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Sandalphon heaved a sigh, ungracefully flopping himself down on a nearby chair. He shoved a hand up to his head, fingers brushing through his unruly chocolate locks of hair in exhaustion. The morning rush was finally over, the masses of people gone, all that was left was to clean the floors and counters from the disgusting messes that the customers had left as farewell gifts. Sandalphon mentally groaned at the workload that still had to be done, propping up his elbow onto the pale white table to then immediately regret his decision as a spilt drink's liquid immediately made contact with his skin. He took a deep breath in, careful as not to let out any strangled sounds of pain when he exhaled as to not provoke his disgustingly perverted coworker.Speaking of which, Sandalphon watched as Belial did his damn job for once and slid out from the counter to approach a dirtied tabletop with a cloth in hand.That is, the table in which Sandalphon was brutally attacked by.Upon seeing the situation Sandalphon was in, Belial grinned and let out a teasing chuckle, "oi, Sandy, I didn't know you liked to get yourself into even more messes," he mused, lifting up the brunet's arm to wipe down the cold liquid."Shut up," he hissed in reply, earning another amused laugh from the taller male. Once the white table was spotless and free from the spilt coffee, Belial turned to Sandalphon's arm, wrapping the cloth around his battle wound. At his actions, Sandalphon raised a brow, but was quickly left disgusted as the ebony haired male wiped his arm up and down in a rather... suggestive fashion.(His shit-eating grin didn't help the situation either.)"Get your filthy hands off of me!" He screamed, kicking the man in the chest, resulting in him to tumble back in surprise. Though, unfortunately, Belial was quick in regaining his composure and let out a howl of laughter, "Sandy, what did you expect~?"Sandalphon scoffed, narrowing his eyes in a threat. At this, Belial threw up his hands in a surrender, smirk still evident upon his lips, "okay, okay! Relax, princess~" he teased, sending a wink over to the brunet.Before Sandalphon could stand up and punch the living shits out of his coworker, the golden bell atop the door to the cafe ringed in greeting, signalling customers. Almost immediately, both Sandalphon and Belial went into autopilot, voices going monotone as they relayed the same message to the newcomers, "welcome to Paradise Cafe-"Though, it seemed like the both of them stopped abruptly when their eyes landed on the two newcomers. Sandalphon didn't know about Belial, but his crimson eyes widened in evident speechlessness as he stared at the pair of customers in awe.They seemed like twins judging by their matching ivory locks and ocean blue eyes, except for the fact that one of them was a few inches taller than the other.But if Sandalphon could admit one thing about them, they were damn good looking-- especially the taller one. He didn't know why, maybe it was how his eyes seemed softer than his brother's who were narrowed, but he couldn't help the faint pink that flushed to his cheeks at the sight of the pair.Though, if they were good looking in his book, he didn't even want to remotely know how Belial viewed them. He managed to spare a glance at his roommate, who in turn was equally surprised and, quite frankly, looked like he was about to pounce on the two customers."Hello," the taller one spoke, his voice soft and warm and just angelic like he just fell from the heavens and miraculously saved him from the grasp of his torturous coworker. "Ah, is it alright to order?" He asked in curiosity, glancing between him (still sitting on a chair) and the black haired male (who leaned upon a nearby table with cloth still in hand)."Y-Yes!" Sandalphon managed to stutter out, jumping to his feet to go around the counter before Belial could. After all, with these two in the cafe, he wasn't going to risk any perverted jokes or gross flirtations. The taller newcomer smiled at this (making Sandalphon's heart skip a beat), straying from his shorter brother to stand in front of the register. "Just two large coffees is fine, one black and one with cream," he voiced softly, smiling."Your name?" He asked, inputting the order into the machine, genuinely surprising himself at how he didn't stutter this time. "And that'll be $5.02.""Lucifer for the black coffee, and Lucilius for the one with cream," he replied, taking out a light blue wallet and plucking a credit card out, handing it to him.Sandalphon blinked, deciding upon Lucifer to input into the computer before he took the card, swiping it before returning it back. "Receipt?" He asked, humming in acknowledgment when the ivory male gave an affirmative nod. He watched as the white paper exited from the machine, ripping it out of the canister and giving it to Lucifer. "Thank you," he smiled once more, making Sandalphon's breath hitch in his throat as the former walked away, back to his brother who sat at one of the tables in what seemed like boredom.Sandalphon watched for a moment longer before realization struck him like a bullet. Spinning on his heel, his crimson gaze went to the other seats scattered around the cafe, which, to his surprise and relief, were glistening with cleanliness. He caught Belial's eye, who had came behind the counter when he was taking Lucifer's order, and raised a brow at him. "What? I ain't that much of a pain, y'know," he threw up his hands once more, turning away from Sandalphon.The brunet scoffed at this, "you're saying this to someone you've been rooming with for almost 7 months."Belial ignored his comment, grabbing two portafilters and filling them with freshly ground coffee beans from the dispenser before handing one of them to Sandalphon, who already stood next to the tampers and the coffee machine. Although the latter was curious as to why the taller male was being so cooperative for once, he wasn't quite complaining about it. Though, it did make him strangely uneasy as he took the ground beans and pressed them into the portafilter with the tamper, tapping it against the side before pressing it down once more and locking it into the machine, alongside Belial's who silently handed his over to him. Sandalphon swiftly took four glasses and placed them under the spouts, pressing the buttons on the machine before turning to his coworker who was preparing the cups. "... You didn't write their names yet?" Belial questioned, raising a brow at the empty countertop.Sandalphon turned away, watching as the last drops of coffee dripped into the glasses, "whoops," he replied, sarcasm in his voice. Though, admittedly, it did seem like he was too entranced by Lucifer that he forgot to scribble on the names onto the cups.He heard Belial huff in what seemed like disappointment, "Sandy, what happened to your perfection? Who tarnished you?" He lightly shook his head, bringing the two cups to Sandalphon with a sharpie in hand."Shut up," he hissed, taking the marker and scribbling on Lucifer and Lucilius onto the two cups, eyes glancing at the kettle to then heave a silent sigh of relief to see that there was still a healthy amount of water left in it.This guy was really making his brain melt, he couldn't even make a simple cup of coffee.He finished off the second cup and deposited the marker into Belial's apron pocket as he turned to fill them with water. "Lucifer and Lucilius, huh? Definitely brothers," Belial mused, passing a filled cup to his awaiting coworker.Sandalphon shrugged, pouring two shots of espresso into the water before stirring it, doing the same to the second cup that Belial slid over and dripping an additional portion of cream into it.To be fair, Sandalphon didn't even think he could work alongside Belial, especially in something that he particularly enjoyed doing. What could he say? He was someone who was strangely fond of the coffee making process and enjoyed it, which meant that a job at a cafe would certainly prove to be somewhat enjoyable in his suffering days of lecture halls. But the fact that his strange roommate eased his way into working alongside him in the cafe was what made Sandalphon almost quit on the spot hadn't it been his boss who urged him to stay.Though, truthfully, Belial was surprisingly hardworking when he really set his mind to it. Although he would still flick a few flirtations and teases towards Sandalphon, the help he gave when it came to customers was... nice? Sandalphon almost grimaced at the word. But it was certainly true in the fact that he himself couldn't handle stubborn customers very well and made many (and he means many) "accidents" that may have resulted in a couple of bad reviews on Gelp.He sighed to himself, taking the lids that Belial had offered him and pressing them to the rim of the cups. Giving one last inspection of the drinks, he carried them over to the side counter. "Two coffees for Lucifer," he called out, absentmindedly checking the watch at his wrist, not necessarily needing to check the time but to instead distract himself as the said customer strolled over to the counter.Sandalphon glanced up when the taller male approached, the same heart crushing smile upon his lips, "thank you very much," he hummed, taking the two cups of coffee and bringing them to his table. The brunet watched in nervousness as Lucifer slid one of the cups to his brother-- who only nodded in acknowledgment, his eyes being distracted by the book in his hand (when did he have a book was something Sandalphon didn't know either)-- before bringing the cup in his hand up to his lips. Sandalphon gulped as Lucifer took a quiet sip, his shoulders immediately tensing when his sky blue eyes widened in shock. The ivory male retracted the cup from his mouth, staring at the lid in fascination. Lucilius seemed to have noticed his rather strange expression, and raised his head from his book, quirking a brow, "is it good?"Lucifer smiled, humming, "it's quite good; delicious, in fact. I see why Michael is so fond of coming here."His companion only grunted in reply, gaze going back to his book. Though, he did in fact reach out to his own cup and took a sip, his face remaining expressionless, unlike his brother.Sandalphon relaxed his shoulders, letting out the breath he didn't realize he was holding. That was the most stressful thing he's ever felt and that's coming from someone who once studied for only an hour before taking a final.At least he can say that he passed that final with an above average percentage.The ring of the golden bell interrupted Sandalphon's thoughts, and he immediately tried to stifle down his growing irritation at being reminded that he still needed to serve other customers. "Welcome to Paradise Cafe-""It's just me," the newcomer laughed, and Sandalphon perked up to see Lancelot strolling through the door, coat in hand. "Though, I am a bit early, so it's understandable."The brunet blinked, eyes going to his watch to actually look at the time and not distract himself. The white handles read 2:48pm, which was, in fact, early for the ebony haired male's shift.At least that meant less time spent alone with his roommate.Speaking of which, Sandalphon turned around, expecting to see his coworker but was instead met with complete emptiness. Upon seeing his confused and slightly irritated expression, Lancelot spoke up as he headed towards the staff room, "if you're wondering about Belial, I saw him outside; he's most likely taking his break."Although he did have the urge to go outside and snap and him, as he always did, Sandalphon could at least accept his rather abrupt break because of the halt in customers.Lancelot came out of the staff room just as fast as he did entering, his hands behind his back as he tied his apron to his chest. "How was the morning rush?"Sandalphon shuddered at the question, "like someone robbed the place," he huffed out."As always," Lancelot chuckled in reply, "although I don't doubt the boss, I do believe the schedules are a bit unusual.""Two people in the morning is far from enough," Sandalphon agreed, turning to the portafilter. "I think she knows that Belial and I room together." He turned his head, raising a brow at Lancelot who in turn hesitated before nodding his head, mumbling a quick 'thank you' before he replied to Sandalphon's earlier statement. "Hm, how so?""Two out of the five days I work, I'm with him, alone, for at least..." he trailed off, plugging the portafilter into the machine to prepare Lancelot's drink. "Four hours?"Lancelot blinked, "in my opinion, I'd say you two seem rather close from a bystander's perspective."Sandalphon scoffed, taking out a cup and a saucer, "give it two millennia and maybe." Pouring the shot of espresso into the cup, Sandalphon took a metal cup from off to the side and filled it with milk, bringing the container to the steam tip and frothing the dairy. "Enough about us, please. You took your final recently, right?"The ebony haired male nodded, teal gaze mesmerized with the brunet's work, "the results haven't come in yet.""Nervous?" Sandalphon chuckled, wiping the leftover microfoam from the steam tip to then pour the milk upon the awaiting cup of coffee-- creating a simple rosetta with the white foam."Of course," he laughed in response, "can anybody truly be confident when it comes to taking their final?""You're talking to the person who completely winged their final last semester and passed.""You didn't completely wing it-- you had an hour of studying.""And that hour was right before it started," Sandalphon sighed, taking the freshly made latte to his coworker, who gratefully took it with a gentle smile. The conversation dimmed as Lancelot quietly sipped at his drink, and Sandalphon was left to bring his attention back to the two ivory haired customers who sat in absolute silence-- the shorter one still focused on his book, and Lucifer tapping away on his phone in a rather urgent and distressed manner. However, right before Sandalphon could spare another glance at the pair, Lucifer leaned over to Lucilius and mumbled something incoherent to the brunet's ears. But it did seem rather important for Lucilius immediately shut his book and stood up, taking his coffee and exiting through the door. Lucifer hesitantly followed as well, coffee and phone in hand as he reached out for the door handle, pausing, before turning to make eye contact with Sandalphon-- sky blue staring into crimson."Thank you for the coffee, I'll be sure to visit again," he smiled one last time before pulling open the door, the golden bell jingling as he left the cafe.Sandalphon watched as his white haired figure disappeared into the streets, tailing after his brother like a dog would to its owner. And although the promise of another visit lightened Sandalphon's mood, he couldn't help the shudder that went through his body at the sudden absence.Ah. It felt cold.~~~Sandalphon unlocked the door to their shared dorm, his roommate right behind him as he quickly entered and took off his shoes, heading straight to his bed and free-falling upon the mattress, face stuffed in between his plush white pillows. He glanced to the side, noticing Belial do the same except his back laid flat upon the soft mattress, melting into the bed like putty as he stared at the ceiling.A strange silence fell between them both, a silence that Sandalphon would, to be frank, cherish because of Belial's tendency to cause absolute chaos. However, this time around it was different. Sandalphon had an itching feeling that him and Belial shared a mutual understanding of how their day went today, and although he wasn't typically one to voice his feelings aloud, Sandalphon decided it was better than Belial relentlessly teasing him for how things will go from here on out.Well, he was almost 100% sure that Belial wouldn't stop in his teasing either way."... Belial."There was a pause. "... Yeah?""... I'm gay.""Oh, cool. For who?"Sandalphon was taken aback by his rather emotionless response, but continued, "... Lucifer.""Nice, that's great.""What!?" Sandalphon propped himself up with his elbows, staring in absolute confusion and surprise at his roommate. In turn, Belial turned his attention away from the ceiling to look at Sandalphon dead in the eyes, the most serious expression on his face that Sandalphon didn't even know that he was capable of doing-- save for the one time Gran got punched by an angry customer and both him and Belial almost hopped over the counter and tore the guy to shreds in rage.Belial's eyes bore into Sandalphon's that he almost looked away if the taller male hadn't opened his mouth and spoke."... I wanna smash Lucilius."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sandalphon unlocked the door to the cafe, grunting as he pushed it open, letting himself in before holding it open for Lancelot to enter as well-- him giving a grateful nod of his head at Sandalphon's gesture. Although, what surprised the two college students when they entered was the faint sounds of a person-- or maybe even multiple people-- coming from the kitchen. Sandalphon blinked, he was the only one who had the keys to the cafe besides Gran-- who didn't need to work today. Even if he did, Gran wouldn't even make it this early considering he sleeps past his alarm more often than not, which wasn't all too surprising for Sandalphon if he were being honest. He turned to Lancelot, exchanging a warily glance with his coworker. They both mutually nodded in quiet understanding of each other, Sandalphon turning and locking the door shut as Lancelot tiptoed his way over to the countertop. The lights were off, and everything seemed to be where they were when they had closed the previous evening-- which made Sandalphon unconsciously tense even more. He joked about a robbery yesterday with Lancelot, but did he expect someone to actually come and do it?
No, no he did not.
Sandalphon crouched down alongside Lancelot, watching as his coworker fished through the drawers until he retrieved two butter knives and a wooden spoon. He handed the spoon to Sandalphon, and when the brunet was about to question his friend, Lancelot held the two knives in his hands like swords (he was ambidextrous after all)."You know this is absolutely ridiculous, right?" Sandalphon whispered to Lancelot, who had cautiously stood up, inching towards the kitchen doors, back flush against the wall."And you're going into a potential robbery unarmed?" Lancelot hissed back, twirling the knives in between his fingers like he would do with a pencil in the middle of an exam he actually studied for (like the good student he was)."What can a wooden spoon do?" Sandalphon sighed, shoulder rolling his way to the other side of the doors before standing up, bracing himself.Lancelot blinked at his acrobatics, "now that was a tad bit extra."Sandalphon's eyebrow twitched, his teeth gritting, "shut up!" Abruptly he kicked the door open with his boot, throwing the wooden spoon in whichever direction he heard the surprised yelp from the strange intruder. He took a murderous glance at Lancelot, who in turn raised his hands in defeat and walked to stand next to him, teal eyes scanning the kitchen before his mouth dropped in surprise. "V-Vane!?"Sandalphon blinked in sudden realization as well, whipping his head around to where he saw a mound of blond hair tumbled to the ground by his sudden wooden attack. "A-Ah... sorry," he mumbled out.Lancelot rushed over to Vane as the latter sat up, wincing before smiling and gratefully taking his friend's outstretched hand (as well as giving a questionable look to his other hand which held onto the pair of butter knives). "Haha! It's all cool, Sandalphon! Don't worry 'bout it!""How did you get in early? Besides the boss, who's on vacation, only Sandalphon and Gran have the keys," Lancelot questioned, brow perking up."Huh?" Vane blinked in disbelief, "Belial gave me his keys."Sandalphon and Lancelot both froze, an automatic tired sigh coming out of the latter, and the former gritting his teeth in agitation. "That bastard...!" He hissed under his breath. He knew Belial loved to joke and play pranks, but honestly, stealing his keys and taking them to be replicated?He should've thrown a spoon at Belial instead.Although, Sandalphon's anger quickly subsided at seeing the large array of pastries lined up along the counters, and judging by a large stack of plastic sleeves sat on the side of the delicate desserts, he assumed that Vane was in the midst of packaging them before Sandalphon's wooden spoon "slipped" out of his hand.Lancelot followed Sandalphon's gaze, eyes widening in surprise, "you made this many already!?" He exclaimed, throwing aside his forgotten pair of weapons to stumble over to the array of sweets.Vane laughed, "I saw that we were getting pretty low so I wanted to stock up! Plus, I gotta take an exam, so I can't be in for a few days," he sobbed at the last part, and Lancelot patted his back comfortingly, chuckling. The blond turned his head to Sandalphon, "that's cool, right, vice prez?""Yeah, no problem," Sandalphon hummed, inspecting one of the vibrantly coloured macaroons, "you made more than enough to hold us up this week, if everything goes accordingly.""If not, we still have Djeeta and Belial," Lancelot added on.Sandalphon shuddered at the mention of his roommate once more, and Lancelot let out a light laugh. "Sometimes I still can't believe he can actually cook well..." Sandalphon muttered."We were all surprised, y'know!" Vane laughed along, resuming his packaging, "that guy is good at anything in home ec!""It's honestly frightening," Lancelot agreed, assisting his childhood friend.Sandalphon scoffed, but swatted away the conversation about his unique roommate and instead rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt, walking towards the duo, "I'll help.""Eh?" Lancelot blinked in surprise, "but Sandalphon, you have class-""I still have time," his crimson gaze went to his watch, before flicking back to the array of desserts, "it'll be faster this way. Vane can have more time to study and you can clean up the place until your girlfriend gets here."Sandalphon did his best to stifle down the chuckle his throat threatened to let out as Lancelot's cheeks flushed red, teal eyes widening at him, "S-Sandalphon!""C'mon, Lancey! You and Djeeta are cute together!" Vane grinned."W-We've only been dating for three weeks! I--" Lancelot's words faltered in embarrassment, turning back to the desserts in hand in a futile attempt to try and distract himself.Sandalphon waved it off, dismissing the conversation as a small apology for his teasing towards the ebony haired male. Grabbing a few sleeves, he steadily worked alongside his coworkers until the pastries were all perfectly packaged and stored away, with Lancelot ushering Sandalphon out the door of the cafe as to not make the brunet late for his class. And although Sandalphon put up a fight against him, insisting that he helped with the display case as well, he evidently gave up when Lancelot threatened to call Belial.Speaking of his roommate, Sandalphon's mind wandered as he walked to the campus grounds. Recalling his conversation with the taller male the previous evening, Sandalphon still couldn't believe what he had heard from Belial after admitting his very own growing feelings for the ivory haired stranger. Well, at least Belial liked Lucifer's brother, Lucilius, and not Lucifer himself. If he had liked Lucifer, things may have gotten a bit complicated between the two of them, if they weren't already.However, when Sandalphon asked as to how and why Belial came to liking Lucilius when he didn't even remotely speak to the duo, Belial groaned out "his eyes!" as a reply, rolling about in his bed like a child would when throwing a fit.Sandalphon decided not to question Belial any further.But when Sandalphon had mentioned that Lucifer had planned to come back, Belial proposed an idea. When Lucifer comes into the cafe, he'd let Sandalphon take care of his drink, and when Lucilius came, it'd be vice versa; quoting, "we're gonna be wingmans for each other."It was a strange Wednesday for Sandalphon-- first he fell in love with a complete stranger and then Belial came up with a great idea for once?Sandalphon agreed to Belial's proposal though.Although, Sandalphon would admit he did feel a small spark of anticipation for Lucifer's next arrival. He certainly didn't sound like he was lying about his return to the cafe, and on top of that he openly admitted to enjoying the coffee. Sandalphon let out a small huff, brushing a hand through his brown bangs.Maybe he should fall asleep during the lecture.~~~Sandalphon ended up not actually falling asleep during his class, and took some notes like a good student would.A good student who procrastinates too much for his own good.He walked into the cafe, greeted by the presences of Djeeta and Lancelot who were serving and taking orders, and Belial who stood behind the counter. They made eye contact, and when Sandalphon walked around to the staff room to retrieve his apron, Belial smirked, "y'think he's coming back today?"Sandalphon froze, mustering down a harsh reply and instead sighing out in irritation, "who knows," he mumbled, entering the staff room. Locating his locker, he spun in the combination before grabbing ahold of his blue apron, tying it against his waist and locking it shut as he walked out to the cafe. Going behind the counter, he approached his sly coworker just as Djeeta hopped up to the table with a platter of empty glasses, "how was class, Sandy?"Belial chuckled as he took the glasses, placing them in the sink as Sandalphon visibly scowled at the nickname. It was already more than enough that Belial called him that, but Djeeta insisted that it was far easier to call him by Sandy than Sandalphon. "Boring," he replied, grabbing a washcloth and exiting from the counter, Djeeta tagging along as he approached the absent table."Can't be as boring as biology," Djeeta sighed in response, watching as Sandalphon quickly wiped clean the pale white table and dusted off the seats."Business is far more boring, don't even try and argue with me," Sandalphon chuckled, earning a pout from his coworker."Sandalphon's right," Lancelot spoke up, handing an order to Belial. "Djeeta, you should take a glance at the kind of studying he has to do."Sandalphon smirked, strolling back to the counter to wash out the cloth and assist in whatever order his coworker had in hand. "And before you say anything Djeeta--" he said, glancing at the female who had her cheeks puffed up-- "that's coming from the guy who's taking political science." He waved off whatever argument Djeeta voiced, leaving the blonde to Lancelot as he glanced at the order that Belial had placed on the counter."Two mochas, soy milk," Belial voiced from the coffee grinder, hand on his hip.Sandalphon grimaced, mochas were a damn pain. However, at Belial's regular tone of voice, he raised a brow, blinking, before muttering lowly, "did you call someone over to the dorms again-""Sandy, I'm not that cruel," Belial whined, "do you think I'd be in the mood for a quickie on a Thursday?""You're always in the mood for something," Sandalphon retorted back, grabbing a pair of cups and matching saucers. "Whenever you're in a good mood, it's always a bad sign.""That's mean, Sandy," Belial pouted, drifting away from the coffee machine to Sandalphon's form, an arm snaking around his waist. "But, if you insist-""Don't touch me," Sandalphon snapped, slapping his coworker's hand away and putting a heel against Belial's foot, making him wince. "Ah, there we go, the Belial we all know."Belial opened his mouth, about to reply (probably with a stupid flirt and rebuttal) when the door chimed open. Immediately, Sandalphon released his roommate's foot and directed his attention to the entrance, him and his three coworkers unanimously greeting the newcomer, "welcome to Paradise Cafe-"Sandalphon bit his tongue when his eyes met sky blue ones, automatically assuming that it was the angel named Lucifer, but was quickly left disappointed at the narrowness of the male's eyes-- his body slumping in quiet defeat.Lucilius.Sandalphon sighed, "I'll leave it to you then--" his words died out as he turned around, watching Belial skip over to the cash register like a five year old kid."What's up with the weirdo?" Djeeta piped up, leaning against the counter, "he's being more weird than usual.""He's always weird when it comes to good looking customers," Sandalphon huffed out tiredly, earning himself a snicker from the blonde. He decided it would be best to avoid any sort of confrontation about his and Belial's small agreement, much less their growing crushes on the two ivory haired brothers. Sandalphon really wanted to deny the fact that he liked Lucifer, right from the get-go did he feel that way. But when he saw that damn smile, that damn beautiful and pure smile, he was already on his knees and offering his soul to the angelic being.Sandalphon hesitantly floated back to the coffee machine, quickly finishing up the two mochas as he watched Lucilius walk towards the counter out of the corner of his eye.To be honest, he was a bit worried for Lucilius. Sandalphon had no idea what kind of trick Belial would pull, but as long as it didn't get them arrested, he assumed it would be fine.... Right?"A large black coffee with cream," Sandalphon heard Lucilius state plainly, slightly jumping at the sound of his voice. Although he could hear the resemblance, compared to Lucifer's voice, Lucilius's voice was much more sharper and a tad deeper. In a way, it matched his eyes, unnerving and emotionless.Though, Sandalphon wondered how Belial was feeling right about now."Anything else?" Belial asked in reply, surprising Sandalphon once more. No teasing tone, no prodding or suggestive winks, nothing that generally shouldn't be allowed in the cafe but he managed to get away with anyways.Gabriel should really cut down his pay.Lucilius paused, before giving a small sigh, "a plain black coffee and a French vanilla, both large as well. To go by the way."Sandalphon cocked his head to the side in curiosity. He would assume that the black coffee was for Lucifer, but the cup of French vanilla threw him for a spin. A friend? Acquaintance?
