#i wore the rainbow eye shadow to pride parade last year

[ilovemesomevincentprice]

In my spare time, I like to do makeup, etc. I'm not a professional, but I love to experiment.

Here's some of my eye makeup looks. 🖤🦇🖤

[91percentpynch]

jean moreau x pride months

happy pride month kids, here‘s some wholesome jerejean content for your soul!! does this make any sense? no. is it a mess? yes. hope you enjoy this!!

the first pride month

it‘s the beginning of june and jeremy starts acting weird

he smiles more, the real smile normally reserved for winning an exy game or when he‘s alone with jean

he started drawing flags on his face or on his eye lids, jeremy never wore make-up, not more than his usual eyeliner and nail polish

„what does that mean?“, jean asks, pointing at the flags on his cheeks.

„the pink, yellow, blue one means i‘m pan. you know, i like more than one gender, i told you that already. and the grey, purple, white and black one that looks like an arrow? that means i‘m demisexual, you know how i only feel sexual attraction to people i have a bond with? that‘s demisexual. those are pride flags, it‘s pride month. didn‘t you know that?“

of course jean didn‘t know, after all he was locked up in a bassement for 10 years and he didn‘t exactly talk the first time he came over here last year at the end of june.

„what‘s pride month?“, jean asked softly, knowing that jeremy would never judge him, never think he was stupid.

„it‘s a month for lgbtqa+ folks. that stands for lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender, questioning, asexuals, aromantics and everything inbetween. we celebrate ourselves this month, show how proud we are of ourselves and our community. we celebrate marsh johnson, the black transgender, gay sex worker who started the riots, stonewell, and basically threw a brick at a police officer and started the fight for gay rights“

„how do you know you‘re not straight?“, jean asked quietly. thinking about the way his mind keeps wandering back to jeremy, keeps wandering back to the thought of kissing him, holding his hand, the feeling of his soft, badly dyed ginger hair between his fingers.

„well i always payed more attention to the personality, than the gender. i never really cared what‘s between the legs. and it took me quite a while to figure out that i only feel sexual attraction to people when i have a connection to them“

„have you ever kissed a guy?“, jean asked, curiously now. in the nest it was forbidden, but kevin wanted to try it once, in the dark of the night, the saftey of their room. jean couldn‘t tell if he enjoyed it or not, he never really felt any kind of attraction really. only bone deep fear. burning anger. and whatever the fuck his heart was doing when kevin held him close.

„yeah, i had a boyfriend throughout highschool, sophmore year until the end of summer of our senior year. and then freshman year of college i had this girlfriend who was really controlling and yeah. that‘s it. have you?“, his voice was soft, it reminded jean of the sunlight forming some kind of halo behind jeremy.

„kevin wanted to try it once. riko caught us. that‘s how it began“, jean replied, a shadow crossing over both his and jeremy‘s face. in a moment of weakness, at the beginning, jean told jeremy what they did to him in the nest, after jeremy accidentally touched him from behind.

„do you want to try it again?“, jeremy asked, a small smile on his lips. „with me, that is“, he added, barely audible.

„okay“, jean replied, leaning in.

jean was a couple inches taller than jeremy, and jeremy had to stand on his tiptoes to close the last few inches between them.

it was a soft kiss, a different than the stolen ones from kevin. better. these tasted like sunlight, like warmth, like home.

jean kissed jeremy back. carefully, softly, being scared he would break him, destroy him with his darkness.

„how was it?“, jeremy smiled at him after they were done, exchanging kisses, not stealing them. they were equals, no one would hurt him for wanting this

„i think i‘m only attracted to you“, jean admitted quietly. „but like not sexually. i don‘t like sex. never did. i never thought anyone was sexually attractive, i never wanted this and i still don‘t. i‘m sorry“

„you don‘t have to apologize, jean. that‘s being called asexual, the lack of sexual attraciton that is. and the not wanting sex part? sex repulsed. very valid. i will never be like them, i will never force you to do anyhting you‘re not comfortable with“

„and what if you miss having sex and want it and i can‘t give it to you?“, jean asked, tears burning behind his eyes. „i‘m not worth of your light, your warmth, your love as it is. i‘m broken, i‘m dark, i‘m everything you don‘t deserve. you deserve someone who is fixed and happy and can give you the entire world and go places without a panic attack and and and“

