[ a true gesture of trust. james just watches him, vaguely amused, knowing just how bad it really tastes. ]
It couldn't have been that bad, could it? The whole of the building's still standing, after all. [ a beat, and then... ] Isn't it?
[ james is just going to finish setting things out, knowing that eggsy will only need another fifteen or so minutes before the effects start to actually set in. so he will get out the soup, and bread, before settling down into the chair near eggsy's bed. ]
It's worth the stench, I swear. But I do require explanation in payment. You were fine before I disappeared. [ with an easy familiarity, he kicks his feet up onto the edge of the bed, slowly pulling apart a piece of bread. ] Did you miss me that much?
[ he discards the bottle on his side table and rubs at his face. oh, and jb's taken james sitting on the bed as permission for him to hop up, too, barking happily at james' appearance and eggsy's decision to get up finally. ]
Yeah, I was bloody heartbroken without you. [ a withering look. ] Nah, I'm moaning. It wasn't that bad — guess I just realised the time. [ well. ] Like, how the time was almost out, and I was dancing around some posh fucker's party as if that mattered to me more. [ so he snatched two glasses of champagne to settle in for a soliloquy, only several people proceeded to interrupt him. ]
[ he offers james a sardonic smile. ]
And then, y'know, I really classed it up from there to compensate: shit-faced, foot-in-mouth, mouth-on-mouth. [ sarcasm... ] Blew your mature exit right out of the water.
[ and ah! yes! jb's there. which means james' mood has improved tenfold. he smiles easily, reaching forward to scratch at jb behind his ears, playing with him on the bed. ]
Aw, if I'd known I woulda doubled back for you. Could'a taken you home and everything. [ but that's what james was worried about, and there's the briefest dip in his mood. ] Isn't that the point of it, though? Living your life, since you've got the chance to?
[ it's half-hearted, because james himself doesn't know if he believes it. he wants to, and he did at some point, but it's different here. different now. ]
Now c'mon, you're being harsh. [ he pats his lap with his hands, trying to get jb to come over. it's james' overall goal in life for jb to love him, okay? that's all he needs. ] I mean, yeah- you kind of royally screwed the whole thing over, sure, but big picture it's just a ball. Scandal and drama and foot in mouth comes with it? Right?
[ listen, jb absolutely already loves james. he's a sucker for anyone who regularly sees eggsy or spoils him, so congrats bff, you've got a dog in your lap, basking in the attention.
eggsy laughs at james admitting he royally screwed it up, at least. ]
Definitely could have been worse. [ james' words are reassuring, even if eggsy doesn't believe all of them. ] Could've shagged someone from Harrow. [ he manages to stand in the hopes of finding a shirt to throw on 'cause it's too cold to be above the covers and half-dressed. ] But I'm kind of supposed to be better at the whole ball thing, ain't I?
[ like james bond... he remembers talking to thomas, too, admitting aloud that it was his first time at a posh event like that, wondering if he'll ever get used to it. you don't have to, thomas had said. maybe he's right — now that kingsman isn't sending him to save the world at gala's in cambodia and all. ]
[ good, because if there's one thing that james excels at, it's multitasking with one of said tasks involving spoiling dogs. at all times. and jb is absolute a favorite so. ]
Now now, let's not get mad here. [ james is definitely watching eggsy, maybe a little too closely - for him standing, for any signs of bad reactions to the potions, for something else entirely - before he gives an easy shrug and fully relaxes back in the chair. ]
And I dunno- that almost seems a bit like one of those things where you're not supposed to ever really get good. The second you're comfortable, you've already lost, etc etc etc. [ he waves one of his hands around, mostly just accenting his point. ]
Don't get me wrong, I like a fancy get-up and a party as much as any bloke but shite like this? The only people good at it are the ones you don't want to be.
