If We Were Stars

The final countdown begins in three hours. … Blimey. The last thing Kurt wants is to wear a space helmet, and, no, they didn't plan on saving the world either—Not before their eighteenth birthday anyway. Who'd have thought friending a lonely alien would lead to the Cape Canaveral launch pad. Best friends since they were ten years old, Kurt O'Hara and Beast Harris tackle the typical teenage challenges together: pronouns, AWOL bodies, not to mention snogging. A long-distance relationship with an alien named Iuvenis is the least of their troubles. Kurt loves programming, people-pleasing, and yellow dresses. Most of all, Kurt loves Beast. Beast adores elephants, protest marches, and Kurt. Rules?—Nah. Humanity's way down on Beast's list of to-dos. Beast and Kurt, Kurt and Beast. The end. Exactly how their love turns into a scene from Red Dwarf is anyone's guess. Spaceships? NASA at the doorstep? No biggie. As long as they're together, Kurt and Beast can survive anything. Except, apparently, lift-off. Because nobody considered sensory issues, did they? Nope. NASA never made adjustments for neurodivergent astronauts. Unbelievable. Will science be enough to blast Kurt and Beast—unlikely superheroes—into space to save the planet? Or will it take something much more extraordinary?