Work Text:
Sirius was practically bouncing off the walls with excitement. It was summer, and he was out of school and away from his parents. And he and James were attending their very first pride parade, along with Remus, Peter, and Lily. It was a major change for Sirius, going from his homophobic family who had disowned him when he came out as gay the previous year to living with the wonderfully supportive Potters who treated him like another son. And the fact that he was going to get to go to pride and celebrate his identity this year was enough to make him start crying.
“Everything okay, Sirius?” James asked.
“I’m good. It’s just a lot. I’m really happy.”
“Good, “ James replied, “now dry those tears; we need to finish getting ready, and you don’t want to mess up your makeup.”
Sirius laughed and wiped his eyes. He grabbed his giant bag of beauty products and claimed the bathroom for the foreseeable future.
James huffed a bit about how long Sirius took in the bathroom, but he didn’t really mean it, and when Sirius emerged, he looked stunning. His long hair had been braided and temporarily dyed bright pink, his eyelids were rainbow-striped all the way to his brows, and he had dark cat-eye eyeliner. He was also covered in glitter pretty much all over.
James gave him a quick peck on the cheek, careful not to smudge anything, and wrapped Sirius in a rainbow flag.
***
James and Sirius met up with Remus and Lily near Trafalgar Square. Remus was wearing a large blue jumper despite the heat of the day and had the trans flag painted on one cheek, the bi flag on the other. Remus wasn’t one for ostentatious outfits - he left those to Sirius - but Lily had insisted that he ought to have something to show his identity and pride, so they compromised on the face paint.
Lily herself was decked out in pink, yellow, and blue - topped off with a flower crown Sirius had made her for her birthday - and wearing a pan flag as a cape. She greeted James with a quick kiss and admired his “I ❤️ my pan girlfriend” t-shirt. James said he wasn’t sure what his sexuality was and didn’t feel the need to label it, since he had only ever been attracted to one person and didn’t plan on ever being with anyone else. He was the only straight(-ish?) one of the bunch, but he loved his friends and his girlfriend to death and wouldn’t have missed joining them for the world.
Remus felt his jaw drop when he saw Sirius. His boyfriend was absolutely stunning - even more so than usual, and that’s saying something. He couldn’t resist kissing him hard, even though it smudged a bit of Sirius’s bright red lipstick onto Remus. “Oh my g-d, Sirius, how am I supposed to keep my hands off you when you look like this?”
“Don’t,” Sirius whispered in response.
Remus chuckled and took Sirius’s hand.
Peter finally arrived in a purple shirt with fanned ace playing cards just before they were set to start walking. He was greeted swiftly and enthusiastically, especially after he opened his backpack to reveal that it had an undetectable extension charm placed on it and was filled with snacks and drinks - magic and muggle alike.
“This is why you’re the best, Peter,” James said.
***
The five friends had a fabulous time being able to celebrate with each other and be open about who they were and who they loved. It was late in the day when they finally left and all headed back to the Potters, where a hot meal and soft beds would be waiting for them.
James’s parents did not disappoint. When the friends opened the door they were greeted with brightly colored streamers and pride flags covering nearly every inch of free wall space.
“You didn’t need to do this,” James told his parents.
“We know, son,” his dad replied, “but you kids deserve to have a bit more celebration. You’re wonderful young people, and we love you all like you were our own.”