This is the final installment for It's Mutual: Shiro's POV this time. So I hope you enjoy this ~5k bonus chapter and how it rounds out the stories of all the characters in the main body of the fic. I love all of you and thank you so much for taking the time to read my story.
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Tumblr Didn't Prepare Me For This
Shiro wants to propose to Allura, but he doesn't know how to do it so he turns to his closest friends for help.
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From: Shirogane Takeshi
To: Lance Angelo Sanchez Rodriguez
Hey there!
So as you know, Allura and I have been dating for a few years now. I have you and Keith to thank for that. You inspired me to finally admit to Allura how I felt and I have never been happier. And I think now might be a good time to take our relationship further – get married. The problem is that I can't think of how to do it. You've been happily married for over three years now so I thought maybe you'd be able to give me some advice. How did your proposal go? How did you decide what to do, what was the right way to go about it? And how did you know it was the right time? When did you know that you couldn't go on without marrying each other?
Thanks for all your help.
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…
The video message was waiting in Shiro's inbox when he got home from his morning run. Initially he'd only planned to check if anything had come in and then shower before he actually looked at whatever it was. However, this message was listed from the International Space Station and any thoughts of a shower fled from his mind.
Lance was on the ISS right now. Shiro had sent a message up last night but hadn't expected a response this quickly. Then again, Shiro really had no idea what life was like on the ISS. Maybe Lance had a lot of free time to send and receive calls after all.
Clicking on the video brought up an image of Lance sitting in a chair with a mostly white wall of space odds and ends behind him. Or, he was in the sitting position and had an arm draped over a chair back, but it was clear he was actually floating just above it in the way his body was moving gently up and down from moment to moment. He was wearing a simple blue t-shirt with a small American flag on the right shoulder, and Shiro couldn't see below his waist.
"Heya, Shiro! It's the Lancenator. I got your message!" Lance greeted with a broad smile, then squinted one eye like he was vaguely annoyed with himself. "Well, I mean, obviously." He shrugged the arm not draped over the seat. "But I'm surprised, man, I wouldn't think you of all people would have trouble with something like this. And by that I mean that you're this, like, successful war veteran with the body of Zeus, plus you're, you know, the nicest guy ever. But hey, I guess nobody's totally perfect. That'd be boring, am I right?"
The look on his face was almost flirtatious, but Shiro knew that was just how Lance was. If he ever stopped flirting with people, he might explode. Luckily, he usually only flirted with Keith, but being at the International Space Station for months must have him going through a bit of withdrawal.
Another astronaut floated in from the right, her dark skin contrasted by her white shirt. She smiled when she saw Lance and said, with a thick French accent, "Morning, Lance. You sending another video to your husband?"
Lance jumped in his seat and began to float away toward the roof, revealing his little black shorts. "What? No! Desiray!" he whined, a blush across his face.
Shiro gave a small chuckle. So Lance sent a lot of video messages to Keith while he was away. That must make the separation easier.
Another chuckle accompanied Shiro's, coming from Desiray. "I'm not judging. Your husband is very attractive. But you spend so much free time sending him videos and his videos back are so short." She ended her sentence with a frown, like she pitied Lance.
"Pfft, shows what you know," Lance laughed. He placed his hands on his chest and adopted the most dramatic air he could. "The love between Keith and me is beyond your simple understanding, that's all. It's too great for words to express."
"You two are gross with all your lovely dovey nonsense," a pale yet dark haired, middle aged woman grunted from the doorway, the Russian flag on her shirt sleeve.
All the bubbly disposition left Lance in an instant, replaced by a frown and narrowed eyes. "Get lost, Niki, I'm trying to help a guy propose here and you're ruining the vibe! You too, Des, you're wasting my free time."
While Niki left without a response, Desiray stayed just long enough to wave and say, "Okay, Lance, have fun!"
Lance waited until they were totally gone before turning back to face the screen again. His cheeks were dusted pink, as if he were embarrassed by what had just happened. He shook his head and pat his cheeks, then cleared his throat as he focused back on his task.
