Lucifer's so-called master plan — it was absolutely insane, even for Benjamin, the guy who got out of speeding tickets by making a move on the cop, the guy who once paid for a plane ticket from Bulgaria to Switzerland with money he had earned with one single show at a strip club. And yet, no matter how much he wanted to doubt it and tell Lucifer he was crazy and going to Hell was reckless and stupid, he found himself part of the plan — after all, he was the reckless one, the rebel, and if it took a temporary death to save Chloe Decker, he was down.

But he didn't do it without worrying, of course. As much as he wanted to save his sister-in-law, he wasn't willing to lose Lucifer in the process.

"You should go, Benjamin", Lucifer's voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and blinking, the Espinoza looked over to the man who was resting on the hospital bed, his shirt unbuttoned as his dark eyes were staring at Benji in concern. He was right — they were running out of time, and Ben had promised to team up with Dan and Ella to seek for the ingredients needed for the cure, and whilst the two had already headed out, he had stayed behind to make sure everything would go smoothly with Lucifer. He just didn't want to leave his side, nor let go of his hand, in the fear that he'd come back only to find him a dead man. "You mustn't worry, I am the king of Hell, after all", Lucifer was able to read Benjamin's eyes, and it earned a soft smile from the man.

"I know, and that's... awesome. But I'm just... worried, you know", Benji fell back into deep thought, the image of his father's face popping up in his mind as he sighed. "Do you think my father is in there?", he asked suddenly, and as his eyes widened, Lucifer took a swig from the flask Mazikeen had offered him.

Inhaling sharply, Lucifer shrugged. "I truly do not know, but if I get the opportunity, I'll try to find an answer for you. For what it's worth, I believe his deepest desire was to find you, Benjamin, and to come back to you. Even if he never got to", he explained, and in return, Benji squeezed his hand in gratitude. They were words he needed to hear, and remember — Chase had made an effort, even if it didn't work out in the end. Nevertheless, it was meaningful, and enough to bring a smile to his lips.

"Hey, how come you've never done that whole desire thing with me, hm?", Benjamin suddenly changed the subject as his tongue swept across his bottom lip and his eyes dropped from Lucifer's perfectly styled, shiny hair to his exposed chest, the defined muscles and the smooth skin. The sight of a few bruises, left there by rough kisses and bites, made Benjamin smile proudly — there was just something about leaving his mark, and once Lucifer noticed what he was looking at, he ended up grinning too.

"I don't know", the Devil then answered, "I suppose... I've just never had trouble getting to know the real you, or what you want. Tell me, Benjamin...", he sat up straighter before setting his intent, deep gaze onto Benji's warm eyes, "what do you desire?"

Those four words had an evident effect on Benjamin, they caused him to zone out and fall into a deep pool of truth and feeling — like they always did. It was a strange sensation, irresistible and intimidating, but at the same time, it felt like freedom as he parted his lips and let the words tumble out without holding back. He didn't do that very often. "I just want to be happy", Benjamin whispered. "I'm used to running and avoiding my feelings, but in the end, I want happiness, love. And I'm terrible at keeping it, but I think I've finally found what I've been looking for, in you", he revealed, and as he did, Lucifer froze, and both Mazikeen and Linda turned to look at the man in surprise. Clearly, hearing him open up like that was a rare treat. And on top of that, Benjamin wasn't done.

Although he continued to stare into Lucifer's eyes, he snapped out of his spell and inspected the man closely, from his flawless features to the things he carried in his eyes, the words he held back on his tongue, the feelings hidden in his heart. And suddenly, he let out a low chuckle. "I don't want to come on too strong, but I think I'm in love with you, Lucifer", Benji spoke out unexpectedly, his words filling the room with tension, but before he could be scared of crossing a line, Lucifer had broken into the fondest, softest of smiles and placed a hand on the back of Benjamin's head.

They met in the middle, their lips melting together as Lucifer held him close, passion and feeling unloading into the gentle kiss they shared. Frankly, Benjamin felt like his heart was overheating and about to explode, especially when Lucifer finally broke the kiss only to rest his forehead against his. "Careful, Benjamin, I'm not supposed to die just yet", his voice was a low whisper, before he placed his lips against Ben's once more.

With a chuckle, Benji pulled away eventually. "Good luck, Lucifer. And listen, if you die for good, then just know that I'm coming to Hell myself and dragging you out of there. I got you now, I don't intend to lose you right away", he swore, and smirking, Lucifer reassured that he would be beyond fine in the end, and so would Chloe. And at the end of the day, they would be together, happy and content in one another's arms. They were going to get that happy ending.

