After they left the Church, Antonio had joined the three Vargas' on their way home. Roma inevitably invited him in for coffee and Antonio couldn't say no. They laughed and chatted as if it were any other day. And when they bid their farewells, Antonio still had the same smile on his face as the smile he had when they left Church. Lovino didn't know how someone could smile for that long. Antonio was already halfway down the road when Lovino felt the sudden urge to follow him. Lovino breathlessly called out for Antonio when he caught up with him. Antonio turned around and smiled at him once again. Now that Lovino was here, he was lost for words. He turned his gaze down at a pebble on the ground.

"Thanks." He grumbled. "For earlier."

Antonio chuckled and patted him on the shoulder. "No problem. Anytime."

Lovino kept his stare on the ground but Antonio could see small suppressed smile. Lovino suddenly swivelled around, paused for a moment to say a quick 'bye' and strode up the hill. Antonio simpered at his retreating back.

Antonio coming for coffee after Church soon became a regular thing, and Lovino found himself looking forward to Sundays. Although Lovino only spoke once or twice due to the rest of his family carrying most of the conversation, Antonio continuously seemed only interested in what Lovino had to say. But as the air grew colder and the golden leaves started to float down, leaving a carpet of yellows and browns on the ground, Antonio couldn't stay for coffee. He had to help with an increase in illness in the village. And on top of that, Roma started to cough. A lot. At first it seemed like a common cold or something similar so Roma continued on his normal day to day business. However, it just got worse and worse. At one point, Feliciano and Lovino had to force Roma to go to bed due to a fever he had contracted because of this cough.

After they successfully got him to rest, the two of them dedicated the evening to sketching Roma without having him there as a reference. They were in competition to see who could draw the most realistic Roma Vargas from memory.

The door swung open making them both jump. Lovino's hand slipped and Roma's ear looked slightly wrong. He glared at the man now stood in the middle of the living room.

"How's Roma, where is he?" Antonio looked around worriedly.

"He's—" Feliciano had to clear his throat to continue. "He's upstairs, why?"

Antonio was up the stairs and back down again before Lovino could process what was happening.

"It's worse than I thought. We need to get him into the village."

"What? Why? What's worse than you thought?" Lovino stood up, sketchbook forgotten. Antonio strode over to Lovino while Feliciano watched from the chair. The Spaniard patted Lovino's shoulder reassuringly.

"I hate to tell you this, but it looks like there's an epidemic in the village. It's very deadly and has already taken more than six people from us already. And," He took a deep breath and frowned slightly. "It looks like Roma may have it too."

"So what the fuck it it? There's a cure, right?"

"It's called Pulmonary Tuberculosis. And there is a cure, that's why they're gathering all the infected people into the village. There's a doctor coming from Venice who has the cure, and if they're all together it'll be easier to cure them all, and quicker. So you need to help me get him to the village."

Lovino nodded determinedly.

They somehow managed to create a makeshift stretcher using some old fishing poles and a sheet. The journey into the village seemed longer than usual due to a heavy weight being lifted between them. They somehow coped with sharing his weight equally to make it to the village in one piece. The nuns were also there, directing other ill people into a house. It was a lone house on the edge of the village, and Lovino didn't think anyone had stepped foot inside since the previous occupant died. Until now, that is. A nun, the youngest, ran to help Roma into the house. He was barely conscience but she and Feliciano directed him onto his feet and got him into the house safely. As they came out again the two other nuns denied the third to come out of the house. She would have to stay with those who were ill, maybe because she was ill herself. The look on her face, Lovino noted, was mortified. He decided to shrug off the feeling that something was wrong with this whole arrangement. After all, Roma was in safe hands now. Right?

A few nights passed and nothing happened. Lovino was just growing more agitated at the lack of communication. How far away was this doctor? Was Roma alive? Was there even a cure at all? Feliciano just told him to calm down and relax, but that didn't stop Lovino to wait and watch the village each night. Feliciano started to worry about his brother obsessively waiting and watching the skyline each night until he fell asleep. So on the fourth night, he decided to reason with Lovino.

"Why don't you go to bed, fratello? I'm sure when he gets cured we'd be the first to know."

Lovino waved his hand dismissively in Feliciano's direction, still keeping his eye on the darkened silhouettes. He observed dark clouds starting to roll in, and took into account there would be a storm soon. "I don't trust those nuns. They'd probably let us know weeks afterwards."

"Then Antonio would let us know, or Grandpa himself. Look, if you're so adamant on waiting, then let me wait instead. Then you can sleep."

Lovino turned to Feliciano then, his gaze no longer on the village. "Aren't you feverish?" He rose from the window seat and walked over to his brother, who stood next to the stairs. Placing a hand on Feliciano's forehead, he nodded. "Yep, definitely a fever. You need to get some sleep." He started pushing Feliciano up the stairs. "Go, go, go, I can handle it from here."

"But fratello—" Feliciano protested. Thunder cracked in the distance.

"Nope it's fine. You go up to bed and look after yourself. Seriously, you'd be doing both of us a favour."

"Really? Only if I'd be helping."

"Yeah yeah, you're helping very much. Now go the fuck to sleep."

"'Kay, see you tomorrow." Feliciano smiled sweetly and skipped up the rest of the stairs. Lovino wondered how he could stay so lighthearted throughout all of this. He couldn't be bothered to deal with Feliciano's cheerful nature. An eruption of the sky rumbling echoed in the distance.