"Anyway, you asked about how to propose to Allura and how I proposed to Keith. Sorry to disappoint here, but Keith actually found my ring before I could do the proposal." He shrugged. "I mean, I still went through with it, proposed and what not, but he knew I was gonna do it so I'm not sure how helpful my plans are gonna be for you."
Shiro frowned. He'd been hoping Lance would have a great idea for a proposal. Lance was the one who always planned the theme of parties when they all got together, and Shiro knew for a fact that Lance chose what paired costumes he and Keith wore every Halloween.
"See I had no clue what to do, how to try and make this thing between Keith and me forever, you know?" Lance was saying, "So I asked his parents for advice, at the graves and everything. They thought asking in Korean would definitely get a yes, or, you know," he scratched his cheek, "that's the feeling I got sitting there or whatever. Anyway, so I looked up how to say it and I practiced it, and then I made arroz con pollo like my abuelita does in Cuba, with beer, you know? I figured it'd be nice to have both cultures in the proposal. So we ate and then I said gyeolhon hae julae. Except I think I said it like ch-aye-alone hey ju-lay cause my Korean sucked at the time."
Shiro laughed while Lance grimaced at the memory.
"Point is, Keith actually fell out of his chair he was laughing so hard, but he said yes so it all works out, right? Not sure if that's anything that'll help you plan a proposal to Allura, since she's not Cuban or Korean, but it's what I've got."
He was right. That proposal sounded great for Keith. Keith was a private person and proposing in front of people, even in a small restaurant or a park, would've put him on the spot and made him anxious and he might have actually said no. Including their heritages was also a perfect choice. Shiro knew how proud Keith was of his Korean lineage, and how he encouraged Lance whenever Lance decided to get closer to his Cuban roots as well. It also took their differences, their backgrounds, and blended them, like their lives were blended and would become more blended in marriage.
Lance was good at this. Too bad the same idea wouldn't work for Allura. Like, what would he even do to include British heritage? And Shiro himself wasn't very connected to his Japanese family. Combining their cultures wasn't gonna work for them.
"Aaaand you're second question was…." Lance squinted just to the left of the screen, probably rereading Shiro's message. "How did I know when it was time to marry Keith. Now this one I've got a good answer to. And it's gonna sound super lame and cliché, but dude, it's true." Lance's face turned serious as he stared directly into the camera, more still than he'd been the entire video thus far. "You just know. I can't really explain it better than that. You just…you just know."
That was way more mature of an answer than Shiro had expected from Lance. Or rather, it was more mature of an answer than Shiro would've expected from Lance when they first met. He was older now, had experienced more, and had become a stronger and better version of himself through every trial and success. To say Shiro was proud of him would be an understatement.
On screen, Lance darted his head around, checking to make sure he was completely alone and none of his fellow astronauts and cosmonauts were floating nearby. Then he leaned in closer to the camera and spoke quieter.
"Now I'm gonna tell you a secret and you have to promise you'll never ever ever tell Keith because it's super embarrassing," he said, pointing at the camera. "Did you promise?" A pause while Shiro mentally promised. "I'm gonna assume you promised."
Well he wasn't wrong. Shiro would never betray Lance's trust.
Leaning back a little, but not all the way, Lance took a deep breath – which made him start to float away again. "Okay. Truth is I knew I had to propose to Keith someday even before we were dating. And NO, I don't mean that he was hot and I was like 'I gotta tap dat ass 5ever' or whatever. I mean…Okay."
Lance reached down and pulled himself back into his chair.
"Okay. You invited him to California, right? And I had just learned that Keith and PilotKogane were the same person, and he brought Red over to meet Sapphire so maybe me and Hunk could take care of her while he was in California and…" Lance fiddled with the end of his shirt sleeve. "Well he stayed the night but I woke up first the next day and so I walked out into the living room to, I don't know, knock him off the couch or something, I don't remember. But I mean, there he was." He stopped fiddling, and his eyes slid off to the side, clearly not seeing the space station anymore. His voice was softer when he next spoke. "He was lying on my couch, in my apartment, with a cat I helped him adopt all curled up with him, blanket at his feet, and his mullet was a total mess and falling all over his face but he looked so…so b-beautiful…I just thought, I mean, that was what I needed in my life. Every day. You know?"
