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Happy Birthday to my Country!
Stranger Things
After lunch the two of them headed back upstairs for a joint 'nap' in their bed together. It was the most enjoyable afternoon nap Harry could remember having in quite some time, no surprise. Sadly, they couldn't spend the whole afternoon in bed. Eggsy's phone went off eventually, reminding them that Daisy needed to be picked up soon from daycare. And heaven forbid they were remotely late, so together they got their clothes in order and then set off in the car to go and get her.
As Eggsy navigated the now very familiar route Harry suggested that once they had picked their girl up they could go out for ice cream, as there was a place near the daycare that was quite good. Or would that mess with the no dessert rule currently in effect?
Looking amused, Eggsy glanced over to smirk at him. "And deny myself ice cream? Nope."
Technically they did have ice cream at home, and it would certainly be a lot cheaper than what they'd pay shortly, but there was just something about ice cream from an ice cream parlor that made it all worth it. Until the brain freeze kicked in, anyway.
"But she's only getting a kiddie cone. No letting her sucker ya into more, get me?"
"Understood. You can have a double scoop though, if you want." Harry teased. "Seeing as we worked up an appetite earlier."
"Funny. And here I was thinkin my tongue had seen enough action for the day."
Fighting to keep a straight face Harry reminded Eggsy that practice did make perfect.
"Anythin in particular I should be workin on?"
"Not a bloody thing." Was Harry's truthful answer.
Laughing, Eggsy grinned over at Harry for a moment, then shaking his head turned his attention back to the traffic in front of them. "Thanks. Same."
Pleased with the compliment, Harry just smiled and leaned back to enjoy the rest of the ride to daycare.
Or that was the plan up until Eggsy teasingly asked whether Harry was going to get vanilla or chocolate, a poke at the fact that generally Harry preferred traditional flavors of ice cream rather than the more wild concoctions Eggsy was prone to trying.
"I did try and like your birthday cake ice cream as you'll recall."
"Yeah. But ya also said regular chocolate was better."
"Because it is."
Eggsy literally snorted at that.
"A gentleman does not snort."
"Oh really? I beg ta differ. Plenty of the posh come ta my neck of the woods ta snort plenty. Or send their lackies for it."
Rolling his eyes, Harry pointed out that that was not the sort of snorting he'd been referring to.
"Yeah, yeah."
"And what sort of ice cream are you getting?"
"Don't know. Will have to see wot they got, won't I. Specially if there's one you're making faces over like the last time we was there."
"Eggsy, I adore you. That being said, if you order Spaghetti and Cheese Flavored ice cream your mouth will not be going nowhere near my person for at least twenty-four hours." He was probably giving himself far too much credit, especially since Eggsy was a quick study when it came to what buttons to push, but it was the principle of the thing.
Just the thought of those flavors in ice cream made Harry's stomach revolt.
"I ain't mad, Harry. Didn't have it last time, now did I?"
"And I heartily suggest you repeat the order from before." Harry shot back, then retrieved his cellphone from his pocket to look something up.
"Wot ya doin?"
"Looking up what the most popular flavor of ice cream is." And if it was some disgusting favor Harry was prepared to lie through his teeth. The internet lied regularly and there was no way on this green earth that- "Hah. Vanilla is the most popular flavor. And plain chocolate is third, so there."
"Wot's the second one then?"
"Matcha, apparently. Which makes sense, given the population of the various Asian countries."
Eggsy sent him a blank look.
"Green tea ice cream, by another name."
After a moment to contemplate this Eggsy stated that he'd try it.
"It's quite good. Though not as good as vanilla. Or chocolate, no matter what the rest of the world thinks."
Laughing, Eggsy just shook his head and then changed the subject by asking how much ice cream was sold per year.
Harry tried to look that one up, but couldn't find the answer and told Eggsy he'd have to look it up later. The best he could do was a statistic that said the average person ate twenty galleons of ice cream a year.
"That can't be right. Seriously?"
"So sayeth the internet."
"Well that's just barking mad, that is. Think of the brain freeze alone, much less the stones you'd gain."
"Agreed."
)
The two of them enjoyed looking up and commenting on the various ice cream related trivia Google had to offer until they arrived at their destination. Unfortunately, the usual parking lot by the daycare was unusually full, necessitating that Eggsy keep driving and instead they wound up finding a spot at a nearby shop that apparently didn't mind people occasionally using their lot for other business. Or at least they hadn't complained yet, according Eggsy. This was not, it seemed, the first time he'd used it for this purpose.
