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It was one of those nights that had become more and more frequent lately. Albrecht and Friedrich were sitting together in the office of the school newspaper. The only light that lit up the room was a dim desk lamp. And the moon, which looked down on the two boys through the window and made Albrecht's eyes glow in that unique colour.
In a few days the moon would reach its full size and it was very bright. Next to it, Friedrich could make out various constellations. He could make out Fuhrmann and Orion, his father had shown him that once, back when everything was still fine between them. Friedrich sighed.
Sometimes he questioned whether it had been a good idea to deceive his father and forge his signature. All doors were indeed open to him in the future because of the Napola, but at what a price? It had driven a wedge between him and the rest of his family that he wasn't sure would ever be removed. On the other hand, he had only met Albrecht through the Napola.
He averted his gaze from the twinkling celestial bodies and directed it instead at the boy sitting there in front of him, typing intently on the typewriter, which filled the room with a pleasant click. The music that was so typical for evenings of this kind.
Albrecht with his shiny brown hair, his blue eyes and his red lips. With his slender frame, which was so different from that of the other boys at the boarding school. Which made him seem so fragile and sensitive.
Friedrich, on the other hand, was pretty much the opposite. He had blond hair, a prominent chin and an inviting grin. Broad arms and even broader shoulders. He seemed strong and determined. And despite the differences, they were so close.
"Is everything all right?", Albrecht brought him back from his thoughts. Apparently he had been staring at him the whole time and even though Albrecht was really focused on the article he was writing, he had noticed it at some point.
Friedrich just nodded. But then, as he looked back out the window and up at the moon, an idea popped into his head.
"Let's go outside."
"What?" asked Albrecht in surprise.
"Go for a walk. It's so beautiful outside, the stars are so bright."
"That's against the rules," Albrecht interjected. Astonished, Friedrich looked at him again and raised his eyebrows slightly.
"I didn't know the rules were so important to you," he returned.
Albrecht grinned and stood up in response. "Fine. But let's be quiet, I'd really hate to be discovered and serve a sentence in the basement."
Quietly they crept along the corridor, careful that their shoes made no sound.
With the cool air hitting them as they stepped out the door, a burden also fell from them. Of course, it was still not safe, let alone allowed, to walk around outside at night, but on the grounds it was a lot less likely to be caught by one of their teachers.
Silently, they walked along a path that neither knew where it led them. The two boys simply enjoyed each other's presence.
Albrecht was about to turn right at a turn-off when something caught Friedrich's attention. He could only make out outlines, due to the dim moonlight despite the approaching full moon, but he was sure there was a bench a few metres away surrounded by some flowers.
"Wait, let's go here." And indeed. It was reminiscent of an abandoned garden that had become more and more overgrown over time. Friedrich couldn't help but think of the fairy tales his grandmother liked to tell his brother and him when they were both younger.
Together they sat down on the bench from which there was a perfect view of the moon. Apart from that, only little of the surroundings could be made out, but that didn't matter, the moon was beautiful enough.
The bench was not particularly wide and so they sat close together; their arms and legs touching. But that didn't matter either, it only added to the comfortable and pleasant mood that had enveloped them ever since they had been in the school newspaper office.
Silently, they were looking at the moon, enjoying the brief and almost rare moment they were spending with practically no worries, when Friedrich spotted something.
"A shooting star," he whispered into the cool air.
"What did you wish for?", Albrecht asked him with an audible smile on his lips.
"If I tell you, it won't come true," Friedrich replied. But maybe that's exactly what makes it come true. He bit his lip.
"I wished for... a kiss," he confessed hesitantly to Albrecht. He turned his head and looked at him with an indistinct look in his eyes. A mixture of confusion and... jealousy?
"Of whom?" "From..." Friedrich took a deep breath. Was it a good idea to say that now? There was so much at stake, after all. Their whole friendship and, even if he would never trust Albrecht to do such a thing, he could still betray him.
It didn’t matter. If not now, when? The situation was perfect, he just had to say it. He looked up at the moon, who gave his okay.
"From you."
The emotion in Albrecht's eyes was now joined by surprise. They widened slightly as his gaze slid down to Friedrich's lips.
And then... he came closer. He lifted his hand and carefully stroked Friedrich's cheek, then buried it in his blond hair.
Friedrich could hardly believe that this was reality right now. And he had the feeling of fainting, which only intensified when Albrecht placed his lips very gently on Friedrich's.
It wasn't a particularly long kiss, but it was still full of feeling. Albrecht's lips were tender and soft as he kissed Friedrich with restraint. It was like a sweet dream that had finally come true and filled his heart with bliss and euphoria.
After a short time, they broke away from each other again and looked at each other shyly. They both knew that the kiss would turn their friendship upside down.
But it had been worth it, because even the moon looked down on them with satisfaction.