A girlfriend or boyfriend?
Sandalphon huffed in frustration, handing the two finished cups of mocha to Lancelot (who had came to the side of the counter to chat idly with Djeeta) as he heard the transaction complete. He watched as Lucilius walked to stand against the wall, pocketing out his phone to waste time with until the drinks were completed. Blinking, Sandalphon directed his attention to Belial, who had already lined the three cups along the counter and was grinding the beans into the portafilters. They made eye contact, and almost immediately a grin placed itself on Belial's lips, "gotta admit, Sandy, we both didn't expect the brother to come."Sandalphon scoffed, glancing at the trio of cups, "who're the other two for?""Dunno," Belial shrugged, "he just told me his name, nobody else's." Quirking a brow up, Belial hummed in amusement, "are we getting jealous already, Sandy~?"Sandalphon's cheeks fumed red, making his coworker let out a sly snicker. "S-Shut up!" He stammered, hissing.The golden bell atop the door chimed, and Sandalphon sighed as he turned to greet the newcomer, mustering down the last of his embarrassment from his teasing roommate. "Welcome-"Sandalphon almost choked.Lucifer stood at the doorway, soft blue eyes scanning the cafe before finally landing upon his brother. He smiled, turning to the counter, and made direct eye contact with Sandalphon-- who's blush returned to his cheeks at the sudden attention. Lucifer gave a small nod of his head in greeting, smile still on his lips, before walking into the cafe towards his companion."Ho, looks like you're in luck, Sandy," Belial chuckled, shoving one of the portafilters into Sandalphon's hands, which earned him a glare from the brunet. Inhaling a deep breath of air, Sandalphon composed himself and began to make the cup of black coffee, while his coworker quietly finished with Lucilius's and started on the French vanilla for the unknown drinker.Jealous, huh? Sandalphon pondered, downing the two shots of espresso into the cup. He certainly did feel strange, like there was a coil in his stomach that relentlessly bothered him at the mention of Lucifer. But he didn't even know Lucifer, besides the fact that he liked black coffee (Sandalphon preferred his coffee black too, coincidentally) and his smile could literally kill someone (aka Sandalphon himself). The whole idea that he completely fell for a stranger was still so confusing to him.Snapping on the lid to the coffee, he turned to the tray that Belial had brought out, which had the two other drinks placed in it already. He glanced at his coworker, who had surprisingly left the counter to clean a table, but not so surprisingly was also teasing Djeeta as he did so. Sandalphon raised a brow, he thought for sure Belial would want to hand the tray to the ivory haired brothers; but the glance and knowing smirk Belial gave Sandalphon for a brief second told the brunet that he himself was going to do it.Did Belial hit his head somewhere? Why was he so nice all of a sudden?Sandalphon grimaced at the word-- no, not nice, that was never in Belial's vocabulary.Brushing it off, Sandalphon took the tray into his hands and went to the side counter, opening his mouth to then be abruptly halted as Lucifer almost immediately approached him, his signature heart-clenching smile upon his face.Damn him and his good looks."For Lucilius, right? I can take those," Lucifer hummed, "I'm sure you recognize us both, considering we came yesterday too.""A-Ah, yes, a little bit," Sandalphon lied, handing the drinks to him. Of course he recognized Lucifer, he probably could recognize the ivory male from a mile away."Because of my abrupt leave, I didn't have the time to properly praise your coffee, so I apologize for that," Lucifer continued, "I believe the owner of this establishment is a friend of an acquaintance of mine, and she had suggested I come and try the coffee for myself, seeing as I'm quite an addict," he laughed, the sound like music to Sandalphon's ears as his cheeks darkened with pink. "I certainly wasn't let down though, I can assure you that. You're very skilled, I can tell you have a passion for it."Oh man, oh man. Sandalphon wasn't expecting this at all. Why would Lucifer pay attention to a random college student? Much less one that was right about to punch his coworker when Lucifer had walked through the door yesterday."A-Ah! U-Um, thanks..." he managed to stutter out, "I'm... glad to know you enjoyed it."Lucifer hummed in agreement, his sky blue gaze switching from Sandalphon's eyes to his apron. For a moment the brunet thought that there was a splash of coffee on his garments, mentally bracing himself for the incoming embarrassment, but was quickly left speechless as he realized that Lucifer was focusing on his nametag. "Sandalphon... it's a befitting name," he smiled, "have a nice day, Sandalphon. I hope you're in tomorrow as well." And with a spin of his heel, Lucifer exited the cafe alongside his brother, the gentle chime of the golden bell signalling their departure.Sandalphon didn't know what to feel at that very moment, his face still fuming red at just the mere sound of his name-- his name coming out of Lucifer's mouth. Jealous? He damn well was jealous. Whoever was the drinker of that French vanilla could go eat a stick.Damn him, damn him for being so pure.But one thing was for sure...Sandalphon was cursing at himself for not having a shift tomorrow.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sandalphon blinked awake, his drowsiness fading as his eyes settled into focus and the hellish sunlight bore at his pale skin. He stifled a small yawn, turning in his bed and stuffing his face into his pillow. He didn't quite feel like getting up just yet; after all, it was his day off-
Oh.
Sandalphon heaved a loud groan as realization struck him, his feet kicking away the soft blanket that now barely covered his torso. He turned his head, brown locks of hair covering parts of his vision but his gaze still remained on his phone that sat upon the bedside table.Friday.One of the two days he was off work.And unfortunately for him, also a day that Lucifer were to arrive once again to the cafe.He sank further into his plush pillow, inhaling a deep breath before letting out a muffled scream. He hated feelings, he hated life.Though, it seemed like he was a bit too loud, for a light tap came to the wooden door. And seeing that Belial's bed was left cold (and properly made, might he add), Sandalphon only narrowed his eyes in distaste. "Sandy, what're you doin' in there? Having some fun without me?" Belial voiced from the other side, a tinge of amusement dancing in his words."Shut up," Sandalphon groaned out, "leave me alone.""Is it about work~?" Belial hummed, "y'know, you can always go to the cafe; nobody's stopping you.""Lancelot will," Sandalphon replied, nearly sobbing, "he'll think I'm working."There was a pause, before Sandalphon heard a small sigh come from the other side of the door. "Suit yourself, Sandy. When you're finished groaning, I got a coffee for you." The faint sound of footsteps echoed off into the distance, signalling his roommate's absence as he probably went off to watch some scandalous TV variety show. Sandalphon sighed, not one to ignore the promise of his favourite beverage as he heaved himself up to then grab his phone, clicking it open. His crimson eyes automatically went to his wallpaper, a simple (aesthetic) picture of a cup of coffee, before noticing the notification.
'One missed call at 7:02am - Gabriel'
Sandalphon looked at the current time-- 8:20am.Aw shit.Sliding open the notification, he brought his phone up to his ear, hoping that his late reply didn't earn him a light scolding from his boss. A couple rings went by before a small click, the light sing-song voice of Gabriel coming from the other end, "Sandalphon! Good morning~""Morning, Gabriel," Sandalphon replied plainly."How have you been? Did you sleep well?" She hummed.She really did seem like a mother at times. "I'm alright, had an okay sleep. How are you?" Sandalphon mused, standing up from his bed."I'm splendid! But I truly am sorry for bothering you at a time like this, especially on your day off."Sandalphon raised a brow, "what do you need?""December is approaching, which means a new menu item," Gabriel mused, "originally, I had phoned Gran to tell Vane this but I didn't receive a reply...""Gabriel, you should know by now how Gran's sleep schedule is," Sandalphon chuckled, "even if you managed to get ahold of that guy, Vane's taking a few days off for an exam.""Ah, I see," Gabriel hummed, "then I suppose I must rely on you, Sandalphon. I apologize, but I need for you to create a new item for next month," her voice lightened in enthusiasm, "your skills in the kitchen is something valued, Sandalphon. I'm truly happy that I have such talented employees.""Even though all of us are college students?" Sandalphon mused, chuckling, "I got it, Gabriel.""Thank you very much, Sandalphon," he could hear the smile in her voice, "if you can, Belial's help would also be encouraged; he's living with you, isn't he?"So Gabriel did know that they roomed together. Sandalphon brushed aside his grimace, saving it for Belial later. "Yeah," he sighed out, "I'll try and get something out today, then pass the recipe to Vane when he gets back. Us and Djeeta can handle the baking until then," he hummed out his thoughts, wanting Gabriel's confirmation."Sounds lovely, Sandalphon. Thank you very much.""Don't mention it," he huffed."Well then," Gabriel giggled, "I leave it to you. I'll call back later to check on things.""Mhm.""Have a nice day, Sandalphon.""You too."Sandalphon ended the call, letting out a long breath of air. Maybe he could use this opportunity to go to the cafe and use the kitchen there? No, he'd surely get distracted. Lancelot would urge Sandalphon to leave it to him and go home, Gran would probably eat all of his experiments before he could even refine them, and Djeeta may be of help if her brother and her boyfriend weren't working alongside her.It was either three smaller distractions, or one big distraction-- Belial.Sighing out loudly, Sandalphon pocketed away his phone, changing out of his pajamas and into a casual outfit before stepping out of the shared bedroom. He could hear the TV from where he stood, which meant that his earlier prediction was correct, but brushed it aside and instead headed inside the bathroom. In a few minutes, he brushed out his bedhead as best as he could (honestly his hair looks the same even with bedhead), brushed his teeth and washed his face before exiting the bathroom-- freshly cleaned and ready to go.Sandalphon came into the joint kitchen and living room, almost immediately spotting Belial splayed out on the couch. His eyebrow twitched, before his gaze averted to the dining table-- where a sandwich sat in wait of its consumer, paired along with a large cup of pitch black coffee. Sandalphon reached for the mug, breathing in the delightful scent before taking a gentle sip. "Gabriel called," he voiced after a moment of silence, loud enough for his roommate to hear over the TV."Huh?" Belial replied, curiosity in his voice, "what did she want?""A new menu item for December," Sandalphon took a bite from the sandwich, leaning against the table. "Our monthly specialty.""Ah, right. Forgot about that," Belial gave a quiet sigh, turning off the TV. "So? What has good ol' Sandy thought of?" He smirked.Sandalphon glared, taking another sip of coffee before quietly replying. "Coffee infused macaroons with a dark chocolate filling, paired alongside a hazelnut mocha." To be honest, Sandalphon despised the overly festive items other shops would sell. He'd much rather prefer a treat that suited the cold season more so than one that was caked in shards of candy cane that scraped at his tongue."Ho, as expected of you, Sandy~" Belial hummed, standing up and stretching, Sandalphon hearing the faint cracks of his bones. "Let's go with it.""You don't have an idea?" Sandalphon questioned, raising a brow as he finished his sandwich."We have one right here, why not use it?" Belial shrugged, striding over to the brunet.Sandalphon rolled his eyes, downing the rest of his coffee, "fine, let's hurry up and get this done."Although it did take awhile for the two of them to get the ingredients out, mainly because Belial continuously teased him and made stupid puns with every ingredient he touched, they both miraculously began the process of making the delicate dessert-- Belial focused on the egg white and sugar mixture, and Sandalphon measuring out the dry ingredients. A silence passed through them both, the two of them equally focused on the preparation as macaroons wasn't something that could easily be done blindfolded, even if they've made their fair share again and again at the cafe. Though, Sandalphon obviously didn't mind it, a silence between him and his roommate wasn't something that was common.But of course he had to jinx it.The bowl with the egg white mixture under one arm, Belial had pulled out his phone and started tapping away, his eyes inclined on searching for something on the small screen."What are you doing?" Sandalphon sighed out, irritation in his voice as he dumped the measured powered sugar into a bowl."Sandy, you can't expect me to sit around in absolute silence, can you?" Belial hummed, grinning when he seemingly found what he was looking for. "Let's have a little fun, shall we?" The taller male placed his phone aside, taking up the electric whisk once again to beat the mixture in his bowl. And when Sandalphon was about to question his actions once again, music came from his roommate's phone, which the latter immediately responded to by singing along. "Ah he~ll, welcome to my feast. Time to start the hedonism. Yes, toni~ght you take the lead. Daddy--" Belial turned and winked at Sandalphon, making the brunet almost gag-- "won't stop your inhibitions. Just do what you want, do what you like. Release those desires, let 'em go higher. Show me your exhibitions."Admittedly, Belial was good at singing. His deep voice paired along well with the song, and it certainly suited him on top of that. But Sandalphon wouldn't stand listening to the rest of it-- especially knowing how the lyrics went as Belial would occasionally drop the song into the cafe's playlist, startling both the customers and the staff when the calming acoustic faded into a very suggestive upbeat song. "Give me that," Sandalphon huffed, opening up his palm as Belial grinned. The latter happily passed his phone to Sandalphon, who tapped away into the search bar for his designated song. Pressing play, Sandalphon handed the device back to the taller male and went back to his station, mouth opening as the lyrics played. "The blinding end is covered in darkness. But the borrowed wings hold up to make even darkness falter. Why is the sky blue? That wish is so far away. Cruel, yet gentle. Why do these wings embrace me? Enveloped in these white feathers, life changes. In the cradle, burdened with your sacrifice." Sandalphon sang, a pang of sadness washing over his form as he finished the verse. He always loved this song, for some odd reason. It brought him a little peacefulness-- safety, almost. Whether it'd be stress from his exams (that he'd barely study for), a troublesome customer from the cafe, or just flat out anybody going to the extreme of pissing him off-- he found solace in the song."Ho~ Never knew you were such a singer, Sandy," Belial hummed in amusement, but Sandalphon could hear a tinge of surprise also lacing his voice.Sandalphon huffed, biting back his blush, "just give me your bowl."Belial chuckled, gracefully handing the mixture over to Sandalphon who poured it in, gently stirring the batter with a wooden spoon. "By the way, what was up with you yesterday?" Sandalphon asked, eyes glancing at Belial who had brought out a cookie tray, lining it with parchment paper. "I thought you'd for sure start flirting with Lucilius.""Sandy, the guy doesn't even know my name," Belial sighed in disappointment, "the best fish are hard to catch, y'know."Sandalphon stayed silent."... But I did do something," Belial grinned after a pause, digging through the cabinets in search of a piping bag.Sandalphon froze, his brain having an endless amount of ideas as to what Belial did to the poor ivory haired male. Though, he finally decided upon one and stared at his roommate in disgust, "don't tell me you put something in his drink-""Sandy, I just told you, I'm not letting this guy go so easily. You really think I'm that horrible?"
There was a long pause in their shared dorm.
