He stood in the doorway, watching his Unit Leader pack up. "Can't believe it," was all he could manage to say.
	"Believe what? That I'm graduating before you? It's not my fault you've yet to stand for your exams." Finn glanced over his shoulder at him and grinned, and Evan felt his heart flop like a dying fish. He was used to not letting it show though.
	"I'm standing for Combat exams tomorrow, thank you!" he corrected him hotly. "And I believe I got top marks in Stealth, while we're at it."
	Finn chuckled and straightened up, turning around to look at him. "That you did. What about your Intelligence exams?" When Evan looked away, Finn sighed. "Evan, you're not as dumb as you think you are."
	"What I meant," Evan said instead, "was that I can't believe you're leaving. We got here around the same time, we've been in almost all the same classes, and you've been the A here for so long, it... it'll just feel weird not having you around." Wrong, his brain corrected, it'll feel wrong not having you around to take orders from, to help me study, to stand guard duty with me, to be close to me... 
	"So, basically, I was right. You can't believe I'm graduating before you." Finn's damn charming grins always made Evan want to melt, and it used to be that he'd hated that about himself, but he'd gotten used to it and now he wanted to cry because he was facing the rest of his schooling without them. "Fortunately for you, I have taken some steps, as a good A should."
	Evan's withheld tears froze, along with his blood. "What. Did You Do. Finn."
	His Unit Leader smiled in his lopsided, laidback way and admitted casually, "Signed you up for your Intelligence exams. Next week. You're welcome."
	"FINN!" 
	"Evan."
	"WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT?!"
	"No yelling in my doorway, please." He was so smug, so unconcerned. Evan stormed the two steps into what would soon no longer be Finn's room and slammed the door behind him. 
	He opened his mouth to make another high-volume demand, but was knocked off balance by Finn's sudden swooping attack. He darted in, pushed Evan up against the door, and all but shoved his mouth against his. Evan barely had time for surprise; he just gathered up fistfuls of Finn's shirt and held him against him as they kissed.
	It wasn't the first time. There'd been the occasional quick, stolen kiss during training exercises, pecks on the cheek when it was safe to do so, that sort of thing. And so while the timing of it might be a bit of a shock, the desire between them wasn't unknown. The sheer heat of this was new though. Evan thought about starting to push Finn backwards, towards the bed, but Finn pulled his lips away before that thought could be translated into action. 
	"I did it because I need you, Evan," he whispered, panting faintly from lack of air. Finn was in great shape, and his Combat marks had proved that, but his chest rose and fall as if he'd run a good mile or so. "I need you to hurry up and graduate." He combed a hand back into Evan's hair, and he closed his eyes to enjoy the fingertips along his scalp. Finn kissed him again softly, and nuzzled his cheek. "And you're not as dumb as you keep saying you are. You'll do fine. And then you'll have completed all your finishing marks and you can come find me in town..." He left the rest of that unsaid; their minds could finish that well enough.
	Evan opened his eyes, watched his hands slide down to Finn's hips. "But you signed me up for exams? Without even telling me, without asking me? Why'd they even let you?"
	"Well, I am your Unit Leader. Was," he corrected. "I know what's best for you, hm?"
	He rolled his eyes. "You're not my dad. And you as much as said you did it for yourself." He felt heat swim up to his face; Finn had that effect on him, after all. 
	"It's good for you, too. You need to prove to yourself that you're smart enough. Besides," and Finn bent to kiss along Evan's neck for a moment, "don't you want to be with me?"
	"I hate it when you do this."
	"No, you don't, because I've never gotten to do this before," Finn murmured against his throat. 
	"Not THAT. Well, sort of that." He regretfully pushed Finn away a little. "You're talking about things we can't do again. I hate that."
	"I know, I know." Finn kissed Evan's forehead. "Soon though. Real soon. I gotta get going, or they're going to come toss me bodily out of the place. I'll be in town, yeah?"