[ eggsy notices the weight of a gaze on him, but he doesn't think anything of it. it's james. there's not much else to it. as soon as he finds a jumper, he chucks it on and turns back around, expression neutral. ]
Yeah, [ begrudgingly mollified, that. ] I guess you're right. [ like always!! how does james potter do it? ] This shit is, like, actually helping. [ the """potion""". his head doesn't feel as heavy, and his limbs have a solidity to them, unlike the wobbly hangover legs he had moments ago. ] What'd you put in it? Virgin blood?
[ joking but also he definitely still doesn't understand magic, let alone potions. ]
[ the eyes will only linger for a second or two, before jb officially decides he's not paying enough attention where it matters and shifts around a bit. eggsy's begruding acceptance though makes him grin. ]
I'm always right, bruv. [ because now that eggsy isn't actively dying, james can take a jab at him. and then james just snorts, shaking his head. ]
No blood, that's all for dark magic, usually. Some roots, some magics, some hairs, toe of a newt, etc etc etc. [ not important, obviously. ] Wyver actually had some impressive potions materials, so I stocked up. Again- it's not perfect. I'm no potions genius. [ cue a stank face, considering his associations with the class. ] But this bit I use often enough to have memorized.
[ the use of bruv makes him roll his eyes. he looks vaguely amused, even though the mention of dark magic makes his stomach flip. best to focus on the fact that james potter is such a lad, he has a hangover potion memorised. bless him. ]
Yeah, Wyver was proper fantasy shit. [ especially compared to Olympia. ] Kinda miss it. [ well, he misses the roughness, not necessarily the magic. ] Did you get tapped for one of those pact things while you were there?
[ it's something he'd been meaning to ask james about before now, as the authority on magic, but there hadn't been time. ]
[ he uses it enough himself, he might as well. if he was smart, he'd have the ingredients tattooed on his body. but thankfully it hasn't yet come to that. ]
In too many ways, as far as I'm concerned. [ james likes olympia, for a variety of reasons, though most of them have to do with the people. but james is also just a city boy, he likes the infrastructure, so. ]
Nah, didn't stumble across it. Heard some stories about what got up out there. Did you?
[ and then jb gets comfortable, settling in james' lap and easing in for a nap. james scratches at his back for a bit before settling in for the long haul - sleeping dog? james lives here now. ]
[ there's no city like london, eggsy had thought. and still thinks, really, but now that he patrols the noble district with the guard, he gets the feeling there are the same divisions in play here as there were at home.
posh fuckers who don't give a shit about people like him.
'course he doesn't think about that now. he just smiles at the way jb settles in with james and remembers again how glad he is that his mum raised him right: he would never have shot the dog. ]
Yeah. [ he clears his throat as he slots his eyes on james, a pointed look on his face, like he knows he's basically a parody of himself at this point. ] With Henry. It's some weird shit, mate.
![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
no subject
It couldn't have been that bad, could it? The whole of the building's still standing, after all. [ a beat, and then... ] Isn't it?
[ james is just going to finish setting things out, knowing that eggsy will only need another fifteen or so minutes before the effects start to actually set in. so he will get out the soup, and bread, before settling down into the chair near eggsy's bed. ]
It's worth the stench, I swear. But I do require explanation in payment. You were fine before I disappeared. [ with an easy familiarity, he kicks his feet up onto the edge of the bed, slowly pulling apart a piece of bread. ] Did you miss me that much?
no subject
Yeah, I was bloody heartbroken without you. [ a withering look. ] Nah, I'm moaning. It wasn't that bad — guess I just realised the time. [ well. ] Like, how the time was almost out, and I was dancing around some posh fucker's party as if that mattered to me more. [ so he snatched two glasses of champagne to settle in for a soliloquy, only several people proceeded to interrupt him. ]
[ he offers james a sardonic smile. ]
And then, y'know, I really classed it up from there to compensate: shit-faced, foot-in-mouth, mouth-on-mouth. [ sarcasm... ] Blew your mature exit right out of the water.
no subject
Aw, if I'd known I woulda doubled back for you. Could'a taken you home and everything. [ but that's what james was worried about, and there's the briefest dip in his mood. ] Isn't that the point of it, though? Living your life, since you've got the chance to?
