A Last Choice

by Noel803

Summary:

Eggsy's life has always been shit. And yeah, he knows he only has himself to blame for stealing Rottie's car. But when he calls in his favor, life seems to take another bloody twist and throw in being 'rejected by his true mate' to the list of shitty things that have happened to him.

Yep, his life was going great.

Look, he figured the only thing an omega like him was good for was dying on the street where he belonged. Which was why he could not understand why this strange Scottish beta was suddenly offering to help him turn his life around. People didn't just do that kind of thing. And whatever this man wanted from him, Eggsy was going to figure it out.

 

Or a new spin on the first Kingsman movie if Merlin was more the lead character than Harry.

Notes:

I must apologize. I never thought I would write an alpha/omega fic ever, but this story popped into my head. And I'm currently going through enough of a life crisis that I needed the serotonin that writing this fic at 1 am provides me.

Please comment. Tell me what you think of this story idea. Plus I need the serotonin boost all your beautiful comments give me. Pretty please ❤❤❤

Chapter 1

“Fuck, fuck, fuck! I’m fucked!”

Eggsy was so fucked. Like so far beyond fucked he couldn’t even make out fucked in the broke mirror of Rottie's car.

It had been a foolish thing to do, stealing Rottie’s car for a joyride. And sure he’d had a bit to drink, but not enough to blame his poor decision making on it. He just couldn’t stand when people treated him, and his friends like they were nothing.

Honestly, he didn’t care all that much about himself. Being labeled as an omega at 14 had destroyed any chance of him ever getting respect in this world. But he had a duty to his friends, the closest thing he had to a pack, and he sure as shit wasn’t going to let some mouthy beta treat his friends like that.

Now, the coppers were going to put him away for eighteen months, maybe twice that or more if they really started digging into his life. And what could he do? He had no defense. No excuse. No possibility to get off on the charges. He was guilty plain and simple.

His stomach twisted so hard he gagged at the thought of what would happen to his family with him in jail, of what Dean might do to them without him around. There would be no one there to take the beatings for his mum. No one there to make sure Daisy was cleaned and cared for. Dean had been making noise about all the trouble she was. The only reason why he’d left her alone so far was because Eggsy would step in every time she made a sound.

God eighteen months was more than twice her lifetime. She’d forget all about him. She’d no longer nose at his neck when he held her close. She wouldn’t smile at the simple sight of him. He couldn’t stand the thought of that, of holding his sweet Daisy a year and a half from now and watching her turn away in disgust as his unfamiliar scent. That was if his mum even managed to convince Dean to let her stay around.

What was he going to do?!

Eggsy let his head fall to the table. He heard a heavy thunk, and not from his head. He looked down to see the medal around his neck and remembered.

The favor! The favor that man had promised so many years ago. He had been saving it for a real emergency, and this qualified as about that. Carefully, Eggsy pulled the medal from under his shirt and looked it over.

Although he had been wearing the medal all his life. Eggsy had only the briefest of memories about the day he got it. He remembered his mum crying and a man with a sad smile. It wasn’t like he had clear instructions on how to use the favor offered to him. There was nothing on the front, just the twisted wires and a pink ring. Eggsy turned it over to see a date printed on the back.

He figured it couldn’t hurt, so he typed the numbers into the phone and placed it to his ear. “Customer complaints, how may I help you?”

“My name’s Eggsy Unwin, sorry Gary Unwin and I’m up shit creek. I’m at the Holbourn police station. My mum said to call this number if ever I needed help and—”

“I’m sorry, sir. Wrong number.”

“Wait, wait!” He thought back to that night and remembered the man had said something. Something important. “Oxford not brogues?”

“Your complaint has been duly noted. We hope we have not lost you as a loyal customer.” Then the line suddenly cut out.

That was sure cryptic.

He dropped the phone back on the table.

Now, all he could do was wait, and hope he wasn’t so fucked after all.

 

 

“You smell like shit.” Merlin said, taking three steps back from the man standing in his doorway.

Harry gave him his most ingenuine smile. “That would make a great deal of sense, as I am currently covered in shit.” There was something dark and foul dripping from the bottom of his trousers onto the doormat. “You may officially report to Arthur that the next time a drug dealing ring decides to take up residency in a water treatment plant, that he can find another agent, or I will put in my formal resignation. Now, may I come in?”

There really was no point in turning him away. The stench would last for days whether he came inside now or not. “Oh aye, just be quick about it and straight into the wash with you.”

“Thank you.” As requested, Harry made a straight dash for the lavatory in the back of Merlin’s apartment. “Forgive me for dropping by unannounced on one of your rare days off, however your place was within walking distance of my mission, and I did not want to take public transport in my condition.”

“And the public thanks you. I on the other hand do not.” Merlin would likely have to hire a professional cleaning crew to come in and get rid of the stench. A bill for which he would be sending straight to Harry.

Oddly enough though, this was not the worst condition in which his friend had shown up on his doorstep. Over the years of their friendship, Harry had arrived in many interesting situations: shot to hell after a near escape, completely sloshed returning after some party, half frozen from a storm, or his favorite covered head to toe in chicken feathers from shutting down a cock-fighting ring.

Harry Hart was a disruptive human being by his own merit. As an agent, he was downright destructive.

Really, the smell wasn’t that much of a problem for Merlin. While it had been a little overpowering rolling off of Harry’s suit, once he had stepped into the shower, Merlin could no longer smell it. His nose was nowhere near as sensitive as an Alpha’s should be and hadn’t been for a number of years now. But he didn’t need his nose to give Harry hell for it.

“So, am I to take your current condition as a sign your mission went well or the other way round?” Merlin shouted over the sound of the running shower.

“If you define went well as completed all objectives, then I would say so. Though I might have caused a bit more of a commotion during my exit than I intended.” Harry answered.

In other words, Merlin would have another one of his handlers submit that they were no longer willing to work with Agent Galahad. Just what he needed. The only handler he had left that didn’t mind working with Harry now would be Bedivere, who was the absolute worst at reigning in Harry’s impulse control. After the two of them had thought it would be a great idea to throw a flash grenade next to an oil tank they had no longer been allowed to work together on missions.

Merlin let out a string of curses in Gaelic just as his phone started ringing.

He didn’t bother to pull the retched thing from his pocket, picking it up on his glasses instead, because he immediately recognized the ring tone. His second in command, Morgana, had clear instructions not to call him on his day off unless it was something serious. And by clear instructions he meant a threat that if he decided whatever she bothered him with fell under the trivial category, he would personally rearrange all her teeth.

“If this is about Galahad’s most recent escapades, please have the offended party write up a formal complaint and leave it on my desk. I’ve already given the bloody peacock a right tongue lashing and I’m just getting warmed up.” Merlin said.

Morgana gave a light chuckle. “Good to know, though that’s not why I called. Well, I called for Harry, but not because of that. He said he would be with you, and I need him urgently.”

It was general policy to give agents at least a few hours off after completing a mission, even a local one. The fact that she was calling him barely 30 minutes later did not bode well. “What is it?”

“Got a call from a Gary Unwin, calling in the favor Galahad offered him. Since Galahad is the one that gave it to the lad, he’s the only one authorized to handle it. And it sounds like the poor pup is in right trouble.”

Unwin.

That was a name he hadn’t heard in a long time. He’d been as fresh a face in Kingsman as Unwin had when the man gave his life to save him and Harry. They both owed him more than they would ever be able to repay. If his pup was in trouble now, Merlin sure as hell wasn’t going to let Harry doddle.

“He’ll be there. Send everything you have on the boy and the situation to Harry’s glasses.” He ordered, even as he walked straight to the shower door and pounded. “Harry, rinse, and dress. You’re needed immediately.”

“Come now, Merlin. Surely, whatever it is can wait until I’ve got the stench out of my hair.” Harry whined.

“Now.” Merlin barked with every bit as much of Alpha authority as he could.

While Harry was finishing, Merlin wasted no time hacking into Harry’s glasses. Not that it was really hacking when he’d been the one to set the password and security codes in the first place. Harry might be the one authorized to handle the favor, but that didn’t mean Merlin could offer up assistance as needed.

There apparently hadn’t been much for Morgana to send. Merlin was more than a little bloody pissed that they had so little on the pup of a highly honored former member of Kingsman. He had thought the organization was keeping a closer eye on the family, but from the looks of the file no one had given a flying fuck what happened to the single mother and son afterwards.

All Merlin had to look at was a transcript of the phone call, and whatever basic records Morgana had been able to pull from their system. About the equivalent of a first level background check: grades, police records, a few newspaper articles about his accomplishments in sports, and what looked to be a military record.

At first glance, one might have described Gary ‘Eggsy’ Unwin as trouble. However there seemed to be some other story hidden here that had Merlin’s hackles rising. Or maybe it was something about the expression on Eggsy’s face in the most recent picture that had sent a strange jolt through his whole system.

Harry had finally emerged from the bathroom, with nothing more than a towel around him. “Don’t you dare start growling at me. I understand this business may be urgent, but I honestly cannot get back into those awful clothes.”

Merlin hadn’t even noticed he was growling. Clearing his throat he waved to his spare room. “I’ve got one of your old suits in there. Just hurry, ya daft man.”

As Harry dressed, Merlin explained the situation.

“Right then.” Harry stepped out in everything except a suit jacket. “Should be easy enough to deal with. Have the charges dropped, erase the report, and a little grease on the pup to encourage him to give up his life of crime and I should be home in time for dinner tonight. And where is my jacket?”

“If I remember correctly in a field in France somewhere, or that suit might have been the one thrown out of a helicopter in Spain. Difficult to tell with you. Just take one of mine and be on your way.”

Harry turned into Merlin’s room, grabbing the first jacket that matched before heading towards the door.

