Hey guys! Long time no see :3

I didn't get it out by Christmas T^T (To be honest, I started the chapter in January _ WELL FUCK YOU EMIL IT'S MARCH. ) Hey! I've been busy! (Really busy. You should see my calender). I'm sure you have been too. I'm so sorry -cries in a corner-

This is a real place. I just hope I don't get sued or something for talking about it.

Visiting a church was the last place I wanted to be. I mean, maybe my other companions don't go to church every week like I do, those heathens, but there's nothing particularly interesting about a church. (Later I found that Nikola is Eastern Orthodox and Dimitri refuses to go to church. His mom isn't super happy about that. The Karpusis show up at their church once in a great, GREAT while and Antonio goes every week. (Religious and hot. Wow.) It's like any other building...Except there are fancy benches, an altar, some super gay windows, and maybe a giant, creepy crucifix plastered to the wall or something. Okay, maybe it's not like a normal building.

The point is that I don't like churches. They remind me of my mother. STFU.

Being the fair, democratic people we are, we all took a vote on all the places we could go, museums, historical sites, BACK TO THE HOTEL (that was my favorite option).

For some reason, out of all the lazy, dumbass people I was with, everyone wanted to go to the church. Even anti-church Dimitri thought it'd be cool to go in. God hates me. Fuck my life.

The Trinity church looked seriously out of place on the modern streets of Boston. The outside of the thing is something from Ancient Britannia or something. I mean, finding this church here is literally Picasso cubism with Michelangelo's...Naked people. Maybe not that drastic, but you get my point. I wondered how the people who lived here could stand this mess.

"I wish kids could appreciate stuff like this." Mrs. Karpusi gasps from my left. She's impressed, but not impressed enough to drop the "I hate kids these days" act. Screw her.

"I wish there were more cats around here." A very cat-deprived Herakles whined. "I need a cat simulator * or something...Ow!" His mother kicked him in the shin. "I miss my cats..."

"They'll be fine. Isn't Toris cat-sitting them?" Dimitri asked, obviously trying to fight an urge to punch both members of the Greek family. They're his neighbors. He has to deal with them all the time. I respect him for hanging onto at least some of his sanity...If he actually went outside to do this thing called a social life, I'd respect him even more...Though I don't exactly have the pinnacle of a social life either.

"He's probably too busy listening to his Stravinsky** homework to feed them. Plus, that music is absolute shit. It'll scare all my babies away."

I raised an eyebrow. "Your babies?" That's what Feli calls his many, many stuffed animals on a daily basis. It's just creepy hearing that out of an unmarried, fourteen year old's mouth. It's FIFTY MILLION FUCKING TIMES WORSE if the guy saying that kind of thing is older than you. It's SO WEIRD. I'm surrounded by children.

"Don't judge, dude. Don't judge."

Dimitri rolled his eyes.

"Come on guys~!" Antonio piped up. "It's vacation. Time to have fun~!"

Why is my crush literally a carbon copy of my little brother? I swear Feli said almost the exact same thing this morning. And, correction. It technically wasn't vacation, it was a school trip, but since Mrs. Karpusi didn't tell him off, I guess he's right. Goddammit Karpusi, why do you hate me?

(Later, I realized it was his teacher status that kept him out of the jaws of the watermelon monster.)

"Fuck yes!" I said fake-cheered, startling several random tourists who covered their kids's ears and gave me the stink-eye. "Are we going in here or what?"

"Of course, mio tomato~!"

Dimitri snickered.

I honestly don't know whether I hate or love that nickname. It was...kind of cute? UGH. But for the sake of tradition, I said my punch line: "Don't you fucking call me that."

Antonio paid for all of us, the damn gentleman. I mean, it wasn't that much money, but I don't exactly want to pay for something I didn't even want to go to in the first place. I was...thankful that he paid for me.

Mrs. Karpusi gushed over the man, saying that he was the only hope in this damned world of teenaged children.

