Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

“Grian!” calls Pearl from downstairs, “Are you almost ready?”

Grian looks at himself in the mirror. Dirty blonde hair nicely brushed, white button up smoothed out, not a single wrinkle in sight, and his black dress pants and shoes kept perfectly clean.

Those were the standard for church service. According to his mom anyways.

“Yes, I’ll be down in a second,” Grian replies.

Black eyes glance at his red jumper laying on his bed. As his sister would call it his “signature jumper.” Unfortunately it was not acceptable to wear it to church. Turning away he walks down the stairs seeing his family waiting for him.

His mom is wearing her classic plain solid colored dress, past her knees of course, and heels, his dad looking similar to him, and Pearl. Pearl didn’t particularly like going to church which Grian thought was bizarre. She is simply wearing denim shorts and a plain white shirt, accompanied by a black hoodie.

He had heard his mom and her yelling earlier about how that wasn’t appropriate to wear.

Grian had sided with his mom.

“Finally his highness is ready,” Pearl says sarcastically.

Grian simply rolls his eyes.

—

Walking into church with his parents on each side, Grian greets all his family friends and neighbors. Everyone in the church knew everyone. And everyone knew what was happening behind others' closed doors. Everyone knew Pearl resented coming to church and only came to make her parents happy.

Pearl looks around at the church they have been coming to since they were little kids. The same stained glass window, the same small entrance, the same smell, and, not to Pearl’s surprise, the same judging eyes watching her as she enters.

Her blue eyes avoid the daggered looks being thrown in her direction, shoving her hands into her pockets as she follows her family into the nave.

Her family sits down in the same seats they’ve sat in for years and direct their eyes to the pulpit. The priest comes out and the service starts.

Pearl had never really paid much attention during service but something the priest says lingers in her ears.

“...the sin of homosexuality,” the priest had said, “the dangerous people that have been affected by this illness...”

She freezes. What. Pearl had known many people who had identified as homosexual and they weren’t dangerous. She turns to Grian who is laser focused in. Absorbing all the ridiculous lies this man was telling them. Pearl grits her teeth. With clenched fits she stands up abruptly and leaves the nave, and leaves the church.

The long haired brunette sits on the sidewalk outside the church, head in hands. She couldn’t stand this church, the priest. She didn’t understand why her family couldn’t see through the false information being told to them.

Minutes later Pearl hears footsteps. She has an idea of who it was. Probably her parents coming out to scold her for the “scene” she had just caused. With a cold expression she looks up and her gaze falls on a ginger haired girl, leaning against the entrance way to the church.

Peal’s expression softens as blue eyes meet green.

Two braids on each side of her head accompanied by space buns, a pair of overalls and a green jumper. Pearl had seen the girl many times at service. She and her family sat a few rows in front of them. They had only started coming here a few years ago.

“I assume you’re also tired of the priest,” The girl says simply.

Pearl scoffs. “Yeah, something like that. I mean seriously why can’t people put on some glasses and see all these insane things he’s telling them. It isn’t logistical. None of it! These people are being manipulated!!”

The girl laughs. “At least someone else realises it too.”

She extends her hand towards Pearl, “I’m Gem. I’ve seen you around quite a bit. Pearl, right?”

Pearl smiles and extends her hand as well, meeting Gem’s, “That’s me.”

Gem helps pull Pearl up and the two stand outside the church talking about their opinions of the church and the people attending, eventually they start talking about their personal lives.

Before Pearl knows it, service ends and sees everyone leaving, not without of course giving the two girls mean looks.

“Well I should go find my family, I just know they are going to have some pleasant words for me,” Gem says, arms crossed over her chest.

Pearl lets out a small laugh, “Mine too. See you later, Gem.”

Gem waves as she heads into the church. Just as she walks in, Pearl can see her family coming out, furrowed brows on all their faces. Even Grian.

“Pearl! What was that! Getting up in the middle of service and storming out like that? You are so dramatic,” her mom exclaims, arms waving around wildly.

Pearl simply shrugs and walks towards the car. Having that conversation with Gem had really given her time to calm down, or else she would have exploded at her mom.

