It was finally the day and Davy couldn't quite seem to wrap his head around it. It felt as if it had been ages since Mike had first suggested this little vow ceremony, or whatever it really was. Davy felt as if it had no name for him personally while Mike viewed it as more of an unofficial wedding ceremony. How Micky viewed it was a mystery to Davy but he did know that the drummer was so excited, he was almost bouncing right out of his skin. The whole atmosphere of that morning had been a welcome relief. After such a depressing few weeks with Peter in the hospital, things seemed to finally be looking up for them. Davy only hoped that Peter would feel the same way when he found out what was happening today. He still had no clue. They had spent yesterday just relaxing. Davy had gone hiking with John, Mike, and Coco while Micky, Beth, and Peter had stayed home. Micky and Beth had made dinner that night, chicken with beans. In return, Davy had enlisted Mike to help him cook breakfast.
They'd made french toast. It seemed fancy enough for a special occasion. Everyone except for Peter had seemed very excited that morning. As everyone started to get ready in secret, Peter had crawled over to the couch in the living room and had promptly fallen asleep. Now it was finally time to get on with the ceremony. Coco, Beth, and John were probably already waiting for them outside in the back yard. Micky, Davy, and Mike were in the room that Mike and Davy were sharing. Davy had been impressed at how many rooms John had been able to fit into a relatively small cabin. There were about four bedrooms, two baths, a kitchen, and a living room. It was really beautiful honestly. It was the perfect place to hold the ceremony. Davy glanced at his hair in the full-length mirror that was attached to the back of the door. It looked horrid and he ran his comb through it again.
"Christ, Davy, will you stop that?" Micky grumbled, straightening the bow-tie he was wearing.
Davy glanced at his two lovers. They had all dressed differently. Mike had opted for the classic black suit and tie. He was the only one who looked at all respectable and frankly Davy found it quite a turn on. Mike looked like a real glamorized professional. Micky on the other hand looked like a clown. Not literally, though, thank god. He was wearing his leather pants, in fact he and Davy were matching. Micky had forced Davy to wear his pair of leather pants, claiming that Peter would find it "really funny". Davy had reluctantly agreed to this, a fact that he was now regretting. Besides the pants, Micky was wearing a pair of rainbow suspenders and a black bow-tie. No shirt. His hairy chest was visible for all to see. Then there was Davy. As mentioned, he was donning matching leather pants and a free flowing white shirt. It was something Davy had worn a lot in the 70s and hadn't worn in a while, so he thought now would be the perfect time to bring the look back. Plus, Micky had already pigeon holed Davy into a weird sort of outfit with the leather pants and Davy figured that top would be the best thing to wear.
"Stop what?" Davy feigned ignorance.
"You're going to comb yourself bald!" Micky gestured wildly at Davy's comb.
Davy stuck his tongue out at Micky in response. The nerve of the man. Micky retaliated in a similar fashion.
"Your hair looks great," Mike added, almost as if to counteract Micky's comment, seemingly oblivious to Micky and Davy's childish antics.
Davy looked at himself once more in the mirror and sighed. It still looked horrid. Didn't it have to be perfect for what would be happening in just a few minutes? Nevertheless, Davy wasn't going to get it looking any better and so he put the comb down onto the nearest surface. Turning back to his soon-to-be life partners, Davy fiddled with the zipper to his pants. Had these things shrunk? They were supposed to be tight, but god it was almost as if his balls couldn't breath.
"Are we ready then?" Davy asked.
Impatience was beginning to take a hold of him. He wanted to get the whole thing started right now, right here. Just holler for Peter to get in here and they could do it in secret. But he wanted Coco, Beth, and John to be there for this, as their witnesses.
"I'm so happy I could cry," Micky said, this comment being the only response he offered.
Davy caught him looking in his direction, a broad grin dominating his face. Micky looked ridiculously happy and Davy couldn't help but feel the exact same way. Davy returned the smile Micky was offering him.
"Well let's try to keep it together for just a few more minutes," Mike advised, placing a hand on Micky's shoulder, almost as if that would ward off any tears.
"Davy, go get Peter then. Me and Mike will go make sure Coco, Beth, and John are ready," Micky instructed.
Finally! Davy wasn't sure if he could wait any longer.
"Alright, sounds good," Mike nodded.
