Chapter Text
“Fuck!” Eggsy cries out as his back is literally slammed into his front door.
His complaint ends as quickly as it left his mouth, for it's swallowed by Merlin’s tongue brushing against his own while his shirt is being fisted. The keys to the flat drop onto the welcome mat because Eggsy would much rather be squeezing Merlin’s bum than holding them anyways.
A warm hand finds its way onto the bare skin of his waist, fingers digging in and pulling him closer. Standing on tiptoes, the young man pulls Merlin closer and sighs into the heated embrace, ignoring how the door knob is painfully pressing into the small of his back.
To be honest, he’s really surprised they’ve managed to keep their clothes on, much less back to the threshold of Eggsy’s flat.
“Merlin,” he groans once their mouths have disengaged and the aforementioned gentleman is now focusing his attention on Eggsy’s neck. He shudders against the scrape of teeth at the junction of his jaw, just over his pulse, and squeezes the arse in his hands. “We…we should get inside.”
“Hrm?” Merlin whispers against his skin before pulling back. His eyes are heavy-lidded and his lips swollen from making out, but fuck, it makes Eggsy want him even more.
He nods to the door. “You want to continue this inside?” he asks. “Don’t want someone catchin’ us and the doorknob is bruisin’ my back.”
“Shit!” Merlin exclaims, pulling Eggsy away from the door to glance at his back. “Sorry about that. Are you alright?”
Eggsy makes a face. “Just a bit tender,” he says. “Perhaps you can kiss it better, yeah?”
“I’ll do more than that,” the older man promises and kisses him on the mouth.
They perform a bodily shuffle that allows Eggsy to pick up his dropped keys and open the door to his flat. As soon as the lights are flicked on and everything is locked up, the two men are back to groping each other while trying to navigate their way to the young man’s bedroom.
“Fuckin’ finally,” he groans as he pulls Merlin inside and removes his jacket, dropping on the carpet. Running his hands up the older man’s arms, he makes a noise of appreciation. “Wanted you naked for ages!”
Merlin chuckles while he takes off his own shirt, followed by Eggsy’s jacket. “Why didn’t you say anything then?”
“Was tryn’a be a gentleman!” he exclaims as his sweater is pulled over his torso and head, and then tossed carelessly onto a growing pile of clothes. Eggsy catches the sound of Merlin snorting. “I was! Unlike you, you cocktease!”
His date pulls him by the loops of his trousers, staring down at Eggsy like he’s going to devour him. “You think I’m a tease now?” Merlin leers, fingers walking over the young man’s stomach towards the clasp of his belt and making damn sure they graze his growing bulge. An aborted whine escapes Eggsy’s lips. “Should probably go about changing that, don’t you agree?”
Eggsy wholeheartedly approves of this plan. In fact, he would tell the older man so if he wasn’t being backed into the bedroom door, thus shutting it with his body. As he goes to say something, Merlin’s lips and teeth are back on his mouth and having their dirty way with it. He moans into it, not even caring if he sounds like one of them porn stars, because fuck if Merlin’s mouth isn’t something to reckon with.
Their tongues bat against each other, igniting muffled curses and sharp breaths when both men aren’t exploring each other with their hands. Merlin’s fingers tweak one of Eggsy’s nipples, pinching and then running his thumb over the hardening nub.
A trail of wet, open-mouthed kisses follows and soon his nipple is immersed in slick heat while Merlin’s free hand presses lightly against Eggsy’s neck. His fingers graze the younger man’s bottom lip, becoming damp with his saliva as he moans.
“Fuck,” Eggsy breathes into Merlin’s palm. He darts his tongue over the network of lines and salty skin, tasting the other man. His teeth chafe against fingertips, igniting a moan when the hand at his throat tightens.
Merlin glances up at him. “You like that?” he asks, voice rough with arousal. His thumb brushes over the column of the young man’s larynx, watching as Eggsy’s skin pimples with goosebumps. “Kinky little shit.”
“Don’t act like it doesn’t make you hard,” he grouses, words slightly muffled by Merlin’s fingers. His eyes meet the older man’s and he smirks. “Haven’t you always wanted to throttle my neck?”
He watches Merlin snort into his chest. “I’d much prefer not to cause strangulation,” he explains, moving back up Eggsy’s body. “But perhaps a few nips would not go amiss?”