Belial gave a long sigh, before a smirk arose upon his lips once more, "take another guess~"Then if he really didn't do anything somewhat illegal, there was only one idea left in Sandalphon's brain. But, as it went for all of Belial's flirts, Sandalphon made another face of discomfort, "you put your number on a customer's receipt again?"Belial's grin widened, spatula in hand as he took the bowl in Sandalphon's hands to scrape the batter into the piping bag. "Maybe~""You disgust me," Sandalphon used the grimace he had saved during his conversation with Gabriel, hands going to his hips. "I'm surprised Gabriel only gives you a slap on the wrist when she catches you.""She's a softy," Belial mused, going to the cookie tray to start piping the delicate mixture into sizable disks.Sandalphon rolled his eyes, "you're saying that as if she didn't beat the shit out of that guy who punched Gran before we could.""She threatened the guy before she stepped in, y'know. It was only till he almost punched Lancey too that she actually gave him a fist to enjoy.""We're lucky she has connections to a lawyer," Sandalphon sighed."Too bad she doesn't have a friend who works at Gelp," Belial chuckled, "would've been nice to have those bad reviews deleted~"Sandalphon narrowed his crimson eyes, opening his mouth in an attempt to straighten out his roommate's lie-filled brain when the phone in his back pocket buzzed.Was he the star of the show today?Raising a brow, he dug out his device, reading the name on the screen before immediately answering the call, "Lancelot? What's wrong?""Sandalphon! Ah, sorry to bother you on your day off!""It's fine; what's going on at the cafe?" Sandalphon replied to the ebony haired male on the other line, crimson eyes glancing at his roommate, who had shoved the cookie tray into the oven."Someone's looking for you, it seems," Lancelot started, and in response the brunet froze. No, it couldn't be. "We told him you weren't here at the moment, and he looked a bit... disappointed? Gran was particularly shifty about the customer so he told me to call you.""What does he look like?" Sandalphon cautiously asked, his words now gaining the attention of Belial, who strode over to his smaller form with a grin."Pale white hair, blue eyes, light blue turtleneck, black jeans..." Lancelot trailed off, "he's alone, by the way."Nononononononono. No way was Sandalphon believing this. The description Lancelot gave matched perfectly with Lucifer's, not Lucilius's. In the two days Sandalphon had seen the sibling duo, he could identify their varying fashion senses immediately. Although both brothers prioritized comfort, Lucifer was more on the casual side and Lucilius more formal and elegant.He could never imagine Lucilius wearing a turtleneck and jeans. He just didn't seem like the sort of person to.But really? Lucifer specifically asked for him? He kept his word and came to visit the cafe, knowing his name and everything? No way did that happen. Belial must've dragged Lancelot in on another prank of his again.Sandalphon really pitied Lancelot sometimes. The last time Belial brought Lancelot to "have some fun" was also the first time Lancelot had to run from the cops."Sandalphon?" Lancelot voiced, concerned, as the said brunet blinked back into reality. "Do you recognize him?"Sandalphon's crimson gaze went to Belial, who was leaning over his shoulder with a brow curiously perked up, before eventually sighing, "y-yeah... I know him...""Oh! That's a relief, then! Gran and I would've taken action if you said he wasn't," Lancelot laughed from the other end, "are you coming to meet him? He's still in the cafe."Sandalphon gulped. Well shit."C'mon, Sandy. Take the opportunity~" Belial teased, "who knows, he might end up inviting you to his house--"Belial was abruptly cut off by an elbow digging into his stomach."Zip it!" Sandalphon hissed through gritted teeth, pink tainting his cheeks which inevitably made his roommate chuckle through the pain. Turning back to his phone, Sandalphon gave another long sigh, "I'm... I'm coming.""Okay! See you later then!" Lancelot hummed, a small beep coming from the other end, signalling the finished call. Sandalphon groaned in exhaustion, ungracefully dropping to his knees and shoving his face into his palms. He hated feelings, he hated feelings so damn much he just wanted to punch himself to the 7th dimension."Oi, Sandy, cheer up," Belial chirped, having already recovered from Sandalphon's brutal attack and starting on the filling for the delicate macaroons."Easy for you to say, pervert," Sandalphon huffed, voice muffled due to his hands.Belial chuckled, "I'll take care of things here, don't worry~""I always worry when you're left alone in the dorm. Last time I did I found almost eight pairs of underwear--""Sandy," Belial groaned, "that was a bad day, okay?" Sandalphon heard footsteps approaching his defeated form, and then a presence crouch down next to him, "how about this; I get your little menu covered and don't cause any trouble, and in return, you get that guy's phone number.""WHAT!?" Sandalphon nearly screamed out, face going red as he looked up at Belial."Sandy, it's the least you can do in return~" Belial hummed, grinning.Sandalphon stared in dumbfoundment at his roommate, blinking, before connecting the dots, "you want me to get Lucifer's number so that way you can have an easier way of talking to Lucilius, right?""Best case scenario is I get to have Lucilius's number, but Lucifer's should suffice~""You're spouting nonsense," Sandalphon sighed out tiredly, slowly getting up from the ground. He eyed Belial for a moment, hesitating, before quietly huffing out, "f-fine, I'll try.""You're the best, Sandy~""Don't talk to me like that, it's disgusting," Sandalphon grimaced, throwing off his apron before grabbing the dorm keys, heading towards the door."Have fun on your date~!" Belial called out from the kitchen, grinning."Shut up, mom!" Sandalphon shouted back, slamming the door behind him.Oh how he hated his wingman roommate.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
By the time Sandalphon finally reached the door to the cafe, his palms were dripping with sweat-- so much that he thought he must've left a trail of water all the way from his shared dorm room. The black tint from the cafe windows didn't help at all either, as Sandalphon couldn't identify whether Lucifer was really inside the cafe or not. After all, there was still the possibility that Belial was just playing a stupid prank on him that'd result in everyone finding out that he was infatuated with a rando customer he met literally two days ago.Sandalphon mentally slapped himself. Get it together! It was just going to be a quick conversation, nothing out of the ordinary--
Ah.
The phone number.
Oh how much Sandalphon wanted to go back and throw a brick at the hassle that was called his roommate.He shakily gripped onto the golden handle of the door, gulping before shoving down the welling nervousness in his gut with a deep sigh. It was now or never; this was his opportunity to get closer to the ivory haired customer, and on top of that, there was no way in hell Belial would let Sandalphon bail last minute. If anything, that guy would probably lock him out of the dorm until he came back with a story to tell and a phone number.Staying as calm and collected as he could, Sandalphon pushed open the door, the golden chime of the bell signalling his grand entrance to the cafe."Welcome-- Oh! It's just you, Sandalphon," Lancelot smiled from behind the counter, wiping away at a freshly washed mug. Gran stood next to the ebony male as well, giving a wave of his hand in greeting as he sipped at a cup of tea-- judging by how a loose string with a small slip of paper dangled from the edge of the porcelain cup.Sandalphon only nodded his head at the pair, crimson gaze then scanning the large room. It didn't take him long to find the ivory haired customer, for he sat alone at a table in the corner, his head perked up from his book and staring directly at Sandalphon.Oh man.Sandalphon guessed that Lucifer may have heard Lancelot call out his name and drew his attention over to the brunet, but did he really have to stare? At him? The singular form standing in the middle of the cafe who was sweating literal bullets?But as if to contradict Sandalphon's thoughts, Lucifer only smiled when Sandalphon finally met his blue gaze. With a gentle hand he lightly beckoned the brunet over to his table, gesturing to the empty seat in front of him.Sandalphon swore he almost had a heart attack right then and there and Lancelot would have to perform some emergency CPR on him.Hesitantly, Sandalphon walked up to the table, passing by the counter and meeting his coworkers' gazes. "Large black, give me the bill for his table on top of that," he voiced.Gran merely gave a thumbs up before turning to the register, which prompted Lancelot to begin on the brunet's order. Sandalphon gave a small smile in thanks, continuing on his walk to the table where Lucifer sat in wait with his signature smile. "Hello," he greeted, his voice soft and delicate just like Sandalphon remembered. Cheeks painting with a faint pink, Sandalphon merely averted his gaze and sat upon the vacant seat in front of the ivory male, "y-yeah, hi..." he managed to mutter out.His response seemed to have pleased Lucifer for some reason, for his smile grew warmer, "I must admit, I was a bit saddened seeing as you weren't working today." Lucifer's face dropped in worry, "I hope I'm not disturbing you by making you come all this way just for a small chat.""N-No!" Sandalphon nearly shouted out (but thankfully managed to stop himself in time), his hands going up. "I-It's perfectly fine! I wasn't doing anything particularly important anyways!" That was a lie, of course. Sandalphon was itching with nervousness at what scheme Belial might pull while he was away and trying his best not to faint."That's a relief, then," Lucifer's smile resurfaced, and Sandalphon mustered down the red that threatened to taint his cheeks again. "I was looking forward to your coffee today. I'm not sure why, but you certainly make it in a specific way that I'm quite fond of, actually." His blue gaze settled upon his own cup of coffee, half full and still steaming, "although it's the same coffee beans, it doesn't quite taste the same compared to the two cups I've had from you."Was Sandalphon supposed to take that as a compliment or as an invitation to be Lucifer's personal barista?"I-I... I'm flattered," he mumbled out, hands gripping onto his pants from underneath the table. Real smooth, Sandalphon."I'm merely appreciating a good cup of coffee," Lucifer hummed, "I'd be surprised if you didn't receive compliments every now and then."Was Lucifer doing this on purpose? "A-Ah, no... I don't really--" Sandalphon cut himself off when he noticed Gran approaching their table with a cup of coffee in one hand, and the credit card terminal in the other-- "oh, thanks, Gran." Taking the cup of caffeine, Sandalphon dug into his pocket and retrieved his wallet, pulling out his credit card. "How much?""$4.80," Gran simply replied.Lucifer caught onto the additional charge that Gran spoke of, immediately turning his blue gaze to Sandalphon, who was already passing his card to his coworker. "Sandalphon, there's certainly no need to pay for me as well--""It's fine," Sandalphon interrupted, taking back his card from Gran as the latter walked back to the counter. "It's the least I can do for not being here to make you coffee," he voiced calmly, surprising himself at the absence of his stutter.Lucifer merely paused in equal surprise, his eyes widening in just the slightest before he gave a small laugh, allowing the blush to return to Sandalphon's face. "Please don't concern yourself over it," he smiled.
This was his chance...!
Sandalphon awkwardly coughed away his flushed cheeks, returning his gaze to Lucifer, "if you really want to, though, y-you can have my schedule," he mumbled out, "I'd feel bad if you were disappointed again."Lucifer blinked at Sandalphon, and for a moment the brunet thought he may have overstepped his boundaries. Stupid! Don't go so quickly! You startled him-"That would be lovely," Lucifer hummed, making Sandalphon jump in surprise, "on top of your coffee, I'm certainly enjoying your company thus far. I'm glad I took Michael's suggestion to come here." Digging into his pocket, Lucifer retrieved a small notebook and pen. He flipped through a couple of pages before gently smiling, handing the blank canvas and pen to Sandalphon."M-Michael?" Sandalphon tilted his head in curiosity, taking the notebook and pen with a nervous nod, clicking it open and scribbling down his schedule as neatly as he could for a college student. The name sounded familiar, but he couldn't exactly pinpoint it..."I believe I mentioned her to you yesterday," Lucifer voiced, taking a sip from his cup, "she's an acquaintance of mine-- a lawyer. She had told me her close friend owned a coffee shop here.""A lawyer...? Oh!" Sandalphon slowly nodded in reminiscence, "I've seen her around the cafe once or twice, though she mainly appears when some trouble stirs in here," he chuckled, passing the book and pen back to the ivory male."She often complains about those, yes," Lucifer nodded in amusement, a small chuckle leaving his lips, "but she continuously recommended this place to me, seeing as I'm quite fond of making coffee myself."Sandalphon's eyes sparkled at Lucifer's words, hands clutching onto his warm cup of coffee, "have you worked at a cafe before?""Unfortunately, I haven't," Lucifer hummed out, "I began it as a hobby, but to be truthful, putting it to use in a cafe setting might be good."Sandalphon was nearly going to scream at Lucifer to take a job at Paradise Cafe, but he refrained from doing so. "The same goes for me," he voiced instead, "I was interested in the coffee making process, so I decided to take up this job while I study.""Ah, are you a student at the college a few blocks down?" Lucifer asked, blinking in curiosity."Y-Yeah," Sandalphon averted his gaze, taking a sip from his cup, "I'm majoring in business."Lucifer smiled warmly, "are you perhaps looking to open your own cafe one day?"Sandalphon almost choked on his coffee, the question startling the brunet. "U-Um... yeah, something like that... I'm not too sure of it myself," he awkwardly chuckled."I'll look forward to it if you do," Lucifer hummed, making Sandalphon direct his crimson gaze back to him in bewilderment, "I'm sure it'll be popular, you are more than capable of making a fine cup of coffee."
Did Lucifer take flirting lessons?
"A-Ah, thank you..." Sandalphon stuttered, opening his mouth to pose another question to the ivory haired male when a loud shatter came from the counter. Whipping his head around, Sandalphon stared in a mixture of disappointment and irritation at the broken cup that laid on the ground, Gran at the foot of the accident. "Haha... sorry about that, folks!" He chuckled nervously at the eyes on him, scratching the back of his head until he met Sandalphon's seething gaze, in which the young college student jumped at. Lancelot also stared at Gran in what seemed more like amusement than anger, heaving a small sigh from behind the counter.Sandalphon huffed, glancing at his white haired companion, "sorry, be right back." Dismissing himself, he walked up to Gran and gave his coworker a light slap on the head, earning a yelp from the latter. "S-Sandalphon! It was an accident!" Gran whined out."I swear you're taking more and more traits from Belial," Sandalphon sighed out."I'm not purposely trying to cause chaos!" Gran pouted.Sandalphon merely rolled his eyes, crouching down to delicately pick up the broken shards of glass, "get me some newspaper so I can wrap this up," he grumbled.Gran blinked, "... why?"Sandalphon looked up at Gran, glaring, "what, do you want the workers who sort our disgusting garbage to have their hands bleed from scattered pieces of glass?""B-But don't they go in the recycling-"Sandalphon heaved another loud sigh, cutting the male off. Honestly, Gabriel trusted the weirdest people. "Glass from drinking glasses--" he motioned to the shards in his hands-- "have different melting temperatures than the glass used for food containers or bottles. These ones can't be recycled."Lancelot smiled, "that's Sandalphon for you.""Hey," Sandalphon averted his glare to the ebony haired male, who threw up his hands in surrender.Gran merely stared at Sandalphon in fascination, his brown eyes sparkling, "dang, Sandy...""Don't call me that."Gran waved off Sandalphon's words, hesitantly turning to retrieve some newspaper while the brunet picked up the last of the shattered pieces. "By the way, Lancelot, where's Djeeta?" He voiced, standing up."She called in sick," Lancelot hummed out, a hint of concern laced in his tone, "or more like, she got pass Gran and made her way over to the cafe, but I urged her to go back to the dorms."Before Sandalphon could say anything else, Lancelot cut him off, already knowing the brunet's question, "I called around and Percival said he could come in.""I thought he was super busy with the whole Wales Company?" Gran chipped, a large sheet of newspaper in his hands."I'm not sure myself," Lancelot shrugged, "but it has been awhile since he came in, so it'll be nice," he smiled.Sandalphon mindlessly hummed, placing the delicate shards onto the awaiting hands of Gran before turning around, striding back to his seat with Lucifer. "Sorry," he mumbled out when he sat down, taking his coffee and downing a good half of the drink. Gran really depleted his energy."Don't worry about it," Lucifer smiled, "it was quite fascinating to see how dedicated you are to this place, even when you're not working today." Lucifer blinked, a brow raising in curiosity, "you're not, by any chance, the manager are you?"Sandalphon threw up his hands, shaking his head profoundly. "N-No! I'm just a regular worker here, nothing special."Lucifer slowly nodded, his gaze softening, "I admire your dedication, nonetheless. It reminds me a lot of my older brother, Lucilius."Ah, so there was an age difference. If anything, they both seemed like twins at a first glance."What does your brother do?" Sandalphon asked."He's aspiring to be a forensic scientist," Lucifer hummed, "he's nearly finished with his bachelor's degree, and he'll be going abroad for his master's."
Oh.
Oh Belial won't like that.
"I admire my brother, to be truthful," Lucifer continued, gaining Sandalphon's attention once more, "he has always been organized, so it came as no surprise that his life plan was set out on the table as well.""Are you unsure of what you want to do?"Lucifer merely smiled, "yes, I suppose you could say that."The hint of sadness in Lucifer's voice prompted Sandalphon to say something-- anything to try and lift Lucifer's spirits. "I-I'm sure you can find a passion somewhere!" Sandalphon stuttered out, albeit a bit more energetically than he had anticipated. "I-I mean, if I could find one, then you can too..." He mumbled the last sentence under his breath, not necessarily wanting Lucifer to hear his nonsense thoughts.But of course, Lucifer had the hearing of God himself, and his blue eyes widened in slight surprise. Though, he was quick in reverting back to his gentle state, his eyes closing in what seemed like joy, "thank you, Sandalphon."
Oh man.
He sounded so sincere and soft and just all around beautiful how did this man exist was something Sandalphon was questioning every single day since Wednesday.Sandalphon was absolutely smitten. Absolutely smitten for this damn angel and his stupid pretty face.~~~Sandalphon didn't even realize how long it had been since him and Lucifer started talking. Hours and hours did the two of them sit in the corner of the cafe, chatting away at any and every topic the other person brought up. Honestly, Sandalphon didn't even believe it at times during the whole conversation-- he was getting to know Lucifer and truly bond with him, out of pure luck and chance.Eventually, though, Lucifer received a call. And with great reluctance, judging by the depleted look that crossed his sparkling features, he had to bid Sandalphon a farewell.But damn Belial and his damn request."W-Wait!" Sandalphon abruptly stood up when Lucifer had, the latter already prepared to leave. His sky blue eyes went to his crimson ones, and immediately Sandalphon almost lost himself in them if he hadn't averted his gaze. "Y-You seem pretty busy and since I'm working a late shift tomorrow you may not be able to talk to me again and so..." Wow. Amazing job, Sandalphon. Belial would be so proud of your lying skills right about now.But, much to Sandalphon's astonishment, Lucifer somewhat understood where the brunet was getting at and smiled. He dug out his phone, tapping at the screen before showing it to Sandalphon, where a row of numbers was displayed.
His fucking phone number.
Sandalphon deserved a damn reward.Shakily, Sandalphon pulled out his own device, carefully inputting Lucifer's number into his contacts before nodding his head after a quick check. However, Lucifer still held out his phone to Sandalphon even after the brunet gave his affirmation, which made the latter raise a brow before the ivory male spoke, "I can't leave without you giving me your information either, can I? It would be quite unfair if you only had the privilege to initiate a call," he smiled.His words almost made Sandalphon fall to his knees."R-Right..." Sandalphon managed to choke out a reply, nervously taking Lucifer's phone into his hands and inputting his very own phone number, giving it around five checks before handing it back to the taller male. He wasn't about to accidentally type in the wrong number after all this work-- if he did, he would chuck himself out the window before Belial could.Lucifer nodded at the new contact in his phone, giving one last smile at Sandalphon, "I look forward to our next conversation, Sandalphon. Have a nice day." And with that, Lucifer walked past the brunet, nodding towards his coworkers before pulling open the door, exiting the cafe and down the road.Sandalphon wanted to pass out from heatstroke right then and there."Was he a friend?" Percival perked up, coming over to the now vacant table and clearing the dishes, cloth resting upon his shoulder."Sure, let's say that," Sandalphon huffed out, returning to his regular state of mind. "I'm taking my leave too.""Hold on," Percival voiced, making the brunet stop in his tracks at his rather sharp tone. Sandalphon turned around, raising a brow, almost challenging Percival when the latter raised a hand.A hand holding onto a notebook and pen.
Oh shit.
"Looks like he forgot it," Percival hummed out, holding it out to Sandalphon. "Give it back to him when you see him next."
