to see that the effects of Azrael's blade were evidently subsiding and Dan was returning to his old self, although he was mildly tainted with guilt, and it was obvious in his apologetic eyes when he arrived to their shared kitchen the next morning. Benji was rather used to sleeping in and waking up to an empty house with Dan already tackling a new homicide, but now that he was also employed — which had surprised Dan, to be honest — he found himself early in the kitchen, surrounded by the tempting smell of coffee. And the liquour he had shamelessly slipped in his mug to give the morning a good boost.

"Hey, about last night...", Dan broke the silence between the two without a simple good morning, and Benji looked up from his phone to see his older sibling scratching the back of his neck nervously, with his eyes avoiding Ben's. He wanted to intervene and insist that Dan hadn't been himself, but he didn't get the chance — yet. "I don't know what happened, but I remember yelling at you for some reason, and I just—I'm sorry. You're an awesome brother, and you really didn't deserve that. I don't blame you for leaving L.A, I totally get it and I hope you know that you never need to be anyone but yourself", Daniel continued, sipping on his coffee awkwardly as his soft gaze shifted over to his little brother, who smiled in return.

"It's all good. I mean, I did kind of abandon you, and I didn't even tell you — just left you a lame note. But, there's nothing to worry about. No hard feelings, man", Benjamin reassured, and in an instant, Dan relaxed visibly, his posture softening while he cracked a happy smile.

Gulping down the rest of his coffee, Dan grabbed his jacket from one of the kitchen chairs before looking over to Benji again, his eyes curious. "So, Lux, huh?", he poked the subject that Benjamin had been waiting for, and snorting, he turned to face his brother whilst nodding his head to confirm that it was true — he finally got a job, and not any basic job, either.

"Yeah, I like it there. Speaking of the Devil's club, I better head out, and I recommend you do the same. A new murder mystery awaits, eh?", Benjamin added his coffee mug to the pile of dishes he had been talentedly avoiding since last night, before following his brother's lead and shrugging his leather jacket onto his broad shoulders.

Whilst shaking his head and chuckling, Dan opened the door to lead the way out, "I swear, you sound more like Lucifer each day", he just commented, and grinning in response, Benjamin decided to take that as a compliment.

With Dan jumping into his own car and Benjamin revving the engine of his Camaro, the two siblings quickly parted ways, Bad to the Bone giving them a proper farewell as Benji sped towards the nightclub he was proud to work at. His arrival turned many heads, and after sending a few winks to the men yearning after him, the bartender rushed indoors, only to find a bunch of uninvited people buzzing around the room, investigating the surroundings.

Lifting an eyebrow, Benjamin pushed his sunglasses into his pocket, and felt relieved to find a certain demon waiting below the stairs he was quickly hopping down. "Uh, Maze?", he started carefully, unsure if he even wanted to know what was happening, and immediately, the woman turned to face Benji with her muscular arms crossed over her barely hidden chest. However, he didn't get an answer, when a familiar accent had already earned his attention with a simple greeting, forcing him to spin around and smile at the lovely sight awaiting for him.

"Are you the proprietor?", a suited man then questioned, turning all three heads towards him as he casually sat by the bar counter, and if the situation hadn't been what it was, perhaps Benjamin would have attempted to charm his classy pants off of him. However, he couldn't help but feel like Lux was being threatened, and he didn't particularly like that feeling — in fact, he stood between Lucifer and Maze with a defiant expression, ready to defend this legendary place to his last breath.

"I am, yes", Lucifer responded proudly, before his tone grew a tad more bitter and unwelcoming, "and who are you? Lounging around like you own the place?", which earned a suffocated snort from Benjamin.

Sadly, the man had a perfect comeback to Lucifer's comment.

"Oh, I actually do own the place", he began, and after standing up from the bar stool, he grabbed a file he was more than happy to hand to the Devil. "Lucifer Morningstar, you're being evicted", the man continued, and needless to say, that was all it took to annoy Benjamin to a point of no return.

And just like that, he let the frustration burst from within his heart, causing his fist to come in harsh contact with his face.

—————

a lovely little cell waiting for Benjamin, who, not so surprisingly, had seen and visited the cozy place once or twice before. This time, he happened to be quite proud of what he had done — after all, that guy totally deserved to get punched in his smug face, and it was worth it, even if he had called the cops on Benji, and Izzy Holt herself had to take the man behind bars for the night.

"You know this is totally stupid, right?", Izzy giggled as she locked Benjamin into one of the holding cells, and rolling his eyes, he couldn't help but nod.

"Maybe so, but that guy had it coming. If Lucifer loses Lux, I'll do it again. I don't care how mighty and powerful he is", he sighed whilst settling onto the bench against the wall, "but hey, at least this place is kinda cozy and there's no one else here so this should be chill", a smile appearing onto his lips, proving that he had no regrets, and no panic. Most people would be freaking out over being arrested, but not Benjamin — he had experience, and he knew that it wasn't such a big deal at the end of the day. Just another fun adventure of being the little rebel he was.

