A/N: It's the last chapter guys. Didn't think we would find ourselves there. Sometimes when I write a story the end seems unobtainable. I think without dee-cherrywolf's and my beta's support this chapter wouldn't have been here… Thanks everyone for putting up with me in my exercise to try and get more used to multi-chaptered stories. I'm happy if anyone enjoyed themselves on the way and I hope the end leaves you with a satisfied feeling like you ate a really nice piece of cheesecake!

(This chapter hasn't reached my beta's eyes but I'll update the edited version later. I'm just too excited to reach the finish line lol . )

X

Light and a blinding headache woke him up.

The red head groaned, rolling over on his stomach to bury his face into the pillow. He rubbed his face into it and covered himself with the covers but no matter how he lay, he couldn't keep his eyes closed. He was dizzy too, and unsure if that was from oversleeping or the hangover.

To make matters worse, he had to pee. He dreaded getting out of bed.

But he really had to go.

He took in a deep breath and threw the covers off of him, reminding himself to take slow steps, lest he feel like he was shattering in a million more pieces.

"Wait. How did I get here?" He blinked at the methodically organized closet and butterfly exhibit nearby. He looked left and found the ant farm there. He rubbed his temples, "oh right… Double D drove me here."

He paused, drawing together the events from last night.

"…oh shit. And then I threw up on him. I think?" He plopped back on the bed and ran a hand through his hair, mortified.

How does someone face another when they vomit over their shirt?

Kevin didn't have a clue, and he didn't want to learn right now or ever. His hands clenched around the strewn covers, then flattened. He stared down at the bed and the mussed sheets. His face turned cherry red and he covered his nose, "…and then we…" He forced himself to stand, almost reeling from the combination of a hangover headache and the aftermath of drunken mistakes.

"Shit." He hissed between his teeth. "I don't even remember doing it. Why do I remember all the stupid stuff I did last night and not the only thing worth remembering?!"

If he wasn't in Edd's room he would have kicked something. Very hard.

He sauntered to the bathroom to relieve himself, hoping that Edd was still asleep so he could sneak out.

Such plans fell apart when he ran into him on the hallway.

"Good morning, Kevin." Edd greeted quietly, of which Kevin's headache was thankful for.

"Mornin' Dork." He smiled lopsided. It was forced and somehow Edd sensed this, frowning for a moment.

"Although you were probably not aware of my terms at the time, you still have a obligation to uphold."

"Um…right. What?" Kevin scratched his head. "What the heck did I agree to?"

"To take me out for breakfast. We will pick your father's car up on the way home."

"Oh…" Kevin suddenly turned his attention to the carpet, embarrassment flecking his cheeks. "Yeah…all right."

"My, is that vasodilation I see, Kevin?"

This only made him redder, "NO! Wait… .what does that mean?"

Edd giggled, leaving Kevin to wonder where the dork got this sudden burst of boldness. Maybe it was his advances last night, though he only remember so much, he certainly remembered nuzzling his head under the dork's chin, and how it felt to finally kiss him.

Edd started downstairs, commenting that he had a voracious appetite. Kevin followed to stop him, managing to catch his fingers.

They both hesitated, faces steaming. Edd's hand shook in his, the confidence only moments ago evaporating.

"I'm sorry."

Double D bit his lip, "It's nothing you need to distress yourself with, Kevin." As if reading his thoughts- presenting a hypothesis he said, "… you fell asleep before anything else happened."

Relieved, Kevin started back into his usual smugness, "choice. So I get to be a real gentleman and take you on a date first."

X

"How long did you know?" Kevin made a stab for his flapjacks.

"I made a hypothesis when we were Sophomores… however it was inconclusive until last night."

Thankfully for them both the Waffle House had single truck driver besides themselves as customers. Edd didn't mind if anyone eavesdropped but Kevin probably would and he wanted him to be comfortable as they talked things out.

They had made smalltalk in the car ride to Waffle House, only delving into serious topics while perusing the menu. Food had a way of opening people up, easing them into their comfort zones.

Edd set his fork down for a moment and sipped his orange juice. "What I want to know is: why? Why did you keep it a secret for so long? You don't appear to be discomposed that you're not heteronormative or afraid of what your parents think."

Red brows knit, "Too many big words. Am I going to have to carry a dictionary around if we start dating?"

"I'm surprised you hadn't started beforehand."

He chuckled. "Well, to answer your question. It just wasn't anyone's business whether I wanted to screw girls or dudes. Second, I was afraid of what people would think…I guess. But, we're going to be Seniors soon. After that I don't have to see anyone who has a problem with it. So I guess I don't care anymore." He took another bite out of his flapjacks, syrup running from the corner of his lip.

Edd leaned over to wipe his mouth before he continued. "Third, I was just shy. All right." He crossed his arms and leaned back in the booth, "Don't make a big deal out of it or anything."

"And your parents?"

"Don't give a shit. I have two relatives that are gay. What about yours?"

"They said they knew a long time ago. Eddy also knew."

He pulled himself out of his slouching position, "then let's make it official."

"Are you certain?"

"Dork, don't test me. When I make my mind up about something, it's set. So you wanna date or not?"

