Zeke and I got ready together. She said she had a surprise for me, and I was so stoked when it turned out to be make-up. I had always wanted to try but never had any access. She had blue paint that went on my eyelids in a fine line, ending in a wing by the corner of my eye, making my eyes look bigger. And more blue.

I wore the scarf, the new shirt and the velvet jacket as well, and in my head, I thought I looked like some sort of ice royal. I quite liked it. Blue was my colour, for sure.

Astral and Keefe were already down on the street, waiting for us under beautiful lanterns, hanging in criss-crossing designs between the houses.

Astral turned, the smile he had had on his face before, sliding off. His eyes widened and it looked as if he had seen a ghost. He took a step forward and stopped. I felt self-conscious. What if he hated it? I had never looked like this before.

Then he took another one and grabbed my shirt, pulling me to him.

"Do you hate it?" I asked with a shivering voice.

"Are you kidding?" he asked before he kissed me, his free hand landing on the back of my neck. He let go of my shirt and put his hand on the small of my back, pressing me to him. "You look beautiful."

My face got entirely too hot, and I didn't know what to say. Astral himself looked stunningly beautiful in his dress shirt and with the top part of his hair pulled back. The rest of his curls hung freely, framing his neck. I loved it when he did something with his hair. All of it looked good. He just looked good in general.

"Come, love," he said softly. "Let's go to the festival."

He took my hand in his, fitting his fingers in between mine.

It was happening in the middle of the town, a big lawn stretching over the square with bushes neatly cut in artistic shapes. Lanterns lit up the entire square, casting us in a golden glow. There were brilliant light balls hanging freely in the air, making it obvious, mages had helped with the decorations too.

Astral pulled me towards the food stalls, knowing I'd be starving by now. Luckily, the music from the band on the stage overshadowed the sound of my growling stomach.

We stopped by something that smelt divine and deep-fried. The woman in the stall smiled at us, taking our order, and handing us delicious meat baked with batter and beer and fried to a crisp. Keefe and Zeke opted for a meal including chicken and long golden pasta strands, then we could share and taste each other's meals.

Tables with benches were put up besides the booths, making an outdoor food court, where you could sit and enjoy your food. The whole market had the most pleasant atmosphere. The food was great too. Both of the dishes. We washed it all down with delicious plum wine.

Zeke decided she wanted to go dancing in front of the stage where several others had taken up the open space between the band and the tables. We watched her as she found a girl to dance with until a slower song came on.

She came back wearing a flower crown, holding another in her hand. She put the spare on my head and smiled at me.

"Come, let's dance."

She pulled me out on the dance floor, to a song that was very lively. I wasn't a great dancer, but we had a lot of fun. Everyone was wearing flower crowns as well. Zeke looked so pretty with the white flowers resting on top of her braids that she had fitted into this elaborate hairstyle. Some of her braids were up, some were down.

I liked how we matched, both wearing flowers in our hair and wearing the same shirt. It just felt so much like I was finally becoming who I was always meant to be. The real Mars. Zeke made me see who I was, as well as Astral supporting me in my endeavours. No one needed to be this nice to me, but here was Astral, Zeke and Keefe too. All three had no issues just letting me do my thing while I was figuring everything out. And I was figuring it out. The more I tried things out, the more I realised what I liked and didn't like. The thing I liked the most was being me. Just Mars. Nothing else.

I had never gotten to define myself. I had let others decide what I was for so long, but now it was my choice, and I loved it. It felt liberating. It wasn't like I had felt terribly trapped before. It wasn't like I was completely uncomfortable or anything, but now when I had finally told Astral and he didn't refer to me as a boy, I felt euphoric. I felt like there might've been something wrong for so long I had gotten used to it, but now when everything was right it became apparent something had been wrong. Because everything was right now. I was right.

And as I danced with Zeke, I realised I had never felt as free. The college had felt almost oppressive, but I was free now. Free to act a fool with flowers in my hair, dancing with my friend. Having the time of my life.

I was finally having the time of my life.

Zeke found her friend again and danced with her, and I got the hint and went back to the boys. Keefe and Astral were talking about something that looked like it was a lot of fun. They had also gotten themselves pints of beer.