“No,” Eggsy sighs as he shuts his eyes when the sharp edge of Merlin’s nibble his sensitive skin. His belt is being loosened and undone, paving the way for his trousers and underwear to be taken off. Which is done along with his socks because in their right mind would wear socks during sex? Eggsy kicks them away and realizes that he’s naked in front of Merlin, who is still half dressed.
He gives Merlin a pointed look and quips, “I’m startin’ to feel a bit underdressed, bruv.”
“Pardon?” his soon-to-be lover inquires as he glances down between them. Merlin is a smart bloke and realizes the disadvantage Eggsy is at, giving him a smile as he begins to undo his belt. “Very sorry, dearest. I hope I haven’t offended you.”
Eggsy is mesmerized as his mentor’s naked body is revealed to him; all cut lines dusted with dark hair that grows thicker nearer to Merlin’s cock. He has sinewy arms and broad shoulders; pale skin without a blemish or birthmarks and just begging to be sucked upon.
And good God his dick is something else entirely.
He is salivating at the flushed length between Merlin’s thighs, jutting out proudly and dripping with beads of precum. Eggsy is tempted to blow him because he’s been dreaming about it for a while now, ever since their near-kiss.
“Where are your condoms and lube?” Merlin asks.
“Nightstand,” Eggsy answers with a gesture. “Top drawer.”
They haven’t bothered to turn on the lights in the bedroom; the moon works well enough. Merlin’s skin seems to glow under the silvery illumination as he crosses the room. It clings to each curve of muscle, casting shadows on his other half.
Eggsy appreciates the sight, especially when Merlin walks back to him holding a link of unopened rubbers and a bottle of KY. “Really?” he questions as Merlin invades his personal space. Eggsy closes his eyes when Merlin’s lips press against his collarbone. “Four condoms? You think we can end up usin’ that many?”
“Perhaps, or we’ll strain ourselves trying,” Merlin teases, darting in to give the younger man’s mouth a gentle kiss before tearing the foil from one packet, dropping the rest on the floor beside their feet. He pinches the tip and proceeds to roll it down his length. “Turn around.”
He does as he’s told, swallowing as he faces the door. The pop of the bottle being uncapped fills the otherwise silent room and Eggsy realizes that any nervous or apprehensive feelings don’t plague him. Things will most definitely change once he and Merlin have sex; hell, everything changed the moment he drunkenly hit on the older man.
This evolution in their relationship should be nerve-inducing, but instead, Eggsy finds himself moaning and cursing as Merlin’s fingers breach his hole.
“Jesus!” the young man exclaims as he’s filled with one slick finger. It quirks inside of him, finding his prostate and teasing it. “Merlin, fuck!”
His mentor chuckles behind him, having busied his mouth with sucking abrasions onto the knobs of Eggsy’s spine. “Patience,” Merlin assures.
Eggsy doesn’t give a fuck about patience as he’s reduced to a babbling and incoherent mess. He’s pleading for more, more, fuck please more as he helplessly grasps at the door.
“You’re so fucking tight,” Merlin breathes as he continues to stretch Eggsy’s arsehole, awestruck by this bit of information. His teeth graze at his shoulder blades. “So fucking tight, Jesus H. Christ!”
Another swipe against his prostate and Eggsy’s cock is twitching. “You need to get in me, bruv,” he warns, panting. “Might blow all over the door.”
“Can’t have that,” Merlin intones, removing his fingers and spinning Eggsy around to kiss him.
Eggsy’s world is tilted off its axis as the sensation of being lifted and his legs folded into his chest—because fuck, fuck, fuck Merlin is a strong bloke—overwhelms him. He grabs his lover’s shoulders, digging his fingers in as Merlin, the twat, decides to use that exact moment to thrust into him.
It’s a fairly quick fuck since they’re both impatient and need to have bodily contact as they go at it against Eggsy’s bedroom door. Each thrust jostles items on his dresser or hung on the walls, but he doesn’t notice until much later.
Eggsy’s concentration is on the precise movements of Merlin’s hips and how he’s unerringly hitting his prostate. He can barely string two words together for he’s wound so tightly and begging for release.
And dammit, Merlin is going to make him come with just his cock. On the first try, no less.
“Mer…” he gasps, a plea for his next thrust to end it. Eggsy throws his head back and cries out as his groin clenches and that is all she wrote.
He bends into Merlin as his cock stripes his torso with his release. A sharp sensation follows as his lover’s movements grow faster and harder.
Until he hears his lover’s guttural moan of his name and Eggsy realizes that they’ve should have done this sooner.
