In a world in which your sexuality is revealed by a pride flag on your chest when you turn 18

(original idea by very_gay_nugget on Tik Tok)

***

Davey hadn't expected much out of his life. He expected to get a good education, find a wife to settle down with after getting a well-paying job and have a kid or two, depending on what his wife wanted. He never thought anything would change enough to derail him from this plan that he'd had laid out for him since practically his birth.

However, the first thing to go was his education. Not entirely, just as long as it took his dad's arm to heal. He'd come back recently from the hospital only to find out that, without a functioning arm, he'd been fired from his job.
This left Davey as the working man of the house, who had to now find a job with Les.
Becoming a Newspaper boy seemed to be the safest job that two kids of their age could find. With Les at age ten and Davey at seventeen, not many other occupations were open to both ages.
And that's where the second thing to go came in. Except it wasn't one thing, it was slowly everything.

Jack Kelly.
The boy who'd taken Davey and Les under his wing and over the course of the next few weeks would lead a strike with the boy of whom had never imagined his life could become so exotic.
But Jack made it exotic.
He showed Davey that life could be fun.
And Davey who taught Jack that life could also be coordinated.

They bounced well off each other, they could talk easily for hours on end, got along fine, disagreeing constantly but never ending their arguments unkindly.

If Davey could choose anyone to spend his free time with, it would always be Jack.

The only issue was the feelings that Jack gave him.
Davey wasn't exactly sure how to identify them...or, rather, he wasn't exactly sure he wanted to.
Every time he saw Jack, his heart skipped a beat and a smile graced his features.
From if their hands brushed when they were passing papers to each other or when they just spent the night up on the roof of the lodging house sometimes, Davey felt special.
But he knew he shouldn't.
He knew he shouldn't allowed whatever this feeling towards Jack grow because he'd seen the other boy's chest, where his head lay, and the rectangle he bore on his skin printed with blue purple and pink.
He couldn't lead on a boy that had the potential of liking him. It would be cruel. Especially when Davey knew he had to receive a black and white flag. He had to. It was in his plan. To lead a normal life...nobody would hire him if his flag showed anything else.
So, he couldn't fall for Jack or else he might lose his chance at a normal life...and he didn't want that.
He wanted a normal life, a good life.
One where he and Jack...they could be friends.

Davey found it hard to keep his emotions at bay as he leaned against the wall that faced the the moon atop the lodging house roof, Jack there beside him.

Jack sighed, "Dave...you think I'm smart?"

Davey was caught off guard by the question, "Yeah...why?"

"I dunno', it's just...you've got yourself this fancy education and I've only got the streets to teach me which way is up and down."

"Books aren't the only source of knowledge, Jacky." Davey murmured.

"Yeah? Then what makes me smart if I don't got books." Jack chuckled.

"You're a leader...you know how to get people on your side because you know what they want to hear. Emotions, Jack, you can read them clear as day and you know how to respond to others when they're feeling those emotions. That's smart. And- you can find a good headline quicker than any of us. You know how to use what you've got your advantage. That's pretty smart if you ask me."

Jack flushed with a small nod.

"Did someone say you weren't smart?" Davey murmured.

"Just me." Jack sighed, looking up at the late night sky, "Don't you have to be home a particular time?"

"Not tonight, Sarah and mama have an extra shift and papa's out with his friends, so nobody's home to let Les and I in until later."

"After midnight? Because the clock's about to strike here, Dave." Jack chuckled.

Davey panicked, "That means- in less than an hour- I'll be eighteen."

"That's right." Jack nodded.

There was heavy silence between them for several minutes until Jack grinned, "So, birthday boy-"

"It won't be my birthday for another half hour." Davey snorted.

"Alright then- almost birthday boy...what're your plans for tomorrow? Considerin' you's is going to be eighteen, it's an important date." Jack's eyes seemed to glimmer suspiciously.

"Probably have cake with my family." Davey said simply.

"That's it?" Jack chuckled.

"That's all we do for birthdays." Davey shrugged.

"No...special thing for eighteen?" Jack cocked an eyebrow, "Yous remember a few months ago when the fellas threw me a party for my eighteenth, I'm sure they'd do the same for you."

"That was because of- that was different." Davey gripped the wall awkwardly.

"Why's that?" Jack side-stepped closer to Davey so their arms touched accidentally, but neither pulled away.

"It was to support you- for- you- you know-" Davey pointed to his chest where there was currently only a light gray rectangle, as it had been since birth- and it would be until tomorrow.

"Dave, whatever you get is worth celebrating." Jack smiled kindly.

Davey flushed, "N-Not if it's normal."

Jack flinched and their arms were no longer touching, "Normal?"

"You know what I mean." Davey sighed.

"No. No, I don't think I do." Jack's eyes had narrowed into a slight glare.

Davey sighed, "I mean- if I like girls-"

"Then somehow that's more normal than if I don't?" Jack scoffed.

