he simply had to be dying. There was no way that his head could hurt this badly and still be okay. He curled into himself, pulling a pillow over his head and just rode it out. If he had had the strength, he might have cried, but there was no room in his mind for anything but the pain.

The only saving grace was that Eggsy was gone for the night, babysitting his sister and having dinner after with his mother. He wouldn't have to see him in that state. Once, after a particularly sharp wave he had tried to curse, but the word stuck in his throat as it had when he had first woken up. The fear gripped him tighter then, and he had been certain that he had relapsed and wouldn't be able to speak or understand speech again.

The fear was unfounded. The pain finally receded enough, two hours in, that he was able to fall asleep at last. When he awoke there was a strange numb feeling in his head, but he could read the numbers on the clock, and the text message from Eggsy on his phone wishing him a good night. His first words after the event had been "Shit" first, and then "Thank christ" when he realized he could speak again and no lasting damage had been done. Well, except for the numb feeling in his head. That lasted three days until he felt vaguely normal again.

Dr. Hannigan had given him special medication for those occasions, after he spoke to him about it, but he hadn't had a chance to use it yet. He prayed he wouldn't have to. He had been tortured before in his line of work, and he thought that was rather mild compared to his migraine. He didn't really see how any medicine could possibly make a dent in pain that horrible. That didn't stop him from carrying the small pill bottle with him at all times, just in case.

"Thank you Doctor," Harry shook the man's hand.

"You know, you might be able to do away with the cane by the end of this week, if you're comfortable with it, that is," the doctor smiled, giving the first real good news he had heard in a while.

"I look forward to it," Harry replied honestly. He wasn't old enough to have to use a damned cane, and he resented the thing as much as he depended on it when he got tired towards the end of a harrowing PT session.

The doctor took his leave and Harry made his way to Merlin's office.

"Oh, Harry. Good, you're here. Lancelot and Excalibur are testing ARC's capabilities. Care to join me for an experiment?" Merlin asked as Harry entered the room.

"What type of experiment are you running them through now?" Harry asked.

"Statistical analysis of tactical decisions. ARC studies the situation and calculates the rate of success for our agents. So, if they get into a jam, ARC can help them find a way out with the best possible outcome," Merlin gushed, the light of discovery making his eyes bright and his face animated.

"Rather takes the skill out on our part doesn't it?" Harry asked, skeptical.

"ARC doesn't do the heavy lifting, and it's only a suggestion. He can't calculate all the risks and odds, but he can give them a benchmark. Plus, we won't be able to use it for this mission, too new, not tested enough, too many variables unaccounted for. I just wanted to give them something to do in between cramming for the languages they need to know. They need to let off a bit of steam," Merlin seemed disappointed that ARC wouldn't be used to it's fullest extent. Harry couldn't help but grin. Merlin had been working on Archimedes since he had been initiated into Kingsman. It was his pet project, something he worked on in his own time.

"I still wish you wouldn't call it a 'he'. It's a program Merlin," Harry chastised as Merlin clicked away on a separate tablet from the one he had in front of him.

"Oi, don't be rude. You'll hurt his feelings," Merlin gave him a wounded look and then passed him the tablet when he was done configuring it. Harry took a seat and clicked on the owl icon. The owl face lit up the whole screen and then it asked for his name. He entered his codename and the screen flashed bright.

"Welcome Galahad!" the cheerful text read. Beside his code name at the top of the screen was a small icon in the same style as the owl. It was a stag. He cast a glance at Merlin's screen. Merlin's icon was a falcon. On closer inspection he figured it out.

"A pigeon hawk...also known as a merlin. Really?"

"And a stag, also known as a hart for you. Yes really. ARC has a bit of a sense of humor that way," Merlin cast a devilish grin at him.

"You're telling me the program decided what icons to give us?" Harry scowled.

"I did give ARC basic decision making protocol. It only seems to manifest in situations like this. I didn't choose the owl icon. That was all ARC. He warmed to his name," Merlin beamed as if he was a proud parent.

"You've lost your mind," Harry grumbled as he selected Excalibur from the list of agents. Only Excalibur and Lancelot were selectable options.

He was rewarded with a video feed from Eggsy's point of view. The screen was filled with Roxy's fist. Thankfully the camera moved just in time to prevent the blow from striking. It was a little disorienting at first, but he fell into the rhythm a moment later. The motion stopped as Merlin spoke to them both.

"Alright you two, take a break for a moment. We're going to try something a little different. Roxy, I'll take point on your side. Eggsy, Harry's going to give it a go on your side.

