01; My World
Gary Unwin, or Eggsy, as he liked to go by, doesn't have much in his life. From an early age, he was dealt a shitty hand and he was convinced if it wasn't for bad luck, he wouldn't have any luck at all. When he was a young boy, he unexpectedly lost his father, forcing him to step up to be the man of the house and take care of his grieving mother.
It wasn't always easy- actually if he was being honest, it was never easy. He never knew what he was supposed to be doing, but he was doing his best and he thought they could make it on their own; apparently, his mother thought differently when she brought home a man named Dean one day who had promised to take care of her.
Unfortunately, his idea of care was controlling them and raising his fist if they disagreed. The only good thing to come out of their marriage was the birth of his half-sister, who he loved dearly and would do anything to protect her.
Standing in the middle of his small bedroom, he glanced around to take in the posters on the wall and few basic pieces of furniture; a twin bed against one wall with a striped comforter that was a little too short for him and a set of thin sheets stretched over a lumpy mattress.
Beside the bed was a small table on wobbly legs that held an old picture of his father, a lamp and an alarm clock. The table was so old, he had no doubt if he ever slammed his hand down on the clock to stop it from ringing, the weak table would crumble to the floor.
On the other side of the room was a two-door wardrobe that held the few shirts and jeans he owned. He could have sworn at one point the cupboard was a dark wood color, but now it was so faded he wondered if maybe he just imagined it. He also had an old desk and a computer that was mostly for show now since he didn't use it much anymore.
Walking toward that side of the room, he walked past the cupboard and came to a stop in front of a full-length mirror. He avoided looking at himself for a moment and instead ran his gaze over the books and knickknacks cluttering the shelves of the bookcase beside the mirror.
When his eyes landed on a small matchbox car, a small smile tugged at his lips as he reached out to grab the red sports car with his best friend, Taylor, on his mind.
She had given him the toy years ago- it was actually the first thing she had ever given him and even though it was basically a joke, he kept it. Any time he looked at it, he could remember everything that led up to her giving it to him.
The two had only just started hanging out and he had accidentally overheard her singing along to one of her favorite songs in her bedroom one afternoon before she slammed the door in his face.
After the initial embarrassment wore off, she slowly opened the door and peeked her head out, expecting him to laugh or make fun of her, but instead, he was impressed and supportive- telling her she had a beautiful voice and would make millions off of that voice one day. He made her promise she would buy him a sports car since he was the first one to discover her. She laughed and promised she would, then a week later gave him the toy car as a stand-in until she could buy him the real thing.
A soft chuckle escaped as he placed the toy back on the shelf and his eyes scanned over all the other knickknacks and trinkets she had given him over the past five years of their friendship; everything was either some kind of inside joke between the two or had some kind of special meaning for them.
This small part of his room was his favorite, it was basically a Taylor corner- a place he could stand and think of some of the best moments of his life.
The only thing he didn't have on the shelves were pictures of his best friend- those he kept on his phone, which he always kept on him. He had a bad habit of snapping a picture when she was looking away or not paying attention to him, but as soon as she caught him, she would scoff and slap his arm- demanding he delete it now. He would laugh and assure her he would, then always 'forget' to delete it later.
Those pictures were always his favorite of her, but he kept 'em to himself, not wanting to chance his stepfather or one of his thugs to come across 'em. She was one of the rare good things in his life and he wanted to keep her separate from his home life.
Pushing Taylor from his mind, he turned toward the mirror, finally looking at his reflection. Right away his eyes went down to the medal around his neck- his most prized possession.
He still remembered the day seventeen years ago when an unfamiliar man arrived at their house to tell them that his father was never coming home again. The man gave him the medal and told him to take care of it. He didn't know why, but he knew it was something important and that he should listen to the man.
He had overheard the man tell his mother that there was a number on the back they could call if they ever needed a favor. There were many times in his life that he was tempted to call the number to ask for a favor- to plead for someone to come save himself, his mother and baby sister, but he wasn't naïve enough to think someone was gonna swoop in and save them all, it was all up to him somehow.
In the beginning, he tried to help his family in an honest way; first, with scoring high in school and gymnastics- his coach was even talking about the Olympics, but he had to give that up thanks to his asshole of a stepdad. With nowhere else to turn, he turned to drugs and petty crime for a while, then with Taylor's encouragement, he joined the Royal Marines.