Shiro wished he could capture the smile on Lance's face, the simple pleasure in it radiating out through Lance's whole body, and give it back to Lance whenever times got hard. It was a feeling he himself knew well. It was the feeling he got whenever Allura smiled at him, or he watched her in her element – teaching, or when she acted like an alien invasion was imminent if Shiro didn't do something with her right that instant. She was so passionate. It was a fire that burned inside her every fiber, a fire that Shiro wanted to protect and kindle so that it would never go out.
Oh. Maybe that was it. That's what proved he had to marry her, that this was the right time. It wasn't a single moment, but all of them. It wasn't that they'd been together long enough that marriage just seemed like the next logical step. It was that Shiro couldn't imagine losing her, her passion, her absolute love of life and him. He felt colder when she wasn't there, less like himself. He wanted to help her achieve all of her dreams, for the rest of their lives.
Lance clearing his throat brought Shiro out of his own thoughts. Lance's face was bright red and he rubbed the back of his head, clearly embarrassed. "Holy Wow that's embarrassing to talk about. Let's never mention this again, okay? Good? Good." He nodded. Clearing his throat again, he glanced to the side and said, "Point is, Shiro, just, if you gotta marry her, you'll know it. And you should propose in a way you know she'll like. That's really all I can tell you."
He'd told Shiro enough to clear up at least one of his questions. Any doubts he had about marrying Allura were gone. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get her to say yes.
"Now, my free time is almost up and I still gotta watch the video Keith sent me and reply, so all the best, let me know how it goes, and I'll talk to you later," Lance rushed out, then gave a mock salute. "Пока!"
The video ended with that image frozen on the screen, Lance giving a lopsided grin while playfully saluting with cheeks still tinted pink. Shiro smiled.
"Thanks, Lance," he said into the quiet morning air of his house.
It wasn't just a thank you for the advice, or the revelation he'd caused. Shiro was so thankful that Lance had come into Keith's life, that he'd given Keith a chance, that he'd married him. When he'd first started talking to Keith on tumblr, and up until Keith rejoined the garrison, Shiro had worried about him. He'd been so sad and isolated, so lost, and Shiro hadn't known how to properly help him. He'd done his best, but Shiro was certain that Lance had done as much to help Keith rediscover himself and what good the future could bring as Shiro had, maybe more.
Setting his computer aside, Shiro got up to finally go take that shower. His thoughts trailed to how Lance had proposed as the water began to fall.
Blending their cultures wouldn't work, but cooking for Allura might be an idea.
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TheOppositeofAmnesia said:
So you know Allura and I have been dating for a few years now. I have you to thank for that. You inspired me to admit to Allura how I felt and I've never been happier. And I think now might be a good time to take our relationship further – get married. Problem is that I can't think of how to do it. You've been happily married for 3+ years now so I thought maybe you'd have some advice. How did your proposal go? What made you say yes? When did you know you had to marry Lance? Thanks a lot.
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In direct opposition to Lance, Shiro didn't get a response from Keith until late in the evening.
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TheOppositeofAmnesia + PilotKogane
PilotKogane
You're getting married?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Not yet. I was hoping for some advice.
PilotKogane
You know I'm bad with people.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You're one of my best friends
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Plus you're already married.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Your advice is exactly the advice I need.
PilotKogane
Okay I'll try
PilotKogane
Lance proposed. He made me Cuban food and proposed in Korean.
PilotKogane
Honestly I already knew what he was up to with the chicken cause I'd seen the ring. I'd even been sort of teasing him about it really vaguely, so I thought maybe I'd pretend I was gonna say no for a minute before I said yes, just for fun.
PilotKogane
Sometimes I don't think he even realized I was teasing him about his super-not-secret ring, come to think of it.
PilotKogane
But when he asked me to marry him in Korean, his pronunciation was awful but he was so earnest that I couldn't tease him. I just said yes.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
That's really nice, Keith
TheOppositeofAmnesia
I'm glad you didn't tease him though. Lance is more sensitive than you might think.
