Spoiler Alert (2023)

This is the real life story about Michael Ausiello's love affair that ended badly. The book upon which this is based has the spoiler alert in the title: The Hero Dies At The End. Michael is a shy pop-culture junkie who doesn't drink or do drugs and is emotionally guarded because of his traumatic childhood, in which he grows up fat and mocked, then loses both of his parents--we do not get much of a glimpse at what happens after his mother dies, but probably nothing great. Michael is grossed out by Grindr and timid about sex, which means he's a poor fit for the musky dance floors of the Manhattan gay-bar circuit. But it's on one of those dance floors, on a rare night out with a colleague from TV Guide, that Michael meets Kit Cowan, the man who ends up being the love of his life. Kit has everything that Michael wishes he had: Confidence, cool friends, and a muscular physique. And yet, Kit is willing to wait for Michael to let down his emotional walls. Besides, Michael's not the only one with neuroses—Kit has baggage he has to work through if he and Michael are going to live the monogamously partnered life that Michael, in particular, seems to want. The story of their struggles and progress in their long term relationship takes an emotional turn when Kit is diagnosed with a rare and terminal illness, and so is a relationship story from beginning to the sad and inevitable end.