Davy let Mike and Micky exit the room first, the feeling of excitement still buzzing throughout his body. He still couldn't believe this was happening. He couldn't believe that Mike had suggested this. It was probably one of the best ideas the Texan had ever had. Or maybe Davy was just too into the idea to judge that sort of thing accurately. As Micky and Mike beelined for the backdoor, eager to get everything started, Davy made his way into the living room. He found Peter awake, sitting on the couch. The television was on and a news anchor was talking about an increase in the prices of gas. For a brief moment, Davy wondered if Peter hadn't been able to find anything good to watch. Had he settled for the news or did he really have an interest in current events? But that didn't matter, not right now. They could always watch television later that evening.
"Hi, Peter," Davy greeted, standing close to the couch but deciding not to sit down.
It'd be quicker just to ask Peter to follow him rather than sit down for a moment. At first, Peter glanced casually over towards his lover but then did a double take.
"What are you wearing?" Peter frowned, eyes fixated on Davy's pants.
He sounded like he was trying to hold back a laugh. For some reason, Davy felt himself blush. He felt oddly embarrassed for wearing leather pants. They were essentially getting married, right? Why had he let Micky talk him into wearing leather pants?! There was no turning back now though, Davy reminded himself. He was in it to win it at this point.
"Well, the guys and I have a surprise for you out back," Davy said, feeling sheepish.
He didn't want to give it all away but he also didn't want Peter to worry. Damn Micky and his weird ideas. Peter looked at Davy with concern in his eyes, although it wasn't one of true concern. It was more in line with the concern one might feel towards a family member who had recently taken up the habit of wearing a clown costume everywhere they went. Concerned but ultimately amused.
"The surprise doesn't involve leather, does it?" Peter asked.
Davy couldn't hold back his laughter.
"Just come out back with me and see for yourself," Davy offered Peter his hand, "Micky and I are matching."
Peter arched an eyebrow yet took Davy's hand nonetheless. Davy pulled the bassist up to his feet.
"I better not regret this," Peter said as Davy lead him towards the back of the cabin.
"I hope you don't regret it either," Davy agreed.
Hand in hand, the two lovers exited the cabin through the back door. In the back yard, which was essentially just the woods, there were two large trees that were relatively close together. A strand of white christmas lights were strung up between the two trees, making a little archway. Standing beneath the archway were Micky and Mike. Standing on the left of them were Coco, Beth, and John. Coco had the biggest smile on her face and her mascara was running a little. She was clinging onto Beth, who also looked very pleased. John looked very proud and Davy noted that he was only really looking at Mike. Upon seeing Davy and Peter, Micky waved almost violently.
"What is this?" Peter frowned as Davy lead him underneath the archway.
"Your surprise!" Davy beamed, mentally crossing his fingers.
He felt so excited and happy that he thought his heart might leap right out of his chest. He didn't want Peter to be disappointed.
"I don't understand," Peter looked up at the lights then at each of his partners, a look of wonder in his eyes.
"We're having a vow ceremony, like a marriage or something, just to say that we'll be together for as long as we all live," Davy explained, wondering if he was doing it justice or explaining it right. "And then some, of course."
After all, he hadn't been the one to come up with the idea so Davy was unsure whether or not he was explaining it right.
"It was Mike's idea!" Micky piped up, nudging Mike in the chest with his elbow.
It was almost as if Micky had read Davy's mind. He watched as Mike's face turned red.
"It ain't like a marriage, not really. It's just to repay ya for the bracelets. So we all have something to bind us together, or whatever," Mike shrugged.
"Like a marriage!" Beth hooted, hands cupped around her mouth.
Micky shot Beth a playful glare which only made Coco laugh. John didn't seem to find it so amusing and it only made Mike turn a darker shade of red. Davy felt a little bad for the poor guy. He seemed really embarrassed by this, although Davy wasn't sure why.
"Oh my god," Peter's breath hitched and Davy turned to see a misty quality to his eyes, "You guys look ridiculous."
There was laughter in his voice, he was getting emotional. The feeling of love and admiration swelled up inside of Davy.
"I'll have you know, only Micky looks deranged," Davy defended himself.
As if only to emphasise this, Micky pulled his suspenders away from his shoulders only to let them snap back into place with a loud smacking noise. This only caused Peter to actually laugh and Davy spied Mike hiding a smirk.
"Well, we are matching, Jones," Micky pointed out.
