lifestyle, Benjamin had never faced any dire consequences, although one would expect that from the excessive dancing on tables and illegally fast cruising down the midnight streets. But, excluding the one time he broke his middle finger after flipping it so hard he smacked it against a wall when he was seventeen, Benji had never hurt himself so seriously he'd have to go to the hospital. He was a strong man, and refused to give into weakness and submit to being sick, but at last, the day had come — he was hurt, and quite badly, one might add.

There was a cloud of darkness over his consciousness as he was rolled into the hospital on a gurney, Dan rushing along with the nurses that kept on checking on his pulse and vitals in order to make sure that he wasn't a lost cause. Luckily, his heart still beat and air continued to flow through his system, although painfully and with a heartwrenching wheeze. The wound on his head was already collecting dry blood, and the skin around his eyes was gaining a purple shade to it to confirm that he had smacked his head against the window rather harshly. That was why he had been knocked out, and was yet to regain consciousness.

But, eventually, it happened. It was the pain that caused Benjamin to wake up — with a grimace forming on his lips, the man slowly blinked his eyes open and let out a quiet, pained groan at the discomfort all over his body, like a blanket suffocating him with agony. He was plugged into some kind of a machine — Benji didn't really know what it was for, but he did know that the constant beeping of it was giving him a migraine. Or maybe he was already suffering from it, he wasn't quite sure, but he did recognize the familiar thudding in the back of his skull, like a hammer pushing nails deeper into his head.

"Oh my God", Benji could hear Dan's concerned voice from the other side of the room, and letting out a soft, weak chuckle, the youngest Espinoza forced a sarcastic smile onto his lips.

"Nope", he started, surprising even himself with the hoarse voice, "just me." In any other situation, Dan would have smacked his brother's shoulder, but right now, all he could do was laugh and wipe his eyes as a wave of relief washed over. From that, Benjamin gathered that he had gotten some serious damage — although, at first, he didn't remember why. But once the harsh collision against Chloe's car came back to mind, the man tried to sit up, only for Dan to rush in and gently push him back down. "Where's Chloe? Is she okay? What happened?", Benji worried over his sister-in-law, pain bleeding into his eyes as well, which Dan could see clearly when their stares met.

Luckily, Dan offered a smile, which was a good sign.

"She's okay. Just hit her head, and she'll get home later today. She was lucky. I wish I could say the same about you", Dan shook his head, and eyes widening, Benjamin finally agreed to relax against the mattress and the soft pillow below his head — of course, he didn't like the fact that he was stuck in bedrest, but he was just glad that Chloe was alright. "You have a concussion and a broken rib. You're stuck in the hospital for today at least, but then you'll get home with me. You'll be okay", Daniel explained, and gulping, Benjamin nodded. However, the diagnosis that Dan had clearly asked for many times from the doctor, explained the pain he felt when breathing and the disoriented feeling along with the throbbing in his head.

But, nevertheless, Benjamin flashed a smile. "I know I will", he confirmed, and this made Dan smile as well. He had always known that his brother was a fighter, in every way.

"Izzy dropped by, but you were still unconscious. She did promise to bring you some food later, though. And Trixie is waiting outside, if you're feeling up to seeing her?", Dan wondered, and nodding in agreement, Benjamin wished he could have clapped his hands together, but instead he just had to settle for more subtle responses.

"My favorite niece? Always", he simply replied, and with that, Dan stepped outside to get Trixie. Only a few seconds later, the cheerful girl rushed inside the room and nearly jumped on Benji's bed, but luckily, her father stepped in to stop her from crushing the poor man, causing Trixie to offer an apologetic smile. Nonetheless, the child inched closer to gently throw her arms over Benjamin's body and press her head against his chest, which earned a warm smile from the man.

"Are you okay?", Trixie wondered in worry, her big brown eyes sparkling with affection for her precious uncle, and although she could see the damage on his body, he refused to show the damage inside and merely nodded in response, a smile appearing on his lips yet again. He had always been good at smiling, even when he wasn't really feeling like it — however, it wasn't all that fake, as he did love Trixie dearly, and just seeing her made his aching body feel a little less thrown around.

Putting his thumb up, Benjamin reassured his niece. "I'm just fine, nugget. Don't worry, I'll be home soon and then we can make some victory pancakes, huh?", he suggested, and as a grin spread out over her lips, Trixie eagerly nodded her head, quite liking the sound of that. With his own smile widening, Benji then carefully wrapped his arm around the girl's small body and squeezed her as much as he could without causing himself any pain — except for the small pressure he suffered through for Trixie. "Love you, kid. Now, why don't you go find your mom?", Benjamin pressed a gentle kiss against Trixie's forehead, before gently nudging the girl away from his bruising limbs.

With a nod of agreement, Trixie stepped away and waved goodbye to his father, before walking towards the door. However, she didn't get that far when the entrance into the room opened once again, and a tall figure appeared through the doorway, his stylishly dressed body earning a surprised look from Benjamin, as his niece greeted the new guest.

