"To what do I deserve this call at eight in the morning?" Roxy's voice was teasing and husky with sleep. Neil chuckled lightly as he buttoned up his waistcoat. The fabric smooth and fine against his fingertips. He heard a rustle down the phone, Roxy getting ready for her day.

"Oh. I was just wondering if you wanted a job offer?" Neil smiled. "There's vacancy at my workplace and I wondered if you would like to apply". The mention of it stung. Lancelot's death still a open wound. The man had been his mentor. The one who had talked him in to trying out for a job in Kingsman. Five years of knowing him and he still hadn't even learnt the man's real name, it was always Lancelot.

"To your job at the tailors?" Roxy sounded curious despite the projected nonchalance. Neil smirked although she couldn't see it. He had met her on a undercover assignment and they had been in touch since. He would almost refer to her as a friend. Well, she was as close to a friend he had that wasn't family or a coworker. He had saved her during a mission, which had sparked their friendship. Although she didn't know exactly what it was he did, she knew that it wasn't a simple job at a tailors.

"Well. It's not just a tailors. How about I meet you tomorrow and explain further? Are you free?" Neil bent over to tie up his shoes and winced as the movement pulled at his still healing wounds. He grimaced and forced himself to complete the action anyway. Breathing out in relief when he straightened.

"I am available from three onwards. I take it we shall meet in London?" Roxy must have heard his sigh, but did not comment. Yet another reason why she would be a good agent.

"How about the members lounge at the V&A?" Neil suggested as he stood. Harry's spare room had an adjoining bathroom. He set the phone down on the edge of the sink as he peered at the mirror. A helpful tub of hair product waiting for him as he frowned at the state of his hair. The shower having made it fluffy and wild.

"Ooo yes", Roxy agreed excitedly. She did have a membership, Neil knew that she did. (He didn't but he could whip up a fake one within half an hour). "I do love the V&A. Meet at four?"

"Perfect", Neil grinned as he began applying product with the concentration of soldier. "See you then". The call clicked off and he sighed deeply. He leaned on the sink, one hand rubbing at the bridge of his nose. With the smile gone and the phone off, his reflection looked tired and worn. The effect of straining his injuries yesterday and the grim news. He exhaled loudly and took the hair product and began the process of taming his hair.

Harry met him downstairs in the hall. The man was in his usual pristine navy suit. The shirt a cream colour with a pale blue pocket handkerchief sticking out of his front pocket. Only his tie was black, a silent sign of morning and respect. He looked up as Neil descended. "You should not have overdone it dancing yesterday", he remarked with a raised eyebrow. Neil scowled at him as he pulled on his black framed kingsman glasses. Harry was already wearing his matching set.

"And I doubt that Arthur will appreciate your suit". There was a amused twitch in Harry's eyes despite the dryness of his voice. It was only because Neil knew him so well that he caught it. He looked down at himself, scowl turning into a smug grin. The suit blazer, trousers and waistcoat were a pale lilac and patterned with the black outlines of flowers and leaves. The patterns similar to an Art Deco style wallpaper. Classy but also colourful and eye catching. While the shirt underneath was a cream cotton. Neil smoothed his blazer, fingers soft on the material as he grinned. He looked hot, and he knew it.

"Thank you", he spun on his toes. Twirling to show off the suit to it's full beauty. "Lancelot always commented on my suits". That was true. Out of all the kingsmen, the two of them were the ones that broke out of the well worn navy blue suits. Although, while Neil liked floral prints, Lancelot had liked old man tweed. He wondered if Lancelot had been wearing one of his favourite suits, which had been a particular shade of grey/green.

"You look like a queer pop star at the red carpet".

"That was almost a compliment".

Harry chuckled and pulled an umbrella out of the stand by the door. He offered the second one to Neil and he took it. "The taxi is waiting". The front door swung open onto the bleak London day. The sky was grey and the light was sharp in its usual British spring. Indeed, there was a black cab rumbling on the road before them. Neil stepped out and took a breath of city air.