Nononononononono-
Before Sandalphon could reject, Percival spoke once more, "you're his friend, aren't you? You're better off taking care of it than me.""... Fine," Sandalphon grumbled with great reluctance, taking the set rather delicately before spinning on his heel, hurriedly exiting the cafe with flushed cheeks. Now he had a valid reason to see Lucifer again, but was he excited about it?... A little bit.But man was he going to protect this damn notebook with his life until then.~~~Sandalphon unlocked the door to his shared dorm, swinging it open before his body utterly gave up on him and he freefell onto the cold hardwood, laying there as if he were dead.Well, that was partially true. Mentally? He was very much dead.Sandalphon heard footsteps approaching him after his grand entrance was finished, feeling a large hand place itself on his scrambled locks of brown and a presence crouch over his form. Sandalphon could smell the sweet chocolate scent from Belial, and thus released some of the tenseness in his shoulders, relieved that his roommate kept his word and didn't cause any sort of shenanigans while he was away. ... Unless he did, and the shenanigans was in the bedroom."Welcome home," Belial teased, albeit a bit softer than normal, which would surprise the brunet if he weren't so exhausted. "So, how was your little date?"Sandalphon slowly pulled out his phone from his pocket, clicking it open and blindly shoving it into Belial's face. The latter took Sandalphon's phone with his free hand, a small hum of surprise and amusement coming out of his mouth. "I'm impressed, Sandy," he voiced, genuine shock laced in his tone."Shut up," Sandalphon hissed through gritted teeth, his face directly planted on the hardwood floor, his other hand tightly clutching onto the notebook against his chest.Belial stared at Sandalphon's pitiful state for a moment longer, and for a second Sandalphon thought he was taking a photo before the former eventually let out a small sigh, ruffling the brunet's strands of hair. "C'mon, I finished your little menu." Gripping onto Sandalphon's limp arm, Belial threw it over his broad shoulders, assisting Sandalphon to his shaky feet. "Honestly Sandy, have you ever been on a date before?""I was a good student back in high school-- education before romance," Sandalphon huffed bitterly, "not like you, Mr. I Had Over 10 Girlfriends/Boyfriends In My Five Years Of High School.""Were you surprised?""I was surprised it wasn't more, yeah," Sandalphon grumbled, tumbling onto the chair that Belial assisted him to."Sandyyyy," Belial whined, "what happened, my child?" He pouted, going to the kitchen counter and placing a handful of delicate macaroons onto a plate, as well as a freshly brewed mocha."Lucifer happened," Sandalphon sighed out, eyeing the plate of sweets and cup of coffee when his roommate placed them upon the dining table. His crimson gaze went to Belial, who threw up his hands as if saying "I swear I didn't put anything in them." Huffing, Sandalphon took a macaroon and broke it in half, handing one of the halves to his roommate. Belial perked a brow at Sandalphon's actions, but nevertheless took the piece and popped it in his mouth, shrugging at the brunet, "see? No drugs."Sandalphon only narrowed his eyes, cautiously biting into the baked good. He hummed in contentment when the chocolate ganache (he didn't expect Belial to make a full on ganache, first of all) filled his taste buds, which was quickly followed by the subtle bitterness of the coffee from the macaroon shell. Sandalphon reached for the mug, taking a gentle sip of the mocha while the sweet taste of the macaroon still lingered on his tongue. The wash of caffeine combined with the faint yet distinguishable taste of hazelnut paired perfectly with the sweetness from the dessert, which in turn led Sandalphon to muster a small smile in both relief and joy. Turns out Belial was one to keep his word, as cunning as he was. No drugs, and no random people in the dorm."It's good," Sandalphon mumbled out quietly, taking another sip of the mocha. "Thanks for putting it together while I was gone.""I got your back, Sandy," Belial waved off, stealing Sandalphon's mug to take a drink of the coffee for himself. "By the way, what's with the notebook?" Belial gestured his head towards the book sitting upon Sandalphon's lap, in which the brunet immediately turned his crimson gaze to as well."Ah..." Sandalphon blinked, "Lucifer left it, so Percival kinda told me to keep it until I see him again."Belial paused, before a devious smirk stretched across his lips, making Sandalphon automatically lean away, "open it~""No."Belial pouted, "why not?""I respect peoples' privacy unlike someone," Sandalphon rolled his eyes. "More importantly, there's something you need to know about Lucilius."Belial froze, "don't tell me he already has a boyfriend-""No-- or, well, I don't know actually," Sandalphon averted his gaze, "but Lucifer said he was going abroad to take his master's degree.""In what?""Forensics.""... Damn," Belial's mouth practically dropped, "that kinda hotness in the labs could actually kill somebody.""You're disgusting.""You gotta admit that it's true though, Sandy."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sandalphon lay sprawled out on the plush couch of his shared dorm, idly scrolling through the messages from the cafe group chat on his phone.Did his workplace have a group chat just for their employees? Yes.Did Sandalphon purposely mute the chat because half of the time it'd be full of Belial's shameless flirts? Yes.Originally Lyria had made the chat for a better way to communicate with everyone at the cafe, considering they were all college students who had a very good habit of procrastinating until the morning of the exam day (besides Lancelot and sometimes Percival). She herself barely had time to work, her shifts being only on the weekends, and so her extroverted personality led her to gather everyone's contact information and shove them all into a group chat. And seeing as though Sandalphon's shift didn't start until another two hours (Belial left a few hours ago for his shift, thankfully), he might as well scroll through whatever nonsense conversation his coworkers had talked about the previous night. Sandalphon was never one to actively watch TV either, after all, that was Belial's territory.Lancelot: Are you feeling better, Djeeta?Djeeta: I'm good ig. Gran burnt my soup so there's that ?Djeeta: Btw thanks for covering for me, Percy ;DPercival: Stop calling me that, or I may as well never cover for you again.Djeeta: :(Gran: Publicly trash talking me huh Djeeters?Djeeta: You're the one who can't cook :/ should've called over Sandy or smtnBelial: why not call me?Djeeta: I can at least trust Sandalphon, ur gonna put some nasty shit like toothpaste in my soupBelial: that's a good idea! thx Djeets ;)Lancelot: Belial please don't do thatSandalphon rolled his eyes, sighing to himself. Muting the chat was a good idea-- his phone would've been tortured with their endless conversations that derailed into the most idiotic and sometimes disgusting ideas. Hell, Sandalphon remembered one time when Gran decided to shove almost ten cobs of corn into the cafe's microwave, fueled by the encouragement from Belial in the group chat.If Sandalphon hadn't seen the utterly stupid conversation and ran over to the cafe (almost getting hit by a car in the process) just in time to stop his coworker, the cafe would've been burned down or filled with popcorn-- or both.Luckily Gabriel accepted Sandalphon's beg to remove the cornbread from the menu after that.Throwing his phone aside, Sandalphon turned his attention towards the coffee table, where Lucifer's notebook and pen sat next to the brunet's now empty cup of coffee.Sandalphon had considered calling Lucifer last night, to tell him of his forgotten book, but was Sandalphon mentally prepared to press that call button? Hell no. Although the chance of Lucifer appearing in the cafe was low, thanks to Sandalphon now being in possession of the notebook with his schedule in it, Sandalphon was going to take the risk and just hope to God that Lucifer was going to appear by the time it was time for the brunet's shift.Or Lucilius, that could work too. It'd just be less desirable to Sandalphon-- but maybe not so much to Belial.Sandalphon heaved himself up to a sitting position on the couch, fully facing the notebook. Belial had suggested for Sandalphon to open it, to see what secrets were hidden beneath the leather cover, but Sandalphon was nowhere near that shameless.But did that mean that Sandalphon wasn't curious?
Nope.
Sandalphon wanted to open that damn book.It was a continuous debate inside of his head between the devil and the angel. Should he see what kind of hidden gems were delicately inked onto the pieces of paper? Or should he be a good person and leave it alone until he gave it back to Lucifer?Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before letting out a soft sigh.If he were to die from regret and shame afterwards, he was for sure going to curse Belial with eternal wet socks and balding until that trickster joined the brunet in Hell.With shaky hands, Sandalphon reached out and picked up the delicate book. His fingertips brushed across the leather cover before carefully lifting it open, crimson eyes meeting the neat cursive that Sandalphon assumed belonged to Lucifer (for obvious reasons, unless this was Lucilius's and Lucifer just conveniently had it). And although Sandalphon was a partially broke college student who had the handwriting of six dying pigeons, he could still appreciate neat and frankly beautiful writing-- especially one that was owned by Lucifer.The first few pages didn't seem to be all that important, varying from grocery lists to small daily agendas for particularly extensive days. But as Sandalphon gently flipped to what he counted as the 16th page, he was left shocked as the pages started to reveal recipes. And from a glance, Sandalphon was left somewhat impressed at the array of different ideas Lucifer had written down. He was really damn hoping that he would be able to find out what flaw Lucifer had-- after all, that kind of perfection in one human being couldn't possibly exist-- but Sandalphon was still intrigued either way.To be honest, Sandalphon was very tempted to use some of the recipes for the cafe.But he had at least some decency, unlike someone.Shrugging off his temptation, Sandalphon was about to close the notebook when a particular recipe caught his eye. Well, not really a recipe but, specifically, a brew for a certain cup of coffee. Sandalphon didn't expect Lucifer to be this addicted to have even made his own brew, but the brunet wasn't quite complaining either. After all, Sandalphon could really only function in the morning when he had his daily cup, which could then be tripled if he really needed it (he did).Sandalphon's free hand went to his chin, crimson eyes scanning the recipe. Although everything seemed simple enough, it was the type of bean Lucifer used that made Sandalphon freeze in place, his mouth dropping.Liberica beans; a type of coffee bean that made up a whopping 1% of the world's coffee consumption.The cafe used Robusta beans, the second most used bean after the Arabica bean. And although Gabriel was quite lenient with her employees' requests, Sandalphon highly doubted she would pay hundreds of dollars for less than half a pound of coffee beans that were for his own experimentation.Which posed the question-- exactly what kind of money did Lucifer have that he could acquire them? Much less create a brew with them?Sandalphon let out a groan, fishing for his phone and quickly taking a picture of the recipe. No, he definitely wasn't going to be using it for the cafe. But, as a fellow coffee addict, Sandalphon couldn't help his desire to at least try and make it.Maybe impress Lucifer in the process, who knows.With a shaky thumb, Sandalphon hesitantly dialed Gabriel's number, pressing his phone to his ear. Was he going a bit over the top? Yep. But his curiosity got the best of him, unfortunately; that and his title as the coffee connoisseur of Paradise Cafe. Had to stay on his throne, you know?A couple of nervous rings passed before it finally paused, "Sandalphon?" Gabriel's voice chimed from the other line, "what's the matter?""Nothing to worry about, Gabriel. How are you?""I'm doing fine, Sandalphon," she giggled, "how's your day? What is it that you need?"Sandalphon gulped, "I-I'm alright, thanks. I... actually wanted to ask a favour from you.""A favour?" Gabriel's voice perked up with surprise, making Sandalphon freeze. And as if she could sense his sudden nervousness, she was quick in reassuring the brunet, "you don't usually ask me for things unless it's for the cafe," she lightly hummed, "I'm rather happy in a way.""R-Right..." Sandalphon averted his gaze to the side, coughing into his fist to muster down his awkwardness."So? What's this favour? I'd be happy to help if I can.""I... I'm looking for some Liberica beans," he managed to mutter out, albeit a bit quietly."Liberica beans?" Gabriel repeated in disbelief."I-I know they're quite hard to come by, but if by any chance you know a seller or manufacturer-""I can get you some!"Sandalphon blinked, pausing, "... excuse me?""Well, to be more precise, I already have some," Gabriel giggled, "Halluel and Malluel went to Malaysia not very long ago, and they had happened to bring back a few bags of Liberica beans for me. Of course, I can't use them for the cafe with such low quantities, and I wasn't particularly fond of the taste when I brewed myself a cup, so the rest of the beans have been sitting in my office for quite some time now. I'd be happy to give them to you, Sandalphon.""A-Are you sure?" Sandalphon asked, "I can't accept them so freely like this-""It's fine!" Gabriel reassured, a light fit of laughter escaping her lips, "Sandalphon, you've done more than enough for the cafe. I'm very proud to call it my own with the beautiful work you and the others put into it. If I have the power to help you all with your own needs, then I'll gladly do anything I can."Sandalphon almost let out a sob. God bless Gabriel."Thank you, Gabriel. I'll work hard today to compensate."Gabriel giggled, "although I can't stop you, there's no need, Sandalphon. I'm merely doing what I can to make my employees happy; you're all like children to me, after all," she hummed in amusement. "Just go into my office and they should be on my shelf, not very hard to spot for your eyes I'm sure."Sandalphon let out his very own chuckle, "yeah, got it," he paused, "... are you sure you don't want anything in return, Gabriel?""Ahh, always one to think about others rather than yourself," Gabriel sighed out happily, "I can assure you I want nothing in return, Sandalphon. But..." she trailed off, as if she already expected Sandalphon to object once more, "I'm sure you're using those beans for a brew of your own, correct? If you insist on paying me back, I'd love to see what you come up with, Sandalphon."Sandalphon slowly nodded, humming. If what his guess was true, then by Gabriel's words there should be enough beans to at least make around fifty cups. And considering Gabriel was coming back in about a week's time, there would still be plenty of beans that Sandalphon could use for her. "Sure, no problem," he replied, "thanks again, Gabriel.""I'm happy I could help, Sandalphon. Oh! By the way, I forgot to call yesterday about the menu. It must've slipped by my mind by accident, I'm sorry."Sandalphon paused. To be honest, he forgot about Gabriel's call the previous day too-- obviously far too enamored with talking to Lucifer and to then almost immediately pass out from exhaustion after he got back to the dorm. So, in a way, he was relieved that Gabriel managed to let it slip by her mind. After all, Sandalphon wasn't one to miss a call from her, so it would've been suspicious. "Y-Yeah, I was wondering if I should call you, but I assumed you were just busy," he lied. "Belial and I got a recipe down for coffee macaroons and a hazelnut mocha, if that seems okay?""Ah! They sound lovely! I'm sure the customers will enjoy them."Sandalphon hummed in nonchalant agreement, twiddling with his shirt sleeve. "That's all I have to say, then. I'll call you if anything comes up.""Alright, Sandalphon. Have a good day!""Right back at you, Gabriel," he smiled, ending the call and automatically releasing a tired sigh. That went better than he had expected, which was great. Sandalphon supposed he could try out Lucifer's blend and then conjure up his own-- after all, having Liberica beans was a privilege in itself. Though, impressing Lucifer was one thing already, so Sandalphon needed all the beans he could get.He sighed once more, slapping his hands up to his face and groaning into them. Why was he so hopelessly in love?But, just as Sandalphon was about to throw a fit over his god awful attraction towards Lucifer, his phone buzzed, signalling a call. Perking a brow, Sandalphon took a glance at the caller before answering it nonchalantly, "Lyria?""Sandalphon! Please come to the cafe, quickly!""What's going on?" Sandalphon's voice dropped in concern, immediately standing up from the couch."A-A customer got mad at Belial! They've been arguing for a few minutes now, but I'm worried! Belial isn't someone who backs down easily."Tsking, Sandalphon grabbed Lucifer's notebook and pen and (gently) stuffed it into his bag, swinging it over his shoulder and snatching his dorm keys. "I'm heading over there right now. Are you at the counter?" He asked, slamming the door shut on his way out and running down the stairs, finding it faster than waiting for an elevator."Y-Yes, I am-""Go into the kitchen," he growled out, rushing out of the campus grounds and down the street. "Or better yet, in the staff room. Don't stay out there in the cafe, you're putting yourself in danger if things do escalate.""Sandalphon...""It'll be fine once I get there, don't worry," he lightly hissed out, coming to a stop at a traffic light, just a couple blocks away from the cafe. "Just go in the staff room and stay there, don't come out until either me or Belial tell you to." His crimson eyes went back to the light, watching as it turned green and continuing on his sprint."... Okay, I'll go into the staff room. Please hurry, Sandalphon!""Yeah, I'll see you later," Sandalphon subconsciously gave a curt nod, ending the call and leaping down the block towards the small cafe. By the time he was within the premise, he could already hear the angry shouts of an older male paired along with a much more calmer and familiar one. Sandalphon tsked to himself, everyone knew Belial never backed down, he had the sturdiest mind out of all of them. Typically, if Sandalphon were being honest, it was him who would most often get into arguments with customers, not Belial. So being in the opposite spot felt strange to Sandalphon-- being the one who protects rather than protected.Panting, Sandalphon reached the door to the cafe and swung it open, the harsh chime of the bell resounding in his ears but that didn't matter at all to Sandalphon. His crimson gaze quickly located Belial-- who stood in front of the counter with his arms crossed, a smirk dancing across his lips-- and then to a tall (taller than Belial even, which was a surprise to Sandalphon), lean male who was spitting out angry insults to his coworker and roommate.
Oh hell no.
Sandalphon swiftly glanced at the counter, relieved to see that Lyria was nowhere to be seen. He could tell things weren't going to end peacefully almost immediately after their call, and the last thing Sandalphon wanted was for Lyria to witness him pummel the living hell out of this damn customer. Sandalphon grit his teeth, shrugging his bag off of his shoulder and slowly approaching the pair-- who still hadn't noticed him despite the ring from the bell, far too enamored in their heated debate."You damn brat! Can't make a customer a cup of coffee, huh?!"Belial shrugged, raising a brow, "I've said it already, sir. We don't serve assholes in this establishment.""You dare talk to me that way!? A paying customer!?""Sir," Belial's lips formed a frown, "you haven't paid for anything yet, and I'm certainly not taking your money either.""Why you little...!"Belial sighed, "I'll form it into better words for you to understand. You said some pretty harsh things to my coworker who had a little trouble with our ol' machine here--" Belial tapped on the cash register, emphasizing his point-- "and I'll have you know sir that we ordered a replacement already, so it wasn't just her trying to piss you off on purpose." Belial only blinked at the customer's bewildered expression, continuing with a small chuckle, "honestly, I would've let ya off had you stopped after I helped her input your order, but you kept on running your mouth like a little dog."Sandalphon stopped in his advance, eyebrow twitching amidst the tension inside the cafe. Belial really knew how to piss someone off (as Sandalphon had learned from experience)."Damn you!"Before Sandalphon knew it, the customer's hand raised in anger, Belial still standing his ground with a playful smirk on his lips. And without missing a beat, Sandalphon unconsciously sprinted forward, feet skidding to a halt in between his coworker and the stranger when his face made contact with a fist, stumbling a bit but not losing ground for he had bit his tongue in anticipation of the hit-- which also resulted in a small dribble of blood to leak from his lips.Belial's eyes widened, "oi! Sandalphon!"Sandalphon would've been very much surprised at Belial's use of his full name (and not that disgusting nickname he gave the brunet), but the tension in the cafe was already taking up all of his attention. Instead, he only spared a glance at Belial before directing his narrowed crimson eyes towards the customer-- who had backed away in surprise. "If you have something to complain about, then I'd advise you to talk to me," he stated calmly, albeit an edge to his tone, "otherwise, shut your goddamn disgusting mouth. I won't tolerate you talking like that to my coworkers.""You're the crazy ones, treating your customers like this!" The male barked in reply, pointing an accusing finger towards Belial-- who had raised a brow in question. "Why don't you teach him to show some respect!?"Honestly? Sandalphon has tried many many times. But he supposed it was either fate that didn't let Belial act normally, or it was Belial himself who just enjoyed to relentlessly tease Sandalphon. Sandalphon had guessed both, but more often than not leaned towards the latter. But of course he wouldn't say this to this asshole of a customer. "Obviously I can see that you're the problem here," Sandalphon spoke, "sure, maybe you were a bit impatient, but hell does that give you a damn right to slander my coworkers.""All of you are just little damn brats-"Nonononono. Sandalphon was having none of that bullshit.Without even thinking, Sandalphon gripped onto the collar of the man's shirt and tugged him down to his height. He glared at the customer, crimson eyes fuming with anger while the customer sweated in unspoken nervousness and fear. "Look," he growled, "I don't care what you do to me, but you aren't laying a fucking hand on my coworkers, much less talk about them as if they're some incompetent fools. If anything, you're the one who needs to learn some damn respect and act like someone your age and not like a five year old kid." Sandalphon's free hand unconsciously gripped into a fist, slowly raising it as he pinpointed the male's jaw to make contact with (he would go for the liver, but Sandalphon had the guy's face directly in front of him already)."Sandy," Belial hummed quietly from behind the brunet, which earned the latter's attention for he whipped his head around to face his roommate. And when Sandalphon was just about to glare at Belial for stopping him-- Belial wasn't one for peaceful outcomes either, after all-- his coworker quickly nudged his head towards the door, uncertainty and a flicker of amusement dancing in his dark gaze.Sandalphon raised a brow, averting his very own eyes to the door to then immediately freeze in place, his fist still floating in the air as he stared in shock at the three ivory haired figures standing in the doorway.
Wait...
Three?
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Lucilius, one of the two newcomers Sandalphon could recognize, immediately frowned upon seeing the situation at hand. He let out a harsh tsk, blue eyes narrowing in evident anger. "What a nuisance," he mumbled lowly, stepping towards Sandalphon and the customer.For a moment, Sandalphon thought that Lucilius was talking to him-- after all, the guy always had a scowl on, who knows what kind of opinion he had on the brunet. But much to Sandalphon's surprise and confusion, he was immediately pushed away by Lucilius (if Belial hadn't caught him, Sandalphon would've just about earned himself a concussion from the counter), the former's grip on the customer's shirt being replaced by the latter's as Lucilius slammed the customer to the ground with a surprising amount of ease, shocking both Sandalphon and Belial to a standstill. Upon seeing the customer sufficiently knocked out from the impact, Lucilius's eyes turned to his two companions-- who had entered the cafe as well-- and cocked an ivory brow at them, "well?"Lucifer raised his phone, "I called Uriel and Raphael already, they should be here in a few minutes," he hummed out, "I notified Michael as well."The third male, who Sandalphon didn't recognize (but can damn well admit was almost as pretty as Lucifer-- almost), only chuckled in amusement, a hand going up to his chin. "I never knew you as one who would be so violent, Lucilius."Lucilius only grunted in reply, his cold gaze now turning to Sandalphon and Belial-- the former automatically freezing upon Lucilius's harsh gaze, and the latter merely smirking. "Care to explain why my simple visit for a cup of coffee was so rudely interrupted?" He hummed, crossing his arms.Belial's grin widened, "I'm very sorry, but can you really excuse an asshole being an asshole~?"Lucilius scoffed, "and I suppose you think you have the right to say that, Belial?"Sandalphon blinked, "did he..."And as if to prove Sandalphon correct, Belial let out a howl of laughter, one of his hands going to his face in order to conceal his evident amusement, "I see you saw my little message~" he managed to hum out, "so~? Care to take up my offer, Cilius~?"Lucilius only sighed, "I decline."Belial whined in response, responding with something Sandalphon wasn't quite interested in as he tuned out and averted his crimson eyes to Lucifer and the unknown male beside him. The two of them were engaged in conversation before Lucifer noticed Sandalphon's gaze and turned his attention upon the brunet, making the said male freeze in surprise and nervousness. Though, a quick wave of shock went through Lucifer, for his blue eyes widened as he immediately rushed over to Sandalphon, pulling him out of Belial's grip (who was still attempting to swoon Lucilius) and lightly taking a hold of his shoulders. "Sandalphon, are you alright?" He voiced with concern, one of his pale hands coming up to Sandalphon's cheek, enabling a dark red to fume upon the brunet's face. His hand was cold to the touch, but damn was it gentle and so caring and just all around motherly in a really weird way. "W-What-"
Oh. Oh the punch.