They’re lying on the floor in one of those post-orgasmic hazes that are comprised of tangled bodies and silences.
Not the uncomfortable kind—the too fucked out to speak at the moment kind. It’s too late for things to be awkward because, let’s be honest, once you’ve seen a bloke or bird’s O-face, you really have nothing to hide. So Eggsy uses the time to enjoy being in Merlin’s arms and without any peeping eyes, either.
God, he hopes Roxy has the foresight to not come home tonight.
“It’s very unusual for you to be this quiet,” Merlin comments as his index finger runs up and down the length of the young man’s spine.
Eggsy shoves his leg between his lover’s thighs, chuckling. “Got my brains fucked out of me,” he says. “Gonna take a bit for me to form more coherent sentences.”
“I consider that a job well done on my part,” the older man tells him.
“I hope you aren’t plannin’ on stoppin’ there, bruv,” Eggsy states, tilting his chin up. He wiggles his body deliberately. “Not often that I cum untouched and I wanted to see if you could do it again.”
Merlin shifts their bodies and ends up looming over the young man before bending down to nip at his jaw. “Oh, most definitely,” he says, moving down. “You’ve become a little tart and it’s quite arousing.”
“Ain’t no tart!” Eggsy counters, glaring up at him and ready to launch into a diatribe about exactly what he thinks about being called one when Merlin’s lips brush against his own.
It’s a gentle kiss, not one of those meant to shut the other up - the kind you see in films, but sweet and reassuring. They stay like that for a while, just making out on Eggsy’s bedroom floor until both men are hard and wanting.
Once another condom is in place on Merlin’s cock, Eggsy straddles his thighs with a palm planted in the center of his lover’s chest as he inches himself down.
As it turns out, being on top yields the same results as being fucked against his bedroom door. Eggsy can even ignore the resulting carpet burn.
“Did you always fancy me?” Eggsy asks later on.
He and Merlin are now in bed following a quick shower, huddled up under the comforter. “What are you going on about?” the Scotsman sighs. He is reclined on his back with an arm pillowed under his head, looking all handsome. “Did I always fancy you?”
“It’s a fair question,” Eggsy reminds him, rolling onto his stomach and using Merlin’s chest as a place to prop up his chin. “I can’t picture you engagin’ in the professor and student fantasy. You’re far too sensible for that.”
“Why thank you,” Merlin chuckles, placing his hand on the young man’s head. “And the answer is not at first. Not for a while, to be honest.” He massages Eggsy’s scalp and sighs. “You were in need of some guidance and not some old fart to take advantage of your trust, though I daresay Professor Milton thought we were fucking.”
Eggsy scoffs, remembering said professor. “That wanker gave me my only poor mark! Had to spend three hours arguin’ with him and the dean to get the thing raised,” he grouses.
“I recall that,” his lover says. “It was before my seminar and George was going on about some young punk who thought he knew more.”
“Young punk!” he grumbles. “He was ol’ and out-of-date! Crusty arsehole!”
Merlin soothes his damp hair back and presses his lips against his temple. “Back to your question; it wasn’t until you got a bit older that my feelings towards you began to shift, I suppose.” He pauses, clearly deep in thought. “I looked at you one day and saw you differently; like ‘well, Eggsy’s looking rather handsome nowadays’. Nothing too outlandish, though you did finally grow into your jaw.”
“My jaw!” Eggsy shrieks, offended. He pops his head up and frowns while Merlin chuckles at him. “My jaw? What was wrong with my jaw, you wanker?”
“Absolutely nothing, my dearest,” Merlin laughs, pinching a bit of the young man’s cheek. “It’s marvelous!”
Eggsy flicks the end of his lover’s nose. “Cheeky twat,” he complains, even as Merlin pulls him against his chest and pays attention to his jaw with his lips. “Oh, now you appreciate it!”
“Hush you,” Merlin chastises. “You’re ruining my concentration.”
Flopping helplessly against the older man’s chest, Eggsy allows him to pepper his face with kisses despite his grumbling. He relaxes after a bit, sighing happily as Merlin devotes a fair amount of time to show him just how much he appreciates every bit of the young man.
As Merlin blows raspberries into Eggsy’s stomach, a thought enters his mind. “Did Harry know?” he asks before he can even stop himself, feeling slightly horrified to bring up an ex-boyfriend while lying in bed with another man; said ex-boyfriend’s mate, no less. “Did Harry know how you felt about me?”
