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TK has never felt less like celebrating than he does right now.
First, his dad springs a sudden move on him, right after the end of his junior year of high school. Not just any move either, no; Owen Strand doesn’t do anything in half-measures. One month later, it’s mid-June, and they’re driving from New York City to Austin, Texas, their new home, halfway across the country. TK is now a 25-hour drive away from everything that he knows, and he’s seriously pissed off about it.
They’ve been in town for two weeks now, TK has spent all of his time in his room, his door firmly closed, earbuds in and music up as he lays in bed with his eyes closed, trying to pretend that he’s anywhere else in the world.
Except, today, his dad has apparently decided that he’s had it with TK’s moping, so he’s dragging him to Austin Pride, his dad claiming that he needs to get to know the city and other people in his community. TK just scoffs, staring out the window as they drive down a street with absolutely no skyscrapers. It couldn’t feel less like home, and with only one year left in school, TK has no plans to find his place here; he won’t be staying any longer than he has to, already planning his escape back to New York immediately after graduation.
They arrive when the parade is already in progress, finding a spot on the steps of what looks like some government building to watch it pass by. There’s a sizable crowd gathered, more than TK was expecting, but it’s still nothing like New York Pride. Ever since he came out four years ago, TK has attended the march; it breaks his heart that he’s missing it now, his friends probably having a ton of fun without him while he slowly dies of boredom in the middle of Texas.
They stand there in silence for about 10 minutes, TK wishing that he could be anywhere else. His dad tries to engage him in conversation, pointing out different banners and costumes as they parade by, but TK can’t even muster up the energy to feign interest. Eventually his dad gives up, telling him that he’s going to go introduce himself to some of the firefighters that they see off to the far left, standing near a sprinkler that people are using to keep cool.
“I have my cell, if you need anything,” his dad says before he goes, giving TK a serious look. TK just rolls his eyes, nodding as he clenches his jaw. It’s probably not a good time to tell his dad that what he needs is to not be in Texas anymore.
When he’s alone, TK drops down on the steps, pulling out his phone to scroll through Instagram. It’s only when he scrolls past the fourth or fifth picture of happy couples at Pride that he stuffs it back into his pocket, his heart lodged in his throat. He jumps up, moving quickly across the street towards where he can see rows and rows of booths and food trucks set up in a small park. He moves through crowds of people, covering himself in glitter as he pushes through sweat-soaked bodies. He looks down at his black t-shirt to see it now sparkling in the sunlight and with a huff, TK cuts behind a row of booths to stop in a less-crowded area with shade.
He’s roughly brushing off his shoulders when he first spots him, and TK can feel his mouth drop open at the sight. Five or sex feet behind him is one of the most attractive guys he’s ever seen, and he can’t help the way his eyes shift downwards to drink in his strong calves and muscular thighs clearly on display underneath a pair of dark blue shorts. His eyes move upwards as the man turns away from him, his light pink shirt clinging tightly to his broad shoulders, the short sleeves hugging his giant arms. The guy’s hair is cut short, but TK can see dark curls artfully styled on top. When he turns his head slightly, TK sees a strong jaw and brown eyes currently pulled wide as he quickly looks around in every direction.
The longer TK stares, the more he notices how distressed the guy seems. He has his cell phone pressed against his ear, and his eyebrows are furrowed as he bites his lip. TK watches as he pulls the phone away, roughly hitting the screen before shoving it into his pocket before he drops down onto the ground, bringing his hands up to his head. TK waits for just a moment before he’s slowly moving towards him, his need to help too strong to ignore.
“Hey,” he says hesitantly, watching as the guy’s head shoots up to look at him. “Are you okay?”
The other guy doesn’t immediately answer, too busy staring at TK with wide eyes. He can see the way he’s breathing deeply, his chest rising and falling under his tight t-shirt, and TK is preparing to turn back around and leave him alone when he sees the guy swallow, his mouth opening slightly.
“Yeah,” he says, his voice rich and deep, and TK can feel himself flush at the sound. “I’m just, um, I’m just feeling a little overwhelmed,” he admits, his voice shaking as his eyes dart around them. TK follows his gaze, noticing how they’re completely surrounded by tents and thousands of people, music blasting from somewhere close by amid the sounds of hundreds of conversations. TK has to admit, it’s a little chaotic.
“Is this your first Pride?” he asks, taking a step closer. The guy looks up at him, his jaw set in a tense line.
“Is it that obvious?” the stranger whispers, a terrified look taking over his face.