He tried to turn his life around- he wanted to make Taylor and his mother proud, but the latter couldn't handle it. She went mental, convinced she was gonna lose her son like her husband, so he dropped out and returned home- meaning he returned to the life he knew the best; the life of crime.
Hearing his mother calling him from the sitting room, he was pulled out of his thoughts and tucked the medal under his shirt to keep it well hidden and protected. Turning away from the mirror, he went to the bedroom door and let out a heavy sigh before walking out of it.
He had a feeling Dean and at least one of his thugs were in the other room just like always. He wished he could have just stayed in his room or sneak out the door, but he had to see what his mother needed first. He might not always agree with her life choices, but he vowed a long time ago to always be there for her and to take care of her.
Coming to a stop in the room, he slipped his hands into his jacket pocket as he waited to see what his mother, Michelle, wanted.
"Got any rizla, babe?" Michelle asked.
"No," he simply stated, trying to avoid even looking at the others in the room. Maybe if he could pretend they weren't there he could keep his temper in check, but that plan was shot to hell once Dean opened his mouth.
"Why don't you do your mum a favor, go down to the shop and get some."
"Get 'em yourself," Eggsy popped off.
"Oi. What have I said to you about speaking to Dean like that?" Michelle questioned her son with a sigh. She was tired from constantly keeping the two from fighting, she hated when Dean yelled at her son or laid a hand on him, but she knew she wasn't strong enough to stop him. Her only option was to try to keep Eggsy from pissing Dean off- something he was good at.
"Three's a crowd, innit?" Eggsy scoffed as he finally glanced over at the other man in the room- one of Dean's friends. Looking back over at Dean and Michelle, he added, "Why don't Dean's poodle go?"
"I'll tell you what," Dean began to say as he pulled money out of his pocket. He held it out to Eggsy and added, "Why don't you take this, go and get some rizlas, get yourself some sweets? And while you're gone, we'll show your mother how three can be good company."
Eggsy balled his fists inside his jacket pockets, wishing he could punch the smirk off of Dean's face, but he knew it would just make things worse. Instead, he reluctantly stepped forward to grab the money from Dean's hand and shoved it into his pocket as his mother thanked him.
Seeing Dean begin to kiss his mother, he turned his head then heard his baby sister start to cry. He walked over to the playpen she was in, then bent down to grab the dummy that had fallen out of her mouth and placed it back where it belonged. He quietly spoke to her, flashing her a genuine smile, then stood up and glanced back over at his mother when she let out a giggle, causing him to roll his eyes before he turned and left the flat.
•••
After leaving the shop, he swung back by the flat to an empty room. His sister was now sleeping in the playpen and between the hushed voices and closed door of his mother's room he had a pretty good idea what was going on in there- which was only confirmed when he heard the unmistakable sound of a bed squeaking, causing him to be sick to his stomach. He quickly turned and left again, heading for the local pub, knowing a couple of his friends would be there.
He had just crossed the street, putting as much distance as he could between himself and the building when he heard a familiar voice call out his name- one he hadn't expected to hear so soon, and one that never failed to put a smile on his face no matter the situation.
With a grin in place, he spun around and saw Taylor glance both ways before crossing the dark road. He could hear the sound of her ankle boots hitting the pavement before catching a glimpse of her from the light of the lamp post as she picked up the pace to catch up to him.
Feeling a slight breeze, he saw her wrap the jacket she had on tighter around her- a jacket he quickly recognized as his own that she borrowed the last time she was home, but never gave back.
He chuckled and shook his head as he imagined all of the clothes of his she probably still owned. In the years they had been friends, she had borrowed a lot from him; hats, shirts, jumpers and jackets, even his thick, heavy socks when she was cold. He figured it was mostly his fault to begin with since it was his idea the first time she wore something of his years ago. His way of hoping she would be more accepted at school and it would stop the bullying.
After she moved to London with her mother after her father's death, she didn't make friends fast. Being the new girl at school, who was a bit on the nerdy side complete with glasses and an American accent, she was picked on often, something he couldn't just stand by and watch happen.
One day, after seeing a group of mean girls pushing her around and taunting her with crude names, he rushed over to them when one of the girls knocked Taylor's books out of her hands. They landed on the floor with a loud thud, calling attention to all the other students standing around who watched in silence as he came to a stop beside Taylor and told the group of girls to fuck off. They all shot a look at Taylor, promising her they would deal with her later before they shuffled down the hall.
