#(The Kingsman glasses informs its user of the ID of people it scans)

[darcyfirth]

Hi. i would like to send you this prompt: Christmas Miracle + Hartwin.

I’m so sorry for filling this prompt probably more than a year and a half late. I always remember that I have prompts in my inbox but could never get to because of irl stuff. Now that quarantine happens, I have more time to write for you guys. I hope you see this and like what you read

Eggsy’s failed her again. She’s always believed in him but this time it is one failure too many. He simply cannot do it even after all that preparation the night before. He even went to bed two hours earlier than usual just in case he slept through the many alarms he had set.

The drape of sadness settling in her eyes when she sees him coming home empty-handed. God, how Eggsy’s heart breaks from thinking about it. Third year in a row it escapes his grasp.

What does he even say when he greets her at the door? When Daisy runs out excitedly, hoping that the promised limited Barbie doll would finally be hers this Christmas?

Curse the damned store for organising a scavenger hunt for their dolls, is the only thought in Eggsy’s mind right now.

Every year they do this. Every. Single. Year.

Fifty limited Barbie dolls hand-crafted for Christmas are sold each year and every year they change their method for customers to acquire it.

You’re thinking of getting in line early for a lucky spot? That’s so two years ago.

Now not only you have to be early, you gotta think and act fast because everyone must solve a riddle in order to get two additional clues for the final answer. Once you have it, you can unlock the whereabouts of the hidden dolls. Of course people can try and simply look for them at every nook and cranny of the shelves. However, upon payment, customers must tell the cashier their answer to the game. Every doll has its own riddle and clues, hence this is a game you can only win by playing it right.

Eggsy looks around and sees the crowd of people clutching their piece of paper and sighs to himself. He isn’t one of the lucky fifty people first in line for the shop’s game. With his experience, he plans to maybe lift one or two riddles from random shoppers and solve them with the help of Lord Almighty Google. Eggsy’s good at being sneaky, it’s one of his strengths.

The people around him though, they cling onto the riddle like its their lives. Even when some of them seem to be wrecking their brain and still cannot find an answer to take home to prized Barbies.

Eggsy’s about to give up and just get Daisy a normal, shabby, everyday Barbie doll, extremely common and not at all limited when suddenly his eyes catches an opening.

There, a sleeve of the paper pokes out from a jacket pocket of a guy standing right next to him. The random man is too busy checking his phone to notice it is close to falling out. He walks briskly to the teddy bear counter, bumping into and politely apologising to innocent bystanders on the way.

Eggsy immediately plans the route to his target and sets out determined. He can do this, Eggsy thinks. Even though he feels immensely guilty because it means taking away the chance of getting the Barbie from someone else.

He gets hesitant when they are about two feet apart. Eggsy watches the man stops suddenly and inspects the wide variety of teddy bears in front of him. Then, he leans forward and starts searching for something at the back. When his hands reappear, they are clearly holding a Christmas edition, nationally limited, and hand-crafted Barbie doll.

Eggsy sighs again, loudly this time, because there goes his final chance at making Daisy happy.

The man’s head jerks up at Eggsy’s voice and turns back, bespectacled eyes questioning.

“It’s nothing, sorry, erm, sorry about that,” Eggsy says, waving his hand in embarrassment.

“You look sad, like you just watched your only puppy died, doesn’t seem like nothing to me,” the man says without sarcasm.

“Wow, you’re blunt,” Eggsy laughs. But he is rewarded with an unimpressed look.

“Well, yes and no. Yes, I’m sad and no, I don’t have a puppy. I’m like this because my only sister wants a doll and I just missed a chance at making her happy. Again.”

“How so?” The man tilts his head slightly, his brown eyes curious.

Eggsy says, “To be honest, I thought you didn’t care much about losing that paper in your pocket which has the riddle in it. I was hoping you either drop it on your way here or I could accelerate the process and be its new owner.”

“Wow, you’re blunt,” the man shoots back, amused.

“Hey, if it didn’t happen, it didn’t happen,” Eggsy shrugs and says his goodbye, “congratulations on solving the riddle. You’re going to make someone you love super happy.”

“Huh? Oh,” the tall man looks at his doll, chuckles and shakes his head, “No, this? I don’t want this.”

Well, that brings Eggsy back.

Then, what he sees will probably be forever imprinted in his memory because the strange, very, very strange man just pulls out black device? Scanner? And unlocks the box using it. He then gently takes out the doll, undresses it, pinches a small chip stuck to its back and dresses the doll back to normal again. Once he finishes with returning the box to its original state, he walks to stand in front of Eggsy and hands him what he, no, Daisy, has been longing for for months.

“Here you go, it’s yours,” he says, nonchalant. Cool as a cucumber that he is.

“What?”

“The doll isn’t what I came here for in the first place. Password at the cashier is, in this exact order: an egg, 2020 vision, and 419. Did you catch it? Repeat them to me.”

“Ah? An egg, 2020 vision? What is that? And 419? That’s the password?”

“Yep. And here’s the paper in case they need proof that you’ve solved it,” he carries on, uncaring of Eggsy’s wide-eyed, unashamed staring.

“Why would you do this to me? You can sell the doll on eBay for so much money!”

The man smiles, it brightens up his stern face and Eggsy is momentarily struck speechless at the sight, “Oh, that’d take too much effort. And I don’t think money is as important as making someone I love super happy. Am I right?”

He is about to disappear into the crowd once again when Eggsy remembers and shouts at him, “Thank you, guy in a suit! Merry Christmas!”

Said man in a suit looks back and grins, he replies, “Merry Christmas, Eggsy.”

It is not until he is queuing at the cashier that Eggsy realises he never tells this guy his name.