Prompt: Parade @kingdonmicrofic | 500 words | Rated G | 18/31 | Genderbend/Lesbian Kingdon
Mel has never been to a pride parade. Trinity’s invited her before, but Mel felt strange about it, felt like she would stick out like a sore thumb, like it wasn’t her place to attend. But after realizing the twisty feelings in her gut whenever she talked to a pretty girl was in fact attraction and not social anxiety, Trinity wouldn’t take no for an answer.
So—newly bisexual at twenty-eight—Mel finds herself dehydrated and exhausted and utterly seen. Her heart is full, her ears are ringing, and honestly, she feels a little dizzy from the heat and the commotion, but, oh dear—
When Mel wakes up, a woman is kneeling over her.
“Here comes trouble,” the woman says. “You okay?”
“What happened?” Mel groans.
“You passed out, sweetheart,” she says, putting a hand on the back of Mel’s head and pressing a water bottle to her lips. “Drink.”
Mel can’t help but obey. “Thank you,” she says after she finishes, sitting up.
“No worries,” the woman says, standing up and holding out her hand, which Mel takes gratefully.
The first thing she notices when she’s finally upright is that her savior is very tall. Very tall and very gorgeous. Her dark hair is cut short in an effortlessly fashionable way, and honestly, everything about her feels effortlessly fashionable—her jean shorts, her tattoos, her crossbody bag she’s rifling through—
“Here,” the woman says, handing her a granola bar.
Mel accepts it, and doesn’t even have time to say thank you before the woman winks and walks away, throwing a “Take care of yourself, sweetheart,” over her shoulder.
Mel looks at Trinity, stunned. “What just happened?”
Trinity regales her with the tale on the way to a nearby bar. Apparently Mel passed out and this woman caught her as she fell—“like it was a movie or something, I swear to god it happened in slow motion.”
“That was…very hot,” Mel says eventually, sipping on her club soda.
“Babe, the fact that you didn’t pass out again after she held your head and made you drink was insane. Stronger than me.”
“I didn’t even get her name,” Mel complains. God, she was just awestruck, she hadn’t said anything had she? She needs to get better at talking to women, at flirting—
“Hey trouble.”
Mel turns to see her savior making her way through the bar.
“You feelin’ better?” the woman asks, sitting down next to Mel.
“I am, thank you,” Mel says, ignoring Trinity’s giggles.
“You gotta do a better job of taking care of yourself, sweetheart.”
“I thought I was, but—” Mel loses track of what she’s saying as the woman winks at the bartender, grabs a cherry from behind the bar and pops it in her mouth, fiddling with the stem. “Apparently not.”
“First pride?”
Mel laughs. “That obvious?”
“Maybe, but it’s cute.”
“I’m Mel,” she says, blushing.
The woman lets the cherry stem drop from her fingers and extends a hand.
“I’m Frankie.”