„ssh, jean. it‘s alright. it‘s alright. i want you. no one but you. i really, really like you and i am glad you like me to. you‘re not broken, you‘re not dark. you are wonderful. and no one is fixed, we‘re all a little broken in our own ways. i struggled with an eating disorder. i have adhd. sometimes i feel a little sad without any reason and can‘t get out of bed. sometimes i can‘t sleep and other days i could sleep for days. i don‘t need the entire world, i just need you“

it was this june, about a year after jean arrived in california, that he not only found a person who saw more in him than his scars, but a person who loved him not despite of them but for them

the second pride month

it‘s been a year since jean and jeremy kissed for the first time. a year full of highs and lows, fights and making up, miscommunication and cuddles, sweet kisses and ones tasting of tears. but it was also the year jean figured out that he might not be a boy after all.

„do you ever feel like you‘re not a entirely a boy?“, jean asked softly, threading his fingers through jeremy‘s soft blonde hair.

„dude, i‘m genderfluid, remember? alvarez bursted in our room and threw these in our face so people could refer to me with the right pronouns“

„that‘s why you changed your middle name to sol isn‘t it? because you like the sun and you like your hispanic heritage and it‘s a female name?“

„exactamente mi corazón“

„what are you today?“, jean asked softly, as he did every day.

„they/them, i don‘t feel like a guy or a girl today. just vibing“

„i- i think i‘m not entirely a boy either. like i know i was born as a boy and i‘m okay with that. but i feel like there‘s more to that. i can‘t put it in words but i think i want to try to go by he/ they. what do you call those people who don‘t quite find in the binary? i think i‘m that“

„that‘s nonbinary darling. i‘m proud of you. you‘re doing great“

jean didn‘t know how to repeat to that so he just decided to pull jeremy closer to him.

this pride month jean found a little part of himself, another puzzle piece to the mystery that his own person and it felt like a tiny little step towards a future he never dreamt he would have.

it was also the month he started wearing nail polish, because he loved the look on jeremy‘s face when they did them. occasionally he will wear some eyeliner.

the third pride month

another year passed, this year jean got himself a support dog. to help with the anxiety attacks. to help him heal.

it‘s a dalmatiner, called luna. she was trained to feel when he is uncomfortable and come closer to him, licking his hands, being close, being there

it is also the month he wanted to join jeremy for pride

„what are you today?“

„a girl i think. jeremy or sol are both fine“

„will you draw the flags on my face?“, he asked on the day of the parade.

„are you sure you want to go honey?“, sol asked softy, while she went to the bathroom to get her things.

„would i have asked if it wasn‘t moi amour?“, jean replied. „wait hold on, don‘t answer that“, he laughed looking at jeremy‘s face.

„but i‘m sure. first of all it makes you happy. second of all you missed it the last two years. third of all it will piss kevin off and i love that almost as much as i love. and lastly i have luna, she makes sure i‘m fine and i can always leave when i feel uncomfortable“

„okay, babe. what do you want me to do?“

„i want my flags on my face and maybe you can do my nails“, jean replied, smiling at jeremy as he did ever so often. „cover the tatoo, will you?“, he asked softly, touching the cursed three, counting the days for his cover up appointment in july.

„it‘s soon gone honey. it‘s gonna be alright“, jeremy whispered, feeling the tension in jean‘s shoulders.

„which color do you want your nails? mine are pastel rainbow look! alvarez got me those for my birthday last month! do you want matching nails?“

„whatever you want darling, you can choose“

„neat!“

this year jeremy‘s hair were a soft pink. it was 2 am when he bursted into the room whisper shouting „jean i‘m gay i must do something drastic to my hair. help me?“ and who was jean to question his beautiful date mate.

so jeremy took jean‘s face carefully in his hands, starting to draw jean‘s pride flags (demiromantic, asexual, nonbinary) on his face, hiding his tattoo underneath the black/ white/grey/ purple stripes of the asexual pride flag.

„they have no power over you anymore mi corazón. and if anyone gives you shit i will come for them“, jeremy whisperes against jean‘s lips before softly kissing them. „and now give me your beautiful hands so i can do your nails. i‘m feeling a pastel rainbow“

for the parade jean is wearing one of the shirts jeremy got him. it‘s yellow with a rainbow on it. „so you have a little brightness in your life“, he would tell him when he go it for him. it was before they started dating. it was before jean was able to tell him „but you are the brightest thing in the world and somehow you chose me as your person“, paired with light blue ripped jeans and his yellow fans. they started wearing yellow when they came to california, cutting off black completely, replacing it with colors and brightness.

jeremy on the other hand wore rainbow dungarees with a white shirt and white doc martens. his hair was up in two space buns, little pride flags put into them.

