My stomach was in my throat and I was sure I had already puked out my heart, even though it was beating hard in my ears. Astral was fidgeting next to me, having a hard time sitting still in his seat. They had been evaluating our thesis for a long time now. We could hear quiet voices behind the double mahogany doors, so we knew they were still discussing this.

They could fail us, and we'd have to write it all over again with their notes. It'd delay our journey for a considerable time. I didn't want to delay our adventure. The sooner we got out of here, the better. I wanted to see the world with Astral by my side.

"Do you think they'll mind section eight? I know it was a little weak-" Astral started but I stopped him by putting my hand on top of his.

"Section eight was good." Someone had to be calm here and it wasn't going to be Astral. Section eight was good. It was one of the best ones Astral had written, which was purely about his own visions, recovery time, what toll it took on his body. So, it was very personal for him, also why he was focusing too hard on it.

The doors finally opened, and we both shot up. The professor showed us inside and we stood in the middle of the room. An eight-pointed star was etched into the floor and we stood in the very middle of it. It was supposed to bring you luck if you stood in the middle. I hoped it worked.

"Well, boys. We've read your thesis. Some more than once." The arch mage glanced at our elementals professor who looked particularly satisfied with himself. "And our initial offer still stands. We'd love to fund your journey and your research. Congratulations." He rose to his feet and held his hand out. Astral shook it first and then I shook it. I wondered if he could feel how clammy my hands felt.

"Thank you, arch mage," Astral said and bowed. I bowed with him. Then we were shown outside to the corridor again.

We looked at each other a long moment and then we both smiled. I wrapped my arms around his neck and hugged him close.

"We did it."

"Let's go back to ours and celebrate. Mars, we just got a full ride!" He pulled back, looking like he could barely contain himself.

We ran back to the room, occasionally stopping just to giggle like little girls. We finally got back to the room and Astral was still buzzing, talking about our adventure. I closed the door and turned towards him.

"We're finally going, Mars," he said, smiling.

I nodded. His smile relaxed a little. I wondered if he could see what was on my mind right then. If he could sense, what I wanted the most in that moment. It seemed like he did, as I almost launched forward, and he stepped right into the kiss. I had my hands on the sides of his throat while his got busy with getting my college issued jacket off me. I was nervous, my hands shaking. I didn't know what to do but Astral seemed not even slightly bothered as he slid his hands under my shirt, getting it free of my trousers.

"Are you sure about this?" he asked as he untied the collar on my shirt.

"Y-yes," I stammered and smiled.

We had done things. In the past we had done things. But neither of us had been fully undressed. It had mostly been a lot of touching. Astral had done more things with other people before we started doing things. Before he knew I liked him in that way. Apparently, he had always been ready, but I had to build up some confidence. I wasn't confident about my body at all. I wasn't now either, but I trusted him. I wanted to celebrate the beginning our new journey.

He pulled my shirt over my head, and I brought my arms down in front of my chest. There was discolouration all over my body from when I was a kid. The other children hadn't been kind.

Astral gently wrapped his fingers around my arms and brought them down. His gaze met mine and he smiled. "You're lovely, Mars."

I bit down on my lip, feeling heat creeping up in my face. I nodded at his jacket, indicating he needed to take it off. He luckily got my hint and slid it off. Then he unbound the collar on his shirt and that came off too.

I gently ran my hand over his ribs. His skin was so soft. I knew it was, but it was just different when he... It was just different.

His hands ran over my body as well, one hand running around my hip and ending on my lower back, pulling me close to him. He leaned in and kissed me again, very softly. My head was spinning in the best possible way, and I wanted it. I actually really wanted it. I grabbed his shoulders and pressed him to me.

I could feel him smiling against my lips. He pushed me back toward the bed and I dumped down on it, looking up at him. He gently ran his hand through my hair, watching me with hooded eyes. His chest was jumping up and down with his heavy breath and he looked so incredibly beautiful in the soft light from the oil lamps.

He pushed me into the bed, and he followed, laying down between my legs. He didn't even hesitate to kiss me, pressing his hips down. I couldn't hold back a weird sound which Astral replied with a much nicer sound.

