Nick smiles up at the sky, feeling the weak sunshine warm his face. Jeffy's sprawled out next to him, sunbathing in his shirt sleeves, whistling 'It's a Long Way to Tipperary' under his breath. Felix flops down beside him and grins so wide his cheeks dimple, skin pink and clean.

"I'd complain that this isn't my uniform but I'm just glad the chits are gone!" He laughs. "Boots don't fit though..."

Jeffy sits up.

"Mine neither... swap?"

Jeffy and Felix both take their boots off, swapping them over and lacing them back up. Felix stretches out on the grass again, wiggling his feet.

"Much better."

Nick jumps as a cricket ball lands with a thump on the ground next to him, and looks up as a tall man jogs over.

"Sorry about that, old chap! Rogue ball, what."

Jeffy's head snaps up.

"Monty!"

"Jeffers!"

The man pulls Jeffy up into a hug, clapping him on the back before standing with his arm around him. Jeffy's positively beaming, gazing at them, his fingers, Nick notices, curled low on Monty's waist.

"Everyone, meet Wesinald Montgomery."

"I've told you before, Jeffers, it's Wesley!" He smiles widely at Nick and Felix, his teeth straight and even, and Nick hears Felix's breath catch. "Call me Monty."

"Felix." Felix says, standing up and holding out his hand.

"Nick."

Nick shakes Monty's hand, smiling up at him.

"Come on, Monty!" Smythe yells from the cricket pitch where most of the officers are playing.

"Better dash, the game must go on, what. Joining us, Jeffers?"

Jeffy shakes his head.

"Nah, you know what I'm like with balls, Monty."

"I certainly do... You chaps fancy a game?"

"I will!" Felix says, standing up and following him over to the patch of grass where two wickets are set up.

Nick rolls over onto his front, gazing back to the house they've been stationed at for 'R&R'. It's a big farmhouse, nothing special, but there's hot water for baths and dry places to sleep. Anywhere's better than the trenches Nick thinks. He closes his eyes, feeling the sun beat down on his back, hearing Jeffy's contented sigh as he stretches like a cat, arching his back.

When Nick opens his eyes again, the sun's sinking down behind the farm. The sky's streaked with orange and the first few stars are just starting to sparkle and shine.

"Red sky at night, Nic'las." Jeffy grins, helping him up. "You know what that means? Another glorious day like this is on its way!"

Nick stifles a yawn.

"Ah, but we'll be spending it listening to a trench foot lecture."

"Another one?" He sighs. "Keep your feet, socks and boots dry, that's all there is to it!"

Nick laughs, nodding.

"They might let us have it outside, you never know."

Jeffy nudges him, nodding back behind him to where Felix and Monty are deep in conversation.

"They're quite taken wif each other, ain't they..."

"Bloody hell, Jeffy, is everyone here queer?" He asks, laughing as Jeffy gives him a shove, pushing through the door into the farmhouse.

The sun rises slowly, painting the clouds with stripes of pink. Nick sighs, tugging his helmet strap tighter as he leans in to the periscope, looking out over No Man's Land, something on the barbed wire catching the sun, glinting, blinding him for a second.

Jeffy passes by, talking loudly to someone Nick doesn't know.

"And he said –" Jeffy breaks off laughing, "forgot my pencil!"

The other man guffaws, and, slapping Jeffy on the back, propels him forward, managing to grab him before he slips off the duckboards, and into the mud. Their laughter echoes over gunfire so constant Nick barely even hears it anymore as they disappear around the corner.

Felix taps him on the shoulder.

"Change over!" He smiles. "Spot anything interesting?"

Nick shakes his head.

"Just the usual. Bullets, bombs and bodies."

Felix smiles, reaching into his inside pocket and pulling out a small, brown, envelope.

"Monty wrote to me," he says softly. "it came yesterday."

Nick smiles back at him, reaching out to punch his arm gently.

"Good for you, Felix. I'm glad."

Felix blushes, looking around nervously before stepping closer to Nick, the neatly folded letter clutched in his hands. He holds it out.

"Read it." he says shyly.

"Felix, that's personal, I don't want to..."

"Please... I need to know that it means what I think it means."

Nick sighs, taking the letter from him and unfolding it carefully as Felix steps up to the lookout post. Nick smiles at Felix reassuringly and then looks down at the piece of paper in his hand.

Dearest Fee,
I write to you on the eve of your departure from 'le grande maison'. I wanted you to know that I enjoyed our time together here, our days in the sun, and our evenings spent together talking about school. I still can't quite believe you went to Dalton only a few years after I did, and am sure you are somehow pulling my leg about the whole situation. I will always look back on it most fondly. In truth, I find myself rather enamoured with you. I know in my heart that you feel the same way, at least, I hope this is the case. Felix, I must confess that I lie awake at night, thinking of your –

Nick pushes the letter hurriedly back at Felix.

"Well?" Felix asks, tucking the letter neatly back into his inside pocket before patting it gently.

"It certainly seems like he likes you, Felix," Nick says slowly, "but don't go showing that to everyone. I'm positive it ends in a description of something illegal..."

Nick laughs as Felix blushes under the mud on his face, biting his lip. He leans forward, whispering barely loud enough for Nick to hear him.

"I think I'm in love."

There's an explosion, and Nick's thrown to the ground, sandbags and mud crashing down on top of him. There's mud all over him, in his eyes, dirt dropping into his ears as the ground below him rumbles, bombs falling nearby. He can just about hear the sounds of people screaming, but then there's another explosion and his mouth is filled with soil so thoroughly that he can barely breathe.

He kicks his feet, arms scrabbling desperately to get out. To get to the surface. He feels like he's drowning, memories of his brothers holding him down in the lake where they used to play flash before his eyes. This is it. This is how it all ends.

Nick digs harder at the mud, his hand brushing soft skin, fingers, a hand. A hand that isn't gripping his.

Felix.