„do you think they get the hint?“, she smiled with a blinding smile.

„you‘re so unbelieveably beautiful sol“, jean replied.

they got luna and went to the parade.

it was scary, yes. but it was also beautiful.

people approaching them, asking for selfies, talking to him.

at first he was a bit anxious, but sol took their hand and luna licked his feet and it was alright. no one was hurting him. no one would punish him. he was surrounded by pride and love and happiness.

at some point he asked a girl with rainbow hair, she reminded him of renee, if she could take a picture of him and jeremy. she said yes, took one of them smiling, one of them kissing, and one of them where jeremy just smiled at his person.

it was the pride month he came out via social media. it was the pride month kevin called at two am, telling him how happy he was for them. that he himself found a boy, fell for him, but is too much a coward to do something about it. it‘s the year where he gets a lot of love, many fans telling him how proud they are of him and at least the same amount of hate. but it was alright. they had jeremy and that was all that truly mattered.

now

year after year they returned to the pride parade, with flags on their faces, or around their shoulders

sometimes neil and andrew or aaron and kevin would join them, sometimes they would go with laila and alvarez and sometimes jean and jeremy would go on their own

after college jean quit exy, jeremy went pro and gave his money to moriyamas, while jean opened his own tattoo studio, wrote songs, wrote crappy poetry and slightly better novels, tried himself as a part time model and fashion designer

they found happiness and home in each other and celebrated their love not only in pride but also every single day of the year

jean and jeremy got more dogs, an apartment of their own with big windows so they could watch the sunrise and sunset together

they have their ups and downs, like every other couple, but that doesn‘t matter. never did. what truly matters is that they keep finding back to each other. that they keep ending up in the same bed, in each others arms.

jean moreau never believed in love, never believed in soulmates and yet he found their soulmate, found the love of his life. and they are happy they stayed, kept fighting, to find this. to make a difference to the world. to be finally free. to be alive, living instead of only existing.

„jean?“, jermey says, fidgeting with his fingers.

„what is it moi soleil?“, jean relies getting lost in these ocean blue eyes.

„do you remember what happened five years ago?“, jeremy asks, his eyes looking anywhere but jean.

„we kissed for the first time?“, jean answers, panic slowly crawling through his veins.

„exactly so i thought we could celebrate this at the beach. you know, where our first date was?“, jeremy says nervously.

„honey are you alrighgt?“, jean is getting more and more worried, jeremy has never been that nervous.

„sure, come on mi corazón“

so jean slowly gets up and carefully puts on his shoes. something is weird here, something is wrong

jeremy seems off the entire ride to the beach they had their first date at.

when they arrive jean takes jeremy‘s hand, noticing that they are shaking ever so slightly. it is something like a nervous tick of them.

jean and jeremy arrive at the beach in time to watch the sun setting, making place for her lover the moon.

jean looks over to jeremy, when they suddenly get up and start pacing.

„jer, you‘re scaring me. please tell me what‘s going on up there“, jean says touching his head lightly.

„okay. i can do this“, jeremy mumbles as he gets down on his knee. „jean moreau, you are the love of my life. the light of my existence. ever since i saw you for the first time i knew i liked you, more than i was supposed to. i never dared to hope you would ever like me, or love me for that matter, but somehow you did. somehow you didn‘t turn away when i told you i‘m demi or pan or genderfluid. you stayed. you supported me. you love me. and i want to spend the rest of my life with you, so do me the favour and in the name of god, should they exist, do me the favour and marry me“

jean feels tears running his cheeks. „of course i will marry you, you loser“, he laughs, as he pulls jeremy down to him and connects their lips together. and it feels like their first kiss. it always does. and they would do that for the rest of their lives.

[dark-strangeson-virgil]

Having Pride

Words: 4.5k

Summary: Remy and Emile take their younger friends to pride for the first time, and the boys get to experience a full day of pride and being unapologetically themselves.