Sandalphon gently brushed Lucifer's hand aside (albeit a bit hesitantly) and touched his now swelled and red cheek, wincing in the slightest, "it's not as bad as I thought..." he hummed out, "I'm fine, don't worry."Lucifer's eyes still swirled with concern as his lips formed a small frown, "Sandalphon...""Oi, Sandy."Sandalphon turned around at the voice, his eyes meeting Belial's narrowed ones. It seemed like he was finally done with Lucilius-- who was now walking outside at the sound of a nearby police siren. "You knew I could've handled it," Belial muttered, his eyes briefly going to Sandalphon's cheek before returning to the brunet's crimson gaze, "so why?"Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before shrugging. "I'm not letting some rando customer punch you before I can." Was that a lie? Eh. He'd leave it up to Belial's imagination-- if there was any space left after his perverted fantasies of course.Belial's eyes momentarily widened before softening, a small chuckle escaping his lips, "well, you can cash that in whenever you want, Sandy~" he grinned."Thanks," Sandalphon rolled his eyes, turning back to Lucifer as the door opened, two rather large men accompanying Lucilius into the cafe. Upon noticing Sandalphon's questioning gaze, Lucilius waved him off with a hand before motioning with his head towards the fallen customer to the two police officers."Didn't put up much of a fight, did he?" The one with brown hair hummed out, seemingly disappointed. "What a pain, could've at least let us deal with him, Lucifer.""Lucilius was the one to take action, not me, Uriel," Lucifer hummed out, hands still on Sandalphon's shoulders."E-Eh!? Lucilius!?" The man named Uriel turned towards the said male in bewilderment, who was now tapping away at his phone. "Does strength run in your bloodline or something? Jeez..." he huffed out, "Lucilius here is slimmer than you, Lucifer."Lucilius perked up from his phone, glaring at Uriel, "are you testing me?"Uriel only let out a booming laugh, crossing his arms, "I wish I could right now! But gotta deal with your little customer here first," his lips formed a frown, his dusty gaze turning to Sandalphon and Belial. "Sorry for the intrusion, we'll deal with it no problem. Oi, Raphael."At his name, Uriel's blond companion heaved the unconscious customer over his shoulder, following after Uriel out the cafe. "We'll take him to the hospital and file a report," Raphael spoke quietly, eyes going to Lucilius-- who gave a small grunt in acknowledgment. Raphael then looked towards Sandalphon, pausing, before speaking once more, "Gabriel has interesting tastes..." he murmured, almost half to himself, before continuing out the door and to his awaiting companion.Well... that was interesting.Sandalphon blinked, delicately brushing aside Lucifer's hands before bowing to him. "I'm very sorry for the trouble this may have caused," he apologized, his customer service voice turning on, "it won't happen again."Obviously Sandalphon wasn't going to take Belial's excuse as a suitable apology-- although he did agree with it."Please don't worry yourself over it," Lucifer spoke softly, and Sandalphon felt a hand delicately rest upon his locks of brown, which in turn made the brunet lift his head up in surprise. Lucifer only smiled at Sandalphon's response, warm and gentle, "I'm relieved we arrived at the correct time to intervene. I would've been quite upset had you received even more injuries, Sandalphon."Red crept up to Sandalphon's cheeks. Ah, that's right. Uriel accused Lucifer of knocking out the customer, which in turn meant that Lucifer was a force to be reckoned with despite his rather slim visage. And although Sandalphon was about to beat the shit out of the customer when the trio had arrived, he'll admit that a few more punches to his face would've been worth it if he'd be able to see Lucifer in action.Though, of course he didn't say that out loud."Lucifer, you seem to be giving a lot of attention to that worker," the unknown ivory haired male chimed, smiling as he hopped up to Lucifer.Sandalphon perked a brow, and Lucifer seemed to have noticed the brunet's confusion for he immediately spoke up, "ah, Sandalphon, I don't believe you've met him yet." Lucifer outstretched a hand towards the shorter ivory haired figure (shorter than Lucifer, but practically the same height as Sandalphon and Lucilius), gesturing at him, "this is my youngest brother, Lucio."Ah.Wait, what."Nice to meet you, Sandalphon," Lucio gave a small bow of his head in greeting. "I believe Lucifer said that you were the one who made my French vanilla the other day? I thoroughly enjoyed it, and so I give my gratitude to you."Sandalphon would've been pleased by his words if he weren't so stunned. He was the mysterious French vanilla drinker? The one who Sandalphon threatened to shove a stick down their throat, if by chance they were to meet?The unknown second brother of Lucifer?How... How were they not triplets?"You must be surprised," Lucifer chuckled, seeing Sandalphon's bewilderment, "indeed, although we have small age gaps, we do look very alike.""Lucifer," Lucilius's voice perked up from his phone, having already taken a seat at a nearby table (with Belial standing next to it, might he add). And upon seeing his brother already seated, Lucio quickly followed suit, whilst Lucifer turned back towards Sandalphon. "I'll order, if you don't mind.""O-Of course!" Sandalphon accidentally stuttered out, Lucifer bringing him back from his daze as he quickly went behind the counter, Belial reluctantly following shortly. As Sandalphon quickly typed in Lucifer's order and completed the transaction, something in him wasn't exactly right. Like there was a coil in his stomach, like there was something he was forgetting-Lyria.Oh shit fuck.Sandalphon shoved his portafilter into the unexpected hands of Belial as he skidded to a halt in front of the staff room, digging into his pocket for his keys. Unlocking the door, he swung it open to then be met by the outstretched arms of his coworker, who clung onto his shirt (making him stumble) as tearless sobs escaped her mouth. "Sandalphon...!""L-Lyria! Are you alright?" Sandalphon asked, hesitantly placing his hand upon the girl's blue hair. And much to his relief, she nodded in reply, "I was really worried about you and Belial... Ah! Sandalphon! Your cheek!" Upon looking up at the brunet, Lyria noticed the small swell that had appeared upon Sandalphon's visage. Her hand automatically reached up and lightly touched the wound, earning her a small flicker of a wince from Sandalphon. "O-Oh! I'm sorry, Sandalphon!"Sandalphon shook his head, "i-it's fine-""No! This won't do!" Pushing Sandalphon away (much to his surprise), she immediately went back into the staff room and came out shortly with the first aid kit, holding it up like a prized monument."Ho~? Is Lyria acting like your mother now, Sandy?" Belial teased from the ivory brothers' table, finished serving them their desired drinks."S-Shut up!" Sandalphon spat in reply, pink tainting his cheeks as Lyria took his wrist into her hand and dragged him over to a nearby table, plopping him down in front of her. However, before she could even open the first aid kit, Lucilius stood up from his seat and strode over to Sandalphon. Initially Sandalphon perked a brow at his actions but immediately froze in place when Lucilius grabbed the brunet's chin and turned his face to the side, letting the ivory male examine the swell upon his cheek. Lucilius's eyes narrowed, a small hum escaping his lips before he let go of Sandalphon, standing up straight once more, "it's not bad," he stated, "five days and it should only leave a bruise-- if you manage to not do anything reckless again that is."Sandalphon was damn near about to question Lucilius and his strange way of examining someone but inevitably left it off with a quiet sigh, nodding his head. "I'll try not to," he replied, hoping that it was the correct response.And it seemed like it was, for Lucilius gave a small grunt and walked back to his seat."Who... was that?" Lyria cocked her head to the side in curiosity, taking out a miniature ice pack and handing it to Sandalphon, who nodded in gratitude.Sandalphon blinked, "they're..." he paused, "... regulars.""Ah! I see! I'm not here on the weekdays so I'm not as familiar with the customers like you are, Sandalphon," Lyria smiled, closing the first aid kit and walking back into the staff room.Sandalphon merely hummed at Lyria's words, letting them sink in. Familiar, huh? Well he supposed that he was the one who made a seemingly good enough coffee for Lucifer that he'd-The notebook.Shiiitttttt.Turns out that punch really did do something to him.Immediately spotting his abandoned bag sitting near the cafe door, Sandalphon heaved himself up from the chair and walked over to the forgotten pouch, bringing it behind the counter. Easily locating Lucifer's book and pen, Sandalphon took them out and walked over to the occupied table-- in which Lucifer immediately perked up from his conversation with Lucio upon seeing the brunet."U-Uhm... you left this with us, yesterday..." Sandalphon mumbled, handing the set to Lucifer.Lucifer's eyes perked up at the items before taking them into his hands, giving a grateful smile to Sandalphon (in which he was pretty darn sure his heart stopped for a second). "Ah, I was thinking I just misplaced these back at home, but I'm relieved to know that you had them in your hands. Thank you, Sandalphon.""I didn't see you as the forgetful one, Lucifer," Lucilius murmured, taking a sip from his cup of coffee.Lucifer hummed, "I have to agree on Lucio's part as well-- I didn't see you as the aggressive one, Lucilius."Lucilius let out an amused grunt, "and when were you one to inherit such a sharp tongue?" His icy blue gaze almost immediately darted to Sandalphon, as if accusing him-- making the brunet freeze in place. If Sandalphon averted his eyes from Lucilius's blue ones, who knows what kind of assumption the latter would make. The brunet was sweating internally-- why did Lucifer have such a menacing brother?"I believe I got it from the one who knows best," Lucifer replied, looking straight at Lucilius as to emphasize his point.Lucilius raised a brow, humming, before finally glancing away from Sandalphon-- who released the breath he didn't even realize he was holding.This. This was the guy Belial was head over heels for.At his thoughts, Sandalphon whipped his head around to glare at Belial, who was leaning over the counter and staring at the occupied table before connecting his gaze with Sandalphon's (Lyria, on the other hand, was happily washing the leftover dishes in the sink).Belial grinned, motioning with a finger for Sandalphon to come closer.Usually when Sandalphon would see a creepy man telling him to come closer, he'd either one, sprint out of there like he was running to class a minute before his lecture started, or two, gouge out the guy's eyes with his fingers and knee him straight in the stomach.Typically, in his fight or flight sense, he'd go with fight. And Sandalphon couldn't even count the amount of times he was this close to dumping a cup of coffee down Belial's pants.But, alas, that would be a waste of coffee.... He should try marinating some peppers and see how that goes.But this was Belial, the guy Sandalphon has been rooming with for almost 7 months and took a punch for. So Sandalphon, with great hesitance and a roll of his eyes, stepped forward and walked up to his coworker, standing in front of the counter."Havin' fun, Sandy~?" Belial teased when the brunet finally approached, his hand cupping his cheek.Sandalphon scoffed, "I'm surprised you're standing here doing nothing, but at the same time not so surprised that you're just staring at them.""Sandy, how many times do I gotta say it? I gotta take it slow with Cilius-- he's got some hard nuts to crack, y'know," Belial winked, grinning.Sandalphon frowned, disgusted. Though, he tried his best to dispose of his growing irritation and instead posed a question he had been meaning to ask the taller male, "what do you think about Lucio?"Belial blinked, "Lucio? Oh, you mean the third one." He hummed for a moment, gaze going to the occupied table before going back to Sandalphon, shrugging. "Nah, not digging it. He looks like a pain in the ass," he mumbled out, scowling."And you're saying Lucilius isn't?" Sandalphon raised a brow, crossing his arms with a huff. "That guy's practically always pissed off.""Oi!" Belial abruptly stood up to his full height, making Sandalphon flinch for a mere second as his roommate pointed an accusing finger his way. "That's the good thing about him, Sandy. Don't talk trash about it.""Excuse me?" Sandalphon scoffed, genuinely sounding offended (he was)."Sandy, listen," Belial sighed, shaking his head in disappointment. "You just don't understand the appeal. You're into the idiotic softies like Lucifer; but me? Oh, Sandy, Cilius is the pure definition of a snack." Reaching over the counter, Belial took Sandalphon's shoulders into his hands and spun him around, directing his gaze towards the occupied table-- or more specifically, Lucilius's seat. "Just look at him, Sandy."Sandalphon didn't listen and instead directed his eyes towards Lucifer.... Which Belial noticed for he slapped Sandalphon's cheek (lightly, by the way, and certainly not on the cheek which held his swollen wound), his hands now planting themselves upon the brunet's head, "Sandy!""I can't see Lucilius," Sandalphon mumbled, mustering down his growing smirk, "all I see is an angel."Belial scoffed, releasing his hold upon Sandalphon and going back into his previous position upon the countertop. "Y'think that Lucio guy's gonna be a problem?""You're the one who just said he looks like a pain," Sandalphon sighed in reply."Okay, but that's my opinion. What do you think about him?" Belial raised a brow, genuinely curious (or at least it seemed like it).Sandalphon blinked, "he's good looking, but not as much as Lucifer."Belial released a heavy sigh, "see? What did I tell you? You're into the dumb softies.""Hey!" Sandalphon spun around, fists clenched and glaring at Belial-- who perked a brow in question to the brunet's aggravation. "... You don't gotta rub it in!"~~~The day ended off with the ivory trio bidding their farewells, and Lucifer specifically going up to Sandalphon himself and promising a return the next day to check up on the brunet and his injury. And although Sandalphon doubted that there'd be any noticeable changes after one day, his brain was having a damn party over the mere thought of Lucifer returning. And, much to Sandalphon's surprise, Lucilius also approached him (seeing as Lucifer was taking his time in his farewell) and handed the brunet a slip of paper with his number on it-- stating that he'd like to have updates on his wound with his signature cold and unnerving demeanor. Although Sandalphon was a tad bit hesitant to take the offered number (mainly out of fright-- he didn't necessarily like the idea of Lucilius calling him), he knew that Belial was listening and would literally murder him if he didn't. And so Sandalphon took it, thanked the trio for their stay, and headed off back to the dorms early-- or more like Belial kicked him out to go check up on his injury while he closed up shop (they both ended up staying until the cafe's closing, as per usual).Sandalphon sighed to himself on the way back, bag slung over his shoulder and ice pack pressed against his cheek. His other hand held his phone, his crimson gaze staring at the newly inputted contact before scowling. He had already given Belial the slip of paper with Lucilius's number-- in which his roommate quite literally jumped for joy over-- but Sandalphon was really dreading the calls from the eldest brother. After all, being interrogated daily by a forensic scientist didn't sound all that exciting.However, Sandalphon's nonsense thoughts were quickly cut short by his phone buzzing in his hand, the screen displaying Gabriel's name as the caller. Raising a brow, the brunet answered, "hello?""Sandalphon! I heard about the incident at the cafe from Michael. Are you alright? Did anyone get hurt?"Sandalphon's lips pursed. He was hoping Gabriel wouldn't learn about today, as that would lead to stress on her end-- and Sandalphon certainly didn't want that when she was taking a well deserved vacation from the almost daily shenanigans from Belial (and sometimes Gran-- like the corn incident Sandalphon had mentioned earlier). But he eventually sighed to himself, it was no use hiding anything from Gabriel. "I'm fine, just got a bruise on the cheek is all. Nobody else got hurt."There was a long silence.
Ah.
Ah wait he shouldn't have said that.Realization struck Sandalphon later than he had expected and before he could say anything Gabriel's voice perked up from the other side-- except, it was dripping with absolute menace. "A bruise... you say? From the customer?"Sandalphon gulped, flashbacks of Gabriel throwing down the guy who attacked Gran flipping through his brain. "Y-Yeah... it's not serious though, don't worry. The police came and brought the customer to the hospital after another customer..." he paused, "... apprehended him."He didn't think he should say "threw him down to the floor and knocked him out"."To the hospital...? That's unfortunate," he heard Gabriel sigh, making Sandalphon's lips form a thin line. What did she mean unfortunate?Though, at the mention of the police, Sandalphon posed a question to his boss-- half hoping it'd distract her from her... unsettling intentions. "B-By the way, do you know the two police officers who came in? Uriel and Raphael? One of them mentioned your name...""Oh!" Gabriel's voice immediately returned to her natural tone, gentle and sing-song like, which made the brunet heave a quiet sigh of relief. "Yes, I do! Hm, if they were the ones who brought the customer to the hospital, then I suppose I have nothing to feel disappointed about."... Disappointed?Sandalphon shook her strange vocabulary off to the side, "who were they?""Just some old classmates of mine from back in college. Michael and I were studying economics and roomed together, while Uriel and Raphael were next door and studying criminal justice. Uriel threw a lot of parties and often got scolded a lot by Michael, so I suppose that's how we all got acquainted with one other," Gabriel laughed. "It's quite nice that we all stayed connected, even after we went our separate ways. Michael went to law school, Uriel and Raphael went to a police academy, and I traveled for awhile until I opened up the cafe." Sandalphon was too busy absorbing all of the information that he had almost missed the slight voice change in Gabriel-- her tone dropping into one that was almost bittersweet in a way. "Sandalphon, I hope you stay connected with your fellow coworkers after you all find your own paths," he could hear the smile in her voice as she continued, "you're all certainly the brightest staff members I've ever had the pleasure of taking care of. Seeing you all together and doting on one another is my greatest happiness in the cafe, I can assure you of that. I know many of you are ending your final year in college soon, and although I'll be saddened to see you all go, the mere thought of you all losing contact with each other is a much greater pain."Sandalphon was at a standstill, his lips parted in surprise at Gabriel's words before she laughed, "ah, don't mind me. I must be getting old to be rambling this much. I'll give you a bit of peace now, Sandalphon."Sandalphon blinked, regaining his ability to speak once more, "nah, it's fine, Gabriel; thanks for that. Even though I hate their guts sometimes..." he trailed off, mental images flashing in his mind of the terrible situations he's found himself in thanks to his coworkers (he touched his wound at this), but a smile soon found itself upon his lips as he continued, "... they sure are something, huh?"Gabriel giggled, "yes, they certainly are. Well then, I hope you have a nice day, Sandalphon. Goodnight.""Night, Gabriel."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
As promised, Lucifer arrived to the cafe around the time Sandalphon started his shift. Which, to be honest, surprised the brunet to see the ivory male's face but nevertheless was ecstatic that Lucifer stayed true to his word (Sandalphon wasn't hoping for much-- after all, he was typically used to the many false promises from a certain someone). And although Sandalphon didn't say anything when Lucifer walked in and gave him a wave and a smile, Sandalphon's heart was practically doing backflips in a pool of jelly."Isn't that the same friend from a couple days ago?" Percival inquired to Sandalphon, back against the counter as he sipped at a cup of coffee (black, by the way-- Percival never enjoyed sweets, unlike Lancelot)."Yeah, I'll take care of it," Sandalphon replied, his crimson eyes watching as Lucifer sat down at a vacant table (one that was fairly close to the counter, mind you), his very own blue eyes expectantly going to the brunet, making him freeze.He swore Lucifer knew some black magic to make the brunet feel this way at the mere presence of him."Popular aren't we, Sandy?" Belial teased, wiping at a freshly washed mug near the sink."I've never seen him around before," Gran added on, elbow resting against the countertop beside Belial. "Is he a transfer?""He doesn't go to our college," Sandalphon huffed out, preparing Lucifer's drink. "Just a regular who I got along with.""That's a surprise," Gran hummed before yelping when Sandalphon threateningly raised the portafilter, about to whack the shit out of his coworker. "I-I'm very sorry Your Majesty...! Please spare this poor life!" Gran managed to mumble out, cowering behind the taller form of Belial.And although Sandalphon was slowly advancing towards the duo with the sole intent of murder in his head, the brunet noticed a far off table raise their hand-- asking for assistance. In response, he immediately pointed the portafilter once more at Gran, who shrunk even further behind Belial. "Knight, take him away," he scowled, gaze fuming with disgust."Yessir~" Belial hummed in amusement, giving a gracious bow before placing a notepad and pen in Gran's hands and pushing him around the counter, returning shortly before dusting off his hands with a grin.Sandalphon merely gave a curt nod, finishing the newly made cup of black coffee and placing it upon a platter, walking around the counter to approach the awaiting ivory haired male. Lucifer smiled as Sandalphon placed the cup down in front of him, mumbling a small 'thank you', but almost immediately turned his blue gaze back to the brunet in worry. "Is your wound doing alright?"Sandalphon blinked, before his hand automatically went up to his face to touch the swell, eyes widening in the slightest. He had honestly forgotten about it. "A-Ah yes, I suppose. The swell is a bit less severe now, but the pain's still there," he laughed.Lucifer's eyes narrowed in evident sorrow and Sandalphon froze, throwing up his hands, "i-it's fine though! I've been in worst situations, believe me or not. I'm sorry for making you worry," he bowed his head in just the slightest apology, a nervous smile upon his lips.