“No,” Merlin says, resting his chin near the young man’s belly button. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s a right arsehole but I never said a word about how I felt. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure what it meant.”
Eggsy nods, still uncertain. “Do you still…” his voice trails off and he does that lip licking thing reserved for when he’s nervous.
“Talk to him?” his lover finishes and shakes his head. “We had a row the night you overindulged. In fact, I left his dinner party after I saw you two going at it on the street corner.” Merlin sighs, looking a bit ashamed, which surprises Eggsy. “Harry is a good man, but he doesn’t think about the feelings of others, as you have already figured out. And seeing you so upset…it gutted me that I wasn’t able to protect you.”
He reaches for Merlin, cupping his cheek in his palm. “Harry bein’ a wanker has nothin’ to do with you,” Eggsy assures.
“I know…” Merlin assures. “It’s just that I saw the state he put you in and heard you crying all night while he was off playing host.” Merlin kisses the inside of Eggsy’s palm, huffing another sigh. “I called him once you were put to bed and went off on him.”
The young man raises a brow. “So that’s who you were yellin’ at,” he says in awe.
“You heard that?”
“Some of it,” Eggsy admits sheepishly. “Was wonderin’ who the poor bastard on the other end was. You sounded like you was gonna go over there and murder him.”
Merlin rolls his eyes as his lips quirk into a fond smile. “I would have, but your health and safety was far more important.”
“A romantic you are,” he teases, watching Merlin close the distance between them like a bloody sex god or something. “Jane Austen’s blokes got nothin’ on you.”
The older man laughs. “Well I would have to agree, as they’re all dead,” Merlin replies, huskily, before kissing him.
He wakes up draped across Merlin’s body.
Merlin who’s lingering in that state of awake, but mostly asleep judging by the sedate way his thumb is stroking Eggsy’s shoulder blade. They’re cocooned under the covers, all warm and soft following several hours of rest, and far too lazy to move much.
He nuzzles his forehead into his lover’s neck, releasing a content sigh. “Mornin’,” Eggsy mumbles without bothering to open his eyes.
“Morning,” Merlin greets, sounding amused. “Sleep well?”
“My arse is killin’ me,” the young man complains, fidgeting closer. “Bet you’re proud of yourself, yeah?”
Merlin chuckles tiredly. “Too exhausted to be proud,” he admits. “Ask me in a few hours.”
Whatever he expected from their first date, it certainly wasn’t the two of them turning into sex maniacs. Not that Eggsy is going to bitch about it.
“Want to spend the rest of the day in bed?” he inquires, planting a kiss on Merlin’s chest. “Just sleepin’ and bein’ lazy arseholes.”
“What time is it anyway?” Merlin asks as he shifts, taking Eggsy with him as he inspects the young man’s alarm. He groans and flops back onto the mattress. “Nine in the morning.”
Eggsy laughs. “Then go back to sleep, you tit!”
“It so happens that I have this cheeky little shit using me as a pillow,” the older man retorts, holding him closer and burying his face into Eggsy’s hair. “And he’s engaging in a conversation with me.”
“Well then, I’ll just shut my trap,” he quips, practically melting into Merlin’s embrace.
He likes being held by the man, what else can he say? It feels natural to have the scent of Merlin’s skin lingering around him and pressed into his cheek. There’s no post-coital discomfort or the need to play his cards right—Eggsy can just be. They can tease each other while lying naked in his bed or alternatively kiss until their lips are puffy and sensitive.
A half hour later, he clears his throat. “Can I take you on a second date then?” Eggsy questions.
“Certainly,” Merlin answers as his hand trails over the length of the young man’s torso, caressing and following his movements with his mouth. He has that look in his eyes, the one where he’s going to ravish Eggsy until he can barely remember his own name.
He watches as the blankets are pulled down with Merlin, revealing his body to the open air of his bedroom. Eggsy gasps at the press of lips on his hip, something his lover discovered the night before, and squeezes his eyes shut as a tongue swirls around the joint. “Merlin,” he groans, his cock twitching at the man’s muffled acknowledgment.
And then Roxy has to fucking ruin the moment by barging in while calling, “I’m back! Are you still alive or should I call fo…oh hello, Merlin.”
They scramble to cover themselves with the blankets as she just stands there with a straight face. “Roxanne,” Merlin greets.
“Good morning,” she says, lips twitching. “Did I interrupt?”
Eggsy groans, rolling his eyes so hard that his head begins to ache. “Did you interrupt? Ever hear of knockin’?”