Remy chuckled lightly to himself as he stared at his reflection in the mirror. He had switched out his usual sunglasses for a pair of multi-chrome aviators. He eventually decided on wearing a white muscle shirt with a rainbow mouth graphic on the front, along with some grey acid wash shorts that reached his knees and simple black converse. On his wrist sat a simple rainbow bracelet, which made him smile at his reflection. He could hear the chaos of his friends in the background, all trying to get ready themselves. Remy was ecstatic. It was June, his favorite month of year solely because it was pride month. He had been out since middle school, and he had gone to his first Pride Parade the previous year with Emile, so he was excited to bring his younger friends to experience the magic along with him. 

He looked around at each of his friends, admiring all of their outfits. 

Patton looked absolutely adorable as usual. He had a pastel rainbow skater skirt swishing around his legs, paired with a simple flowy white tank top with a single sunflower in the center. A rainbow flower crown sat atop his head, as well as a small rainbow striped heart pin on his shirt and simple white sneakers. It was sweet and clearly showed his pride but could also be worn as a more casual outfit in other circumstances (minus the flower crown, that might seem a bit out of the ordinary for everyday attire). The finishing touch to his look was a nice amount of blush scattered across his face and nose. 

Patton was currently having an excited conversation with Roman, both boys sporting huge grins across their faces. As Remy glanced over to the other boy he noticed he was dressed much more extravagantly than usual, which made Remy smile. Roman truly did love being eccentric and bold, but his anxieties and fears of judgement often prevented him from expressing himself how he wanted to. It made Remy happy to see that he was making some progress on his confidence, especially on a day that was focused on having pride in yourself.

Roman had bleached his hair and temporarily dyed it rainbow (he planned on dyeing it back afterwards, but he liked the look of dyed hair and was considering changing his hair color again in the future). His shirt was a tank top which read the word “King” with a crown atop it in rainbow lettering. His shorts were a bit more simplistic, simple white athletic shorts with a small rainbow stripe down the side. On his feet he wore white converse with rainbows and clouds scattered across him, and he had gotten Virgil to do his makeup so that one eye was a circular rainbow that extended to the edge of his face and a red liquid lipstick on his lips.. (When he had finished Virgil had stared at Roman in awe for a moment. Roman assumed it was just Virgil admiring his own work but he actually just thought Roman looked absolutely stunning, causing a bright blush to adorn his cheeks.)

Speaking of Virgil, Remy turned his head slightly to look at the emo boy in question. After finishing Roman’s makeup (and being a flustered dumb gay for a moment) he had moved on to his own, doing a natural look with eye shadow and then creating an intricate rainbow pattern with eyeliner that covered the sides of his face. He wore a pastel rainbow tie-dye-esque t-shirt which read “I Can’t Think Straight”, in cheesy horror movie font. Above the shirt lay a simple necklace with a rainbow line down the center. His shorts were a plain black denim that reached his knees, and he ended up choosing simple black vans with rainbow soles as his finishing touch. It was a nice outfit but one that Virgil felt comfortable in, which was the best of both worlds in Remy’s opinion. He sat on Remy’s couch, scrolling through his phone and occasionally tilting it towards Janus to show him a funny meme. Janus would rarely show any more of a reaction than a smirk, but that was enough to satisfy Virgil.

As for Janus, he had also chosen a more “all-out” approach. He was sporting a truly killer rainbow vertical striped halter jumpsuit, which made him look quite elegant when paired with the solid black sun hat he wore atop his head. He had a casual rainbow eyeliner wing on his eyelids and plain black sandals. He had clearly put effort into his outfit, yet he managed to look effortlessly casual while wearing it. When he had walked in Patton had nearly choked on the pink lemonade he had been drinking, immediately running over and engulfing Janus in a hug while squealing out, “Oh my gosh you look amazing! Where did you get that jumpsuit?” While Janus’s stomach was busy swarming with butterflies the others had complimented him, quickly returning to their previous conversations. After a moment Patton had returned to his drink, making sure to tell Janus one more time that he looked spectacular.

Currently Remus was creeping over to Janus and Virgil, planting himself directly in between the two to show them some video about the “World’s Oldest Octopus” he had found on YouTube. Remus’s laugh had almost gotten an actual laugh out of Remy upon first sight, simply because it fit him so well. He had on a pair of light-was denim overall shorts with frayed edges and a rainbow on the chest, as well as literal PLATFORM rainbow sneakers (Yes, Roman tried to warn him those were impractical for him to wear all day at a parade, No Remus did not care or change). The true gem that clearly said this outfit fit Remus perfectly, however, was his hat. It was a baseball cap which read, “I’m so gay I shit RAINBOWS”. Though it was truly a shock at first, everybody immediately agreed that Remus’s outfit was perfect.

