A/N: And we reach the end. Thank you so very much to everyone who took the time to read this. Hugs to everyone who took the time to review. Up next: updates for Lost Dreams and Without Virtue! And Deviant!

Warnings: Language, angst, violence, sex

Pairings: I'll give you two guesses. No, three guesses.

What May Come

Chapter Nineteen

"We might as well - this once, don't you think?"

Trowa looked at Duo, standing naked in the middle of Kippernick's room, his t-shirt balled up between his hands as he tried to convince himself and Trowa to venture out of the room.

"We're going to regret it," Trowa told him, but he rolled off of Kippernick's bed and hunted for his boxers.

"It'll take five - ten minutes tops to get to the caf, grab the spoons, and be back."

"But we're going to have to walk past fifty thousand idiots to do so," Trowa reminded him.

Duo gave him a look.

"You're the one who bought the almond milk ice cream in the first place - we can let it melt or we can get some damned spoons."

"You seriously don't have anything in your gardening tools we could use?"

"Yeah, I've got the water dropper I use to add nitrogen to the plants - that will add some nice flavor to the ice cream."

Trowa sighed and gave in to the inevitable.

"Fine - but when we're molested by drunken morons - remember this was your idea."

Duo tossed a shirt at him and they finished dressing.

As they approached the door to their room they could hear the drunken morons outside, cheering and laughing and celebrating.

They exchanged a determined look and Duo opened the door.

It took them at least fifteen minutes to make it to the caf, and halfway there Duo finally just grabbed his hand, lacing their fingers together and holding on because they had been shoved apart six times already by exuberant students who tried to hug them and dance with them.

He had never held hands with someone, not like this, and the press of Duo's thumb against the back of his hand reminded him of the day he had landed Heavyarms on earth, taken off his helmet, and felt the sun on his face.

They made it to the caf,which was locked down for the evening, and Duo snuck them in, procured the spoons, and led them back out into the madness.

"Coming through!"

A line of half naked men tore down the hall, barrelling into the other students.

Trowa backed them up against the wall, out of the path of the drunken, racing idiots.

Their fingers were still twined together, and Duo tugged on Trowa's hand.

He looked down, wondering if Duo wanted him to let go, but Duo was smirking up at him.

"What?" Trowa had to ask. Only moments ago Duo had looked as homicidal as Trowa felt.

"Nothing. I was just thinking, it's Victory Day."

Trowa rolled his eyes.

"It's been Victory Day for the last twenty two hours," he pointed out.

"Yeah, but I didn't feel all that victorious until now."

Trowa arched an eyebrow. He wondered what about being shoved up against a wall in a hallway packed with idiotic teeenagers had to do with Duo feeling victorious.

And then he realized.

He had shoved Duo against the wall and stood in front of him, crowding his body into a tight space, and Duo had let him.

Trowa swallowed hard.

Two years ago - even a year ago - he imagined that doing that would have resulted in Duo shoving free or silently working through a panic attack.

But now, Duo just put a hand on his waist and pulled him closer.

Trowa looked around, but no one else seemed at all interested in them.

"So anyway, apparently people are celebrating some stupid shit today," Duo said, still smirking. "Feel like joining in?"

Without waiting for a response, Duo kissed him.

It was their first kiss. It was his first kiss, the first time he pressed back and felt the heat and passion of someone else and wanted more.

Duo's lips were rough and smooth at the same time - chapped just like Trowa's had to be - but they were warm and firm and they felt like everything Trowa had ever needed.

"Is it better or worse now?" Duo asked him, face face serious and his eyes asking a question that meant much more than his words.

"Better," Trowa answered without hesitation. And he leaned down and kissed Duo again.