“I yelled for you when I came in,” Roxy tells him, grinning. “But apparently you both were a bit preoccupied.”
“Roxy, darling,” Merlin mumbles through gritted teeth. “Did you need something?”
Leaning in the doorway, she shrugs. “My brother and James invited us to brunch at their flat,” Roxy explains, her voice quivering as she begins to giggle. “Unless if you're both too busy.”
“We’re too busy,” Eggsy and Merlin shout simultaneously. The former shoos her from the room. “Close the door behind you, yeah? We were in the middle of somethin’!”
Roxy bursts out laughing and blows them a kiss as she complies with her flatmate’s request. Eggsy is still scowling at her retreat when Merlin turns his head by the chin and beams at him.
“Now,” he says, “where were we?”
A Year and a Half Later
So here’s the thing: Eggsy is fully aware that dogs are meant to withstand a bit of a chill because they have fur.
This doesn’t explain why he’s currently holding JB against the inside of his jacket with the pug’s head exposed at his collar. The puppy, who is only twelve weeks old, seems quite content with this arrangement as he’s finally stopped shivering and making pathetic sounds that leaves Eggsy completely gutted when he hears them.
Not to mention that Merlin will be laughing his arse off once he comes out of the toy store.
“You better realize that you’ve got me wrapped around your curly tail,” Eggsy says to the puppy, kissing the top of his fawn and black colored head. “Your papa and I are mad ‘bout you, JB. Absolutely gone ‘round the twist over you.”
The pug sighs, pushing his wet nose into Eggsy’s neck and yawns.
The young man rolls his eyes at this because leave it to his and Merlin’s dog to be completely blasé about being spoiled rotten. And the little fur ball is well aware of the power he has over both men; just one look at them with his comically big brown eyes and they’re both beyond fucked.
“That’s right,” Eggsy grouses, peppering JB’s head with kisses. “Act like you don’t care now! Little cheek!”
It’s not entirely true. JB is a very affectionate and even-tempered puppy who adores his humans. He loves to sit on their laps and cuddle or alternatively follow them around the flat or office. The pug is always happy to see them and wags his curly-q tail whenever he hears their voices.
Or when they’re playing.
The dog more or less has run of the flat, save for their bed as JB is still too small to sleep on it. When he’s a bit larger, Eggsy is certain that he’ll be joining them, but for now, the puppy has his very plush bed in his kennel.
And toys.
So many toys and sweaters and other dog-type things.
Whatever, their flat is big enough and Eggsy thinks that Merlin is not-so-secretly delighted that he was able to surprise his boyfriend with the little bundle of fur.
It just so happened that his birthday and their six month anniversary of living together fell on the same day, so Merlin dragged him out to the country under the pretense of going to a fancy inn for brunch. Instead, he drove them to the breeder’s home and presented Eggsy with JB, all one point three kilograms of him.
He might have gotten teary-eyed because the tiny thing was just too adorable not to coo over.
Except when he attacked Eggsy’s face with his tongue.
JB’s been with them for a month and today they are going to Merlin’s sister’s house for lunch in an effort to socialize him with other dogs.
Evelyn Greaves-Hampstead is two years older than her brother and thinks that Eggsy is a splendid addition to Merlin’s life. Actually, his boyfriend’s entire family has been nothing but welcoming to the young man. Granted, they knew Eggsy prior to him being Hamish’s fellow; it’s neither here nor there.
What matters is that they have a toy for Daisy, Merlin’s four-year-old niece, whom both men absolutely dote upon.
So here he and JB stand, waiting for the other member of their little family’s return. Eggsy adjusts the collar of the pug’s sweater, ensuring that it’s not bothering him. “I don’t know of many dogs that have their own wardrobes,” he says. “Your papa and I must utterly mad, JB. Utterly…”
“Eggsy?”
He looks up at hearing his name and finds himself staring at Harry Hart because what are the fucking odds? It seems that his ex-boyfriend isn’t alone either, as one of his hands is clasped with that Italian bloke Eggsy vaguely recalls. “Hi,” he stammers, a bit thrown for a loop.
Also what are the odds that Merlin would decide that now is a good time to pop out of the shop, carrying a brightly colored bag as he shoves the receipt into his pocket? “Sorry ‘bout that, love,” he greets, kissing Eggsy on the cheek before noticing the dog inside of his boyfriend’s jacket. “JB, what are you doing?”