“And make sure to use your manners. If I find out you acted like an ass, I’ll serve you yours for breakfast.” Merlin shouted after him, but he was already gone.

Merlin glanced one more time at the picture of this Eggsy Unwin. Perhaps it wouldn’t hurt to do a little more digging into the lad, just to make sure Harry handled this proper.

Chapter 2

Notes:

I swear this fic hasn't been abandoned! I've just had the most insane year so far and I just finally got around to writing the next chapter. Hope you all enjoy, but bit of a trigger warning, there is references to abuse and derogatory language.

Eggsy walked out of Holbourn station still waiting for the other shoe to drop. His eyes kept scanning every corner looking for the coppers to be hiding, having a good laugh at the punk who thought he could just walk out free. Yet somehow, he made it all the way outside without anyone trying to stop him.

Blinking up into the sunlight, Eggsy was just about to pinch himself before he heard a voice from his left. The voice was rich and had a thick posh accent that didn’t belong to no one that had any business round a police station. “Eggsy, would you like a lift home?”

Eggsy couldn’t even form words than the man was so gorgeous. Right fit, well dressed, looked like he had just stepped out of some gentleman’s club or maybe ones of them old Bond movies. And his whole body screamed Alpha.

Still, Eggsy knew better than to be charmed by a nice suit and a pretty face. In fact, he’d learned those were the ones to look out for. “Who are you?”

He didn’t appear fazed by Eggsy’s suspicion. “The man who got you released.”

“That ain’t an answer,” he pointed out.

If the man was annoyed, he didn’t show it. “A little gratitude would be nice. My name is Harry Hart. I gave you that medal. Your father saved my life.”

And suddenly, Eggsy remembered exactly who this man was. The memory was hazy enough that he never would have remembered the man by sight alone. But he never forgot the man who came into their home and ruined everything with a few words. Not to say that it was right his fault that everything went to shit thereafter, but his message had definitely been the catalyst.

Eggsy really didn’t know what to say. The last thing he expected for the man to open the passenger door of his super slick car. “Now that I think about it, I’m quite thirsty. What about a drink before I take you home?”

It wasn’t like his day could get any worse. And he needed at least a few minutes reprieve to figure out what he was going to do about Dean and Rottie. “Sure. Why not.”

“Know any close drinking establishments.”

The poshness was starting to overpower the hotness real fast.

“Might know a place.”

He really only knew one place. With all the trouble his Mum had had with addiction, he’d never been much for drinking and due to recent events, he had stopped actually drinking all together. But it wasn’t like he could let anyone know he was going straight sober. That was a good way of asking for a beating. If Dean found out, he’d accuse him of acting too good for his station. Not that it really mattered as Dean would find any excuse for laying into him.

About twenty minutes later, he was sitting in booth at a very quiet Black Prince with a rum and coke in front of him. Minus the rum, but he still made the bartender charge the bill for it. Not like this rich guy couldn’t afford it.

Harry Hart had ordered a mug of what was on tap and drank half of it in one go.

Eggsy was starting to think he wasn’t the only one who had had a bad day.

They hadn’t said a word yet to each other, and Eggsy had no idea what to say in this situation. None of the questions inside his head quite came out right.

How well did you know my old man?

How did he die? No one right ever told me.

Do you know what my father thought of me?

Or what life he had in store for us?

All of those were questions he had spent years wondering, but he doubted that even if his man knew, he wouldn’t share the answers.

“Your father was a brave man. A good man.”

Ah, so apparently if Eggsy was enough of a dick and kept saying nothing to the man who had bailed him out of jail he would just start talking.

“And having read your file I think he’d be bitterly disappointed in the choices you’ve made.”

Okay, so maybe Eggsy wasn’t the biggest dick at this table.

But really. Who the fuck says that to a kid whose dad died?

“You can’t talk to me like that,” Eggsy snapped.

Still the fucker kept going. “Drugs, petty crime, never had a job.”

“You think there’s a lot of jobs around here, do ya?”

“Of course, always someone else’s fault.”

Eggsy had had enough of this man’s shit. “Judging people like me from your ivory towers without thinking why we do what we do.”

“We ain’t got much choice,” he’d had no choice, “ya get me?”

Eggsy couldn’t even remember when the last time he had made a meaningful choice in his life for himself and not someone else. But that was what omegas did. They sacrificed themselves for their pack and they did it without complaint.

Harry had the privilege of his class and his designation, and Eggsy should not have given a fuck what he thought. So way was it so important for him to make sure this man understood. There was something about Harry Hart that was crawling under his skin, and he was going to find out what—

“The FUCK you doing here? You takin a piss?”

Eggsy whirled around to see Rottie and his other mutts. Rottie was wearing a bandage that barely covered up the cut on his nose, but that was about he only sign of what had happened the night before.

Fuck.

Fuck.

Fuck.

This was just his luck. It really was starting to seem like the world was out to get him.

Then of course, Harry, par for the course that one, thought it was a good idea to speak up. “I’d appreciate it enormously if you would leave us alone until I finished this pint of Guinness.”

If Rottie had been angry before, he was getting pissed now. He hated anyone who talked back to him. Even though he was a beta, he considered himself Dean’s right hand man and most people round their parts treated him as such. “You should get out of the way granddaddy, cuz you’ll get hurt and all.”

“He ain’t jokin.” Eggsy had seen them beat up people that disrespected them before. Hell, he’d been their victim more than once. One guy didn’t even make it to the hospital, but no one had been ready to gas them to the coppers after they threatened to do the same to anyone who did.

Eggsy knew that a beating was inevitable. Harry might have gotten him out of the jail time, but there was still consequences to pay. This guy might be a dick, but he didn’t deserve to be a part of Eggsy’s trouble. “You should go.” He urged again.

Harry said nothing, but he abandoned his drink and headed for the door.

Good. At least that would be one more thing off his conscious.

Eggsy braced himself for the moment the door closed, and the pain would begin. While he waited Rottie and his boys threw out taunts to Harry. He ignored all of them until someone shouted out. “You lookin for another omega rent boy whore, they’re on the corner of Smith Street.”

It was like a stab to the heart hearing them say it out loud, as if it had ever been his choice to be done on that corner anyway.

Harry stopped in front of the door and slid each of the bolts closed. “Manners. Maketh. Man.”

What happened next, Eggsy had a hard time keeping track of. The fight really seemed over long before it began. One minute Rottie and his boys had been raring up and next they were all on the floor bleeding. Then of course, Harry darted them all.

It was only when Harry was standing a few inches in front of him ready to dart him that Eggsy realized it was all over. He took a deep breath and smelled it.

It was the most amazing smell that he had ever scented in his life. It was like sandalwood and a warm summer storm all rolled into one, and something else. Something unnamable that spoke to the deepest part of Eggsy’s soul.

He had only heard about this happening in books and movies. Most said that in the modern world with over 8 billion people roaming the globe it was just impossible for anyone to find their perfect match. Their true match. Their true mate.

Harry was Eggsy’s true mate.

A small part of him rolled his eyes of course my true mate would be an absolute wanker, while the other part was panting like he was about to go into heat. Fuck he hoped this scent wasn’t about to trigger a heat.

“Please, you can’t.” Eggsy begged because he knew the moment Harry hit him with whatever was in that dart, he would never remember any of this.

And he needed to remember his moment for the rest of his life.

“Why not?”

Eggsy looked up into his eyes, surprised Harry wasn’t sensing this thing between them too. But the only thing looking back at him was pure loathing.

Before Eggsy could do anything stupid enough like saying they were true mates, Harry lowered his arm. “Forget it. Better that you remember this little meeting so maybe you can mend your ways. Your father was a great man and it pains me to see that his son has become nothing more than a petty thief and a rent boy. Stop blaming your problems on everyone else and take some responsibility for once. Don’t forget, your favor is done, so there’s not going to be anyone to bail your criminal arse from a cell next time.”

Harry might have well torn his heart out as he pulled the chain off his neck. Then without another word, his true mate strode out of the tavern.

For the first time in years, the omega inside him took over, wrenching a wail from his throat and he broke into sobs on the bloody floor of the Black Prince.

Chapter 3

Notes:

As usual trigger warnings with this story because there is mention in the chapter of beatings, depictions of injuries, and hints at past/future SA.

But there is also protective Merlin and Harry gets an earful.

Eggsy had not been stupid enough to wait around for Rottie and the rest of his pack to wake up. Though Harry might have erased their memories of beating him up, there was no way he could have erased a lifetime of their hatred for Eggsy.

He also wasn’t stupid enough to go straight home. Dean would be in a tear searching for him after the little car incident yesterday. Though he couldn’t stay away long for Daisy’s sake, if he waited until after nightfall, then at least Dean would be out of the flat and he would have a chance to get his best girl out of there. His mom was watching her for the time being. And no matter how bad things had gotten with her and Dean, she would never let Dean lay a finger on their little flower.

With no money left in his pocket, the places he could go were limited. Luckily, Jamal’s door was always open to him. After the last time that Jamal had tracked his scent to find Eggsy hiding out from Dean by sleeping on the street, he’d given Eggsy a key and made him promise to always come over when he needed.

So, he didn’t even knock when he arrived, just used the key to move inside.

Jamal’s flat only had one room, but he’d snagged a pull out couch two years back that only groaned every other time Eggsy laid on it. The heat was out again or busted, or more likely both. Eggsy shivered even as he fished out some extra blankets to curl up in. Jamal was a beta, and had never had the desire to nest, but with Eggsy over so often he’d found a bunch of cheap fluffy ones at a charity shop. While mostly they smelled like Eggsy and Daisy, the beta’s subtle hints of cool mint were there too.

