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The Best Place

Making his way over to the bed Harry sat down and took off his footwear and socks, placing them out of the way before joining Eggsy in sitting on the bed with his back against the headboard. Reaching over Harry gave Daisy's downy head a stroke before asking Eggsy how he was doing. Talking about such things with Daisy right there wasn't ideal, but Harry didn't imagine she was going anywhere tonight and didn't want to leave the question unasked if Eggsy was troubled. The younger man needed all the sleep he could get. And had enough burdening his mind already.

"Was it really bad?"

"Unpleasant. But it could have been a great deal worse. And we can bury him in the morning on the estate. I'll help you."

"Thanks. Though I can do it. Probably. Never dug a grave before."

"I think we can figure it out."

"Ya don't have ta elp. Ya probably think it's stupid right? Cause he's just an animal."

Eggsy's gaze focus in on him with an intensity that said a polite lie would anger him more than Harry agreeing with him that he thought it silly to bury the wolf rather than just dispose of it in a sanitary manner.

"The wolf might not understand as much, but my human side does very well. Perhaps more than many would. You see the wolf's death as your fault. It was killed and treated abominably in death as a warning to you. That you would never ask anyone-animal or human-to die in your place is irrelevant. They didn't ask you, and they didn't have the honor or balls to attack you directly. Innocent blood has been shed in your place, and you can't apologize or make amends to the wolf or its family. All you can do is show respect for the dead and acknowledge the loss in the only way available to you. To show that you mourn the loss."

Showing how preceptive he could be, Eggsy's voice was soft as he stated that Harry was thinking of Eggsy's father.

"I am. Of course it's not remotely the same thing in some ways...but it's always a great deal harder to be the one that lives...then the one who dies in the place of others."

Eggsy gave him a little hip check. "I'm glad ya lived."

Sweet, but given that the alternative would have been Lee had lived and been a proper father to Eggsy...it only went so far.

A look from Eggsy said he knew what Harry was thinking, but was going to be nice about it-for now-and let him off the hook. Probably because of what he wanted to talk about next.

"It's only gonna get worse now, innit."

A statement, not a question, but Harry agreed that that was most likely the case, yes.

"I don't want people dying cause of me."

"That's not your choice to make. And it wouldn't be because of you. It would be because of a man who sees the world according to his own wants and needs. Who thinks of his people as disposable pawns a great deal of the time. Sacrifice, real sacrifice, is usually always demanded to right a great wrong. And in a way your presence might prevent more loss of life."

That caught Eggsy's attention. "How ya figure that?"

"Because it's one thing to act like a pompous, entitled arse, and another to spill blood this way. He's sending a very clear message here. 'Only my life, wants, and happiness matter'. And that is a sentiment no Alpha should ever hold."

A sound of frustration.

"I don't get why he's like this about me. I mean come on. It's not like anyone in your pack would want me as their Alpha. Least not the high-ranking ones."

"True. Everyone would agree on William King in a heartbeat. He'd be more than acceptable by all parties...but he won't go against his father and his father knows it. You're the best choice opposing sides have and he know that, too."

For a moment Eggsy looked like he wanted to argue with that, then apparently decided against it. Or, perhaps, decided not to voice what he was thinking. And why way that? Was Eggsy coming to view William as someone he could trust? A hero? Or had William said something to him? Was that why the other man had insisted on speaking to Eggsy in private?

Hard to believe. But not impossible. Interesting.

Harry's musing was derailed by Eggsy suddenly going very stiff beside him.

"My friends back at the estates, Mum and Daisy. They'd be the weak targets."

Thinking like a soldier now, Harry noted in approval.

"Your sister is safe here with your family. Your mother's out of the country and-"

"She ain't safe. She'd be the easiest death ta get away with. All they'd have ta do is sneak someone in, have im offer her a hit. She'd be in withdrawal, and she don't wanna quit. Easy ta make it look like an OD."

A very valid point. One they should have thought of.

Or perhaps Taron and Addison had thought about it and hoped that the woman would OD and that Eggsy would chalk it up to her drug habit and not because of him. Harry had very gotten much the vibe that Eggsy's uncles were very much like him in thinking that Eggsy and Daisy's lives would improve with the 'loss' of their mother. Though sadly Eggsy wouldn't see it that way...which was why Michelle had been sent to rehab instead of left to flounder.

"I'll speak to Taron about making sure she has personal security."

Eggsy nodded that he'd heard, but he didn't say anything else.

So Harry prompted him, saying Eggsy's name questioningly.