—

At home, Grian goes immediately to his room, locking the door behind him.

How could Pearl embarrass them like that? In front of the whole church. He couldn’t believe his sister. He knew she didn’t like church but she could at least act like she did.

Moments later he hears someone knocking on his door, then hears Pearl’s voice.

“Grian?”

“Go away, Pearl!” he angrily replies.

“Grian.. come on. Open the door,” his sister says, sadness lingering in her tone.

Grian reluctantly gets up and opens the door. “What could you possibly have to say to me?”

Pearl winces at his harsh tone of voice, as if he’d just slapped her.

“I’m sorry,” the brunette says. “I know how much of a scene I caused, I just..” She paused, considering her next choice of words.

“You know I don’t enjoy going to church. Everyone stares at me like I’m some.. alien or something. It’s frustrating. I hate how everyone knows our personal life.”

Grian can see where she's coming from. Everyone thought of Pearl as a sinner the first few times she had skipped and then when she did show up, she wasn’t dressed in exactly “church attire.”

Grian sighs. “I accepted your apology. I get it. I don’t like how everyone looks at you like you’re going to hurt them.”

Pearl smiles and reaches over to hug her brother. Grian hugs her back.

—

After meeting Gem, Pearl had realized that this was the first time in years that she was actually excited to attend church the next week, willingly at that.

Chapter Text

Scar didn’t understand religion. He also didn’t understand why the one boy he happened to fall in love with was a very strict believer in God.

Now, Scar was very open with the fact that he was gay and didn’t try to hide the fact that he liked boys. Obviously because of this, word of him being gay spread around the school like wildfire. It eventually reached the ears of Grian.

Scar’s first interaction with Grian wasn’t really the best. It happened at school, before the first bell.

The second dark green eyes met black, Scar knew he was in love, so he tried talking to the boy.

Grian saw Scar approaching and was immediately on guard, clutching his books to his chest like Scar was going to rip them out of his arms.

“Hi,” Scar greeted, smiling and reaching out his arm, “I’m Scar.”

Grian backed up and replied, “Yeah.. I know who you are and I don’t associate with your kind of people.”

Scar tilted his head, confused, and lowered his arm, “My kind of people?”

Grian turned away and replied, “You’re a homosexual. It’s a sin to be one, therefore I don’t associate with them.” With that final statement he walked away, leaving Scar shocked.

Scar’s grip on his cane tightened and he began to head to class.

He had expected something else to come out of Grian’s mouth so when he heard the insult being thrown at him, hiding behind the religious excuse, it made Scar not understand religion even more.

—

Scar brushes his brunette hair out of his face as he heads into school. A big building with multiple floors. A horizontal concrete sign out front that had the school’s name engraved on it and a path that was split in two, wrapping around the sign, leading to the entrance.

As he enters the building he is greeted by his best friend, Cub.

“Look who decided to leave the house today,” Scar says jokingly.

“Yeah, yeah I know my attendance is horrendous but my parents forced me to come because of the school threatening to send a truancy officer to my house. I mean seriously, can they at least be somewhat sensible?” complains Cub.

“Not with how many times you’ve been absent,” replies the brunette.

Cub lightly punches Scar in the arm, making Scar laugh.

The two head to class, side by side, and go to their unassigned assigned seats.

Cub was studying engineering so he and Scar didn’t have many classes together but the classes they did have together were great.

As the two sit down next to their friends, Mumbo and Jimmy, Mumbo turns to Scar to fill him in on the two’s current conversation.

“Have you heard about what happened to Grian?” questions Mumbo.

“Grian? You mean goody two shoes, ‘I love God’ Grian? What could he possibly have done that’s so interesting?” Scar scoffs.

Mumbo frowns and says, “Word is going around that he got punched by some girl for spewing some religious crap at her. I guess she also attends the same church as him. Crazy, right?”

Scar’s eyes widened. Somehow that didn’t make any sense to him. If Grian and her go to the same church, they should have the same views. Shouldn’t they?

“Do you know who the girl is?” Scar asks.

Just as Mumbo is about to tell him, the door opens and in walks a ginger haired girl.

Mumbo turns to Scar and simply says, “Her.”

