Final Chapter
The time has passed; it was only yesterday Walt and Dan were celebrating the birth of Ashley. Next thing you know, he’s going to a great high school. Despite everything he would not sugarcoat his family, his dad is Walt and his papa is Dan, who is a seahorse and gave birth to him. There’s so much to say since the last chapter.
Walt and Dan would get married a year after the proposal at Pride. By that time Ashley was 4 years old, he remembered things, so he was a big part of the wedding. The location was at the Palace Gardens, an old icon of their childhood, where the pair had first met as friends. Such a location was fitting for their union. Walt wore a well-tailored black suit that hugged his muscles perfectly, while Dan wore a stylish navy-blue suit with a hint of black. It was the perfect blend of sophisticated and fun, just like the couple themselves.
The pair exchanged vows beneath a canopy of twinkling fairy lights. A warm breeze rustled the leaves of the trees as they declared their love for each other, and their commitment to building a life together. Ashley, standing at the front with them, smiled up at his dads, proud and excited to be a part of this special day.
When they kissed, their loved ones erupted into cheers and applause. The couple beamed at each other, feeling a sense of joy and love that was even deeper than before.
The rest of the day passed in a whirlwind of laughter and celebration. There were heartfelt speeches, delicious food, and lively dancing.
Walt and Dan’s closest friends and family gathered around, raising a glass to the newlyweds, affirming their union, and celebrating the beautiful journey they had embarked upon together.
Ashley dragged his exhausted parents onto the dance floor, determined to show off his new moves. Walt laughed indulgently as he swung his son around, feeling gratitude for every moment they had shared so far and for every moment they had yet to come.
As the party slowed down and guests left, Walt and Dan slipped away for a few quiet moments together. They made their way to the balcony, each carrying a glass of champagne, and stepped out into the cool night air.
The city sprawled before them, a twinkling canvas of lights and movement. In the distance, their old High School, stood proudly against the skyline, its top bathed in shades of purple and pink as the sunset on the horizon.
Walt wrapped his arm around Dan’s shoulders as they gazed out over the city. “I love you,” he whispered. Dan closed his eyes, unable to keep them dry any longer. He leaned his head against Walt’s shoulder, savouring the warmth of his touch. “I love you too,” he said. “So much.”
Walt brushed a strand of hair out of Dan’s face, taking in the sight of him. He was more beautiful than ever before. His eyes sparkled with joy and love. Passionate kisses had swollen his lips. A new life within him made his body glow. “Let’s go,” Walt said, pulling Dan close. Dan smiled, feeling a sense of contentment and peace wash over him. He followed Walt back inside the hotel room with Ashley, where they settled onto the couch, holding hands and whispering sweet nothings to each other.
Walt and Dan honeymooned in Paris with their son Ashley. During the day, they toured museums. At night, they danced at Le Caveau de la Huchette or strolled along the river, pretending to be Parisians. As they left on the train back to their home, Ashley asked, “Daddy, Papa, can you get married again?” “I wish to visit Paris next year.” Both men laughed. Dan explained, “Ash, we can return on any holiday; we don’t need a special occasion.” Their son understood as they travelled through the countryside by train.
Post honeymoon, Walt and Dan adjusted well to their new roles as husbands. Ashley was a happy and curious child, and he brought joy and laughter to their home. They shared in the responsibilities of parenting. Walt and Dan’s careers as a successful lawyer and a clothing designer, respectively, continued to thrive as well. They hired Nina to assist with the tasks of childcare and household management, freeing up time for them to work and enjoy each other’s company. Ashley loved spending time with them and Nina became less of a nanny to him. By the time he was 10, she was Auntie Nina, and she taught him the piano and French.
They always planned to have more children. With Ash’s permission, they added to their family via surrogacy when he was five. Dan decided to not go through with the pregnancy again. He had done it once, and that was enough, but thankfully his eggs from years ago were still as good as new and with Walt’s sperm and the help of Nina’s sister-in-law’s womb they waited like before.
They had twin daughters, Drew and Riley. As they held the babies, all those feelings of holding baby Ashley came back, all those tears flowed, and their son came to greet his newborn sisters with homemade toys that their grandmothers had made.
As they entered the building with their son and new daughters, the doorman greeted them with warm smiles and nods. Proud of the happy family that had made his lobby feel more like a home, he gave the proud parents a simple blanket; it wasn’t much, but the feeling was there.