"Get a room!" Coco shouted.
"Yeah, are we going to be here for another ten years?" Beth added.
Davy saw John chuckle at that. It was in this moment that Davy realized John's appeal for Mike. He was a really quiet man, just like Mike. Peter had a huge smile on his face, one to match each of the others. He looked beautiful, even though he was still in his PJs. They were all dressed a little odd and Davy thought that seemed fitting.
"What do you say, Peter? Wanna do this?" Micky asked, holding out his hand towards Peter.
Davy's heart nearly stopped as he watched Peter hesitate for a moment. It had never occurred to him that Peter might turn this moment down. Davy knew that none of them had thought about that option. Glancing over towards Mike only confirmed this. His brow was creased with worry. But fate seemed to be on their side. Peter quickly took Micky's hand and stepped a little closer to the other two, Davy following suit almost, just so he didn't feel as if he were too far away from the others.
"Of course I do," Peter laughed a little.
Mike handed out the little golden rings they had purchased for this day. They each got one. The little circle seemed to be complete now and Davy heard Coco sniffling. Finally, it was time. Actually time.
"Alright," Mike cleared his throat, "Since I was the one to come up with the idea, I'll be the one to go first. We'll go counter clockwise."
Beth clapped her hands together. John and Coco joined in and Mike waited for their applause to fade away. Why had they started clapping? Davy didn't waste too much energy wondering why, maybe it was just so they could feel included. It all seemed rather intimate, after all. Mike straightened himself out and turned himself so that he was facing Micky. Coco, Beth, and John quickly silenced themselves. All attention was turned to Mike. Davy waited with baited breath.
"Okay," Mike nodded, fidgeting a little, "Okay. Today, with our witnesses and in the name of the good Lord, I'd like to vow my fidelity and love to Micky Dolenz, Peter Tork, and David Jones. These men have taught me about myself, about life, and about love. And I'm lucky to have them."
As soon as he finished speaking, Mike took a hold of Micky's left hand and slipped the little ring onto the proper finger.
"I'm ready to commit to these guys," Micky grinned, turning to face Peter, "I mean, they certainly aren't top tier, but I'm not scraping the bottom of the barrel either. I'm ready to say that it's about time I proclaim Michael Nesmith, David Jones, and last but not least Peter Tork as my life partners in crime!"
Micky's little speech caused everyone to laugh.
"Speak for yourself," Peter had huffed playfully after Micky had finished speaking, a grin dominating his face.
"Can't you take this seriously?" Davy jokingly chastised.
"You guys could rob a bank now," John chipped in.
"Yeah, we could tell 'em we have AIDS and they'd probably just hand the money right over," Mike chuckled.
"We'd be great!" Micky exclaimed, taking Peter's left hand and slipping the ring onto the proper finger just as Mike had done to him.
Peter glanced lovingly down at it, admiring how it looked on his finger. It seemed right. Davy could tell Peter was trying to hold back tears of happiness. He certainly couldn't blame him if he cried. Davy himself was almost on the verge of tears. The blonde bassist turned to face Davy.
"I'm so so lucky to have you three," Peter's voice cracked only slightly, "I find it humbling to have the privilege to have you guys as my life partners."
With that, Peter gently took Davy's left hand and slipped the ring onto his finger. It was cold and a shiver ran up Davy's spine. It was a feeling that he couldn't really describe in words. And finally, it was Davy's turn. He beamed at Peter for a moment, then turned slightly so he was facing Mike.
"My grandda, if he were here, would probably make the joke of 'when are you gonna get married to a nice English girl, David?' We'd all have a laugh and he'd probably pat each of you fellows on the back as congratulations," Davy wasn't entirely sure where he was coming from with this but it seemed the right sort of thing to say.
He took Mike's left hand in his.
"I'm glad we have each other. We've been through hell and back, and this only seems right," Davy concluded and then slipped the ring onto Mike's finger.
After that, all four of them just stood looking at one another with stupid smiles on their faces. Coco, Beth, and John erupted into applause and Coco was hooting at them. For a moment, Davy felt dizzy with happiness. Then Micky was pulling Mike and Peter into a hug, a hug that Davy quickly threw himself into the middle of. Later, Beth served them a cake she had baked. None of the guys had realized she had baked a cake for them and it was a wonderful surprise. It was chocolate with white frosting. On top of it, in pink frosting, was written 'Congratulations!'. John served champagne to everyone, although he and Mike split a half bottle of whiskey.