"That's not what I meant-" Davey pinched the bridge of his nose.

"No, but it's what you said." Jack's voice raised.

"Does this even matter!? I don't like guys, Jack! Some stupid flag isn't going to change that!" Davey snapped as he turned on Jack who's eyes went round, "I'm not like you!"

"I see how it is." Jack scoffed, taking a step back with the shake of his head.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Davey fought to keep his voice steady.

"You think- Christ, Dave! You just have no- no sense, do ya'?" Jack's blood boiled, "You don't like boys? Explain to me- explain to me why you'd- why you're always hangin' around me and-"

"We're friends-"

"You never leave my side, Dave! When my hand- when my hand touches yours, not once have you pulled away!" Jack put his hand up with emphasis.

"I-I want a good life and liking some s-stupid boy like you is not going to give me that!" Davey snapped.

Jack's expression went from angry to hurt, "Yous- you said I was smart, Dave-"

Davey immediately regretted what he'd said, "I-I didn't- I didn't mean to-"

"Stop- just- just stop, stop sayin' what you don't mean, Dave, just-" Jack turned away sharply to keep Davey from seeing the tears forming in his eyes, "Figure it out. And don't talk to me until yous do." He briskly made his way towards the door that led down back into the lodging house.

"Jack-" Davey took in a sharp breath before crumpling down against the wall, covering his face with his hands. What had he done? The one person that had actually begun to fit into Davey's life had now been brutally torn from it and it was his fault.

A small voice inside his head told Davey it was for the best. He didn't have to worry about the feelings that Jack Kelly had bestowed upon his chest.
His chest-

Davey's head snapped up.
It had to be at least midnight by now, right? It-
He hesitated as he reached for the collar of his shirt.

All these feelings.
These feelings of free-falling, heart-spinning moment that Jack gave him just by standing near him. They were going to go away now, they had to, once he looked down and saw that it had all been in his head that it had all-

He pulled his shirt down to see the gray rectangle was gone-
And it's place was-

"No-" Davey whispered, clutching his shirt tightly, "No- no, it can't-" His voice cracked.

A rainbow flag shone bright against his chest, glowing for a moment before settling in.

It was a numb spiral for the next few minutes, filled with pacing and pacing and finally Davey yelling and punching the wall beside him, splitting his knuckles as he crumbled to the ground in sobs.
He had to get home.
He had to fix this.
He has to change this-
And he would.

***

Les has been less than happy about leaving early, but didn't ask many more questions when he saw the pain in Davey's eyes, simply gave his brother's hand a squeeze as they neared their door. Sarah would know what to do. She had to.

Davey knocked harshly on the front door before his sister answered it.

"Davey, you- what happened to your hands?" Sarah gasped.

"I need your help." Davey whispered quietly.

***

Sarah looked at her brother in pity as he sat on the lid of their toilet, shaking violently with choked-back sobs.

"A-And you probably hate me now, but-" Davey sniffled.

"Davey, no, of course I don't- I know how you feel." Sarah bent down and rubbed Davey's shoulder comfortingly.

"How?" It came out harsher than Davey meant it to.

"Davey, I-" Sarah reaches for the collar of her shirt and lowered it just enough for the corner of a bi-sexual pride flag to show itself.

Davey's eyes widened, "B-But- I thought- I thought you told me- you said to us that it was black and white-"

"And, I was able to get away with it because no man polite enough is going to ask a woman to show her chest, even if it really is just the same as showing one's collarbone." Sarah smiled gently.

"B-But everyone's going to want to see mine- dad will, the newsies, the-"

"Why is it a bad thing?"

"You know the answer to that, it's the same reason you say you're straight." Davey covered his face with his hands, "My plan...my life.."

"Davey..." Sarah frowned.

"You at least have the potential to like the opposite gender! I don't!" Davey cried out quietly.

"Look, we- what if we hide it for a day?" Sarah suggested.

"How?" Davey's chest shook.

Sarah smiled and turned towards the cabinets of the bathroom sink, pulling out different containers before turning back to Davey, "Make-up."

"For how long?"

"Just for a day- any longer than that and there could be affects." Sarah frowned.

"Affects...?" Davey cocked an eyebrow.

"Well, I wouldn't know, I've only heard, but- say that you're...a homosexual and- you see a boy you particularly fancy...if you're trying to hide your sexuality when you see them- bad things happen."

"Bad things?"

"I'm not sure- but your body is essentially rejecting the sexuality you're trying to use as cover, in any way it can."

"Well- wh-what's the worse that could happen." Davey fretted as he lowered his collar, allowing Sarah to begin covering it up with a black and white flag.

"Don't say that. That phrase never ends well in books." Sarah chuckled.

"Well, lucky for us we're not in a book, are we?" Davey snorted as his sister simply shook her head, "Besides, I don't like anyone."

"Are you sure?" Sarah cocked an eyebrow.

Davey hesitated before nodding, "Positive."

***

Part 2 coming soon!
-Jay