Hoping for the best Harry exited the car with Eggsy and off they went, Harry taking Eggsy's hand in his just because. A move Eggsy appreciated, judging by the smile it earned him.
Enjoying the chance to stroll with his lover Harry's Kingsman training was still too ingrained for him not to keep a sharp eye out, especially after the earlier incident with the elf. Not that Harry expected a member of the Fae to appear and try and take them out to avoid paying restitution-that would be the height of stupidity. But still, it always paid to-
"Bugger."
"Harry?"
Silently asking the universe what he'd done to so thoroughly piss it off-because surely it couldn't be on his mother's side in all this-Harry glanced down at Eggsy and then subtly inclined his head in the direction he'd just been looking in.
"Do you see the attractive young man standing beside the bookshop across the street? Jeans with a black, short sleeved shirt. Coloring brown and brown, androgenous features and slender build."
"Yeah." Eggsy answered, his tone making it clear he could have done without the 'attractive' comment.
"If we were closer you'd see his very vacant expression." Harry dryly informed him. "If Lou ever has two brain cells grow in at once they'd both explode from the exertion."
Appeased by that Eggsy went back to smiling, smugly this time. "So his wheel's still turning but his hamster's dead?"
Filing that one away to use at a later date Harry assured him that not only that, but the hamster had been decomposing for a good sixty years at this point.
"He's a vampire, then."
"Quite. One of Samantha's, in fact. The three of them are." He'd scanned for the boy's keepers as soon as he'd spotted Lou standing by himself. The boy was a harmless idiot; there wasn't a mean bone in his body. That made him very unsuited to survive in the world of vampires. Ergo he required constant supervision as he was a favorite of Samantha's. "The two women about half a block up the street from him. One dark haired, the other dyed red. The one being hit on is Jenny, and the one hitting on the man hitting on her sister is Cora."
"A real family affair."
"Often the case with those two. And as per usual they're almost as bloody useless as Lou."
Making the same mental leap that Harry already had, Eggsy stated softly that they were awfully close to the daycare.
"Yes. So, while Jenny is off in her own little world and Cora is distracted, let's ask Lou what he's up to. Odds are he'll tell us."
Remembering from before Eggsy let go of Harry's hand so that it was free if needed. Though Eggsy immediately started cracking his knuckles with an expression on his face that didn't bode well for Lou, so that could factor in as well. Eggsy wouldn't stand much chance against a member of the Fae without training, but a human could go toe to toe with a vampire and win provided he knew what he was doing.
Lou wasn't a challenge on his best day.
Case in point the vampire didn't even notice them approach him, the boy's attention apparently fixed on...something. Something visible to only him because Harry could see nothing worth viewing himself. But that worked for him as Lou actually visibly jolted when Harry called his attention to him.
"Good afternoon, Lou. I trust you're well."
Blinking in confusion, Lou stared at Harry in that universal way that said he had absolutely no idea who Harry was.
Leaving him to struggle with that Harry asked him what had brought him to this part of London.
"We're looking for..." Lou trailed off as it apparently only then registered that rather than continue to stare at Harry in the hopes that his name would come to him, Lou might want to check out the danger Harry's companion might pose.
And bollocks. The way Lou was looking at Eggsy very strongly suggested that Eggsy was the person they were looking for. Or one of two, if they were also looking for Daisy.
"Really. And why exactly were you looking for Eggsy, Lou?"
"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh."
The sound of his name being called by female voices had Lou literally wilting in relief, the boy whirling around to wave desperately at the vampire sisters running over to save him from himself.
That Lou was so casually giving them his back without an ounce of concern was all the testament anyone needed as to the boy's intelligence. Or lack thereof.
Chancing a quick glance in Eggsy's direction, Harry was satisfied to see that Eggsy was thinking the same.
While Cora pulled Lou away from Harry with a hard yank Jenny got between them with a smile that couldn't have been more awkward and forced if Lou had planned it.
"Arthur. I hope Lou wasn't bothering you. How lovely to see you and your companion. Hello, I'm Jenny, and this is my sister Cora. You're Eggsy, yes?" It was said in a rush, the girl hardly pausing for breath. Not that a vampire needed to.
"Hello."
"Pleasure." Cora purred in Eggsy's direction, which was not surprising. The woman was as obsessed with getting a man as Greta Thunberg was with saving the environment. And had about as much luck, sadly. At least in Greta's case. Personally, Harry pitied every one of Cora's male victims. They never knew what they were getting into even before she started sucking the life out of them. Metaphorically and literally.
"And what are the three of you up to today?" Harry casually inquired.
