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Reasons To Say Thank You
Once Merlin had scooped up a laughing Daisy into his arms-and Mr. Fox too, of course-and headed upstairs with her Eggsy excused himself to go get dessert, leaving Harry and Percival behind to try and convince their stomachs that yes, they had enough room for the cheesecake. And would work out extensively the following day to make up for said stomach filling. Something Harry dryly informed Percival was his new norm now that Eggsy lived with him.
"I can see why. And would say it's worth it."
"And really I have you to thank for it. If you hadn't suggested that I take Eggsy in as well as Daisy, have him take care of her...it's a debt I can never repay you." It was only now occurring to him, and it should have earlier. "Thank you, Percival."
Harry could see that the truth and emotion behind his words had registered, Percival looking startled, then a tad flustered as he brushed it off, claiming that it had just been an idea. Harry had been the one willing to take the gamble in the first place.
"I wouldn't have thought to take it if you hadn't put the idea in my head." Harry pointed out, which Percival couldn't argue with as Harry was not that sort of 'wildly think outside the box' person. And they both knew it. "I thought you were crazy when you suggested it. But once you put the idea in my head I couldn't get it out-and believe me I did try. But if there was a chance it would work, if I could give her back her brother, I thought I owed it to Daisy to try and now here we are. I-the three of us-have a family now. Thanks to you."
"Thanks to im?" Eggsy asked inquisitively as he came back into the dining room, the cheesecake plated up already with the plates resting on the tray in his hands.
"Percival gave me the idea to ask you to be Daisy's nanny."
"I didn't know that. Thanks, Bruv. Big time. I'll make ya dinner any time ya want."
Eggsy shot Percival a dazzling smile as he set the tray down, stretching his arm across the table to hand over a plate to the agent.
Percival looked dazzled in return by Eggsy's smile, then blushed like a schoolboy. It was a rather adorable reaction, Harry mused. Especially given the persona Percival tended to adopt, particularly around attractive men and women.
Thankfully Percival had also seen, live and person, what Harry was capable of on numerous occasions when suitably provoked. And was neither suicidal nor the type to try poaching.
He would have hated to put the man on the disabled list for the rest of his life.
Taking the plate he was being offered Harry observed that it looked delicious, as usual.
"Well gotta keep ya hale and hearty, don't I?" Eggsy winked at him.
"Not sure cheesecake is the way to do that." Harry observed with a chuckle.
The sound Percival made as he sampled his cheesecake distracted them both from their teasing, Harry absently thinking to himself that it was going to make future Kingsmen meetings a tad awkward for him, at least for the next little while, that thanks to Eggsy he'd likely hear all of them make sex sounding noises due to the boy's food at some point.
It was a disturbing thought.
"Maybe wot Tequila said bout British cooking was right. You all act like my food is-wot's that word?" Related ta the gods somehow. Greek, maybe?"
Harry's lips twitched in amusement. "I believe the word you're looking for is ambrosia."
"Yeah! That! Plenty of people ate my food before and they don't act like your agents, Harry."
"You weren't such a happy little house elf then." Harry teased, unable to help himself.
"Harry."
"Right. Not little. Perfect." God, he hadn't flirted and teased so much in years. He'd forgotten how much fun it was. And stimulating.
Pity Percival was still in the room, Merlin upstairs with Daisy.
"I can give you two the room, if you'd like."
Glancing over at Percival, who was looking at them in definite amusement, Harry deliberately made himself sound as prim as possible as he stated that wasn't necessary. If Percival was amused by them, he wasn't feeling depressed.
Possibly also picking up on Percival's better mood, or just being the cocky twenty something that he was, Eggsy grinned wickedly as he stated that actually, yeah...Percival might want to keep his eyes on his cheesecake cause he'd just realized he ain't had the chance ta properly kiss Harry all 'welcome home' like.
Harry had a moment to be amused by the way Percival theatrically made a show of turning a little in his seat so he was looking away-then Eggsy was thoroughly snogging him and thinking about anything other than that would be sheer lunacy.
He also must look exceedingly well kissed by the time Eggsy turned him loose. Harry certainly felt that he had been as he watched Eggsy pull away with a very pleased smile on his red lips before retaking his own seat at the table.
Watching Eggsy spoon up and then wrap those lips around the dessert and his spoon should not be that erotic. Even if he was doing a lot slower than Harry judged necessary.
A sidelong glance in Percival's direction showed that the man's shoulders were shaking with laughter, though to his credit he wasn't saying a word as he continued to look in the opposite direction.
Apparently feeling Harry's eyes on him Percival spoke up. "The cheesecake and I saw nothing, Sir. On my word as a gentleman."
"Might as well get used ta it. I plan on kissing im plenty to make up for lost time."
He was onboard with that idea, Harry silently acknowledged.
