PSL: For Charles

[fucking_gentleman]

It had taken a week to stabilise Harry to the point that he could under go more surgery, to build in the frame work and connections for his new eye. He was fairly out of it for another week after that, between painkillers and recovery.

It was a few days after that that, by the time Charles came down, Harry was sitting on the edge of the bed, a wheelchair sitting nearby and Harry rather insistently trying to get his nurse to let him wear the suit he wanted, rather than the far more relaxed clothing she was insisting on.

"Charles! Help me, Eggsy's on mission or I'd requisition him. I'm not being unreasonable, I'm not even asking for a three piece suit, just being allowed to dress in a manner that I find more comfortable."

Comments

[grailknight]

"Six weeks is quite possible." Because Harry was so demanding. He could get what he wanted.

Charles handed the folded shirt to Harry.

[fucking_gentleman]

"It better be." He took the shirt and shook it out, slowly getting it on without any help. The buttons took a bit more concentration, right hand holding the shirt front together while the left got them done up.

"Cufflinks, I'm afraid, are going to be quite beyond me yet."

[grailknight]

"Allow me to assist with the cufflinks." Harry was about to go into public. He would want his attire to be precise. "What is the name of the young man from the bakery?"

[fucking_gentleman]

"An-" He paused. What was it?

"An- Anthony!" He swallowed. "Anthony." He offered out his wrists to Charles, as though waiting to be handcuffed.

He wanted his cuffs done before he tried tackling trousers.

[grailknight]

"Thank you. And what do you know about Anthony?" He held the back of Harry's hand and began putting on the first cufflink.

[fucking_gentleman]

"Very little. I had his background checked, of course, but that was when he started, some years ago. Nothing flagged, so it would've been processed and forgotten."

[grailknight]

"Harry, you didn't talk to him about who he was or his family?" Once the cufflink was fastened, he took Harry's other hand.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry sighed again and tipped his head back, trawling through his slightly fragmented memory.

"Father walked out, single mother, ex-boyfriend was abusive, ex-girlfriend married mutual friend, still in contact, younger sister, studying science in college. Wanted to one day one the bakery."

[grailknight]

"He sounds like he has some potential." A dream to own his own bakery. And definitely one of Harry's types. He smiled and picked up Harry's trousers.

[fucking_gentleman]

"He will, undoubtedly, be a wonderful manager for that place. Assuming it is rebuilt." He looked at the trousers and thought.

He was fairly sure he couldn't manage it alone. "Let me give it a try without help first."

[grailknight]

"It is being reconstructed. I investigated after you mentioned it."

Charles nodded and handed Harry the trousers, giving the older man space.

[fucking_gentleman]

"That's good to know."

Harry gets undressed from his pyjama pants with some level of efficiency. There's clearly some practice in that and his dressing, feet into the legs, tugged up to his thighs and then he ran into the difficulty of his weak side.

"... shit. I think I can do this, but possibly not without tipping myself onto the floor. A hand, please."

[grailknight]

"Happy to help." He surveyed where best to help with keeping Harry upright and went from there.

[fucking_gentleman]

It took a little coordination, letting Charles take his weight while getting trousers up and settled. He could at least manage doing them up and sliding the suspenders on just fine.

It was ridiculously tiring, just getting dressed. But worth it. "Thank you."

[grailknight]

Charles smiled broadly at Harry and then kissed him gently. It felt like the right thing to do in that instance. He was tremendously happy.for Harry at that moment, and grateful for him.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry blinked. He hadn't expected it, and yet he had still tipped his face up into it, subconsciously reading Charles' body language.

The dumb part of him wanted to say 'you kissed me' but they both knew that and he tried to refrain from too many stupid comments a day. So instead, he just nodded slightly and smiled back, crooked with the slight paralysis of his face.

[grailknight]

"I probably shouldn't have done that, so I apologise. I couldn't help myself." Harry and his bloody kissable mouth.

[fucking_gentleman]

"Are you actually sorry, though? Because if you're not, there's very little point apologising."

[grailknight]

"No, I'm not actually sorry." He chuckled.

[fucking_gentleman]

"Then don't apologise, it's insincere." He gestured for his jacket. "Though I am curious about why."

[grailknight]

Charles helped Harry with the jacket. "Because I feel like I might be overstepping some boundaries."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Well... probably. You're a widower. I'm probably your oldest friend still alive." But... it had been a lot of months since James' death. Just Harry had missed a lot of them, being in a coma.

Charles hadn't even really begun to deal with James' death. That was a fact.

[grailknight]

He nodded. "After Robert passed away, you are." Morton, Roxy's father. "I would rather be with someone who knows me already than start something new."

[fucking_gentleman]

Hang on- "I thought we were just discussing you kissing me not- Don't do this, Charles. you're emotionally vulnerable and not even slightly recovered from losing your husband." Harry wouldn't use anything cheesy like 'soul mate', but Charles and James had fitted together better than most could ever hope.

"And then we add the trauma of my apparent death and serious injury on top of that..."

He loved Charles. Which was why he wouldn't let him do this to himself or their friendship. Not while he was this fragile.

[grailknight]

"Well I am not going to kiss just anyone." He sighed. "Yes, I am. I am also lonely and I don't trust easily." He had given much more thought to this than he had been letting on.

"I lost everyone I love in one form or another."