Chapter Text
It was a sunny day outside. Too bad Lovino was stuck in the church, waiting for the new arrival to actually arrive. Lovino had been stuck in the same class for two whole years, so naturally he was stuck with all the dirty work, like showing the new arrivals around. Lovino unconsciously began tapping his fingers on a nearby pew, an old habit that he never quite got rid of.
"Stop that, boy!"
Lovino jumped at the old man's gruff voice. He was one of the many priests who hated Lovino. They all said he wasn't fit for God's love.
"S-sorry, sir..."
The taller man glared down at Lovino before speaking again.
"...You're a waste of God's time, you shit."
The man said in a stern voice. He hit Lovino with his cane before walking to open the big wooden doors in front of the two of them. As the doors opened, a white-haired man walked in. He was wearing the traditional clothes of the Evergarden: a white cloak and shorts that lingered above his knees. It was the same thing Lovino was wearing, but somehow he made it look... good...?
Lovino froze as he admired the young man who had just walked in, a small smile growing on the boys face as he ran up to lovino and stuck out his hand for a handshake. Lovino shakily reached out his own hand when he felt a hard smack on his back.
"HEYYY!"
"Both of you! No yelling in the church! I will NOT let this slide!"
"... s-sorry, sir."
The old man dismissed the white-haired man's apology and faced Lovino.
"Show Gilbert around, and teach him NOT to yell in the church. When you're done, cleanse him."
"Y-yes, sir..." said the white haired man trough his giggles
Lovino grabbed Gilbert's hand and pulled him away, trying his best to escape the old man's reprimands. Once they were out of earshot, Lovino took a deep breath, trying his best to keep his calm.
"Welcome to the Church of Evergarden. This will be your new home until god deems you worthy, so make yourself welcome!"
As soon as Lovino finished talking, gilbert smilled, even though it didnt quite reach his ears.
"We offer church services and housing too!"
Gilbert's mood suddenly, from what felt energetic and happy now felt quiter and smaller than before. lovino shook the thougth from his mind and kept talking
"let's show you around"
Lovino let go of Gilbert's hand and started walking around the property. Most of the outside was grass a some scattered trees. The next place they visited was the living quarters.
"This is where you'll be staying while you're here."
Lovino gestured toward the hallway, littered with the Bible's quotes.
"Do I get to choose what room I stay in?" Gilbert asked in a exited voice.
"Yeah. If you want, you can even have a roommate."
Lovino's voice was flat. He had completely dropped the cheerful act.
Gilbert turned to face him, a gentle look on his face. He made eye contact with Lovino and slowly leaned in, stopping only half a foot away. a loud silence filled the room as gilbert examined lovinos face.
Saying lovino was annoyyed by gilberts sudden mood swings would be a understatement
"...I-I think it's time for dinner. Let's get you cleansed..."
Lovino's words came out much more rushed than he intended.
"Follow me."
He turned around and began walking back down the hall, muttering prayers under his breath. Gilbert stood there for a moment before following behind him.
It was late when they arrived at the cleansing house, which was really just a glorified washroom about half a mile from the church and the living quarters. By the time they got there, they were both sweaty and worn out.
"...Okay, I'm going to cleanse you now, so could you please strip down to your underwear?"
This wasn't the first time Lovino had cleansed someone, but it was still something he would never get used to.
"Okay..."
Gilbert slowly began taking off his clothes, revealing a plethora of scars all over his body.
Lovino stood awkwardly in front of him until he was finished. Then he led Gilbert over to the fountain waiting in the middle of the room. Above it was a hole in the roof that the priests called "the Gateway to Heaven." Apparently, if you used the water that had been blessed by the light of God, you would be considered cleansed.
"I'm gonna start now, okay...?"
Gilbert nodded.
Lovino began the process. For the most part, he simply rubbed the fountain water over Gilbert's body while quietly chanting prayers.
When Lovino was done, he took a step back. Gilbert did the same after a moment of hesitation.
"A-are you done...?" Gilbert asked.
"Yep. You can put your clothes back on now."
Lovino bent down and gathered Gilbert's clothes from the floor before handing them back.
"I'll be waiting outside."
As soon as Gilbert took them, Lovino turned around and left.
After a few minutes, Gilbert stepped outside.
"Wow... it looks pretty late. Are we gonna make it in time?"
"If we hurry, we can make it before curfew. If not..."
Lovino thought back to the last time he had been late for curfew. It was something he would rather not remember.
"...Let's just hurry, okay?"
"C'mon then!"
Gilbert's face lit up in an instant as he grabbed Lovino's hand and began sprinting in a random direction.
"H-Hey! Where are you even going?!" lovino yelled as the fammilar feeling of annoyace creeped up his neck
"To the church, duh!" Gilbert yelled over his shoulder as if it were obvious.
"Well, you're going the wrong way!"
"Trust me!" Gilbert laughed. "I'll get you to the church in time!"
Gilbert kept pulling Lovino forward. Unfortunately, he was heading toward the old abandoned building on the back of the property.
"That's the wrong building!" Lovino shouted desperately. "That's not the church! We can't go there!"
"Are you sure? Looks a lot like the church...?"
Lovino finally yanked his hand away, stopping a few feet behind him.
"Why are you being so persistent?! I already told you that—"
"Fine! I'll go to the church, and you can wait out here for all I care!"
"Why are you acting like this all of a sudden?! We need to hurry b-before curfew!" Lovino pleaded. "We're leaving. Come on."
He turned around and started walking in the right direction.
After a while, Lovino glanced up at the cloudy sky. The clouds looked ready to burst.
"It looks like it's gonna rain. We should hurry."
His voice had become stern, already irritated by Gilbert's stubbornness.
"Gilbert—"
Lovino turned around and, to his rage, Gilbert was nowhere to be seen.
"GILBERT! I SWEAR WHEN I CATCH YOU!"
Lovino spun around and sprinted toward the abandoned building.
---
By the time Lovino reached the large wooden doors, he was out of breath. Small droplets of water clung to his hair.
"...Gi-Gilbert...?"
He leaned against the doorframe, trying to catch his breath, before slowly stepping inside the dark building.
The floor was littered with rubble, and everything was cloaked in darkness.
Lovino wandered through the abandoned church, muttering prayers under his breath.
Eventually, he found Gilbert hiding in a dark corner, a pout on his face
"There you are. Come on, let's go back before we get in trouble."
Lovino sat down beside him.
"looks like you were wrong after all..."
gilbert let out a quiet scoff.
"Can we just hurry back before it starts raining? We're already past curfew arnt we?"
"oh so now you chose to care" lovino giggled softly as gilbert stood up
"let's be friends."
"...Sure"
Lovino stood as well, a small - rare smile growing on his face.
The two walked toward the entrance, only to find harsh rain pouring over the empty field stretching for miles. The church was about a mile away from the abandoned building since they were at the edge of the property.
".....Well... looks like we're stuck here..." Gilbert said flatly.
"DO YOU KNOW WHAT THIS MEANS, GILBERT?!"
Lovino fell to his knees.
"WE WON'T EVEN MAKE IT BACK TONIGHT! THEY'RE GONNA COME LOOKING FOR US, WE'LL BE ON TOILET DUTY FOR A MONTH, AND I JUST—"
"Calm down! I know what to do!"
Gilbert grabbed Lovino's wrist for the second time and pulled him back to his feet.
he let go and started running into the rain, shielding his head with his arms. "this is gonna work!" gilbert barked out trough his laughs
"W-Wait for me!"
Lovino took off after him, getting completely soaked in the process.