"The country men sticking to their country sensibilities," Micky had commented, although looking back on it, Davy wasn't sure what he meant by that.
Maybe he was drunk. Whatever he had meant had made Mike laugh, so Davy supposed it wasn't an insult at the very least. Coco made a speech after all the cake had been eaten. The only thing it really focused on was embarrassing Micky, which was a feat in itself. By the end of it, Micky had thrown his own two cents in and had helped Coco embarrass himself. It had been a really funny ten minutes, nearly all of them were in tears. Eventually, things started to wind down. Laughter turned to mild conversation and champagne turned to water or juice. Coco and Beth were the first to excuse themselves to bed. They slipped off to their bedroom after bidding everyone a good night. Then John decided to turn it in about fifteen minutes after that. For another twenty minutes, the Monkees just sat around in the living room, talking about nothing in particular. It was getting late and Davy knew that Peter would need his sleep. Even though he didn't appear tired, it didn't mean the man wasn't exhausted. Or maybe Davy was projecting his own exhaustion onto Peter as an excuse to go to bed. Honestly he was bushed and either way it didn't matter to him. He was ready for bed.
"I think I'm going to head off to bed," Davy announced, trying to stifle a yawn.
"Yeah, it is late," Mike nodded, "Think I'll come with you."
Davy glanced at Mike, who was shooting him a knowing look. Christ, he'd nearly forgotten. Davy realized that tonight was the night when Micky was going to tell Peter about his diagnosis.
"We should all probably go to bed," Micky agreed, standing up and turning to offer Peter his hand.
"Okay," Peter sighed, taking Micky's hand and allowing Micky to help him up to his feet.
The bassist seemed almost disappointed, but Davy wasn't entirely sober enough to understand why. How could Davy be more exhausted than Peter? Mike and Davy stood as well, both of them scrambling to their feet. The four of them exchanged goodnights, Davy giving Micky an extra strong squeeze when he leaned in for a hug. He hoped things would go well. God, he prayed silently, please let things go well.
Micky felt heavy, as if his skeleton had suddenly been replaced with lead. Dread and fear knotted up his stomach and his nerves almost had him shaking. A part of him wanted to just gloss over this whole thing. Just don't tell him, Micky, a voice in the back of his head was urging him to do. Tonight's too good of a night to ruin. Do it later. But a much larger part of Micky knew that he had to do it tonight. If he waited any longer, he'd lose the nerve to do it at all. That knowledge didn't make things any easier. It was stupid but Micky couldn't help but feel as if Peter was going to be so disappointed in him. A numb sort of feeling seemed to be replacing the heaviness, causing Micky to feel almost resigned to his fate. As a child, his father had watched Old Yeller with him once and little Micky hadn't understand how they could have shot the dog in the end. Who had that sort of strength?
Granted, he wasn't shooting any dog or person tonight, but in this moment Micky understood how that fictional character had conjured up the strength to shoot that fictional dog. It was an odd memory to suddenly pop into his head and Micky realized he was thinking too much about this. He had to shake off everything, focus on his task. He'd be of no use to anyone stuck inside of his own head remembering rather pointless memories from ages ago. Plus, he was feeling far too many emotions in such a short period of time. It was barely a fraction of a minute. He and Peter had only just entered the room they were sharing. Micky had barely even stepped over the threshold of the room, for God's sake. He had to pull himself together. This was going to happen, whether he wanted it to or not. It had to happen. Peter had a right to know. Armed with the knowledge that maybe everything would work out, Micky sat down on the bed. Peter flopped down beside him, body sprawled.
"Jeez, I can't believe today happened!" Peter exclaimed, grinning from ear to ear, "It was… beyond magical."
"I'm glad you had fun," Micky couldn't help but smile.
Peter propped himself up onto his side, so that he could look at Micky.
"I had so much fun," Peter smirked, as if Micky had made some sort of joke without realizing it. "I mean, I got to declare you and Mike and Davy as my partners. My official partners. What's more fun than that?"
"I dunno," Micky shrugged, struggling to find a way to begin what he needed to say.
He didn't exactly want to dive right into it but perhaps this conversation was more of a band-aid sort of thing. Rip it right off so it'll hurt less.
"Nothing's more fun," Peter seemed to answer himself.