Taylor had turned her head to the side to look at him with a surprised look- her brown eyes wide as she silently watched him bent down to pick up her books. He flashed her his famous smirk before asking if she was okay. She nodded her head, not trusting her voice to speak, then held out her hands for her books, but was even more surprised when he held onto the books and offered to walk her to class just in case.
"You-You don't have to," she said, her voice barely above a whisper.
"S'okay." He shrugged. "Got nothing better to do."
"Thanks," she said, her voice sounding a little stronger as she began to slowly walk down the hallway.
"On one condition..." he suddenly said before he turned to face her, taking a step backward for every step forward she took.
Her steps faltered, fear shot through her as she worried what he wanted in return. "Do you- I could help you study," she offered the only thing she could think of to pay him back.
"I have all A's," he said back, the cocky smirk back on his face.
"Oh," she breathed out, her heart racing in her chest.
Her eyes traveled down his body and back up as her mouth went dry. It's not that he was bad looking- she had no problem admitting to herself that he was cute, but she had no doubt she wasn't the type he normally went for. She knew that because she was the type no boy went for. She was fifteen and had never been kissed or even on a date. She was convinced she would die a virgin- which most days she told herself she was okay with since she wasn't the type of girl to just give that away anyways.
A chuckle escaped his lips as he read the expression on her face. With a shake of the head, he said, "Not that, dirty bird."
"I-I wasn't...that's not-" she stuttered, her face turning beet red, which only caused him to laugh harder.
"All I wanted was a name, luv."
"Oh," she said, dropping her head and squeezing her eyes shut, feeling even more embarrassed. She suddenly wished the floor would open and swallow her whole, but once she realized her prayers were not gonna be answered and he was still standing in front of her waiting for an answer, she tilted her head up to look at him before adding, "It's Taylor."
"Eggsy," he said, motioning to himself. He held out his arm for her to take and added, "Now, let's get you to class, Taylor."
That day started a tradition with them as he began to walk her to class every day and even walking her home after she mentioned to him that the group of mean girls followed her home one day and threw rocks at her back the whole time. As the rest of the year went on, the two only became closer- she quickly became the third most important girl to him with his mother and baby sister also being on that list. The two were inseparable until they graduated and she went off to a nearby university.
The last thing either one wanted to do was leave the other; the two had been a constant in each other's lives the last few years, and even though she was going to be less than an hour away, that was still further away than they were used to.
He could still remember the day she left, she stood in front of him slightly shaking from the silent tears falling down her face. When she had dropped her head, he stepped closer to her and laid his hands on either side of her face. Feeling the moisture on her face caused his own eyes to water.
Knowing she needed that extra push, he lifted her head and rested his forehead against hers as he reminded her this wasn't the end- she was still his best girl and she always would be. He promised her they would keep in touch while she was at university and he went into the Royal Marines.
His stint in the Royal Marines didn't last as long as he planned, but he at least kept his promise to her for the most part. He didn't call her as much as he wanted since he didn't want to hold her back from all the new experiences she would be facing. He always felt like he wasn't good enough to be in her life anyway, so the last thing he wanted to do was ruin this for her. He could never just cut her out of his life though because there was a small selfish part of him that needed what her presence offered- she was good, she was pure and she was light; all things he wasn't.
With the way his night was heading, he definitely needed that now- which was why he didn't wait for her to reach him and began to walk toward her to wrap his arms around her. Instantly he felt all those shitty thoughts temporary leaving his mind; for the moment he didn't think about his shitty home life and how he constantly worried about his mother and sister or think about all the ways he wished he could get back at Dean for all the abuse they had to endure daily- for this short moment with her in his arms, everything felt right.
He squeezed her tight, letting out a grunt as he lifted her off the ground, then placed her feet back on the ground. He took in a deep breath and could almost swear even the air was suddenly different when she was around.
"When'd you get in?" Eggsy questioned while he took a small step back to take her all in.
It always boggled his mind how much she had changed, yet stayed the same, in the last few years since school ended. Her hair was longer and a lighter blonde shade, her glasses were traded for contacts and she had picked up better fashion senses, but that sweet girl who made him feel things he had never felt before was still there- even if those feelings were locked tightly away since he couldn't tell her how he really felt.
"About an hour ago." With a laugh, she added, "I hung out with mom for a bit, but she could see it on my face, and told me to come see you."
