Oooooh PRIDE PARADE!! :)

Again, I've never been to a pride parade before, I've never been to Milan; therefore I have never been to Milano Pride; I think this is a legit triple threat haha; we'll just see how this goes.

Also ... in a previous chapter ... there was some subtle foreshadowing for characters that will be seen in this chapter ... I love this crossover ...

I love this chapter.

Enjoy! :)

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Antonio and Sean spend more time exploring Tuscany and Milan the next two days.

There are many hotels here that are gay-friendly, and are hosting a lot of people coming here for Pride Week and the parade. Sean and Antonio are staying in one of these hotels.

Finally, it's July 2nd: the day of the Milano Pride parade.

Today.

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Today is one of those days where Antonio's mind wakes him up a tad bit earlier than he was planning.

He's fine with it, though. More thinking time for him.

And more time to stare at Sean's face, his beautiful peaceful face, while Sean still gets time to sleep.

Technically, they don't have to wake up that early: the parade itself doesn't start until 15:00 anyway.

Antonio is so glad he has Sean here with him. He had been planning on coming here alone. He also had been planning on going to that concert alone--grazie al cielo that he was able to get a ticket for Sean in such short notice. But he didn't do either of those alone. And he's grateful for that. He's grateful that he's had Sean by his side this week. He doesn't know what he would have done without him.

Sean's going to leave soon.

Antonio stiffens. I know.

He's going to forget about you.

He sighs interally. I know.

But, he reasons with himself, I have this moment, here and now. And I will do my best to enjoy this moment.

Carpe diem.

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A few hours later, they're out of the hotel room and out on the streets, just passing time. By noon they find a place to have lunch.

"A lot of the people here are from the hotel we're staying at, and the other hotels close by," Antonio explains. He gestures around. There are a lot of couples. All look so happy. "And everyone feels safe for once. It's great."

"Do you come to Milano Pride often?" Sean asks. "You just seem to know a lot about this."

"I've come here over the years. Oh, and the thing is, it wasn't called Milano Pride until, like, 2013. I mean, the parade existed before then, but they would just use a different name. Now it's one of the biggest pride events in Italy."

"That's awesome."

"Yeah, Italy needs it." He leans back. "So. Any good pride parades in Brooklyn?"

"I went to one in early June," Sean responds. "It's called the ChamberQUEER Pride Festival. It's a lot of fun, it's where they mix centuries of music together, and highlights underrepresented queer figures in classical music, and it does a whole lot of other things."

"That does sound really fun." Antonio pauses and grins. "Maybe that's what we should do next year."

"Yeah!" is that a small bit of blush Antonio sees accompanying Sean's amazing bright smile? Sean's eyes flash. "We do that in Brooklyn early June, then late June/early July enjoy Pride Week and Milano Pride in Italy."

Antonio glows. "I like your thinking." 'Like' may be an understatement, but you don't need to know that.

Just the thought that Sean may want to be friends with him in a year gets him excited.

An elderly gay couple sit down at the table next to Sean and Antonio. Antonio stares at them a little, sure he's seen them from somewhere before.

That's when he gets it: he saw them when he and Sean were stargazing in Tuscany. They look just as sweet as ever.

One of them is wearing the most amazing rainbow shirt Antonio has ever seen and he's not entirely sure if he has the ability to not say something about it.

"Mi piace la Sua camicia," Antonio blurts out to the one closer to him, the one in the rainbow shirt.

They both smile at him. The one with the rainbow shirt winks. "Grazie. Sei qui per la sfilata?"

"Sì."  Antonio answers.

Rainbow shirt's lover gestures at Sean. "Lui è il tuo ragazzo?"

It takes a moment for the question to sink in.

"No, no," Antonio answers quickly. "lui è ... solo un amico."

Oh yeah. That sounds TOTALLY believable.

Rainbow shirt arches an eyebrow. His lover just grins. Antonio's face warms up.

"Noi possiamo parlare inglese?"

Everyone turns around to face Sean.