As Remy continued to observe Remus’s attire a scream of “FALSEHOOD!” burst through the room, startling everybody and drawing their attention to the corner where Roman and Patton stood with a now blushing Logan. He swiftly cleared his throat before addressing the room. “My apologies for the sudden outburst. Patton and I had a minor disagreement, seeing as he believes squirrels are ‘adorable’ while they are in fact quite dangerous. Please continue with whatever activities you were engaging in prior to my, uh, surge of enthusiasm.” As he turned back to the pair, Remy took a moment to glance at Logan. He had a rainbow striped button-down tucked into the longer black skirt Patton had convinced him to wear. Initially he had been hesitant, but eventually had agreed as long as the skirt could extend slightly past his knees. He had a pair of converse that seemed to be dripping rainbow paint, giving him a more relaxed look than most had ever seen him in. It suited him, honestly.

Returning to his reflection once more Remy began to adjust his hair in the mirror for a moment before feeling gentle arms wrap around his waist from behind as a soft kiss was pressed to the back of his neck. Smiling, he turned around and found himself face-to-face with Emile, his lovely boyfriend. In Remy’s eyes Emile looked absolutely adorable in his outfit (Actually, Emile always looked like absolute perfection according to Remy, but today was a special day). He had switched his usual frames for his glasses out for rainbow ones, as well as an absolutely precious pair of rainbow suspenders. His shirt had a unicorn on the chest, along with the word “PRIDE”, and he wore a pair of light-wash mom jeans. As Remy reached for his hand he saw the bracelet Emile wore on his wrist, matching the one Remy wore on his own. Suddenly filled to the brim with love for his boyfriend, he pressed a quick kiss to Emile’s lips before engulfing him in a hug. They both took a moment to just breathe, relax before all the inevitable excitement they would experience throughout the day. Being in one another’s presence was always soothing, even if they didn’t say anything.

After a minute of just standing in each other’s arms, they separated. “You look amazing. Ready to go?” Emile whispered softly, looking up at Remy.

“Yeah, I think so. Come on, boys! It’s time we head out, especially since we still have to stop at Starbucks on the way!” Like a wave the young boys all ran out to the minivan Remy would be borrowing from his mom for the day, grabbing a mini pride flag each on the way out. Remy was the last to exit, locking the door as he did so.

--

Roman felt like he was about to burst. This was all so exciting! In school he always felt more like a subdued version of himself, his anxieties pressing down on him. But here with his closest friends at an event where having pride in who you are is encouraged, he felt weightless. Like he could truly be himself. He had dyed his hair rainbow for god’s sake! And he loved it! As he walked through the street with his friends in search of a decent food vendor, he turned to Remy and Emile. The two noticed and turned to look at the younger boy, who was sporting one of the widest grins they’d ever seen.

“Thank you both so much for bringing us here today! It’s absolutely amazing!” Roman gushed, feeling brighter with every word that left his mouth. The two older boys looked at the boy fondly.

“Of course, Ro! Glad you like it!” Emile replied, with more of a soft cheeriness. Remy nodded in agreement, leaving Roman to return to observing around him. Pride flags of many sorts were hung in many windows of nearby apartments, as well as people sporting their own flags along the streets. There were small booths with vendors selling all sorts of pride merchandise. As he continued to admire the sights around him, Roman was caught off-guard by a girl walking past him, stopping him quickly. 

“Oh my god, I love your hair!” The girl had a dark brown pixie cut, as well as a pan flag tied like a cape around her shoulders. Her makeup truly stole the show, however. It was a beautiful design that had clearly taken a lot of time and effort, and was done in the ace colors. It matched her shirt, which also had the ace flag across it. On her shirt sat a small pin, listing that her preferred pronouns were she/her. Roman beamed at the compliment, turning to look at the girl.

“Thank you so much! I adore your makeup!” He gladly responded with a compliment of his own.

“Thanks!” With that the girl walked in the opposite direction with her friends. Roman could feel the newfound confidence bubbling within him. Such a small interaction somehow meant so much to him. Maybe it was because of how genuine and sweet the girl had been with her compliment, or maybe it was just that a stranger had taken the time out of their day to talk to him. Either way, he found himself giggling as he practically bounced over to Logan and Virgil.

