"So, will you two be going together, then?"
Remus looks up from his laptop and frowns at his best mate because he hasn't got a clue what James is talking about or who to. Up until about a minute ago, they had all been studying in silence, so the question is quite random. His first thought is to ask: who is 'you two' and where are they going, and for what, and when? But instead, he says: "Huh?"
James laughs, "Pride, Moony! A whole entire month dedicated to our lot's struggles and defiance in the face of hetero horrors. You know, the celebration of all things bright and queerful for all creatures great and small."
"Oh," he mutters. If he's being honest, despite all of the colourful flags draped around Town, he had completely forgotten about Pride. He had been too focused on other things, such as getting his British Cinema essay finished and binging Ted Lasso for the seventh time. "Right. Pride."
"Come on, Remus! You really forgot? The parade is this weekend!"
"I've been preoccupied," he replies with a shrug. "And anyway, it's not like I've been to one before, so it hasn't been the first thing on my mind."
"You've never been to a parade before, Remus?" Lily asks. "Sirius and I have gone every year since we were, what, fifteen?"
"Mhm," Sirius hums in agreement, then turns to Remus, a curious frown on his wonderfully expressive brows. "Have you really never been to one?" he asks, but it doesn't sound like he's judging.
Remus hesitates but he knows there is no way out, so he answers, "Uh... no."
As unfortunate and perhaps tragic as it is, at the age of twenty, Remus Lupin has never been to a Pride parade before. Not because he hasn't wanted to – because he definitely has! – but because he hasn't really had the time or resources (i.e., queer friends) previously.
"Even I've been to a parade, Remus," says Peter – the token straight friend of their group.
Remus feels a little self-conscious having all eyes on him, so he explains, "It's not like I haven't wanted to go. I have. It's just... I grew up in the Dales. It wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows there. And then I came here and met you lot and finally figured out who I am and... I don't know. I just never had the opportunity to go before with people like me."
Sirius smiles and takes Remus's hand in his own. "Hey, it's okay," he says. "Loads of people miss Pride. Some people never go. It's not everyone's thing."
Remus hums, looking down at their hands.
"Is it... I mean, do you want to go?" asks Sirius.
Remus looks up at Sirius: his very handsome, very wonderful, very cool boyfriend of nine months. It is still wild to him that Sirius Black, the gorgeous Music & Sense student he met in first year, is into him. Actually, as he looks around the room at his friends, he finds himself thinking it is amazing and weird that he gets to know these people at all and that he has only known them for just under two years. It feels much longer, like they are his family now – like he has known them for decades, and not just since they were all shoved into a flat together.
"Uh, I think so?" he answers. "I mean, I should go, right? I'm the 'B' in 'LGBT'. I should go to Pride."
"You don't have to, mate," Peter says.
"Yeah, it's not like your bi-card will be revoked if you don't go," Lily jokes.
James snorts a laugh and looks at Lily with heart eyes. (It is only a matter of time before they kiss and finally do something about the tension hanging around them all of the time.)
Remus hums and turns to his boyfriend. "Sirius?"
Sirius shrugs – effortlessly cool – and says, "I'll be going but you don't have to if you don't want to."
Remus takes a second to think about it. He is not and has never been a fan of crowds or hot weather or loud music, and Pride (as far as he knows) involves all three. But he figures he should probably go. At least once. He has, after all, been wanting to go for years, and he has a boyfriend who is lovely and supportive and goes every year. If anyone can show him how to fit in, it's Sirius.
"No, I... I want to go," he says.
Sirius grins, "Cool," and leans against his shoulder.
"Well, then," James says, clapping his hands together. "I suppose we're all going to Pride as a group this weekend then, yes?"
There is a murmur of agreement and that's it. The weekend's plans are sorted. Remus settles back on the sofa, laptop on his knee, Sirius's head on his shoulder, and he thinks about how lucky he is to have come to Durham University and met these wonderful people.
It is a nice, cool, calm Tuesday evening when Remus begins to freak out.
"What am I supposed to wear?" he asks, going through his wardrobe which is 90% baggy jumpers and old jeans. "Do I wear shorts? Chinos? Jeans? Am I supposed to wear a colourful T-shirt? Am I supposed to make a fancy costume? Oh, fucking fuck, this shouldn't be so bloody stressful. What type of shoes do I—"
"Remus, darling, calm down," Sirius says, standing up from the bed and placing his strong hands on Remus's shoulders. The man stills instantly; the simple action grounds him, calms him more than it probably should. After a couple of shared deep breaths, Sirius states, "There is no dress code. You can wear whatever you want."
"Oh."
"What do you want to wear?"
"I don't know," he mutters, and leans forward to rest his forehead on Sirius's shoulder. "Something appropriate. Something comfortable. I'm kind of leaning on you here, bub."
