Last Chance by Victoria Zagar

Anton felt his stomach clench as he heard the words “suicide mission”. He looked over at his closest friend Julian sitting two seats down and their eyes met, a thousand words exchanged in one glance. We’re running out of time. This dance must end, one way or another.
    “You will suit up and be ready by fifteen-hundred hours. Good luck, everyone. I’ll see you on the other side.” Major Tom stepped down from the podium, a sad expression flashing in his eyes for a brief second. Of course he’s sad, Anton thought. Most of these faces he’ll never see again. The Khartoum is the deadliest warship in the League’s fleet. There’s no way we’re all making it through this.
    Anton stood, his legs stiff with fear. This is war. This is what we signed up for, isn’t it? I never used to be this scared. What changed?
    Julian looked back through the throng of pilots making their way to the briefing room exit and caught Anton’s eyes with his sparkling blue ones. I met him. That’s what has changed, Anton realized. He fought through the crowd to reach his friend, the only person he wanted to see at that moment.
    “Walk with me,” Anton whispered into Julian’s ear. They slipped out of the briefing room and down the hallway in the opposite direction to the other recruits, who were already preparing for their final mission.
    “Where are you taking me?” Julian asked. “I have to record a video log for my mom. She’ll want to know what happened...”
    Anton stopped and turned to Julian, a look of horror on his face. “Don’t talk like you’re going to die. That’s not going to--”
    “Come on, Anton,” Julian said. “You and I both know that I’m not a very good pilot, but this is what I signed up for. I’ll complete my duty as promised. Earth’s future is counting on us.” One of his dirty blonde bangs fell in front of his face and he let it shield his sad expression.
    “I won’t let anything happen to you,” Anton whispered. His long fingers touched Julian’s face and gently eased the hair out of his eyes, tucking it back behind his ear with a tender gesture. “You’re my friend. I’ll keep you safe.”
    “Anton...” Julian looked down at his shoes. “Don’t take risks for me. I refuse to be the reason you get killed! I know I’m not a great pilot. I’m not taking you down with me.”
    “That’s not your decision to make,” Anton whispered, as a group of cadets walked past.
    “Anton, I joined up to protect the world and everyone I care about,” Julian said. “You did, too. You know how important this mission is to the Alliance. You need to keep your eye on protecting the Northampton, not me.”
    “Julian, no more arguing. We don’t have much time left,” Anton said. “There’s less than two hours until the mission. If these are our last two hours in the universe, how should we spend them?”
    “Anton, there’s something I--”
    “I know,” Anton whispered. He took Julian’s hand and led him to a door, pressing a button. The door slid open to reveal a storeroom, filled with various food items. He closed the door behind him and keyed in a locking code.“Guess it’s good job I’m on inventory duty this month,” he smirked, but his eyes were two dark pools of seriousness.
    “This has been a beautiful dance,” Anton said. “I’ve watched you move gracefully through it, my perfect partner in this undignified universe. We’ve stepped around each other, always avoiding the moment we’ve been afraid of...” He leaned in and pressed Julian against the wall, their lips meeting in a tentative whisper of a touch so light it could barely be called a kiss.  
    Julian gasped, an involuntary sound that suggested the need for more kisses like the need for air. He pulled Anton into another kiss, tasting his lips like they were the sweetest honey. Julian’s hands found Anton’s short spiky black hair and ran his fingers over it, down his face, memorizing the shape of him for