His hands were alive again, going down. He pulled up and went to war with my trousers. I lifted my hips so he could get them off me. Then he went at his own, pulling them off. And then he was nude. And I was nude. He hesitated for a moment, meeting my gaze.

"Still with me?"

I nodded, unable to remove my gaze from his body. He was perfect. From his golden skin to the slight hint of muscles on his stomach... He was a star, I was sure.

He lied down beside me and got me on my side too. "How do you wanna do this?"

"I-I... Don't know."

"It's okay," he murmured and kissed me. He grabbed my wrist and put my hand back on his ribs. It grounded me, him letting me touch him. It was much easier to focus if I felt him under my fingers.

Then he grabbed a vial from the shelf above our heads, nailed into the wall. I recognised the rose oil he'd use on me when I was sore. 

He bit into the cork, pulled it out and got some of the oil onto his fingers. And then he kissed me again. I barely noticed what he was doing before he was doing it. My head was spinning and too much was happening. What he was doing with his fingers felt weird and then after a while it didn't anymore. Then I was making more weird sounds, moving with his hand.

"Astral," I gasped and pressed my face to his shoulder. Heat spread in my whole body and my pulse was hammering in my ears. I was almost sure I was dying for a short second.

He chuckled. "Well, that was easy."

"Don't antagonise me," I panted, my face still smooshed against his skin.

"I'm not. That was really attractive," he whispered and got me on my back. He slid in between my legs and kissed my throat. He already knew I liked that.

He grabbed my thighs and pulled them up and then he pushed his hips forward. I gasped again, digging my fingers into his back. He groaned, grabbing the pillow under my head, his fist balling in it. When he started moving, I was seeing stars. Colours had never been brighter. Smells were more. Everything was more.

So, I might've been a little dramatic, but this was the first time I had Astral all to myself. He was all mine in that moment. It was my name he was moaning. My body he was enjoying. Sun and stars, this was by far the closest I had ever felt to him, and it was so overwhelming.

I'd let him do whatever he wanted. It wasn't as if I weren't enjoying everything he was doing, but maybe there'd be things I'd enjoy more. It didn't matter though. As long as Astral was here with me, nothing else mattered.

He kissed me again, twirling his tongue around mine. I couldn't keep up, but it didn't seem like it was an issue at all. I was running my hands over his body, running them through his hair. I got more and more lost.

But also freer.

One of my hands got a life of its own and ran down to his butt, clenching it. He groaned and pressed even harder at me. It felt amazing and I wanted closer. I lifted my chest in an effort to get closer and he went faster.

We were both moaning loudly, almost desperately moving against each other. I couldn't even try to hide getting to the finish line a second time. And Astral wasn't far behind. He shoved his face in the pillow and groaned into it.

His body went limp on top of mine, his back rising and falling under my fingers. I couldn't stop touching him. I didn't want to stop. It had been so perfect, despite me being so awkward and odd and not knowing what to do. He had just been so lovely, and he kept saying I was lovely, but he was the lovely one.

"I love you," I murmured.

"What was that?" he panted and pulled his face out of the pillow. He dumped down beside me, shoving my arm out of the way so he could put his head on my chest.

"Uh... That was lovely."

He chuckled. "Are you about to thank me too? You don't have to thank me for getting you off."

I rolled my eyes. "I wasn't going to thank you."

"I deserve thanks. I deflowered you."

"Deflowered? Really?" I laughed and hooked my arm around his neck, shoving his face down on my chest.

He laughed and tried half-heartedly to fight me, but I won. I grabbed his hair and got him up to kiss me again.

"But you did like it, right?" he asked softly against my lips.

"I did."

He cupped my cheek with the palm of his hand and smiled down at me. "I'm so fortunate to have you in my life, Mars. I can't wait till we get to go on our journey."

I smiled up at him, my eyes bouncing all over his face, eating up every feature. Sun and stars, he was so handsome.

"I can't either. We're going to have so much fun."

"Yeah." He laid back down and got comfortable, pulling the furs over us. I wiggled my shoulders a little and winced. "You alright?"

"A little sore. But it's alright."

"Sorry," he snorted. "I can't be too sorry though. I'm a little proud."

I could only shake my head at him. Such a dork.