Sirius hums and slides his hands up from Remus's shoulders to cup his face. He lifts Remus's head, and with his piercing grey eyes, he stares into Remus's very soul. "I'll get you something," he says.
"Oh, fuck."
Remus grumbles because the last gift he got from Sirius was a pair of socks that said, 'HE WHO HAILS, PREVAILS' with a series of satanic-style patterns underneath. (He quite likes the socks, truth be told. They are good material and very comfortable. But that is not the point.)
Sirius laughs and says, "It'll be good, I promise!"
Remus hums. He is not holding much hope, but he trusts Sirius implicitly, so he nods and leans forward to hug his boyfriend.
Remus is proofreading his Foreign Film Studies essay when he hears the tell-tale sounds of Sirius entering the flat and making his way to Remus's bedroom – a place he spends most of his time in, nowadays. Unlike Peter who stomps everywhere and James who stumbles with every step, Sirius has quite a soft gait, but Sirius is also a loud person, always singing or shouting or whistling, so Remus is able to track him from the front door to the bedroom door.
Sirius enters the room with a flourish and tosses something on Remus's bed carelessly before he tackles Remus from behind, wrapping his arms around Remus's upper body and planting kisses on his cheeks.
Remus giggles – honest to goodness giggles, though he will deny it if asked – and accepts the kisses for a second before he shrugs and mutters, "Geroff! I'm submitting my essay!"
Sirius gives him one last peck before he releases him and takes a seat on the bed, waiting for Remus to finish his essay. No more than five minutes pass before Remus nods to himself, submits the article, and shuts his computer down. He then spins around on his desk chair and says, "Right, you mutt, what do you want?"
"First of all, rude," Sirius replies. "Second: come here."
Remus sighs but stands up and crosses the room to sit on the bed beside Sirius, one leg folded under the other which is hanging off the side. Sirius hands Remus a bag-for-life.
"Open it," he says with a bright grin.
Remus takes the bag but pauses, both curious and wary. He braces himself for whatever awaits him and looks inside only to find himself utterly speechless because there, right at the bottom of the bag, is a jumper. A nice jumper. A pink, purple and blue jumper. He glances at Sirius who is sitting there, being insultingly handsome as he bites his lip and watches with excitement.
Remus pulls the item of clothing out of the bag and holds it in his hands, his thumbs stroking over the material reverently. It is one of the softest things he has ever touched, he thinks. "This, uh... This is for Pride, right?" he asks quietly.
"I suppose technically you can wear it any time," says Sirius, quite fairly. "But yes, I did buy it with the intended purpose being you wear it for Pride."
Remus nods, staring down at the pink-purple-and-blue jumper. He only really came to terms with his sexuality when he started university and met his flatmates: James, openly queer; Lily, a proud trans woman; Sirius, unapologetically and enthusiastically gay; and Peter, accepting hetero ally.
After years of confusion and loneliness, Remus finally understood who he was, and he had a group of friends who he felt comfortable being himself around; a group of individuals who were kind and supportive and who helped him find his flag.
Since then, he has come a long way. He has accepted himself and embraced his new tag. He has a cool boyfriend and brilliant friends. He has even told his friends from home and his mam who he is. He doesn't really tell many people – not because he is ashamed, but because it is his thing and he doesn't really care if others know. He doesn't hide it, but he doesn't advertise it either.
"You don't have to wear it," Sirius says, perhaps because Remus has been silent for a long while now, which tends to make him nervous for some reason. "I just thought, it's Pride, you know? I thought it'd be nice for you to show your true colours, so to speak. I know you don't really like displaying your sexuality – which is fine. But you asked what you should wear, and I think it's good to show how proud you are of yourself, especially during Pride, and—"
Remus leans forward and stops the other man mid-ramble with a soft kiss. When he pulls back, he smiles and says, "Sirius, I love it."
Sirius releases a breath of relief and says, "You do?"
"I really do," he says, sitting back and grinning down at the jumper once again. "It's – I mean, I'd never have thought – I always... Sorry. I don't know what to say. I just really bloody love this. It's like the perfect way for me to tell people without saying it, y'know? Not that I don't want to say it, I just... This is more me."
Sirius laughs and says, "Yes, I thought it was an understated way of announcing yourself to the world. Neat, like you."
Remus chuckles and after another second of admiring the item, he says, "Can I... Am I allowed to wear it now?"
"Absolutely," Sirius says immediately.
Remus grins, tugs off his current jumper and pulls the colourful garment on. It is a little baggy but that means it fits perfectly to him and when he looks at himself in the mirror above his desk, he grins – widely and uncontrollably because he has never felt more himself than he does at that moment. He turns to Sirius and holds out his arms.
"Well?" he says.
Sirius is still sitting on the bed, slack jawed as he stares at Remus.
"Fuck," he says, standing up and wrapping his arms around Remus's waist. "You shouldn't be allowed to be this fit. My gay heart can't take it."