Way to go, Sandalphon.
But, much to his surprise, Lucifer shook his head. "No, I'm the one who should be rightfully apologizing. I should hav-""No," Sandalphon stated firmly, cutting Lucifer off-- which surprised the latter (and maybe a bit of himself too). "It wasn't your fault, Lucifer. You couldn't have known that there was trouble at the cafe, and even if you were there, I doubt the situation would've been any different." Sandalphon mustered a small smile, "I... appreciate your concern, though. My coworkers are jerks, y'know," he chuckled, mind wandering to when he first came into the cafe this morning and almost got tackled by Gran who promptly tried to slap the brunet's cheek in a test to see exactly how much pain he was in.Sandalphon was just about to give Gran a punch on his own cheek as a test to see how hard he could actually punch someone.Lucifer let out his very own chuckle at Sandalphon's words, "I see. Well, I suppose I have nothing to worry over after all. But please, do call me if anything comes up. I do wish to make it up to you."Sandalphon smiled. Lucifer and his persistence, huh? "Sure. Enjoy your coffee," he bowed, leaving the ivory haired customer to walk back to the counter."That's a surprise," Belial hummed out when the brunet approached, finishing his simple rosetta design on the freshly made latte for the table in which Gran was sent to conquer."What?""Thought you'd go and have a nice chat, throw a little flirts-- y'know, the norm."Sandalphon's eyebrow twitched. "That's the norm for you, not me.""Can't argue with that~" Belial smirked, giving the coffee to the awaiting tray from Gran."Belial... is it?"Both Sandalphon and Belial whipped their heads around at the voice, the former's eyebrows raised in surprise whilst the latter merely grinned at Lucifer's tilted head. "Yessir~ How can I be of service?""Ah," Lucifer blinked, "pardon my curiosity, but I'm rather intrigued by your interactions with Sandalphon.""Ho~?" Belial's grin widened, "Lucifer, we're actually boyfri-"Belial's words abruptly cut off when Sandalphon slammed his heel against the former's foot, earning the brunet a hiss of pain from his roommate. "Don't you dare go spouting nonsense again!" Sandalphon seethed, before turning to Lucifer with the most innocent smile he could muster through his anger. "We're roommates and coworkers, that's all.""Roommates...? You two go to the same college?"Belial let out a sigh when he was released from Sandalphon's grip, a hand gesturing to his other coworkers roaming around the cafe. "Every employee here goes there," he hummed, "this cafe's a pretty convenient spot for part-timers, so a lotta us came here for work.""I see, I suppose that's a good business strategy-- having a good amount of employees as well as the traffic flow from the rest of the students," Lucifer hummed, nodding his head. "Belial, if I may ask, what are you majoring in?""Hm?" Belial's brow perked up. "Business.""He's thankfully not in the same class as me," Sandalphon added on before Lucifer could ask, "Percival over there--" he gestured with his head to the red-headed worker, who was having a small conversation with a group of elderly women-- "is in my class though."Lucifer nodded, momentarily glancing at Percival before turning back to Sandalphon and Belial. "And are you considering opening your own business, Belial?""Something like that," Belial hummed, grinning, "I'm gonna be a fashion designer, so who knows if I'll rise up in fame enough to have my own company." His murky red eyes narrowed in amusement, "though, a modelling job will always be open for you, Lucifer~"Sandalphon couldn't tell if that was one of Belial's many "harmless" flirts or if Belial was actually trying to get into Lucifer's pants.Either way, Sandalphon was about to kick Belial. He'll have him know that Lucifer's pants were already reserved.But, much to Sandalphon's relief and Belial's disappointment, Lucifer shook his head. "I appreciate your kind offer, but I'm afraid I'm not suited for those types of jobs. However, if you are in need of a future model, I'd suggest asking my brother, Lucio.""Why him?" Sandalphon asked, crossing his arms with Belial silently nodding in agreement with a raised brow."He's a voice actor," Lucifer smiled fondly, "he's quite a natural when it comes to things in the acting and modelling field-- I'm sure he'll be more than willing to help with some promotions.""Voice actor huh," Belial hummed, narrowing his eyes. "Doesn't seem like one."Lucifer chuckled, "both Lucilius and I were surprised as well. But seeing as though Lucio enjoyed the work, I couldn't argue with his choices. In fact, I was rather concerned that he wouldn't be able to find a passion, so I was relieved in a way. I certainly don't want him to end up like myself.""Like yourself?" Sandalphon repeated, blinking, "you mean... without work?"Lucifer mustered a small smile, his eyes narrowing in the slightest, "yes, you're correct, Sandalphon. He has more than enough potential, and neither I nor Lucilius were stopping him in pursuing whatever he may want to do. But I, on the other hand, while I do have a countless amount of hobbies, none of them pique my interest enough that I'd be content with a career in that field."Sandalphon felt his heart clench in pity when he heard the trace of sadness in Lucifer's voice. Although he was very tempted to persuade Lucifer into joining the staff during their first conversation, now it felt like Sandalphon should really offer it to the ivory haired. Sandalphon had felt that isolation once before-- before he became interested in brewing and coffee, before when he was downright nearing to be a delinquent in high school because of his rash tendencies when it came to incompetent teachers. Seeing Lucifer in a similar place that he was once in, it urged Sandalphon to do something for the ivory haired male. Even if he wasn't interested, Lucifer having his very own brew was enough to convince the brunet to open his mouth to offer the job to him when the bell at the door chimed, signalling a newcomer. Mustering down his frown, Sandalphon turned to the door to soon be confused at the presence of Lucio, who's expression beamed when his blue eyes landed on his older brother.On the other hand, Sandalphon noticed the grimace on Belial's face. It seemed like he was staying true to his words of him thinking of Lucio as a pain in the ass."Lucifer, there you are!" Lucio smiled as he walked up to the table in which his sibling sat at, taking the vacant seat across from him. "I was looking for you. Though, I should've guessed that you'd be here.""What do you need, Lucio?" Lucifer's demeanor immediately lightened, the tinge of sadness fading away into his warm and welcoming smile.And although Sandalphon frowned upon it, he couldn't help but appreciate the absolute purity of his smile. God bless.Though, the frantic shaking of his arm brought Sandalphon to promptly avert his crimson gaze away from the pair of brothers and to instead headbutt Gran in frustration-- snatching his arm away from his coworker's hands as the latter tumbled back from the impact. "What do you want?" The brunet snapped, narrowing his eyes."You know them!? For real!?" Gran hissed out, albeit as quietly as his personality could let him (which wasn't a lot)."Yeah, and what?" Sandalphon raised a brow. If Gran dared utter a word of adoration about Lucifer, Sandalphon was going to run out the door and buy a ring to slap on Lucifer's finger before his coworker could. No way was he going to lose against someone like Gran."Dude," Gran glanced at the customer duo before turning back to Sandalphon, "I want them to do my laundry."Sandalphon scoffed, feigning innocence, "what, you fell for some rando customers?"He heard Belial hum from the other side of the counter, but thankfully Gran ignored it."Nope," Gran replied, and Sandalphon heaved a silent sigh of relief, "but you gotta admit that they're hella pretty. Like I don't like them romantically, but I wanna admire them, y'know? They're stunning, Sandy.""Is that the photographer in you talking?" Percival hummed out, having already finished his conversation with the elderly table and arrived to stand next to the counter. "Doing your laundry, you say?" He asked with an amused grin."Percy, my dude, they'll look nice doing anything, I guarantee it," Gran grinned, "maybe I should slip them a business card...""Only the shorter one's interested in modelling," Belial chirped, walking up to join the trio of workers. "I can supply the clothes if you're really up to it, Gran Cracker~"Gran let out an enthusiastic shout (making Sandalphon jump), high fiving his taller coworker. "The BeliGran duo's back in business everyone! Sandy, throw the guy my card!"Sandalphon promptly shook his head, casually walking to stand behind Percival (who cocked a brow at his actions). From the get-go, Gran and Belial teaming up was never a good thing. Besides the fact that they were both idiotic as could be and continuously provoked each other to the point of almost dying (the corn incident, the damn corn incident-), the fact that they both worked in similar fields was just as terrifying. And although the work that the two of them produced when they were actually serious was damn beautiful, that was practically only 10% of times. The rest of the 90% went to constantly begging Sandalphon and the rest of his coworkers for promotional photoshoots which would end up with the brunet in some rather... suggestive clothing.But to be frank, Sandalphon was partially to blame. After all, the clothes were made by Belial. What did Sandalphon expect? Regular clothing? Pfft.Though, one thing was for sure-- Sandalphon wasn't about to pass one of Lucifer's kin Gran's business card for him to end up in the seven Hells. Sandalphon would punch himself to death before Lucifer could for making his brother do such a disgusting thing.But, alas, fate was always cruel."I'll do it~" Belial hummed out, Gran having already dug out his wallet, promptly handing the small slip of paper to the taller male after his words."Belial," Percival spoke sternly in a warning, and Sandalphon mentally thanked the red-headed heir for having some sanity."Don't worry 'bout it, Percy," Belial grinned, "I know them too-- after all, I work here as often as Sandy."Percival exchanged a wary glance at Sandalphon, then to the sibling duo, before blinking, pausing. "They're leaving.""What!?" Gran shouted, eyes also darting to the now vacant table, watching as the pair of brothers came up to the register. Although, seeing that Gran was about to sprint and tackle Lucio in thirty business cards, Sandalphon dashed for the register first-- earning a loud groan and a whine of "Sandy" to drawl from his said coworker."Sorry about him," Sandalphon sighed out, taking Lucifer's already outstretched card and inputting his order into the machine."It's no mind at all," Lucio chirped up, smiling, "in fact, I think it gives this place quite a lively atmosphere, having such energetic workers.""I guess you could say that," Sandalphon huffed, chuckling. "I-"Sandalphon was forced to cut himself off when Gran unexpectedly shoved the brunet to the side (Percival thankfully caught his hand before he could tumble to the ground), slamming one of his many business cards onto the table. "Please sir, model for me!"Lucio blinked, confused. "I'm... sorry?"However, much to Sandalphon's agony, Lucifer caught on and lowered his head to reach his brother's height, whispering, "before you arrived, Belial had suggested that I model for him. However, I'm not quite the person fit for the job, and so I proposed that they ask you. And seeing as though you're here now, Lucio..."Lucio immediately smiled in response, a small hum escaping his lips. "I see. Well, I suppose I can't deny such an enthusiastic offer." Turning to Gran, Lucio took the slip of paper from his hand. "I'd be very happy to help you."At his words, Sandalphon almost fainted in Percival's arms whilst Gran jumped for joy and nearly tackled Belial into a hug.However, Lucio wasn't done speaking."Though, may I ask where the photoshoot will be stationed?"Gran blinked, still latched onto Belial as he replied, "to be honest, I think you'll fit in anywhere. If you don't have anywhere in mind already, then this cafe is always a nice place for photos."Lucio hummed in thought, "then..." He glanced at his brother, who in turn smiled at him with a raised brow, before letting a smile adorn his very own lips."Could I suggest Sandalphon's dorm?"It was then that Sandalphon actually fainted in Percival's arms.~~~Was Sandalphon stressed? "Very much so" was a damn understatement.He was so stressed that he wanted to punch somebody-- namely Belial, but he wanted to cash in his punch for when the time was right.And from what Percival had told Sandalphon after he regained consciousness, it seemed like Belial had agreed to the setting of the photoshoot-- seeing as though they lived in the same dorm. However, the red-headed heir had also mentioned that Lucifer was particularly concerned about Sandalphon's condition (his still swollen wound combined with the fact that he had fainted on the spot), and would accompany Lucio to the set.He wanted to scream and sob at the same time. Lucifer was going to witness his brother be put through torture in Sandalphon's mess of a dorm.Not to mention the photoshoot was in two days, which was also coincidentally the day Gabriel came back. So Sandalphon was goddamn praying to whoever was in the clouds that word wouldn't reach her ears and he'd find himself being interrogated by his motherly boss.He let out a long sigh, taking out the couple of bags of Liberica beans he had found in Gabriel's office and placing them onto the kitchen counter (he had already returned to his dorm, alongside Belial). Sandalphon was meaning to get them yesterday, but of course that whole incident happened and he totally forgot about it. And now that Lucifer was coming over in two days, Sandalphon needed to brew up something to impress the ivory haired male.Though, his thought process was halted when he heard footsteps, and soon a head peaked over his shoulder. "Liberica? Where'd you get these?"Sandalphon frowned as Belial took out a bean and examined it between his fingers, "I asked Gabriel and she had some in her office.""Ho~? Are you planning to brew something up to catch a certain guy's attention?" Belial grinned.Bullseye."... Fuck off," Sandalphon hissed, taking a nearby mug and raising it-- making Belial let out a small fit of laughter as he lifted his hands in a surrender. "Ookay, calm down, Sandy~"Though, it was at this point the brunet noticed that his roommate was fully dressed to go out, and not in his ridiculous pink pajama pants and bunny slippers (Belial never liked to wear shirts to bed, unsurprisingly). At this, Sandalphon cocked a brow, "where are you going?""Gran's hosting another party at his dorm," he replied, stuffing his hands into his pockets. "I'm not gonna come back till mornin'~"Sandalphon blinked, lowering his mug, "are you still going to work tomorrow then?" He asked, watching as his roommate walked towards the door."If you leave me some aspirin, yeah."Sandalphon rolled his eyes, "drink too much and I'll drag you across the road instead.""Thanks mom~" Belial waved, grinning as he went out the door and left-- leaving the brunet alone in their shared dorm (for once).Letting out a sigh, Sandalphon pulled open a drawer and retrieved the bottle of medicine, examining it before placing it down on the dining table before he forgot (though, he supposed it wouldn't be too bad if he forgot). Turning back to the coffee machine, he began to carefully prepare the expensive beans when his phone rang from across the counter. Perking a brow, he didn't bother to read the name as he reached over and tapped the answer button and then the speaker button before resuming in his task. "Hello?""Ah, Sandalphon, hello."Sandalphon froze, almost dropping the portafilter as he carefully attempted to insert it into the machine with his now shaky hands. "L-Lucifer? A-Ah, hi..."He heard Lucifer let out a small chuckle, making red fume to his cheeks. "I'm sorry to bother you at this time, you may blame my concern for that as I wanted to see how you were doing." Lucifer's voice grew softer, "I hope you're alright, Sandalphon. I wished I could've stayed until you felt better but your coworker reassured me that you were fine and that he didn't want to bother me."Sounds like Percival, Sandalphon thought, but shrugged it off as he replied. "I-I'm fine, just a little stressed I suppose."At least he was telling the partial truth."... I see." There was a long pause before Lucifer replied, and Sandalphon had a feeling the former had his doubts. But before the brunet could spout another reassurance to the ivory haired, Lucifer spoke again, "I saw that you had a day off tomorrow, and I suppose I thought that I should treat you to something as compensation."... What.
Excuse me.
"N-No! You don't have to!" Sandalphon nearly shouted, the words coming out before he could even process them. "I-I don't want to trouble you!""You're certainly not troubling me-- it's my offer, after all," Sandalphon could practically hear the smile in Lucifer's voice as he continued, "unless... you're busy?""I-I..." Sandalphon paused, shakily pouring out the freshly brewed cup of coffee into a mug. "I'm... free tomorrow, yes," he sighed out, giving in. He wasn't dare going to lie to Lucifer."That's wonderful," Lucifer hummed, "I wish to meet you at noon, if that's alright? I'll be outside of your college.""O-Outside?" Sandalphon stuttered out, "you don't have to come all the way here!""There's no need to be concerned, Sandalphon," Lucifer chuckled, "the place I want to take you is closer to your college than where the cafe is. I can patiently wait outside."Damn him. Sandalphon wanted to punch God in the face for creating such a beautiful man."I... O-Okay, if it's fine with you..." he sighed out, sipping at his cup of coffee (and would be wonderfully surprised at the flavour had it not been Lucifer who took his soul away from him the instant he called)."Thank you for taking my offer," Lucifer hummed out, "I'll see you tomorrow, then.""Yeah..." Sandalphon nodded, mustering a small smile, "I... I'll see you."Lucifer let out a small chuckle before ending the call, in which Sandalphon almost immediately let out a groan of exhaustion. His free hand went to his chocolate strands of hair, attempting to ease away his building headache. Lucifer? Taking him out on his day off? He had to be dreaming-- still in his unconscious state after Lucio spouted his absolute nonsense about having the photoshoot in the brunet's shared dorm.He downed the rest of his coffee in one swig, slamming it down so harshly upon the countertop that for a minute he thought that he must've cracked the porcelain.He wasn't dreaming.Everything was real-- the fantastic coffee, Lucifer's invitation, Belial's bullshit, everything.Sandalphon dropped down to his knees, leaning against the wooden cabinets of the counter. He was hoping he'd have more time to prepare his very own brew, but seeing as he was meeting the angel tomorrow, he'd have to cram everything tonight and hope for the best that he'd be able to impress the ivory male.Although, one thing was for sure...Sandalphon let a smirk grow upon his lips, letting out a long sigh. Even though this wasn't necessarily a game, and more so a back and forth between their attempted swooning...Sandalphon couldn't help but feel some pride at beating Belial to a first date.
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
The next day approached far sooner than Sandalphon would've liked, but luckily (since Belial was away selling his soul to the god of alcohol) he had finished the preparations for his meetup with Lucifer during the night thanks to a couple more cups of coffee to push his system through the fatigue. Now he stood in the middle of the living room, stuffing his bag with all of his necessary supplies for the day. A water bottle, a book (his favourite one to be exact-- about the process of coffee and the different combinations and styles), ice pack (for his aching wound), and his wallet, phone, and keys were scattered about in his multitude of hidden pockets on his sweater (Belial had made it specially for him on his birthday-- not that Sandalphon was grateful for it nor often wore it... a lot).And, finally, the thing that costed Sandalphon almost four hours of sleep and deserved a damn award for.He held the thermos that contained his completed brew of coffee, still piping hot and would hopefully still be hot by the time Sandalphon brought it out for Lucifer to drink. His crimson hues stared at the metal container, momentarily contemplating his decisions before mumbling a small "fuck it" under his breath and (gently) shoving it into his bag and zipping it shut.Though, as Sandalphon checked the time and prepared to head out, the loud slam of the door bursting open made the brunet freeze in place-- his hand automatically going to the nearest weapon in the room (which was unfortunately a rather large lamp).But, alas, it wasn't an intruder.It was just Belial.Though, the panicked yet amused expression on Belial's face made Sandalphon rather uncomfortable and highly suspicious as the former quickly slammed the door shut, locking it."... What did you do this time?" Sandalphon sighed out, his hand moving away from the piece of furniture and instead to his locks of brown in irritation.Belial merely shrugged, back still flush against the pale white door, as if someone was going to kick it down in any given moment. "Just had a little fun last night... outside of campus."Sandalphon raised a brow, "cops?"Belial shook his head, "not this time~"The brunet blinked, "ransacked an abandoned building?"His roommate rolled his eyes, "Sandy, that was only in high school. You think I'm going to do that again?"Sandalphon nodded his head, and Belial pouted.Though, that left only one option, and Sandalphon immediately scowled. "How many did you fuck-""Saaandy!" Belial whined, "nothing like that!"Sandalphon's eyes narrowed, looking at Belial's figure up and down until the brunet noticed the disheveled wrap of bandages around the male's right hand. Narrowing his crimson eyes, Sandalphon strode up to his roommate-- seeing as he wasn't going to budge anytime soon. "What happened?""Bar fight."Sandalphon heaved a long sigh, taking Belial's hand into his own to unravel the uneven bonds. "You went to a bar? I thought you guys were drinking at Gran's place.""We were," Belial mused, "but we ran out in like an hour.""And who attacked who?" Sandalphon asked, brow raising as he threw the messy heap aside, squinting at the large gash in Belial's palm."Gran got drunk and mad at this guy who was bugging him, I tried to break it up but then the dude slapped me and so I slapped him back... with a bottle," Belial smirked at the end, chuckling."And you didn't come home to get it treated? It's already infected," Sandalphon tsked, dragging his roommate to the living room (passing by the kitchen, in which Belial immediately grabbed the bottle of aspirin the brunet had taken out the previous night)."Sorry mom~ Had to drag Gran outta there before the cops showed up~" Belial laughed, tumbling onto the couch and swallowing a couple of tablets from the bottle."Your shift starts in an hour, so you better sober up before then," Sandalphon frowned, retrieving the first aid kit and treating his companion's wound as quickly as he could.And Belial, being as skeptical as ever, raised a brow, "goin' somewhere?" He asked, eyes noticing Sandalphon's bag on the coffee table.Sandalphon froze.Shit.He forgot Belial left before he received Lucifer's call.But, alas, Belial noticed Sandalphon's sudden tenseness and his pause in wrapping the former's hand, and a smirk was quick in growing upon his lips. "A date~? I'm impressed, Sandy."Sandalphon's cheeks flushed pink, "shut up!"He didn't want to say anything about feeling prideful that he scored a date before his roommate, that was for sure."Calm down~ I mean it, Sandy," Belial's gaze turned soft, his playful smirk replaced by a gentle one, "you studied a lot during high school, even though you never knew what you were gonna do in the future. Gave up your youth for it-- I thought for sure you'd be the same in college. But now look at you, Sandy. Falling in love and getting yourself a date-- I have high hopes for you, y'know."And although Sandalphon felt a warm buzz in his chest at Belial's words (a feeling that was darn weird, mind you-- especially one that sprouted from Belial's words), his brows furrowed, "what the hell did you do?"Belial gave a forced laugh, glancing away with an amused smirk, "nothing at all~!"Almost as if on cue, there was a knock on the pale white door. Perking a brow (and sending a glare Belial's way), Sandalphon stood up from the couch to approach the door-- peeking through the peephole.