Wrapping up in them was exactly what he needed to sooth his omega after what had happened in the pub. It had taken some hard work and a lot of repressing the shit out of his omega to even get up the energy to get out of dodge. He must have been wrong. Having never been around an alpha that was so well put together and strong his stupid hindbrain must have gone crazy thinking Harry was his true mate.

At least that’s what he had to tell himself, but it was just too sad to think otherwise. Being rejected by a compatible mate was hard enough. Some said being rejected by your true mate was deadly.

His eyes began to droop as his exhaustion began to take over. Had been more than a bit since he last got any sleep. Between his nightly job working the corner, and his days spent looking for anything to make an extra tenner, he rarely got enough sleep as it was. Add a night in a jail cell, and he was knackered.

Pulling out his phone Eggsy saw that it was only 3pm. He had a couple hours before dark. So he set an alarm for 6 and passed out in his nest of blankets.

Eggsy almost swore he didn’t even sleep at all. It was like one minute he had closed his eyes, and then the next the door was opening. But he must have as the sun had disappeared from the windows and night was falling.

“Jamal?” Eggsy rubbed at his eyes. “That you.”

“Fuck, Eggsy? You alright?” Jamal called from the doorway. He had yet to step into view, but he sounded happy if surprised by him. “So you did gets away from the coppers.”

“Bit of a crazy story mate, but not one that you would believe, so we’ll have to leave it at that.” Then he realized he hadn’t asked how he got away from the police. “Wait? How’d you hear I was out?”

Eggsy was met with silence.

“Jamal?”

There was a vague hint of distress in the air, and it wasn’t Eggsy’s.

“Now, I don’t want you doing anything, Eggsy. You’re in enough trouble already.” Jamal prefaced before he stepped into the room for the first time and Eggsy saw it.

Black circled his eye, and there was a bright spot of blood in the pupil. Though it wasn’t as bad as the way he was holding his hand trying to hide the clearly broken fingers.

“DA FUCK!” Eggsy’s omega jumped into action at the sight of his pack brother hurt. He didn’t need to ask who had done it to him. All he did was hurry into the bathroom for the first aid kit and get to work on patching him up.

It was a sad commentary on his life how good Eggsy was at field dressing. He couldn’t even blame his few weeks in training on that one. Just a decade or so of patching up his own cuts and bruises and breaks to keep anyone from looking too close at him.

“I have to say, I’m glad you’re here mate. I was worried you might have gone home where Dean would have found you. Said he was going to be waiting with one of them big knives and that if I didn’t want a worse beating than this I was supposed to send you to him.”

Eggsy guessed as much. Didn’t take no genius to know what Dean’s next move would be. He’d embarrassed Dean by making his pack into a laughing stock. No way Eggsy was walking out of this one with anything less than another hospital visit under a fake name.

But if he kept avoiding Dean like this, someone else was going to end up there instead.

When he was done, he got an icepack from the freezer and put it on Jamal’s hand. “You’re a good mate, you know. Best mate. I’ll make sure he doesn’t touch you again.”

Jamal bulked. “Nah, you can’t do that. He’s going to kill you this time.”

Probably.

But Eggsy had learned the hard way that there were worse things in this world than dead in a gutter.

He wondered what Harry would think of him if he knew the truth. What would the great Harry Hart do if he was in this situation? Probably hire some assassin to take Dean out all clean and smooth. Or just go to town wailing on him.

There were so many times that Eggsy had wanted to do the same. But while rights for Omegas had greatly improved over the last few decades, moving away from a point in history when they’d been little more than slaves, they were still far from equal.

An alpha could still plead pack defense for taking out an omega they deemed a threat to their pack. But Omega’s could only claim self defense if they had their pack alpha to back them up on the stand.

Seeing as how Eggsy was unmated, and the closest thing to his alpha the court would consider was Dean himself, he was between a rock and a hard place.

He could just leave. He’d thought about it a hundred times. But if he did, he’d have to leave Daisy behind or risk having the law after him for kidnapping. And leaving without her was never going to be an option.

No. Eggsy had to man up and face the consequences of his actions. Though it made him sick, if he begged nicely Dean might take it out of his ass rather than well… taking it out of his flesh.

Fuck, he should have never called in that favor to get him out of jail. At least in jail he’d been safe from Dean.

“Eggsy.” He must have been too lost in his thoughts as Jamal was trying to draw his attention. “You really don’t have to do this mate. You can hide here until he calms down and…”

“Nah, mate. I got to do this. Can’t let him hurt anyone else.” He took a deep breath before meetin Jamal’s eyes. “You know what to do if you don’t hear from me in more than a few days.”

“Call Child Protection for Daisy. Yep, I remember.”

He’d made Jamal and Ryan both promise to do that in case something ever happened to Eggsy where he couldn’t make it back to care for her.

“And you know how to access the file?”

Since Dean was a master at convincing others he were no monster, Eggsy had planned ahead with plenty of evidence that would prove Dean an unfit guardian for Daisy. Only problem was it did the same for him. Showed what a failure he really was of an omega unable to keep his best girl safe. But if Eggsy was gone, his pride didn’t really matter. And right now Dais was young, and the young ones often ended up in good families.

It was probably selfish of him to have kept her so close for this long.

He patted Jamal’s shoulder. “Take care, alright.”

Inside, his omega whined knowing this was likely the last time he would see his packmate.

“You have to. You might back. Swear to me, Eggsy. You’re not weak, and if it’s him or you, you pick you.’

“Yeah, kay.” Eggsy knew if he lingered longer he’d loose his courage so he walked out the door and headed home.

 

 

Merlin should have known the universe would find a way to drag him to work even on his day off. At least he had gotten a few hours that morning to take care of things at home.

It hadn’t been an hour after shoving Harry out the door to pick up Eggsy, that he’d gotten another call. At the time he had been deep in magician mode searching for anything about the boy that had been missed on the preliminary search.

Of course, it had been Morgana again. But this time it was a much more serious issue. Lancelot had gone dark.

There were plenty of reasons why an agent might have gone dark during a mission, and very few of them were good. They’d needed Merlin to come back in and help find him.

So Merlin had typed up an algorithm to have his computers scour for what he wanted on Eggsy and got back to his real work.

It was six and they still had not made any headway in reconnecting with the agent. Pretty soon they were going to have to call off the mission entirely and send in a team to search for him in person.

Merlin had been sitting at his desk for far too long, so he took a break to get some tea. And by break, Merlin meant he stretched out on his couch as he flipped through the results of his Eggsy search.

Like any code he created, it had done its job too well and found a hell of a lot more than Merlin knew what to do with. He scanned through the documents and nearly threw up for what he found.

He called Harry immediately.

Harry sounded slightly bothered when he answered. “What now?”

“You still have Eggsy with you? You can’t let the boy go home. You have to see this. I’m sending it to you now.”

Harry was too much a gentleman to interrupt, but apparently not enough of one not to make undignified sounds. “Ugh, I had hoped I heard the last of that boy’s name already. What kind of dumb name is Eggsy anyway. No, I do not have the boy with me. Why ever would I?”

Merlin blinked. “I don’t know, Harry. Because he called in a favor and it’s your job to help him.”

“I got him out of prison. What more do you expect of me. The boy is just the same as everyone else. A lazy ingrate who doesn’t know the first thing about seizing what opportunities the world gives you while you can.”

Merlin honestly couldn’t believe what he was hearing from his friend. “What the hell, Harry? Since when the fuck you talk like that.”

“The boy’s an omega, Merlin, and one that’s thrown away every opportunity ever handed to him. I am not about to be the next in line of people who offer him help and are bit for their trouble.”

Ah. Now he was starting to understand what had brought out the nastier side of Harry’s personality. But understanding was not the same as agreeing. In fact, Merlin could feel his own rage building beyond a level he could control.

“Harry, fucking, Hart! If I hear one more insult out of you, I will come over to your house and unstuff Mr. Pickles myself while you watch.”

“Merlin!” He said, scandalized.

“No, don’t you fucking dare. Did you ever ask him why he didn’t seize his opportunities as you put it? Did you even ask what happened that made him quit gymnastics? Because if you did, he might have told you he didn’t quit by choice but because he had two screws put in his knee because how badly his stepdad beat him. Or he might have told you that he quit the military because his mom begged him to come home and help her with the new baby she had on the way.”

Merlin was literally seeing red because that was only the half of it.

“None of that was in his file,” Harry said quietly.

“It doesn’t matter if it was in his file or not. You owed that boy a debt and you should have at least talked to him like another human being instead of treating him like trash.” Merlin snapped. “Now, tell me where the boy is.”

“I do not know. I left him at a drinking establishment. I assume he went home.”

Home. Home to his abusive stepdad who was one wrong move away from killing him.

“I swear to God, and St. Andrew, that when I find this boy, if he is not in one piece, our friendship is over.” Merlin didn’t wait to hear his response. He hung up and hurried off to find Eggsy.

When Morgana tried to stop him, he remind her that there was nothing more any of them could do and it was his day off. His full alpha instincts were on high alert. Nothing was going to stop him until that boy was safe.

 

 

Chapter 4

Notes:

This chapter got intense.

Warnings for blood and injury and abuse in this one.

Eggsy took a deep breath as he stood in front of his front door. This was it. Probably the stupidest decision he had ever made in his short lived life. But hey. What else was he supposed to do? He knew how these things went.

If Dean wanted him, he’d get to him any way he could. That meant beating his way through every single one of Eggsy’s friends and if it came to it, his mum and Daisy.

It was better to face the music than let Dean touch anyone else Eggsy considered pack.

He pushed the door open expecting to find a punch straight to his face. Instead, he walked into a mostly empty flat.

No one was waiting for him except for…

“Daisy!” Eggsy said her name with all the love in his heart.

His sweet girl was laying inside her playpen. She wasn’t asleep, but making happy babbling sounds at the tv playing in the corner.