"Shut up!" Remus laughs and wraps his own arms around Sirius's shoulders, planting a chaste kiss on the other man's lips. "I love this, and I love you. Thank you."
"Not that it's a competition, but I love you more," Sirius replies cheekily.
Remus shakes his head and mutters, "I doubt it."
Sirius grins and leans up, giving Remus another (decidedly less chaste) kiss.
When they are lying on Remus's bed hours later, Remus is still wearing the jumper and Sirius is snuggled into his side as they watch Hunt For The Wilderpeople, and he mutters, "You're not allowed to steal this one."
Sirius, notorious for his theft of Remus's clothing, grins and says, "Normally I'd disagree but these aren't my colours, so I suppose I'll let you have it."
Remus hums, "Very noble of you."
Sirius laughs and shifts closer, burying his face in Remus's shoulder.
"Whoa, check out the new threads!"
Remus automatically glances down, unable to stop himself from admiring his attire – namely his new and very cool jumper. He gives James a shove and mutters, "You are such an old person sometimes, I swear."
James laughs and says, "Whatever. You look handsome, Moony."
Remus chuckles, "Cheers. You too."
Saturday and – more importantly – Pride has finally rolled around and the whole squad (namely the flatmates along with Marlene and Dorcas, their neighbours from across the hall) are in the living room having pre-drinks. Well, nearly the whole squad. Sirius is still getting ready.
"Oh, my God, I love your jumper; where did you get it?" asks Lily as she hands him a can of cider.
"Opp, the Mean Girls quotes are coming out, must be serious," Peter jokes.
"Ha, ha, ha," Lily laughs sarcastically at Peter before she turns to Remus and says, "Seriously. This is ridiculously cool. Where did you find it?"
"Ah, well, I don't actually know," he answers. "Sirius found it for me."
Speak of the devil and they shall appear: Sirius enters the room with a flourish and latches onto Remus with a wide grin. "Talking about me, are we?" he asks.
"All bad things," says Lily.
Sirius laughs and says, "Aha, I'm sure!"
Peter nods and says, "We was actually just wonderin' where you got Moony's new garb."
"Ah, well, that would be telling," Sirius says enigmatically. He looks up at Remus, then, eyes bright and expression open. "You are so fucking handsome." He turns to the others and says, "Isn't my bisexual boyfriend just the cutest?"
There is a murmur of agreement from the room's occupants which makes Remus's ears heat up. He takes a sip of his cider and mutters, "You are such a dick sometimes."
Sirius grins and replies, "I know! But you love me."
Remus rolls his eyes but hums in agreement because he does love Sirius – very much so. He accepts a kiss on the cheek and lets Sirius steal his drink, and when he looks around the group, he comes to the conclusion that Sirius was right: Pride has no dress code.
Remus has decided – with some help from Sirius, of course – to wear his new favourite jumper with a pair of shorts and his usual set of trainers. Nothing too flash, just him.
James is wearing a blue Hawaiian shirt with red sunglasses and chino shorts. He looks like a crazy person, but that's nothing new.
Lily is wearing a flowing skirt and a white long-sleeved crop top with heels and a baby-blue-pink-and-white flag painted on her cheek. She looks as beautiful as ever.
Peter is wearing his usual jeans/band-shirt/jacket combo, but he has stuck a little ally pin on the lapel of his jacket. He looks normal, but that is good. It is comforting.
Marlene is wearing an orange corset top with white trousers and knee-length fuchsia boots; Dorcas is wearing jeans and a black shirt with LGBTQIA+ in various colours on it. The pair look great, as always.
Sirius is wearing a white t-shirt and black ripped jeans with the green-white-and-blue wristband that he usually wears. He doesn't look much different to his normal self, really. The only addition is that he is wearing a rainbow flag as a cape, and he has decided to wear some colourful trainers instead of his usual steadfast boots. As expected, he looks fucking spectacular.
"Rainbow cape," Remus mutters. "Interesting."
Sirius grins and says, "I'm a gay superhero, Moony. Do you fancy me?"
Remus snorts and wraps an arm around the other man's shoulders. "Sirius, I'd fancy you if you were a straight villain."
"Oh, Remus, you're going to make me blush!"
Remus laughs and leans in to kiss his wonderful boyfriend again.
"As much as I dig this display – and I do! – we should probably get going," Lily says, putting her wineglass down on the coffee table. "The march is going to start soon, and I don't want to be stuck at the back."
Sirius sighs dramatically but pulls away from Remus. "If we must," he says, and then grabs Remus's hand and practically sprints for the exit. "Come on, then! We haven't got all day!"
Remus laughs and allows himself to be dragged away. His first Pride is a success, as is his second, and third, and fourth – and pretty much every Pride event he goes to thereafter.
He is glad that Pride has no dress code, but he notes that it does have a theme: authenticity. Share your colours and be yourself.
(The bi-jumper quickly becomes one of his signature pieces of clothing.)