"Lucifer!", she squealed, and wincing at the hug forced onto him, Lucifer grimaced and tried to pull away, but there was no getting away from the girl's eager greeting. Frankly, his arrival was a surprise to Benji, whose eyes widened at the sight of the man, who finally managed to squirm away from Trixie's tight grip. Dan was quickly rushing to escort the girl outside, beyond happy to escape from the situation as Lucifer adjusted his jacket and tried to regain his dignity whilst walking over to Benjamin's hospital bed and flashing him one of his infamous, irresistible smiles.

Eyeing the handsome sight in front of him, Benji clenched his jaw and licked his lips briefly before parting them. "I'm surprised to see you here", he awkwardly began with his hoarse voice, and then mentally slapped himself for the poor attempt to say something. Grimacing, he continued, "I mean, I thought the Devil would be busy punishing people or something", before sharply gasping, "unless you're here to take me to Hell." It caused Lucifer to chuckle, as he just shook his head and pushed his hands deep into his pockets.

"Not to worry, luckily, it seems your time isn't quite yet. Which is why I've come — I was... well, I came for the detective, when I heard you were here as well", Lucifer explained, his head nodding carefully. For a moment there, they remained silent, until Lucifer took one of his hands from its pocket and gestured towards Benjamin's sad, beaten appearance. "How are you feeling? You certainly don't look too well, Benjamin", he wondered, and snorting, Benji shrugged in response.

"I feel better than I look. It's okay, I've heard that dudes dig scars", the youngest Espinoza let a proud grin appear on his lips whilst he pointed at the stitches on his head. "Besides, it was just a random accident. Nothing to worry about. Though I have to admit, having the Devil concerned for my well-being is kinda flattering", he continued, and once again, Lucifer chuckled whilst glancing down at his feet, but eventually, his gaze lifted and locked with Benjamin's, which made the latter's heart boom in his chest.

"In my defense, I can't afford losing my dancing partner, can I?", Lucifer lifted an eyebrow, before shooting a wink at Benjamin, and in an instant, his smile vanished. The accident had gotten to his head so strongly, he had forgotten all about the kiss with Lucifer, but now that he had been reminded of it, it was impossible to push out of his head. As the taller man then turned on his heel and walked out of the room without another word, Benjamin let his head fall back and a happy smile to tug on his lips — it was quite strange, considering he had just survived a car accident that could have very well been fatal, but something about Lucifer just lit up his heart and made him feel alive, even in a moment like this.

Minutes passed, but eventually, the peace Benjamin had found in being alone was broken by Dan, who entered the room warily. "What's got you in such a good mood? The broken rib? The concussion?", he teased, and shakily inhaling — which caused a jab of pain to poke him in his side — Benjamin looked over to his brother and bit onto his bottom lip carefully.

He had to tell him. Not because he had a crush that he needed to gush over, but because he had promised to be a better brother and that meant no secrets between the two. He had promised to be mature, and even though kissing Lucifer had probably been the exact opposite of that, he didn't want to lie to Dan and take the risk of him finding out through someone else. Besides, perhaps there was something between Benjamin and Lucifer, something more than he had expected, and he couldn't just keep that hidden from his own flesh and blood.

"I kissed Lucifer", he blurted out, and eyes blowing wide, Dan nearly stumbled on his own feet and shot a shocked look over to Benjamin, who couldn't stop grinning. What an idiot.

"You did what? Why? How? When? No— I don't want to know. What were you thinking? Or were you thinking at all? Ugh, if you weren't in this condition right now, I'd kick your ass", Dan groaned, and despite the negative reaction his confession was receiving, Benjamin couldn't help but laugh — evidently, it was a mistake as it only hurt everywhere, but ignoring the evolving pain in his broken bones, Benji just closed his eyes and enjoyed the surprising feeling of innocent joy in his soul.

"You know how I like to think with my heart", he defended himself, but Dan was unimpressed.

Knitting his eyebrows together, Dan shook his head. "Sometimes I feel like you think with a whole other body part, Ben", he pointed out, which caused the both of them to smile at the poor joke. "Just be careful, okay? I'd hate to see my brother get hurt by Lucifer Morningstar", Dan rolled his eyes, and nodding in agreement, Benjamin made a silent promise to remain careful around Lucifer. Well, at least he was going to try.

Their conversation was cut short when the door was pushed in once again, and a nurse stepped in, her eyes coated with a layer of worry and nervousness. Dan could instantly see it on her face, and grew concerned as well, but Benjamin continued to beam with joy and smile, no idea of the news that were going to hit him hard.

"Mr. Espinoza", the nurse cleared her throat awkwardly, and lifting an eyebrow, Benjamin looked over to her to confirm that she held his undivided attention. "We ran some blood tests, and there is something you should know", she explained, and now growing curious of what it could possibly be, Benji frowned and stared at her seriously. The smile was gone and he was trying to read the woman's expression, but all he could see was that it was something big. Something serious. Something... bad?

"What is it?", Dan demanded, and gulping, the nurse looked between the brothers, before returning her apologetic gaze to Benjamin.

"I am sorry to be the one to inform you of this, Mr. Espinoza, but it appears you and Daniel are only half-brothers", she sighed, "we do not know why this is coming into light just now, but you do not share a father."

Benjamin could only stare at her blankly, a cloud of confusion landing over his racing heart, but with each passing second, he began to grasp the truth more and more. The puzzle pieces floating around his mind connected. And above all, his world came crashing down and with those words, everything changed.

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