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Harry Hart, upon looking into their living room, found Eggsy crossed-legged on the floor, wrangling a disgruntled looking JB into a pug-sized Santa suit.
“Don’t ya wanna get in your Santa Paws outfit, lil bruv? There’s a good pup,” he murmured to the squirming pug.
The blonde appeared to be struggling, but definitely had the upper hand in getting the last of the little red costume on.
Harry leaned against the doorway with patient, barely hidden, amusement.
The pup in question let out an indignant yip as the final touch of a little red hat went on over his ears.
“Dearest, why are you subjecting that poor beast to such a costume?,” Harry remarked, mouth crooked in a small smile.
“Oi! JB ain’t a beast!,” Eggsy proclaimed as he held the rotund brown dog aloft. “He’s the world’s cutest Santa ever,” he cooed.
Harry restrained himself from rolling his eyes.
“Whatever you say, darling. Are you both ready to visit the neighbors?”
Eggsy’s face scrunched up briefly before he let out a huge sigh.
“As ready as I’m gonna be, I guess.” He got up off the floor, dusting lint from his trousers and festive crimson sweater.
Harry watched while Eggsy moved his body around with graceful purpose as he collected all of his things together, his tight jeans showing off his arse just so.
Gazing at his love intently, he wondered how he had gotten so lucky, at his age, to find his soulmate.
After a moment of dreamily staring, he straightened his back and shook off his far-too-sappy thoughts.
“Cheer up,” Harry declared, hopefully. “If you don’t win hearts and minds, perhaps Santa Paws will.”
They both looked down at the pug, who had proceeded to flop over and was doing an admirable job of pretending to be dying.
They exchanged doubtful looks.
———
The couple stepped out into the winter cold, both bundled up in thick woolen coats. The older man had deemed scarves necessary, so Eggsy had brought out some matching, brand new, candy cane striped ones. Harry had put up a token resistance, but ultimately gave in with an exaggerated sigh, after his younger boyfriend had leveled him with a devastatingly beautiful smile, accompanied by sweetly worded threats of violence should he not comply.
JB refused to step a single delicate paw into the snow, so Eggsy held him under one arm as he precariously balanced a plate of homemade biscuits in the other. Harry offered to carry the treats, as he was already carrying everything else in a tote bag, but was quickly rebuffed.
“I gotta make a good impression, don’t I? They don’t know me, but they probably think I’m single-handedly bringing the property value down or something.”
“I doubt that’s the case.”
“Yeah, well. They still don’t know me, and the Mews is definitely posh enough to take a vote to ban me from the area or something.”
Eggsy looked far more forlorn at the thought than Harry thought the situation warranted.
“Nonsense, darling,” he said, gently, putting a comforting hand on his boy’s neck.
Approaching the first house on their itinerary, they eyed the tasteful Christmas decorations adorning the door and windows of the home.
Harry made quick work of ringing the bell, and they were soon greeted by a tall, tired-faced man in a very expensive looking trouser and cardigan combo, wearing a polite smile on his face.
“Hello, Gentlemen. To what do I owe the pleasure?”
Eggsy drew himself up to his (admittedly short) full height, and tried his best to look respectable, and to speak in a crisp accent.
“Hello, Sir. We’re your neighbors at the end of the street, and we thought to introduce ourselves. I’m Eggsy, this is Harry, and this little guy is our dog, JB.”
The man smiled minutely before replying.
“The Hart residence! Lovely. My name is Leonard Becket. I would invite you in, but I’m afraid I was just about to run some errands.”
Eggsy nodded slowly. He’d prepared himself for this: to be kindly rebuffed by a good portion of the street.
Harry noticed, and filled the silence quickly.
“We’ve really just come by to introduce ourselves and to deliver some holiday biscuits,” Harry said, looking fondly down at his companion. “Eggsy is really quite talented in the kitchen.”
Mr. Becket nodded politely, and graciously accepted the plate, before narrowing his eyes at Eggsy noticeably.
“Do you happen to have a brother?,” He asked, eyes assessing the younger man with alarming thoroughness.
Eggsy’s heart dropped into his stomach.
“I frequently see a youth very much like yourself skulking about the neighborhood in a black cap and a gold and black jacket. He looks like trouble, and assuming you don’t know him, perhaps I should inform the police.”
