True Colors
Based on a prompt from Pinterest that read: "You have been completely colorblind your whole life and only see in shades of gray. You come across a stranger that appears in total color."
The black and white vision was the norm for Tyler. They always felt like they were a fish out of water. Their whole life they never understood seeing the beauty of their partner's eyes, a perfect sunny day, or a beautiful forest in bloom.
They figured they would never see colors. Doctors told them they had a rare color blindness and it wasn't something that could ever be fixed. They were forever "broken".
That all changed one day. Their partner suggested going to the Pride Parade as they were both out, but had never been. The idea upsetted Tyler. They knew the flags and people would be all colorful, something that they wouldn't be able to see.
"Let's just try." Their partner had said with a gentle and calming tone.
When they arrived, Tyler tried not to sulk while people tried to find a spot. Within a few moments, music arose from the speakers, and people started making their way down the block.
Tears started to form in their eyes as they saw a whole crowd of people walk by with their hands holding different pride flags and Tyler could finally see the only one that mattered: the non binary flag.
Tyler finally understood what a beautiful sunflower looked like as the yellow was bright on the flag. They knew what grapes and violets looked like because of the deep purple on the flag. And now, unknowingly, they also noticed the black and white stripe. They had been a part of the flag the whole time, welcomed, and just as important as the other colors they could not see.