Benjamin left the room eventually, but not after bumping fists with Maze and giving an encouraging kiss on Linda's cheek. He was finally feeling good about this, like there was hope, and he chose to believe that in the end, Chloe would be fine, Lucifer would be fine, he would be fine — they would all be. Everything was going to be okay.

But then, what was that heavy feeling that started to press on Benjamin's heart, making him uncomfortable as he sat in his Camaro, the feeling of Lucifer's lips still lingering against his?

—————

were waiting for Benjamin at some rather shady warehouse, but they both assured it wasn't going to be dangerous — however, Benji was certain they were only saying that because they didn't want to give him a gun despite his many pleas and wishes. He just wanted to feel awesome, kicking down the door and holding up a gun, but instead, he was handed a flashlight to illuminate their way, and despite the roll of eyes, Benjamin accepted his fate and made it easier for them to travel through the dark building by clicking the light on.

"This is kind of awesome, you know. Me and the two Espinoza brothers. We need some kind of a name, for our team. Would you be down for a groupchat?", Ella ranted as she picked the lock on the door, surprising both Benji and Dan as they watched the dork work their way inside, but as for her words, they both snorted.

"Hell yeah", Benjamin grinned, "I gotta know, though, where'd you learn to pick a lock like that?"

Glancing at the younger Espinoza, Ella flashed an adorable smile whilst she led the way into the building, her own flashlight giving her vision as they walked around as quietly as possible. "My grandma", was her simple answer, and with a chuckle rising from his throat, Benjamin was rather impressed. He eyed the surroundings cautiously — you never knew what could jump up from the shadows, but he was hoping that the worst threat in the shady building would be a stray cat, only to be immediately proven wrong by the sound of a gun being loaded.

"Hey!", an annoyed voice spoke up, and while Ella remained crouched and dug through some boxes, both of the Espinoza brothers were quick to lift their hands in the air. "You picked the wrong place to rob", the man holding a shotgun threatened — he didn't look particularly intimidating, but when standing at the wrong end of a gun, Benjamin knew to keep his mouth shut. However, Ella didn't.

Concluding from the demanding tone in her voice as she insulted him, the two knew one another — or at least Benji desperately hoped so, for the sake of not getting shot. Much to his delight, the man did end up lowering the gun as per Ella's request. "You know this guy?", Dan was just as amazed, a mixture of surprise and shock lacing his tone, and in response, the forensic scientist rolled her eyes.

"Only since birth. Espinozas, meet Ricardo, my idiot brother", Ella sighed, and of course, his brother was quick to argue, only for the woman to continue with, "Sorry. Thieving, cowardly, neglectful idiot", earning a smile from Benjamin. Frankly, the sight of the siblings arguing was reminding him of his own relationship with Dan — how they could often bicker about the most trivial, stupid matters, but at the end of the day, they had a bond that meant more than their small arguments. They had love and support for one another, and that was how it had always been, even when Benjamin doubted it the most.

In that moment, he truly appreciated his big brother and everything he had done for him. He had never turned his back on Benjamin — not when he felt like the outcast, not when he came out as gay, not when he was the one to walk away. And when he finally returned, Dan didn't avoid him or yell at him, no, he welcomed him back with open arms, and that confirmed how utterly good and worthy of happiness he was. Dan Espinoza was a good man, and the absolute pride Benji had in his heart forced him to smile as he rested a hand on Dan's shoulder and squeezed it lightly, not saying anything, but at the same time, everything.

"Watch. He's gonna try and say he doesn't have any ZX3", Ella's voice earned his attention again, and much like she had suspected, Ricardo insisted on not having any — but in the knowledge that he was just trying to hide the truth, Benjamin finally took the opportunity to speak.

"Listen, man, I'm no stranger to illegal stuff so I know what you're doing. But let me just remind you that we broke in here and went snooping around, so it's not like we're really going by the book here, either", Ben crossed his arms over his firm chest, his leather jacket stretching as he shrugged, "I'm not even part of the LAPD", earning a snort from Dan — only Benjamin could convince cops to take him along with zero experience or authority. Granted, those cops were his brother and friend, but nevertheless.

"Ricky. The ZX3's for a friend. Without it, she's gonna die. And I really don't want her to die", Ella finally pleaded, looking over to his brother with puppy eyes, and that had to work. Hell, even Benjamin's heart was melting.

And as expected, Ricardo gave in. "Follow me", he just sighed out while turning on his heel, but before he walked away, he turned to Ella once more with an amused look, "I hate you."

"I love you, too!"

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