For all that we say we don't work in teams, we make a rather good one, wouldn't you say?
[ It's second nature by now, look at that. But the levity it short-lived when she gets to Percy's little studio, knocks for a long while before picking the lock. What she finds is evidence of a life interrupted, just like she did with Claire the first time the other woman vanished back up to stasis — a half-eaten meal, long since gone cold and stale.
She finds the gold brooch from Olympia on his bedside table but not Riptide. Her heart sinks all the same. Oh, Percy. ]
[ In truth, Eggsy has never worked alone, not since joining Kingsman. With Merlin in his ear and Roxy at his side, he may very well be an anomaly among spies. He forms connections easily and rarely breaks them, even when they fracture and fray.
Still, the latter half of Peggy's statement is true, and any correction to the former is classified. ]
fucking brilliant team, you mean
[ By the time her second message comes through, he and JB are wandering the stasis halls. A series of sharp barks warrants Eggsy's attention, but it's not Percy that JB has found — it's James. The little dog already piped up as they passed Merlin, and again when they crossed Bellamy. The stasis hall grows more depressing by the day, it seems.
[ Steve and the Howling Commandos, her colleagues at the SSR, the SOE agent who received her transmissions from occupied France. It's a myth that people in their profession work entirely alone. Their success so often depends on a greater network. But yes, that's classified.
Still, his comment earns a smile. As for the rest, she sits on the end of Percy's bed and waits, fiddling with the brooch in her free hand — he'd worn it on his necklace as a practicality, the protective enchantment on it more valuable than the benefits of being heralded a hero. Why leave it behind? ]
I've tried contacting him too, but nothing has gone through.
[ On her end, nothing more than a sharp, sad exhale and a tight fist around the brooch he left behind. What does she say? I'm sorry isn't quite right and neither is a glib All right, then. So after a few seconds: ]
[ Not long after, he is, with JB in tow. One knock on the door, a pause, and three rapid taps in quick succession to alert her to his entry, and he pushes the door open. ]
[ She's doing dishes when he comes in, glancing over her shoulder to greet him and JB with a quirk of her lips. ]
JB is more well-behaved than many of the men I served with. I'm not worried. [ She's left the bed for now, not sure if she should strip the sheets or simply straighten them with military precision. ] Hello, Eggsy.
[ He crosses the room slowly, taking in the half-lived-in state with cursory glances. Unfinished. It fits with Percy being in stasis for god knows how long.
After a long moment, he comes up beside her and kisses her on the cheek. ]
Hey, Peg.
[ If they hugged, he doesn't think that he'd hold it together, so he moves to dry and store the finished dishes instead. ]
[ She leans over to receive the greeting, a reflex by now but the gesture is never any less touching for it. He knows, by now, that she is not an overly affectionate sort of person — not because she doesn't feel like it, because God, does she feel too much and too deeply. But with their friendship and partnership coming up on nearly a year now, some things have been well earned.
Which is why she knows when to give him an out, here. ]
I'd give you a hug, [ says the woman who Does Not Hug as a rule, ] but I'd hate to get your things all wet. [ On the countertop by the sink is the golden brooch of Olympia and after a few moments, she inclines her head to it. ] I'm not sure what to do with that.
[ She doesn't think he ever used it; seems a waste of a good spell. ]
[ JB sits near Eggsy's feet, obedient for the moment.
At the excuse over forgoing a hug, he smiles to himself, attention focused on the plates. ]
You should hold onto it. [ said simply. ] 'Least for a little while.
[ not keep it, when there's still a chance of his return in some form, but Eggsy isn't foolish or even an optimist. Peggy should have it. She deserved one, in the first place, and she won't misuse it. ]
[ She huffs out a breath at that. So much for suggesting he take it after spending his own shield at the Institute. But she also knows he'd press the issue if she disagreed so she simply nods. (Percy hadn't been pleased to learn she didn't get one, either. Seems fitting.) ]
It will be perfectly safe with me. [ The jewellery box that holds a few trinkets, some less mundane than others. ] We'll give it a few days. I know the odds aren't ideal, [ she says, knowing full well they've both lost more than a few friends over the past few months, ] but we can hope.
[ JB barks in reply, moving from his spot to nip at her heels. ]
That's all we can do. [ helpless yet a teensy bit hopeful. ]
[ At Peggy's acquiescence, relief softens his features. He hadn't expected it to be this easy (entangled as it is in things that are unfailingly messy). ]
We broke in, the least we can do is make it a little nicer than how we found it.