What the fuck-
"Lucilius?" Sandalphon frowned in disbelief.At the brunet's words, Belial jumped up from the couch, "I was never here, Sandy!" And with that, his roommate rushed into their shared bedroom-- the former hearing the click of the lock after the door closed shut.Blinking in confusion, Sandalphon shrugged off Belial's shenanigans and opened the door-- greeted with Lucilius's frown."H-Hello..." Sandalphon mumbled out, cursing at his sudden stutter."And I suppose your roommate is in there?" Lucilius raised a brow, arms crossing (with one of his hands carrying a silver painted briefcase, suspiciously enough).Sandalphon blinked once, twice.Payback?Payback.He nodded his head.Lucilius hummed, "he had called me last night and wished for me to bring Uriel and Raphael to a bar..." he mused, "what a nuisance. However, that is not the reason why I'm setting foot here. I recall Lucifer saying that he and another one of your band of irregulars are doing a photoshoot here with Lucio?"Sandalphon paused. Irregulars...? "I-I didn't have a part in the conversation," he defended himself, "I had-""I know," Lucilius cut him off, and Sandalphon's mouth snapped shut, "Lucifer told me everything. It seems you don't listen to commands-- that or you have a tendency to drag along bad luck." Lucilius's blue eyes narrowed, scanning Sandalphon's face. "... Though, it seems nothing particularly bad happened. If you could move aside, I shall reside here until that misfit comes out of hiding."Sandalphon raised his hands up in a surrender, stepping aside the allow enough room for the ivory haired male to enter."You're meeting Lucifer, aren't you?" Lucilius asked, scanning the dorm as Sandalphon jumped at the question-- nearly having a heart attack. "Go on, don't make him wait any longer," he seemingly scowled at this, and Sandalphon froze. "H-He's here?""Of course he is. I wouldn't be here if he weren't."Panic engulfing Sandalphon's form, the brunet hurriedly rushed to the living room and grabbed his bag before heading for the door once more, glancing at the eldest ivory brother. "I-I'll be off, then. Belial has work in an hour, so he should come out eventually..." he mumbled.Lucilius only hummed, and Sandalphon took that as a sign to take his leave. Shutting the door behind him, the brunet let out a long breath of air-- his hand going to his chest as he hurriedly ran down the staircase. Lucilius was way too menacing-- just one glare could banish you to the Shadow Realm, if anything. Plus, he was going to be staying in their dorm? Only God knows what'll happen between him and Belial.Sandalphon let out a long sigh, rushing out of the college building and down the garden, the gates of the campus coming into view-- along with a singular figure standing outside the barrier.There he was, beautiful and breathtaking as ever. Under a shaded tree as the wind gently brushed at his pale strands of hair, gazing idly at the sky before he finally noticed Sandalphon's approaching form. His soft blue gaze almost immediately went to the brunet, a warm smile upon his lips. "Sandalphon," Lucifer greeted, watching as the brunet slowed in his steps before stopping in front of the former."H-Hi..." Sandalphon responded, nodding his head and locking gazes with the taller male-- whom only tilted his head and smiled even more.God he was stunning.Sandalphon thought he was gonna cry."My brother had rushed off into the college after seeing Belial stumble in," Lucifer started, frowning, "did you perhaps see him?""Um, yeah, I did," Sandalphon blinked, "he's in our dorm right now, don't worry."Lucifer's smile reappeared, "that's reassuring, then. However, I don't mean to make you wait any longer, Sandalphon. Let us go."~~~"The park...?" Sandalphon mumbled, half to himself, as he stared at the vast, green terrain.Lucifer merely hummed, smiling, "yes, you're correct. But what I wish to show you isn't quite here. Come, Sandalphon." At his words, Lucifer took Sandalphon's hand into his own (making the latter nearly have a stroke), leading him away from the park and into the forest surrounding the clearing."L-Lucifer...?" Sandalphon managed to call out, a very evident pink on his cheeks. And although Lucifer only smiled at the brunet and continued leading the latter deeper into the debris, Sandalphon's heart was practically going to jump out of his chest. Though, the last thing Sandalphon wanted was for his hands to sweat and make Lucifer feel disgusted in him.His mind drifted as he let Lucifer lead him to wherever the forestry had to offer. Should he bring up the job offer again? Lucio had interrupted him yesterday before he could ask Lucifer, but Sandalphon really did feel bad for how sad Lucifer seemed when he voiced about having no work. His crimson eyes narrowed in contemplation-- no, he shouldn't do it immediately. Although Gabriel was quite lenient, would she really allow it? Surely, right? Sandalphon was on good terms with her, and-- like she voiced a couple days ago-- she really did wish Sandalphon asked for more things...Sandalphon shook the thought away, heaving a silent sigh. Either way, it'd be best to ask her tomorrow when she came back from her trip.But question was... how exactly was Sandalphon going to explain his relationship with Lucifer?
Goddammit.
"We're here."Sandalphon immediately blinked out of his scrambled thoughts, perking up at Lucifer's voice as his crimson eyes landed upon a small white canopy that sat in the middle of the debris littered clearing-- perfectly shining beneath the morning sun and making the brunet's gaze widen at the unexpected sight. Two pale chairs and a matching table sat in wait in the middle of the structure, and Lucifer once again led the brunet up the small staircase and to the furniture-- gesturing towards one of the chairs, which the former graciously pulled out for the latter. "Come, sit with me," he smiled.Sandalphon gulped, but mustered a small nod and nervously sat down on the chair, letting himself be pushed towards the table before Lucifer walked to the adjacent one and sat himself down as well."This..." Sandalphon started, crimson eyes hesitantly looking around the clearing, "... is where you wanted to take me?"Lucifer nodded, but frowned, "is it not to your liking, Sandalphon?"Sandalphon immediately shook his head, his hands emerging from his lap to wave them frantically, "n-no! Not at all! I'm, um, just really surprised that there was something like this in the forest..." he stammered.Lucifer blinked, before letting out a soft chuckle. "Yes, this place goes quite a while back. Lucilius had found this place when he was young, and when I was the appropriate age, he also showed it to me. As students in high school, he would always be here reading. I would sometimes bring him coffee too, if I had the chance."Sandalphon hummed, "coffee, huh..." He blinked once, twice, before the realization finally kicked in. Sandalphon's eyes widened as he hurriedly grabbed his bag and unzipped it open, not minding the questioning look Lucifer gave him as he whipped out the thermos and placed it upon the pale white table.Lucifer tilted his head, "this is...""I-It's coffee..." Sandalphon mumbled, glancing away. "I sorta, well, didn't know where exactly we'd go but I really wanted you to try this and so..." he trailed off, pink tinting his cheeks at the absence of his words. Curse his feelings. Curse this beautiful man (not literally).Lucifer blinked once, twice, before humming in what seemed like gratitude and amusement. "I certainly wouldn't mind a cup of coffee, especially seeing as you went through all the trouble as to bring it here," he smiled.Sandalphon swore his heart stopped for a good five seconds until he miraculously regained his composure and eagerly nodded his head, taking the thermos and unscrewing the lid. With as much grace as his shaking hands could manage, he gently poured the steaming brown liquid into the cap of the metal container, passing it over to the ivory haired male across from him-- the latter giving a gracious nod of thanks in reply. Sandalphon watched in nervous excitement as Lucifer took a sip from the cup, pausing as the flavour entered his taste buds, before his smile disappeared into a curious pucker-- his head tilting to the side in surprise. "Liberica? That's a surprise," he hummed out."Do... Do you not like it?" Sandalphon asked with the faintest amount of dread in his voice. The last thing he wanted was to disappoint this angel.Lucifer smiled, "please don't worry yourself, Sandalphon. It's a very nice blend-- perhaps, you made it?""I-I did!" Sandalphon managed to voice, the pink returning to his cheeks (how many times will he do that throughout the day?). "I... well, my boss let me have the ones she got as a gift-- the floral taste it has wasn't exactly to her liking, you see. But for me, I quite liked it, and I made my own brew..." he gave a small laugh, attempting to stomach down his embarrassment. "Ah, you can probably taste it, but I also used the coffee beans from the cafe. I hope you don't mind the cream either, but it was to balance out the cinnamon I put in it too-- to help enhance the woody flavour of the Liberica."Lucifer's smile only grew warmer, "you have a talent for coffee making, Sandalphon," he hummed, taking another sip. "It's not often I get to taste another blend of Liberica, so this is very nice. Thank you, Sandalphon."
Fuck.
Sandalphon's crimson eyes went to his lap, a hand twiddling with the sleeve of his sweater. "It... It wasn't a problem, really... I'm glad you like it," he managed to mumble out.When in reality, he lost a few hours of sleep thanks to the stubbornness of his creation. But if Sandalphon's payment for his endless labour was the happiness of the angel in front of him, he was satisfied for the next two millenniums."You see, Sandalphon, I have my very own Liberica plant where I live," Lucifer spoke up, which brought the brunet to whip his head up in surprise.
What.
Exactly how rich was this guy to have his very own plant of the most rarest coffee bean in the world?Lucifer chuckled at Sandalphon's bewildered expression, "it's a long story for another day. However, I have a blend of my own that I'd like you to try sometime-- hopefully when we go on our next outing?" He asked, tilting his head with his signature smile.Was... Was this guy really suggesting they go out again? Together?Sandalphon threw aside his growing excitement at the mere thought of another chance to be with Lucifer, and instead mustered a matching smile to the ivory haired. "Sure, I'd love to, if you're okay with it.""Thank you. I look forward to the next time you're free then," Lucifer blinked, before his smile disappeared behind a small frown, "I hope we aren't troubling you with the photoshoot tomorrow, Sandalphon. Lucio is rather abrupt, but even I couldn't see that he would suggest somewhere as personal as your own dorm as the setting..." he closed his sky blue eyes, eyebrows furrowing in what seemed like concern.Sandalphon shook his head, smiling, "it's fine, really! Honestly, I could say the same about my coworkers..." he gave a harsh sigh at the end of his sentence, his mind wandering to a certain duo of troublemakers. "In fact, I hope they don't do anything that'll cause your brother any... inconvenience.""Lucio isn't one to get angry," Lucifer laughed, "but I do believe he finds your group of friends rather fun, so it should be alright. All I ask is that they get along with him-- we were both born quite close, and so he primarily stayed near me as we grew up. He was never one to willingly speak up when it came to meeting new people, so it did surprise me when he conversed with you and your coworkers," he smiled."I see..." Sandalphon hummed, "Gran's an aspiring photographer, so he should be able to handle himself. If not, then you can go ahead and give me a call if I'm still not back from class," he mused, "and Belial may not seem like it, but when it comes to work, he's surprisingly diligent."Sandalphon almost wanted to gag after saying that about Belial.Lucifer hummed, quirking a brow up (and thankfully not noticing Sandalphon's slight grimace), "you have class tomorrow?""Yep, I only have class on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Then I work four days a week, with three day offs.""Isn't it stressful on you?" Lucifer asked, tilting his head with traces of concern etched in his expression."It's stressful being with my coworkers and classmates every day," Sandalphon sighed out, "but other than that, I'm fine. I'm able to manage myself." Shaking his head to disperse his thoughts, the brunet flashed a warm smile at the ivory male. "But that's probably enough about me. How have you been, Lucifer?"And although Lucifer drifted into a pleasant and warm explanation of his day and his shenanigans with his two brothers, Sandalphon couldn't help but drift from Lucifer's voice and instead focus on the male entirely. He was sometimes unbelievably beautiful, if Sandalphon were being truthful. And although the brunet compared Lucifer to an angel more often than not, it really was true. His silky ivory hair, bright blue eyes that reflected the sky itself, voice as soft and delicate as the clouds, and that priceless smile of his that made Sandalphon's heart go into cardiac arrest--Sandalphon wouldn't be surprised if Lucifer sprouted six feathery white wings right now.His crimson gaze softened in the slightest, slowly nodding his head and giving a small chuckle every time those sky blue eyes met his-- ensuring the latter that he was still listening when, in actuality, Sandalphon was far too focused on admiring Lucifer.Was he smitten? Damn right he was.He smiled as he refilled Lucifer's cup, seeing as it was near empty (with Lucifer giving a nod of his head as he continued with whatever he was explaining).But, then again, would it really work out in Sandalphon's favour? Would he be able to catch Lucifer's heart? Or will it forever remain unrequited, and the brunet will be left to continue on with his life until he finds a new love?... Maybe he should give Ren a call and ask for some advice in heart stealing.Sandalphon shook the thought away, brushing it off to the side for now. His eyes returned to Lucifer, softly humming to himself as he recalled something Belial once said to him back in their days of high school.
"Love is a mass of contradictions... huh?"
~~~After bidding Lucifer a bittersweet goodbye, Sandalphon returned to his dorm and threw the door open-- the fatigue from socializing with another human being suddenly downing on him. However, much to his surprise, Belial quickly turned his head from where he sat on the couch, a finger pressed against his lips as he furrowed his brows at the brunet.Sandalphon mimicked his roommate's creased brows and made his way toward the taller male in curiosity. "What's wrong?" He hissed under his breath.Though, before Belial could reply, Sandalphon was quick to find out the exact problem as he approached the couch.Upon Belial's lap was Lucilius-- sleeping soundly with a soft expression that certainly contradicted the permanent scowl the eldest brother always had on his lips.Belial's hand gently weaved through Lucilius's silky white strands of hair, humming as he spoke as quietly as he could to Sandalphon. "Cilius here stayed on the couch doing work the entire time I was cooped up in our room. But when I came out to take a piss, he was completely passed out," he chuckled. "I brought my stuff out to work--" Belial gestured with his head to the coffee table, in which his sewing machine along with his various fabrics and threads were strewn across the wood-- "and gave him something to eat but he fell right back to sleep." Turning to the brunet, Belial cocked a brow, a thin line upon his lips. "You think he's really gettin' enough rest?""Dude," Sandalphon sighed, "have you even noticed the baggage under his eyes? It's like a black hole.""Of course I see it," Belial hummed, "but is he really tiring himself out this much? I checked the papers he had and it seemed like some pretty complicated formulas.""College stuff," Sandalphon shrugged, "if he's going abroad for his master's, then that probably means a prestigious school. Getting in will need more than just good grades." Seeing the flicker of concern across Belial's burgundy gaze still, Sandalphon heaved another sigh. "... I'll call Lucifer to get him picked up and figure out what the hell kind of schedule he really has," he huffed, a hand going to his chocolate strands of hair."You don't have to do the first thing~" Belial's teasing tone emerged, and Sandalphon heaved a silent breath of relief-- dealing with a serious Belial was a pain-- no, scratch that, Belial in general was always a pain."Do the first thing," a husky yet dehydrated voice grumbled, and both Sandalphon and his roommate froze in place as Lucilius's blue eyes wearily opened-- almost immediately darting to the brunet. "Exactly how loud can the two of you be?""Sorry, Cilius~" Belial grinned, "I gotta admit you were pretty irresistible sleeping like that though~ It took a lot of self control for me to stay like this, y'know?"Sandalphon's nose scrunched, "please refrain from flirting in my presence.""Sorry mom~"Lucilius huffed, sitting up from Belial's lap. "And I suppose your day out with Lucifer went well?"Sandalphon gulped, suddenly standing a bit more straighter, "i-it was nice, yes."Lucilius eyed Sandalphon for another straining second before heaving a sigh, leaving Belial's grip (much to his dismay) and standing up. "I shall take my leave." His blue gaze went to Sandalphon's roommate, narrowing, "I expect an answer from you soon, Belial." And with that, Lucilius packed up his briefcase in no time at all and strode out the door-- like he was never in the dormitory from the beginning.Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before quirking a brow at Belial. "What was that about?"Belial shrugged, arms flinging across the couch. "Something about tomorrow, don't worry 'bout it."Sandalphon was very worried about it, but brushed it off for the sake of his fatigue. Instead, he posed another question-- one that he already knew the answer to, but wanted to ask anyway. "You didn't go to work, did you?""Nope~ Sandy, do you think I can just leave Cilius here?" Belial chuckled.Sandalphon rolled his eyes, yawning. "Honestly, what did you do to piss him off so much that he'd come storming into our dorm?" He mused, throwing aside his bag.Belial stared up at the pale white ceiling, humming, "I called him drunk last night.""I know that much," Sandalphon huffed, "but he said that you wanting Uriel and Raphael to be at the bar wasn't why he was here.""Oh," Belial blinked, before his burgundy gaze turned to Sandalphon-- which were surprisingly nonchalant given what he said right afterwards.
"I told him I loved him."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
Sandalphon idly tapped at the keyboard upon his laptop, boredom laced in his expression as the words coming from his professor went in through one ear and out the other. He adjusted the black rimmed glasses upon the bridge of his nose, before letting out a quiet yet unnoticeable yawn. Although Sandalphon was practically going to pass out from boredom listening to his lecture, he had glanced at his watch more than ten times now-- impatiently waiting for the moment when the plastic hands would strike 11:50am and the brunet was allowed to bolt out of the classroom and back to his dorm where the photoshoot was taking place just as he sat here listening.Sandalphon just mentally hoped that nothing accidentally spilled to Gabriel and he would be bombarded with questions from her the next day.Although, it seemed like Percival was especially skeptical about Sandalphon's unnatural behavior, and quirked a scarlet brow at the brunet (they sat next to each other, for obvious reasons). However, instead of voicing his concerns, the redheaded heir turned to his very own laptop-- quickly gliding his fingers across the sleek keyboard before ending off his stream of taps with a gentle click of the enter key. Not a few seconds later, a notification appeared upon Sandalphon's own laptop-- one that led him to his messages.Percival: Is something wrong?Sandalphon exchanged a questioning look with the redheaded male, but didn't say a word. This was, after all, something surprisingly common between the two of them. They both weren't that fond of speaking to each other in hushed whispers in the middle of a lecture-- much less risking the chance of getting caught and scolded for. And so more often than not, when the boredom was at its shining peak, Sandalphon and Percival would quietly chat through their devices.Sandalphon: Nah, I'm fine.Percival: You seem rather twitchy. Drink too much coffee in the morning again?Sandalphon rolled his eyes.Sandalphon: I'll have you know I can easily down four cups and still be tired.Percival: That isn't very healthy, but then again, I've been saying that the entire time I've known you and your coffee addiction.Sandalphon: I didn't change much from high school.Percival: Neither did any of us, if I'm being frank. Especially Gran and Belial-- their mentalities are still as childish as ever.Sandalphon: And you're still as motherly as ever.That sentence earned Sandalphon a light kick from under the table.However, before Sandalphon could even muster out a yelp of pain, the professor announced the dismissal of class and ended the lecture. And in response, Sandalphon immediately sat up from his seat and began to stuff his supplies into his bag, causing the redheaded heir next to him to raise his brow once more. "Did Belial do something again?" He inquired.Sandalphon scoffed at the question, "you could say that," he replied, attempting to avoid voicing the truth.Percival merely frowned, slowly beginning to pack his own laptop as well. "Should I come over and help?"Sandalphon froze midway in slinging his bag over his shoulder, his shocked crimson eyes meeting Percival's. "N-Nah, it's fine. The last time you came to help you ended up almost burning down the whole dormitory.""I already apologized for that," Percival sighed, brows creasing in embarrassment, "I didn't know the extent of what Belial could do at that time-- even that mongrel Vane couldn't do something like that if he were left alone." The redhead chuckled, amusement gleaming in his scarlet orbs, "I wonder how you can even manage rooming with him for the entire year."Sandalphon shrugged, humming, "I did for seven months already. We're all graduating in about a month, so I'd say that's an accomplishment." Waving a dismissing hand at his redheaded friend, Sandalphon sped down the stairs of the classroom, calling over his shoulder, "say hi to Gabriel for me!""Got it. Give Belial a good slap on the head for me."Sandalphon chuckled at Percival's reply, before running out the door and dashing down the halls of the college, easily avoiding the student traffic thanks to his years of experience of being almost late to class.... He doesn't talk about the time when he accidentally slept in and Belial had to physically carry him to his class.Though, as Sandalphon ran through the lush gardens and waved at his companions and acquaintances along the way, something pricked at his mind-- something other than Lucifer, surprisingly.