Jenny's shoulder shrug was likely meant to seem casual and carefree. To Harry's eyes it looked more like a nervous jerk. "Nothing much. Just enjoying the unseasonably warm weather. You two?"
"We're on our way to pick up our ward, actually. After a rather trying afternoon thus far." And now Harry let a little of the predator show in his smile. "You see early today a member of the Fae decided that it would be a good idea to test whether or not I've lost my edge. Some people seem to think that now that I'm sitting behind a desk for Kingsman, I've forgotten all my training. Today House Fray learned differently, and is even now frantically trying to placate me so that I don't unleash my considerable wrath upon them."
"Fairies? Real ones? Did they have wings?" Lou wanted to know, a vampire wide eyed with childish excitement.
Harry actually hated to disappoint him by telling him no.
"I'm surprised a member of that family would be so foolish." Jenny stated, showing that she was indeed as close to the brains of her group as could be managed.
"As was I. It will take quite a lot on their part to mend fences. I'm planning for them to swear to come to my aid and make my enemy theirs should anyone else try something similar. Particularly when it comes to my lover and my ward."
"Fuck." Cora muttered under her breath.
"Quite. Do pass that along to anyone of your acquaintance who might also be thinking about crossing me in the near future. I'm sure you'd hate to lose them."
Lou nodded so hard and rapidly that it was a wonder the boy didn't give himself whiplash. Meanwhile the girls looked like they'd drank bad blood as they weakly agreed to do so, then announced that they really shouldn't keep the two of them any longer and really, where had the time gone. They really must be going themselves.
Saying their own goodbyes Harry joined Eggsy in watching the three of them all but run away, Lou in the middle to keep him from dawdling.
"Think they got the message?"
"I'll make sure word gets back to Samantha, just in case."
"Good idea. I wouldn't trust that lot ta look after a cactus."
"A cactus?"
Eggsy shrugged. "Well ya have ta have one hell of a black thumb ta kill one of them, don't cha?"
"True. Do you like cactuses?" Now that Harry thought about it, they didn't have many plants inside their home. Perhaps they should make more of an effort in that regard. And even he could manage a cactus, surely.
"Used to. Then a mate of mine, his sister kept one side her bed. She grabbed it instead of her alarm clock one morning. Rather put me off of em."
Grimacing at the thought, Harry agreed that yes, that did not sound pleasant at all.
"Ya thinkin we should maybe have some plants though, in the house?"
"Maybe next spring? It would be educational, one would imagine, for Daisy." Or at least Harry was vaguely aware that he'd read books and seen shows on the telly where children planting things was used as a teaching tool.
"She'd probably get a kick-oh bugger! We're gonna be late picking her up!"
Sharing alarmed expressions, Harry joined Eggsy in walking very quickly in the direction of the daycare.
Lord help them if they were late.
)
Luckily, they made it just in time, which meant that the ice cream was still a treat and not a bribe for being late and worrying her. Daisy, naturally, was thrilled at the idea of going to the shop and all but bounced with glee as she bragged to Danny and Jasper about where they were going. So it was no surprise, really, that the boy immediately rounded on his father and asked if they might not go for ice cream as well, puppy dog eyes used to maximum affect. And so their party of three became one of five as they all walked out together to get their cool treats.
Daisy and Danny were full of stories about their day as they walked ahead of the adults-turning back every once in a while to make sure the three adults were close and still giving them their full attention.
A boy in their class had had hiccups the entire day, which had amused them, and a girl named Clarissa had just joined their group and both Daisy and Danny were a little afraid of her. She was very, very bossy.
"Maybe she was just nervous, and came on a little strong." Harry suggested.
The look they gave him when they turned around strongly suggested that they disagreed.
Danny thankfully opted to change the subject by mentioning that his friend Fred's big sister had come to pick him up and had said Daisy looked like a little eleven. Did his dad know what she'd meant by that? Daisy wasn't a number. She was a flower.
"I'm a flower." Daisy agreed very solemnly.
"You are." Harry assured her at the same time that Jasper told them that Eleven was a character in a show.
"With really short hair like you." Eggsy added, for further explanation.
"She's like me?"
Jasper smiled down at her. "Well her hair is like yours. I don't think you can move things with your mind or get into fights with monsters a lot, do you?"
Big eyed, Daisy asked Eggsy and Harry if she had to fight monsters.
"No, Luv. You have only one job, and that is to help me take care of Harry so that he can keep all the monsters away from everyone else."
"And Mr. Merwin, Mr. Addy-son and Roxy, right?"
"Right."
"Ogay. I can do that."
Eggsy gave her a big thumbs up.