"You can talk into the microphone. He can hear you," Merlin assured him as the two in the room below took a water break. Harry could easily see them from the window, but he could also see things from Eggsy's eyes. It was interesting, he'd give Merlin that.

Once the two below them had finished the water break, Merlin nodded to Harry and pushed a button. A count-down timer started in the room and the two took up stances once again.

"Anything you need me to look for?" Harry asked as he looked back at Merlin.

"Nope, just talk to him like you would if you had the glasses on. I need to see if ARC responds as well to your voice as he does to mine. He's used to me on this side. Not anyone else. Give it a go. Roxy, beat his ass," Merlin instructed as the light turned green. Harry had nearly missed it.

Eggsy leapt back from her kick and then took the opportunity to jump into the fray. The fought hard and ruthlessly, even though they were friends. No blows were pulled. Just two well trained fighters trying to land blows.

"Keep your shoulders back," Harry instructed as he watched Eggsy almost get knocked on his ass from leaning forward too far. He did have splendid recovery moves. Roxy's fighting style was mostly precision and speed, while Eggsy's was flexible and reactive. If she opened up, he was there to exploit it. If he couldn't exploit it, he found a way to get to a point where he could. Yet Roxy kept him in a constant state of movement. There was never much time to react or recover his stamina, she fought to kill. Both were sound tactics and Harry found himself more interested in watching than with instructing. He gave words of advice as he saw fit, but mostly he remained silent. Merlin wasn't very talkative either, just as absorbed.

It was over almost as fast as it had started. Eggsy had miscalculated Roxy's attack and her leg swept his knees out. He went down, landing on his back, but he kicked out as he did so. He caught her square in the stomach and she doubled over as the air rushed from her lungs.

"Oh shit, sorry Rox!" Eggsy fumbled, scrambling to his feet and going to her side. Harry grimaced at the following sound of Eggsy hitting the floor.

Roxy sat on his chest, pinning him down, breathing hard. Eggsy's concern had cost him the match. Harry almost smiled. It was a very Eggsy move. He never liked hurting the people he loved.

"Shit. Can't believe I fell for that," Eggsy smacked the mat beneath him and shook his head. Roxy laughed and helped him to his feet. They were both panting hard.

"Good work you two, I got what I needed. You're done for the night," Merlin concluded, then shut down his tablet. Harry did likewise.

"The program works well Merlin, the feed is clear and there isn't much delay. Is it going to work that well when it's not in the next room?" Harry asked.

"I am offended at your lack of trust in my abilities," Merlin leveled a look at him.

"Not when it comes to you and the daft owl I don't," Harry countered. Merlin gave him the finger and he chuckled. Eggsy and Roxy entered the room, both grinning. They looked much less stressed than they had earlier in the day, and he made a note to thank Merlin for helping them get through the week. When Merlin wasn't being such a little shit.

"See you tomorrow Merlin," Roxy called out, then gave a little wave to Harry and Eggsy before taking her leave.

"Night Roxy," Eggsy called after her, then looked at Harry as they too took their leave.

"How'd the appointment go?" Eggsy asked.

"About the same as usual. Not bad though, progress as usual," Harry reported.

"Good. Hey, uh, I have to make a run home tonight. Gotta babysit. I probably won't make it over after either. Sorry Harry, I know you wanted me over tonight," Eggsy looked miserable. Harry shook his head and swallowed his disappointment.

"You have a family, go be with them. I'm not going anywhere," Harry assured him.

"You sure?" Eggsy looked skeptical.

"Yes, go. Enjoy being with her at this age. They grow up fast."

"Thanks Harry," Eggsy grinned, losing the miserable look as Harry reassured him. "See you tomorrow then?"

"See you tomorrow," Harry agreed. Eggsy gave a small wave, and Harry could tell that he hated not being able to show any sort of affection while at the estate. Not that they couldn't. Harry was sure no one would say anything to him, but he didn't really want them talking about it to anyone else either. It was easier to just not indulge in public, so they hadn't.

He watched as Eggsy turned the corner and was gone.

"Have you slept with him yet?" Merlin's voice came from behind him and he jumped, irritated that he hadn't heard him coming.

"None of your bloody business," Harry replied, eyeing his friend.

"Oh, so you have. Good. I was beginning to think you'd never make a move," Merlin grinned.

"Was it that transparent?" Harry asked, bothered by the thought.

"No. I've just known you a long time Harry. I know what to look for. Well, that and the fact that your eyes turn into hearts when he walks into a room," Merlin teased.

Harry smacked him with the side of his cane, and decided that maybe he'd keep the cane a bit longer after all.