Edd glanced around the tiny diner, the waitress was elsewhere and the trucker was heavily involved with his chocolate pie. He pushed his plate to the side, careful and leaned over the table. Words, big or small were abandoned.

X

-One Year Later

The garage rattled as the steel door lifted.

"You ready?" He grinned.

They walked past the jawbreakers strewn haphazardly in the garage. Double D wondered when Kevin's dad would ever decide to organize the garage, and if he should offer his services. His OCD distracted him from Kevin's question, forcing him to repeat it.

"I'm still not sure about this." He said, hugging his helmet.

"We'll be all right. You worry too much, dork."

The stopped in front of a red motorcycle, perfectly polished and bouncing off sunlight. It was Kevin's graduation present, and at this moment, the source of the statistics and fear running through Double D's head.

"Two months is a long time. I'm worried about Jim, Al, the Ant Farm…"

Kevin laughed and scooped him into embrace, "It's gonna be all right! Nazz is going to check up on them, and we all know she has experience babysitting."

"I just hope she can follow the instructions I left."

Kevin took the helmet from him and set it on his head. Snapping the chin strap into place he set his hands on his dork's shoulder blades. "Now you're just coming up with excuses."

"I could be using the time spent on vacation preparing for college-"

"We'll have all the time to study when college starts. I told you you're just looking for excuses."

He put on his own helmet and hopped on the motorcycle, patting the seat behind him. Edd took tiny steps towards it and hesitated again.

"It's dangerous." He said.

"Do you remember the first time we rode together? You were scared then too."

"That's different, Kevin." Edd narrowed his eyes.

"Could have fooled me. I remember how tight you were gripping on that night." He slid off the bike and walked past the sockhead, waving him forward. "Speaking of, I still have it."

Buried under boxes full of jawbreakers was a memory. The paint was faded, marking it's age. There were no cobwebs or dust coated on any of it's parts, and the tires were fully inflated, ready for someone to ride it.

"You kept it."

"Her." He corrected.

It felt like a decade since they had made the bike, and somehow, it felt like yesterday. Edd felt himself instantly transported back to his childhood, laying eyes on it. He still remembered when it was nothing more than a blueprint- an idea. An apology.

Kevin threaded his fingers through his.

A bridge.

"Do you still ride it?"

Kevin snorted. "Are you kidding? I couldn't if I tried. It's fucking tiny. But, it looked so much bigger back then."

"That it did."

"Well, we wasted enough time. So let's hop on and get this trip started." He pulled Edd back to the motorcycle, his current mode of transportation. Edd watched him mount the bike, fumbling with his fingers, thinking.

Before Kevin could coax him again, he felt Edd's weight stir the bike. A kiss dotted his cheek, "I'm entrusting you with my life."

The motor revved up and he gripped him like a vice. The world was slow and the wind whistled sharply as they drove past. Edd knew that by gripping so tightly he would make his arms stiff and sore later. But he didn't -couldn't- bring himself to loosen his nerves. The thought of doing so only made him tighten his hold on the jock.

The motorcycle pulled to a gradual stop and Kevin nudged him. "Open your eyes, dork."

Double D complied, apprehensive. He blinked away stars as his eyes adjusted to the brightness, and looked at his surroundings, confused. It seemed oddly familiar, but alien, wherever they were. It took him awhile to recognize that they were at the old factory on the hill overlooking the cul de sac. The factory was debilitated, abandoned since last year after an accident, yet the neighborhood hadn't been affected by it, strangely enough.

The view had changed after four years: the cul de sac next door to their's- Peach Creek estates had been under construction before. Now there were fully built houses and thriving families living inside them. Children were playing in the streets, though what game they were playing, they couldn't tell. They were too far away.

The trailer park had long been bought out and was undergoing renovation to be made into a part of Peach Creek estates. Lucky for the Kanker sisters, they had moved out long ago and last he had heard they had moved into an apartment closer to the high school. It was strange, seeing how much had changed in so little time. Edd felt like he should be an adult looking on fondly at the neighborhood but he still felt like a kid, watching everything around him move too soon. He hoped he would grow into his new surroundings, despite how rapidly they changed.

He wondered how his childhood would look two months from now when they returned from vacation.

"It seems so small." Edd said, surprised how similar the comment was to the one they made about Kevin's bike moments before.

"Yeah. I guess we outgrew it."

"One chooses whether or not to outgrow their childhood." Edd smiled.

"Yeah well, we can always go to bigger places and then come back. That's the cool thing about being an adult. I think."

Edd squeezed him, "you're being oddly sentimental."

"I'm allowed to change." His eyes shifted with mirth. "Or would you prefer if I started beating you up? I knew you liked it rough-"

"KEVIN." He warned.

He laughed, "you're such a dork. I was just teasing you."

"I know. That's why I scolded you."

Kevin started to rev up the engine again, "you ready to say goodbye?"

Together they waved down at the cul de sac. Edd clenched his arms around the athlete's abdomen and the bike whipped past the old factory, picking up speed as it reached the highway ramp.

Where was he going? He didn't know.

He did know, wherever that was, he was with him.