A/N: And here is the final chapter, in its short, mushy-romantic glory. Enjoy, and let's all pray that tonight's episode ISN'T what the supposed spoilers foretold, and is MERELY a wedding episode, because I don't want to get too terribly depressed about the pairing I love so much and already know won't happen! D:

Also: Thank you all SO VERY MUCH for sticking with this weird, not-planned story. I hope it entertained all of you, and I look forward to more reviews! You guys are the best. Seriously.

...One more thing...

If I were to write a random Dave/Kurt smut oneshot sometime in the future, would any of you read it? :0

Part XIV: Epilogue

They stroll down the busy New York sidewalk together, idly peeking at shops and food stops here and there.

One of them makes a witty remark, sending them both into a laughing fit.

The slightly shorter male – only shorter by an inch and a half, they measured – stops and faces his companion.

"I'm cold."

"I noticed."

"Can we get coffee?"

"Sure."

And they march into a Starbucks – it's impossible not to find one on every corner – and get some hot drinks.

"Are you almost done with your college courses?" the thicker of the two asks.

The slimmer one nods. "Yeah. I'll graduate this spring. I already have an offer from one of the Broadway theatres, though."

"Oh? Even though they know you're an undergraduate in the theatrical arts?"

He laughs. "Yeah. I guess they don't care. They figure I'm good enough that it doesn't matter that I'm not entirely out of college just yet." He sips his coffee, and peers over the rim of his foam cup at the other. "Dave," he murmurs softly, "Have you ever thought about us getting back together? We dated for just about four years."

"I know."

"It's been about two since."

"I know."

"I still love you."

And suddenly the roar of the other customers in the coffee shop is too loud to bear, and Dave sighs, running his hand through his hair.

"…I know," he whispers, "And I love you. But we both know that I'll only hold you back. You? You're destined for success, Kurt. You've always been talented, and always will be. Me? I'm useless. I have a brain, not much of one, but one nonetheless, and it's only good for being a teacher, which we both know sets up roots and pays little, and is probably going to be the most undesired job in the biz soon. Still, it's all I've got besides being a mechanic or something else blue-collar, whereas you go to school in the fucking Big Apple, and I'm still stuck in Ohio."

Kurt is silent for a long moment, peering down into the dark liquidy abyss without taking a second glance at his friend.

"I know," he says after a while, his blue orbs locking onto Dave's brown ones. "But I could make it work, Dave. I could find you a job, or support you with my Broadway money if I make it big, and we could –"

Dave smiles sadly. "You've made it this far without me. I don't see why you bother. I'm nothing special, Kurt. You could be with someone so much better." And he hides a tear leaking out from his eyes with a sideways glance out the window and a fake run through his hair.

Kurt leans across the table and plucks Dave's hand in midair. "I don't want anybody else," he says in finality, his tone low and dead serious. His rare moments of forceful nature sends electric sparks down Dave's spine.

Dave clasps Kurt's hand. "If you're sure," he murmurs. "Because, honestly… I knew coming to visit you was a bad idea, since I knew the moment you transferred to New York I would either lose you or see you and never want to leave again." And he chuckles a little, but without humor. "That's why I broke up with you. I didn't mean to hurt you, I was just being a coward again, trying to save myself from heartbreak. But it didn't work for either of us, did it?"

And the athlete is truly crying now, but Kurt simply wipes his tears away and gets out of his chair to give Dave a kiss on the temple… then his cheek… then his lips.

Dave moans quietly, because oh, did he miss the feel of those lips on his. And he's thankful that New York is such a liberal place, because even in this cramped Starbucks he feels no piercing eyes, no holes being burned into him for kissing another man. Everybody pays no attention to the scene; they get their coffee, they chat among themselves, and they treat the couple's interaction like they do any couple's: as if it were perfectly normal.

When Kurt pulls away, he's smirking deviously. "You do realize that I can't let you go again, don't you? That you're pretty much stuck with me."

"At least until you're bored with me," Dave retorts with a roll of his eyes.

Kurt laughs. "Yeah, something like that."

As they leave the coffee shop, their hands intertwine and even though Dave's father died of alcohol poisoning a few years after the divorce, and even though Dave himself is in debt and worried about his grandmother's recent illness, he can't find it in himself to be unhappy in this instant.

Because he knows that, despite hardships and past events, he'll always have Kurt.

And Kurt knows that he can rely just as heavily on the male beside him, since Dave is tough, a sturdy rock of sorts. Someone Kurt can run to when he needs to, someone to protect him. And in return, Kurt offers his love and comfort for when the rock cracks, and cement for when it gets broken.

End Part VIX: Epilogue.

Basic Alchemy: Complete.