Then, it had been quick, furtive, and kept hidden from all eyes. It occurred in the dark, lit only by the moonlight shining across their forms, when the other men were out for drinks and the chance of someone coming back to the barracks without warning was all too real. It has been desperate and needy and yet warm and caring, and even though the danger of being found out was present every moment, the feeling of just being together was more than worth the risk.
Now, he was cold, alone and lethargic, the blackness that surrounded him all consuming. Nothing happened anymore, life was just a dead routine, numbing and raw in all aspects. There was no danger any more, no risks, no worry, and no hiding, but there was also no laughter, no smiles, no soft kisses, brief touches, and fluttering, gasped words. Now there was just… nothing.
How he wished, for just a fleeting moment giving himself in to the futile, useless game, wished that Then had lasted just a little while longer.