“Isn’t this wonderful! Everybody here is so sweet! And the streets are FILLED with rainbows! It’s all so beautiful!” As Roman practically sang with glee he threw his arms around his friends’ shoulders, with Virgil to his left and Logan to his right.

“Yes, it is actually quite a lovely and welcoming environment.” Logan was definitely more relaxed than his friend, but you could clearly hear by his tone that he was genuinely excited to be there.

“Yeah, Princey. It’s pretty chill.” Virgil offered a small smirk, which softened into a more genuine smile when he saw the look of pure glee on Roman’s face. ‘God, how does this boy make me so soft?’ he thought to himself, though he found he didn’t really care as long as he got to see that pure joy on Roman’s face as often as possible.

“Oh, I think I see a hot dog stand in the corner. I can go order food for all of us quickly, what would each of you like?” Logan looked back at his friends.

The two boys each voiced their orders, Roman reaching into his back pocket to pull out his wallet. Logan swiftly put a hand on his wrist, stopping him.

“Oh, you don’t need to worry about expenses. I can pay for all of us.” Logan stated plainly. Roman and Virgil both eyed him with something akin to wonder. 

“You sure about that, specs? None of us mind paying for ourselves.” Roman responded in a softer tone than he had spoken in practically all day.

“Of course, I really don’t mind. All I ask is that you all remain here until I return, that way I don’t find myself lost trying to find you.” Logan’s kind offer, though a small gesture, only served to further brighten the mood of the group.

“Thanks, Lo. You’re the best” Virgil piped up, with Roman quickly nodding in agreement. With a small smile of his own in response, Logan took off in the direction of the food stand, skirt swishing with the breeze and leaving Roman and Virgil on the outskirts of their small group of friends.

“Hey, Ro?” Virgil said after a moment of silence.

“Yes, stormcloud?” Roman easily returned, expecting their usual lighthearted banter or possibly a comment about the scenery.

“Now don’t get all super cheesy on me or anything, but it’s, like, nice to see you so happy here.” Virgil had begun mumbling more than actually talking about halfway through his sentence, but Roman heard him clearly.

“What do you mean?” Roman could feel his heart swelling, though he was slightly confused by what Virgil had meant.

“It’s just, you seem so worried about what people are thinking sometimes. And don’t get me wrong, so am I. Anxious thoughts are a bitch.” This got both boys to laugh for a moment before Virgil returned to speaking, his voice a bit firmer and clearer this time. “But  you seem, like, happy here. Like you’re not so worried. And it’s nice to see you like that, or whatever.” he finished his sentence, scratching the back of his neck as he began to wonder if he had been overly emotional. When he met Roman’s eye, however, he found him staring back with gentle, wide eyes and his mouth formed into a small, “o” shape.

Meanwhile, Roman’s heart felt as though it were close to explosion. His friends cared! Virgil cared, and he wanted Roman to be happy! That was so sweet! 

“Thanks, V.” Roman suddenly got the urge to hug the boy in front of him. Before he could talk himself out of it, he reached over and wrapped his arms around Virgil’s shoulders. Virgil froze for a small moment, before wrapping his own arms around Roman. They stood like that for a moment before Roman realized his face had begun to burn, gently pulling away.

“So, where’d you get your shirt? It fits your vibe very well for how bright and colorful it is.” Roman changed the subject easily, though he still felt a warmness within him. 

“Hot topic of course. Would you expect anything else from me?” the two quickly fell into their usual antics, with their playful teasing clearly present. As Logan returned (with Remus in tow, who had offered to help him carry the food) a knowing grin crossed his face, clearly noticing the slight red tint across each of his friends’ cheeks as they continued with their banter.

--

Patton finished off the last bite of his meal, squishing the paper the hot dog came wrapped in up into a ball. He began scanning the area around him, hoping to find a trash can. After a moment of looking he spotted one, next to a booth. The booth itself looked very pastel and cute, easily catching Patton’s attention.

“Hey guys! We should go look at that booth, it seems nice!” He chirped as he began skipping over, skirt flowing around him as he did. Logan was the quickest to follow, ever alert and watching, and soon all of the boys were standing in front of the adorable pastel booth.

