They both leaned forward at the same time as Noah whispered, “Asp.”
Aspen had known there was a possibility that kissing Noah would feel like kissing their brother. They’d been platonic besties for so long, it wasn’t a guarantee that pressing their lips together was going to change anything between them.
Not one to plan for the future, Aspen hadn’t put any thought into what they’d do if that turned out to be the case. Panic, probably. Make things awkward, for sure. Maybe even flee the scene, and possibly the country.
Thankfully, that wouldn’t be necessary. Kissing Noah felt as natural as breathing. Without having to guess or overthink, Noah tipped his head to the right, and Aspen tipped theirs to the left. As if they’d planned it ahead of time, they released each other's hands, and Aspen wrapped their arms around Noah’s neck as he wrapped his around Aspen’s back.
He tasted like coffee and bell peppers, a strange combination, and yet, it was also a craving Aspen could see themself developing.
“Asp,” Noah groaned, tipping his head back to take in a ragged breath before pressing their lips together again.
His lips were just as plush as they looked, and as they opened their mouths, Aspen found his tongue was luxuriously soft, and he knew exactly how to stroke it into Aspen’s mouth.
“Fuck, Noah,” Aspen whined, threading their fingers into the soft hairs at the base of his head.
“Yeah,” Noah said, pulling Aspen in for another round.
Their butt was starting to go numb on the countertop, and some part of their mind recognized that they were hungry, but Aspen ignored all of that. They wanted to wrap themselves around Noah like a shroud and memorize the exact shape of his teeth. They wanted to feel every catch of his breath against their chest and experience every tightening of his hands on their hips.
“Oh god, you feel—” Noah gasped.
“So good,” Aspen groaned, wrapping their legs around Noah’s back.
Their next kiss reminded Aspen of the summer the two of them stayed in their sorority house, not realizing the A/C didn’t run during break. Heat licked across Aspen’s skin as Noah’s beard scratched their cheek, and his hands slid down to Aspen’s ass.
Aspen let out a surprised yelp when Noah picked them up. “Babe! Don’t hurt your back!”
Noah pressed a quick kiss to the side of their mouth before walking them over to the sofa. “This might surprise you, but I promise I can carry you.”
A jolt of lust shot straight to Aspen’s groin, making their thighs quiver. They tightened their grip around his back, and he huffed out a strained laugh.
“Don’t believe me?”
“No, I do, it’s just incredibly sexy, and you made me…”
Shit. This is what they’d been worried about. What were they supposed to say about their arousal?
“Hard?” Noah offered, and Aspen scrunched up their nose.
Noah lowered Aspen onto the couch sideways and then climbed on after them. He sank down on top of them and pressed his packer against Aspen’s leg. “If it helps, your kisses are makingmehard.”
Aspen shivered and clutched at his shoulders. His words weresounfairly sexy. “I’m not on T, though, so… I’m notactuallyhard.”
Noah studied their face. “There’s nothing saying you have to experience something physically to claim the term.”
Aspen ran their tongue along the inside of their teeth, collecting Noah’s flavor as they pouted their bottom lip in thought.
“What about hardandwet?” Noah asked.
Aspen allowed the words to roll around their carnival funhouse of a brain. Hard still felt off, and so did wet, and yet…
“I kind of like it when they’re said together like that.”
Noah smiled. “Yeah, I did at first, too. Things have changed the longer I’m on T, and as I’ve become more settled in being trans masc. I don’t use wet to describe my arousal anymore, but I know many folks do.”
God, Aspen couldn’t believe they were talking about this. “I, uh…don’t know what to call my top half yet, either.”
They also didn’t know how or where they wanted to be touched. Aspen had said just kissing to start, but was Noah already asking for more?