I sat down next to Astral, and he smiled at me, offering me a sip of his pint. I took a small sip and gave it back. I wasn't a big fan.

"Don't like beer?" Keefe asked with a wide smile.

"It's fine. I'd rather have wine though." I shrugged a shoulder.

"Good thing we've got that covered as well then," Astral said and slid a glass of wine towards me, seemingly out of nowhere.

I smiled and took a sip, feeling much more content with my beverage over theirs. It tasted divine and there was a slight sting on my tongue the second the liquid hit it.

A slow song started again, and I looked back to the dance floor. I wanted to go and dance again, but Zeke was very occupied with her new friend. A pretty girl with long red hair, also adorned with flowers.

Astral glanced at me and I glanced back. "Zeke looks like she's having fun."

He took another sip and then rose to his feet and held his hand out. "Come on," he said and jerked his head.

I rose with shaky legs and put my hand in his. He led me to the dance floor and put his hands on my waist, pulling me close. I put my hands on his shoulders and followed his lead. Astral had always been a marvellous dancer, all of his movements fluid and his body reacting quickly to any kind of rhythm.

He leaned in and kissed me feather softly. I couldn't hold back a sound and it made Astral pull me even closer. We were barely dancing anymore, just kissing each other.

"Come on," he murmured for the second time that night and then pulled me away from the music. We almost ran back to the inn, Astral leading the way.

The second we were inside our room, he pushed me up against the wall, kissing me hard. His hands ran down to my hips, crushing his own against them. He bent down in his knees a little, pressing me up against the wall.

My head was in the clouds. I wasn't thinking about anything but how desperately Astral was pressing against me. How I could feel him through his trousers, but still, he didn't seem to rush a single thing.

Adrenaline rushed through my veins as my heart beat so hard, I could hear it. I wondered if Astral could hear it as well or if his own heart was deafening him.

Pressure was building and it kept building. I knew what it meant, but I didn't want this to stop. I hid my face in the arch of his neck and shoulder and he kissed my throat, moving his hips back and forth, continuing to press me against the wall. It was too much. I was losing control, my fists shaking, clenched in his shirt.

I muffled myself against his throat, clinging onto him. My legs got weak but Astral kept me upright. He placed a soft kiss on my throat before pulling back slightly. I still had my face pressed to his shoulder.

"Mars," he whispered.

I didn't reply, but just kept panting, struggling to get my breath under control.

"Did you just...?" I could hear the smile in his voice.

He pulled back, forcing me to release my face from his shoulder. I knew my cheeks were flushed. There was no hiding what had just happened.

Astral let me bask in my shame a little while longer, until he with his fingers under my chin, tipped my head up and pressed his lips to mine.

With his hands on my waist, he pulled me out from the wall and gently guided me to the bed, me walking backwards until my calves hit the frame and I dumped down on it. Astral gently cupped my cheek with the palm of his hand, tipping my head up so I'd look at him. His thumb gently ran under my eye and the corner of his mouth tipped upwards.

"What do you want?" he asked with a voice that was thickly laced with lust.

I raised my hands and undid the button on his trousers, without losing eye contact. His hand ran from my cheek up in my hair as I pulled his trousers down. He had magnificent legs. Strong but soft thighs. Lines digging into his calves, outlining the muscles. His legs were covered in fine green hairs, just like his arms were. His skin was so soft all over and I wanted to feel it against mine more than anything.

I rose to my feet, forcing Astral to take a step back. I slid the jacket off first and then my shirt. I didn't even feel embarrassed to show off my body this time. I felt so comfortable with him, even when his eyes strayed down to my chest, his hand running over it. Even with the splotches of colour all over it and my throat, he looked at me in a way that made me feel so beautiful. He genuinely seemed to find me beautiful, and it was hard to believe I was lucky enough to have this. After everything, I finally had him, and he only looked at me.

Astral slid his shirt off too and then he nodded towards my trousers with an almost devilish smile. I chuckled and got them off too.

There was something so intimate about us standing completely nude in front of each other, letting the other look their fill. It wasn't like we hadn't seen each other in the nude before, but we hadn't looked like this.

And I couldn't help myself anymore. It was like the best game of chicken, who'd be the first to touch? And I didn't mind losing.

