"You have to." Elliot said, looking concerned immediately and walking over to Nathaniel quickly, glancing around the room to see that it was still empty. By all means, this shouldn't have been a talk they had in the open, but they got lucky thus far. "You have so much faith in the church, you need to do what you feel is best for the church," he placed his hands on Nathaniel's forearms gently. "You can't worry about what they may or may not do to me," he looked to Nathaniel and smiled sadly.
"You didn't do anything, Nathaniel... I promise you that," he said softly. "I'd love to stay by your side, you should know that. And I could pray that my faith somehow comes back while we stand idly by. I believed in it all once, I did. I don't know where I went wrong." It was impossible for Elliot to hate or blame Nathaniel for anything, nothing was his fault anyway and he hated seeing Nathaniel so broken up. "But I have so much faith in you, Nathaniel. Whatever you choose to do, even if it may condemn me. I know you'll do what you feel is right," he leaned in and pressed a kiss to Nathaniel's forehead. "There has never been a being in this world that I cared for more than you. You have to understand that this is not betrayal. I never wish to harm you."