A part of Eggsy wanted to be pissed that Dean or his mum had left her alone again. But at the moment, he didn’t have the space in his heart to be pissed when his flower was smiling up at him. Not even seven months old yet, and already this girl was the light of Eggsy’s whole life.

Eggsy scooped her up and cuddled her close. Scenting her, he could smell she was happy and content, which likely meant she hadn’t been left unattended for too long. But he could also smell that she needed her nappy changed and likely would be crying for another bottle sometime soon.

It would have been easier if Daisy had been breastfed a bit longer, with how expensive formula was getting. But circumstances had made that impossible.

Sooner or later, Dean was going to be home to bust him up, so Eggsy spent all the time he had with his Daisy girl. Once her needs were taken care of, Eggsy switched the tv off to play some classical music for her and read to her instead. She loved the classics, which was funny because none of her parents had.

Before he knew it, Daisy was yawning and falling asleep on his chest. For a few moments, Eggsy let himself enjoy the feeling of having his girl in his arms, smelling so sweet like the flower that had inspired her name. His inner omega purred for the first time today.

Then he heard the lock in the door.

Eggsy snatched Daisy up and hurried her into the crib in his mum’s room. Though he would have preferred to keep the crib in his own and be the one to take care of her, he couldn’t risk it. Too much happened in his room that wasn’t for Daisy’s eyes.

He had just deposited her with a kiss, and shut the door behind him when Dean caught sight of him. Again, the man didn’t fully fly into the alpha rage that Eggsy expected, but nor did he seem to have gotten over it either.

Dean was a big man, an odd combination of hard muscle and soft bulk. His hair would have gone gray a few years back if he didn’t spend so much time dying it to keep it that dark brown he was so proud of.

Mum was standing next to him, a bag from the tesco down the way the only evidence of where they’d been. She smiled at the sight of Eggsy. “There you are. I was worried when you didn’t come home last night.”

Even as his mum hugged him, he didn’t take his eyes off Dean.

“Not very nice of you to run off like that.” Dean said, his voice too calm and too serious. “You worried your ma half to death.”

“I’m sorry, mum.” Eggsy said. He took the moment to enjoy this hug with his mother, hopeful that it wouldn’t be his last. “I didn’t mean to scare you. You know I love you.”

She clutched closer to him for a moment. He thought she was just hugging him the way she always did, but she whispered in his ear. “You’ve got to run, baby.”

So she knew. Or at least sensed that something was wrong between the two of them. Sadly it was too late. Dean wanted blood, and if Eggsy didn’t let it be his, it would be someone else’s.

“You know, I’ve got a bit of a job for you. Was hoping you would come help me out.” Dean said.

Eggsy nodded. “Yeah. Don’t mind helping you. So long as that’s the end of this, and you don’t need anyone else.”

Dean’s eyes narrowed, but he seemed to accept what Eggsy was say. “Yeah, just you and me should be enough to handle it.”

At least that meant Dean wouldn’t sick the rest of his mutts on him.

Eggsy kissed his mum’s head. “Take care of Daisy for me, and make sure…” He’d kept it together this whole time, but here was where he choked up. “Make sure Dais knows I will always love her.”

His mother’s hands trailed after him as he stepped towards Dean. She turned pleading eyes on her Alpha, but a life time of abuse had taught her not to beg, not even for her son’s life.

Eggsy wasn’t the only one Dean had used and abused. After his real dad passed, his mum had been without an alpha. Dean had seemed dependable, even kind those first few years while he sweet talked his mum into bonding with him. It was only after the bond was in place that Dean’s real colors started to show, along with the bruises. When Dean turned on Eggsy, he’d still been a child and his mum had tried to take the brunt of it. That hadn’t lasted long as he got some sick joy of laying into Eggsy that could never be filled.

Dean buried his hand into Eggsy’s neck. Though to and outsider it might have looked like nothing more than a father patting his son’s shoulder, Eggsy could feel the way he scuffed him, literally imprinting his will onto Eggsy’s omega.

He whispered to Eggsy. “You will not run, or scream, or fight or this time I am weeding that precious flower of yours.”

Eggsy’s omega screamed inside him. Protect. Protect. Protect.

So despite the rest of him begging for him to fight back, he let Dean lead him out of the flat.

 

 

Merlin was frantic. He was ever grateful that at least Harry fucking Hart had left the medal with the boy. Those medals, those favors were rare indeed. And every now and then it was required to track down where they were so each and every one was laced with a tracking device that would never appear to outside detection unless activated.

Merlin had activated it the moment he realized Eggsy was in danger.

It was strange. Merlin had never met this boy in person. He had only seen him in pictures and files, yet some part of Merlin felt so protective for the boy. Anyone else might have said it was just his inner Alpha acting up to protect an omega in danger, but it was more than that. If only Merlin could put his finger on it.

When he’d finally gotten a signal from the tracker, it had shown the boy at his home address, the same place that prick of a stepfather he had lived. But before he could make it out to the estates, the small blip was moving. Which meant Eggsy was moving.

Merlin followed it as close as he could, but he was already so far behind.

It stopped again in some back London alley and didn’t move again.

Merlin was really having a bad feeling about this.

By the time he was a few streets away, he gave up trying to get through the last night traffic and abandoned his car and followed the tracker on foot. These weren’t the first alley ways he’d walked through and they wouldn’t be the last.

Yet he was surprised to find that they were completely quiet. The tracker was only accurate to about a few hundred foot radius, and even though he’d looped back through the area that it showed twice he found no sign of Eggsy.

Perhaps the lad had lost it and they had moved somewhere else. Merlin was just about to expand his search radius when he heard it.

The faintest, tiniest whimper he almost couldn’t believe it was human. It came from a dumpster.

Shit!

Merlin threw the top off and even though his nose was no where near as sensitive as it had once been, he could still smell the blood among the trash. With a flash of a light, he could also see the beaten boy buried under the bags.

Later, Merlin would realize he had gone into something reminiscent of an alpha rage, only this was more accurately referred to as a protective fury. He threw the bags into the alley not caring as the broke open expelling trash everywhere behind him.

He had to get to Eggsy.

By the time he reached the boy, he was barely breathing. There was a distinct rattle in the few breaths that he was able to expel.

“Eggsy, lad?” Merlin called out, trying to get him to wake up. “I need you to open your eyes.”

The boy did no such thing, even when Merlin was finally able to get a hold of the boy and pull him up and out of the dumpster. He laid him flat on the ground, careful to make sure not to aggravate any of his injuries.

The alpha who had done this to him had been methodical. He had been aiming to kill and used more than just his fits. His whole body was littered with bruises and deep cuts. Merlin was fairly certain that more than one of the boy’s ribs was broken, and possibly had punctured a lung. Worse than that were the clear and obvious blows to the head. There was blood in his ears and nose and fuck, all over the rest of him.

It was a miracle he was still alive at all.

Merlin pulled up his glasses. “I need an immediate medical transport. Now! Fuck five minutes ago would be better.” He relayed what information he could about the boy’s injuries and hurried to administer what first aid he could.

“Come on, boyo. You are not checking out on me. We haven’t even met yet, dammit.” Merlin half snarled. He’d torn his shirt into strips, tying off what he could and holding pressure to what he couldn’t.

Still he could feel the boy’s heartbeat slipping away even as his breathing got more shallow.

“No!” He didn’t care that he used his alpha voice. “You better keep that fucking heart of yours beating and those lungs pumping. You’re too strong to give up now. You had enough strength to stand up to fucking Harry Hart, you got enough to survive this.”

Merlin didn’t know why it was so important to him for this boy to survive. He could have been tied up, starved and tortured, and he still would never be able to explain it, but he needed Eggsy to live.

So when his breathing stopped, he launched into action. He released the hold he’d had on the boy’s injuries to start doing compressions on his chest.

“WHERE THE HELL IS THAT TRANSPORT!” He screamed into his glasses.

“Almost there, sir.” Morgana’s voice replied. “Should be there any minute, and I have Gwen prepping surgery as we speak.”

He’d gotten to thirty compression, so he tipped Eggsy’s head back and breathed for him. He did it again, and again, each time he got to thirty compressions. He could feel more ribs cracking under his hands and he wanted to cry for the first time in two decades.

Suddenly hands tried to get between him and Eggsy. Merlin didn’t think, just reacted, snarling out and biting at the hand that had dared to get between him and his omega. THE omega, he corrected.

“You’ve got to let us take him, sir.” It was one of their paramedics. They were trying to move Eggsy onto a gurney.

“You’ve got his pulse started again.” The other one said. “Now, let us keep it going.”

Merlin could only nod. It took all his strength to step back and let them take the omega from him. His alpha whined as the distressed noise the boy made as they moved his body. But he didn’t have time for that. He was following after the medics, crawling into the back of the transport and praying to every saint he could name that they had arrived in time to save Eggsy.

Chapter 5

Notes:

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate! As a little gift to my fellow Kingsman lovers, I thought what better time to post the next chapter. I hope you all like it!

Warning, I know nothing about medical stuff. So this won't be accurate at all! Just roll with it guys.

Merlin had never been the type of man to pace when he was anxious. Nor was he the type of shout when he was angry. It was lucky for the medical staff or Merlin might have worn a hole in the floor or screamed at every member of staff for the emotions rolling through him as he waited to hear if Eggsy had lived or died.

The ambulance ride had been too long. The team struggled to keep his heart beating and they had to intubate him right there in the bloody ambulance. While the boy was no where near stable when they reached Kingsman’s infirmary, they’d had no choice but to rush him into surgery or lose him right there.

That had been three hours ago. Merlin figured it was a good thing that they were still in there. If Eggsy was dead, they wouldn’t still be in that operating room.