“Uh.” Eggsy paused, and tried not to squirm. “That person ‘skulking’ would be me, Sir.”
“He has varied fashion tastes, and I have never seen him ‘skulk’ a day in my life,” Harry interjected, his face a picture of calm and sweet politeness, while secretly daring the man to say something offensive.
“And he shall certainly become a fixture in the neighborhood soon, so I do hope that you get used to seeing him.” Harry intoned dangerously, his voice colder than the ice on the sidewalk.
A brief look of discomfort showed on Leonard’s face, and he eagerly changed the subject.
“Well, it is certainly lovely to see you both, finally. I shall be certain to send something over for you, too, for the holidays. It’s heartening to see father and son taking up Christmas traditions together in this day and age.”
Eggsy cleared his throat quietly and looked up at Harry for guidance, his gentle eyes wide and pleading.
Harry exhaled, and made sure to smile at the man in the doorway in a fashion that made lesser men cower.
“Thank you, Mr. Becket, but I must correct you. Eggsy has recently done me the great honor of becoming my fiancé.”
With a wide grin, Eggsy proudly lifted his left hand, showing a platinum ring with a small stone precisely the same shade of green as his eyes. Harry had romantically picked it up on a whim while on a mission in Rome, to serve as a makeshift engagement band.
The look of surprise on Becket’s pale face quickly gave way to a look of barely disguised horror.
“Oh. Yes. Well…” the man trailed off awkwardly. “Pleased to meet you both. Good day,” he spit, hurriedly stepping backward and shutting the door much more firmly than might have been necessary.
“That went well,” Eggsy said, sarcasm clear in his voice and written across his face.
“It could have been worse.”
“Yeah, cuz you woulda decked him if he said something bad about me, more like.”
Harry shrugged, not arguing in the least.
—————-
They made a few unremarkable deliveries of chocolate oranges, handmade cards, fudge, and candied almonds to the household staff of the surrounding houses, before leisurely making their way back to their closest neighbors at the end of the quaint cobblestone street.
Harry once again rang at the side of a tinseled entrance and both men were pleasantly surprised to be greeted by another homeowner answering their own door.
A pretty young woman with dark hair and lovely blue eyes peered out at them from the doorway, a charming smile adorning her round face.
“Hello, there. May I help you with something?” she asked.
“I’m Eggsy,” he said, stepping forward. “And this is my partner, Harry. We’re from the Hart residence next door.”
“Oh, how nice to finally make your acquaintance. I’m Anna and it’s—“
She would have continued, if not for a small whirlwind of a child bullying her way past her guardian at the entryway. The little brunette stopped at the top of the doorsteps, craning her neck to get a good look at the newcomers. She wore an excessively fluffy pink sweater with a cartoon character on it, reindeer themed leggings, and fluorescent green snow boots. Her hair was nicely combed, but her face and hands had faint traces of freshly scrubbed marker stains.
She certainly made a colorful, if chaotic, impression.
The girl pointed accusingly and used her high, uncontrolled voice to emit a yell that echoed off all the houses on the block.
“I see them kiss! Like, all the time!”
Several people at the end of the road turned their heads to look at the commotion, while the woman called Anna put her hand over her eyes in obvious mortification.
Eggsy winced and quickly took on a lovely shade of pink as Harry smirked, unashamedly.
“I’m so, so very sorry about that, she’s a bit of a handful after she’s had her afternoon snack,” the woman apologized.
“No bother,” Harry said. “That’s a very astute observation, miss?”
“Olivia.” The little dark-eyed girl said proudly.
Harry smiled fully. Leaning down, he whispered conspiratorially.
“Eggsy and I are to be married in the springtime, so it’s probably for the best that we kiss frequently.”
The girl contemplated that statement for a moment, then nodded sagely, giving her tacit approval. She then noticed JB and quickly became distracted.
“Awwww! Santa Puppy! May I pet the puppy? PLEASE?”
Eggsy smiled widely. Small children he could definitely work with.
“Sure, little one.” He set his pet on the ground, noting JB giving him whatever the pug version of a glare was. “He’s very gentle. If you ask him nicely, he might shake your hand.”
The girl crouched down and busied herself with trying to get JB to show off a trick or two.