Turning back in his seat Percival grinned at Eggsy. "Oh, I think I speak for all of Kingsman when I say we've been mentally preparing for quite a lot of...PDA where you two are concerned."
"Oh, really?" Harry wasn't sure how he felt about that.
"You've practically had hearts in your eyes for weeks now. Sir. We all knew it was coming."
Eggsy's face lit up. "He did?"
"I did not have hearts in my-not that I don't adore you, of course but-" Damn. Harry couldn't see a way of defending himself that wouldn't see him sleeping on the couch.
Well, no. But Eggsy would go back to his own bed and that was just as bad, though not so much for his back as the couch.
Thank God Percival came to his rescue. Sort of.
"Well maybe not hearts, but he talked about you constantly. Not to mention his sudden increase in gym time in the mornings, when he generally prefers to be a sloth before noon. We all thought he wanted to be fitter for you...though having had your cooking I can now guess that was part of it too."
"I'm never a sloth. They-do you have any idea how slow those bloody useless creatures are? And I'm also fairly sure I read somewhere that they have green algae growing in their hair. Their hair, Percival."
"Wait...they're so slow algae grows on em?" Eggsy looked shocked. Then pulled out his phone because of course he was going to look this up.
A minute or so later.
"Christ. He's right. There's piccies on Google and everythin. I knew they were lazy as fuck but still..."
"They're excellent swimmers." Percival randomly volunteered. "I've read that they can hold their breath for forty minutes or so."
"Yeah? Well at least they're good at somethin. How come they ain't extinct though? They can't be hard ta catch. Do they taste bad?"
Harry joined Percival in stating that he had no idea what sloth tasted like. And were in no hurry to find out. Eggsy agreed that that was fair. He wouldn't want to eat one either.
"The algae actually helps camouflage them, increasing their survival. The relationship between it and the green algae is a symbiotic one." Harry offered up as that bit of info popped into his brain. That and a couple other facts about then that he opted not to voice since they were still eating.
"Really the whole animal kingdom is fraught with 'what was evolution thinking'." Percival added. "Google random animal facts. And brace yourself."'
Eggsy smirked in Percival's direction and asked if he knew that koala fingerprints were so like humans that they'd been mistaken for such at crime scenes.
"As a matter of fact, I did. Did you know that all clownfish start off as male, the chosen few becoming female when they mature?"
"Serious?"
"Serious."
)
And so Harry spent the next twenty minutes or so learning quite a lot about weird animal facts, many of which he could have done without knowing, actually. It was mildly terrifying, as a matter of fact, just how many female insects killed the males they mated with right after sex. He'd known of the obvious ones, such as the praying mantis, but there were apparently quite a lot more where they came from. And don't even get him started on lobster courtship and how females went about showing their interest. Hard pass.
Naturally Eggsy was having fun using his phone to find weird facts to toss back at Percival, who apparently made a habit of looking up random animal facts when he was bored and had nothing better to do.
Apparently they needed to find more productive things for Percival to do with his time between missions. ASAP.
The trivia game was finally interrupted not by sanity returning, but by Merlin coming in to announce that 'Their little lass' was fast asleep and where, exactly, was the rest of the cheesecake.
"I'll get you some. Anyone else want more?"
Harry declined while Percival indicated he could probably find room for a bit more. Since Eggsy was offering.
"On it. Ya want any tea or anythin, Merlin? These two passed before."
"Just the cheesecake, Lad. Thanks."
Merlin watched Eggsy go and then raised a very inappropriate brow in Harry's direction. "He seems very happy."
"They were snogging while the cheesecake and I were otherwise occupied."
"That explains it."
Being an adult Harry did not roll his eyes. Though it was a very near thing as he changed the subject. "She went down all right for you?"
"Of course. The lass loves me most, you know."
"I believe Eggsy holds that exalted position."
"True. But I'm her second favorite."
"You are one of her favorite playmates." Harry agreed. While silently conveying that he thought Merlin could act as childish as a three-year-old at times. Particularly when visiting his home.
"She seem to be handling her lack of hair well. Not many women would." Percival observed, rejoining the conversation. And possibly trying to avoid more bickering.
"I'm fucking loving in now that I've gotten over the shock of it all." Eggsy announced as he came back into view. "The amount of time this is gonna save me...I hope she keeps it like this."
Surprised, Harry asked him why.
"Her curls are a right bitch ta control on a good day, Harry. Now she ain't got none. Bath time, hair drying, combing...it's gonna be a bloody snap now."
Trying to wrestle Daisy's curls into submission wasn't something he'd really had a hand in, but having curls of his own Harry could see the logic of what Eggsy was saying. And as long as Daisy and Eggsy were happy with Daisy's lack of hair Harry didn't really mind.
He'd gotten used to having a curly haired toddler. How much stranger could a toddler with very little hair be?
Having passed out the plates of cheesecake to their recipients Eggsy retook his seat and then turned to look in Harry's direction, Harry automatically turning as well to give Eggsy his full attention.