As Patton reached the front of the booth, he noticed that most of the items sold there were smaller accessories. They seemed to have pins, patches and stickers of many assortments (all LGBTQ+ related though, of course), as well as a few rainbows and dad caps. He could hear as his friends approached and began looking along with him, continuing to scan through the items. Almost immediately he heard a gasp from Remus, followed by a shout of, “Oh, I HAVE to get this.”

Patton turned to look at Remus and saw him holding up a hat  in a very similar style to what he was currently wearing, only this one was white and had the words “Love whoever the fuck you want” embroidered in rainbow thread. 

“Dear god please no.” Could be heard from Roman, which overlapped with Logan’s comment of,

“That would suit you quite nicely. It is very much your style.” Remus grinned at Logan’s response, quickly turning back to his brother.

“I’m getting it, brother dearest! LOGAN said it looked hot!” Remus cackled. He failed to notice the way Logan’s face immediately resembled a tomato, or his quiet utterance of “Those weren’t my EXACT words.”, as he handed the person running the stand a ten dollar bill. While they counted his change Patton returned his gaze to the patches in front of him, smiling and winking at Logan after noticing his current state.

‘Oh, all of these are so cute!’ Patton observed. He thought of the light-wash denim jacket he had at home, and realized it would look quite nice with a few patches added on. Plus it would allow his jacket to become gayer. As Patton knew well, everything could always be at least a little bit gayer.

The first patch he picked up had two pastel rainbow cherries with adorable smiles, which Patton immediately knew he needed. Directly next to the cherries he noticed a decent-sized rainbow lightning bolt, which immediately made him think of Virgil. ‘If I get one of these I’ll be able to remember my best friend every time I wear my jacket! That’s amazing!’ The lightning bolt joined the cherries in Patton’s hand.

After assessing his options for a moment Patton found himself with five total patches in his hand. He had the lightning bolt and the cherries, as well as an absolutely adorable-looking unicorn with a rainbow mane, a simple rainbow with clouds around it and the word “PRIDE” written in rainbow lettering. It wasn’t a huge amount, but he was happy with what he had. He could always find more patches to iron on online. He grabbed a small pin stating that he used he/him pronouns last minute before approaching the register.

The person running the stand clearly appeared to be older, with their gray hair cut into a bob. They had warm brown eyes that seemed to overflow with kindness and a gentle smile. Their shirt displayed the nonbinary flag across the front, along with the pronouns they/them. ‘It’s nice to see the older generations showing their support and being able to embrace their identities.’ Patton thought as he fished in his wallet, handing his money over to the person. They tried to give Patton his change, but he insisted they keep it as a thank you for showing support and pride and helping give LGBTQ+ people a safe and welcoming space. That was something that the older generations didn’t always understand but was so crucial and helpful in improving the mental health of LGBTQ+ teens especially, and he knew that very well.

The group stayed at the booth for around five more minutes before finally deciding it was time to leave, knowing they needed to head over to the stage that was set up nearby if they wanted to make it to the show being performed by a local drag queen in fifteen minutes. Patton secured his pin onto the front of his shirt, dropping his patches into his skirt pocket before following Remy, who was leading the way.

--

Patton felt exhausted, but in the best way possible. The sun was just beginning to set, signalling that it was time for the boys to start walking back to their van and head home. His feet felt heavy from the weight of walking around all day, and he could feel his eyelids slowly weighing down. Though he was tired, he still felt his happiness from how well the day had gone glowing within him. His first pride had been so lovely! And he had gotten to spend the entire day with his bestest friends in the entire world! And earlier on a group of kids that seemed to be around his age had complimented his outfit and said he looked adorable! All in all it had been one of the best experiences of Patton’s life.

In his daze he felt a hand lightly tap the back of his shoulder, bringing him back to reality. Janus then moved to stand within his view as they continued walking in the direction of the car, looking almost… shy?

 “Hey, Jan. What’s up? Wasn’t today amazing?!” Patton found himself gushing even through his exhaustion, partially because he was just so filled with excitement and partially to calm his friend’s apparent nerves.

“Yeah, I guess it was quite… nice.” Janus seemed to relax for a second, smiling at the memory of the wonderful day he had experienced with his closest friends, before the worry crept back into his face like an infection. Patton opened his mouth to ask if he was alright but found himself stopping short as he noticed Janus reaching into his pockets, eyes cast to the street. Patton watched as Janus pulled three small items from his pockets, grasping them tightly in his hands. Patton’s face quickly morphed into one of puzzlement, confused as to what Janus was doing.