“Awwwwww. Cute doggy.”
“Anyway,” Eggsy said, as he held out the carefully packaged food, “We thought we’d bring ‘round some treats for you and your family. To celebrate the holidays and say hi.”
Anna looked at snacks hungrily, and admired their colorful wrappings and ribbons.
“How nice of you! And so pretty! My family, and my stomach, appreciates your kindness.”
Eggsy grinned at this appreciation of his food.
“You have a beautiful daughter,” Harry said, looking on as Olivia proceeded to give JB the most vigorous belly rub of his life.
“Olivia is my niece, actually,” she said, setting a hand lovingly on the girl’s head. “I’m on holiday from uni and I’m watching her while my sister and her wife travel for the holidays.”
Eyebrows raised on both men’s faces. Eggsy knew that gay people existed in their neighborhood in theory, but he’d never seen any couples. Then again, he was frequently on missions, so he couldn’t say that he knew anything going on in their corner of the Mews. Hell, Harry had lived there for years, and he’d admitted to never knowing a single person’s name. Eggsy had scoffed, wondering how his boyfriend could even call himself a spy.
Anna smiled kindly.
“You know, most of us in the neighborhood don’t think of you as badly as that old man down the street,” she began. “It’s just that nobody really knows the both of you, and you’re so rarely around, theres bound to be speculation.”
Eggsy nodded for her to continue.
“Mr. Becket likes to talk down about you but he’s a closed-minded bigot who lets his dog poo wherever it likes. He hates my family, too, by the way, so it’s not just you.”
Anna put a hand on her hip, warming herself up to some good old fashioned neighborly gossip.
“And I know for a fact that Mrs. Sanderson across the way watches you both on her doorbell camera whenever you’re outside,” she continued, huffing with exhaustion.
“It’s like you’re her own personal soap opera. Not that she’s spying, exactly, but she finds you both very attractive, and she’s addicted to other people’s romantic lives and won’t shut up about what an adorable couple you are. Also, she apparently finds your bald friend with the cardigan particularly handsome.”
The men exchanged glances. They would have to take the camera business up with Merlin, no matter how silly it seemed. The older lady could be harmless, but they’d been fooled before.
“Oh, and Mr. Tate round the corner wanted to know if either of you have any attractive single brothers or friends, but he felt it was too forward of him ask. As you might imagine, it’s been terribly hard trying to find a relationship after V-Day.”
She looked sad, but just for a fleeting moment before brightening up.
“Myself, I’m aromantic, so I’m not bothered about all of that love business.”
Harry chuckled good naturedly.
“We have a co-worker who’s Aro,” Eggsy mentioned, an image of Roxy coming to mind.
“And telling us about our reputation makes me feel better, weirdly, so thanks.”
Harry hummed, a wrinkle of displeasure appearing on his handsome face.
Eggsy lifted an eyebrow at his fiancé questioningly.
“Clearly we haven’t been doing enough to scandalize the neighborhood, Darling.” he muttered, voice absolutely deadpan.
Anna giggled as Eggsy rolled his eyes so far back into his head, he nearly gave himself a headache.
Both men stood for a moment longer before sharing a glance that said they mutually agreed it was time to leave.
“‘Scuse me!” that piercing little voice interrupted again. “Can I go to your wedding and can I wear a big dress?”
“Olivia!” Anna scolded. “You can’t ask things like that! You’ve only just met them!”
Harry and Eggsy both looked at each other for a moment and nodded slightly.
Eggsy crouched down.
“Well, it will be in our backyard, so I don’t see why not, if it’s ok with your parents, and if Anna would like to bring you. You could meet my sister, Daisy. She’s near your age.”
The small girl’s eyes widened and her joyous shriek practically shook the windows.
Anna beamed at them.
“I have an idea! Would you perhaps like to come in to ward off the chill with a friendly cuppa? JB is welcome, too. I can catch you two up on the latest neighborhood news.”
Harry turned and smiled sweetly at Eggsy, all too chuffed that they had both been properly welcomed by at least one neighbor this Christmas.
Eggsy smiled brightly up at him and nodded, the feeling of easy acceptance too lovely to turn down.
And so they all went inside to share in treats, conversation, and the warmth of a new friend.