Irhaboggle Pride (2019) Spectrum

Serenity

"Come on, Tempest! We're gonna be late!" Gale hopped from foot to foot anxiously, peering out the window. He wanted to leave now before every last parking spot in the city was taken.

"Relax," Tempest smiled as she pulled on her ace and trans flags. "We'll get there eventually. The parade doesn't even start for another few hours!"

"But! The traffic-"

"-will be terrible no matter when we leave or where we go, so we may as well go at our own pace."

"... I hate it when you're right."

"I know you do," Tempest kissed Gale's cheek and he couldn't help but smile.

"Love you, too, dear," he grumbled, kissing her back.

"Don't worry, we'll be fine," she smiled and patted his arm.

"I know, I know," Gale smiled and patted her hand right back.

Yes, he was excited to get to the Pride Fest. Yes, he was worried about driving conditions. But yes, Tempest was right. The traffic and parking were going to be nightmarish all day, so there was no logical reason to rush. So Gale forced himself to relax and tried not to pay too much attention to the clock on the wall, ticking and tocking relentlessly...

But a couple hours later, they were finally on the fair grounds. Just as expected, the trip over was a little rough, but nobody died, so that was a success in Gale's book! Although, one thing Gale had stupidly failed to take into consideration was the immense heat.

"I'm melting!" he gasped as he and Tempest made their way from the car to the parade's starting point.

"It's June 30th, what do you expect?" Tempest laughed, though she couldn't deny that she was also sweating bullets. That was the one downside to the trip over. Even though they did manage to find parking, it wasn't that close to the parade, so they still had a bit of walking to do.

But another half hour later, they finally reached their destination.

"Finally! We made it!" Gale raised his fists high in the air in triumph and relief.

"Only took us six wrong turns," Tempest chuckled.

"It's this stupid GPS' fault! Not mine!" Gale pouted, glaring at his phone. The stupid thing kept trying to take him all over the city, and even when he finally got it to focus on the place he actually wanted to go to, it still tried to take him in all of these crazy back routes!

"We need to get you a new phone," Tempest shook her head and sighed, but she was smiling.

"I'd be down with that," Gale snorted, but now that they were finally at the parade, his spirits were starting to lift.

Yes, there was a lot of noise and chaos, but that was to be expected at such a monumental event. It was like trying to herd cats. Thousands of wild, sweaty, sexy, sexual, crazy, gay cats. But there was something beautiful and infectious about all the wild, crazy, chaotic energy. It was fun!

"This place sure is beautiful!" Gale smiled, taking in a deep breath of warm summer air as he looked at all the many people running to and fro, decked out in all their gayest apparel. So many rainbows, flags, balloons and streamers! It was like a giant party! And he was ready to celebrate!

"Sure is!" Tempest agreed, looking just as awestruck and delighted as Gale. Everywhere she looked, there was something exciting to see! It was so cool! The joy in the atmosphere was so overpowering she was sure her face would split in half because of how hard she was smiling.

There were a few small clusters of protestors, but they were so few and far between that that almost served as another reason to celebrate.

"Let them preach. There's way more of us than there are of them!" Tempest snorted as she and Gale passed a few Bible Beaters. Some of them were doing it quite literally, Bibles in the air as they slapped their hands against them and continued to shout about how sinful everyone else was being. A few Pride-goers were willing to have some verbal battles with the protestors, but Tempest didn't even consider them worth the effort. No matter what they or their signs said, the love, laughter, music and magic of the parade would easily drown them out.

Then at last, the parade kicked off.

"Welcome, everybody, to the 50th annual National Pride Parade!" the announcer on the first float, which was just a simple stage decked in rainbows, waved to the massive crowd and they all roared and thundered their approval. "We hope everyone here has had a gay day so far, and if you haven't, well... it's about to get a WHOLE LOT GAYER!"

As the announcer finished the opening speech, the crowd went wild again, and then the parade began to move. Floats and performers danced and cavorted through every street. Music, confetti and balloons soared through the air as people cheered and applauded for miles.

"WOO! HECK YEAH! PRIDE!" Gale waved his bi flag furiously and reached out to see if he could get a high-five from any of the attendees.

While he looked over the moon to be there, just as bright, colorful and celebratory as the city itself, Tempest stood by his side with a quiet, content smile on her face. Although she knew the point of Pride was to be loud and proud, celebratory and strong, she preferred a tone of serenity rather than the wild hooting and hollering that Gale preferred. Neither of them was more right than the other, but while Gale continued to sing and shout and dance, Tempest only basked in her serenity.

To her, these events were more than just fun reunions between the queer community. They weren't even just symbols of pride either! These events were not done out of obligation, ritual or aesthetic. They were done out of remembrance, honor and reaffirmation. It was more than just going through the motions, it was a day set aside to symbolize survival, and growth in spite of it. This wasn't done out of blind faith to an old tradition, it was being able to celebrate the self. They weren't even just celebrating the unique and diverse genders and sexualities, they were celebrating the ability to identify as them, and to live a free, happy and open life regardless of identity.

It was about the serenity in knowing that one could have whatever label they desired (if they desired any at all), but their life would not be any worse because of that label, or lack thereof. It was a day for them. All of them! All of them who had ever helped build the queer legacy of the nation. Whether the people in question were dead or alive didn't matter. This was an honor bestowed upon every last attendee, and the joy in getting to celebrate themselves and each other was what really made it incredible.

It was a celebration that acted also as a monument, both to wins and losses. Started by people like Sylvia Rivera, Marsha P Johnson, and other city outcasts, a legacy was born. A riot sparked the flames that would fan across half a century. Now, even though the battle still raged on, this day could be set aside for serenity. For every loss, there was a win. They rose from the ashes once, they could do it again and again. Everyone's very presence at the parade was testimony to the community's strength and endurance, and that reassurance was what filled Tempest with the most serenity of all.

AN: Written in honor of the NYC 2019 pride parade I'm going to today, which is sure to be crowded as all get out. But I'm HYPED! Sorry the fic wasn't very serene though, LOL!