15. Epilogue

Epilogue

Adam

I straightened the tie around my neck and stood back to look myself over in the mirror. Running my hands over the emerald green suit, a wide grin stretched across my face. It was only my second time wearing a full modern-day suit, but I felt so powerful and manly in it. Locke appeared behind me, wearing a sinfully sexy navy blue suit. He let out a long whistle as he looked me over.

"You are one sexy fucker. You can pull off any outfit from the club to the ballroom."

‘Thank you, baby. You look really hot, too."

He tucked me to his side, and we stared at our reflections. "We look really good together."

"Yeah, we do." I leaned up and pressed a kiss to his cheek. "Now, we better get going. You can't be late."

After a final check of our outfits, we headed to the elevator of the hotel. We were in Washington, D.C. and had come a few days early to play tourist. It was our first trip together. The first of many. Locke promised me after this, he would set time aside for us to travel every year. He wanted me to see all the places I longed to go, as long as I would be his personal tour guide, for life.

It had been six months since he first peered over my shoulder at Randy's. Three months since I'd moved in with him… officially . I had pretty much started bringing my stuff over soon after our first dual livestream. His house was bigger, and there was privacy, and Kris…well, she finally got up the nerve to talk to Neve, so she didn't mind the apartment being empty. It wasn't long before Locke asked me to stay, and his home became ours.

I no longer had to lug all of my gear to Randy's in order to play a game, which made for a nice change, but we continued to go to Randy's for the food and friendship. Locke wasn't always up for socializing, but he had come to love the diner almost as much as I did. After spending more time there, it didn't take long before people recognized him, but one thing Randy's was great at was protecting the identity of its guests.

As he was more known in my circles, so was I in his. Locke's fans had even asked—no, demanded —to have me return. Now we had a regular weekly session together. Locke played, and I offered live commentary and loving support, and the fans ate it up. My inner high school theater kid didn't hate it either.

Maybe we were still in the new love bubble, but I felt so completely at home with him. He was my best friend, sorry Carmen, but she came in right beneath Locke. He was my lover, my comfort, my support. He was everything I never dreamed I would find in a partner.

Locke had taken my parents in stride, but he really won them over when he promised to protect me and care for me. It was like the weight of their worry fell away now that I had a big, strong man in my life. But in this instance, I was in agreement with them. Not that I was worried before, but I loved being on the receiving end of Locke's generous and considerate attention, and how safe I felt in his arms.

I was happy. Ludicrously happy. And now we were here, celebrating just how special a person he was. I held his hand and leaned against his shoulder as we rode the elevator. "I'm so proud of you, Locke."

"Thank you, I wouldn't be here without you." He pressed a soft kiss to the top of my head before the elevator dinged and the doors opened.

Security swept in beside us and escorted us toward the ballroom. Rainbow balloons arched over the entrance. Locke's grip tightened on my hand as we stepped through. As soon as we were seen, applause rippled through the room, as people stood to their feet.

I felt him tense beside me, and I squeezed his hand in reassurance. "I got you, baby. You can do this."

He drew in a deep breath and forced a smile. A large LED screen on the stage read, ‘Play OUT Loud Awards: Celebrating Queer Content Creators."

They had contacted him shortly after my surprise appearance on his stream. Apparently, the news of Locke showing off his boyfriend had swept through the gaming community and reached the organizers for the award. Locke had already been on their radar, but they loved a good, wholesome, gay love story. We'd had our own celebration, a very naked and athletic celebration. But now we were here, in the capitol, in front of the who's-who of content creators and other celebrities, and they were honoring the man I loved.

As excited as he was, the ceremony was daunting to him, but I made sure he knew I would be by his side through the entire thing. We were led to the front table. I tried not to freak out about being sat with people I'd seen online. A trans femme person sat across from us, and I'd followed them for a long time. They did videos showing people how to make minor repairs in their homes all while being their wonderful, beautiful self. Next to them sat a lesbian TikToker known for her political commentary. We were among royalty in the LGBTQ+ community.

Leaning into Locke, I whispered, "This is so fucking cool."

His lips twitched into a quick half-smile, and he gave me a slight nod. He was so nervous that I could practically feel it radiating out of him. I placed my hand on his leg, hoping to infuse as much strength into him as I could.

Lights bounced around the room as a few people made their way to the stage. One by one, they announced leaders in our community, including honorable mentions to those sitting at our table.

"And now, friends, before we announce this year's winner of the Play OUT Loud Award, we would like to invite up someone special to introduce him. Adam Goldman, would you please join us on stage?"

As I rose from my seat, Locke's eyes widened with surprise. I simply winked at him before walking to the steps at the side of the stage to the sound of applause. I hadn't told him that the Play folks had contacted me. I knew Locke wouldn't feel comfortable on stage alone, so this felt like the perfect way to help him. Beyond that, I was honored to be the one to do this.

After the applause stopped, I stepped up to the microphone. "As you've heard, I'm Adam. If you've seen Locke's channel or have ever heard his name, there's a chance you may have seen me." Laughter twittered through the room, because our names were forever entwined. If anyone Googled Locke, they were bound to see something about our relationship making a splash in the gamer community.

"What you may not know is that I was a fan long before I appeared on camera with Locke. When I moved away to college, I found myself deconstructing what I thought I knew about myself. In the middle of that season, I came across a gamer who displayed a big trans flag in the background. I was immediately captivated. As I watched this man share pieces of his life and his journey, I felt a connection to his story. With the help of a dear friend, I came to understand that I was transgender. Which was new and big and I still had a lot to figure out. But it was freeing, too. To have a label that made everything else make sense."

Cheers sounded around the room, warming my heart. I'd always been open about who I was, but I'd never announced it to a roomful of strangers. It was surreal but incredible.

"Thank you. Well, this thing happened. My favorite gamer was being attacked online for who he was, but then we saw the gaming community pull together and stand up for him. I haven't told him this." I looked down at Locke, who stared up at me with wonder. "But this was a life-changing moment for me. I saw the best of people. Strangers online rallied together to fight for someone I admired, and through it all, Locke never attacked back. He held his head high, he continued being his amazing self, and I saw love speaking louder than hate until the trolls were shut down. As a baby trans, I was inspired to be my authentic self no matter what anyone else did or said. Hope grew in our community, and it grew in me.

"Sometimes fighting comes in the form of the community that steps up, and I thank you, every one of you who were there for Locke during that time. But sometimes, fighting comes from the quiet refusal to be anything other than who you are. Thank you, Locke, for your quiet refusal, for living authentically, and for openly sharing who you are. I love you and am honored to get to call you my boyfriend. And now, today, I am beyond thrilled to get to be here and see you recognized for all you do. Congratulations, baby."

Everyone shot to their feet, and thunderous applause erupted around the room. Locke wiped at his eyes, before standing and making his way up to the stage. He shook the hands of each person he passed as he crossed the stage.

His beautiful blue eyes were misty when I held my arms out to him. He clung to me for a moment, and I could feel him shaking.

"This is your moment. You deserve this." I kissed him and turned him toward the podium. A silver plaque was handed to him, and he stared at it in disbelief.

He looked out over the audience. "I don't really know what to say after that, but…thank you."

Locke turned to me and grabbed my hand with his free one, staring into my eyes. "Thank you."