[ That's not what breaking in usually entails as both of them are well aware, but the mood feels so heavy in the air, she's doing her best to lighten it. This is a hard one to swallow; but John had been harder. Peggy can bottle up what she can and take it out for self-examination later, but right now her priority is Eggsy.
Seems like he takes these sort of things harder than most. (She remembers how he shut her out after Henry DeVere left.) She doesn't think any less of him for it. In fact, she wishes she were as open, sometimes. But that wasn't the done thing in her time, in her position, in her place in society. ]
He doesn't have to know we were ever here. [ She smiles briefly, bumping her shoulder gently to his. Familiar, familial. ] Our speciality.
[ He feels like people disappear as soon as they begin to know him well. He told James what he was, and he was gone within the month. Because of her powers, Jean figured it out — and then she was gone.
Percy now, too.
People die. People leave. That's true on any planet. ]
Mm. [ A hum of acknowledgment. Her gesture even makes his mouth wrinkle, nearly a smile. He leans back against the counter, hands curled on the edge. ] Our specialty on good days.
[ On bad days, students see him tilting at robots. ]
[ She almost laughs, but it sounds more like an exhale. ]
Most of our days are good, [ she points out gently. ] And I daresay our little adventure went better than expected, given that we're still here.
[ They could have been hauled in by the Guard or Evras or Cree himself for calling attention to his hidden agenda. And yet they've somehow, miraculously, remained under the radar — and have done for months. She puts away the last utensil and wipes her hands on a dish towel, studying him quietly. While she's aware this is a promise that's unfair of her to make because she cannot possibly keep it. So much of this is beyond their control. But she reaches over to rest her hand over his on the countertop and says: ]
I'm still here. And I'm not going anywhere — not if I can help it.
[ His gaze flickers down to their hands and then back to her face. He can tell she's worried in some capacity — trying to comfort him more than deal with anything herself.
You can't help it, he wants to say, but of course Peggy knows that. And it's a childish retort, anyway. No one can help it, not here, not on Earth. Not any more than his father, Harry, or his friends among the refugees.
Ultimately, he shrugs. He'd been foolish enough to say something similar to Bellamy and receive it in return. I don't know what I'd without you. "Good thing you don't have to find out." On the contrary, Eggsy would find out soon enough. ]
Me either. [ It's a small comfort, but that's all he feels capable of offering.
For a spy, he prefers not to lie, so he shifts, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before he walks away, toward Percy's bedroom. Then, casually tossed over his shoulder — ] I should invest in a fake mustache.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
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is he under again?
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[ Rhetorical question, really. She's doing it. ]
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i'll give the stasis halls a check
just in case
[ but the unease in his stomach tells him that it isn't just in case. ]
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[ It's second nature by now, look at that. But the levity it short-lived when she gets to Percy's little studio, knocks for a long while before picking the lock. What she finds is evidence of a life interrupted, just like she did with Claire the first time the other woman vanished back up to stasis — a half-eaten meal, long since gone cold and stale.
She finds the gold brooch from Olympia on his bedside table but not Riptide. Her heart sinks all the same. Oh, Percy. ]
He isn't here.
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Still, the latter half of Peggy's statement is true, and any correction to the former is classified. ]
fucking brilliant team, you mean
[ By the time her second message comes through, he and JB are wandering the stasis halls. A series of sharp barks warrants Eggsy's attention, but it's not Percy that JB has found — it's James. The little dog already piped up as they passed Merlin, and again when they crossed Bellamy. The stasis hall grows more depressing by the day, it seems.
And Percy's not home. ]
haven't seen him up here yet
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Still, his comment earns a smile. As for the rest, she sits on the end of Percy's bed and waits, fiddling with the brooch in her free hand — he'd worn it on his necklace as a practicality, the protective enchantment on it more valuable than the benefits of being heralded a hero. Why leave it behind? ]
I've tried contacting him too, but nothing has gone through.
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is riptide in his flat?
[ 'Course he knows that Peggy found a way inside. She's thorough. ]
i'm still searching.
[ The halls are long and cold. ]
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[ And neither of them noticed. Not their fault, she knows, but the pang of guilt remains. ]
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found him.
[ Ghostly and suspended. Eggsy's curses echo across the stasis hall. ]
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Thank you for checking.
