Work Text:
“It’s that time again,” Barry says cheerfully.
“What time?” Leo asks absently. He’d been listening raptly to Len’s stories of past Prides before Barry spoke up.
Barry brandishes his phone. “The ‘no cops at Pride, only Captain Cold and Heatwave’ meme time.” He delightedly shows Len his phone screen, where some enterprising young artist has rendered Len and Mick in full costume, but rainbow-clad. Len grins.
“I’ve seen the theories that the two of us are together, rather than all of us.” He waves a hand to indicate Barry, Leo, and Ray. “And we might have been, if we weren’t both too terrified of feelings to talk to each other.”
“Wait, you and your Mick?” Leo asks.
“You and yours?” Len tilts his head.
“Well, of course.” Leo casts a bashful glance at Ray. “It was years before the two of us met. Mick and I were both young, and then he was…” He hangs his head. “Gone, and I thought I would never love again until I found all of you.”
“We love you too,” Barry murmurs. “And I’m sorry about your Mick.”
“As far as I know, all the Rogues will meet us at the parade.” Len pushes himself to his feet and holds his hand out to Leo. “Coming?”
“Should we get dressed up?” Leo looks down at himself. He shares Len’s clothes—since they fit, Len hadn’t seen the point in buying him all new outfits. Right now, he’s in a soft navy sweater and dark jeans. He looks good enough to eat, in Barry’s opinion, but it’s a bit plain for a Pride parade (not to mention hot, in a Central City summer).
“You want to go out in rainbows?” Len teases. “I think that can be arranged.”
Barry runs off to change and returns in a shirt, handmade by Cisco, that proclaims him to be ‘Gettin’ Bi.’ He keeps the cuffed jeans, which make their statement admirably. “And I bet Cisco will bring face paint, he always does.”
“Face paint?” Leo tilts his head.
“Oh, this is criminal,” Len laments. He wraps one arm around Leo’s shoulders and the other around Ray’s. “Let’s go get you two ready for Pride.”
While the three of them are gone, Barry double-checks the parade route for places they can duck aside if they need to. All of them can get overwhelmed by crowds, and that’s not taking into account the fears Leo and Ray might have about the parade. He ends up with a few potential stops in mind if things get too chaotic for them.
By the time he’s finished, the others are back. Ray is wearing jeans, a plain black t-shirt, and a rainbow scarf—easy to take off if he feels too uneasy during the parade. Len is wearing his ‘Pan With a Plan’ shirt and absurd rainbow sunglasses. Leo has gone all out. Like Ray, he’s wearing a plain black t-shirt. Barry can only imagine where he got rainbow suspenders, but he’s using them to hold up a pair of short shorts that look suspiciously like they came from Barry’s closet, and he’s wearing a rainbow flag as a cape.
“Feeling proud enough?” Barry teases.
Leo runs over, grabs Barry around the waist, and spins him around. “I’ve never been able to be this free before!” he exclaims. “And this is safe? Wearing all of this, it’s really okay?”
Barry glances at Len before saying, “Uh…generally? I mean, there will always be homophobic assholes, but they have a lot less power here than on your Earth. Plus, you’re gonna be walking with a whole bunch of metahumans who would do a lot to protect you and the parade, so yeah, it’s safe.”
“Um.” Ray crosses his arms over his chest. “And…Leo, so it doesn’t catch you off-guard…the pink triangle, it’s a thing here. It, it meant the same thing, but it was reclaimed years ago. It’s safe, or as safe as any gay symbol can be.” He chews his lip. “Fuck. I know that, so why is my gut churning at the thought of seeing it?”
Barry catches his hand and intertwines their fingers. “I’ll be right here to remind you that you’re safe,” he murmurs. “And I’ve already mapped places where we can go if the parade is a lot for you guys, so don’t be afraid to tell me you need a break or that you’re done.”
“Already mapped break places,” Len coos. “That sounds like my level of planning, Scarlet. It’s cute coming from you.”