TK quickly shakes his head, moving forward with his arms outstretched in what he hopes is a reassuring gesture. “No, no, not at all,” he assures him, even though it is a little obvious; the guy looks pretty uncomfortable. “Are you here alone?” he continues, sinking down to the ground to adjust their dynamic, hoping it will help the guy feel less on-edge.
“Um, no,” he replies, looking around again as he pulls his phone from his pocket. “My mom wouldn’t let me come alone since I’m not 18, so she sent my sister with me,” he explains, rolling his eyes at his phone before dropping it in his lap. “But she ran into a group of friends and left me alone, and I just…”
“You found yourself in an overbearing crowd full of glitter and sweat?” TK finishes, gesturing down to his shirt.
The guy lets out a huff of laughter. “Something like that,” he says, his eyes twinkling softly as he grins. TK feels his breath catch in his throat, shocked at how beautiful this guy, who might be around his age, is when he’s more relaxed.
“I’m TK,” he finds himself saying, his eyes locking on the other man’s.
“Carlos,” he replies, and TK feels his mouth rising into a grin of his own.
“So, what’s your deal, TK?” Carlos asks suddenly, nodding his head as his gaze drops down to look at TK’s shirt. “Kind of a bold move to wear black to Pride, isn’t it?”
TK can’t help but to let out an unexpected laugh, his eyebrows raising at Carlos’s judgmental tone. It reminds him instantly of New York, and he wonders why that doesn’t make him feel more upset, but instead he can’t help but to take an instant liking to Carlos.
“I’m kind of wearing black in protest right now,” he starts, shrugging his shoulders as Carlos makes a questioning sound. “My dad just moved us here from New York and let’s just say I’m not happy about it.”
“Oh, wow,” Carlos says, his eyebrows raising as he looks at him, “talk about culture shock.”
TK nods, looking around them as his fingers find their way into the grass, and he starts pulling up blades to rip apart in his fingers. “Yeah, something like that,” he admits. “It’s just, I’ve been going to Pride since I came out when I was 13, and it really sucks to be missing it this year.”
When Carlos doesn’t respond, TK glances back over at him, finding him staring at him with those soft brown eyes. “What?” TK mutters, feeling his face heat with embarrassment.
Instead of answering, Carlos moves quickly to his feet, taking a step towards him to hold out his hand. TK looks at it for a second before he reaches out, connecting their fingers. He feels a shock rip through him as he rises to his feet to stand facing Carlos, watching as the other man stares down at where they’re touching.
“What are we doing?” TK asks, and Carlos looks back up at him, still holding onto his hand.
“It’s my first Pride, and your first Austin Pride,” he explains, a smile pulling at his lips, “and I think we’ve wasted enough time not enjoying it, don’t you?”
TK wants to tell Carlos that he’s wrong, that this isn’t just his first Austin Pride but his last one, and that he’s happy to waste it. Except, when he goes to open his mouth, he can’t say it. He’s too captivated by the other guy’s kind, open face, and the way that his fear from before has completely disappeared, replaced by joy and excitement. He finds himself nodding in agreement before he can even say a word. Carlos’s smile widens, his grip tightening as he moves to pull TK back into the crowd.
They spend the next hour moving from booth to booth, gathering armloads of free stuff. They stop at a booth selling Pride merch, and TK laughs as Carlos buys a rainbow flag and ties it loosely around his neck like a cape. His smile is so infectious that he can’t help but to cave when Carlos convinces him to buy a shirt that says “IS IT GAY IN HERE OR IS IT JUST ME?” in rainbow block letters. If he feels Carlos’s eyes on him when he steps off to the side to put it on, well that’s just a bonus.
When they come upon a row of food trucks, Carlos drags him straight to his favorite one, jumping in line while he explains all of his favorite things to order. He steps up to the window when it’s their turn, and TK listens to him order in Spanish, his heart racing as he watches his pretty mouth move around the foreign words.
They sit down next to each other at a picnic table behind the vendors, sharing chicken flautas and fried tacos. TK finds himself talking about his dad and life in New York, shocked by how willing he is to tell Carlos so much about himself. He’s even more surprised when Carlos shares things too, talking about his sisters and his mom and what it was like to discover that he was gay. TK thinks he could listen to Carlos talk forever, mesmerized by the way he lights up when he speaks, his love and passion shining through, even when the conversation is difficult.