Walking into the apartment, the scent of fresh flowers from Nina’s wife’s shop and new beginnings lingered in the air, reminding them of the love that had brought them there. The new parents placed their twins in their nursery where a mixture of calming colours, followed by the joy of toys, new and old, were ready for them. Life was a rollercoaster, but the difficulties only made the couple stronger.
5 years later
As time went on, Walt and Dan’s family and relationship have remained strong. Walt’s firm has expanded, and he now has two lawyers working with him, helping to decrease the work so he could be with the family when needed, especially with school. Dan prioritised spending more time with the children, even while Walt remained at the firm. The store’s success allowed the children to visit, where tailors created small outfits for them using fabric scraps during lunch.
Ashley got into an excellent school. Educators observed his innate aptitude for French, surpassing his native tongue. In kindergarten, he displayed a remarkable ability to learn piano by ear, entertaining his class with melodies. His parents subsequently bought a small piano, and Nina, a part-time pianist, helped teach him. Ashley’s future could go down many paths. He wants to work in museums or in the arts of some kind. His natural skills have presented opportunities.
What of the twins, well their twin appearance has faded. Both girls show their different paths in life. Drew wants to be a judge in homage to Walt whom she shared his dark hair. Riley, with Dan’s blonde locks coming through, wants to be a designer. These things can change after all both their fathers had different paths as well at their age, Dan was going to be a dentist and Walt wanted to be a clown.
The family has become a special part in their city, when Pride came around, Walt made a speech about supporting trans people, “... seeing my children born of my seahorse husband’s eggs, I have finally seen a peace knowing where we live in the world, my husband Daniel found his group in this world, to become the funny, handsome man I see every morning, thankful that his rights aren’t threaten that if my children chose the same path or give up any gender that our country will respect their choice. But other countries trans people are suffering from fear mongers who will use them as the scapegoat for the next 50 years, treating them no different to the witch hunts of centuries past, so please for the sake of our future we need to stand together for if we push people out we are no different to others from history…”
The night that followed is simple, back at their apartment, the kids were in bed, memories of their parents speech the others that had came before and after, the fun they had watching the floats and colours whirling about in their heads, Walt and Dan were tired as well, they were in their bathroom, both had just a soak in the bath, as they dressed for bed, they talked about the day and how much the children loved it.
After the bath, the husbands got to bed, their hands all over each other’s toned bodies for a little fun. Walt's bigger muscular frame tried to dominate Dan but his own weight lifting helped take control of his husband winning the game which ended in their embrace. Afterwards, they both lay there for a few moments, enjoying the stillness and quiet, relishing in the simple joy of being together. “You know what I’ve been thinking about,” Dan said, breaking the silence. “What’s that?” Walt asked, rolling over to face him in the warm darkness. “About how lucky we are to have found each other again after all these years,” Dan replied, reaching out to take Walt’s hand in his own. “I mean, can you imagine if we had never reconnected at my store’s party?”
Walt shivered at the thought. “It’s hard to even think about,” he admitted. “We’ve been through so much together already. Building a family, facing the challenges of parenthood and our careers... all of it is so much better because we have each other.”Dan squeezed Walt’s hand as he whispered, “Exactly. We were together. And I couldn’t ask for a better partner to navigate this wild journey with.” Walt leaned in and kissed Dan, slowly and deeply, as if to convey just how much their words meant to him. As they pulled apart, Dan smiled, genuine and warm. “We’re truly blessed, aren’t we?” he said, the memories of earlier in the day still fresh in his mind.
The room fell silent as they stared deep into each other’s eyes. At that moment, the memory of their youthful friendship transported them. The love and connection between them had grown so profound that it transcended the physical boundaries of their shared bedroom. It was a love that defied time, circumstance, and the societal expectations that had kept them apart for so long. But it was a love that could finally flourish, with neither Walt nor Dan dwelling on the past, but simply embracing the joyous present. A chance meeting had resulted in a happy ending, Walt and Dan would happily agree.
The End
Note from the Author:
I don’t normally write an final speech, but I guess I feel I needed to. This story has been stressful, as I feared the reaction I would get from this story. I didn’t think I could finish it. So many migraines followed, but I finished. I feared that either the story would appear offensive to transgendered people or that it would get hate for being positive about trans people. I purposely made the city ambiguous as I hope this world I created one day could be true for other trans people. We are still a minority and if we push others out of the group; we have less to fight our suppressors. This fight isn’t over, not by a longshot but if we stay shoulder to shoulder, they can’t push us aside.
Your Always
Maxim Von Mayerling