PilotKogane
I know. I'm glad I didn't too.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
So do you have any advice for me on how to propose? Based on what Lance did?
PilotKogane
Based on Lance? No.
PilotKogane
What does Allura like? She doesn't seem to like Lance's party themes.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
She likes history. All kinds. Any era, any country, happy or sad.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
And flowers. She really likes flowers.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
And helping people. Allura likes helping at food banks and community projects and Habitat for Humanity and things like that.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
I wish her dad were still alive. They were really close. He'd know what to do.
PilotKogane
What do you need help with from a dead guy?
PilotKogane
I mean
PilotKogane
You already know her really well. Just make something from that. Like Lance did for me.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
I thought you said you wouldn't base this on Lance. ;)
PilotKogane
Shut up.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Lance gave me similar advice, actually. Go with something she likes, something that suits her and her interests. It's just that every time I try to think of anything, my mind draws a blank.
PilotKogane
Well you said she likes flowers. Maybe propose in a garden? And history, so maybe a historical garden?
PilotKogane
I'm sorry. I have no idea.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Actually, Keith, I think you just gave me an idea.
PilotKogane
Really?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Really
PilotKogane
Cool.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Hey Keith. When did you realize you wanted to marry Lance?
PilotKogane
He came to visit my parents with me and he spoke to them.
PilotKogane
In Korean.
PilotKogane
I actually started to cry. And then Lance freaked out cause he thought he said something wrong in translation but it just…it meant a lot to me that he'd go to that trouble, you know?
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Yeah, I know.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
You're both really lucky, Keith. I'm so glad you're happy.
PilotKogane
I am happy.
PilotKogane
And you'll be happy too, Shiro. No matter how you ask her, she's gonna say yes.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
It seems the tables have turned. Now you're the one comforting me.
PilotKogane
I might have seen a pig fly yesterday.
PilotKogane
That's what they say when something happens that never ever happens.
TheOppositeofAmnesia
I know, Keith, but thanks.
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Shiro spent days online looking up the right ring. He'd already gone through half a dozen stores and decided that none of them would work. Allura didn't want a diamond or anything fancy. She wasn't looking for rich and opulent.
It was actually a post on his dashboard that tipped him off on the right stone to look for. Then he special ordered a custom ring in Allura's size. Then he waited for it to come in the mail so he could inspect it. It was perfect on the first try, thank heavens. By the time it arrived, Shiro was already so full of nervous energy that he started shaking sometimes.
It was a rose cut halo style ring with a teardrop shaped watermelon tourmaline stone. The watermelon tourmaline reminded Shiro of Allura, so vibrant and complex. He'd also looked up what it meant and apparently the watermelon tourmaline stone was meant to balance the different energies in a body, sooth and harmonize, and give the wearer a stronger life force. It suited someone like Allura, who was already so vibrant but who took so much upon her own shoulders.
Now all he had to do was pop the question.
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savethefood_savetheworld [reblogged] TheOppositeofAmnesia
[Picture of a big black pit bull with an equally big doggie smile, a beaming Allura standing beside it with her hand on its head]
TheOppositeofAmnesia
This-Is-Altea and I went to the shelter today so I could finally adopt a pet of my own. She teased me about being jealous of all of my tumblr friends for having pets, and then zeroed in on this beautiful girl as The One for me. As usual, she was right.
Say hello to Nerissa.
Nerissa is six years old. Her previous occupation was as a nanny dog, until an in-law got custody and claimed she was a danger to kids and sent her away. She is an absolute sweetheart and hasn't stopped smiling since Allura and I said 'Hello!' I just know she'll be very happy, and in turn make me happy, in her new home.
savethefood_savetheworld
I can't believe someone would do that to such a pretty dog! How can they look at that face and see danger? I love her and I have never even met her. Give Nerissa kisses from me!
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Kisses given. She loved them. Thanks, Hunk!
