Irhaboggle Pride (2022) Gaylor Swift's Version

New Romantics, Welcome to New York

Princeton sighed and slouched against the park bench. He wondered how long there was left to wait. The mixed signals didn't help any. Sometimes they said to be patient, other times they said to fight. In any case, it was tedious to watch progress be made in the fight for queer rights only to have it taken back not too long after. It seemed for every step forward, someone came along to push them one step backward. At what point would they acknowledge that they were waiting for trains, solutions, and saviors that just weren't coming?

Mercifully, Princeton was roused from his cynical thoughts by the arrival of his best friend, Quincy.

"Sorry I'm late, the makeup took forever!" he cried, jogging over to the bench in full Pride gear. Princeton was impressed, he was running in heels.

"Well if you wore something simpler..." Princeton trailed off with a teasing smirk. He only wore a pansexual flag for a cape, and a shirt that was patterned like the trans flag. Quincy, meanwhile, had sashes, flags, gaudy jewelry, a tiara, those heels, and an asexual flag as a cape. He was shirtless, though, the outline of an archer drawn onto his torso in gold, glittery ink. Above and below read the words "Aroace Arrow Ace".

"When we're going to celebrate Pride in New York?!" Quincy cried, as though Princeton had just spoken blasphemy. "NEVER!" He and the other boy shared a laugh before he pulled something out his backup. "I made you a little something!" he said proudly.

"Oh?" Princeton raised his eyebrows in interest and amusement. He was touched, of course, but he was already sure it was going to be something silly...He was right. It was a Pride flag. From the outside, it looked like just another trans flag. However, there was a giant frying pan hand-drawn in the center. Above and below it were the words "Pan-trans Cross", a play on Princeton Cross' actual name.

"Seriously?" he snorted at the gift, but he felt legally obligated to swap out his plain pan flag for the new one.

"Told ya my rainbow letter's better!" Quincy teased, gesturing to his chest. Of course, nobody actually believed that any letter of the queer acronym was better than the other, but "Aro-Ace" did sound cooler than "Pan-trans".

After sharing another laugh, the two boys went on their way, headed deeper into the heart of NYC. Of course, they couldn't go for long without seeing a few protesters waving signs and carrying Bibles.

"You're on the road to ruin!" They shouted condemnation at the two boys.

"Nah, I think this is the road to the Big Apple!" Quincy played dumb and Princeton bit back a laugh, also pretending to be oblivious.

"We're just mens being frens!" he said. "I don't recall that being a sin!"

"But homosexuality—"

"Does it look like we're fornicating right now?" Quincy snorted. Princeton failed to bite back a laugh that time. "I'm ace anyway. Honestly, you guys say we're the heathens and yet it's you who can't control your urges to scream about all the people you hate!"

"OH, BURN!" Princeton shouted.

"Oh how the turntables," Quincy snickered, gesturing to one of the signs that was designed to look like Hellfire. Must've taken all night. "But hey, throw your sticks, stones, and flames, just don't forget that shade never made anybody less GAY!" He struck a fabulous pose before finally moving on, leaving the protestors to boil in their outrage over such a sinful behavior.

As they left the protestors behind, Princeton couldn't help but shake his head and smile. He remembered the days that people like that used to scare him and leave him crying tears of mascara in the bathroom, but he wasn't afraid anymore. They were just haters, and haters were going to hate, so he was just going to shake it off. They needed to calm down.