A hand gently touched his shoulder. Merlin had been controlling his anger until that moment, as the only useful direction for his rage was that shit man Dean Baker, who was luckily not in his presence at the moment. Only now, Harry was here and he finally had another outlet for it.

“Merlin. I…I didn’t mean for this to happen. I didn’t know, I didn’t realize… is the young boy going to be alright?” Harry at least seemed distraught and guilty as a priest, but feeling sorry wasn’t enough to fix this fuck up.

Standing, slowly, ever so slowly, so that he felt every single bone slide into place, Merlin turned to face his old friend.

His only friend really.

Harry had his faults and quirks, and Merlin had accepted them all. They had faced so much together. Pulling each other through the darkness that came with this job, when the other wasn’t strong enough to stand on their own.

But in Merlin’s books, this was unforgiveable. Harry had his reasons for distrusting and down right loathing omegas. If it had been a single instance of getting hurt, Merlin would have just sent him off to therapy and told him to get over himself. Only Merlin knew the whole story. He knew how horribly Harry’s life had been ripped apart by a few bad apples. But even that did not excuse his disrespect for a simple human life.

Kingsman were trained to never let prejudice stand in the way of saving the world, or any life for that matter.

Harry had thrown this young boy to the wolves with a cruel word and a sneer and thought nothing more of it.

Merlin pointed towards the surgery room. “I told you that boy needed help. He asked you, begged you to see him for more than what he looked like on the outside.” He’d watched the recording from Harry’s glasses while he waited. “Yet you could not see past your own fears to help him. A boy whose father gave his life to save both of us. And you abandoned him and for what?”

“Merlin, you know I never meant for this to happen.”

“Aye, but I know you did damn well nothing to prevent it either. If he survives, you best find a way to make it up to him, because until that boy has it in his heart to forgive you, I cannae.”

“Merlin—” He was about to plead something more, but they were both interrupted by Morgana emerging from the surgery room.

“Is he—” Merlin couldn’t bring himself to say it, couldn’t even think it. If her next words were that the boy was dead, Merlin felt like something deep inside him would shatter.

He was done fighting how strange it was that this omega he had just met meant to much to him. At this point there was nothing to do but accept it and try to figure it out later.

“He pulled through,” Morgana said. “Apart from the collapsed lung, he also had some severe internal bleeding, but we were able to locate where it was coming from and plug the leak. The outer wounds were mostly minor except for one that almost went deep enough to puncture his kidney, but thankfully it didn’t. What concerns us now is the concussion. We will have to take multiple scans once he is stable enough to put through an MRI and when he wakes up it will go a long way to helping us identify how significant the damage is.”

It was a miracle the boy had survived until help arrived with all those injuries. As she’d listed each one, Harry had turned paler and paler. By the time she was finished the older alpha was growling deep. “And we know for certain it was Dean Baker that did this to him?”

“No.” Merlin snapped. He could already see where Harry was going with that question. “We cannae just go murdering Eggsy’s stepdad without being sure that none of the blame will fall on the boy. You will wait.”

“Yes,” Morgana added. “You have to remember that the laws were not made to protect omegas, even here in London law reforms have been slow.” She of all people would know, having had first hand experience being an omega herself. “But, if we could get back to discussing young Unwin, please.”

Merlin blanched. “There’s more?” He didn’t think he could take hearing the boy had suffered more injuries.

“No, something else I wanted to discuss with you. As I’m not sure what mission this pertains to, I have no idea if this is relevant or not, but Mr. Unwin did regain semi-consciousness for a few minutes before we were able to put him under for the surgery. He was in a lot of pain and not entirely coherent, but he kept saying Daisy.”

“Daisy?” Harry’s brow furrowed. “Like a flower?”

“He was very distraught and kept repeating the word over and over again. I didn’t know if maybe it was a code word or something else important.”

Merlin was already grabbing his pad and searching through all the files that he had on Eggsy, searching for any reference to a Daisy. He got a hit immediately. His sister. His infant sister from the look of it, as her date of birth was only seven months prior.

The boy was beat to hell, and he was more worried about the little pup at home than himself. Merlin made a note to make sure to get child services involved to ensure the pup was alright.

“It is nae something to worry about. I’ll handle it.” Merlin informed her. “Would it be possible to see him?”

“Once we’ve moved him into a room, I do not think it would do him any harm. Though I must warn you, he needs absolute quiet and rest.”

Merlin nodded at that.

He would make sure he got both.

Morgana gestured for him to follow her to look at more of Eggsy’s files and Harry started off behind him.

“You should get back to work, Agent Galahad. I’ll take care of the rest.”

Harry seemed to understand what Merlin was not saying. He agreed. “Would you at least keep me updated on his health? I would like an opportunity to apologize to him once he’s ready.”

 

Twenty minutes later, Merlin finally was walking to Eggsy’s recovery room. The boy was hooked up to multiple IVs and other tubes coming out of him. Merlin’s heart broke at the sight, and there was a sudden surge of alpha protective instinct that ran through him.

Morgana nearly choked. “You know, it might be best if you tone the whole alpha thing down. I have a few scent blockers I could spray you down with so you’re not traumatizing the boy further with that strong scent of yours. At least until he’s gotten to know you.”

Though Merlin was unable to smell any scent, the truth was he was far from scent dead. He’d always had a strong scent since he first presented, and it only grew stronger with his emotions. Perhaps Morgana was right and covering it up for Eggsy’s sake would not hurt.

“That would be lovely,” Merlin agreed.

Morgana left to get that and Merlin walked over to the side of Eggsy’s bed. It felt wrong reaching out to offer him any physical comfort when Eggsy didn’t even know who he was. That was a line he would not cross so despite a voice deep in his chest screaming for him to scent and ensure himself that the boy’s heart was beating, Merlin kept his hands to himself.

Watching was enough. Hearing the heart monitor was enough.

But in his sleep, Eggsy seemed like he was searching for something. His whole body tilting closer to Merlin as he approached.

Morgana arrived with the scent blockers and Merlin excused himself into the bathroom to apply them. He had not been gone for more than three minutes when all hell broke lose in the other room.

It started simply with hearing Morgana say Eggsy’s name, then there was a whine, almost a chirp, the sound an omega made when they were distressed. Then it turned into a scream, as the monitor machines started going crazy and Morgana was screaming out for help.

Merlin got there before any of the other medical staff.

Eggsy had woken up, or at least surfaced from the drugged hazy enough to move. His arms were reaching out and he was crying, screaming.

“Please. No! No! Stop! Stop! Daisy! DAISY!”

Merlin had no idea what to do. He had no idea how to sooth Eggsy in this distressed state. There was only one thing to do. And Merlin being the only alpha in the room was the only one strong enough to do it. Merlin walked over and wrapped his hands around the back of Eggsy’s neck and scruffed him.

The boy melted back against the blankets, and though he’d stopped fighting he was still crying and whining louder than before. Morgana hurried to check his stitches.

One of the nurses came running in. “What’s going on? He shouldn’t be awake yet!”

“He’s not.” Morgana said, and sure enough, she was right. Eggsy’s eyes were still closed. “It’s his omega that’s awake and fighting. It won’t settle.”

Merlin had only seen an omega act like this one time. It had been through the glasses of an agent breaking up an omega smuggling ring. They had been selling omegas and their pups to the highest bidder, and were not afraid to sell them separately. One omega, they had been able to recover, but her pup had already been taken. The medics that arrived on scene had given her the largest dose they medically could to help calm her while they gave her attention, but it hadn’t been enough. Her omega had fought and clawed to consciousness against the strongest drugs to cry out for her child.

Fuck.

Merlin couldn’t let go to check his tablet as the moment he released Eggsy he might start thrashing and hurt himself again. So instead he addressed the nurse. “Did you take samples of both his blood and pheromones?”

“Of course. Though we haven’t had the chance to look over the pheromone test yet.”

“Check the results. Tell me if you see what I think you will see.”

The nurse frowned, but looked and gasped. “Oh!”

Morgana turned to look at her nurse. “What is it?”

“According to the level and profile of his pheromones, I think Mr. Unwin has given birth within the last year.”

So his seven month old sister was actually his own pup. A pup he was fighting to get to at the moment. Which meant, Eggsy didn’t think the baby was safe.

There was no time to wait for child services.

Merlin leaned down and whispered into Eggsy’s ear. Then he let go.

Morgana squawked. “What are you doing he’ll—”

Only Eggsy remained quiet and still against the bed. In fact, he seemed to breath deeper.

“What did you say to him?” Morgana asked,

But Merlin was already grabbing up his things and heading for the door. “I will be back in a few hours. Take care of him for me until then.”

 

It was so dark Eggsy couldn’t see, but he could still hear Dean’s threat echoing around him. “Should have gotten rid of you first chance I got. Won’t make the same mistake with the weed of yours. Maybe I should throw her out in the dumpster like the trash she is. Then she could die just like her da.”

Eggsy had been ready to give up everything. He’d been so tired of being beat down and trying to pull himself back up just for the cycle to start all over again.

He’d told himself that if he was dying to save those he loved from being hurt it would be worth it. That if he died like his da, saving lives, that maybe he might be remembered as someone good rather than as the street trash he was.

But the thought of something happening to Daisy, to the only beautiful and good thing that had ever come from his life, had made him fight back. Only it hadn’t been enough. Now, he was somewhere lost in the dark and his sweet Daisy girl was in danger.

He had to find her. He had to get out of this darkness and save her.

Eggsy fought and screamed with all his soul.

Until there was a sudden soothing presence in the dark with him. The scent was one he had smelled before, the most intoxicating mix of sandalwood and storm. But the voice was something new, and it touched him in a way nothing ever had before.

I’ll save her lad. I’ll save Daisy and bring her right back here to you. For once, just rest.

He couldn’t say why he trusted that voice, but he did. So he laid back in the dark and let it consume him once again.