"Before I forget, the dishwasher's actin up. I was thinkin of havin Ryan check it out, since he's comin tomorrow ta put the finishin touches on Daisy's room anyway. His dad's a plumber, and taught im stuff. It's not his thing, but I figure he'd be cheaper than a professional. Or would ya rather I call whoever ya usually call? It's up ta ya. I won't be offended or nothin."
To buy himself some time Harry asked what was wrong with the washer.
"It ain't drainin well. Can't figure out why though. Nothin blockin anything that I can see."
That didn't sound that bad. And he had had the appliance for years now, so if Eggsy's friend were to break it beyond repair it would have been replaced in a few years anyway.
"If he doesn't mind, he's welcome to look. And we'll pay him, of course."
"Nah. He's a mate. Plus I'm feedin im."
Payment enough in anyone's books, Harry silently acknowledged. "Well I look forward to meeting him if he's still here when I get home."
The face Eggsy made did not bode well. And the other two men caught it too.
"You don't want them to meet?" Merlin asked, saying what they were all thinking.
"It's not that. It's just...well...he'll have a lot ta say bout Harry and I datin and all. Specially since I've been tellin im and Jamal for weeks now that we wasn't shagging."
"It's understandable that they would worry about you." Harry pointed out, trying to be as diplomatic as possible. Especially since it wasn't like he wasn't aware that he was older, a great deal wealthier, and was technically Eggsy employer. And had Daisy as leverage if he were the sort of vile bastard who would stoop that low.
"Invite them to dinner. Let them meet Harry." Percival suggested.
"Maybe after they freak out. If they say shit bout Harry I'm gonna have ta knock some sense into em."
"Or I could come home for lunch tomorrow and-"
THUMP. THUMP. THUMP. THUMP.
All heads turned in the direction of the noise coming from outside the room.
"Daisy." Harry, Merlin and Eggsy all said together, recognizing the sound of Daisy coming down the stairs on her bottom.
"Right. Everyone done? Hand over the plates so she don't see em."
Showing super agent speed the men all had their plates in Eggsy's hand in a snap, Eggsy quickly vacating the room with them before Daisy came toddling into the room, trying to rub at her eyes with the hand clutching Mr. Fox's tail, which wasn't working so well. In her other hand she was holding a folded piece of what looked like computer paper.
Having already gotten to his feet Harry started down the length of the table to meet her, the other men doing the same to peer across the table to see what she was up to.
Blinking owlishly as she looked around her, Daisy asked where Eggsy was.
"He's just putting something away in the kitchen. Is there a reason you're not in bed, Daisy?"
Daisy yawned, slowly nodded, and then waved the hand holding the paper.
"I forgots about it."
Well at least she had a reason for being up. And one that didn't involve cleaning up an unfortunate mess or crying. Bonus.
"Is that for Eggsy?"
Nod.
"Did you draw him a picture?"
Daisy shook her head no.
"Is it a note from daycare?"
Another nod.
"May I see it then?"
A pause to consider, then Daisy held it out to him to take.
Thanking her for entrusting him with the message Harry took the paper and unfolded it, turning it the right side up so that he could read the two paragraph notice from the daycare.
The just of the message was that the children were being given a week to put together a poster featuring photographs of their families, which they would then present to the rest of the class. A lovely idea, Harry mused, especially since the notice made it clear that people you considered your family could be included regardless of blood relation. Pets were also allowed.
"Well this sounds like quite a lot of fun to do." Harry told his sleepy ward. "I'll make sure that Eggsy sees it and I'd be happy to help you with it tomorrow, after work if you'd like."
"You're gonna elp me?" Daisy seemed stunned. But in a good way. Hopefully.
"If you want me to."
Daisy nodded so hard it was a wonder the poor girl didn't give herself whiplash.
"What's the lass got to do?" Merlin wanted to know. And just in time too, as Eggsy rejoined them.
"Daisy has to make a poster featuring pictures of people she considers family. It's due next Tuesday, Eggsy."
"Yeah? That don't sound too difficult. I've got plenty of piccies on my phone she can use. Or is she supposed ta draw them?" Eggsy's face made it clear that he questioned Daisy's ability to draw anything where it would be obvious who was who.
"Photographs."
"Right. Cheers, then."
"You can use the printer in my study by the way. There's paper-or whatever you call the paper that you can print photographs on so they look like real photos-in the cupboard with the regular paper. I can show you before we turn in tonight. I also told her I'd help her with the project tomorrow."
"Ya did? That'd be great."
The look Eggsy gave him had Harry going all warm and soft inside.
"Eggsy. Can we heat up Mr. Fox, peas?"
His gaze lowering to his sister, Eggsy smiled and held out a hand to her. "Sure we can. Let's go do that."
"Kay. Night night."
The men all echoed the sentiment, watching her go fondly.
