Big Book of Writing

The Light in Every Heart (Sannotori, SDRA2)

Prompt: https://otpprompts.tumblr.com/post/167546135184/imagine-person-a-of-your-otp-is-a-devout-priest/amp

"Imagine Person A of your OTP is a devout priest. Person B is a century-old vampire who needs a place to stay for the night and finds their way to the church. How A reacts when they find B's hiding spot is up to you."

Why do I keep coming up with vampire stories with happy endings... Stoker's rolling in his grave right now. And this won't be the last time I do it either ^o^

***

As the last churchgoer left the the church, Teruya sighed in exhaustion. A lot of people had arrived for this evening's sermon, which meant that he would have to do a lot of cleaning up for tomorrow. He figured that if he got it done tonight, then it would save him some time later.

The man went to the back of the church and fished out the cleaning supplies from a closet, hoping that today's cleaning would be easier. Things had gotten harder after his dear papa died a few months ago.

Ever since he was young, Kojiro Otori would let Teruya watch the sermons from the sidelines, teaching him that not believing in a religion shouldn't stop him from spreading acceptance and equality by any means necessary. Of course, the things he preached weren't typical religious sermons, so not many people had come.

When he got old enough, Teruya took over his papa's position and turned out to be more charismatic by far. People began coming to the church more, solidifying his position as the main preacher. While Kojiro had been a thorough atheist who had been given the church by his family, Teruya thought that there was maybe some afterlife due to his belief in ghosts and spirits.

Teruya grit his teeth as he swept the floor, not wanting to think about his papa's passing. He was left to run the church on his own, but at least he got enough funding from the townspeople to keep himself fed and the church in the good shape.

As he began sweeping near the front doors, he heard the sound of slow footsteps approaching from outside. Curiosity got the better of the priest, and against his better judgement, he opened the door to see the source of the noise.

The footsteps were coming from a blonde man in tattered noble attire dragging himself towards the church. Concerned for the man's health, he quickly tossed aside the broom and hurried through the doors. The blonde man stumbled a bit, but Teruya reached him and grabbed his shoulders in time.

"Are you alright, sir?" Teruya questioned, his eyes full of worry for the blonde. "Are you hurt anywhere?"

"No, I'm just tired. I've come a long way..." the mysterious man sighed. "I'm not sure if you have room free, but is it okay if I can stay in the church for just one night?"

"Of course, come in! There's plenty food to spare too," the priest invited, letting the man lean on his shoulder as they made their way back towards the church. "I'm Teruya Otori. Could I have your name?"

"Mikado Sannoji, and I've already eaten," the blonde replied, "I would just like somewhere to rest for the time being."

Teruya took Mikado into the church, but as they made their way to the back rooms to find the blonde man a place to sleep, the priest noticed that he was avoiding the crosses around the altar. Teruya didn't want to assume anything about him, perhaps he had his own personal reasons or just wasn't religious.

Finally, an extra room was found with a clean bed. "I'll try to be quiet while cleaning. Feel free to rest here." Teruya made to turn around and leave the room, but was suddenly stopped.