Chapter 6

Notes:

And two months later, almost to the day, I have returned! Thank you for your patience. I have so many projects and so much homework, but I couldn't get this scene out of my head today.

Merlin finally gets to meet Daisy. I hope I wrote it well enough to warm your heart.

Merlin had not stepped foot in the field in well over ten years. Not because he wasn’t capable or needed, oh no, he’d been forbidden from the field. Officially on his record, the reason was listed as ‘uses unnecessary force’.

When Harry had first seen the mark on his file, he laughed. “You have seen what any of the Kingsman agents are capable of, and you’re telling him they dinged you on unnecessary force?”

Merlin had simply smiled. “It’s a matter of opinion, I suppose.”

Except that hadn’t been the truth. The truth was that when Merlin saw reason to unleash his inner Alpha, there was little he could do to reign in the wild violence that ran through his blood.

And right now, his inner alpha was raging to be let loose. To tear and claw and rip into the man who had hurt Eggsy.

It would be so satisfying to put an end to Dean Baker, especially after everything that he had found about the boy’s experience under his roof. But he hadn’t been wrong when he warned Harry of doing just the same. There was a delicate line of law that he was forced to walk in this circumstance. Until he had a clearer picture of exactly how entangled Eggsy was in Dean’s web, killing Dean could cause more problems than it solved.

That didnae however, mean he was going to let Eggsy’s seven month old pup spend another minute in the man’s presence.

Merlin had only learned of her existence two hours before, and yet he did not think he had ever felt so protective of another life.

As the car pulled up to the address listed in Eggsy’s file, Merlin parked and turned the engine off. It was late, later than Merlin had hoped to be there, as every moment he delayed was another moment the pup was in danger. He glanced up at the apartment and didn’t know whether to be concerned or relieved that there wasn’t a single light on in the unit.

Merlin stepped out of the car, not even bothering to lock it. If any petty thief was stupid enough to so much as touch the car with his safety features in place they would get a lot more trouble than they bargained for.

Marching straight up the stairs, Merlin knocked twice on the door to the unit. No answer came some he gave the same two raps. When there was still no sound inside, he pulled out his bump key and smashed it into the lock. The door opened far too easily.

If there had even been a chance of Eggsy living there again, he might have suggested putting in a few other locks as well. Instead, he pushed into the flat, flicking on the living room light.

He had lived in his share of messy apartments in his lifetime, but this was new levels of filth. There were old beer cans and empty crisp bags cluttered in every corner. Dirty clothes lay in scattered piles, thrown haphazardly wherever they landed. This filth was no place for any person to live, let alone a child. The worst yet was a stench of fear and pain so strong that Merlin could smell it even with his highly damaged senses.

It appeared he had been correct that no one was home at the moment, which made him all the more nervous for the pup. Dean Baker could be doing anything to the child at that very moment. He was pulling out his phone, ready to call in a track and trace when he heard the soft little mew from somewhere deeper in the apartment.

Merlin hurried through the filth, following the sound, pushing into what must have been a bedroom. On the far wall was a crib that had seen far better days, and from inside was a tiny whining cry, no louder than that of a newborn kitten.

The pup was so small. Smaller than he had imagined her to be when he read her file. She was supposed to be seven months old, but she looked closer to the size of a baby half her age. She had the sweetest little curls the same shade as Eggsy’s and a nose that would surely grow to match him as well. The poor babe was crying in her sleep.

It was impossible to know how long she had been left alone in her crib like this. Abandoned or perhaps even purposely left for dead.

Now, he could understand why Eggsy’s omega had been unable to settle. The bond between mother and pup was one of the strongest things in the world, especially during the first year of the pup’s life. It was possible that even miles away, Eggsy might have sensed her distress.

Merlin couldn’t stop the growl that built low in his chest at the thought of all these two had suffered.

However, the growl must have been harsher than he thought because it woke the little babe from her sleep. She woke with a piercing wail.

Never in his life had Merlin actually been in a situation to comfort a crying baby. Whether it was instinct, desperation, or pure panic, Merlin would never be sure, but something inside him knew exactly what to do. He lifted the wailing pup into his arms, and held her tucked safely against her chest.

“Hush now, little one, you’re alright.” He knew that with his scent blockers, it would not be easy to put out a comforting scent, but still he tried as her cries were breaking his heart.

The babe was warm, and oh so beautifully fragile in his hands. Merlin could understand why Eggsy had named this girl after a flower. She resembled one in so many ways. As their eyes met, he could also understand why Eggsy had been so protective of her.

Merlin would have done anything to protect a wee one as precious as her.

Daisy must have understood, or his scent must have been starting to break through enough to calm her. She stopped crying, snuggling closer to him. Trusting him in a way that no one ever had before, even though they had never met. Her little nose pressed up against his scent gland like she was seeking comfort there. The little girl gave a few more tiny mews before settling back to sleep.

Searching around, it wasn’t hard to find the small bag of baby things hidden underneath the crib. Merlin grabbed it, figuring its meager contents would be enough for the little one until he was able to procure more for her. The only thing he fully required was a car seat.

Not a standard issue of Kingsman vehicles, there had not been any handy in the manor either, and Merlin had been in too big a hurry to get there to think of picking one up on the way. Luckily, there was one towards the front door of the loft that he had seen when he walked in. It was a little large for her size, a problem that would be rectified before long.

Merlin was just getting the battle situated in the confusing contraption when he heard the door push open. “Who the hell unlocked…” The voice broke off when he got far enough inside to see Merlin.

All of Merlin’s protective instincts flared up again as he stared into the eyes of Dean Baker. This was the man who had left Eggsy to die. This was the man who had abused Eggsy his whole life.

“Hello.” Merlin greeted, like he belonged in the flat rather than Dean. “Mr. Baker. I must say I have been quite eager to met you.”

“What the fuck you doing in my house? And who the fuck are you?” Dean spat.

Merlin smiled with his teeth, but it reached no where else on his face. “Oh no, Mr. Baker, you will not speak to me like that. If you have a problem with me, ya will whisper it in me ear. Or else you’ll wake the babe.”

How he hoped Dean would take him up on the offer. Just so he could wait for the moment Baker leaned forward, and he could bash the man’s nose into his skull. Yet, as tempting as that thought was, the truth was he needed to avoid confrontation with the man for the moment. Once he had everything settled with Eggsy and a better idea of the legal ramifications surrounding their relationship, then he could kill the man and spread his body all across the continent.

His comment about the babe was the only reason the man appeared to look around him and see the car seat. “What the hell are you doing? You trying to kidnap my pup!” The man bellowed, but Merlin didn’t even flinch at his use of his alpha voice.

“Seeing as the pup is not yours, and I found her alone in this flat, I do not think it is anywhere in your right to be concerned about the pup anymore. I am returning her where she belongs and if you so much as take a step forward to block my path, then I will tear your bullocks from between your legs and make you swallow them.”

The threat, said so calmly and so coldly, had the desired affect on Baker, although a small part of Merlin really wished he would make him make good on the threat. It had been too long since he’d spilled blood.

And oh, Dean Baker seemed determined to make him smile today.

“Don’t care who you are or what claim you think you have on her, wouldn’t care if you’re her real alpha. Girl’s mine by law and I’ll do with her what I please.” Dean took a step forward.

While he wanted to maintain his threat, removing a man’s bollocks was a messy process, and one that Merlin wished to savor at a later date. That didn’t mean he couldn’t get some satisfaction now. Merlin activated his taser in his ring, and before Dean could take two steps towards him, Merlin dropped to his knee and landed a solid fist straight into his groin. The man shriveled up like a worm left on the pavement in the sun.

Merlin didn’t even acknowledge his howls of pain. He walked right of him, grabbing the car seat with Daisy safely tucked in. “That’s a girl. Are you ready to go see your Da.”

It was only as he was stepping out of the flat, that he realized there had been someone watching the altercation. A woman who Merlin had seen in Eggsy’s file stood cowering behind the door. She looked at him with half part fear and the other half hope. “You…you know where Eggsy is?” She bit her lip. “You said you were taking her to her Da. Then you know Eggsy?”

“I do. I am.” Merlin confirmed.

“Is he…is he alright?” She asked in a quiet voice.

“No, but he will be soon.” Merlin assured her. “You could come with, see him. I can keep you safe from your alpha.”

She looked like she desperately wanted to say yes, but as she looked back inside tears filled her eyes. “I can’t. I’m sorry. Please, just keep my babies safe.”

Merlin hated leaving her in this situation, but he knew that until she was ready to leave, taking her from her alpha could do more harm than good.

Reaching into his pocket, he drew out a card. It had no name, only a number. His personal line. “You can reach me here, at any time.”

She nodded.

Inside there was a moan.

“You should go,” she whispered.

Merlin headed back towards his car.

He got Daisy situated in the back and quickly took off towards the manor.

“Well, it seems your family likes to find trouble, wee one,” Merlin mused to Daisy. “We’re just going to have to do something about that, huh. But first, let’s get you to your Da.”

Chapter 7

Notes:

Guess who's back after finally finishing her last semester of grad school! I don't know if there is anyone out there that still wants this fic to continue, but I was dying to write a new chapter for it. So here it is. Probably not that great as I've been away so long I'm off my game. But you guys can at least enjoy some cute bonding between miss Daisy and Merlin!

All eyes were on Merlin as he walked back into the infirmary two hours later. Well, more specifically, all eyes were on Merlin and the tiny pup bundled in his arm. He’d first tried carrying the girl in the car seat he’d brought, but the moment he’d moved her Daisy had started screaming.

Panicked that he’d done something wrong. Merlin put the seat down and quickly pulled the pup out to inspect her more closely. The moment the girl was pressed into his arms, she immediately settled.

