HELLO, MY FRIEND.

Benjamin Cunningham. Twenty-four. Youth group leader at St. Jude's Church.

[aida-roth-deactivated20170217]

Jack had been standing with his hands behind his back, his pale eyes watching as the world spun madly on. Children rushed by with painted cheeks and baby’s breath threaded in their curls, and their voices rose in a chorus of laughter. No matter how hard he’d been trying lately (and showing up alone to wander through a maze of flowers when he would have rather been at home drinking did count for something), he still felt a coldness in his bones, a detachment from the present. Standing at the cynosure of Echo should have felt a lot liking standing at the center of the universe, but his heart still hadn’t come down from the rafters yet. 

His joints ached from standing, specifically his right hip. Physical therapy could never have prepared him for the work the farm required, but he pushed himself like he always did. He’d seen extraordinary men and women do more with less, so he couldn’t really complain. A smattering of disjointed thoughts were derailed by a light shove that nearly set him off his balance, but a nearby bench managed to keep anything too terrible from happening. Calloused fingers gripped the splintered wood and pushed him back up face-to-face with someone he recognized, but couldn’t quite place.

He waved off the deluge of apologies. “Yeah, I’m fine. Wasn’t paying any attention either.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Ben shook his head profusely --- the other man sounded sincere about his assurance, but the brunette was always far too paranoid --- and reached out as if to help him regain his balance. It was immediately apparent, however, that he didn’t need said help, so Ben’s arms remained outstretched awkwardly between the two, not really doing much. Blushing, he brought his hands back into himself, crossing them over his chest protectively. “Sorry,” he blurted again, unsure of what else to say. “I just -- looked like you were gonna -- but then you didn’t, so,” he gestured aimlessly, as if that would solidify his point, though he was aware he was spewing nonsense. 

“Uhm,” he scratched at his ear awkwardly, before his expression lit up. “Oh, hey, you’re not wearing a flower crown,” he pointed out, unsure if he wasn’t picking up on a cue to leave. “Here,” he offered the man the one on his own head, gesturing towards the booth. “I can get another one.” He paused, then grimaced. “Unless you don’t want one,” he added slowly, lowering his hand. “And that’s why you don’t have one in the first place. I’m sorry, am I talking too much? I’m steamrolling. Should I go?”

[beautybethany]

Hadrian quickly let go when Ben asked him to and took a step back to give the space Ben seemed like he needed. Ben’s face was tinged with red but he decided not point it out, not wanting to make Ben even more uneasy than he already looked. “I need to be honest with you,” he sighed, his voice dripping with a combination of exasperation and humor. “Sometimes, my parents gossip about your parents,” he whispered after looking at both sides to make sure no one was close enough to hear him. It barely actually bothered Hadrian, his parents were just people and sometimes, people gossip. “Nothing that bad… but the only reason I’m telling you this is because I want us to get along and I don’t want whatever my parents dislike about yours to come between us,” he explained, winking at Ben as he lifted up his flower crown and placed it on Ben’s head. “Would be nice to be friends with you. Definitely need more because the more, the merrier.” 

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Ben breathed a sigh of relief when Hadrian stepped back -- his chest felt less heavy, breath came in easier. The red of his face was finally starting to diminish, and even when Hadrian admitted his parents gossiped about Ben’s parents, he still felt far more comfortable like this than a moment ago. “It’s okay,” he shrugged. “I know a lot of people do. I know what people say about them,” he nodded. Some were good things --- some; or, well, most, were bad things. Ben had learned to live with both of them. He wouldn’t deny that it warmed his heart, though, that the other man was asking him to be friends despite this -- when, in the past, this is exactly the sort of barrier that caused him to lose friends. Just when he thought his flush had taken leave, he could feel it reappear again (though far tamer this time) when Hadrian placed the flower crown on his head, and a small smile quirk his lips upward. “I’d be okay with that,” he tilted his head slightly. “As long as you promise not to call me Church Boy.”

