It was no surprise to him, either at the time or in his present-day recollection, that his brother had used the incident as inspiration for that Sunday's sermon.

"...The devil is a cunning man. He knows the desires of your heart and will disguise himself as what you think you need. You mustn't let him deceive you. God knows what you need..."

He couldn't recall much from the sermon itself, having tuned it out at the time. There was no doubt in his mind that his brother had seen the far off look in his eyes, staring off into the middle distance. Perhaps he thought he was being gracious, allowing Yoichi to process his grief rather than forcing him to actively participate. Either way, he felt the hands of the clock tick by achingly slow.

Of course, he was still required at the end of the service. Called up as one of the priest's holy men to lay hands on the sick and needy. A practice done in various Christian and Catholic denominations, done as a method of channeling the holy spirit into those that desired it. His brother would be the one to speak the oaths, laying his hand on the recipient's head, while his right hand men would provide assistance (often laying hands on their back or shoulders).

Yoichi wasn't invested, going through the motions robotically until the final man stood before his brother. It took him a second for him to realize as he took in the man's side profile. His lover. He wasn't looking at Yoichi, instead he appeared be challenging his brother. There was no malice or anger to his features, but his eyes were hard. Yoichi glanced at his brother, seeing the same realization had already dawn on him.

For a moment he expected his brother to make an example of the situation; To twist it into some new lesson for Yoichi. Much to his relief his brother acted as if nothing were amiss, not skipping a beat as they did the same ritual without hiccup. They returned to their seats after, standing for the final words before dismissal. The prior dull had been broken as Yoichi stood impatiently, eager to run off and find his lover in the crowd while his brother was occupied with the congregation.

His brother's popularity and chatty nature played in his favour now. The man always spoke with any who wanted to chat afterwards, offering advice or a tale to those who lent an ear. There was a guarantee for a small crowd to approach him before he'd have time to stop Yoichi from finding his lover. Which is exactly what happened as the final 'amen' filled the room, followed by the sounds of people shuffling about.

Yoichi turned away from the chancel, eyes darting along the crowd. He searched the sea of familiar faces, growing frantic until he spotted the man's messy hair. A grin broke out, his face lighting up in pure joy. He took one last glance at his brother, double checking that he was, indeed, occupied before darting over to the man. Upon reaching him he grabbed his arm, pulling him behind the walls of the sound booth.

"I can't believe you're here," he said, beaming. "How'd you know which one?"

"I googled 'Shigaraki church'," He answered flatly, making Yoichi chuckle.

"Yeah, that makes sense…"

"I take it your brother wasn't happy," he grabbed Yoichi's hip, rubbing circles into his dress shirt.

Yoichi reached forward to fiddle with his lover's tie in return. He noted how good he looked in formal clothing, especially with the casual rolled-up sleeves approach. "What was your first clue?"

"I dunno," his lover began, his words drenched in a facetious attitude. "Could be the whole 'beware the lusts of this world' lecture. He looked like he wanted to chase me out with a shotgun at the end there."

Yoichi snorted, "I'm pretty sure he wanted to."

He sighed, heavy with all the thoughts weighing on both their minds. "Think there's a spot I could hide in your backyard? I want to see you again."

"Hmm…" Yoichi took a moment to ponder the layout, "the shed is surrounded by shrubbery and it's got a bench swing nearby. If you don't mind a lack of chair, I could bring my books out and pretend to read while we talk."

"I wouldn't mind that at all," He smiled, pulling him closer. "I want to get to know you."

"I want to get to know you too," he leaned in, his eyes fluttering shut as their lips connected.

It was so easy to forget everything in that moment. The fleeting sensations from that night licking at him. The feeling that everything would be alright when they were together, locked in a soft kis–

"Yoichi!"

He jumped back at the call of his name. His lover turned away, casually shoving his hands into his pockets as Yoichi straightened his shirt nonchalantly (or as nonchalantly as he could appear). A regular attendee rounded the corner, looking between them before she spoke. "Father Shigaraki is looking for you, he wants you to help with cleaning."

"Sure thing, I'll be right there."

"He'd like you now."

Yoichi nodded, recognizing the friendly tone as a thinly veiled warning. "Yes, ma'am."

His lover gave Yoichi's arm a firm squeeze before he ambled away wordlessly. A smart move considering what could be relayed back to his brother through the woman. Any hint that they could be planning to sneak around was the last thing he needed to give. He followed her obediently, travelling back towards the chancel. He stole a quick glance back to the entrance, desiring one last look at him.

He gulped as he saw his brother had intercepted him. He couldn't read his brother's lips, nor see his lover's face but the sight was enough to worry him. A worry that refused to leave even after the conversation ended and his lover left the building. It persisted until dinner where another lecture awaited. One he grinned and beared, knowing his lover awaited him in the garden.

He'd taken his Bible out with him, figuring it was the best choice to avoid his brother coming out. He pulled his sweater closer as he sat back in the bench swing. The wood creaked under his weight. He turned to the book of Exodus, skimming through the story as he reflected on the movie from his childhood. How cruelly humorous it was that his brother had insisted they'd never become like Moses and Ramses.

"If one more thorn attacks me then I'm bringing scissors next time," Yoichi smiled as he listened to his lover complain, followed by ruffling as he got comfortable in the shed's shadow.

"I don't think scissors are the correct tool for that," he kept his eyes down towards his book to avoid suspicion.

"It'll work."

There was a beat of silence before Yoichi spoke up, "I saw he found you."

"You were right," there wasn't any particular emotion to his words, "he is an asshole."

"I don't believe those were my words but you're not wrong," he flipped to another page, "what did he say to you?"

"Fuck off and leave my brother alone."

"Paraphrasing, I see."

"A bit," he adjusted his position, getting comfortable again. "I forgot how bizarre church service was."

"I guess it would look weird to an outsider."

"'outsider' makes it sound cultish."

Yoichi paused, soaking in the concept. He wasn't fond of the feeling it stirred. "...I think that's a can of worms I'm not ready for yet."

"That's fair," He scratched his nose, staring out towards the fence. "Any hobbies outside of religion?"

"Do you like comics?"