This-Is-Altea
Did you know that the name Nerissa was invented by Shakespeare? He used it for the name of Portia's handmaiden in his play The Merchant of Venice. And while it's possible that the root word he used was from the Greek nereis, for sea nymph, Shakespeare was a master of the Italian language as well as the English and most likely used the simple root of nero, for black. Thus, Nerissa is a name given to someone with black hair.
Nerissa certainly lives up to her name. She's black all over and, befitting a diminutive noun, she is very sweet and loveable. I wouldn't mind taking her home with me, but Shiro's house is much more apt for a dog than my apartment, no matter how big said apartment may be.
P1dg3N4t10n
Miss Green, Red, Sapphire, Goldy, and Nerissa.
Green, Red, Blue, Gold, and Black.
It's like we're some kind of superhero team.
SIRLancelot3000
[GIF of Stiles Stilinski, smiling as he looks up and says, as the GIF reads, "OH YEAH"]
Team Tumblr!
[GIF of Emperor Kuzco dancing, shimmying, and spinning]
Let's do a chant! I say Tum-, you say –blr!
Tum!
PilotKogane
Tumblr?
I don't get it
SIRLancelot
[GIF of Simon Cowell just staring, eyes heavy lidded, dumbfounded and disappointed]
We'll work on it.
Btw, love the dog, Shiro! She's super duper lucky!
TheOppositeofAmnesia
Thanks you guys. Maybe one day we can all meet up with our pets – see if the furry side of Team Tumblr gets along as well as the human side.
savethefood_savetheworld
I like this plan. This is a good plan. Just let me know when!
#omg this is gonna be so fun #Team Tumblr #maybe we should get a different name #cause I'm pretty sure there are like a thousand people who probably do something together who use that name too #cause they met on tumblr or whatever #Team S.H.A.L.P.K.? #you know #Shiro Hunk Allura Lance Pidge Keith? #Shal-p-k #we'll work on that too
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Nerissa gave a quiet bark in the living room and Allura chuckled.
"Very good," she praised. "Shiro! You may be pleased to know that Nerissa knows not to get on the furniture."
From the kitchen, Shiro smiled. He spooned a mixture of beef, carrots, onion, peas, and corn into a casserole dish, then put the pan it came from into the sink to soak. "And here I was, thinking I'd adopted a lap dog."
Allura laughed. "I'm certain you could train her to be that, too. She's very smart."
As Shiro was coating the meat and veggies mixture with a thick layer of freshly made mashed potatoes, Allura entered the kitchen. Without turning around, Shiro knew Nerissa had followed her from the clack of her nails on the tile floor. Then Allura's hand was on his arm, right where the prosthetic met skin.
"Dinner smells amazing," she complimented. "How long until it's ready?"
Shiro took a moment to think. "About half an hour after it's in the oven. But first: cheese." And he shot her a grin for a brief moment before pulling a bag of cheese over and beginning to sprinkle lots of it over the mashed potatoes.
That made Allura chuckle once. "You enjoy cheese far too much for someone of your fitness level," she teased, poking him in his abs – not an ounce of fat in sight.
Shiro tilted his head so he could look up at her through his bangs. "I could say the same about you," he said in a low, almost sultry voice, and touched her muscled arms. "Are you sure you've never served in the forces?"
Allura gave him a sly look. Shiro recognized it from every other time he mentioned her being in the military. It was an old but beloved joke between them. "Ah," she said, and Shiro could've said her next words with her, "that's a secret. If I told you the truth, I'd have to kill you. And I do so enjoy your company."
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SIRLancelot3000 [reblogged] savethefood_savetheworld
[Video of Shiro's living room. The angle is slightly weird, the corner of a wall visible at the very right edge. Allura sits on the couch, with Nerissa on the floor between her and the coffee table, getting her back and head scratched and both human and dog looking pleased.
Shiro walks into view, his hands behind his back. Allura looks up from Nerissa when he sits on the couch beside her. She smiles but looks a little confused.
"What do you have behind your back there?" she asks, trying to tease but genuinely curious.
From behind his back, Shiro pulls a flower blossom. Using his right, prosthetic arm, he reaches forward to slip the flower into Allura's hair just over her ear. It looks lovely.