The blonde sat up then and leaned his head onto Micky's shoulder, an arm wrapping itself around Micky.
"I'm so happy right now, Micky," Peter sighed, a content smile on his face.
He tilted his head up and placed a gentle kiss on Micky's neck. Micky had to fight the urge to cry. This isn't what he wanted. He was going to ruin everything for Peter. How could he do this to him, right now of all times? Couldn't he wait till later? Did he have to do this right now?
"Peter, I, um-," Micky's voice cracked and he had to clear his throat. "I have to tell you something."
Peter pulled away from Micky so that he was looking Micky right in the eye. His head was tilted just slightly, an indication that he was waiting for Micky to continue. Micky had his lover's attention now. There was no going back. Pull it off, just like a band-aid. It'll hurt less. It'll be okay. Everything will be fine. Hollow words for a hollow man, right? Get it over with! He's waiting.
"I… well, uh, I have it," tears stung Micky's eyes, "I have it."
He wanted to say AIDS. He could have even said his test results came back positive. Peter, I'm HIV positive. He should have said AIDS. But the word was like a razor. Trying to say it cut up his throat, left him floundering for any sort of verbal communication. The only thing he could manage to say was 'it'. Peter stared blankly at Micky for a moment. He didn't move or give any sort of physical indication that he'd even heard Micky in the first place. Sweat broke out on Micky's forehead. His palms were sweaty too. The feeling of panic threatened to consume him, drown him out and drag him away. Still, Peter didn't do anything. He just kept staring at Micky.
"My, um, the test results came back a few days before you got out of the hospital," Micky went on, guessing that maybe Peter wanted more information. "I, well, I… told Mike. And Davy. Mike, first, obviously. Davy was at the funeral. Then Davy, when he got home, obviously. Obviously."
What were words? Micky 'obviously' didn't know how english worked. He'd said obviously way too many times. What sort of idiot was he? Peter sat back a little, putting his hands behind him to support himself. Finally he had moved but he still hadn't said anything. It was setting Micky on edge. His face revealed nothing and Micky wanted to start screaming. He wanted to cry. Why wasn't Peter doing anything? Saying anything? Then…
"They put you on any medication?"
The question threw Micky for a moment. What was Peter talking about? Medication? Why was he asking about that, of all the things to ask about?
"Um, not yet, I have an appointment coming up though, to discuss options," Micky replied.
Peter laid himself down onto the bed, eyes finally moving off of Micky and up towards the ceiling. Was that going to be it? Was that really all Peter was going to say? Micky felt the urge to yell at him, anger flaring up inside of him for a moment.
"Come here, lay down with me," Peter patted the spot next to him.
"What? I… aren't you going to say anything?" Micky snapped.
Peter patted the bed again.
"Just do it, Micky," Peter insisted.
Grudgingly, Micky laid down next to Peter, laying on his side rather than his back so that he could see Peter. The blonde didn't seem too particularly concerned with Micky's news and it was frustrating. Wasn't he disappointed? Angry? What were they going to do, just go to sleep? As if everything was normal? Was that Peter's plan?
"How do you feel?" Peter asked.
The question wasn't one that Micky had expected. It stopped all trains of thought dead in their tracks. How do you feel. How did Micky feel? It wasn't really a question he'd been asking himself lately.
"I feel… angry. And upset. And scared," Micky finally answered after a moment's thought.
Even then, it didn't feel as if he were accurately describing how he felt. How could he express to Peter the blizzard of emotions raging inside of him? Christ, it was impossible for Micky to even express his own emotions to himself!
"When I told you, god it feels like forever ago, I felt as if the whole world was caving in on itself in slow motion. And, at the same time, nothing was happening at all. That the world was ending while everything also seemed to be getting on with things, me in the middle feeling like everything was falling apart while nothing was changing at all." Peter said very calmly. "I don't know. Does that even make any sense?"
Micky didn't say anything. He wasn't sure whether or not he should agree with Peter. It made sense though. It didn't entirely encompass all of Micky's emotions, but it was pretty close, the closest description yet. But Peter laughed a little, shaking his head before saying, "Anyways. What do you think about that?"
Micky mulled it over some more. He still wasn't sure if he entirely agreed with the caving in part, but on the whole, Micky figured it was a relatively accurate description of how he felt. Maybe not entirely right now, but certainly he'd felt that when he had told Mike.