[clairesterling-blog]

Claire couldn’t help but feel a bit embarrassed as she noticed it was Benjamin, since the last time she saw him was in early morning in the church. Most times people only go there, especially those who don’t attend regularly, when they’re in a more vulnerable position. At his question, she just smiled and tried to brush it off. “No harm, no foul – you alright?” Her eyes landed on the flowers that he was gesturing to and nodded slowly. “Oh, I understand - there are a thousand flowers everywhere you look. A little overwhelming if you get caught in it.” “So,” she began, smiling in his direction as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. “Do you plan to go home with any bouquets? I’m sure a few would look pretty in the church. Maybe even in your house?” Though Claire knew most everyone in the town, she wasn’t aware of the younger males personal life. “Or if you have any special in mind, I’m sure you’ve got a good eye for this. Though there are a lot of options.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin sighed in relief ---- he knew of several people in this festival that would have made this a bigger deal than it had to be, so he was glad he’d bumped into Claire, quite literally one of the sweetest people he’d ever met. “I’m fine,” he assured her, grinning brilliantly at her. “And as long as you’re fine, too, I’m even better.” He raised both his eyebrows at her, furrowing them and tilting his head curiously. “Flowers? Everywhere?” he teased. “I only thought they were here.” He joked lamely. “You like them?” he inquired politely.

“Oh, haha,” he rubbed the back of his neck in embarrassment. “I offered to buy some, but Father Charles said Isla donates enough flowers already, and my grandparents can hardly keep me alive, let alone some flowers,” he joked. “Also I’d probably kill them too. I once had a hamster for three days and to this day I have no idea how I killed it.” No special someone --- nor was he interested, he always told himself, as he tried to keep his romantic life to a minimum. “What about you?” he asked, smiling. “Taking anything home?”

[beautybethany]

“I don’t blame you if that’s the case. Christian Bale is hot,” he nodded, winking at Ben. Hadrian wasn’t sure if that was why Ben would like Christian Bale if he was actually a fan but two could play the game he thought Ben was playing. “Excuse me?” he retorted with a hint of feigned disdain in his voice after Ben’s comment about Cinderella. He stood in front of Benjamin, wrapping his arms around the taller guy’s neck and pulled him down so that they would be on the same level. Their foreheads touching, Hadrian looked dead set at Benjamin’s eyes before letting out a hiss. “Do not minimize the work Cinderella had to do like that ever again,” he fumed as he attempted to hold back a laugh. “She could have been a professional cleaning lady, don’t tell me what she did wasn’t as refined as scrubbing church pews.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin felt his face flame --- he had not meant it in that way. He would never. It was --- he had absolutely no idea how to address the fact that he did not, in fact, find Christian Bale hot without sounding exactly like the “church boy” he didn’t want people to think of him as, so he took the easy way out: ignored it altogether.  He was about to change the subject to quite literally anything else when Hadrian’s hand was suddenly around his neck and he was being pulled down to press foreheads with the other man. Becoming increasingly uncomfortable, Ben could feel his face turn even redder, hot and strained. He blamed it on the fact that he was an introvert who absolutely valued his personal space, and Hadrian was just here -- invading it, popping his bubble. “Uhm,” he said intelligently, avoiding the other man’s eyes at all costs. “Kay,” he knew the other was joking, but Benjamin quite literally had no idea how else to react. “Please let go of me.”

[gxle-elliot-blog]

Gale wasn’t really one for flowers, but with Rita busy with her new beau and Savannah on duty, he had no one to get drunk with. He was left to his own devices. Which, based on past experience, was never  a good thing. For anyone. He was strolling lazily, soda in hand, thinking about going home when he spotted a booth that sold flower crowns. He bought one and put it on his head. On the other hand, he could try getting into this festival instead of going back to his place to replace his soda with alcohol. It was just his luck that he saw Benjamin right across from him, looking dazed. Gale’s eyes brightened. Of all the people in Echo, Benjamin was the most fun to tease. The gigantic stick up his ass making it so easy for Gale to rile him up. He walked towards him but Benjamin didn’t seem to notice. He intentionally let Benjamin bump into him and ramble. Gale hummed thoughtfully, “Apology not accepted, church boy. You gotta try harder than that. You made me drop my flower crown, you know,” he said, an exaggerated pout on his face as he looked down on the crown on the ground.