I reached out, putting my hand on the bottom of his ribs, digging my fingers in and pulled him close, his mouth landing directly on mine.

Astral pulled back, only to go to the bag and get the oil. I took this opportunity to lie down on the bed, on my stomach, looking at him over my shoulder.

It was as if those lanterns from the festival had somehow taken up residency in his eyes. He looked at me as a starving man looked at a feast.

He joined me but didn't lie down beside me. He laid down on top of me, keeping most of his weight on one arm so he wasn't crushing me. He placed a kiss on my cheek before he gently did amazing things with his fingers.

I felt his hot breath on my cheek, his face not far from mine. I knew he was watching me, but I had my eyes closed, purely focusing on feeling everything he did to me. I just wanted to feel and not anything else.

"Are you ready?" he asked softly.

I opened one eye and nodded, closing it again, bracing myself for probably losing my mind.

I did lose it, purely judging by the sound I made. Astral groaned softly and kissed my cheek again, his hot breath hitting my skin. He was so soft in his movements. He'd pull almost all the way out, only to softly push back in again, pressing me down into the mattress. The pressure of his body, all of it made the perfect combination for me to just... Let go.

My fists were balled in the sheets and Astral's hands were on my arms, his elbows pressing into the bed. It was as if he was everywhere, all over my body and it was what I wanted. I wanted him all over me.

"Mars," he murmured softly.

I opened my eyes and looked back at him.

"Turn around. I want to see you."

My chest flared up as Astral lifted off me and I turned around, I felt so warm. Loved. I wrapped my arms around him when he settled between my legs. He smiled as he kissed me, slowly pushing inside of me again. I whimpered into his mouth, digging my fingers into his back.

It became less soft and it was just what I wanted. My desire to let go of all softness and carefulness became too much and it was as if Astral could read my mind. He slammed his hips forward, kissing me hard.

We became desperate, almost, in the pursuit of the finish. We both wanted it so badly, but at the same time I didn't want it to end. I wanted more. I constantly wanted more from him. But only until I reached the finish line, my whole body clenching.

Astral groaned loudly and his body went completely limp. It seemed as if his bones had disappeared. He dropped down next to me, kind of. His body was still slung over mine, but the majority of the weight was kept off me. Our skin was slick with sweat and we were panting hard, the both of us. I turned my head and smiled, and he looked up, smiling back.

He pulled up and kissed me for a long time. It was nice and soft and the fact that we both knew it wasn't going beyond just kissing felt nice. We were both just doing this because we wanted to kiss.

Astral pulled back and tugged some of my hair behind my ear. "I'm absolutely mind-blowingly good in bed," he said very seriously.

I burst out laughing and turned on my side, shoving my face in the pillow, trying to muffle myself. I thought he was gonna say something really cute, but instead he was making me laugh.

"Why are you laughing?" Astral asked, pretend-offended and pulled the pillow away from me. "I was amazing. A gold star performance." He grabbed my arms and got me on my back again, pinning my hands down on either side of my head. "You can't deny it."

"I'm not denying it," I laughed. "I'm just saying you were adequate."

"Oh, you brat!" Astral battled his way on top of me, straddling my thighs. "You were moaning and enjoying it so much."

I was almost howling with laughter, bucking my hips and trying to get him off me. Didn't try very hard though. He bent over and his face hovered right above mine. I lifted up and kissed him and he was fast to kiss me back.

He let go of my hands and I was allowed to wrap my arms around him as he let himself drop down on his side next to me. We were facing each other, smiling.

"I ruined your make-up," he murmured then and gently ran his thumb over my cheekbone. His skin was tinted blue.

"You did like it though, right?"

"Honestly, I just wanna see you that confident all the time, make-up or no make-up. You looked like you liked how you looked and that's the most beautiful thing."

I widened my eyes a little. Astral was not the most in-touch with his feelings and had never been good at really talking about sensitive stuff. But here he was, probably being more sensitive than I had ever seen him in the about fifteen years I had known him.

"Do more things like that, Mars. Just see yourself as I see you," he murmured and kissed my forehead. "And then also worship the ground I walk on, because I'm so handsome."

I snorted and nodded. "Alright. I'll worship the ground you walk on."

"Also the other things!" He was very stern.

"Right, also the other things."