"Shall we walk then~?" Antonio asked, offering me his arm in a teasing manner. I really wanted to smack him, 'cause what the hell was this? The eighteenth century? Hell no.

As I've stated before, God hates me. For the rest of our time at the church, I really wished I had taken his hand.

On our way in, we ran into Emil Steilsson and his gang of handsome, blonde, Nordic men. I guess he's friends with Feli? Feli talks about hanging out with him a lot. They're desk mates. The fact that Feli likes someone doesn't mean they like him back, but Emil seems okay with him around. Of course, the guy has a permanent bitch face, so I'm not sure?

Emil didn't even look at me. Behind thick-framed geek glasses, his weirdly violet eyes drifted towards my arm warmers, then at his feet. "Hello Lovino."

"Hey." I muttered back.

His brother, Lukas, gave me the stink-eye (SECOND TIME TODAY!) and dragged Emil away without saying a word, (Jeez, could he be any more rude? ) his boyfriend following suit. Matthias, I think. Matthias Køhler. Geek/fashionista extraordinaire. I always wondered how he got along with Lukas, who was so plain other than his pretty face.

Matthias winked, rolled his eyes, and followed his boyfriend out the door.

"Who is that?" Nikola asked. "He's in my class."

The midget'd been so quiet I'd forgotten he was there.

"His name's Matthias. He's dating Lukas from Lovino's class." Herakles said.

"Ah...He's nice."

Dimitri glared at Matthias' retreating footsteps. The fucker's jealous of some guy being nice to his friend. Oooh. Someone wants to get laaaaaiiiiiiddd!

Ahem.

Anyways.

If it's impossible for me to embarrass myself even more in this chapter, it's happening right now! Get ready for some action, drama, SHITTY EMOTIONS! Ready?

This church was actually the most beautiful I'd seen in a long time, right behind my mother's smile and her flower garden. No creepy crucifixes in sight. It screamed magnificence, arching ceilings and graceful columns. To be cliche, it took my breath away. Many colors flooded the room, with the dying light illuminating the altar.

The windows, though as hella gay as they were, were way more complex and beautiful than I thought possible. The organ playing in the background sounded epic in the vast space I was in. The architecture...I have no words. Jesus Christ.

"God...dammit.

Even Mrs. Karpusi was too entranced to tell off my language.

Then we ran off to explore the place.

Antonio walked through the rows of benches inhaling deeply, as if this air was fresher here than back home. Dimitri and Nikola sat on a velvety bench together, content on staying for hours to watch the sun set, and if Herakles could possibly be any more of a momma's boy at this point, he was. He and his mother bantered, betting on the plots of the Bible stories shining on the walls. Their laughter filled the air in a, somehow, unannoying way.

Me? I sat down on one of the pews and pulled out the prayer bench, knelt, finding the time to think clearly for once. I thought of childhood peace, when every small thing was bright with color, sort of like this church. Everyone was happy here. Everyone seemed content.

I should've been jealous, me, the least content person I knew, but I relaxed and enjoyed the view. It's the kind of affect this place had. Even for couch-potato me, getting away was nice. Beautiful things were scarce in my life (not counting Antonio). If I just tried to let go of the dark spots of the world, maybe everything'd be as beautiful as it is at that church.(Of course, we could all just become monks and nuns and live in a church 24/7.)

And I tried to live by that code...For an hour. Unfortunately, God hates me, fml.

*Unfortunately, it's still 2013 in this universe. Neko Atsume has not been created for Herakles. I did my research...But seriously. Imagine Herakles getting addicted to Neko Atsume. XD

**I read that some of Igor Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" has some Lithuanian roots, so I wanted to reference that on here.

Sorry, I haven't done this fic in awhile...so if there are any plot holes..._ I'm sorry! Miss you guys :3 I probably won't write another chapter until summer, 'cause I'm super busy this spring and early summer. See you then :)

Also, was FML a thing in 2013? I don't remember.