Sean's face heats up. "I mean, I can understand every other word ... but I don't know enough to participate in the conversation."

"We can speak English," Rainbow Shirt says smoothly in accented English. "I'm Alberto." 

"I'm Luca!" his lover adds.

"I'm Antonio," Antonio introduces himself.

"I'm Sean."

"Ah, the just a friend," Alberto's eyes flash.

Luca slaps Alberto's arm. "Alberto!"

"Y-yeah," Sean says, obviously trying not to seem that embarrassed. But he has a small blush, which Antonio finds kinda cute, but that's not necessarily either here or now.

"It's kinda complicated," Antonio cuts in.

"Isn't it always?"

Luca just rolls his eyes at Alberto and flashes Antonio an encouraging smile.

Antonio doesn't even know how to explain how they met. "We just met, like, earlier this week, and I was kinda just performing songs in the street--you know how it is--and..." he trails off.

"Why'd you stop?" Alberto asks after a beat. "I want the whole sappy story."

"It's okay," Luca cuts in. "I don't believe it matters just how it met. You both look really happy now."

Antonio and Sean both are warmed by that observation.

Luca and Alberto exchange glances. There's some connection going on there that Antonio can't even begin to understand, a connection that only true couples seem to share. Then they face Antonio and Sean again.

"We met in the '50's," Alberto starts, putting a hand on Luca's. "In the summertime."

"We were kids," Luca adds. "We spent the whole summer together, dreaming of traveling the world together."

"On a vespa!"

"Yes, amore. On a vespa."

That sounds really, really adorable.

"I had a crush on him immediately," Luca tells Antonio and Sean with a smile.

"I think I fell for you first," Alberto says, mischievous smile.

"No you didn't."

"Yes I did."

"No."

"Sì."

"No-"

"We met because I was captivated by him singing," Sean blurts out, getting the bickering old married couple to stop bickering lovingly for a moment. "I knew the song he was singing, but it was a duet, and he was singing it by himself..."

"So he goes and surprises me by singing the other part of the duet," Antonio picks up where Sean trailed off. "It sounded great, and then we got food together after, talked a lot, and he's never been to Italy, so I've been showing him around, and we've been traveling together."

Saying it out loud makes Antonio realize just how not normal this is. By chance meeting a random stranger. Getting along really well. Touring the city--and then the country--together. And then spending nearly all their time together. And ... growing closer as they do so.

Antonio doesn't blame Alberto and Luca for giving them knowing looks. It still doesn't stop his face from (probably) turning a notable shade of red.

"L'estate è per i giovani," Luca says. 

"Just like it was for us," Alberto murmurs close to Luca's ear.

Luca giggles and looks up at Alberto, smiling. They brush noses. Anyone can tell that they're in love.

"Will we see you at the parade later?" Antonio asks hopefully.

"Sì," Alberto says. He gestures around to everyone nearby. "And probably everyone here too." He turns back to Antonio. "Everyone here is just like us. Noi siamo una comunità."

We are a community.

Antonio truly has nothing more to say to that.

"Noi siamo una piccola comunità," Luca murmurs. "With many hardships behind us and ahead of us."

"But it's getting better," Alberto tells him lovingly. "And we have questi ragazzi here, and more like them, and loro cambieranno il mondo."

Antonio smiles, glowing inside. There's just something special about being complemented by older people. People like him. People saying that he's going to be one of the ones who will change the world.

He wants to. He wants to be one of the ones who helps change the world.

He looks at Luca and Alberto, who are so in love. He looks at Sean. He smiles.

For them, he'll gladly make the world a better place a thousand times over.

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If you asked Sean the time, he'd tell you 3:00 pm. If you asked Antonio, he would probably say 15:00. Both are correct. 

"Insomma, è ora di iniziare," Antonio murmurs, mainly for himself. Carpe diem.

They head out into Pride Square--places like Lazzaretto, Lecco, Castaldi, Bellintani that have been converted into a place for the Pride Parade--just like everyone else is.

And this is part of what they see:

This is one of the most amazing sights either of them will either see. 

