PSL: For Charles

[fucking_gentleman]

It was a week before they were willing to let Harry be moved.

He had another emergency surgery where they had to concede to losing his left eye to keep the nerve intact. Once they managed to get him stable again, they made him get through five days of no crashing, no unpredicted dips or spikes, just quiet healing and level drug intake.

Then and only then was it agreed that Harry could be transported back to England. It would be with transport staff, a doctor and two nurses and he was kept in light sedation to keep his pain manageable while they moved him.

They were met in the Kingsman hangar by Merlin. He didn't offer any words, just stood by Harry's sleeping form for a while and then left with an instruction to settle him in medical called back over one shoulder.

When Harry did regain consciousness, it was in the blessedly familiar surrounds of Kingsman medical. He actually sighed with the relief, staring at the ceiling and willing his emotions back under control.

Comments

[fucking_gentleman]

In fairness, James was on an entirely different mission and assigned the rescue to himself.

"I can't take the electric razor. Not compared to a decent straight razor shave." He would need to try and find someone vetted by Kingsman to come down here. "This would be easier if I were home, not in medical..."

[grailknight]

Which of course was true, but it was still a one-person mission, which Charles had never been very fond of whatsoever. One-person missions meant more things were likely to go wrong should things not go to plan.

"I am sure we can get you someone who can give you a shave and a trim, Harry." They had people vetted in everything--maybe not to the same extent as before, but they still could find someone.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry made a slightly disgruntled noise. Then got thoughtful. "Well, I could take the chance to teach Eggsy how to give a proper shave... The poor boy has almost certainly never bothered with it."

Because of course that was what he thought of. A chance to expand Eggsy's education.

[grailknight]

"That is an excellent idea." If would give Harry and Eggsy a chance to reconcile and for Eggsy to become more accustomed to Harry. "Has he come to see you?"

[fucking_gentleman]

"If he has, I wasn't conscious for it. I suspect he may be on mission, helping with clean up." Trying not to dwell on everything.

[grailknight]

Charles nodded. "Roxy is currently in Berlin and getting our European grid back online." Though he hadn't heard about Eggsy.

[fucking_gentleman]

"I imagine everyone has been dispatched that can be spared. It won't be long until you're sent back into the field, now that I'm back safely under Merlin's monitors."

[grailknight]

He smirked a little but said nothing. Instead, Charles began getting interested in a level monitor.

[fucking_gentleman]

"What does that mean?" He tilted his head to regard Charles.

[grailknight]

"I won't be going out in the field any time soon. I am the Intirm Arthur for the time being."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Your poor fucking bastard." Harry patted Charles' knee. "Are you thinking about taking it on for good?"

[grailknight]

"Oh no, definitely not. But I may not have my wish." He shrugged a little. "I have grown sick of death, old friend."

[fucking_gentleman]

A cleaner who was sick of death... there was limited options for him in that situation. "You could try becoming a handler. Or moving into espionage more than cleaning."

[grailknight]

"Which does also make me the perfect candidate for Arthur, does it not? Though 43 feels much too young for that role."

[fucking_gentleman]

"There is that."

Harry was getting a bad feeling about this. He had ten years on Charles, and he was unlikely to get back into the field.

"No."

[grailknight]

"I don't know. I might grow to like it." He smiled softly.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry relaxed a bit more. Charles as Arthur, he could handle. "It'll be nice to be able to boss Merlin around, at least. You will have to boss him around, just a little. Payback."

[grailknight]

He chuckled. "I never thought Merlin's demands were incorrect."

[fucking_gentleman]

"That is not the point at all." He tried to lift his head and instead his right hand and leg twitched. "And you know it."

[grailknight]

He shrugged a little. "I am the sensible one. You know that."

[fucking_gentleman]

"You are. By far the most sensible of us. I often wonder how you managed passing as an agent, you lack the usual flair for the dramatic and reckless the rest of us thrive on."

[grailknight]

"Initially it was to not disappoint my uncle." His great uncle, Sir Percy Charles Isherwood, Agent Gawain, and the last surviving knight of the first table. Sir Percy survived to retirement before dying in his sleep a few years later. "But then it became force of habit."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Charles, do you want to be with Kingsman anymore? There's no shame in retiring." Because he sounded like a man who was done.

[grailknight]

"Yes, even more so now than before."

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry was quiet for a long moment. Charles said he wanted to be there, he had to trust him, right now. He wasn't in a state to try and pick apart if it was an obfuscation. "So long as you're sure. If you wanted to retire, make a new life without all this chaos and death, no one would blame you. No one worth listening to, anyway."