"It's a dogwood flower," Shiro explains. "They're meant as a symbol of reliability and strength, as well as affection…even when it might not be returned."
Now Allura's confusion is tinged with sadness, though her posture goes rigid with defensiveness. "What? Shiro, what's wrong? What do you mean 'might not be returned'?"
Shiro takes a deep breath and, staring directly into Allura's eyes, says, "We've known each other a long time, and we've gotten closer and closer over the years. Every moment I'm with you is the highlight of my day, and I can't imagine not being with you anymore." He lets out a shaky breath. "And I know that…I haven't traveled as much as you, and I'm not as talented as you, or even as strong as you, but…"
Allura looks like she wants to interject, to tell him he's wrong, but just as she holds up her hand to stop him, he pulls his other hand from behind his back and reveals a small velvet case. It's obvious that it's a ring case. Allura's eyes widen even as her mouth snaps shut.
"Allura…Will you accept everything I am, all my successes and all my faults, and spend the rest of your life with me?" Shiro's voice is clear and crisp, sure in a way it wasn't even just a moment ago.
Silence.
Allura sits motionless on the couch, her previously raised hand now resting against the side of her face, eyes wide on the ring being presented to her. She doesn't answer. She doesn't move. She hardly seems to breathe.
The hands holding the ring box up lower an inch and Shiro shifts back just a little, ready to retreat. There's a soft huff of noise and then Narissa stands up and knocks her head into Allura's back, pushing her forward until she falls into Shiro, who nearly drops the ring in his motion to catch her.
When Allura pushes herself back up, using Shiro's arms as leverage, she's beaming. "Yes," she answers, after her too-long silence. She meets Shiro's gaze and says, assuredly, "Yes, of course I will."
Though visibly relieved at her words, Shiro still asks, "You sure? That was quite the pause."
"Yes, I did shut down there for a moment, didn't I?" Allura admitted. "But I would be a fool to deny you. You are the best man I know, and I cannot wait to spend my life with you. I love you."
A shock of breath escapes Shiro, just loud enough to be heard on the video, and he leans his forehead against Allura's. "I love you too."]
TheOppositeofAmnesia
#shesaidyes
PilotKogane
Congratulations, Shiro. I'm happy for you.
[GIF of Jack Frost kneeling down to hug Jamie Bennett]
P1dg3N4t10n
Congrats! When's the wedding? Does Allura know you posted this video?
This-is-Altea
Yes I do. He asked my permission before he posted it.
MechanicCoranic
Oh happy news! I love weddings! Back when I was a child there was a wedding EVERY WEEKEND, if you can believe it. Sometimes it was the same people every week too! The parties were amazing fun.
PilotKogane
Wait, Coran, you know Allura?
P1dg3N4t10n
Oh good. I don't know about you, but I'd hate it if someone posted my proposal online. Not that I plan to get married, but it's the idea that matters.
Still, super excited for you two and you can bet your best wedding gift'll be from me.
savethefood_savetheworld
OMG THIS IS THE BEST NEWS I'VE HEARD IN WEEKS
When's the wedding? I'm invited right? Can I be in your wedding party? Can I make your cake? Oh! If the wedding is pet friendly it could be when Team Shalkelahupi finally meets! No?
Team Rainbow Pets? Team Catdog. Team Awesome Animals?
I don't know man, I'm just excited.
SIRLancelot3000
HOT DAMN GREAT JOB YOU TWO!
[GIF of Tamaki Suoh jumping high in the air and then clinging to and hugging Kyoya Ootori, nuzzling their heads together, a super happy expression on his face while Kyoya looks uncomfortable]
CONGRATS!
#dont you dare have the wedding until I can be there #space problems
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fin.
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If anyone wants to make fanart of this fic (or any of my fics), you have my permission as long as you credit the source. I would be absolutely OVERJOYED and ELATED to see any art you make and would totally give you props by adding it to the notes of the fic on Archive of Our Own.
Thank you so much for reading all of this story, for any comments you may have left, for all the time and emotion you've given to this story. I appreciate every kudo, every comment, and every bookmark, and I thank you once again from the bottom of my heart.