Our mouths moved in tandem, leaving me breathless. 

I kissed him back eagerly, all thoughts disappearing in a lusty haze as our mouths opened against each other. His tongue caressed mine, the naked contact sending an electric shock through me as I placed my hand on his waist and pulled him closer. 

His hands framed my face as our kiss deepened, our mouths hungry. Fire burst in the pit of my stomach, a yearning. An intense want gnawing my insides. I wanted more of him. All of him. 

His mouth left mine, travelling along my jaw and towards my ear. His hot breath against my skin sent tingles of pleasure down my spine. A sharp gasp escaped my mouth when I felt his teeth graze against my ear, nibbling gently. His mouth froze for a second before he sighed softly and trailed his mouth back to mine. 

The kiss transcended into a territory I'd never been to before. The heat between us rising in an insurmountable crescendo. Our mouth remained engaged in a fiery passion that set my heart asunder as he moved closer to me. I held him firmly by the waist as he straddled me, our lips never parting from the eager embrace. 

His hand reached the back of my head, his fingers knotting in my hair as I broke the kiss, gasping slightly for air. He didn't seem to have the same problem however, his mouth immediately travelling to my neck as he nuzzled me, planting open-mouthed kisses lower down my throat. My brain froze as he sucked gently, his tongue marking my skin hungrily. The chill of the weather suddenly disappeared as flames erupted on my skin.

"Touch me, Miles," he whispered softly. 

I was shocked by the desperation in his voice. What was happening suddenly? Why was he being so hasty? 

I bit my lip, entranced by him as my hands slowly moved lower down his body. I kissed him back with a renewed fervour that he seemed to reciprocate with more enthusiasm. My heart seemed to stop beating completely when his hand wandered inside my hoodie, stroking my lower back. I didn't want him to stop, it didn't seem like I would be able to. He gripped the neck of my hoodie firmly, pulling me against him as he lay down. I obliged eagerly, leaning over him as our mouths reconnected with ardour. 

I framed his face with my hand while using to other to rest myself over him. His hand found mine, our fingers interlinking instantaneously as he gently guided my hand lower down his body. My lips stilled against his as he placed my hand below his waist and I realized with a jolt what he had in mind. 

I leaned away from him, gazing at him in question. "Ace?"

"Touch me," he repeated, his gaze fixed on me. 

"Ace," I whispered back, every inch of me desperate to give in to his demands. 

"Come on," he whined. "You know what to do, Miles."

I couldn't believe what was happening. In all honesty, I had never imagined having him this way. Not because I didn't want it, but because it had always felt impossible. There were years of history between us, a bond I couldn't quite explain. I had known him for my entire life, watched him grow and mould into the beautiful person he was today. And maybe I had subconsciously placed him on some pedestal that I could never be on. 

"What?" he said after a while as he smirked. "Neve masturbated before?"

My cheeks reddened, my ears warm as I sighed. "Are you fucking drunk?"

"I've actually never been less drunk," he whispered, pulling me against him and kissing me again. 

He broke the kiss and our eyes met in a timeless gaze which seemed to twist my heart in some beautiful anguish. 

And for once, I let myself listen to my heart. 

I leaned over and kissed him. Even though I had kissed him before, this time, it felt different. Maybe because I knew where it was headed. My brain stopped rationalizing as I let my hands roam across him. I placed my hand on his waist, trying to pull him in closer as he obliged. Our mouths opened against each other. Our tongues met, sending a spark of electricity down my body which left me breathless. 

He got to a seating position, stroking my thigh as the kiss deepened. His mouth was warm, soft, eager. His fingers knotted in my hair as he gently pushed me onto the soft grass. For a second, I was worried about where we were, but my thoughts were dispelled the moment his mouth travelled down to my jaw. I arched my head backwards, shutting my eyes as his tongue found my skin. He planted open-mouthed, soft, tender kisses along my neck, sucking softly. He pulled the neck of my hoodie lower, planting kisses on my collarbone, my neck, nibbling at my ear till I moaned softly. 

"Are you sure...about this?" I asked, panting breathlessly as he shifted to meet my gaze. 

"Yes," he whispered and leaned to kiss my forehead. "Are you?"

I bit my lip and nodded. "Yeah. Just nervous."

He smiled softly. "Me too."

I chuckled in spite of myself. "Really?"

He furrowed his eyebrows and pouted slightly. "Why is that surprising to you?"

"I...I don't know," I said honestly. I knew Ace had never been in any relationship, however, I had never really known anything about his sex life. Or even if he had one. Hell, I was shocked when he had kissed me. It was ironic that I was heteronormalizing him when he had never shown any interest in any particular gender anyway. 

"Wait," he said and suddenly rose to his feet. It wasn't until he left that I realized that it was getting cold. I turned to see him walk towards the car and enter it. He emerged a while later and walked back to me, spreading a blanket onto the ground. Taking cue, I moved on top of it, lying down and waiting for him to continue. 

He crawled on top of me, straddling me before he leaned down to kiss me again. I wasn't sure if this was part of his plan, but we spent a lot of time simply making out. When I felt a little bolder, I let my mouth wander to his neck, nibbling his earlobe so he gasped softly. My senses seemed to seize up for a second. I had never imagined I would get to hear Ace like this.