[ it's half-hearted, because james himself doesn't know if he believes it. he wants to, and he did at some point, but it's different here. different now. ]
Now c'mon, you're being harsh. [ he pats his lap with his hands, trying to get jb to come over. it's james' overall goal in life for jb to love him, okay? that's all he needs. ] I mean, yeah- you kind of royally screwed the whole thing over, sure, but big picture it's just a ball. Scandal and drama and foot in mouth comes with it? Right?
{ he's....trying to be helpful? sort of? ]
no subject
eggsy laughs at james admitting he royally screwed it up, at least. ]
Definitely could have been worse. [ james' words are reassuring, even if eggsy doesn't believe all of them. ] Could've shagged someone from Harrow. [ he manages to stand in the hopes of finding a shirt to throw on 'cause it's too cold to be above the covers and half-dressed. ] But I'm kind of supposed to be better at the whole ball thing, ain't I?
[ like james bond... he remembers talking to thomas, too, admitting aloud that it was his first time at a posh event like that, wondering if he'll ever get used to it. you don't have to, thomas had said. maybe he's right — now that kingsman isn't sending him to save the world at gala's in cambodia and all. ]
no subject
Now now, let's not get mad here. [ james is definitely watching eggsy, maybe a little too closely - for him standing, for any signs of bad reactions to the potions, for something else entirely - before he gives an easy shrug and fully relaxes back in the chair. ]
And I dunno- that almost seems a bit like one of those things where you're not supposed to ever really get good. The second you're comfortable, you've already lost, etc etc etc. [ he waves one of his hands around, mostly just accenting his point. ]
Don't get me wrong, I like a fancy get-up and a party as much as any bloke but shite like this? The only people good at it are the ones you don't want to be.
no subject
Yeah, [ begrudgingly mollified, that. ] I guess you're right. [ like always!! how does james potter do it? ] This shit is, like, actually helping. [ the """potion""". his head doesn't feel as heavy, and his limbs have a solidity to them, unlike the wobbly hangover legs he had moments ago. ] What'd you put in it? Virgin blood?
[ joking but also he definitely still doesn't understand magic, let alone potions. ]
no subject
I'm always right, bruv. [ because now that eggsy isn't actively dying, james can take a jab at him. and then james just snorts, shaking his head. ]
No blood, that's all for dark magic, usually. Some roots, some magics, some hairs, toe of a newt, etc etc etc. [ not important, obviously. ] Wyver actually had some impressive potions materials, so I stocked up. Again- it's not perfect. I'm no potions genius. [ cue a stank face, considering his associations with the class. ] But this bit I use often enough to have memorized.
no subject
Yeah, Wyver was proper fantasy shit. [ especially compared to Olympia. ] Kinda miss it. [ well, he misses the roughness, not necessarily the magic. ] Did you get tapped for one of those pact things while you were there?
[ it's something he'd been meaning to ask james about before now, as the authority on magic, but there hadn't been time. ]
no subject
In too many ways, as far as I'm concerned. [ james likes olympia, for a variety of reasons, though most of them have to do with the people. but james is also just a city boy, he likes the infrastructure, so. ]
Nah, didn't stumble across it. Heard some stories about what got up out there. Did you?
[ and then jb gets comfortable, settling in james' lap and easing in for a nap. james scratches at his back for a bit before settling in for the long haul - sleeping dog? james lives here now. ]
no subject
posh fuckers who don't give a shit about people like him.
'course he doesn't think about that now. he just smiles at the way jb settles in with james and remembers again how glad he is that his mum raised him right: he would never have shot the dog. ]
Yeah. [ he clears his throat as he slots his eyes on james, a pointed look on his face, like he knows he's basically a parody of himself at this point. ] With Henry. It's some weird shit, mate.