PSL

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry is actually enjoying the sunshine by the Thames.

Well, truthfully, there's no real sunshine and no one enjoys the Thames, but he's determined to not be in the office, so here he is, sitting in the window of his favourite bakery and sipping at his coffee.

He's people watching, which was always a hobby of his, but now has become a survival mechanism to fend of do gooders and 'helpful' people who see the twisted scar along his temple, the streak of silver it put into his hair, the patch tucked underneath his glasses and they make assumptions.

And his impulse control isn't quite what it was, which means occasionally he's been known to react to a slow and loud "Can I help you?" with a leg trip and toe of his shoe into their ribs.

By accident, of course.

But now, he's mostly curious about the fellow who seems to be somewhat determinedly heading to the river's edge.

Comments

[fucking_gentleman]

"... Eggsy?"

Is he being obtuse? Hard to say, he seems completely genuine.

[residu]

".......That too." He really can't tell if Harry's joshing him or not here. It's that serious look on his face.

[fucking_gentleman]

"When we first met, he was seven and he introduced himself as Eggsy then, too. I have no idea where the name came from, but he sometimes forgets to respond to his birth name."

He might be unaware.

He might be fucking with you, Jihwan.

[residu]

He might be a dick. But Jihwan's still trying to parse that out as he squints him out.

"And the....thing? The other nickname?"

[fucking_gentleman]

"Oh, as I say, he tends to fuss. It was a joke started because he'd be checking me constantly during meals, holding my arm when we walked, pushing my chair when I was still confined and generally behaving like a nervous husband."

Despite the words, it's clear that Harry is very fond of his young protege. "Only Andrew calls him that. Emrys mostly calls him 'that little shit you brought in who ruins my filing system'."

[residu]

Must be because of his injury, he thinks. It explains the fussing over, because he's actually pretty mindful of Harry right now too. Probably not one of his good days. He does seem pretty fond of the 'little shut' though, and if he were less of a grouch he might even crack a wry smirk at the title. Instead he jus looks thoughtful.

"Sounds fun. You like his godfather or something then?"

[fucking_gentleman]

It was entirely because of his injury. Eggsy still didn't cope well with what he had witnessed and having Harry back and meant all that worry and fussing got focused onto Harry.

"Something like that. I was his father's commanding officer before I went into tailoring. When Eggsy needed a guiding hand, I tried to provide some direction for him."

[residu]

"--Commanding officer?" Did he hear that right?

[fucking_gentleman]

"I was military twenty years ago."

[residu]

"And that somehow led to you becoming a...tailor? I mean, no offence. It's just kinda the opposite an' all."

[fucking_gentleman]

He shrugs slightly. "Yes. Someone under my command died because I missed something. That someone was Eggsy's father."

[residu]

Oh...well.

"Shit. Sorry, I didn't..." Mean to open his mouth and dredge all that up, yeesh.

[fucking_gentleman]

"Think no more on it. It's quite all right, you weren't to know." He has more or less come to peace with Lee's death. As 'to peace' as he ever will.

[residu]

"Still..." He feels like he shoved his foot in his mouth something fierce here. "I mean--makes sense he's important to you, and stuff."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Precisely." He looks up as their food is brought over and his own drink, a pot of tea with two cups which he sets out and pours for both of them.

And the glass of water for Jihwan.

[residu]

He thanks him quietly when it's set down, then sits back a bit so that he can run a hand through his hair.

"You guys must be close."

[fucking_gentleman]

"Yes, I suppose we are." They have each other's backs, despite the rough patches.

He toasts with his teacup. "Enjoy. They do a good meal here."

[residu]

This sort of place suits him, is all Jihwan can think as he nods a bit dumbly, returning the gesture with his own glass of water. Harry's proper and composed, and apparently even more capable than he initially thought. Having to be injured to the point of his body no longer working as it should... He can't even imagine.

"Thanks." Water and medicine first though, just in case.

[fucking_gentleman]

The sight of the medication makes Harry sigh and dig out his own pillbox. On a good day, he can get away with a minimum of drugs. On a day like today...

Painkiller. Anti-seizure. Beta-blocker. Anti-nausea for the anti-seizure.

"Nothing to make you feel old like a fistful of tablets with your meal."

[residu]

"Tell me about it..." He's not even old yet, technically, and he feels old. But at least he's only got one to take rather than all...that. "What're they all for? If that's alright."

[fucking_gentleman]

"This one is pain relief. This one is to stop the seizures. This one is to counter the nausea caused by the one which stops the seizures. This one is to help stop the trembling."

He has a pharmacy's worth of bottles in his desk and at home. This is just what he carries on him, in the small Kingsman pillbox. Which also has emergency sedatives and a poison concealed in it. "I also have strong painkillers, anti inflammatory medication, migraine medication, sedatives and other bottles I have undoubtedly forgotten."

The four of them go down with a sip of tea.

[residu]

"...." That. Is a lot of medicine. A lot of different skinds of medicine too, and Jihwan spends a moment looking down at the small pill case he has, which only holds one single kind. It isn't a contest, but Harry definitely wins the worse of their two situations.

"...Mine helps keep me from walking off bridges. Usually." It doesn't work so well when he's actually going through Residual Heart, but it's enough to keep the faint-headedness and disorientation to a minimum, when he feels the effects coming on. He's failed more than one test simply because he'd been caught up in the mild effects, unable to do more than stare blankly at his desk as he scratched a line into it with a pencil.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry considers things for a while, eating slowly and sipping his tea before he comes to a conclusion.

"It was a siren. You survived an attack."

[residu]

"I--what?? Yeah, that's...how'd you--?" He fumbles to find the words to ask what he wants to know, but he's so caught off-guard by the fact that Harry got it that he's stuck floundering. More often than not people just assume they're anti-anxiety or antidepressants to stop him from...well. That. Very few jump straight to Siren.

[fucking_gentleman]

Harry keeps sipping his tea, completely unflustered about it. He also waits for Jihwan to stop rambling before he thinks of replying.

"Things you've said. It doesn't take too much to put it together."