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[ You're welcome would feel wrong. ]
sometimes people wake up
[ not his people, though, and they're never the same when they do. ]
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Yes, that's true.
I suppose I should do a bit of washing up in here, in case he does.
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[ "need" said so she can easily dismiss him, if she wants. ]
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Yes, actually, if you wouldn't mind.
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[ Not long after, he is, with JB in tow. One knock on the door, a pause, and three rapid taps in quick succession to alert her to his entry, and he pushes the door open. ]
— and don't you make a mess, JB.
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JB is more well-behaved than many of the men I served with. I'm not worried. [ She's left the bed for now, not sure if she should strip the sheets or simply straighten them with military precision. ] Hello, Eggsy.
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After a long moment, he comes up beside her and kisses her on the cheek. ]
Hey, Peg.
[ If they hugged, he doesn't think that he'd hold it together, so he moves to dry and store the finished dishes instead. ]
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Which is why she knows when to give him an out, here. ]
I'd give you a hug, [ says the woman who Does Not Hug as a rule, ] but I'd hate to get your things all wet. [ On the countertop by the sink is the golden brooch of Olympia and after a few moments, she inclines her head to it. ] I'm not sure what to do with that.
[ She doesn't think he ever used it; seems a waste of a good spell. ]
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At the excuse over forgoing a hug, he smiles to himself, attention focused on the plates. ]
You should hold onto it. [ said simply. ] 'Least for a little while.
[ not keep it, when there's still a chance of his return in some form, but Eggsy isn't foolish or even an optimist. Peggy should have it. She deserved one, in the first place, and she won't misuse it. ]
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It will be perfectly safe with me. [ The jewellery box that holds a few trinkets, some less mundane than others. ] We'll give it a few days. I know the odds aren't ideal, [ she says, knowing full well they've both lost more than a few friends over the past few months, ] but we can hope.
Isn't that right, JB?
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That's all we can do. [ helpless yet a teensy bit hopeful. ]
[ At Peggy's acquiescence, relief softens his features. He hadn't expected it to be this easy (entangled as it is in things that are unfailingly messy). ]
He's lucky we ain't leaving shit to get moldy.
[ as if Eggsy hasn't done this before. ]
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[ That's not what breaking in usually entails as both of them are well aware, but the mood feels so heavy in the air, she's doing her best to lighten it. This is a hard one to swallow; but John had been harder. Peggy can bottle up what she can and take it out for self-examination later, but right now her priority is Eggsy.
Seems like he takes these sort of things harder than most. (She remembers how he shut her out after Henry DeVere left.) She doesn't think any less of him for it. In fact, she wishes she were as open, sometimes. But that wasn't the done thing in her time, in her position, in her place in society. ]
He doesn't have to know we were ever here. [ She smiles briefly, bumping her shoulder gently to his. Familiar, familial. ] Our speciality.
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Percy now, too.
People die. People leave. That's true on any planet. ]
Mm. [ A hum of acknowledgment. Her gesture even makes his mouth wrinkle, nearly a smile. He leans back against the counter, hands curled on the edge. ] Our specialty on good days.
[ On bad days, students see him tilting at robots. ]
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Most of our days are good, [ she points out gently. ] And I daresay our little adventure went better than expected, given that we're still here.
[ They could have been hauled in by the Guard or Evras or Cree himself for calling attention to his hidden agenda. And yet they've somehow, miraculously, remained under the radar — and have done for months. She puts away the last utensil and wipes her hands on a dish towel, studying him quietly. While she's aware this is a promise that's unfair of her to make because she cannot possibly keep it. So much of this is beyond their control. But she reaches over to rest her hand over his on the countertop and says: ]
I'm still here. And I'm not going anywhere — not if I can help it.
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You can't help it, he wants to say, but of course Peggy knows that. And it's a childish retort, anyway. No one can help it, not here, not on Earth. Not any more than his father, Harry, or his friends among the refugees.
Ultimately, he shrugs. He'd been foolish enough to say something similar to Bellamy and receive it in return. I don't know what I'd without you. "Good thing you don't have to find out." On the contrary, Eggsy would find out soon enough. ]
Me either. [ It's a small comfort, but that's all he feels capable of offering.
For a spy, he prefers not to lie, so he shifts, giving her hand a reassuring squeeze before he walks away, toward Percy's bedroom. Then, casually tossed over his shoulder — ] I should invest in a fake mustache.
[ jokes!! but also not. ]
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let me LIVE
CAW CAW
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