EGGSY X READER - STAY
(Y/n) drummed her fingers on the table, listening to the boy babble on with mild interest. Even though they were barely old enough to drink, the pair had spent almost every Friday afternoon in the local bar together since they had met, chatting away and sneaking pints when the barman wasn’t watching. But this time it was different.
She couldn’t just lose herself in the mindless laughter of the room as she used to; ignoring the problem was not going to make it go away. She had to finally accept reality, and she cursed herself for not doing this sooner. She had been psyching herself up all week and couldn’t hold it off any longer, she had to come clean.
But looking at her friend’s happy face, she just couldn’t bear the idea of upsetting his good mood. She knew that like her, Eggsy lived a troubled life, and these little meet ups were a nice way to de-stress for both of them, to escape from all of their responsibilities and worries and just sit and act like normal kids. She wondered what he would do instead when she was gone.
“Hey, you alright?” The boy asked, reaching out to stop her tapping and taking her hand in his own “You’re being really quiet”
“If I’m honest…no” (Y/n) sighed, squeezing his hand and giving him a sad smile “We have to talk about some stuff. I’m gonna have to break the rule 3 about these meet ups”
“No serious shit should ever be discussed” he remembered fondly the day when the rules were made, but the reality of what would come next pulled him out of his nostalgic happy haze. He could feel it deep in his gut that something bad was going to happen.
“My dad…got into some trouble. It started with the rent for our flat, he couldn’t pay it and- Well if I’m honest, he hasn’t been able to pay it for ages, and at first I just picked up a few extra shifts at the café but…it just isn’t enough anymore. He tried to help by the only way he thinks he can and as I said, it landed him in trouble”
“And by trouble you mean?”
“He’s been arrested again, Eggsy” the girl sighed, looking away from his pitying gaze “For drugs of course, don’t know what else I could expect from the piece of shit…Anyway, I know don’t have a legal guardian that doesn’t already have a criminal record so…”
“So?”
“They’re sending me away” she whispered, letting go of his hand and leaning back in her chair “I’m being carted off to my Aunt. To god knows where!”
“When?”
“As soon as all the legal bullshit can get sorted, and before you ask I have no idea when I’ll be back ‘cause it all has to do with my dad’s trial and I doubt they’ll let him have custody ever again after this”
Tears began to fill up the young girl’s eyes but she refused to let them fall, sniffing and blinking madly as she tried to regain control over her emotions. Eggsy crossed his arms over his chest, looking away and muttering a string of curse words under his breath.
He found himself remembering the first time he had met her - she had a similar look of disappointment and despair on her face as she did in that moment. Sitting crumpled up on the stairs of their shared apartment block, the boy had come upon a girl around his age holding her herself in a tight embrace and crying softly into her knees, unruly hair falling all around the place. Even though his mother had asked him to hurry back with the milk and other things she had sent him out to get, he couldn’t bring himself to leave her sitting there like that. So after a lot of coaxing and bribing with a chocolate bar he had bought out of his own pocket money, the girl relaxed and finally stopped crying, instead laughing at his immature jokes and attempts to make her smile. She never did tell him why she was upset, or why her legs and arms were covered in bruises, but he had made her happy, and that was what was important. For that one small moment he had changed her day, made it brighter.
And so started the tradition of the Friday afternoon meetings on the steps, which soon progressed to Friday afternoon meetings in the bar as they got older. Over the years they had shared countless happy moments, both aware of the other’s difficult home life but never mentioning their struggles. They had created a few hours of sanctuary each week from their troubles. And now it was being ripped away from them.
“This could be it, Eggsy” she mumbled “This could be goodbye”
“I won’t let it be” he replied firmly, chewing at his lip as the girl got up from the table.
“I’m sorry, but I can’t do this. I can’t sit here and pretend it’s going to be okay” she sniffed, grabbing her coat and leaving a few coins on the table towards paying for their bill “I’ve got to go home and start packing”
“No!” he stood up, grabbing onto her wrist and pulling her back towards him “Stay”
“I can’t Eggsy, I-“
“Yes you can. You can move in with us, you don’t have to leave” he squeezed her hand “Think about it, my mum already has two kids who they haven’t even attempted to take away from her, so becoming your guardian will be easy enough. And it would mean you don’t need to leave your job, or your friends…or me. God, just think about it (Y/n), please!”
“I couldn’t ask you to do that for me” she shook her head “I don’t want to put your family under any more stress”
“My mum would love to have someone else to help around the house. And my sister adores you so she won’t care at all” he smiled “You can have my bed, I don’t mind sleeping on the couch or even the floor. Just please don’t leave me”
“You would really do all that for me?” she frowned “Let me move in with you? After everything I just told you about my dad?”
“Our parents don’t define us” he placed his other hand on his shoulder “And I would move the moon if it meant you could stay here. I can’t lose you too”
She paused before answering, a smile breaking out onto her face before the girl reached up to plant a kiss on his cheek.
“I’ll see what I can do”