“I can’t want to look after my guys?” He feigns hurt. Len leans over to kiss him.
“Of course you can, Scarlet. We love that you look after us the way you do.” Slowly, cautiously, he reaches out to take Leo’s hand. “Speaking of looking after—want to get to the parade?”
“Of course.” Leo leans against his shoulder. It’s the kind of casually intimate touch Len would never have permitted even a few short weeks ago. Now, having his doppelganger lean up against him makes a strange, soft, vulnerable look cross his face.
“Then let’s go.”
Even for Barry, who’s been going to Pride parades since before he came out to Joe, the brightly-colored crowd is a lot. Stepping out onto the street makes Leo freeze and fling his hands up by his ears. “It’s loud,” he mumbles.
“We can go back inside,” Barry suggests. “It’s okay to sit it out if it’s too much.”
“No.” Leo shakes his head. His hands are still clamped tightly over his ears, but he surveys the crowd in wonder. “Everyone looks so happy.”
"No Rogues?" Len looks around, then glances at Leo. "Probably just as well. The parade is gonna be bad enough for him without adding that level of chaos." Something he sees makes him raise his eyebrows. "Or perhaps I spoke too soon."
“You too, huh?” This voice heralds the arrival of not one but two Ciscos. Cisco-X looks as overwhelmed as Leo. He’s dressed in what’s clearly an old outfit of Cisco’s—trans flag binder, baggy jeans, pan flag cape. There’s a trans flag painted on his cheek and a trio of dots in the pan flag colors below his other eye. He’s clipped colorful extensions into his hair, which is shorter than their Cisco’s.
“You look amazing!” Leo drops his hands to cup Cisco-X’s face. “This is really you, isn’t it?”
Cisco-X rocks slowly side to side. "It's so nice," he murmurs. "Getting to go somewhere where the only me people get to see is the me I wanna be."
“Dude.” Their Cisco crosses his arms. “Cisco-X and I can get away with it—I’m not, despite my fantastic presence as Vibe, all that well-known, plus he’s got the pre-T face shape so we don’t exactly look identical—but how exactly are you gonna explain two Leonard Snarts?”
Barry hadn’t really thought about that. “Uh…Central City’s seen weirder?” he ventures.
“Yeah, you’re gonna have to tell me if that works.” Cisco frowns at the two of them. “Let me see if I can help.”
Five minutes later, half of Leo’s face is painted in rainbows. Len submits to having a pan flag painted on his cheek. Once Cisco is content with his work, Len goes up on tiptoe, trying to see over the heads of the people around them. “I think the parade is starting.”
Cisco-X catches Cisco’s hand. “Here we go.”
The parade is the best kind of chaos. They lose track of the Ciscos somewhere along the way (which is probably for the best, as Cisco and Len have never quite mastered the art of not getting on each other’s nerves). It’s all they can do to keep track of each other, which they do first by holding hands and then, as the parade gets louder, by clinging. Barry ends up with Ray clinging to his arm like it’s the only stability he has.
“You’re okay,” he coos. “Do you need to take a break?”
Ray shakes his head. His whisper is almost lost in the chants swelling around them. “Tell me where we’re going again?”
“The park,” Barry reminds him. “Do you want me to pull up the route?”
Ray nods curtly. “Yes please.”
Barry pulls up the map of the route on his phone and holds it where Ray can see. “We’re here,” he points out. He taps a dot on one side of the route. “This is a cute little bookstore we could duck into if you want a break. It’s like half a mile away, so you’ve got some time to think it over.”
Ray offers him a fleeting smile. “Thank you.”
As it happens, the decision doesn’t end up being Ray’s. It’s Leo who flings an arm around Barry’s shoulder and begs, “Remember those stopping points you mentioned? Is there one coming up? Because I thought this would be fun but it’s loud and crowded…”
“Just up ahead.” Barry wraps his free arm around Leo’s waist. Ray reaches out and catches Len by the hand, and together, they slip through the crowd to the opposite side of the street. The storefront is decked out in rainbows. Once Barry pushes the door open, the cool, comparatively dim interior is a welcome relief.