“While we were at that booth earlier I, uhm, noticed a few items that reminded me of you. You didn’t seem to notice them, so after you paid I decided to get them for you. It’s totally no big deal or anything.” Janus tacked on his signature sarcasm at the end, Patton immediately seeing through it and knowing it was a defense mechanism to hide Janus’s nerves but choosing not to mention it.

He opened his palm and Janus dropped the patches into it, with Patton almost immediately bringing them in front of his glasses to expect the items.

The first one had a truly precious shiba inu dog with a pride flag in his mouth, immediately causing Patton to coo out a small, “That’s so cute!” As he looked over to the next one he saw a beautiful blue rose, with the words “Pretty Boy” in rainbow lettering surrounding the flower. That brought a tinge of blood to Patton’s cheeks. ‘He thinks I’m pretty?’

“Oh, this flower is gorgeous!” He tried to cover up how a silly patch managed to fluster him. Janus didn’t seem to notice, so he looked over to the last of the patches in his hand. It was an adorable cartoon frog wearing rainbow overalls and the sweetest smile he had ever seen. Frogs were his favorite animal, and it made Patton happy that Janus had remembered such a small detail. He felt himself tearing up at the kind gesture from his generally more closed-off friend. He looked back up to Janus, finding the shorter boy staring at him with a look of clear false confidence masking his worry.

“I love these! You remembered my favorite animal! These will go perfect with the other patches I got once I iron them onto my denim jacket!” Janus’ eyes brightened at the praise, one of his more rare genuine smiles gracing Patton. “Thank you so much for thinking of me!” Patton reached over to give the other boy a quick hug, with the smaller boy burying his face into Patton’s shoulder for the briefest of seconds before they both pulled away.

“Oh, it was truly such a problem. It’s not like I care about you or anything.” Janus was back with his usual smirk and attitude, drawing a giggle from Patton’s throat that Janus would describe as nothing short of precious.

“Come on boys, we can’t spend all day out here!” Remy chided, prompting Patton to reach for Janus’s hand as he pulled them along the last few steps to the car.

--

Once everybody was situated in the minivan Remy paused to look back at his friends through the rear-view mirror. Patton was eagerly showing Virgil his lightning patch, with Virgil giggling along to something he had said. Roman, Remus and Janus seemed to be sharing stories about their day (it didn’t matter that they had spent practically the entire day together, those three were easily the most dramatic and any remotely special moment they had they wanted to share with each other), and Logan and Emile seemed to be in some sort of discussion about psychology. Of course those two would be able to jump right back into regular conversation, enjoying being able to talk about a shared passion for knowledge in the area of psychology together. One similarity between them all was that each of his friends looked truly happy and content, including Remy himself. 

Despite still being a teenager himself, his status as one of the oldest in the group led him to be more protective and caring over his younger friends. He had really been trying to make sure their first experience with pride was amazing and unforgettable, and from the looks on his friends faces he could clearly tell he succeeded. He felt his heart swell with love for his friends (not that he’d ever mention this, he had a reputation to upkeep for god’s sake).

“Alright everyone! We need one last picture together before we head out. Lean in bitches, all 8 of us need to fit!” Remy shouted in the car, his friends quickly attempting to find a position where they could all be seen. It took a moment (there were 8 teenage boys in a minivan all trying to fit into the frame), but eventually they got a decent picture. Remy sent it off to their group chat before stuffing his phone into his pocket and throwing his keys into the ignition, starting the journey home with a smile across his face. He reached across the enter console and used his right hand to grab a hold of his boyfriend’s, keeping his left hand firmly on the wheel and his eyes on the road. 

(A/N: Hi again! As always, thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and any comments are much appreciated! I had a bit of help from some people explaining their personal experiences but I’ve never actually been to Pride, so if it’s not completely accurate I’m sorry, I tried my best to do as realistic of an interpretation as I could. I’ve been planning this for all of Pride month, and I’m really just thankful I managed to finish it before the month ended lol. Remember, your identity is ALWAYS valid and you deserve to feel proud of who you are. If you ever need to talk, my messages are open. <3 Happy pride everyone!)

Here’s a link to all of their outfits btw! Also I almost forgot but I said I’d tag you once this was finished so @aegis-the-ace !