For King And Country (not mine)

Summer 1940

May 31st 1940
The Captain breathed heavily as he slowly came to a stop.
"Time?"

"Two minutes fifty-two," Havers said, inspecting the numbers on the stopwatch. "Your times are getting lower, sir."

"I'm still not nearly as fast as I'd like." The Captain said.

"You're far too impatient." Havers grinned. He scribbled down the Captain's time on the sheet of paper they used. "What do you say to a cup of tea and some toast?"
"As long as you don't hog all the jam,"
"You drive a hard bargain, Captain."

The two shared a smile before they began to trek through the house, going straight to the kitchen.
The rest of the house was slowly waking up, much groggier than the Captain and Havers were.
"What's the plan for today, then?" Havers asked, filling the kettle with water, lighting the stove and placing the kettle on top of it.

"Well, I've got more paperwork than I know what to do with." The Captain sighed, immediately dividing up some bread for toast. "I suppose it's one of those days where everyone decides what needs doing the most."

"I think a few of the men were looking to go into a local village," Havers said, leaning back against the counter. The Captain finished placing the bread under the grill and looked at him.
In just a simple shirt, the few buttons at the top open and his sleeves rolled up, a pair of comfortable and loose trousers and his standard uniform boots, Havers still managed to look attractive.
His hair was tousled from the wind and falling in front of his forehead in some places. For a moment, the Captain could almost imagine a life like this after the war.
He could see them waking up early, going for a run together, having breakfast together, living life in tandem as a pair.

The Captain shook himself mentally, discouraging himself from thinking too far in the future. That was possibly the worst thing he could do. Things were going well between them. Late night chats over paperwork, chaste goodnight kisses on the cheek before bed, a whole slew of nervous compliments and shy looks.

They were both always worried about overstepping the mark. But for now, it was good.
"Oh? How come?"

"Primarily to use up some of their rations. It's been busy recently. They fancied getting out of the house for a while." Havers said. "And I think some of them have taken an interest in local ladies if truth be told."

"That doesn't surprise me." The Captain said. "I'll be sure to mention it in this morning's briefing.
Will you be going with them?"

"I'm considering it, but I haven't made a final decision yet," Havers admitted. "It all depends on what time the others are leaving and if I get enough work done by then."
"I thought you only had a few reports from last night to look over? You're usually very organised."
"Well yes, it's only Hughes' report that I have to sign off, a few letters to respond to, and my report of the day to do. But I was thinking more along the lines of any documents that I could help  you  with."
"Havers, you shouldn't waste away your life taking up so much work." The Captain said. "Take the afternoon off, go have some fun."

Havers' lips turned up at the corners, and he opened his mouth to say something, but the whistling of the kettle on the hob interrupted him.
The two of them turned to their respective jobs. The Captain reached into the fridge to get the milk, turned to hand it to Havers and found the other man close by, holding the jam and two plates of toast out to him.

They grinned, swapped items and carried on.
Yes, a life like this after the war would be a life worth aiming towards,  the Captain thought. As long as they remained safe here at Button House, then they could see the end of this dreaded business, retire somewhere nice, and live out their days in peaceful domesticity.
And the Captain, for one, was very much looking forward to it.