"Yeah, I… that sums it up," Micky felt himself falter.
The anger he had felt towards Peter had dissipated and it was leaving him with a hollow feeling in his chest. He felt so small and vulnerable. He scooted himself closer to Peter, who wrapped his arms around him. Micky felt, for a moment, safe in Peter's arms. He felt that, if the two of them never moved, maybe no harm would come to him. Peter would protect him. A wave of hopelessness crashed into Micky then and suddenly he started sobbing. It was so sudden that he had to gasp for breath. Micky buried his face into Peter's chest. Peter rubbed his back, his hand moving up and down. It was just like how Micky had rubbed Peter's back, so long ago.
"Shh, it's okay, Micky, shh," Peter was whispering, "I'm here. It's okay."
"It's not okay though. Nothing's okay," Micky wailed.
How could Peter say that? He was dying! Now Micky would be dying too. They were both going to die and there wasn't anything that could help them. Micky couldn't hide behind anything now. Peter knew. Soon, his family would know. Micky had AIDS. Peter had given him AIDS and now they were both going to die and Micky's thoughts were going a mile a minute, he couldn't breath where was the air the sobs were shaking his body and the only thing keeping him tethered to Earth was Peter's strong hand on his back.
"I know it seems like that, Micky, but trust me, everything will be alright," Peter murmured.
He sounded so calm, so sure, as if he knew what he was talking about. It took Micky a minute, but he did eventually realize that Peter probably did know what he was talking about.
"Fuck, Peter, fuck, I'm so sorry," Micky moaned into Peter's chest.
He felt like a miserable fool, a childish mockery of the man he had once been.
"Micky, you don't have anything to be sorry for," Peter said, "You can cry and scream and do whatever it is you need to do. I'll be here for you. So will Davy and Mike. You getting it doesn't change anything, okay? I mean, it was bound to happen anyway. Mike and Davy are next. And everything will still be okay then. I promise."
"I never meant to hurt you like this," Micky continued.
"You aren't hurting me, Micky, you could never hurt me," Peter assured him. "It's my fault you got it anyways. I'm the one who hurt you."
Micky pulled himself away a little, just so that he could look at Peter's face.
"No, don't do that," Micky immediately ordered, "If you hadn't given it to me, someone else would have. I'm not that monogamous, you know."
For some reason, Peter smiled, a soft and small smile, but it seemed oddly right. As if this were what Peter's natural smile was, a hidden gem in a dirty coal mine. Micky was bewildered but it felt almost reassuring to see Peter smiling in this moment. It gave pause to all of the emotions Micky was feeling, allowed him to take a breather for a moment. The threat of new tears subsided, leaving Micky with only the sniffles.
"I love you, Micky Dolenz," Peter murmured, brushing his hand against Micky's cheek.
Micky took it and kissed the back of his hand before laying his head back down onto Peter's chest. Peter wrapped his arms around Micky again, holding him close. Feeling Peter's chest rise and fall had an odd calming effect on Micky. He felt himself relax a little. Peter wasn't upset with him. He wasn't going to leave. Micky wasn't a failure. In this moment at least, he felt as if he truly believed Peter. Maybe everything would be okay. Maybe Micky could believe that. As Micky smiled to himself, a few tears slipped down his cheeks.
"I love you, too, Peter Tork."
The End
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Well, that's all folks! This took me half a year, six months, to write and it was the best six months ever. I'm sorry that it took me so long to finally edit & publish the last two chapters, but life got in the way. BUT we are here. Here at the end. I'd like to thank everyone who has read this fic, whether or not you read till the end, and I'd like to give a shout out to all those who have left kudos and comments! I read and treasure each comment I've gotten and it's thanks to you guys that I was able to pull through with publishing these last few chapters. Thank you all so much for putting up with weird posting schedules and like... long breaks in between chapters. This fic is so far the best thing I've ever written and I'm so glad to have had the chance to share it. Once again, if you found this fic good, please let me know, I'd love to know what you think.
Also, if you did enjoy this fic, there may be a sequel coming out sometime in the future (I have plans and am currently in the process of writing the sequel, I'm just not sure if I will publish it).
Again, thank you all so much for giving me this chance to share this story with you all. This was a lot of fun and this is the most important fic I've ever written, probably the most important thing I've written in general as of right now. I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the day! :)
With love,
Ian-the author