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They left the hotel real early to head over to Vesemir’s friend’s place, arriving while the sun was just starting to peek over the horizon. Eskel had barely slept, too wound up with nervous excitement to sleep easily.
The woman who answered the door was maybe ten years older than his dad, with gray at her temples, and laugh lines decorating her face.
“Ves! Darling! I’m so happy you made it!” she crowed, throwing her arms around Vesemir and smacking a loud kiss on his cheek. “And these must be your boys! Let me see them.”
She turned to inspect Eskel first, taking in his lanky frame and choppy hair, then moved her attention to Geralt, finally turning back to Vesemir to raise a judgemental eyebrow at him.
“Ves, I know you don’t cut their hair yourself,” she said, waving them inside. “Dear Lord, nobody should trust you with scissors.”
Vesemir just laughed, ushering the boys on in front of him. “Makes more sense than dragging them into town an’ payin’ someone else to hack at it.”
“Well, at least we got plenty time to fix it before we head out,” his friend said, shaking her head.
The kitchen was full when they got there, with two men around Vesemir’s age and a younger man all nursing coffees, looking about as tired as Eskel felt.
One of the older men leapt to his feet the moment he saw them, flinging his arms around Vesemir.
“Ves! It’s so good to see you!” the man cried. “Ana said you were coming, but it’s been so long.” He was a bear of a man, with a wide chest and a thick beard.
Geralt shifted awkwardly at Eskel’s side, and leaned in to whisper in Eskel’s ear.
“Why did Dad never tell us he had friends out here?”
Eskel shrugged. He was pretty sure these were the friends their dad had spoken to when Eskel had first come out, but Vesemir was a very private man, and he didn’t talk much about himself, even to his kids.
“Boys, this is Ana,” Vesemir said, indicating their host, who was busy rummaging through a drawer, emerging with hair clippers and a pair of scissors. “She’s an old friend of mine from just after high school. And this here is Oso,” he added, waving toward the man who’d greeted him. “We lived together for a bit while I was living here in Columbus.”
Eskel hadn’t realised his dad had ever lived in Columbus, but it certainly explained why he had friends there.
“And then you’ve got Hunfrith,” Ana added, poking the other older man in the shoulder. “He’s Oso’s partner. And lastly is my little protege, Kolgrim.”
The young man raised his hand in a halfhearted wave, draining his coffee as he did so.
“Speaking of which, I think it’s time I start getting ready,” he said, giving Eskel a smile on his way past.
Ana stepped out of the room after him for a moment, then returned with a towel, shaking it out with a flourish. “Alright boys, who’s first? Let’s fix that hack job your father made of your hair.”
Eskel was in awe of her. And a little intimidated, really. She had the kind of confidence he would kill for. He took a deep breath, and then stepped forward, letting her direct him to Kolgrim’s abandoned chair.
At the very least, it couldn’t be any worse than the time Vesemir had given them all bowl cuts and called it good.
Ana set them to work filling up a chiller with bottles of water and some snacks while she flounced off to get ready, and Vesemir threw them a bottle of sunscreen as soon as they’d finished their task.
“Make sure you get your ears, Geralt,” he warned, slipping into the living room to catch up with Oso and Hunfrith.
Eskel had just about finished slapping some sunscreen on the back of Geralt’s neck when they heard footsteps on the stairs. Glancing up, Eskel caught sight of something entirely unexpected. It was obviously Kolgrim, but only because he was the only person his age in the apartment. Otherwise, he looked nothing like the sleep-deprived young man they’d been introduced to. Big hair, loud makeup, and a dress that clung to curves he definitely hadn’t had earlier all left him virtually unrecognisable.
Geralt choked.
“How the hell do you walk in those?” he cried, eyeing Kolgrim’s sky-high heels.
Kolgrim just gave him a wide grin. “Practice, kiddo,” he replied.
Ana cleared her throat at the top of the stairs, and Eskel’s eyes flew up to see her. She wore a glittering rainbow evening gown, and her hair was even bigger than Kolgrim’s, though her makeup was more understated.
“Make way, darlings, the queen Ana Conda has arrived,” she drawled, smirking as she began to descend like some old Hollywood starlet.
“Some things never change,” Vesemir chuckled, emerging from the living room with a grin on his face.
Behind him, Eskel spotted Oso and Hunfrith, both dressed like bikers, complete with leather hats. It suited them, he thought, though he wasn’t sure why.
“Alright now, before we head out, I have something for you, Eskel,” Ana said, pulling something out of her purse.
She presented it to him with a flourish, a woven string bracelet in blue, white, and pink, held out for him to take.
“Just a subtle little bit of pride,” Ana explained. “Don’t know if you’ve ever seen it, but these are the colors of the transgender pride flag. When your dad said he wanted to bring you out here for your very first parade, and that you’d be getting your first testosterone shot this week, I asked a friend of mine to make it for you. She’s better with all these little crafty things than I am.”
Eskel could feel the tears welling up in his eyes, and he had to clear his throat before he could croak out a thank you. Vesemir helped him tie it on before they headed out, giving him a pat on the shoulder as they made their way into the street.
Eskel’s first impression of the parade was the sheer number of people gathered there, all celebrating the same thing; themselves and each other. Vesemir had explained the history of Pride marches, and it was a hell of a thing to see so many thousands of people waving flags and cheering each other and not paying a lick of notice to the few naysayers who’d bothered turning up.
Geralt stayed close to his side through the whole march, craning his neck to try to take in all the sights. Eskel wasn’t much better, distracted by the glitter and the waving flags. Rainbows rippled all around him, held by people of all ages and races. There were so many different kinds of people, and they were all there because they didn’t fit in with the rest of the world. They were there to demand a place for themselves.
After the march was over, Vesemir handed Eskel and Geralt a little cash each and set them loose, following slowly after them so he could talk to his friends while they took in the atmosphere.
At one point, Kolgrim waved them over to where people were getting their faces painted, and Eskel found himself with the transgender flag colors painted on one cheek. Geralt got a little rainbow flag, and seemed incredibly proud of himself for it.
“So why d’you live with Ana?” Geralt asked Kolgrim a little while after they’d all stopped for lunch.
Eskel cringed at the bluntness of the question, though he had to admit that he was a little curious too.
Kolgrim gave them a sad smile. “Ana offered me a place to stay when she found out I was sleeping on a friend’s couch,” he explained. “My parents kicked me out when I turned eighteen, and trying to keep an apartment without help can be hard, so Ana stepped in and offered me her spare room.”
It struck Eskel then just how lucky he was to have a dad like Vesemir. He’d been supported every step of the way through figuring out his gender, without even a hint of hesitation.
“Hey, Dad,” he said as they piled back into the truck to head back to their hotel. “Thank you.”
Vesemir just gave him a soft smile and pulled out of his parking space.
“We should do this again next year,” Geralt mumbled sleepily.
Eskel thought that sounded great. Maybe they could bring Berengar and Lambert next year too.