[benjamincunningham-blog]

At the sight of Gale, Benjamin couldn’t help the annoyed exhale that escaped him. He didn’t mean for it to come so naturally --- it just did, especially around the other man, who always found it so fun to tease him about the things that were quite actually very important to Ben. Not the mention he was always -- so close, which only worked to make Ben even more uncomfortable than he already was, and all in all, it was an entirely discomforting event for Ben, running into Gale. Clearing his throat and taking a small step back and away from the other, he only barely managed not to roll his eyes before speaking. “I can’t do much else but apologize, you know,” he pointed out, leaning down to pick up Gale’s flower crown from the ground. He held it out to the other and waited for him to get it. “Here,” he offered. “Good as new, I think.”

[tori-starr]

Megan had just checked her voice messages, text messages, and now on her tablet she checked her email. After that she checked her calendar to make sure she wasn’t missing any bookings, and to confirm when her next ones were so she could make sure she was at the studio. It was hard enough with her posted positions still open.

She placed an ad on Facebook for three positions available. She thought maybe a new approach would lead to finding an Assistant, a Makeup Artist, and a Hairstylist. 

She was just powering down when the man bumped into her from behind causing her to spill her coffee, luckily not on herself or anyone. It just created a mess on the table and dripping to the ground.. He bumped her probably before he fully realized who it was. Megan turned and was about to let the person have her two cents when she heard his sort of apology.. 

“It’s okay.” Megan looked between him and the mess and was lost looking for something to start wiping it up with.

[benjamincunningham-blog]

“Here, let me help you,” Ben offered, grabbing some extra napkins lying across the table (his long arms had to come in handy for something, he supposed) and starting to wipe down the table. “I feel like maybe this means Isla did a good job with the festival,” he joked lightly. “I think we’re meant to be so mesmerized with the flower arrangements we dumbly bump into people.”

[beautybethany]

“I was joking. I’m sure there’s more to you,” Hadrian shrugged, his hands in his pockets. There was a clear chasm between the two of them. Hadrian, though understanding, treated almost everything as a joke while it seemed that Ben took things more seriously. He hummed to the beat of the music playing in the background as he stared at the arch of flowers. He turned his attention back to the other male and smiled at the comment about how everyone supposedly likes pretty things. It was true, at least, for Hadrian. “Can’t blame Bruce Wayne. Selina Kyle is one pretty piece of badassery,” he replied before perking up even more a second later at what he realized. “See. I knew it. There we go. You like comic books. I knew there’s more to you than just scrubbing carpets.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin shook his head. “Not by much,” he lied, then managed a smile at the other’s addendum to his silly comment. “How do you know I’m referring to the comics?” Ben asked, raising an eyebrow. “I could just be a hardcore Christian Bale fan, you know.” He wasn’t, and that much was obvious in high school, but he liked invoking the assuming card, for no other reason than to be a dick once in a while. “And I wasn’t scrubbing carpets,” he reminded the other, smile turning lopsided and amused. “I was scrubbing church pews. A much more refined task. Less Cinderella-like.”