——

The drive was silent. Neither men needing small talk. Kingsmen tailors was a welcome sign as the taxi pulled up outside.Merlin met them at the door. He nodded at them and paid the driver. (All taxi costs were always taken by the service).  "Ah, Harry, Neil. Nice to see you despite the dark mood". His Scottish accent was thick that morning.

"Merlin". Harry nodded and stepped through.

"Please don't call me Neil", Neil huffed. He didn't like being called by his name when on the job.

"Ah sorry. Tristan. Follow me. Arthur is in the board room upstairs".

Merlin led them through the familiar tailors and up the stairs to the board room. He pushed open the varnished oak doors to reveal Arthur seated at the head of a long table. The room filled with the old and academic trinkets of the rich. A polished silver mirror on one wall. A old oil of a country estate on the other. Statues and rich drapes dotted artfully around and the table covered in a deep green table cloth. Neil and Harry strode in and both took the respective seats on either side of Arthur. Merlin closing the doors and coming to stand at their leader's shoulder.

"Galahad, Tristan", Arthur nodded at them. Harry nodded back while Neil inclined his head slightly. Arthur eyed Neil's suit with a air of distaste. "What on earth are you wearing Tristan? We are gentlemen with class. You look like a pair of curtains".

"I am off duty", Neil remarked with a slight quirk of his eyebrow as he reclined in his chair. Arthur didn't scare him. He was a good agent and Arthur knew it. "And this suit is all the range with my generation. Have you not heard of Harry Styles?"

"Why we hired you, I shall never know", Arthur muttered. He scowled and turned his attention to the real reason for their meeting. "If you could turn your glasses on gentlemen".

In synch, Harry and Neil reached up and tapped the hidden button on the side of their black frames. Instantly holograms of the rest of the twelve kingsman agents appeared in the rest of the empty chairs. All of them in pressed suits of colours ranging from navel to charcoal grey and black framed glasses. They all nodded at each other. Neil smiling at a few. Only one chair remained empty. The spot Lancelot would have taken if he had been there.

Arthur cleared his throat and the mirror on the wall switched into a screen. "Bad news has befallen us. As you all know, our comrade Lancelot, was killed early this morning. He was investigating a series of incidences in Uganda and Chechnya of chemical warfare. During his investigations he found that there was a link to the kidnapping of this man"- a face appeared on the screen. A scruffy looking man with greying brown hair. "A professor James Arnold. Lancelot last radioed in that James Arnold was being held in the mountains of Argentina. That was the last we heard of him". There was a pause as they all had a moment of silence to their fallen fellow.

Arthur exhaled. "Galahad will be investigating. The rest of you have your own duties. But first, let us toast to our fallen comrade". Everyone held up their glasses. The crystal filled with a centimetre of scotch. "To Lancelot".

"To Lancelot", Neil echoed with the rest of them. The scotch burned slightly on the way down and he fought his instinctual grimace at the taste. He had never really gotten the hang of drinking scotch.

"Gentlemen, I want you all to propose a membership candidate in two days time. This is not the time to be down a member. Meeting adjourned". Neil and Harry took off their glasses and the holograms disappeared.

"Tristan", Arthur spoke up as Neil tucked his glasses into his breast pocket. "Since you managed to get yourself wounded, you are to be helping Merlin with the training of the candidates".

"That can take months. I will be healed before then", Neil protested.

Arthur fixed him with a sharp look. "After the cock up you managed to create in Singapore, you should be glad that you're not on probation for longer". It hadn't been a cock up. The mission, other than him almost dying, had gone pretty well. His target's human trafficking ring had been discovered and shut down. The victims had all been recovered. The only thing that had gone wrong was that his target managed to stab him a few times before killing himself. (It wasn't like Neil had explicit orders that the guy needed to be taken in alive).

Neil wanted to protest more but he gritted his teeth. "Very well. If you will excuse me, I have a meeting with my potential candidate".

Arthur waved a hand in dismissal. His attention switching to Harry. Neil didn't need to be told twice. He stood and straightened his suit before striding out of the door.

Unedited