"YOU WILL BURN IN HELL!"
"BURN THE HOUSE DOWN!"
Angry cries echoed inside his head, adding to the constant thump of his unbelievably quickened heartbeat. The dead leaves that had long since fallen to the ground crunched under him at every fleeting stride. Adrenaline never stopped running through his veins as he sped through the woods, face and limbs scratched and bruised from stray branches and scrambling falls. He could still hear the somewhat distant roar of the mob chasing him. He must go faster.
He knew all along that what he was doing was a sin. Every night he had prayed to God, if he was still listening, that they wouldn't be found out, because if they did, bad things would happen. Like they did now.
"LOVINO!" Gilbert cried out to his lover, struggling as the men that held him back hooked a rope around his neck. "YOU BETTER RUN LIKE THE DEVIL, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NEVER GONNA LEAVE YOU ALO-"
No. Lovino ignored the tears spilling down his flustered cheeks, trying not to think about the horrible deaths he had witnessed just a few minutes ago.
"LOVI!" Romulus screamed as the villagers forced him on his knees, one of them aiming his spear from behind him. He called out, with fear for his son's fate, "YOU BETTER HIDE UP IN THE ALLEY, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NEVER GONNA FIND YOU A HOM-"
No! He couldn't contain it anymore. He broke into choked sobs, strangled from the effort of running so fast. Even after the citizens' cries died behind him, he couldn't bring himself to stop running. Two of the people he loved most in this world had just been murdered for trying to defend him from an equally brutal death.
He just wanted to die, he had caused too much suffering. But then their efforts would be in vain, so the only thing to do was run. The only thing that hinted he had been running for too long was the brightening sky.
Now that he thought of it, his legs ached so much. His arms, his chest, his head, everything. He hadn't noticed he had reached a clearing until he tripped over a stray plough, sending him tumbling forward and landing on his face.
He stayed on the ground for a moment, out of breath, then rolled over on his back. His face was covered in dirt, blood, and tears, which wouldn't stop falling. He was so tired... but he couldn't give up now. He tried to stand up, but his limbs refused to work.
Is this is? It this where I finally fall? The horrified faces of Gilbert and Romulus flooded his thoughts, not knowing of the nearby men surrounding the area, and he reluctantly submitted to unconsciousness.
It was over.
It had been 24 months since Lovino ran into his savior; a Spanish land owner, Antonio Fernandez Carriedo. He had truly been a blessing, and had given him a job in the field and a place to stay. Of course, Lovino hid what had happened - but apparently, the past was haunting him as a punishment for his sinful actions. He had fallen in love with him.
Why? Just why? Why did he have to fall in love with another man yet again? His father and Gilbert had died trying to save him, and love was a horrible, cruel thing for everyone around him. He wouldn't ever forgive himself if he let that happen again - he already didn't forgive himself. But he vowed to never let out his feelings ever again, even if that meant staying alone for the rest of his life.
He worked for Antonio now, ploughing, seeding, and harvesting the small field he owned with his fellow farmers. He'd always hear them complain about the job being too harsh and the pay too low, but Lovino didn't mind at all. This was the place that numbed him from the past - as long as he didn't have much contact with Antonio, anyways.
Then it all went to hell when one night, the Spaniard called him to his private quarters. The purpose of the little meeting itself was purely platonic, to discuss work times and such. But it was Lovino's great mistake that, when Antonio leaned close to him to open the door, his desire overwhelmed the fear, and before he could stop himself he planted a soft kiss on the man's lips.
Needless to say, both of them were bewildered.
Thankfully, Antonio was an easygoing man, and allowed Lovino to explain himself. Lovino had no other choice than to reveal the events of the two years before.
"Go ahead, tell me I'm a bad man," Lovino had said when he finished, holding back the tears. "Kick me like a stray."
But instead of that, fate decided to give him hope, because Antonio suddenly kissed him full on the lips. Wide-eyed, Lovino froze, not knowing how to react. Then Antonio parted and looked into his eyes. "My angel," he had said lovingly, wiping the tear Lovino didn't know had been running down his cheek. "I'll take this secret to my grave."
"T-This is sin!" Lovino blurted out, only objecting because he didn't want anything to happen to Antonio.
"That doesn't matter. I love you, Lovino."
It was these words that made Lovino succumb to the unholy desires of his heart. He felt himself melting into the other's lips, euphoric at the sensation of kissing the one he loved again. His body arched to his touch as his hands roamed every nook and cranny, and when they finally united in each other's warmth, Lovino felt truly happy for the first time in years. Every worry vanished then from his troubled mind. There was just heat, passion, and love, and Antonio had been the one that let him feel that again.
Lovino couldn't believe it was happening again.
It was the workers' fault this time, when one of them had wanted to see Antonio and found him, with Lovino on top of had just screamed and ran to tell as many people as possible. Now, Lovino and Antonio were in the house trying to find a way to escape the incoming mob that was on its way.
"Lovino," Antonio said, grabbing his shoulders. "There's an underground passage from the basement all the way to the edge of the woods," he urged.
"So we can sneak out?" Lovino said hopefully.
Antonio shook his head, his large green eyes filled with sadness. "No, you can sneak out. I'll cover up after you, so they can't follow-"
He was cut off when Lovino slapped him across the face. "Don't you dare," he said between clenched teeth, a terrifying déja vù echoing in his mind. "Don't you dare risk your life for me!"
The mob got louder and closer to the house. They were running out of time.
Antonio rubbed his cheek. "Lovino, try to understand! I know it's hard for you to go through this again, but it's the only way! I have to stay!"
"No." Lovino's expression darkened as he made up his mind. "Some one has to stay."
Suddenly, he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him into a needy, desperate kiss. The last one. Then he roughly pushed him back, making him fall to the ground, and ran to the door. "GO!" he yelled, giving him one last, pleading glance, then dashed outside.
Lovino ran aimlessly through the field, hearing every single one of the angry villagers chase closely after him, leaving the house unguarded. He still ran as fast as possible, chasing that slim chance of survival, and seeing Antonio again.
A hand yanked his hair, making him cry out. He tried to keep running, but another hand grabbed his arm, and his shoulder, and his shirt... He was forcefully pushed to the ground, more and more hands caging him in place and tying his arms behind his back. Shouts of "beast!", "demon!", and the classic "you're gonna burn in hell!" rang around him, and he smiled with bitter irony; it seemed like yesterday that he had escaped those very words.
The kicks and blows delivered to him were nothing compared to the terrible thought in his mind; he was about to die, and there was nothing to do about it.
He was suddenly roughly lifted off his feet, slightly dazed, and dragged to the edge of the woods. Waiting for him, there was a rope going up around a tall tree branch and back down, ending at about his level in... a hangman knot.
They made him stand up on a barrel as they hooked the rope around his neck, just like the other village had done with Gilbert. Then, across the field in the opposite edge of the woods, a figure looked in his direction with sheer horror.
He looked at the sky and yelled, "ANTONIO!" The crowd only got angrier, the makeshift executioner at the ready, and the figure paid close attention. Lovino took a deep breath and grinned, with nothing to lose anymore. "YOU BETTER RUN LIKE THE DEVIL, 'CAUSE THEY'RE NEVER GONNA LEAVE YOU ALO-"
~end~