Scar turns to look at the door and to see who he is talking about. The girl in question has her hands gripped tightly on her bag, a stern look on her face. As she goes to sit down Scar notices something, red marks on her right fist.

Scar turns back to Mumbo, “No way that’s who punched Grian.”

Mumbo has a slight grin on his face, “That’s her, mate.”

—

Grian never expected to be sitting outside the principal’s office with a black eye first thing on a Monday morning. Today combined with the events of yesterday’s church service, his week was not off to a great start.

Grian continues to press the ice pack Pearl had given him before she left for class to the bruised eye. The event that had happened previously playing through his head.

Gem had walked into school with Pearl at her side.

Pearl was walking with Grian when she recognized Gem and called her over, the two talked outside before going inside. Grian continued to walk ahead of them.

As he was getting things out of his locker he saw the two heading to class, noticing they were standing pretty close to each other, laughing. He remembers the previous services he had attended at church and what the priest had said about signs of homosexuality.

Pearl rarely attended those church services before yesterday so she didn’t know what was talked about.

Grian walked up to them and informed them, “If you two continue to stand so closely together like that then people might start to think you’re homosexuals.”

Gem stopped dead in her tracks and turned to Grian with furrowed brows.

“So what if they did? Why is that such a big deal, huh?”

Pearl tried to interject, “Gem-”

Grian cut his sister off, “What do you mean ‘so what?’ Being a homosexual is a sin and you should know that, seeing as how you go to church. Unless..” Grian paused.

“Are you a sinner?” He finally questioned.

Pearl could see the anger building up in Gem and tried to stop her but it was too late.

A closed fist met Grian’s face causing him to fall backwards, dropping all of his books. Pearl rushed to her brother’s side and looked up at Gem, wide eyes on the ginger’s face. Pearl understood why Gem got so upset but she didn’t want her to take that frustration out on her brother.

Unfortunately, for Gem a teacher saw her punch Grian and escorted her to the principal’s office with Pearl and her brother behind them.

—

Grian watches as Gem walks out of the office, the same teacher who saw her punch him beside her.

“Grian, you are free to go to class,” said the teacher.

Grian grabbed his bag and left, hearing Gem get scolded.

“Gem, you may also head to class since this is only a first offense situation but, if you do ever do this again…” is all he hears as he leaves.

He didn’t really understand. She attended the same church as him, heard what the priest had said and yet she still punched him.

For the first time ever, Grian doubted his beliefs.

Chapter Text

Grian’s eye was throbbing.

The ice pack he had been given was practically melted now so it was not helping at easing the pain. Regret began to bubble up inside him. He had accused Gem, someone who actively attends church, of being a sinner.

He admitted he may have deserved being punched in the face because of how rude he had been to her but he wouldn’t admit that to anyone, except himself, for now.

He continues walking to his next class, holding the melted ice pack to his face.

He walks into class and sits down in the front of the class as usual. As he sits down he feels a tap on his shoulder. Grian spins around and is met with the face of Scar, a brunette with dark green eyes, someone he had been rude to earlier on in the school year.

Scar’s eyes widen as he looks at Grian’s black eye, “Holy shit she really did punch you, huh?”

Grian sighs, “How does information spread so quickly around this big of a school?”

“I wish I also knew the answer to that question,” Scar laughs before continuing, “Are you alright? That looks like it really hurts.”

Scar leans in to get a closer look at the blonde's blackened eye. Grian leans back a bit, “Yeah, I’m fine I guess. Doesn’t help that this ice pack is fully melted now.”

Scar leans back and is silent for a moment before saying, “I could- I could walk you to the nurse between classes to get a new ice pack if you would like.”

Grian pauses, thinking. Scar was a homosexual and very open about it, at that. Was this his way of trying to flirt with him?

The blonde inhales before replying, “Sure. Having a melted ice pack doesn’t help me any.” Which was true. He hadn’t thought about going to get a new one until Scar brought it up.

Scar grins and the teacher finally walks in.

—

Scar was pretty nervous about offering to accompany Grian to the nurse’s office. I mean Grian had called him a “sinner” to his face so he really expected him to say no. Honestly he didn’t even expect Grian to talk to him, let alone have a full on conversation with him.