[beautybethany]

Hadrian wasn’t sure where he was going but it didn’t really matter when he quickly forgot about it when he collided with someone. He raised his eyebrows expressively after he took a step back and recognized the person. Benjamin. Church boy. Hadrian listened to Ben’s explanation and nodded when the guy asked if he was okay. He couldn’t blame Ben for being distracted since he was probably the same way.  “Just some broken ribs but I’m good,” he joked as he moved to Ben’s side, facing the same direction as the taller male to see what it was that distracted him. “It’s pretty. You like pretty things, huh? Here I thought you only liked cleaning the church and listening to Jesus Is A Friend of Mine.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Looking at the other man curiously, and a little annoyed, Ben couldn’t help the roll of his eyes --- even if it was accompanied by a small, crooked smirk. “You’ve only ever met a churchgoer on TV, haven’t you?” He wasn’t surprised. People tended to stereotype Ben quicker than they’d stereotype --- anything else, really, he wasn’t great at analogies, but the point was he learned to become used to it and get over it immediately; his religion, though quiet and never preachy, had always been an obstacle in making friends (Willa slipped through the cracks, he was sure, and even now he’d found a way to hang onto her) or being sociable at all, so--- “Either way, everyone likes pretty things, I think,” he eyed the flower arches behind Hadrian. “Even Bruce Wayne would like pretty things.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin didn’t care what his parents said about the festival ---- and they had a lot of opinions, for two people who traveled so much and never actually showed up to it ---- he loved it. Loved the flowers, loved the colors, loved the laughter and the music and the way everyone seemed to come together; envied, even, the people who exchanged arrangements and bouquets from the Blooming Hope Booth, eyes alight with love and, in some cases, bashfulness. Benjamin loved this time of year; and, quietly, wished he could stop time in this moment forever.

Which is why, perhaps, he managed to bump into someone lightly as he walked, eyes trailed on one of the bigger flower arcs, completely captivated. He stumbled slightly, then looked over at the other person, smiling sheepishly. “Sorry!” he apologized profusely. “Got distracted with the---” he made a lame gesture. “Flower things. So many flowers. And colors. Are you okay?” he asked.

[beautybethany]

Hadrian laughed at Ben’s joke, although he barely found it funny at all. Technicalities. Great joke, poor execution. Laughing was just the nice thing to do for the other guy. He made his way towards the altar and knelt in front of it although he wasn’t really sure if that was what he was supposed to do. Benjamin should have just sent him to the confession booth and pretend he would be talking to Father Charles. Hadrian looked back at Ben and smiled. “I hope you don’t mind. I like hearing my own voice, makes me feel more shitty hearing the things I do out loud and regret them. It’s like the true atonement or whatever.” 

He moved his gaze back to the altar and closed his eyes. If God was seeing him, Hadrian hoped that they think he was cute. “Dear God, last night I got shitfaced and had premarital sex which I believe is a sin. I might have also killed someone but l can’t remember so if that happened, please forgive me. I am here to repent on my sins and no, I won’t do a walk of atonement like Cersei Lannister did but I can recite five Hail Mary prayers,” he confessed before proceeding to recite the prayer five times. Hadrian stood up and made a beeline towards Ben, giving the guy a thumbs up. “I feel all better now. Refreshed. Rejuvenated. Holy.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Confused, Benjamin furrowed his brows and nodded at the other’s warning --- he didn’t understand why he would mind Hadrian speaking out loud, but whatever worked for the man worked for Ben. He turned back to the church pews in the meantime, spraying more cleaning fluid onto the rag he’d been using, and as soon as he was about to continue scrubbing happily away at the seats, Hadrian began speaking.

Blushing, Ben decided to carry on furiously scrubbing at the pews as if the other’s words weren’t phasing him --- it was obvious the other was trying to get a rise out of him, poking fun at him, even, and Ben had learned long ago in middle school to pay no mind to people like him. And, on the bright side, maybe now he had a reason as to why he’d felt uncomfortable earlier at the other’s presence; he seemed to have no actual affliction to the church or religion, which Ben should have known immediately -- he prided himself in these things, once in a while -- but this one had gone over his head, unfortunately. Brows still furrowed in purposeful concentration, Ben merely glanced up at the other, hoping his blush had at least settled some by now. “That’s good,” Ben deadpanned, looking back at the church pew he was cleaning. “I’m sure you’ve reserved your place in Heaven, then.”