"Even if she lives...she ain't likely to get better. Or not for long, specially once she's got access to money. The only time she ever stayed mostly okay, it was more from lack of money than knowin it was killin her."

And money was something Eggsy would have quite a lot of in the near future. Something Michelle was aware of and possibly already plotting to get ahold of. Yes, his opinion of her couldn't get much lower.

"Well, if it helps...you and Daisy as a package deal only make you more attractive to me."

That earned him a real, bright smile. And a long, lingering kiss that had them both smiling like besotted idiots by the time they pulled back to grin at each other.

"Thanks, Harry. From both of us."

Gaze lowering to the still fast asleep Daisy, Harry reached over to stroke a hand over her wispy curls again.

"It's my pleasure."

And it absolutely was.

)

Getting up early the following morning Eggsy and Harry handed Daisy over to an already awake Taron, who informed them that he'd taken the body from the garage last night and had placed it by a tree near an area of ground that should be relatively easy to dig up. Or at least not as bad as other places, which was the best Taron could offer. He had never had cause to dig there deep enough for a grave, though he was more than willing to come along and help if they wanted it. Eggsy didn't like the idea of Daisy being out in the cold morning air though, or being around the body. They had this. So armed with shovels and Taron's directions, the two set off on their mission.

They walked in companionable silence, their strides synching up easily as they made their way across the dewy grass until they reached their destination.

"He wrapped im up in a fancy blanket." Eggsy said as he came to a stop, studying the body that was hidden from his view.

"Natural fibers. It will degrade along with the wolf's remains. We aren't much for putting our bodies in boxes. Most of us choose cremation or something like this when we go into the ground."

"Oh. Makes sense." A very telling pause. "I feel like an idiot for askin this...when was the last time ya used a shovel for somethin?"

"Honestly? I couldn't begin to tell you."

"Yeah. I figured."

Sighing, Eggsy lifted the shovel off his shoulder and then gripped it with both hands, looking from it to lawn and then back again. Another sigh, then-

"Let's do this."

After some discussion the two of them made slices in the ground to map out how much area they needed to shovel in order for the wolf's remains to fit. They'd eyeball the depth once that became an issue. Each taking a side-they'd hopefully meet in the middle-the two of them began to shovel. Or try to.

After about ten minutes of digging Eggsy stopped, set the shovel aside, and pulled out his phone.

"What are you doing?"

"Youtubing this."

Seriously? Harry knew that Eggsy's generation had an unnatural obsession with looking up how to do everything online rather than trying to apply common sense, but really...

Eggsy just shrugged. "I ain't never done this before. And the rate we're goin we'll be here till noon."

"It's not that bad."

Ignoring him, Eggsy instead cranked up the volume so that Harry could hear the instructions being given as well. Instructions that were not at all groundbreaking, by the way. Big surprise. Though he hadn't been using his weight as much as he could have to get the blade to go in deeper. But still-ridiculous.

After watching the video Eggsy went back to digging, taking a rather childish glee in jumping on the shovel blade to make it go in deeper. Which was adorable, yes, but also more cause for eye rolling in Harry opinion. Not that he said or did so.

Digging a hole, especially a big one was not easy-but oddly satisfying too. Part of it was the instant gratification of seeing the fruit of his labor, yes, but also just doing something together with Eggsy. Working with him as a team towards a common goal. It was so still and quiet out here, the scents of nature competing with the predominant smell of the earth they were turning. It soothed and satisfied.

Harry had also read somewhere that it generally took anywhere from four to ten hours to dig a human sized grave depending on the skill and endurance of the digger, but given that they were working as a team, weren't human, and the wolf they were burying wasn't human sized, it should take a couple hours.

Which proved to be about right.

But that was okay because they spent that time not just digging, but learning about the other. Eggsy had all sorts of questions, many of them requiring a great deal of explanation since a lot of Harry's favorite books, movies, and TV shows were before Eggsy's time. As were many of Eggsy's own favorites for that matter, only after Harry's time. Or still of his time, he was just unaware of them because he wasn't in his twenties and therefore his tastes were different.

Eggsy was willing to give Harry's top three movies a try-he hadn't seen any of them-and Harry agreed to do the same when it came to Eggsy's picks. And they would do the same for books-Eggsy very relieved that Harry was well versed in Harry Potter. That was apparently a deal breaker.

Ironically they were discussing the books towards the end of the digging, which led to Eggsy suddenly going still, a startled look of realization on his face.

"Eggsy?"

"I just thought...well this is like Dobby, ain't it?"

