"I think that's everything," Jamie said, looking around the room. "Holy shit. We're really doing this."

Bennett came up behind Jamie, folding him up in his arms and pulling him close. Jamie sighed and leaned back against the familiar warm bulk of Bennett.

"We are," Bennett said, his voice low in Jamie's ear. "Are you ready?"

"Absolutely not," Jamie said, and he felt Bennett's laugh vibrate against him.

"I'm proud of you," Bennett said, spinning Jamie around to face him. His eyes were serious and fierce.

"You said that already," Jamie said with a crooked grin. "I think we're up to at least ten times this morning alone."

Bennett rolled his eyes, but he was smiling.

"Well, I am," he said. "Graduating Bellamy with high honors is a big accomplishment."

Jamie blushed and pulled away. Still, the praise made him glow. The two of them had done well in the past year—Bennett had gotten tenure, and Jamie had graduated with high honors, due in part to the long hours he spent studying in the office while Bennett worked. Unfortunately—or fortunately—Bennett had implemented a strict no-s-before-work-was-completed rule.

"Okay," he said, running through his mental checklist for the millionth time. "So these two will be checked, we'll each have a carry-on—"

"Jamie," Bennett said, catching Jamie again and tugging him away from their suitcases sitting ready by the door. "Stop that. You've triple-checked everything. You're not forgetting anything."

Jamie let out a deep, measured breath.

"Yeah, okay," he said, nodding slowly, glancing back at their bags. "I'm just—"

"Nervous, I know," Bennett said, smiling. "It's sweet."

"Hey," Jamie said, narrowing his eyes. "No patronizing."

"I’m not," Bennett said, laughing and kissing him. "I'm nervous too, you know."

Jamie frowned up at his boyfriend.

"Wait, why are you nervous? You've traveled to like, every continent."

"I have not been to Antarctica."

Jamie rolled his eyes.

"Come on," Bennett said, grabbing Jamie's hand and tugging him towards the kitchen. "People will be here soon, we should start cooking."

In the year since Jamie had moved in with Bennett, the kitchen had seen more use than it ever had before. Bennett's first impulse was always take out, but Jamie had taught him the virtue of meal prep and eating square meals at regular intervals like a normal human.

"Seriously, though, what do you have to be nervous about?" Jamie said, handing a potato to Bennett to peel as he started to slice the other vegetables.

"Well, hm, let's think," Bennett said. "I'm taking a year sabbatical, ostensibly to write a book I haven't actually started planning, I'm moving to a different country with my young, hot boyfriend, who will probably run off with some young, hot boy with a better accent—" Bennett ducked as Jamie threw a piece of celery at him. "—Okay, maybe not that last part, but I think it would be strange if either of us weren't a little nervous."

"I guess that's fair," Jamie said, biting his lip. "I just keep assuming that because you've traveled so much it's not as big a deal to you."

"It's definitely a big deal," Bennett said, putting down the peeled potato and coming around the counter to stand behind Jamie, wrapping his arms around Jamie's waist. Jamie's eyes fluttered shut as Bennett pressed a soft kiss to the nape of his neck.

"I love you, and I can't wait to share this adventure with you."

"I love you, too," Jamie said, setting down the knife and turning around. "And—"

There was a bang as the front door flew open.

"Where's my little graduate?" a voice yelled from the entryway—Peter and Mo had arrived. "I can't believe you're leaving us and stealing my best friend."

Peter appeared in the doorway, bearing a bottle of wine, with Mo behind him.

"Only for a year," Jamie said as Peter hugged him with surprising strength.

"Besides, I'm betting you'll visit us at least… once a month?" Bennett said wryly. "I know you won't be able to stay away."

"That's only because I like Switzerland, not you, dear," Peter said with a wink. "Now get me a bottle opener and let's toast."

And with that, their going away party started. Peter sat at the counter, unhelpfully heckling Bennett's vegetable chopping skills as Mo asked about Jamie's program. In less than a month, Jamie would be starting a photography fellowship in Zurich for a year, but he and Bennett were going early to sightsee in Europe before the rigorous program started. It had been Peter who'd found the fellowship last fall, actually, and Bennett who'd convinced Jamie to apply.

And, miraculously, here he was, about to start the next chapter of his life, feeling excited and terrified and unbelievably lucky.

It was the perfect night. There was far too much food and just enough seating to accommodate all the guests. Peter kept the music playing and the cocktails flowing, and he had a preternatural gift for reading the energy of the room. As the night wore on, Jamie found himself sleepily tucked against Bennett's shoulder, feet drawn up under him on the couch, listening to Glenn Miller and watching Kit and Peter have a very animated conversation about Dadaism or something equally incomprehensible to Jamie at the moment, given how much wine he'd had.

Everyone he loved was here—well, almost everyone. His grandma had come up to see him graduate, accompanied by her nurse, Beverly, but they'd dropped her off at the airport for her flight back to Atlanta earlier that afternoon. It had been wonderful to show her the campus, the place where he'd carved out his life in the past four years, but she still got tired easily and Bennett had kept having to patiently remind Jamie to pace himself.

Even Finn and Max had been able to make it—they'd come into town, partly to see Jamie's graduation and partly to visit Finn's sister, and currently they were standing by the bookcase, talking with one of Bennett's professor friends that Max had taken a general education class with.

Jamie didn't even realize he'd fallen asleep until Bennett was shaking him awake gently. In a blur of yawns and hugs, Jamie said goodbye to the friends he'd made.

"You two go to bed," Peter said, shepherding them into the bedroom. "I'll clean up. You have an early flight."

Jamie was only too happy to fall into bed, and he burrowed under the comforter.

"Thank you for all your help, Peter," Jamie heard Bennett say, their voices slightly muffled.

"I really am going to miss you two a lot," Peter said.

"Oh, don't cry on me—" Bennett said, laughing.

There was a pause, and then Peter spoke again.

"I know I've said this before but… it's just good to see you happy again."

"It's good to be happy again."

Jamie popped his head out from under the comforter.

"You guys are gross," he said, grinning. Peter rolled his eyes and reached over, mussing Jamie's hair.

"Oh, go to sleep, little one, it's past your bedtime."

After Peter left, Bennett crawled into bed beside Jamie, folding Jamie up into his arms.

"Love you, darling," Bennett said, his voice already syrupy with sleep. He pressed a kiss to Jamie's forehead.

"Love you, too," Jamie mumbled.

He was terrified and excited and ridiculously happy all at once. The next day, they'd rise before the sun to catch the first of several flights that would take Jamie to places he'd never been, places he'd never dreamed he'd go.

And with him every step of the way—Bennett.