“Hey.” The shop owner, a woman with rainbow colors woven into her dark hair, offers them a bright grin and cheery wave. “Too loud for you out there?”
“Yeah,” Barry admits sheepishly. “You too?”
She shrugs. “Figured there ought to be some quiet retreats along the route for people who can’t take the noise or the heat. Anything I can help you find?”
Barry shakes his head. Len musters up a mischievous smile. “You don’t happen to have any of Rebecca Silver’s books, do you?”
“Oooh!” She slips down off her stool and hurries through the crowded shop. “You know, I don’t carry any of the early ones—they feel oddly comphet—” Len cackles. “—but the new one about the guy in the queerplatonic polyamorous relationship…that one’s good. It feels authentic, y’know?”
“I'll have to pass that along,” Len says with a grin.
“Wait, do we know a Rebecca Silver?” Ray asks in an undertone.
“Mick,” Barry explains. He stops to look through the collection of discounted calendars. His timekeeping has improved since he now has three Doms to keep him on track, but another way to remind himself of important events is always welcome (especially when it involves pictures of cute guys in increasingly more appealing positions).
“Oooh.” Leo looks over his shoulder. “Trying to give us ideas?”
“You mean you want a distinctly D/s calendar?” Barry teases.
“Well, I don’t know.” Leo slips his hands down to Barry’s waist. They don’t detour any lower—Leo doesn’t really tease in public. “You’re the one who picked it out.” He drops his voice to the barest whisper and offers, “Maybe if you ask nicely enough, we could try out some of those positions.”
Barry’s breathing hitches. “Uh. I-I can ask nicely.”
They end up spending about half an hour in the bookstore, which for Len and Leo is a long time and for Barry is woefully short. In the end, Barry gets the calendar, Len buys the new Rebecca Silver book, and Leo finds a book on queer history (he loves catching up on the goings-on from their Earth). Ray doesn't buy anything, but he's just as interested in the calendar as Barry is.
"Good choice," the shop owner approves with a mischievous grin. "You sure you don't want a second one? They're on sale."
"I think we have enough calendars," Ray murmurs. With a glance at Len, he adds, "Although can he ever have enough calendars?"
Barry chokes back a laugh. Len dutifully pretends not to have heard.
By the time they go to walk home, the street outside is comparatively empty. Barry snuggles between Leo and Ray. “Did you two enjoy your first Pride?” Then he double checks, “It was your first, wasn’t it, Ray?”
Ray nods. “I came out to my parents right before I left for Earth-X. Didn’t ever really have time for parades.” He looks around the confetti-strewn street. “It was a lot. I don’t think I’d have liked it without the three of you.”
“Agreed,” Leo murmurs. “It was joyous getting to see all those people so free to express who they were, but I wouldn’t have stayed without the three of you.” He kisses Barry's cheek and prompts, "Remember, you're as much a steadying influence for us as we are for you."
“So, low-stim night when we get home?” Barry offers. “I can call for takeout and we can see if Netflix has added any random titles to its LGBTQ category.”
“The Babadook belonged there,” Len mumbles.
“We’re not gonna start that again.” Barry beckons Len in for a kiss. “Or you could read us Mick’s new book. That would be nice.”
“Would it?” He nips at Barry’s lower lip. “Because every time I read to you, you end up too spaced out to remember most of it.”
“We’ll see how it goes,” Leo coaxes. He swoops in to kiss Barry the moment Len pulls back. “Thank you for today, darling boy. It was the best day out we could have hoped for.”
Barry rocks happily. Even after all this time, having them praise him makes him feel like he’s glowing. “I’m glad you had fun.”
Ray burrows against Barry’s neck. “Love you,” he murmurs.
Barry can’t rock anymore—he’s too thoroughly caught between his Doms. Without the ability to burn off his joy, he thinks he might burst. The only possible way he can express it is in a voice brimming with emotion. “I love all of you, too.”