Summary: Eggsy didn't really like beaches. Never had.

If asked, he'd never be able to really explain why because it wasn't ever something that needed words.

He wasn't scared of them, no, and he didn't go out of his way to avoid them.

He just didn't like beaches.

And that never affected his training with the Marines or his work with Kingsman, so everyone just shrugged and figured it was some quirk of childhood or something.

Disclaimer: Nothing is mine.

AN: I saw 'Dunkirk'.

Then, I was on a WWII AU kick and then things happened.

It started as an idea about 'White Collar' and then 'The Hobbit' somehow got involved and then I was writing this story and then 'Inception' decided to drop by.

This can be read as a standalone, but it is connected to an Arthur/Eames story called 'His Lads' and then there's a third story called 'Dunkirk' - title pending. Neither story has been written as quickly as this one, but I hope to get those up this year.

This story is done, so keep an eye out for updates.

1:10

Harry remembered the first time he found out about Eggsy's dislike of beaches.

The lad had been about six, he thought, but his father had had all kinds of stories to tell his mentor as the recruits went about their training.

One day, Harry still couldn't remember exactly how the conversation had come about, they and a few others had been enjoying some downtime in the sunshine on the front lawn. Even Merlin was there for once.

"Hey, Merlin," one of the other Agents called over from where he was playing chess with his proposal. "When are you dropping this lot off at the beach?"

"Wouldn't you like to know," he deadpanned back.

"I haven't been to the beach in ages," James huffed a laugh. "How 'bout you, Unwin? Bet your kid adores the beach and refuses to go home until well after midnight."

"No, actually," Lee shook his head. "Eggsy can't stand the beach."

"You're having us on. Every child adores the beach."

"Yeah, well, Eggsy doesn't," he shrugged. "Neither one of us can figure out why, exactly, but he's just never liked it. Think he told Mum once that it was too loud. I guess I can understand that."

Harry filed that little piece of information away like the good spy he was, but didn't think anything of it. Children – as he'd come to understand – had a myriad of quirks. This was more than likely no different and the lad would more than likely grow out of it with time.

Harry didn't think about that again for a long time.

He gave young Eggsy the medal, lived his life, and then James died.

'Oxfords, not Brogues'.

Then it was after the Drowning test and Harry was in his office before he was to track down the good Professor for a chat.

It was late and well after curfew for Eggsy, but Merlin pinged Harry on the glasses.

'Looks like your boy might need more activity to put him down for the night,' his friend brought up a camera feed that showed a familiar figure slowly making his way down a corridor.

Harry couldn't help the sigh that escaped him as they watched Eggsy amble along and stop in front of one of the large windows facing the lawn. "I'll go talk to him. He's not that far from here."

Merlin hummed and Harry was closing his office door behind him as he left the room, long strides taking him to the window in moments with the unmoving silhouette standing in front of it.

Well aware that Merlin was still watching – and very aware of what would happen should Harry blindly reach out and touch the bare shoulder in front of him with no warning -, Harry kept his distance and waited for the younger man to notice him.

Since Eggsy was usually very aware of his surroundings and who was in his area, he waited patiently for the other to say something to him.

After a long moment, however, he made sure to shift with a little noise in case he had somehow caught the young man unaware.

Still no response.

'I think you'll have to say somethin' first, Harry,' Merlin was just as curious at the lack of response as Harry was. 'Odd, though, isn't it?'

It most certainly was.

Eggsy never let anyone at his back go unchallenged before and he looked strangely calm and relaxed as he stood in front of the window. It was a far cry from the tense frame he constantly showed to the world, but perhaps Harry had done the impossible and gained enough of his trust that he felt comfortable letting his guard down with him.

As much as that thought pleased him – and a curious warmth touched a place that had long gone cold -, the lad was still out after curfew and Harry needed to get him back to bed.

"Eggsy?" he softly called. "You alright?"

The silhouette began to sway slightly.

"Gorgeous night, isn't it?" Harry looked out at the lawn beyond him. There were a few clouds that were overhead, but the moonlight shone down on the lush green grass.

"Mm," he finally got a response. "Been so very long."