Maybe that punch to the face knocked something loose in his head.

Nevertheless, here he was, walking Grian to the nurse, side by side.

Grian is silent most of the time until, “If you don’t mind me asking, why do you use a cane?”

“Well, to put it simply, my legs don’t work the way they’re supposed to,” replies Scar.

“Hm,” is all Grian says back.

Scar continues, knowing that isn’t the best way to put it, “I have something that makes my muscles weaker than the average person’s, so having a cane helps me get around easier without putting too much pressure on my legs.”

“Oh,” replies Grian. “Well I guess that’s good. That you have the cane to help, I mean. Sorry I don’t really know what to say.”

Scar laughs, “That’s ok, that is honestly most people’s response when I explain it to them.”

They reach the nurse and Scar hands her the old ice pack gesturing to Grian’s black eye. The nurse gets them a new one and the two head off to class.

“Well I suppose this is where we part ways. I have class on the other side of the school so I’ll see you around,” Scar says.

Grian turns to Scar with furrowed brows, “On the other side of the school? You have to go all that way?” He’s looking at the cane in Scar’s hand while he says this.

“Yep! Not the most fun of walks but I’ll live,” Scar says with a smile.

Grian frowns, “You’d think this school would make at least some sort of accommodation for you.”

“Yeah you’d think,” replies Scar. “I should really get going now. I’ll see you around.”

—

Grian was confused. His priest had said that homosexuals were dangerous but Scar wasn’t dangerous at all. I mean he walked Grian to the nurse’s office knowing he had to go the complete opposite way to his next class.

Even though Grian had been, admittedly, an asshole to him, he still helped him. He thought about someone else’s needs before his own.

Was the priest a liar?

Why would the priest lie?

Coming to this realization panicked Grian. Had everything he’d been taught been a lie? Surely not.

As Grian gets home after school, his parents immediately rush to meet him at the door.

“Oh my goodness! Grian we got the call from the school saying that girl Gem from the church had punched you!” his mother exclaims.

“Yeah she did, but I’m fine,” Grian replies simply. Had his parents known the priest was lying to them?

“It’s not fine! I called the church immediately to report the situation and they kicked Gem and her family out of the church,” she said proudly.

Grian looked at his mother, shocked.

“What? No, it was my fault Gem punched me. I was being awful towards her,” he hurriedly explains.

“I don’t believe that for a second. It was obviously her fault,” his mother replies.

Grian pushes past his parents, “Whatever.”

He goes upstairs and immediately goes to Pearl’s room.

He opens the door without knocking and starts questioning his sister, “Did you know?”

Pearl, confused, replies, “Did I know.. what? I’m going to need a little more than just that.”

Grian closes the door behind him as he steps into the room, “Did you know the priest has been lying to us? To everyone?”

Pearl shoots up to a sitting position on her bed and asks, “What are you talking about?”

“I talked with Scar today.” Pearl’s eyes widened. “Everyone knows he’s a homosexual but he isn’t dangerous like the church has been telling us. He uses a cane for fucks sake! Yet, despite that, he walked me to the nurse today when I was incredibly rude to him earlier this school year.”

Pearl’s starts to smile a bit as Grian continues while pacing Pearl’s room, “He had a class on the complete other side of school but took the time to make sure I got a fresh, non-melted, ice pack. That doesn’t quite fit the ‘dangerous’ criteria, don’t you think.”

“Yeah, it definitely doesn’t,” replies his sister.

“So, tell me, did you know?” Grian finally asks once he’s finished with his semi-rant.

Pearl sighs and replies, “Yes. I did know. I didn’t tell you because I thought you wouldn’t believe me.”

Grian stops his pacing and looks at his sister.

She’s right. He probably wouldn’t have believed her. He’s been so caught up in all the lies to see the truth behind them all. However there was still that tiny voice inside him that was telling him it wasn’t a lie. That everything he had been taught was true.

He shoves that tiny voice into the back of his head for a second as he hugs Pearl.

“I’m sorry,” is all he says.

He has a few other people he needs to say that to. Scar and Gem being two of them.