[beautybethany]

For most of his life, Hadrian had never been sure if God actually existed or not. His family went to church every Sunday and although his belief wasn’t firm, he would be lying if he said that it wasn’t nice to believe in something having power over them as if they were characters in a Sims game. It was more of a choice for him rather than an unconscious acceptance of God. If something didn’t go well for him, he could always just blame God’s almighty plan for making him fail. Entering the church, Ian was greeted by Benjamin and politely, he smiled at him. “Where’s Father Charles?” he inquired, looking around to see if the man he was looking for was there. Ian sighed when Father Charles was nowhere to be found, his gaze falling upon Benjamin again. “I got so shitfaced last night, man. I think I need to confess my sins.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Laughing a little brokenly, Benjamin shook his head. “I don’t think getting, ah, really drunk technically counts as a sin,” he pointed out, though not unkindly. If getting shitfaced was truly a sin, then Benjamin was surely going to Hell, a place he wasn’t all that comfortable swearing his allegiance to. “Unless you murdered someone last night while you were drunk. In which case --- uhm, maybe a priest isn’t the authority figure you oughta be looking for,” he joked lamely, uncomfortable for no reason. No reason! Ben knew he was being ridiculous; that didn’t stop him from being so, however. “Uh,” he gestured towards the altar. “You can, I dunno, pray them all away for now?” he smiled lopsidedly.

[neovegashq-deactivated20221005]

        the wolf family valued catholic values so much that it bled into their daily lives, even as adults. it was hard for rafael to part from the idea of religion, even if he didn’t value his own family as much anymore, worship seemed to be routine for him. he entered the church early in the morning because he knew he wouldn’t be able to earn the chance later in the evening. he slid his car keys into the pocket of his coat before giving the younger male his attention. ❛ it’s kinda nicer in the mornin’ don’t ya’ think? ❜ he asked in his naturally thick new yorker accent. ❛ whatta ya’ doing here so early, anyway? father charles workin’ ya’ hard? ❜

[benjamincunningham-blog]

       Benjamin smiled --- the man wasn’t wrong, he was sure. He loved it here early in the mornings. He wasn’t sure if it was because it was much quieter, or because it simply felt a lot more peaceful, but he couldn’t help but agree with the other. “You’re right,” he admitted, spraying his cleaning rag with some more fluid. “Daylight breaks pretty through the windows.” He chuckled at his question and shrugged sheepishly, holding out his hands filled with cleaning rags and cleaning fluid. “He’s making me earn my keep,” he settled on saying. “Were you planning on staying a while?”

[tori-starr]

Megan wasn’t so sure that the catholic church would really welcome a lesbian, and being who she is, she’d rather know that up front than spend time and get tossed out later. And then she would feel all kinds of hurt and other feelings. She had already had enough of that in her life. 

She looked over to, who she thought was a janitor, based on what she walked in on with him cleaning the church pews and things.

“I’m Megan” she said knowing as soon as she said it he would probably connect it, there were not a lot of Megan’s running around Echo. 

“Is there someone to talk to?” By someone she had meant like a pastor or minister or someone like that. She didn’t really know what /his/ role was.

[benjamincunningham-blog]

The name wasn’t ringing a bell, but she was acting like it should, so Benjamin was sure not to say so in case he offended. “I’m Ben,” he introduced himself, then shook his head in reply to her question. “Father Charles heads to the next town over for weekday morning sermons,” he explained. “He’ll be back by the afternoon, though, if you needed to ask him something.”