They'd been discussing favorite characters-he and Eggsy both shared a love of Dobby the House Elf-and Harry got what Eggsy was referring to immediately.

"Similar, yes." Or like Lupin, as he'd been the werewolf and murdered as well.

"Fucking sucks."

"It does."

A few minutes of silence.

"Do ya think he thinks this will scare me off? Or did he do it cause he figured I'd come at him like a total idiot and get myself killed in the process?"

"I would imagine he entertained both possibilities and found them both agreeable outcomes. But he likely thought the former, if I were laying odds. He wouldn't be able to comprehend you feeling grief or regret for the loss of an animal's death. If you were to attack King he'd think you were doing it to prove your manhood, not to avenge this poor creature."

"Ow does a bastard like that have a son like Uncle Will?"

"Genetics are a strange thing. His mother is a good, if weak woman, and both William's parents do genuinely love him."

Slipping back into silence, it was Harry's turn to break it a short time later in order to ask if Eggsy thought that the hole was deep enough. It looked about right to him.

After some discussion they decided just a bit more and it should be good.

They hadn't removed much more when their noses informed them that they were about to have company, both men turning to watch as Willam, Taron, and Daisy walked across the lawn towards them. Well the men walked. Daisy was carried, obviously. And Taron, they noted, had a small bouquet of mixed flowers in his free hand, which Harry was willing to guess had been stolen from one of the flower arrangements in the house. But it was the thought that counted.

"Almost done?" Taron called over once they were close enough that they wouldn't have to yell to be heard.

"Yeah. We think so. Ya got good timing."

"May I see the wolf before you transfer it into the ground?" William asked.

Eggsy thought it over, then nodded.

With Daisy Taron waited a respectful distance while William came over and crouched down beside the body, studying it for a moment before reaching out to carefully and gently tug an end so that he could unwrap it just enough to get a look at what had been done.

While also, Harry noted, angling his body so that there was no way Daisy could see what he saw.

William studied the body closely, not saying a word as he took it all in. Then he resecured the blanket and got to his feet, turning his attention to the hole they'd dug.

"I think that should be deep enough. Do you want help transferring the body?"

"Sure."

So Eggsy took the top, Harry the bottom, and William the middle as they carefully lifted up the wrapped bundle and placed it into the grave. Any one of them was strong enough to have done it on their own...but that wasn't the point.

Once the body was in its final resting place Taron came over with Daisy and passed over the flowers to Eggsy, who placed them on top of the blanket.

Knowing Eggsy as he did now, Harry asked him if he wanted to say a few words now, or wait until after they'd covered the wolf.

"Might as well cover im first. Come this far already."

"Why don't you two take a break and William and I will take care of that part. You can hold Daisy." Taron added, tilting Daisy side to side to make her laugh and burble happily.

"No point in you two getting dirty too." Harry pointed out.

"I'd make a joke about how getting dirty has never been a problem for me...but it's not really the time. And I can change afterwards."

"I would like to help too." William added, which was likely as close as he would get to admitting what they all knew, which was that the man's father was directly responsible for the animal's death.

Given that there were only two shovels, and Taron and William were serious about wanting to do this, Eggsy and Harry handed them over and Harry took Daisy, who was happy to see him.

Together they watched in silence as the dirt was shoveled onto the body and blanket, quickly covering the wrapped bundle from view. After it was completely covered Eggsy cleared his throat and moved to stand so that he was facing towards the grave length wise.

"So...I ain't never given a eulogy before. Not even for a pet. Mum wouldn't let me have one cause we couldn't afford one. And you weren't a pet and...and I'm sorry that you got dead. Sorry you was killed as a message ta me. I'd have stopped em if I could have, but I didn't know they'd do this. It was a right shitty thing ta do, and cowardly as fuck. I hope ya didn't suffer much...and once I got the money ta do it I'll give some of it ta a wildlife organization in your honor. Not PETA though, cause they're barking mad. And never leave ya alone if ya give em anythin. But yeah, I will give the money, swear down. And sorry...again."

Eggsy looked over at Harry. "Was that okay?"

"It was from the heart. That's what matters."

"I was lovely." Taron stated, putting in his two cents. "And we can most certainly make a donation in the wolf's honor. I support numerous charities that I can introduce you to."

"Yeah? That's be great."

"I'll make a donation as well." William didn't look at them as he made that statement.

Having moved over to stand at Eggsy's side Harry gave the younger man's shoulder a squeeze as he promised to make a donation too.

"So he didn't die for nothin after all then."

"He most certainly didn't." Harry assured him.

"Good."