Dear Author, We met in basic training; serving our country with pride our common bond. Friends first, lovers eventually, we’ve weathered thick and thin, deployment and separation, DADT and its repeal. Not always surefooted in expressing our relationship openly, but here we are, still together on active duty, stronger and more confident than ever. Photo Description: Two young soldiers squeeze onto a small single bed. An open wardrobe to the right gives a glimpse of where at least one of the BDU shirts has been discarded. To the left, the open door of a second wardrobe helps provide them with a modicum of privacy. They are sound asleep, still otherwise fully dressed. This story was written as a part of the M/M Romance Group's "Love is an Open Road" event. Group members were asked to write a story prompt inspired by a photo of their choice. Authors of the group selected a photo and prompt that spoke to them and wrote a short story. This story may contain sexually explicit content and is intended for adult readers. It may contain content that is disagreeable or distressing to some readers. The M/M Romance Group strongly recommends that each reader review the General Information section before each story for story tags as well as for content warnings.