a haze, and for a moment, Benjamin woke up in the belief that it had merely been a dream — that he had never shown up at Lux, Lucifer had never cried against his shoulder, he had never found out that he was in fact dealing with the actual Devil, he hadn't played the piano for him to comfort him after the death of Lucifer's brother — the murder of Lucifer's brother. But once Benji's eyes fluttered open and he realized that he was staring at a strange ceiling and his body was resting against a suspiciously comfortable mattress with unfamiliar sheets covering his body, he started to put the pieces together and the events of the previous night came flooding in, reminding him of where he was and why he was there.

Eyes flying wipe open, Benjamin jumped up to sit whilst his hands sank into the warm bed, and he couldn't stop himself from gasping sharply once he looked at the surroundings — a large window was playing the role of a wall on the other side of the small but cozy bedroom, whilst the other side was adorned with see-through, silky curtains. For a second, he wondered if things with Lucifer had escalated, but once the sleepiness had worn off, Benjamin confirmed that the man had simply offered his bed for Benji, in the belief that he wouldn't be able to sleep much himself — not after he had killed his brother so brutally.

Naturally, Benjamin had offered to stay up with Lucifer, but inevitably, he had fallen asleep at some point and left the Devil alone with his dark thoughts.

Yet, somehow, even after sleeping on it, Benjamin couldn't bring himself to fearing Lucifer and his true nature. Perhaps, if he had found out he was the Devil before getting to know him, he would have been mildly intimidated, but now, he didn't imagine an evil little man with horns and a pointy tail. To him, Lucifer was still the same guy that he had kissed, the same guy that wanted to protect Benjamin from his brother, the same guy that didn't let Benji's flaws scare him away. And for that reason, Benjamin made a silent promise to embrace Lucifer's quirks and flaws the same way.

But he couldn't deny the desire for asking questions. A lot of questions. However, for now, it seemed that Lucifer was somewhere other than his penthouse, only a small note left behind for Benjamin, meaning that he would have to wonder about Heaven and Hell later.

Smiling, Ben picked up the note from the small table next to the large bed and eyed Lucifer's flawless handwriting curiously. "Thank you for last night, Benjamin. You don't need to worry about me anymore, though. Right now, I'd like to advise you to solve things with your brother, as you still have the possibility to do so. x", Lucifer had written on it, and sighing, Benjamin acknowledged the problem he was yet to handle — he had snapped at Dan rather cruelly, and whilst he did have a good reason, he still hated not talking to the man, even if he wasn't entirely his brother. But, perhaps Dan had been right — being related by blood didn't mean a thing, when you had a bond like theirs.

With that in mind, Benji eventually got dressed in last night's clothes and headed out of Lux, kind of hoping to get a drink before making his way out, but what looked like the aftermath of an intense party was blocking his access to the bar. Therefore, he was forced to go outside with a lack of liquid courage, and get a cab to give him a ride to Dan's place since his Camaro was still parked in the yard of the apartment building.

He wasn't sure what he was going to say, or if Dan would even be willing to take him into his home after Benjamin had declared that it wasn't his home — truthfully, he wasn't quite certain what he defined as his home, but he did know that he wanted to be in Los Angeles, and in good terms with Dan, so he was hoping for the best. Although he was a fierce creature who felt deeply and had lots of struggles, he wasn't a hateful man, nor one who enjoyed fights and causing others worry. It was a balance that he always tried to maintain — even if inside, a pool of darkness was swallowing his heart whole, he intended to radiate positive vibes.

A deep sigh slipped from between Benjamin's lips after handing the cab driver enough money, and with his eyebrows knitted together in worry, he eyed the building before him for a while. He was rarely nervous, as being spontaneous was more his jam, but right now, he couldn't stop his heart from racing in his chest as he pushed the front door open with his muscular shoulder, and limped the stairs up until he was on the right floor, the right door a few strides away from him.

Carefully, Benjamin knocked on the door that said 302 on it, and as long as the door remained shut, the man held his breath in. But once Dan opened the door, leather jacket on his shoulders and a badge resting on his hips, meaning he was on his way out, Benji exhaled and pursed his lips in a nervous smile. But it seemed he was worrying for nothing, as Dan spent only a matter of seconds staring at him in wonder, and then he had already pulled his brother into a tight hug, his hand patting Ben's back as he sighed in relief.

"I'm sorry for lashing out", Benjamin whispered, hugging Dan softly, "I know you're just trying to help, and I appreciate it. I may be a little lost, but I think, with my brother, I'd feel like that a little less. I mean, if you'll only take me back—", his voice gentle and apologetic, and it seemed to be quite enough, as he didn't even have to finish when Dan had already nodded.

"Of course!", he breathed out whilst letting go of Benji. "I told you, no matter what, we're family. And whatever you need of me, I'll be there for you, Ben. I can't even imagine how hard this must be for you, but just know, you're not alone", Dan squeezed the younger Espinoza's shoulder reassuringly, earning a nod of gratitude from him.

