A man in love with a stock trader nearly 40 years his senior insists he is no "sugar baby" - and has vowed to earn more money than his husband to keep their critics quiet.
Aaron Flynn-Shore, 28, met Mike Flynn-Shore, 67, on a dating app in 2017, but cruel strangers often ask if they are father and son.
They grew close on a summer exchange program away from Aaron's home in from Dublin, Ireland, in New York.
Friends and family have always been fully supportive of the relationship, especially Aaron's mum, Louise, 50, despite the fact that she's 17 years younger than her son's husband.
Despite initially believing their six-week fling would be nothing more than a summer romance, the smitten pair continued to exchange messages for the next two-and-a-half years.
But despite the distance between Dubliner Aaron and New Yorker Mike, the pair quickly fell in love and got married in 2020.
The couple always "laugh off" the stick they get and say they and have never felt ashamed of showing off their relationship.
But Aaron, who says he's always had a thing for older men, admits he feels pressured to earn more than trader Mike so that people online won't brand him a sugar baby.
While Mike said he's scared of falling "sick and dying" before Aaron, he adds he is "hopeful" his hubby will find love again.
Aaron said: "In person I have never felt judged or at least not that I have ever noticed.
"Online I think people tend to be quite harsh and especially from the gay community which is ironic.
"There can be a lot of hate comments from sugar daddy to daddy issues, it gets quite repetitive. The hate doesn't get to me all that much.
"Sometimes the sugar daddy comment does because I feel like I'm working harder in my life just to prove a point.
"I feel like I have to earn more money than Mike and that I'm on some sort of mission trying to get to the top as quickly as possibly just to prove a point.
"But then the other side of me knows I could bust my balls and become the next big CEO, but people will still comment 'sugar daddy' regardless of how hard I have to work."
Smitten Aaron invited Mike to Dublin in January 2020 where Mike confessed that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with him.
Mike proposed by presenting Aaron with a card stating 50 reasons why he wanted to marry him before he moved to Dublin in March 2020 and the couple married seven months later in October.
Aaron said: "At the time I wasn't worried about the age gap because if I'm being honest the age gap never really dawned on me.
"I was attracted to this man and that's all I thought about. I never thought I would get married.
"I knew liking older men was just making things more difficult for myself, so I didn't think a long-term relationship was possible.
"But then Mike came along and everything just clicked to my surprise and I soon realised that maybe a relationship is possible."
Aaron says his main worry about being with someone three decades older than him is that he'll be around a lot longer than Mike.
Aaron said: "I'm madly in love with Mike and his age dawns on me a little more especially when he says things like 'I'll probably be dead in 10 years'.
"Things like this I find hard to cope with because I'm in a loving relationship I never expected to be in and I can't even picture the thought of not having that feeling and him by my side.
"Honestly it feels like we're the same age and I'm constantly living in the moment with him but it does make me a little uneasy when the thought of him possibly dying before me."
Mike, originally from New York, US, said: "People make honest mistakes. One time we were getting Aaron a new phone and the guy said 'I think your son would like this one' or at the gym in my building a guy asked if he was my son.
"We just smiled and it's an easy and honest mistake but we always correct them. They get a bit embarrassed.
"There's a hotel next door to us and a girl there asked how we're related and I said 'he's my husband' and a guy in the drug store asked if he was my son.
"When we were buying our engagement rings, the woman thought he was my son and I was getting married a second time so I had to explain it to her.
"She said 'are you going to bring your fiancé in?' She giggled and turned red a little. I never think of an age difference.
"You can think things are odd until it happens to you.
"His mum has been wonderful. She's never specifically asked my age and I wouldn't lie but his stepdad said 'you must be around our age' and I just said I was."
Mike admitted that one issue that "scares" him is the likelihood that he will pass away before Aaron does.
Mike said: "One of the things that scared me is that I'll probably get sick and should die before him but hopefully he'll fall in love two more times.
"I have the money to take care of myself so it won't be a strain on Aaron. I'd never want him to be in a position where he has to take care of me."
The couple are sharing their story to show that age isn't important in a relationship and they've started a blog, Queerdaze, to document their journey.
Aaron said: "I think finding love is hard enough in this life, people might not even find it in this lifetime.
"I think if you let something as small as an age gap come in the way of you potentially being happy it's ridiculous.
"People can be quick to judge others but I think if you wouldn't say something to someone's face, I maybe you should just keep it to yourself."
Mike said: "People should look at their own lives. I'm sure there are things in people's lives they don't talk about but we're very open.
"I know so many couples who don't want to be in each other's company. Take a look at your own life before judging other people."
