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Eggsy had been waiting for a day like this. The little shithead had it coming. He wasn’t even sure why River proposed him other than he was some name in the compiled list that Kingsman pulled their recruits from (usually, Eggsy had always been an exception). Lucas wasn’t much better than Charlie or his little friends had been. If Eggsy were honest, he was worse. He thought that no one besides white cis men should have been Kingsman. Basically he was a typical, bigoted upper-classer and Eggsy couldn’t stand him. Unfortunately, there was no legitimate reason to kick him out because he kept most of his vile opinions to himself or away from Harry, Eggsy, and Roxy’s ears.
Right up to the moment he didn’t. That was his mistake.
They were training for the Kay position, currently in the gym sparring with each other. Roxy was keeping a watchful eye as Eggsy walked in, intending to do some lifting and see how the recruits were doing. They were down to the final four and they were alternating as sparring partners. He walked up and stood beside Roxy, watching Lucas and Ethan on the mat. Lucas pinned Ethan and Roxy called it. They stepped off the mat and went to the side as the other two took up position. Eggsy moved on to weight lift, calling Ethan over to spot him. As soon as he agreed, Eggsy caught Lucas saying something under his breath. He didn’t hear all of it, but he did catch the words “fucking chav bitch”.
“I’m sorry. What was that?”
Lucas whirled to face him and narrowed his eyes. “What was what?”
“What did you just say? If you’ve got somefin’ ta say abou’ me, man up an’ say it to my face.”
Lucas hesitated for a second, anger written on his face, tension bunching his shoulders. The two on the mat stopped mid-move to watch what was going down. Roxy turned to them with a raised eyebrow. Lucas squared up and clenched his jaw before answering. “I said , ‘You’re a fucking chav bitch and you don’t deserve to be here.’”
It was a struggle but Eggsy remained calm, at least outwardly. He didn’t clench his fists, he didn’t grind his teeth. Roxy’s eyes went wide though and she white-knuckled her clipboard. She had to employ the same restraint Eggsy had used when Lucas opened his mouth next.
“And neither of them should be here either.” He pointed at Roxy and the female candidate on the mat. “And your boyfriend ,” the word was practically spat in Eggsy’s face, “isn’t fit to be Arthur, much less a still-active field agent. He’s an old, one-eyed faggot who’s boning a chav “agent” because he can’t get any anywhere else and who has no business being in the field or on that throne.”
Harry was already halfway there, Roxy having pinged his glasses and informed him of the situation, and with Eggsy’s propensity for raging at arseholes, he had promptly made for the gym. He was also on an open line with Roxy’s glasses and could see and hear everything that the little twerp had just said. He made it to the gym just as Lucas finished his rant about him and he burst through the doors. Everyone’s attention was split between Arthur barreling into the room and Eggsy being a hair’s breadth away from lunging at Lucas. Harry was on Eggsy in an instant, effectively trapping his arms behind his back in a restraining hold and walking him backwards a couple feet away from Lucas. Eggsy didn’t struggle but it was clear he was seething . Roxy wasn’t doing much better, but she was Merlin now. She had a position and a reputation to maintain.
Harry pulled Eggsy back against his chest, trapping his arms between their bodies and addressed Lucas, voice even and controlled, but cold with rage. “That kind of language will not be tolerated at Kingsman under any circumstance and certainly not when directed at members of the staff.”
“You’re just afraid that I was right.”
“I can assure you, Mr. Montgomery, I am perfectly secure in both my position in life and my relationship with Eggsy. That is not the issue here. The statements you have made, in general, were distasteful, unprofessional, and ungentlemanly. I do not think such a personality is befitting of a Kingsman. You’re dismissed. Go back to the dorm and pack your bags. You’re going home.”
Lucas had the gall to balk at him.
“I won’t be told off by a fucking faggot with a power complex!”
Harry took a sharp inhale through his nose, the only indication of just how pissed off he was.
“Alright. If that’s how you feel about me and Kingsman, I’ll give you one last chance. Spar with me and if you can pin me for a count of five, you can stay. You will still serve a punishment for your comments, but you can stay. If I pin you for a count of five, you leave with what dignity you have left.”
He felt Eggsy shift in his grip and he let go. Eggsy stepped to the side with a wicked smirk on his face. He wanted so badly to be the one sparring with the dickhead, but watching Harry do it was going to be almost more satisfying. Harry stripped his jacket and tie. He sat down on a bench and took his oxfords and socks off, tucking his socks into his shoes, and finally rolled his sleeves up. Harry did not dress down for a fight, the Black Prince was evidence of that. Eggsy nearly burst out laughing at the gesture. It was Harry’s way of showing he was giving Lucas an “advantage.” If the kid were lucky, Harry might have just enough civility left to actually go easy on him. Eggsy doubted it. Whether Harry actually bothered to go easy on the kid, he was going to end up getting his arse kicked, whether it was into next week or next month was really the only question. Eggsy mentally put his bet on next month and had a feeling Roxy was too.