“He was cold,” Eggsy retorts, holding the puppy closer to his body and momentarily forgetting about Harry. “Was shiverin’ and everythin’! I couldn’t just let him stand on the ground now could I?”
Merlin is ignoring him now and coos over JB. “Your daddy is a bit off his nut, don’t you agree?” He strokes the pug’s head when Harry clears his throat, startling him. “Harry!”
“Merlin,” he says, extending his hand for them to shake. Harry looks quite perplexed by the domestic scene in front of him. “Fancy seeing you both here.” He motions to the Italian bloke. “You remember Alessandro.”
Eggsy observes his boyfriend’s polite smile as he goes to shake Alessandro’s hand, making awkward reintroductions before the Italian’s gray eyes are on him.
“I don’t believe we’ve met before,” he says apologetically.
Merlin wraps an arm around Eggsy’s shoulder. “This is my boyfriend, Eggsy Unwin,” he states as the young man smiles in greeting.
Eggsy catches the conflicted expression on Harry’s face before it disappears. “I’d shake your hand, but they’re a bit preoccupied with this little one,” he says conversationally, nudging JB gently. The pug blinks tiredly and goes about burying his face into Eggsy’s chest. “Aww, don’t be like that!”
“How old is he?” Alessandro inquires as he goes to pet the puppy’s head.
“Twelve weeks,” he says, beaming. “Merlin and I brought him home last month.”
Alessandro sighs when the pug yawns. “What a handsome little man,” he tells Eggsy and Merlin, smiling. “Have you named him?”
“JB,” Merlin replies.
Harry raises a brow. “JB? What does that stand for?”
“Jack Bauer,” Eggsy says at the same time his boyfriend replies, “Joe Baker.” They turn to each other, pulling faces at the contradiction. The former rolls his eyes at the idea of their dog being named after Arsenal’s center forward. “It’s still up for debate.”
Merlin snorts at this. “I’ll have you know that Joe Baker was an amazing forward,” he retorts, playfully.
“Well, you should have picked out a girl then,” Eggsy teases. “We could have named her Jane Bennett without any trouble.”
Alessandro makes a sound of recognition and snaps his fingers. “She’s one of the characters from Pride and Prejudice, right?” He squeezes Harry’s hand, leaning into him with a smile. “This one has a copy he got from a used book store. It has all these scribbles in it, but he reads it once a month at least!”
Eggsy swears his heart skips a beat as he stares at Harry’s stoic face. A faint blush appears on his cheeks as he forces a grin. “Actually, it was a gift,” he softly corrects, his gaze moving to the young man.
In his brown eyes is regret and a bit of sorrow, not that it matters now. Even if Harry had done something soon after they split up, Eggsy is certain that he would never be able to fully trust him, no matter how much he wanted to. There would always be the underlying thought of if he was good enough for the likes of Harry Hart or wondering when the man before him would come to his senses and leave.
Eggsy may not be the wisest of the lot when it comes to relationships, but he knows that it wouldn’t be the right way to live. “Oh?” he finds himself asking. “A gift from who?”
“From someone I didn’t appreciate enough,” Harry admits with a tight smile.
In that moment Eggsy realizes that it’s an apology; a genuine apology from someone who knows how much he hurt him. His eyes begin to sting, which he quickly blinks away as Harry turns to Merlin.
With a merry laugh and a soft punch to the arm, Harry exclaims, “So I heard that a certain firm just broke ground on the new Valentine campus; well done!”
They chat for a bit until Merlin’s mobile goes off with a text message from Evelyn. “Shite,” he curses. “We’ve got to get going. Evie is having us over for lunch and puppy socializing.”
“Right,” Harry agrees. “Well, it was good seeing you both.” He motions to Eggsy, his eyes locked on Merlin. “Don’t let him slip through your fingers, mate.”
Eggsy finds that Merlin is grinning at him. “I don’t plan on it,” he assures before bestowing a kiss upon the young man’s brow.
“Is that a promise?” Eggsy teases later on as they drive over to Evelyn’s house. He has a napping JB in his lap and one hand clasping Merlin’s. “Not letting me slip through your fingers?”
His boyfriend cannot seem to contain his smile. “If I have things my way, we’re going to get married and have a horde of dogs running around our flat,” Merlin tells him, quickly glancing over the young man. “How does that sound to you, love?”
Eggsy leans over and kisses his cheek, much to JB’s chagrin. “Sounds absolutely perfect, babe.”
Because, quite frankly, it is.