He leaned back and gazed down at me, biting his lip in what I assumed was nervousness. He reached for the button of his jeans and taking cue, I reached for mine. After a few minutes of awkward giggling and uncomfortable positioning, we managed to get half undressed.

"What...are you thinking?" he whispered as he leaned over me, positioning himself between my legs. 

"Er...it's...a little cold I guess," I said, my voice slightly higher than it should be. 

He giggled. "I think it is too."

I bit my lip as he shifted, moving so that our bodies were perfectly aligned together. Our mouths met in a searing kiss as he pushed himself closer. His hand travelled between my legs, stroking both of us in an intoxicated tandem. And somehow, all our previous awkwardness dissolved. Our tongues entangled in a dance of passion, our breaths morphed together like flames of fire. He moved his hips slowly, grinding into me. 

"Milo," he whispered, burying his face in my neck.

The way he whispered my name, he sounded so vulnerable. "Ace," I whispered back, placing my hand between us and increasing pace. 

His hands reached my hair, clenching into tight knots. I gasped as his mouth reached my neck, sucking almost painfully. "Fuck...Miles..."

He moved faster, pressing deeper into my as I gripped him harder. Our hips moved against each other with increasing desperation. The heat between us increased, scorching. He pulled my hoodie higher, placing his hand on my stomach as he increased his pace. I shut my eyes, partly out of the building ecstasy and partly out of the nervousness I was feeling. It seemed to be a mistake to me however, each sense was magnified as all my attention was focussed on Ace. 

The way he moved. The way he breathed. The way his chest rose and fell. The way his eyes remained shut. The way his lips were parted slightly. The way he felt against me. The way my heart beat in a way only Ace could make it. 

I pulled him close, my mouth finding his breathlessly. Our kiss deepened, wild, hungry, uninhibited. My heart pounded so loud I could hear it in my dizzy head. I felt like I was in a warp, a dream-like state of illusion. 

A knot formed in my stomach, tightening with each of his movements. I held him close, burying my face in his neck, breathing in his intoxicating scent as the world around me disappeared in a pinprick of lights. I was pushed off the edge of paradise, helpless and bound against him. He shattered seconds later, moaning softly. And through my haze, a single word escaped my lips. A sound. A plea. A promise. 

"Ace."

"Miles," he whispered back, leaning to look at me. 

I floated in the paradise of ecstasy for a few more moments. Our gazes were transfixed on each other. A million questions ran through my head, but I didn't want to think. 

"Miles..." he whispered again, his lower lip quivering. I watched as his eyes glistened and the tears he had held for so long, finally spilt.

He rolled off me and onto the grass as my heart broke into a million pieces. Reality crashed into us with the force of an avalanche. The inevitable reality. And somehow, maybe it was the vulnerability of the moment that I truly felt the force of truth. 

I leaned over him, shattering as tears fell down his face. His beautiful features contorted with grief. I felt as overwhelmed as he was and before I could quite stop it, my own eyes welled over with tears. 

"Ace," I whispered, helplessly watching him in burning agony. 

"I'm so fucking scared, Miles," he whispered, snivelling. "So fucking scared. I don't...I don't want to go blind. I...I want to see. I...I'm so scared. It's going to be just be fucking dark all the time. How do I accept that? And why did this have to happen?"

He covered his face with his hands, and the previously blissful silence of the empty valley was broken by his anguished wails. I didn't know what to do. I felt like my own soul was being torn away from my body. I pulled him close, letting him bury his face in my chest. I stroked his back gently. I wished there was something that could take his pain away. That could let me bear it instead. He didn't deserve it. No one did. 

"I'm going to be such a fucking liability. What will I do? Who will look after Allie? I won't even get  fucking job. How do I dream when I won't eventually be able to see?"

I had no answers. I had nothing I could say. Helpless. 

I pulled him closer and kissed the top of his head. He didn't protest, breaking down unlike he ever had. Not even when four years ago he had lost his father. He had never let anyone see him cry. And now he was. And it was the singularly most painful thing I had ever experienced. 

"I'm right here, Ace. Always. I promise," I whispered. 

I realized that what had happened between us was probably an extension of his paranoia of wanting to see and experience as much as he could in a short time. I was the closest and most trustworthy to him, maybe that was why he had turned to me? But somehow, the way he had kissed me, held me, made love to me, felt exclusive. 

He didn't say anything, his entire body trembling as he sobbed into my chest. 

"Thank you, Miles," he whispered. 

I wanted to say something to him. Something that would let him know how much I cared about him. Something that would let him know that hearing him cry was soul-shattering. Something that would let him know the way my heart reacted to each of his little things. Something that would let him know how insanely I had fallen in love with him. 

But for now, remained silent. 

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Why do educational institutes force group projects upon its students? What is this forced socialization that I must indulge in? I'm an introvert and really would rather complete a thirty-page project on my own than coordinate with four other human beings.  

Well, that was random. 

So yes, I'm definitely kicking up the romance a notch. Did any of you expect this? Or did it come off as a surprise as it did to Miles?

Like always, thank you!