Merlin guessed the poor little dearie had just been unsettled by all the changing going on around her and wanted the comfort of someone holding her. So, Merlin had walked all the way from the garage, back into the infirmary with the little pup snuggled securely in his arms.

Morgana stared for only a moment more at the strange sight before she leapt into action. “You found his pup?”

“Young Miss Daisy Unwin,” Merlin introduced. “She was not safe. I believe that is why Eggsy was fighting his sedation.”

“That would make a great deal of sense. There are still many studies being done, but so far it is possible for an omega to sense the distress of their infants, although no one has ever been able to explain how.”

At the moment, Merlin was not worried about the how. He just wanted to make sure that the babe was alright and get her back to Eggsy as soon as possible.

“When I found her, she had been left alone for an unknown amount of time. I would feel much more at ease if you checked her over to make sure the lass is alright.” Merlin said.

“Of course, I would be happy to.” Morgana held out her arms as if to take her from him.

Merlin would never be able to explain the action if he could, but he shied back, holding the child firmer against his chest.

If Morgana had anything to say about it, she kept it to herself. She simply lowered her arms and gestured for him to follow her towards the exam rooms. “Well, since she’s so comfortable with you already, I would appreciate it if you would carry her for me.”

Merlin nodded, following her as he gently rubbed at Daisy’s back.

Morgana was gentle, if thorough in her exam of the young pup. She did a complete work up, most of which the results wouldn’t be back for a number of hours. “But the child is generally healthy. I think she could benefit from an increase in her diet and some extra supplements, but she’s within the realm of normal for her age. I’m not too concerned. Despite the situation you described it seems that the young pup has been loved, well scented, and cared for as any child her age should.”

Merlin imagined that had much to do with Eggsy. It was obvious in the way he had struggled to live, to make it back to his babe, that he loved her fiercely and would do anything and everything in his ability to care for her. Even her grandmother had appeared to care deeply, despite her circumstances.

“Would it be alright if I brought her to Eggsy then? I think having her scent near would help him settle so he can heal.”

“That should be fine. Though I do feel I should ask. Eggsy is going to be on the mend for a long time. It will take months of healing and physical therapy for him to get back to a point that he will be able to care for a young pup. What do you plan to do with her for the long term?”

That was a bloody great question.

Merlin had not exactly thought passed getting the girl out of the situation she had been in. If he handed Daisy over to the proper authorities, it would be unlikely that Eggsy would ever see her again. The documentation on her official file listed the girl as his sister, not his daughter. He would have no right to get her back. That was if she was placed with another family and not just handed back to the shit-stain Eggsy called a stepfather.

No.

He would not be doing that.

However, that left very few options.

Still, he was surprised by the words that came out of his mouth. “I do not think the bairn will be much trouble. I can care for her until Eggsy is back on his feet.”

Morgana stared at him. And stared. And stared before she finally was able to speak again. “You sir?”

“Aye. There’s not aught else we can do.” What he didn’t say was that after only an hour, he was reluctant to let the wee pup out of his arms, let alone his sight.

But for now, he would put all of that aside. He turned to head towards Eggsy’s recovery room. The lights were set low to allow Eggsy as much sleep as his distraught mind would allow him. Though even in the dim light, Merlin could see that his body twitched in sleep. His hands, grasping out for something he could not quite reach. Merlin walked across the room bringing Daisy as close to Eggsy as he could manage.

“See. I told you your da was alright. He’s a fighter this one. Betcha a quid your going to be exactly the same and drive him half mad with worry.” Merlin muttered gently to the little girl.

Merlin could tell the moment Daisy scented Eggsy. Whatever calm she had taken from Merlin’s presence was useless now as she fought and fussed to get to him. Merlin barely was able to hold onto the squirming child, and Eggsy wasn’t much better. At the sound of his pups cries he once again fought the sedation. This time however, he seemed unable to wake even to partial consciousness. Merlin had no idea what to do to settle them both.

“You can set her down on the bed next to him.” He hadn’t noticed that Morgana had followed him into the room. “Just be careful. His left side took the lease injury so there might be best.”

Following her direction, Merlin gently tucked the girl against Eggsy’s side. She immediately snuggled into him and drifted off to sleep once again. Eggsy to finally relaxed fully into sleep, though Merlin thought he caught the glint of a few tears in the corner of his eyes.

He didn’t remember reaching out to brush them away, but before he knew it the tears were on his finger tips. “I promised ya, didnae. I promised to save her and bring her right back to you. And I will do everything in my power to make sure she stays there.”

With that promise in mind, Merlin took a chair and pulled up his tablet. Morgana checked Eggsy’s vitals, and once she was satisfied, she left merlin to his work. She had just left when he found exactly what he was looking for.

Merlin had glanced over the pup’s birth records before, but he’d been in a hurry then. Merlin was in no hurry now. He poured over every detail. It had been a home birth that had been registered with a local GP, which explained some of how they had gotten away with lying that Daisy had belonged to Eggsy’s mother and stepfather. However, it did nothing to tell Merlin as to why they had lied. He would have to ask Eggsy that when he woke up.

For now though, all Merlin cared about was making sure that Dean had no legal right to the pup. When Eggsy was back on his feet, he deserved to be able to make whatever decisions he saw necessary for the safety of his pup.

Doctoring files was nothing new to Merlin. In fact, it was too easy for Kingsman’s wizard. Within under an hour, Daisy’s birth certificate read what it always should have read. That Daisy Unwin belonged to Eggsy Unwin, and Eggsy alone.

And if during that hour, Merlin might have ordered everything the young miss would be needing while he cared for her – a great deal of things as Merlin had not realized how much stuff pups needed – well then nothing was amiss as Daisy deserved to be properly cared for.

Speaking of Daisy, the young pup had decided she had napped long enough. She began to fidget at Eggsy’s side and wailed heartily.

“There now,” Merlin scooped the girl up and began to pat her back. “You must be getting hungry. I bet there is something in your bag for you to eat.” At least he hoped there was.

While holding the pup in one hand, he used the other to fish for something for the baby to eat. All he found was a can of powder. Weren’t pups of her size supposed to drink milk?

“Well, what the bloody hell am I supposed to do with powder?”

Morgana must have heard the babe crying. She chuckled at him. “You add water you dimwitted alpha.” She took pity on his confused look and reached into the bag herself to pull out a bottle. “You fill it up with about this much water.” She pointed to a small tick mark on the side. “Then add two spoonfuls of the powder inside and shake it until its fully dissolved.” Only when she took a closer look at the bottle she grimaced. “At least, you do after you’ve properly sterilized the bottle. My guess is this one was never cleaned. Give me two shakes to wash it up and I’ll show you how it’s done.”

“Thank you. Morgana. I know this is in no way within your usual job description.”

“Happy to help. You forget, you and Harry aren’t the only ones who owe their lives to an Unwin. If it hadn’t been for Eggsy’s father, I never would have met my wife, and I wouldn’t have the life I have now.” She smiled thoughtfully. “Be right back.”

And once again Merlin was left alone with Daisy. The pup was still crying softly, though she seemed to settle as Merlin rocked her back and forth.

“Da…Dai..sy?” The name was more like a puff of air escaping Eggsy’s lips than a word, but it was more than enough to have all of Merlin’s attention falling to the boy. His eyes hadn’t fully opened, but they sort of fluttered partly. His nose snuffled as if searching for a scent.

Merlin leaned down next to the bed so that Daisy was close enough for Eggsy to smell. “She’s alright. She’s safe and right here.”

Eggsy drew in a deep breath as if whatever he was smelling was lovely and sweet.

“Harry?”

Along with Daisy’s scent, he must have picked up the scent of alpha, though he couldn’t imagine it would have been enough for him to fully identify with it hidden under layers of blockers. As Harry would have been the most recent alpha who had approached him apart from his stepfather, it made sense that Eggsy would mistake Merlin for him.

“Nae, lad. My name is Merlin. I’m the one who found you in the alley. Remember?”

His face scrunched up like he was trying to think but found the action too painful. A tear fell down his eyes.

“I…I’m sorry,” he slurred.

“Nothing to apologize for. Right now, you need sleep, lad.”

“Daisy?” he moaned.

“Is safe. Just as I promised ye.”

“Safe.” He muttered. “Thank you, alpha.” Then his whole body relaxed back into sleep.

A warm shiver spread up Merlin’s spine at the way Eggsy called him alpha, even though he knew the boy was sedated out of his mind. It had just been a simple slip of a drug addled tongue. So why did it make him feel so right?

Chapter 8

Notes:

And over a year later I finally decide to return to this fic. Do I still have any idea where I'm going with it?
Sorta.
Do I have any idea how much longer the story will be?
Not a clue.
Am I going to have fun writing these two getting together anyway?
Of course!
So if you're will to join me for the ride, I hope you enjoy this next chapter!

Eggsy had always been extra sensitive to scents. The one time he had brought it up to a doctor, they had said something about omegas that grew up in unstable environments often developed a higher sense of smell as a survival mechanism. While most could only smell a person’s general designation or emotional extremes, Eggsy could tell exactly how a person was feeling, sometimes even through blockers.

Honestly, the ability was more annoying than shit. Didn’t take a genius to know Dean was always angry or his Mum always sad or numb. Mostly, he just never was able to escape the endless smells around him no matter where he went.

Though right now, Eggsy was more than glad for his talent. Even without opening his eyes he could smell his contented alpha and his happy pup. The realization that they were both alright allowed him to sink back into the unconsciousness that was pulling him under. But this time it wasn’t that violent tug into the dark, but more of a warm, floaty feeling like drifting on a cloud.

The next time Eggsy felt himself moving towards consciousness, both scents were gone. They still lingered in the room, so Eggsy suspected they hadn’t been gone long, but their absence still created a small panic in his confused mind.