Harry stepped onto the mat and beckoned for Lucas to join him. At some point, the other five agents had stepped into the room, probably summoned by Roxy. Harry squared up and Lucas matched him. Within another heartbeat, the fight started. Roxy was always impressed by Harry’s fighting ability and skill, Lancelot had known Harry for a year as the “amnesiac butterfly guy” and was still a bit surprised at Harry’s skill, the four newest agents had all sparred Harry one-on-one as one of their last training sessions, and Eggsy, well… Eggsy was shamelessly hard as a rock. Watching Harry fight, being able to actually stop and appreciate Harry’s ability to fight, almost unerringly left Eggsy with a clear and shameless tent in his trousers. Harry loved it when he had the chance to appreciate it.
Harry threw a left hook at Lucas’s head. He narrowly missed the full blow, Harry’s hand clipping his jaw with just enough force for his teeth to clack together. Eggsy clamped a hand over his mouth and giggled into it. Shit. Harry actually was going easy on him; Harry was right-handed. Lucas tried to punch Harry back and he caught his hand and used Lucas’s momentum to pull him forward and put a knee to his stomach. Lucas stumbled backwards and Harry put his weight back on his right leg and kicked him again in the stomach. Lucas lost his balance and fell backwards. He scrambled up before Harry could move forward and pin him. He wasn’t planning on losing to a man like Harry.
Harry stood his ground and tucked his hands behind his back. Lucas smirked, taking the invitation for what it was. He sent a roundhouse at Harry’s head. He ducked, hands still behind his back, and straightened back up. Lucas’s eyes flashed with even more anger and he attacked again, going for a straight up tackle, ducking to hit Harry at the waist. He dodged easily, Lucas’s momentum sending him to the floor at the other side of the mat. Harry turned enough to side-eye him and waited for him to stand up. Lucas’s anger would be his downfall. Harry could kick his arse, no problem. That wasn’t the point. It was ungentlemanly, but he wanted to humiliate him a bit. He was currently losing a fight to a man nearly three times his age that wasn’t really trying that hard. Harry would have given a self-satisfied smirk if he were a lesser man.
Lucas stood still, chest heaving with anger and the effort he had already put in the fight. He was waiting for Harry to attack again. Harry obliged him. He walked toward him a couple steps. Confusion crossed his face at the move a split second before Harry dropped and swept his feet out from under him with a leg. He followed through and used his momentum to stand himself back up. It looked like a dancer’s move. Eggsy was very impressed.
Lucas scrambled to his feet again. Harry was standing still in the middle of the mat again with his arms crossed over his chest. Lucas lunged forward, hands at throat level, clearly intending to choke him out. Harry let him get his hands on him and started to squeeze before he brought his hands up between Lucas’s arms and pushed outward until his hold on Harry’s neck was released. What happened next was a flurry of activity, mostly on Harry’s part.
He jabbed the heel of his left palm up into Lucas’s nose, hearing a crunch when he broke it. He leaned down a bit and threw his elbow into his ribcage, knocking him back. He rebalanced himself and hooked his foot behind one of Lucas’s knees and pulled forward until he was on the ground. Harry grabbed ahold of the wrist of the hand that Lucas had to his nose and wrapped it around behind his back, throwing him off-balance and face-first to the floor. His nose crunched again and he howled. Harry twisted his arm harder behind his back and pinned him to the ground with a knee in the middle of his back. Roxy counted to five, loudly and fairly slowly before calling it. Harry released his hold and stood up. He nodded at one of the recruits and he helped Lucas to his feet.
“Take him back to the dorm and help him pack.”
“Yes, sir.”
The other two recruits stood at attention until Harry nodded at them and dismissed them. They scampered to the showers, leaving all the agents in the room. The five agents that had come in, filed out without instruction, all smirking to themselves. Roxy finally released the death grip on her clipboard and Eggsy walked forward and roughly pulled Harry into a kiss. He pulled Eggsy harder against himself and dropped a hand to his arse. They only pulled apart when they heard Roxy very pointedly clear her throat. They glanced at her and left the room hand-in-hand, Eggsy’s weight lifting session long forgotten. She pointedly ignored the tent Eggsy was clearly sporting as they left. She walked into the showers to bark orders at the remaining two candidates.
Later, Eggsy was curled on Harry’s sweaty chest playing with the sparse hair there and said, “I wish ya got more chances ta show up dickwads like ‘im.”
Harry just chuckled and kissed his hair.