And softly, Benjamin simply said, "Thank you."

Nodding, Dan gestured into the apartment he had hated to be in without Benjamin. "I need to go to work, and you should stay home, and you know, heal. Just take it easy", he then suggested, eyeing Benjamin's bruised body carefully once he remembered the man's broken rib. Luckily, concluding from the lack of complaints, their hug hadn't caused Benji too much pain.

After one last thank you, Benjamin had snuck indoors and Dan had left for his shift, leaving the younger brother all alone — something he was ultimately grateful for. Although he loved Dan, and appreciated the friendship he had with both Lucifer and Linda, he needed the peace and time to recover, both physically and mentally. It had been a rough couple of days, and that was why Benjamin was beyond glad to notice that Dan still hadn't discovered the hidden flask in the kitchen, which allowed Ben to gulp down the remains at the bottom and take a deep breath.

Only when his stomach growled and split the silence in the apartment, Benji realized how hungry he was — and since he was one to appreciate the greatness of food, he immediately headed for the fridge and took out everything he seemed worth a taste. And although his side was still aching and he had promised to take it easy, Benjamin ended up playing music from his phone, and whilst the familiar lyrics of Pocketful of Sunshine left his mouth, he made himself a huge sandwich, one that he intended to devour rather quickly.

It was simple, but it was quite lovely, and as he danced around and let a few painkillers take away the damage on his body, he forgot all about the damage within, too.

—————

realize that he had fallen asleep on the couch with an empty plate resting atop his muscular chest, and taken a well-deserved nap, until there was a loud bang on the door, one that had developed from a light knock long ago. Startled awake, the man jumped up and the plate nearly crashed onto the floor, but at last second, his hand grabbed it and placed it carefully onto the coffee table — however, even if he managed to save the plate, Benji was still disoriented and it took several more thuds on the front door before he actually got up, groaning and ruffling his hair whilst he took unsteady steps towards whoever was waiting in the hallway.

Yawning, Benjamin then opened the door, revealing a very frustrated Izzy Holt on the other side of it, which, believe it or not, actually woke him up for good. With his eyes blown wide, the man leaped in for a hug, and although she had appeared rather grumpy, Izzy ended up laughing as her tall body met Benjamin's and they held each other in the doorway.

"You had me worried, you idiot. For a second there I thought I'd have to kick down the door", the redhead joked, and turning serious, Benji let go and stared at the woman.

"You can do that?", he questioned, and grinning, Izzy shrugged as if it was no big deal, but to Benjamin, it felt like the more he found out about her, the more she seemed like a total action hero. "What are you doing here? Not that I don't love the surprise visit, because I do, even if you interrupted my nap", Ben wondered as he stepped aside to let the woman in, and peeking into the apartment curiously, Isadora bit down on her bottom lip and then shot a glance towards the youngest Espinoza.

"So no kissy cuddly time with Lucifer, huh?", she inquired, partly teasing, although there was something serious in her tone, too. "I came to check on you, see how you were doing. You've been through a lot lately, and Dan kind of hoped I'd make sure you weren't drunk and miserable, all alone here, you know?", her eyes met Benji's with a heavy layer of sympathy sparkling within them, and although he appreciated the kindness, he couldn't help but knit his eyebrows together in worry for someone else than himself.

"Is everything okay with Lucifer? He, if anyone, has been struggling lately. But thank you, though, for coming. I appreciate it", Benjamin rambled, and gulping, Izzy clearly knew something, and on top of that, she intended to keep it secret. But, Benji was a very persuasive man. "Tell me, Dora. What is it?", his voice grew more powerful, and shaking her head, Izzy ran her fingers through her cropped hair.

As her hands went on her hips, she pursed her lips nervously together. "As long as you drop that god-awful nickname", she shivered, and at the mention of God, Benjamin couldn't help but proceed to wonder if Izzy knew the truth — that Lucifer was actually the Devil, that Maze was actually a demon... And if she did, how had she taken it? "Lucifer tried to get shot. I—I really don't know what's going on with him, but he was hellbent on dying, and once we caught the killer, Chloe said something to him and he fled. I don't know where he went, but I was hoping he'd be here, with you, I guess", she sighed, and it was safe to say Benjamin was shocked to hear that.

"He told me he was fine. That I didn't need to worry. Damn it", he groaned, his hands covering his face as he thought about the potential outcomes of such a risky mission — where was he now? What was he doing? Was it too late? Could Benji help? Could the Devil even die?

"And you shouldn't, really. Get some rest, we'll find Lucifer and make sure—", Izzy began, but she didn't get to finish when Benjamin had snorted mockingly, and shaken his head in utter disagreement.

Breaking into a smile, he crossed his strong arms and stared at Isadora with determination. "Hell no", he replied, "I'm not abandoning my friend when he needs me the most. Besides, this is a great way of procrastinating when it comes to my own feelings", he decided boldly, and unsure if arguing was even wise at this point, Izzy simply looked back at him, silent and amazed at the same time.

"To save the Devil!"

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