When they finish up with their churros, they jump back into the crowd. TK is sweating heavily by now, and there’s glitter all over his body, but that doesn’t stop him from pressing close to Carlos’s strong frame as they move through bodies in various states of undress. They almost get separated, and Carlos doesn’t hesitate to fling an arm over his shoulder, holding him to his side so that they don’t lose one another in the crowd.
His dad finds them a little later at a face-painting station, TK sitting off to the side while Carlos gets a rainbow heart painted onto his cheek.
“TK!” he hears, and he turns to see his dad moving quickly towards him, his face masked in worry.
“Hey, Dad,” he says, his voice bright. TK watches as his dad’s eyes move over him, taking in his new shirt and the rainbow heart on his cheek before moving to follow his arm down to his hand, which is still linked with Carlos, their fingers intertwined. TK turns to look towards his friend, noticing how he’s sitting up straighter in his chair now, his eyes wide as he stares up at his father in his AFD t-shirt. “This is Carlos,” TK finishes lamely, gesturing to him.
“Hi, Carlos,” his dad says, and TK appreciates the way his dad’s face relaxes into a smile; he doesn’t want him to terrify Carlos. He watches when that hardens a little as his father looks back at him. “TK, why aren’t you answering your phone? I called you a dozen times.”
TK’s eyes widen, freeing his hands to dig into his pocket. When he looks down at the screen, he sees 15 missed calls and dozens of missed texts. “Shit, sorry Dad. We were in the crowd for a while and I guess I didn’t hear or feel it.” He looks up at his father, his face guilty.
His dad nods, accepting his answer, his eyes shifting once more to Carlos. “I’m just glad you’re okay,” he says, pulling his eyes back to TK and gesturing to his shirt. “I like the shirt.”
TK looks down, a smile rising on his face when he thinks of how easy it was for Carlos to convince him to get it. “Thanks, Carlos picked it out,” he says proudly, turning to give the other man a sly wink, watching as Carlos smiles in response, his face painting finally finished.
They jump out of their seats, moving away to allow the next person to sit down. They stand there awkwardly for a moment, Carlos’s chest pressing into TK’s shoulder as they face his dad, and he honestly doesn’t know what to say. Luckily, the awkward silence is broken by Carlos’s phone ringing from his pocket, and he steps away to answer with an apologetic look, leaving TK alone with his dad.
“He seems really nice,” his dad says, turning to look over at him.
“Yeah,” TK says, smiling as he watches Carlos talk on the phone, his gestures exaggerated. “He is really nice.”
Carlos comes back over a moment later, dropping his phone in his pocket. “Sorry, that was my sister,” he explains. “She’s ready to go, so she wants me to meet her at the courthouse,” he says, pointing off in the distance towards a building TK can’t see.
“We’re parked that way, right Dad?” he asks, turning to look at him. His dad nods, a smile pulling at his mouth as his eyes twinkle. “We can walk with you,” he continues, turning back to Carlos.
“Okay,” Carlos whispers, turning to start moving. TK moves back to his side, his dad falling in-step behind them. He and Carlos don’t hold hands this time, or really talk at all, but that doesn’t stop them from glancing at each other every few seconds, bright smiles on both of their faces. TK really doesn’t mind it when the crowd forces them closer together, either.
They reach the courthouse ten minutes later, and Carlos waves towards a young woman standing on the steps with a group of friends. TK turns towards him, watching from the corner of his eye as his dad moves around them, giving them a little bit of space.
“I had a lot of fun today,” TK says, looking up at him. He watches as Carlos smiles, his bright white teeth shining in the sun.
“Me too,” he says quietly, and TK feels his fingers reach out to glide against his arm.
“Can I have your number?” TK bursts out, watching as Carlos immediately nods before reaching for his phone to hand it over. With a deep breath, TK puts his number in, pressing the call button, his own phone vibrating in his pocket. He hands it back, and before he steps away, he leans up to press a soft kiss to Carlos’s cheek. “I’ll text you,” he says, pulling away.
He’s barely moved when he feels two hands come up to cup his face, Carlos guiding his face up as he presses their lips together in a chaste kiss. It’s the best first kiss TK’s ever had, bar none.
“I’ll text you back,” Carlos whispers when they part, locking their eyes together. It’s hard to tell, but TK thinks he might be blushing. “Happy Pride, TK,” Carlos says, dropping his hands and stepping back, a bashful smile taking over his face.
“Happy Pride, Carlos,” TK replies with a giant smile of his own, keeping his eyes on the other man as they move in opposite directions towards their respective family members.
He doesn’t stop smiling the entire way home.