[gxle-elliot-blog]

Straight people, Gale thought. For a second there he actually thought the other person was gay but his radar has been broken since he moved to Echo. Probably closeted. Gale should have backed off, he really should, but the big, possibly gay, button the other man was presenting him was too good not to push. “If you wanted to see my ass, there are better ways, you know. And what if I don’t want to stand up? Are you gonna lift me up with those weapons of mass orgasms you call arms?”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin’s arms tightened across his chest, suddenly angry. He tried to alleviate the feeling by thinking of all the things he had to be not-angry about, but it wasn’t working: the man before him seemed entitled, and obviously careless, and not kind at all; flirting, still, as if his attitude would work on Benjamin at all, were he so inclined. A stranger was telling him it was important for him to get whatever was taped to the barstool, and he was acting as if it no big deal. “I need to get to work,” he snapped, trying to keep his voice quiet. “Can I just please get the key and leave you be?”

[mercedes-stitchery-blog]

When Mercedes came into the church, she’d already been walking for hours. She’d woken up incredibly early, even before the sun was up - that’d be happening a lot lately, but today she’d grabbed her purse and started walking. Echo was small and quiet, there was very little happening at 3 AM.

She’d popped into the church to sit down for a few minutes. She hadn’t expected to see anyone inside. “Oh,” she said, glancing down. “I - uh -” Mercedes swallowed, before offering a tentative, apologetic smile. “I just wanted to sit down for a bit - I’ll, uh, leave - sorry for bothering you.”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin shook his head furiously, holding up his hands. “No, no, please,” he smiled. “Go ahead, sit.” He gestured towards the already-dry church pews, awkwardly shifting his weight from one foot to another -- made to look even more out of place by his ridiculous stature. “You just startled me, is all. No bothering here,” he assured her happily. “Church is always open to visitors.” He fiddled with his cleaning rag for a moment before finding the dry side, then spraying it with cleaning fluid to continue working his due diligence. “I’ll stay out of your way, promise.”

[aadonisholt]

Adam had a somewhat flaky relationship with his fate within the last few months, so he wasn’t a regular at St. Jude’s as much as he used to be. Today, just on his walk around way too early in the morning as one does, he figured why not say hi to good old JC and his dad. He walked up the familiar way to the church and through the front door, only to be greeted by Ben down by one of the pews. “Oh, I’m sorry. Hi,” he said, like a deer caught in the headlights. “Should I just come back later, maybe?” As if he wasn’t one of the church regulars.

[benjamincunningham-blog]

“---what?” Ben shook his head, a grin spreading across his face. “Adam, man, c’mon, you know better than to ask that,” he rolled his eyes, walking closer to his friend and slapping his shoulder in a friendly greeting. “You just scared the living soul outta me, that’s all,” he threw the cleaning rag over his shoulder, rubbing his hands together in a futile attempt to make them feel cleaner. “It’s been a while,” he pressed, the same way an old friend would when he missed someone. “Where’ve you been?”

[aprilrdahl]

April jumped when Benjamin jumped - she was a jumpy person in general lately. She gave him an apologetic smile and brushed the front of her dress with her palms as though the fright had ruffled it along with her nerves. She hadn’t expected anyone to be in here, either - that’s why she’d come. “I’m sorry… I can come back later, if you’re… busy, or… not open yet?” The last time she’d been in a church had been for the wedding of a distant cousin years ago - unless Christmas Eve Mass in London counted. She barely believed in anything anymore, but she wanted to. She wanted some kind of hope or faith or… life, back. “I don’t even really know what i’m doing here…”

[benjamincunningham-blog]

Benjamin smiled slightly at April -- Englishwoman, married to Isla Dahl’s brother -- useless information Benjamin kept stored for small talk, probably. “We’re open,” he promised. “You just managed to surprise me, ‘s all.” Tilting his head to the side curiously at her words, he couldn’t help but feel a tug of sympathy for the woman -- she wasn’t the first person to walk into the church and say those exact words to him. Benjamin knew she wouldn’t be the last. “Well, some people come here for a quiet place to think,” he offered stupidly, spraying some more cleaning fluid onto his rag. “Others come to pray for guidance. Someone once came here to take a nap,” he raised an eyebrow. “I wasn’t allowed to judge, though.”