Harry blinked at the voice filled with longing as Eggsy's hands fisted in his sleep trousers. "Been so very long since what?"

"Haven't seen such gorgeous grass in ages," he was alarmed at the slight hitch in Eggsy's breathing. "Forgot – forgot what it looked like."

Harry could barely make sense of where this was coming from.

Yes, Eggsy hadn't had the best upbringing after Lee died and, yes, his step father was still an abusive arse, but surely there were places in the city where Eggsy could sit in the grass and just let himself be.

Yes, there probably were patches of grass in the city or something that he'd been to – hell, even lawns of houses he'd cased or robbed wouldn't look any different from the vast lawn in front of them – and perhaps some of them weren't the best, but there was most certainly no call to be in tears over the sight of a lawn in the moon light.

'Harry… is the lad… crying?' Merlin sounded as astonished as he felt. 'And over the lawn, at that.'

Harry wasn't sure if this was something that came out of Eggsy's childhood – in which case, he should probably pretend this was a one-off that didn't need further discussion – and if he should do something about it, but he could hear the quiet hitches of breathing and couldn't resist the few steps that brought him to Eggsy's side. "Is … there something I can help you with?"

He heard a sniff and a hand came up to wipe at wet cheeks before Eggsy shook his head.

"'M fine," he gave an unsteady laugh. "Bloody war. Never th-thought I'd ever start bawling over grass of all bloody things."

War?

What war?

"'s just…" his lips trembled and he swallowed. "I miss home, you know? Never really thought I ever would, but… god," he gusted out a sigh filled with a sorrowful longing that Harry felt it in his own being. "I don't even have to be anywhere specific, just… being on English soil would be enough. Because that's home. I want to go back so much and it hurts. Haven't you ever been so far from home for so long that you miss everything about it? Even the things you swore with every inch of you that you hated?"

"Very much so," Harry remembered missions that ran for so long that he'd actually forgotten what it felt like to have a home to call his own. He'd forgotten he'd even had a home.

He'd once had a ceramic statue of a mushroom he'd hated all throughout his childhood for absolutely no reason. The mushroom had come back to him after a relative had passed after he'd earned his title of Galahad and he'd refused to look at it for three years.

Then, after a yearlong mission that had dragged him all over the world with an eye always over his shoulder, he'd come back to London and finally opened the box. He'd ended up clutching the ceramic mushroom to him as tears flowed down his face and the mushroom, from that day forward, found a spot to the right of his kitchen window. He knew he was home whenever he saw that mushroom and it was still his most prized possession.

"But you're on English soil now," Harry shook the memory away, making sure his voice was soft and reassuring. "You're home."

"For how long?" Eggsy's lips tilted up in a bitter smile as he finally turned to face him and both he and Merlin finally got a good look at him.

'Harry… I don't think … the lad's awake.'

He – they – stared into blank eyes that looked right through him.

Bloody hell.

"How long are we staying here?" Eggsy wanted to know, that bitter smile – the one Harry was coming to hate with unprecedented strength – still on his face. "I can promise you, it won't be long enough."

Harry stared at him for a long time, long enough that Eggsy's expression went blank – wiped of bitterness and sorrow-filled longing - and he just… stopped.

The hair on the back of his neck was standing straight up, but he was still Kingsman Agent Galahad and his fingertips were brushing Eggsy's arm before he realized it. "Come along, then. To bed."

Harry led Eggsy back to the barracks with the rest of the recruits and saw him tucked in and back to sleep before leaving with no one the wiser of his ever being there.

"Merlin?" he whispered as he went back to the window.

'There's absolutely nothing in his records to say that he sleepwalks,' his friend sounded at a complete loss, exactly how Harry felt as he stood in front of the silent night. 'That's not to say that he hasn't done it before, but … I don't know. Maybe it's just never been something worth mentioning.'

It could more than likely be a one-off due to the day's excitement, but they were both still going to watch him to see if it happened again.

Harry looked out to see the lawn and he couldn't help remembering the tone of longing in Eggsy's voice.

What in the world sort of dream had he been in the midst of?

Whatever it was, Harry hoped Eggsy never experienced it again.

TBC