"At least he didn't press assault charges, man. He's a pretty influential dude, so consider yourself lucky. At least as long as Dan doesn't hear about this", Izzy winked, and chuckling in response — although she wasn't wrong — Benji thanked her for the wise words, before the deputy walked away to assist his brother on the case.

But, truthfully, Benjamin didn't regret his actions, as he very rarely did. He was the kind of guy to live in the moment, to focus on making good memories rather than the consequences. That was why he and Dan made a perfect balance — the older sibling kept the younger one attached to the ground and reminded him of being an adult whenever necessary. Frankly, the only thing that bothered Benji was that now, he was unable to defend Lux and take part in the party that Lucifer was undoubtedly going to throw in the club's honor. All he could do, was keep his fingers crossed and hope that the place could be saved without his fierce assistance in the matter.

The hours did pass rather slowly, however, and it seemed like eons had passed before someone finally approached the cell in which he was stuck. Truthfully, a part of him worried that Dan was coming over with his responsible adult lecture, but he was pleased to notice someone else walking to the little jailbird — short, adorable, goggles resting on the top of her head. And once he had eyed the woman enough, he remembered him from Lux when Izzy had dragged him there — Ella Lopez, the forensic scientist who assisted Chloe and Dan on their cases. On her lips, was a radiant smile and Benji couldn't resist doing the same as he greeted her.

"Come to take a look at the tamed beast?", he teased while leaning against the bars, which earned a chuckle from Ella, who ended up shaking her head.

"No—well, kind of. It's just, I've heard so much about you. You know, he won't shut up about you, so I had to officially meet you. Ella Lopez", she beamed while sneaking her hand between the bars, so Benjamin could shake it. "I mean, we kind of met back at Lux a while ago, but anyway. I'd hug you if I could, but ehh...", Ella continued while Benji gently took her hand, and now, it was his turn to laugh.

"Benjamin Espinoza. You're cute, I like you. And hey, I don't wonder — Dan loves me so of course he's gotta brag", he explained, but much to his surprise, Ella ended up shaking her head.

"Oh, uh, not Dan. Well, yeah, he's mentioned you a couple of times, but he doesn't really talk about personal stuff at work. I meant Lucifer", she elaborated, and at this, Benjamin's smile faded away. But, as soon as it had disappeared, it came back, stronger than before, and giving away the flutter of his heart as his cheeks turned pink. Smiling, Ella leaned closer to him so he could hear her whisper, "I guess you kind of like him too, huh?", and well, Benjamin couldn't very well say no, for the sake of not lying.

After Ella had sneakily given him a chocolate bar to munch on, the scientist rushed away to continue working, which Benjamin did understand, and appreciate. It gave him time to think, and worry about Lux — perhaps about Lucifer, too. He knew what that club meant to him, how it was everything to the Devil, and although all the stories that Lucifer had told him, proved that putting all your faith in God didn't always work, Benjamin found himself praying for the place's survival. It seemed like the universe was working against Lucifer in the most malevolent of ways, so he definitely deserved a victory — to keep his home.

More time passed and it began to get dark outside as Benjamin sat around the cell, twisted the candy wrapper and tried to get creative, but there was no escaping the truth that it was quite nerve-wracking to sit aside when there was so much happening outside of those bars. But eventually, the moment he had been dreading arrived, and none other than Dan Espinoza stepped from behind the corner with his hands pushed deep into his pockets and an amused smile dancing on his lips.

"Took you long enough", Benjamin breathed out as he climbed up from the floor and rushed to the entrance of the cell to reunite with his brother. "What are you smiling about? Aren't you supposed to give me the disappointed big brother lecture about how reckless and immature my behavior was? The I'm not angry, just disappointed speech?", his eyebrows knitted together when he noticed the unexpected delight on Dan's face, which somehow intimidated him more.

Shrugging, Dan rested against the wall next to the cell and continued to smile. "Would it make a difference? I know you can take care of yourself, even if you like to make me doubt it, occasionally", he sighed, and nodding, Benjamin had to agree. "And as for my smile, well...", Dan grew more mischievous, "I think you've finally found yourself something to fight for. Something to hold onto", while he took out the keys to open the cell door, and as he yanked it wide, Benji felt a wave of freedom wash over him.

"You've been bailed out", the oldest Espinoza added, and as he pushed the keys into his pocket, he started to walk away. But before he did, he turned back to Benjamin and lifted a teasing eyebrow. "And by the way, I'm not talking about Lux", Dan pointed out, leaving Ben quite confused, but a sense of clarity kicked in when his brother walked away, only for Lucifer to arrive in his place.

Sighing out in relief, Benjamin stepped towards him, but at last second, swallowed down the temptation to hug him. "What happened? Is Lux saved? Are you okay?", he bombarded the Devil with a bunch of questions, and breaking into a smile, Lucifer nodded.

"Why don't we go there for a drink, and I'll tell you all about it?", he suggested with a soft smile, and how could Benjamin refuse?

If only he knew that what was supposed to be a simple visit, was going to turn into something much more.

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