So much rainbow, so many smiles, so much defiance in their eyes, so much determination with their pride flags raised high above their heads, so much love.

Antonio has never felt more safe in his life.

He and Sean had gotten their own pride flags and rainbow merchandise earlier, so they fit right in.

Antonio feels the connection.

It's just like Alberto said: siamo una comunità.

And Luca is right too when he calls their community piccola, but it doesn't mean that they are small and meaningless.

Every single person here has a voice, a purpose, a reason for being here, a reason to celebrate and fight for who they are.

Antonio loves it so much.

That's when he spots more street vendors. 

He grabs Sean's hand excitedly. "Look!"

"Don't we already have enough rainbow?" Sean asks, looking at all the rainbow on display.

"Oh, one can never have too much rainbow," Antonio declares.

"You know? I agree."

Antonio grins. "That's all I need." He drags Sean to the vendor. "There's also water here. We're gonna need that."

"True."

One vendor is selling giant pride flags--pride flags that other people in the streets are raising high above their heads with both hands, others wearing them like a cape.

Antonio gets two of those, plus two bottles of water. They're going to need water if they're going to be at this for the rest of the afternoon.

"You're right, that was worth it," Sean says in Antonio's ear as they get back on the streets, now armed with their pride flags.

Antonio grins. "Right?!"

They look around. There are flags, signs, rainbows, and people everywhere.

That's when he sees Luca and Alberto close by.

"HEY!" Antonio shouts to them, waving the flag. "SIAMO QUI!"

They turn, and wave back.

"SIAMO UNA COMUNITÀ!" Alberto shouts, one hand raised to the side of his mouth as he calls out, other hand a fist in the air.

Antonio gets goosebumps from the power of this moment.

He looks around him, at everything.

He sees people hugging and kissing. People who would never dare do that outside of closed doors, except for when they're here. People who hold on to each other like they're scared of letting go, because in a world like this all anyone can do is find the people like you and people you care for, and hold on to each other and get through this together.

He feels the power of it all.

And he knows that this parade isn't just the only thing going on.

He knows how many events are going on here.

He knows that there will be panels, discussions, people talking about their rights, their struggles, their perserverance through it all.

And he has Sean by his side.

And they are going to see it all.

And in the end, love wins.

In the end, these are the people who are going to change the world and make it a better place for everyone.

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Oh my gosh, I loved that so much.

I was scared of writing too much, about things I didn't know about, but it turned out okay (I think). I wrote about things I did know about--the power of meeting someone like you, of being surrounded by people like you, and feeling the power of it all.

This chapter didn't go everywhere I thought I would, but I loved it nonetheless.

Also, I don't regret the Luca crossover.

All rights to Luca and Alberto go to Disney by the way--Disney, which has Luca, Newsies, and pretty much everything else at this point haha.

I just ... really wanted Luberto and Sprace to meet, you know? And I mean, it kinda checks out. Luca and Alberto were kids/early teens in the 1950's, and lived in Italy, and were definitely gay, and I just love the headcanon of them going to modern pride parades when they're older and still so much in love and I just had to contribute to the idea.

What did you think of Luberto and Sprace meeting?

Also, I know I do this a lot, but I just really like the idea of Race/Antonio being the one who people know is going to change the world. Yes, I know this theme appears in pretty much every story I write, but I can't help it. And the thing is, the real Racetrack Higgins was described as someone who was "a natural born leader of boys, and may one day be of men" and I guess I'm just trying to do him proper justice and give him the recognition he deserves.

I want to go to a pride parade. I literally don't care where. My home state, somewhere in the country, Canada, Iceland, Italy, anywhere. Maybe this year.

Also, if I went to Milano Pride, I hope I would see something as glorious as this:

Have any of you been to a pride parade?

I hope I did Milano Pride justice.

I, for one, really loved this chapter.

Please, no homophobia, profanities, hate etc in the comment section.

Best,

~Your Beloved Author (who wrote this chapter surrounded by all their pride flags, books, and other things that they love)