He nodded his head, a chuckle escaping his lips at her words. Her mother, Kate, wasn't stupid, she knew how important the two young adults were to each other and she was supportive of it- something that took him some time to get used to since he wasn't used to parents accepting him. He was forever grateful for the times Kate invited him to stay for dinner or just hang out when he needed to escape the most.
"You up for going down to the pub?" he asked as he nodded in the direction of the place he was headed to. "Ryan and Jamal are waiting."
When he saw her scrunch up her face and open her mouth, he quickly cut her off, "I know you're not a fan of 'em, but it ain't that bad." As she debated the offer, he stepped forward to stand beside her and bump his shoulder against hers. "Come on, I'll buy you a pint and you can tell me about uni."
"Fine," she groaned- like she had just made the most difficult decision of her life.
Turning her head to look at him, she released a chuckle to let him know she was just joking around. He playfully rolled his eyes and laughed along with her until he noticed a slight discoloring under her eye.
"Hold it, what's that?" he asked as he grabbed her chin and turned her head back toward him when she had turned away from him.
"It's nothing," Taylor said, pulling her face away and turning her back toward him.
"It's not nothing. It's a bruise, innit?" Eggsy stated as he grabbed her arm and turned her back to face him. Grabbing her chin again, he tilted her head side to side to get a closer look at it under the light from the lamp post.
When she gave him a small nod, answering his question from before, he added, "How did it get there then?"
"It's really nothing, Eggsy. I just tripped on the way to class recently," she lied.
"Fuck, Tay," he swore, his anger overtaking him. He wasn't stupid, after seeing his stepdad hit his mother more than once through the years, as well as himself- he knew what kind of bruise it really was.
"Don't get like this, Unwin," she said, folding her arms across her chest and shooting him a warning. The last thing she wanted to do was fight with him; she had always hated fighting with him, but somehow that didn't stop them from arguing on and off through the years. She was never shy about calling him out on something and he was usually too stubborn to back down.
He knew she meant business and wanted the subject dropped when she used his last name; just like he knew he should take the hint and let it go, but he couldn't do that.
Ignoring the look she gave him, he questioned, "Who was it?"
"Eggsy-"
"Who was it?" he cut her off to ask again.
"It really doesn't matter anymore." Motioning toward her eye, she added, "After this, it was over. The end."
He saw her wrap her arms around herself and if he had to guess it was more for protection than anger this time. Her anger might be going away, but his anger was still very present, it was so distracting he barely heard her soft tone when she mentioned she told the guy to never contact her again.
He was glad to hear that she stood up for herself, but that wasn't enough for him- he needed to do something and the jerk that laid a hand on her needed to pay for that.
"Give me a name, Tay," he demanded. "I'm gonna smash his face in."
"No, you're not," she said back with a shake of the head.
"The hell I'm not-"
"No!" she cut him off. "Eggsy, you're already walking a fine line right now because of your 'extracurricular activities'."
"Is that how it is then?" he asked angrily. He didn't mean to snap at her, but he was too pissed off to stop himself. "You come here to judge me 'cause I didn't get to attend a fancy uni like you?"
"No, of course not!" she snapped back. "Damn it, Eggsy, you know I would never do that. But, I also know you and, god, you're so smart, you could have went a different route-"
"No, I can't and you know why!" he interrupted. "I couldn't just leave my mum. You know how bad she got when I left for the Marines-"
"I know, you're right. You're right," she called out as she threw up her hands in surrender. This was exactly why she didn't want to tell him about the bruise to begin with because she knew it would turn into an argument.
Blowing out a breath, her tone was honest as she said, "You're right, I'm sorry. I just want more for you, Eggsy. You deserve the world."
"I have you, Tay," he said, causing her to smile. Reaching out to playfully tap her nose, he added, "That's all I need in my world."
"Then that's a pretty sad world," she said back, only half joking.
"Not to me," he said with a short shake of the head.
Eggsy might not have much in his life, but he had Taylor- the one thing he knew he could always count on because she would always be there. She was his world.
•••
A/N; For anyone who hasn't read one of my stories before, I kinda follow along with the canon storyline, but things might get changed at times to fit the ideas I have planned. I also try to keep canon characters in character as best as I can, but again, things might change at times to fit my ideas.
You can follow me on tumblr (missecharlotte) for edits, videos and anything else made to go along with this story.
Thank you to anyone who read this chapter, I'll get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Also big thanks to my bestie, Sage Londyn, for the story cover, I love it!
Happy reading!
xx