The journey out to New York was a long one. Cecil and Carlos were going to stay with Carlos's parents for a week in his old childhood hometown. They were both so excited to be able to take a week off work and for Carlos to see his family again. Although, Carlos was even more excited when he was able to book their trip the week of June 24th.

"What on June 24th?" Cecil asked his boyfriend curiously.

"It's the week of the Pride Rally!" Carlos all but shouted exuberantly. At this, Cecil merely cocked his head to the side, looking confused.

"Pride is when LGBT couples and individuals get together to celebrate their love," he explained, but it did not help Cecil's confusion.

"LGBT?"

"People who love people of the same gender, multiple different genders, who identify as a different gender than they were born with," Carlos told him. "Which we are! And we should go to the rally to celebrate!"

"We are what?"

Carlos huffed and rolled his eyes, but the smile stayed on his face. "We are a gay couple, Ceec. Which is a way bigger deal outside of Night Vale."

"Why?"

Carlos hesitated for a moment before saying, "Some people just don't agree with it." He was uncomfortable at no telling Cecil the brutal honest truth about homophobic people, especially the ones that he encountered as a gay teen in New York. But he didn't want to worry his sweet and loving boyfriend because he would start to worry.

But it's 2016, Carlos thought to himself. The Stonewall Riots were almost fifty years ago. People have grown up since then. It will all be fine.

Carlos smiled at Cecil and Cecil smiled back. They were going to New York City for the Pride Parade.

The plane ride there was spent with Cecil asking so many questions about Carlos's childhood, family, and about New York in general. Overall, they were having a lot of fun and Cecil was glad to be learning so much about his boyfriend's life. That is, until he asked Carlos a question that had been bothering him ever since he learned about the Pride Rally.

"Carlos," Cecil began and Carlos leaned his ear towards Cecil's seat. "Do you remember a little while ago when you were telling me about how people didn't accept couples like us?"

"Yeah," Carlos said with a slight hint of nervousness in his voice.

"Why?" Cecil asked before he explained. "Why would people like certain types of couples more than other types of couples? Especially if they didn't even know them?"

Carlos looked at Cecil intently. He could tell that his boyfriend was upset over this, but he definitely did not want to upset him further. So he lied.

"It's nothing to worry about, Ceec," Carlos told him whilst grasping his hand over the rest. "People have gotten over it, really."

Cecil did not look satisfied, but he leaned his head against Carlos's shoulder quietly anyways. The remaining time of the flight was spent in silence.

The days spent at Carlos home were wonderful, but Cecil had to admit that he was most excited to see the Pride Parade in New York City. Carlos could not wait either and they both took the train into the city on the last day of their visit. They both said goodbye to Carlos's family and went on their way.

The trip was much shorter than the flight out to New York, which Carlos was grateful for. Even though it sounded mean, that meant that they wouldn't have any time for Cecil's inquiries into Pride. Carlos loved answering Cecil's questions about anything, anything at all, but he just couldn't bring himself to explain the homophobia that he and so many others had experienced as a precursor and result of the Pride Rally.

"Are you excited?" was the only thing that Cecil asked on the train, to which Carlos gave an enthusiastic head nod and kissed Cecil on the cheek.

After the short ride into the city, they stepped off at the train station and began walking through lower Manhattan, all the way through Tribeca and to the piers. There were so many people around wearing bright rainbow printed outfits and many couples were showing affection that Carlos only wished that he could have done when he was younger.

He held Cecil's hand tighter as the walked down a side street to keep away from the giant crowd as much as possible, but to still experience the pre-parade festivities. However, as the pair walked down the pavement, a group of people up ahead carrying signs and shouting at passersby came into view.

"What are they doing?" Cecil asked. "They don't sound too happy."

Carlos merely huffed and pulled Cecil along. He was livid. After years and years of the New York City Pride Rally, these religious protesters still had the absolute gall to come out and harass the people trying to celebrate their identities and their relationships with their partners. The effrontery of these people!

As they got nearer to the group, Carlos could hear what they had been shouting at the other Pride goers. Things like "You're all going to Hell" and "Get out of New York City, you faggots" could be heard even above the mirthful shouts of the rally.

Carlos's last straw was when one particularly young protester, maybe around Carlos's age, yelled quite awful profanity at him and his boyfriend as they were walking past.

"God will punish faggots like you in Hell!" he shouted.

Carlos stopped angrily, Cecil stopping beside him, and he yelled back, "Well, I guess I should enjoy life before that happens!" And Carlos spun around, kissing Cecil full on the mouth in front of the protesters.

Cecil was taken aback at first, but leaned into Carlos's surprise kiss. Except it only lasted a minute before he heard shouts and felt himself being pulled away from his boyfriend. Two of the protesters, he saw, had grabbed him by his arms pulling him backwards and throwing him to the ground. They proceeded to kick him anywhere they could—the back, stomach, a few times in the face. One protester lifted Cecil back up to his feet and punched him as hard as he could across the jaw, letting him collapse onto the ground.

Suddenly, in his haze of confusion, Cecil heard more shouts and many people running. These new shouts were indignant and some were threatening to call the police. The original shouts of the protesters were overwhelmed by the new ones and were eventually completely drowned out. Cecil still laid upon the pavement, taking in the pain of having just been beaten up, before he felt hands grabbing his arms and his face.

"Cecil?! Oh my god, Ceec. Please, please be okay. Just talk to me honey!" he heard from right above him. Slowly, Cecil opened his eyes to see Carlos kneeling over him with a worried expression. He had a split lip and his glasses looked to be slightly broken. There were red marks on his face that Cecil was certain would bruise soon. His hair was messed up and there were tears in his eyes that had not fallen down his cheeks yet.

"Are you okay, Carlos?" Cecil asked first and foremost. Carlos let out a breath that he had been holding a gave his boyfriend a small smile.

"Yeah, Ceec. I'm fine," he answered. "How about you?"

Cecil laughed breathily before croaking out, "Never better. But we should probably get some ice. And get off the pavement."

"Yeah, let's do that." Carlos and one of the people that had intervened in the fight helped Cecil to his feet. A few people offered to help the couple. Carlos accepted a ride to a nearby hospital, but he told the rest of them that they were going to be fine. He had to make sure that Cecil didn't have internal bleeding or a concussion or something.

While they were waiting for a doctor to examine them, Carlos's guilt was eating him inside out. How could I have been so stupid and reckless? Carlos thought as he looked at his boyfriend, who had leaned against Carlos's shoulder and closed his eyes.

Cecil suddenly groaned and moved his position slightly.

"Are you alright, Ceec?" Carlos asked worriedly.

"Yeah, it's just painful," he answered, opening his eyes to meet Carlos's.

After a moment's hesitation, Carlos said, "I'm so sorry. This is all my fault. I shouldn't have taunted them. And then you got hurt and I couldn't help you. But then some other people came and got them off of us. And I'm just so so sorry, Ceec, that you got hurt because of me."

"Carlos," Cecil soothed. "It's alright. I had no idea that they were going to do that either. It's nobody's fault. Well, except the people that attacked us. It's kinda their fault that they attacked us."

Carlos let out a chuckle. "Yeah, I guess it is. But I promise that I will never lose my control like that again. No more recklessness."

Cecil smiled shyly. "Well, if you wanted, you could lose your control like that really quickly right now."

After a second of thought, Carlos understood what Cecil was saying and leaned down to kiss him on the lips, which Cecil happily returned.

Imagine your OTP being of the same gender and going to pride, only to be greeted by religious protesters. They then proceed to make out in front of them.