He forced himself to surface past the fog holding his thoughts hostage. With valiant effort he opened his eyes and glanced around at the room. Before he hadn’t noticed anything more than he was in some sort of medical room, but this didn’t look like no bloody hospital room that Eggsy had ever seen. Not that he’d really seen many in person, but he watched Telly, thank you.

For one, the shit in here looked right like something out of a sci-fi movie. All high tech and way more fucking expensive than any public hospital could afford.

Where the hell was he?

Eggsy had a few vague imagines of someone sitting by his bed throughout however long he’d been here. Harry. He remembered thinking, although he’d never seen the man, only smelled him. The scent had been overwhelming as it was calming. There had been clear distress and anxiety and a fierce odor that Eggsy could only describe as protectprotectprotect.

Which was odd because Eggsy had never smelled any alpha who actually gave two shits about him. And hadn’t Harry hated him last time they met? Something about Eggsy being an irresponsible criminal arse with a habit of petty thievery, oh yeah and a rent boy on the side. Hell, now that he was thinking about it, with what Harry had thought of him why in the hell had he gone to the trouble of saving him? Everyone else would have been a lot better off if he had just died.

He knew his scent was likely bleeding depressed omega. So it shouldn’t have surprised him that his equally sensitive little Daisy started crying from somewhere nearby. It was only then that Eggsy noticed the adjoining door that led to…

A bathroom it seemed as the door swung open to reveal his girl tucked in the arms of some Alpha that Eggsy had never seen before in his life. Yet for the life of him, he couldn’t find it in him to be concerned, even as his brain bulked at the idea of his child being with a stranger.

“It’s alright, young miss, see your Da is…” the alpha trailed off as he stared at Eggsy, “awake it would seem.” There was a rich Scottish brogue to the man’s voice. It was deep and surprisingly soothing.

“Who’re you?” Eggsy narrowed his eyes at him. Mostly because the image of him was still a little blurry.

“That depends, are you actually awake enough to remember? You have asked me that question no less than four times and I have grown tired of introducing myself.”

Oh. Eggsy sorta remembered that if he thought really hard about it but not enough to remember what his answer was. Though there was something he remembered about his name, it was familiar, from something old.

“Oi, you’re named after a wizard.”

The man’s stoic demeanor cracked with the faintest smile. “I told you, I am a wizard, hence my name. Merlin. I work with Kingsman, just like your father, and Harry which you had the displeasure of meeting already. But those explanations can wait.” He shifted Daisy from the position he’d had her cradled against his chest so he could lower her towards Eggsy. “Here is your pup. Safe, well fed, and now with a clean nappy.”

Eggsy moved to snatch her and regretted it immediately. Everything hurt. Like literally everything. His whole body, his muscles, even his skin ached. How did skin ache?

“Don’t move too much lad, you have quite the collection of injuries, most of which were internal, but Morgana will have both of our heads if you pop any of her stitch work. I’ll position her for ya. Been doing it for the last thirty-eight hours.”

Thirty-eight hours. He’d been unconscious for thirty-eight hours!

Merlin did exactly what he said he would. He placed Daisy just in the crook between his arm and his hip. There was a bed rail to keep the little wiggle worm from escaping. Daisy happily cooed as she snuggled into Eggsy’s body. Slowly and carefully Eggsy moved to give her his fingers. She grasped them and pulled them straight into her drooling mouth to teethe on.

Eggsy couldn’t stop himself from smiling at her. She was so perfect. His perfect little flower. The perfect little flower that he had come so close to losing forever. Hell. His perfect little flower that he should have lost forever.

What was she doing here?

Last thing he remembered he had left her with his mother and Dean had threatened to… he didn’t let his mind dwell on that. It hadn’t happened. She was safe and here, but he had about a million questions about how that had happened. And now that his drug-addled brain was catching up to him, this alpha had called her his pup.

“You have a number of questions for me I’m sure,” Merlin suddenly said as if he had been reading Eggsy’s mind.

“Duh, mate.”

A vein twitched in irritated. “I would appreciate it if you did not call me, mate.”

“Can do.” Eggsy agreed. Didn’t understand why, but fuck if he cared what people did or didn’t want to be called. He was happy to respect any request.

“Thank ya. Now, where would you like me to begin?”

“Not right sure, don’t think I remember much of what happened.”

“Do I take that to mean you don’t remember who near beat you to death?”

Eggsy’s eyes shifted away. “Yeah, don’t remember.”

Merlin blew out a long sigh. “While keeping your mouth shut might be a useful thing for those you owe loyalty to, it’s bloody stupid of you to refuse to identify the man who beat you.”

“Not like there’s anything anyone can do even if I do grass up. An alpha’s allowed to do whatever he has to ta defend his pack. Even put down a rabid omega, and you know that’s all he’d have to say in court to get the charges cleared.” Eggsy might have been less free with his tongue if it weren’t for the drugs, but Merlin didn’t point out that he’d as much as said who it had been. Eggsy got a feeling that Merlin had known anyway.

“Maybe, but don’t you worry about the courts for now. Everything is handled.”

“Yeah right, I go home and I’m as good as dead. And if I try to run, he’ll have me under kidnapping charges as quick as a flash.”

“That would be mighty hard for him to accuse you of kidnapping your own child.”

Eggsy looked up at him with narrowed eyes. There weren’t many who knew that. His mum, and Dean of course, plus Jamal and Ryan. Outside of that no one knew, and it certainly wasn’t in his record.

“According to the law she ain’t mine. He made sure of that.”

“How Eggsy?”

He didn’t like to tell this story. Didn’t even like to think about it.

“There were complications when she was born. Not for her, she was as right as rain, but I…I lost a lot more blood than I’s supposed to.”

Merlin’s expression went hard and Eggsy expected the dark angry scent of alpha to flood the room. It didn’t. Bloke musta been wearing strong blockers to hide it that well.

“And no one called an ambulance for you.” It wasn’t a question, but a statement. Which was pretty odd because it wasn’t like he had any way of knowing his medical history.

“Nah, I was too out of it to even think of callin’ and Dean wouldn’t let mum. Said there’d be too many questions why an unmated omega was given birth anyway and they’d take Dais away from us if we did. I didn’t care. I passed out I guess, was in and out for days, and by the time I woke up Dean had made mum sign the papers saying the baby was theirs, that she was my sister. He had her drugged up enough then she couldn’t even argue with him. There was no way for me to contest her birth record without her alpha and I wasn’t looking up that sleaze.”

“You know her sire?”

Eggsy looked away again. “What? Not going to ask if it was a John? That’s what everyone else assumes. Might have spent my time on my knees but I ain’t stupid. Always used protection and never during a heat. Daisy was the product of a drunk night with a bloke I’d known back in school. Hot as hell, but complete shite. Forgot that in my drunken state and had a bit too much fun.”

“And he doesn’t know about her?”

“No, and I’m keeping it that way.” Eggsy said defiantly, ready for this alpha meathead to go on about how it was an alpha’s right to know about his own offspring despite that he knew nothing about the man.

“Fair enough.” He leaned back. “Well, then I take it you won’t want to put his name on the birth certificate. That spot’s blank for now, but if you ever want someone’s name put on it for extra legal protections, you just say the word.”

Eggsy blinked at the man.

“What?”

“Her birth certificate. The spot of alpha is blank for now, but I made sure your name was placed on it instead. As far as anyone will ever be able to tell your name was always on it.”

The man walked over to pick up a small tablet and turned it around for Eggsy to see. There, right before his eyes was Daisy’s birth certificate with his name clearly written out where his mum’s name had once been.

“That’s not…how?” he looked up at the stranger who had absolutely no reason to have done something so monumental and just couldn’t understand what was going on. “Why?”

“I guess I didn’t introduce myself quite properly yet. As I said, I’m Merlin, and your father saved my life.”

“Second time I’ve heard that, at least you’re nicer than that other bloke.”

The man gave a humorless chuckle. “Yes, that does not take much to accomplish.”

Eggsy couldn’t take another second of this. “But I still don’t understand any of this. You don’t even know me, whether you knew my father or owed him is irrelevant. I ain’t done shit to deserve any of this. Yet you saved my life, saved my pup, gave her to me. I just don’t understand. What do you want?”

After he’d shouted the words, not only was he out of breath, but he realized he was out of luck. An omega don’t just yell at an alpha without incurring some wrath, that was the one undeniable lesson he’d learned in his lifetime. Even Harry, his supposed true mate hadn’t taken kindly to Eggsy talking back.

Merlin, however, didn’t seem disturbed at all. In fact, he looked pleased for the outburst, like he had been waiting for it all along.

“I dinnae ken,” Merlin answered with a shrug. “Maybe you can blame it on my alpha instincts to care for an injured omega. Maybe it’s because unlike a certain man that will remain unnamed, I believe that a life debt can’t be returned with one single favor. Maybe there’s just something about you that makes me want to help. Maybe I’m just a man who likes to stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. Maybe it’s all that. But I think you’ve been carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders for too long and for some reason I’d like to ease your burden. If you’d let me, Eggsy.”

Eggsy didn’t know what to say to that, but he was so tired.

The man had obviously proved himself so far. Would it be so bad to trust him? His inner omega already seemed too, and from the look of his happy pup, she did too.

“Alright, just for a bit.” He realized his eyes were starting to slip closed all on their own. He tried to fight it.

“It’s alright lad. Sleep is the best thing for ya for now. Rest. We can talk more later.”

“Daisy…”

“I have your pup. She’s safe and so are you, Eggsy.”

He vague though he’d heard that before. Like Merlin had been whispering those reassurances to him for a long time. And for the first time in his life, he actually believed the alpha would take care of everything. Eggsy let himself succumb to the heaviness of drug-aided sleep.

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 3 of At Last