In a badly lit, muddy little hole, (Captain) Kevin Darling sits on a bed mans bunk and despairs. It is cold and dirty and one of his boots, which are usually clean and shiney and wonderful, has a big glop of mud on the toe. Oh, and he's going to die.
The light flickers, but he doesn't notice, he brings his hands to his face and lets out a long, slow sigh. Amusingly time coordinated with that long, slow sigh is the entrance of the only other Captain about for a mile (all the other Captains are having a pre-impending death party a few miles over), Captain Blackadder. Because Captain Darling is far too busy thinking about his certain death, he doesn't quite notice the other man's entrance. Which is all well and good, really. Until he, Captain Balckadder, caves to the pressing desire to open his mouth.
"What are you still doing here, Darling? Don't you have boots to lick clean before dawn back at the base?" Yes, that is secret Balckadder-code for 'You were totally bullshitting me earlier and I know it. Go home.' Unfortunately, for both Darling and Blackadder, there was no bullshitting involved, and Darling really is here to die. Or try to die anyway. Darling whimpers, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. Blackadder gets an almost half-concerned look on his face and sits next to Darling on the miscellaneous dead mans bunk. "...Er. Are you alright?"
"I really don't want to die Blackadder. I really don't." Darling blurts out. Blurts is the only word to describe it, immediately after he says it, his hands go from his slightly reddened, slightly bloodshot eyes to clasp over his mouth, his entire body language clearly reads 'I shouldn't have said that.' When Blackadder fails to say anything scathing, just looks at Darling sort of curiously, he continues. "It wasn't part of the plan. I really intended on surviving this whole mess by working as a glorified secretary. I thought it was a good idea. Not dying, I mean."
Blackadder nods. Darling deflates and falls almost bonelessly into a slouch, his hands rest on his knees and he looks into the distance. Or as much distance as there is in this little hole in the ground.
"But I am going to die," he continues.
The words hang in the air, there is a certain feeling of tension. It is dispelled by Darling sighing again and lowering his head so his chin brushes against his chest. Balckadder's eyes harden.
"No." Darling looks up, confused. "No. You are going to live. And I am going to live. And we are going to suvive this whole stupid godawful war. And after it's all over and done with, we are going to buy a farm in the middle of nowhere and raise bunnies. We can be hermits and we will be alive and happy. You can alphabetize the pens and the paper clips. It will be our life and we will live it." One of Blackadder's hands reaches up to cup Darling's face. "This knowledge will be why you live. And this knowledge will be why you come back to me."
Blackadder leans in and gives Darling a soft kiss, stokes his cheek once with his thumb and then stands.
"We're going over in twenty minutes. Get yourself ready. I'll see you at the ladders."