Walking back to the window seat and blowing out the oil lamp, he noticed something in the village. Or rather, above the village. Raging smoke as dark as the clouds behind it billowed up into the night sky. At first Lovino thought the whole village was up in flames. But, after stumbling out into the cold air, he noticed the blaze only licked up one place. The house in which those infected with the disease resided in was being eaten by a ferocious orange glow. Not being able to accept this, to even believe it, Lovino raked a hand through his hair and swallowed hard. He noticed a silhouette against the oranges and yellows moving closer to him. By now Lovino was retreating into himself, clutching his stomach and sinking to the ground. The silhouette had reached him by then and held him tight. It was somewhat comforting.

"It's okay, Lovi. I'm here now." It was Antonio.

"He's dead. They killed him. He's dead, he's dead." Lovino choked back tears. Thunder clapped in the distance.

"Lovi, I'm sorry, I—"

Lovino pulled away suddenly. Tears cascaded down his face. "You knew this would happen." He stabbed an accusing finger in Antonio's direction. Antonio was hunched over slightly, his eyes despairingly searched up at Lovino's face. "And you let it happen. It's your fault." Lovino's voice, his whole being, shook lividly.

"No no, Lovi—"

"Don't 'Lovi' me."

"I didn't know, I swear. I knew as much as you did. It's those nuns, they planned it from the start."

Lovino stepped back, bewildered. His thoughts were haphazardly jumbled in his brain. His breath quickened and he placed a hand over his mouth. Lovino's baffled gaze was fixed on the ground.

"You killed him." The utterance was slightly muffled by his hand so he pulled it away. His eyes were drawn back to Antonio. "How could you." He whispered.

"I didn't, Lovino. I didn't kill him." Antonio's voice broke in several places. He desperately reached out to Lovino. Lovino could only stare back down at him.

He spoke through gritted teeth. "You and your Church stay away from my family."

"But—"

"Stay away!" Lovino's shout resonated with the explosion of thunder and the distant sound of life shattering crackling of fire. Antonio stepped back, unable to feel. Lovino's chest rose and fell rapidly. More thunder, explosions, a flash of lightning, the rain started.

"GO!"

That was it for Antonio. He couldn't face this anymore. He couldn't face seeing Lovino like this. He turned and ran. He didn't know if it was rain or tears streaking down his face. He couldn't look back. Lovino stood alone.

The thunder and lightning was enough to wake Feliciano up. He made his way downstairs with an uneasy knot in his stomach. Lovino was no where to be found and the door was wide open, letting the rain in. Feliciano had to battle against the raging elements to get it closed again. He coughed a little before going over to the window seat Lovino was supposed to be sitting in. Looking out, he could only make out smoke, an orange glow, and a silhouette looking up at the rain, before someone grabbed him from behind. The intruder pressed a damp cloth over Feliciano's mouth and nose so he would breath it in. The youngest of the two remaining nuns apologised while placing him delicately on the floor.

Lovino let the rain wash away his tears and the redness of his eyes before going back inside. He didn't want Feliciano questioning him as soon as he got back. He would tell him about Roma the next day. Arriving at the front door, Lovino wondered if he had left it open. Obviously not. He decided to come in quietly, as to not wake up his sleeping brother, but upon opening the door he noticed the oil lamp had already been lit. Feliciano was sat, or rather slumped, in the window seat.

"Feli? What are you doing up? I thought I told you to go bed." Lovino walked closer when his brother didn't respond. "Feliciano?" He reached the window seat and saw Feliciano's limp body. He glanced back too late as something hit him from behind. He was only out for a second, but a long enough second to be transported to the floor. With a piercing screech in his brain he was roughly pushed onto his back. Blurry eyed, he could only just make out the eldest nun sat on top of him.

"I'm sorry, Lovino. But we need to cleanse, to purge, this town of demons. Roma's dead. Antonio left the village. It's just you and your brother now."

"Leave my brother out of this." Lovino wondered if this was actually happening.

The nun shook her head. "It has to be done." She pressed hard down on his abdomen and forehead. "Come out, come out. In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out! You are going to free him right now!"

Lovino unleashed a stream of shouted profanities. The nun continued. "Come out, come out. In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out! You are going to free him right now!"

Lovino vomited. The nun continued. "Come out, come out. In the name of Jesus, I command you to come out! You are going to free him right now!"

This went on for about 20 minutes until Lovino passed out.

He didn't know how much time had elapsed, but he could hear mumbling in the distance. As he rolled onto his stomach and became more in focus, the mumbling grew into a commanding tone. Blinking a couple times he could make out three figures; Feliciano backing away from the two nuns who were closing in. Lovino dazedly got up from the floor and felt a sharp pain in his stomach. Groaning, he stumbled to get between the nuns and Feliciano.

"I told you to stay away from him." Thunder still echoed in the distance, but now only softly. The oldest nun stared him down. Lovino looked around for inspiration, until his eyes landed on the letter opener on the small coffee table next to the window seat. He snatched it up and pointed it right at her snooty nose.

"You get out of my house." He started to walk forwards quickly, driving her towards the door. The younger one followed like a lost puppy. She stopped adamantly in the front doorway.

"You're a lost cause, Lovino. You and your brother. I hope never to see you again." And with that, she strode out the house, the other one followed suit. Lovino shut the door behind them and sighed heavily.

"Lovino? What was that about?"

"I'll tell you some other time." He half heartedly plodded up the stairs and crawled into bed.

To be continued...

I'm gonna say now, I have nothing against Christianity.

I just have something against gay exorcisms.

I got inspiration for the second half of this chapter from this article: details .com story/gay-exorcism so please check it out.

Thanks and please stick around for less feels-y and more fluffy chapters. Also please review :)