"We're all graduating in about a month."
To be frank, Sandalphon had almost forgotten he had to graduate until he automatically voiced it to Percival just now. The mere thought of it completely disappeared from his mind after meeting Lucifer and being preoccupied with the cafe and his more than troublesome coworkers. His brows creased, lips forming a thin line as he came to the dormitory building.
Graduating, huh...
Although stepping out of the college lifestyle would be a breath of fresh air, Sandalphon was admittedly a tad bit worried. He was a business major, but would he really do something with it? Everyone-- Gabriel, Belial, Gran, Djeeta, Lancelot, even Lucifer thought that he would be a successful business owner and run his very own shop but...Paradise Cafe was so welcoming and, embarrassing as it was to admit for Sandalphon, it was almost like a family to him. He had always planned for his job there to end when he graduated and went off on his own, but now it felt so strange to be thinking about leaving after seven months of working there.Where would he even go? Where would he start? Will he live up to those expectations brought by his companions?Much less, what will happen to all of them after they graduate? Sandalphon recalled the conversation he had with Gabriel and how she wanted them to stay in contact with one another even after they go their separate ways, but were their bonds truly that strong? Djeeta's going to be in medical school, Gran's most likely going to continue as a freelancing photographer, Vane's heading off to culinary school, Percival's taking over the Wales Company, Lancelot mentioned he wanted to be a bodyguard, Lyria's still going to be in college, and who knows where the hell Belial's going to become a fashion designer.Sandalphon blinked, not realizing he had came to a stop in front of his shared dorm room. Heaving a long sigh, he shrugged away his scrambled thoughts. He should probably consult Gabriel about it later on-- right now there were more important matters at hand.Important matters meaning Lucifer.Unlocking the door, Sandalphon stepped into the dorm, opening his mouth to spout a call of "I'm back" when the brunet was abruptly tackled by another body-- nearly making the former fall from the impact. Narrowing his crimson eyes at Gran, Sandalphon pulled off his black rimmed glasses from his temple. "Is this your way of greeting someone?" He huffed.Gran beamed up at Sandalphon (making him highly uncomfortable) before taking the latter's hoodie into his fists excitedly. "Sandy," he whispered, eyes sparkling, "I'm getting gayer by the second.""What?" Sandalphon scoffed."Dude, that Lucio guy..." Gran shook his head, "I was right, he looks good in anything we put on him.""You like him?"Gran huffed, "I told you already Sandy; he's hella pretty, but not my sorta guy.""Sandalphon!"The call of his name brought Sandalphon's gaze from Gran to the approaching form of Lucio, the latter's arms wide open as he enveloped the brunet and his companion in a hug. "Welcome home!"Sandalphon nodded his head, a nervous blush emerging upon his cheeks at the unexpected contact. "Y-Yeah..." he blinked, "I'm back." The brunet gave Lucio's outfit a quick up and down, before quirking a brow up, surprise glinting in his crimson eyes. "You look... normal.""Hm?" Lucio's gaze perked up at Sandalphon's voice, curiosity in his blue eyes. "Was I supposed to look strange?" He asked, tilting his head."N-No," Sandalphon mumbled, shaking his head, "not... at all.""C'mon Sandy," Gran huffed, crossing his arms, "have some faith in the BeliGran team.""Gran Cracker's right, Sandy~"Sandalphon visibly cringed at the deep voice, seeing the tall figure of Belial approaching.... Along with the similarly tall figure of Lucifer.Sandalphon almost fell down right then and there.Belial donned his very own pair of glasses as he waltzed his way up to Sandalphon, smirking, "I spent all night getting these outfits made. Did you really think I was gonna pull some tricks?"Sandalphon opened his mouth, before Gran abruptly cut him off, the latter glaring at the former, "don't answer that," he mumbled, pouting in joke irritation.Sandalphon scoffed, "then why'd you ask?" He gently shrugged aside Lucio and Gran before flinging off his bag, gaze scanning the cluster surrounding him. "I'll prepare some coffee--" he spared a glance at Gran-- "... and tea. You guys can go back to the shoot.""Thanks Sandy! You the best!" Gran cheered, grinning from ear to ear as he tugged Lucio and Belial away back into the living room.Leaving Sandalphon and Lucifer in the hallway. Very much alone.Lucifer smiled at the brunet, gaze warm and soft (like Sandalphon's heart), "Lucio has already welcomed you back, but welcome home.""Y-Yeah, thanks..." Sandalphon chuckled nervously, "I, uhm, hope they didn't cause too much trouble while I was gone."Lucifer's smile widened in response, "not at all. In fact, it was quite entertaining watching them." His blue gaze lowered to Sandalphon's hands, noticing the brunet's pair of glasses. "I never knew you wore glasses, Sandalphon," he murmured, brow quirking up in both surprise and curiosity."Ah, um, they're just reading glasses I wear on occasion. I don't typically wear them at the cafe unless I'm there studying..." Sandalphon replied, blinking before gently placing the spectacles in Lucifer's outstretched hand.The ivory male briefly examined them, humming, before directing his attention back to Sandalphon. "May I?"Sandalphon froze in surprise, but slowly nodded his head.Lucifer smiled before cautiously slipping on the pair of glasses, blinking, before his bright blue gaze returned to Sandalphon. "How is it?"And before Sandalphon could regain his composure from the sheer beauty of Lucifer, he opened his mouth and spoke, "... cute."Ah.Oh shit.Sandalphon froze, his face flushing a bright red as Lucifer merely blinked at him in equal surprise. However, Lucifer regained his composure far more quickly, and gave a warm yet delicate smile in reassurance (although, what surprised Sandalphon even more was the faintest pink lining Lucifer's pale cheeks, making the former almost have a heart attack from the beautiful sight). "I'm glad you think so. I was quite curious as to how I would look in glasses, seeing as I see Lucilius in them fairly often.""I-I see..." Sandalphon mumbled in response, mentally thanking Lucifer for not questioning his choice of words. "You're free to wear them then, I don't really mind.""Thank you, Sandalphon," Lucifer hummed, "I'll assist you in making coffee for everyone, it's the least I can do for coming along with Lucio.""Alright," Sandalphon nodded, walking past the ivory haired male and to the joint living room and kitchen. "You really don't have to apologize, though. I've had plenty of uninvited guests here."Lucifer's brow raised, standing next to Sandalphon as the brunet brought out the coffee beans. "Is that so? Were they Belial's acquaintances?""Don't get me started," Sandalphon's nose scrunched in disgust, shaking his head with a sigh. "Enough about him, please. Just the mention of him gives me a headache."Lucifer blinked, before letting out a small chuckle, taking the bag of coffee beans and placing them into the coffee grinder. "How was class?" He asked instead, which brought a bit of relief to the brunet."Boring, as per usual," Sandalphon hummed in response, before glancing at the living room-- which had been transformed into a makeshift studio with blaring lights, a long white cloth that draped from the wall to the floor, and various cameras and outfits scattered along the couches and floor. "What do you guys want?" He called out, wincing at the sudden flash of white from Gran's camera."London fog!" Gran yelled, his eyes never leaving his camera."Vienna," Belial hummed out, occupied in stitching a loose seam in one of Lucio's varying cardigans."French vanilla, please," Lucio smiled at the brunet, before quickly going back to Gran.Sandalphon shuddered, eyes narrowing, "always so damn complicated..." he mumbled to himself, opening a cabinet to retrieve the Earl Grey tea. "Lucifer, everything for the coffee's in the drawer under the machine," he called over his shoulder.Sandalphon heard an affirmative hum in response before he returned to his very own station and began to make Gran's tea. Taking out five porcelain mugs from another shelf, he handed four of them to Lucifer before filling the singular one he had with water from the (thankfully) already filled kettle. Popping open the jar of tea leaves, Sandalphon scooped a couple of teaspoons into the liquid before taking out the canister of lavender-- adding a pinch of the delicate flower petals as well before pushing the mug aside and moving to the ivory haired male. "Need help?"Lucifer motioned with his head to the now filled cups of coffee, his hands preoccupied with Lucio's cup of French vanilla. "I'm sure you know by now that I prefer my coffee black," he hummed, smiling.Sandalphon nodded, giving a shy smile back in response. "Yeah, I do too, so don't worry about mine." He waltzed past Lucifer and to the fridge, retrieving the can of whipped cream and filling one of the cups with the fluffy white topping before reaching up to a shelf and taking a hold of the chocolate syrup, neatly drizzling it overtop the white. Though before Sandalphon could move, Lucifer took the two toppings from his hands, merely smiling at the brunet as he carefully put them back to their original spots.Meanwhile, Sandalphon was stunned for a moment until he hesitantly spun on his heel, turning back to the cup of tea for Gran. Ignoring the growing pink upon his cheeks, he took out a slotted spoon and carefully picked the leaves and petals from the liquid, discarding them in the compost. "Lucifer, can you steam me some milk-"Sandalphon's breath hitched in his throat when he felt a chest gently press against his back, a hand coming into his peripheral with a cup of foamed milk. However, noticing Sandalphon's tensed up shoulders and firm grip upon the mug's handle, Lucifer frowned, "ah, I apologize if I startled you, Sandalphon. I have the milk prepared already."Sandalphon blinked, attempting to regain his composure as he shakily nodded his head, taking the cup of milk from Lucifer and gently pouring it into the mug.
The only thing was, Lucifer still stayed put.
"U-Uhm, Lucifer..." Sandalphon started, attempting to control his panicked hand as he slowly stirred the tea and milk together. "Could you... move a bit? I need, um, the vanilla..."Lucifer blinked, pausing, before opening his mouth, "where is it?""The... cabinet above me. I don't want to accidentally elbow you-"Sandalphon's body froze in place as Lucifer planted his left hand on the countertop before reaching up with his right to open the cabinet-- effectively trapping the brunet against the counter.Sandalphon swore he was either going to cry or die. Maybe both.Lucifer frowned, rummaging through the compartment, "Sandalphon, which vanilla would you like?"Sandalphon was brought back to reality by the question, and although his flushed cheeks made matters worse for him, he replied with narrowed eyes, "there should be some vanilla creamer?"The ivory male blinked, his mouth opening in just the slightest, "ah, my apologies. I couldn't quite see them." Lucifer retrieved a small packet of the sweetener from the cabinet, placing it into Sandalphon's awaiting hand before closing the compartment.Sandalphon chuckled at his words, "my glasses aren't helping, huh?"Lucifer smiled, stepping away from the brunet (as unfortunate as that was, if Sandalphon were being truly honest). "Unfortunately, it seems so. Though, either way, I do believe you would look far more cuter in them than I do, Sandalphon," he hummed, closing his eyes.
Oh.
Nononono he did not just say that.This damn beautiful angel did not just say that.Sandalphon almost let out a sob if he hadn't stopped himself in time."U-Uhm..." he paused, fiddling with the vanilla packet as he poured the creamer into the cup of tea. "Thanks...""Of course," Lucifer smiled, bright and innocent as if he didn't just passively flirt with Sandalphon."Sandy, you done yet?" Belial called, and Sandalphon looked up to see his roommate staring back at him. And although his demeanor showed that he was impatient for his shot of espresso, there was a glimmer in his burgundy gaze that led the brunet to believe his horrible roommate witnessed his whole exchange with Lucifer.And to prove his suspicions right, a devious grin spread across Belial's lips.Sandalphon's eyebrow twitched, gathering the mugs into his hands (with Lucifer assisting him with two of them). "I'll chuck your drink at you, you perverted asshole," he hissed out, yet still carefully passed the cup of vienna to Belial, glaring at him."Thanks Sandy~" he hummed in reply, "we're almost done here though, sadly," he pouted, sipping at his cup."Let's go get drinks after," Gran perked his head up from his camera, nodding graciously at Lucifer who passed him his tea. "Y'know, some beers to celebrate our score on this angel.""Please," Lucio laughed, "I'm certainly no angel."Sandalphon quietly nodded in agreement. That title was reserved for Lucifer."We wouldn't want to trouble you either," Lucifer added on, "for us to come into your dorm and now to be treated to drinks... that's far too much.""Don't worry about it!" Gran waved off, huffing, "I got the chance to photograph one of the best models I've seen in my..." he glanced to the side, "... two years of freelancing.""One of the best?" Belial hummed, quirking a brow, "when you were this eager to photograph Lucio?""Dude," Gran frowned, "don't tell me you forgot about my prized Dragon Knights batch. The armour you made for the set? Damn, I would've fell for Lance if Djeeters didn't-- Percy too." Shaking his head with a dreamy sigh, Gran turned back to the pair of ivory brothers. "Anywho, even if we spend a bit too much, Sandy will cover it~""Hey," Sandalphon voiced sternly, yet a flicker of amusement danced in his tone."Kidding, kidding!" Gran laughed, grinning from ear to ear. "It'll be fine! Trust us, and let us do something in return!"Lucio smiled at this, and exchanged a glance with his brother-- who merely smiled back-- before going back to Gran. "If it's alright with everyone, then we'd be happy to.""I'll skip out," Belial mused, "I got things to do.""Since when did you have things to do?" Sandalphon questioned, "you never skip out on free beer."Belial chuckled, "aww, Sandy. You gonna miss my company~?""It'll be two millenniums before that happens," Sandalphon scoffed, grimacing."It's settled then!" Gran cheered, clapping his hands together. "Let's finish this and hit the bars!" And with his words, Gran chugged down the rest of his tea and went back to his camera, grinning excitedly like a five year old kid at a candy store as he took picture after picture.After another moment or two, Lucifer turned to Sandalphon, his mug of coffee clutched in his pale hands. "By the way, Sandalphon-" Though, unfortunately, Lucifer's phone rang from his pocket the moment he opened his mouth, and a look of dismay crossed the ivory male's expression. "I apologize, I shall get back to you in a moment," he hummed out, frowning."Don't worry about it," Sandalphon nodded, "there's no rush."Lucifer smiled, digging out his device before walking into the kitchen, away from the rapid flashing and shutters from the camera.And seeing as they were both the only ones who weren't doing anything, Sandalphon asked a question he was meaning to ask his roommate yesterday. "So considering I was way too tired to deal with your bullshit last night, what's the whole explanation with you and Lucilius?" He voiced, sipping at his coffee.Belial hummed, "nothin' much-- wasn't what I said yesterday enough of an explanation?" He smirked.Sandalphon rolled his eyes, "I meant what was his reply, stupid."Belial chuckled, "the guy didn't say much-- only told me there must be something wrong with me to like someone who I barely even know."Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before raising a brow at his roommate. "... Are you trying to hide something?" He asked, caution in his voice.The taller male didn't say anything after the brunet's words. In fact, there was a long pause before Belial finally replied, a wicked smirk upon his pale lips. "You think I'm gonna lie about my love life with Cilius? Sandy, you know better than anyone else that I publicly announce my private life~""And I hate it," Sandalphon grimaced, ignoring the doubt that poked at his stomach. If anything, lies from Belial were something that came with being acquainted with him. And although many were turned off by the fact that he constantly spouted trickery and ended their ties with him because of it, Sandalphon was one of the rare sights who eventually grew closer to Belial-- contradictory to their endless arguments and ramblings. Hell, Belial even became more and more true to his word the better their bond grew-- that was the type of guy he was. They were at a point in their friendship that they could outwardly admit things to each other without judgement-- maybe a bit of teasing here and there but that was the norm when it came to Belial.And god did Sandalphon respect peoples' privacy unlike him, but even then it threw the brunet for a loop just trying to figure out what was so secretive to Belial that he wouldn't even talk about it.But, in the end, as sad and disgusting as it was to admit, Sandalphon could place his trust in Belial.He gave a quiet chuckle to himself, shrugging away the last bits of doubt with another sip from his mug. What utter nonsense this was.Raising a hand, he gave a soft yet still stinging slap to Belial's temple-- making the latter yelp at his attack."What was that for, Sandy?""Tell that to Percival."
----- CHAPTER BREAK -----
When Gran insisted on covering the bill for their drinks, Sandalphon didn't think that his friend would go on to invite almost all of the cafe staff to a night out in order to reduce the share of the bill between them all.Well, them being broke college students (or at least in Gran's case), Sandalphon did (sort of) see it coming.So, here they sat, Gran behind the wheel of his trusty five seater, Lucifer in the passenger, and Sandalphon and Lucio sitting in the back. And behind their vehicle was the sleek red one of Percival's-- carrying Djeeta, Lancelot and Vane."Don't you have class tomorrow?" Percival mused over the phone (who Lucifer was graciously holding for Gran), "and who are you with anyways?""Doesn't matter!" Gran shouted, "when I say drinks, we're going out for drinks! Don't question me, Percy!""You were hungover like a rock this morning," Djeeta teased, "are you sure you can handle it, Gran?""I have a stomach made out of iron! Try me!""Haha! That's Gran for you! But hey, more importantly, what about Sandy?" Vane piped up, "his alcohol tolerance is--""I'll be fine!" Sandalphon hissed out, crossing his arms in both embarrassment and irritation at the sudden call out from the blond. What a way to expose him."Oh?" Lucifer's eyebrow perked up, his blue gaze turning to the brunet, "Sandalphon, can you not handle alcohol well?"Sandalphon's face fumed red, his crimson eyes darting away to the tinted black window, "i-it's... something like that..." he mumbled out, "I just... don't drink alcohol that often.""It's alright, Sandalphon," Lucio piped up, smiling, "none of us can either!"Gran abruptly slammed on the breaks of his car, his head whipping around to face Lucio, "WHAT?!""Gran, are you trying to get us killed?!" Percival hissed from the phone, clearly affected by Gran's sudden stop in the middle of the road."Y'all are the ones who answered my call in the first place!" Gran shouted angrily, before turning back to the pair of ivory brothers, "if you two can't handle alcohol very well..." he grinned, snickering, "this is gonna be fun... I was a damn genius for inviting you guys..."Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before abruptly flicking open the switch to the car door. "I'm leaving.""And where do you think you're going?" Gran sighed, pouting. "We're here anyways," he mused, gesturing with his head to the brightly lit bar adjacent to them, reversing his vehicle to park next to the small building.Sandalphon released a loud sigh, eyebrow twitching, "I take my words back-- I'd rather be with Belial than be here.""Oh come on Sandy!" Gran whined, switching off his car and tugging out the keys. "Don't say that! Lemme get you some beers and then you can talk!" And without waiting for a reply from the brunet, Gran exited his vehicle-- followed hesitantly by Lucifer and Lucio.Sandalphon let out a strangled curse under his breath.What exactly did he sign up for tonight?Huffing, Sandalphon opened the car door, stepping out before closing it shut. His crimson eyes scanned the bright lights adorning the sign of the bar, humming in curiosity, "Flamelance Bar, huh... never heard of it...""Really?" Percival piped up, and the brunet turned on his heel to see the redhead's party approaching him. "One of Gabriel's acquaintances runs this bar and restaurant. I'm surprised you haven't come here."Sandalphon raised a brow, chuckling, "and I'm surprised you have, Percival," he mused, "and anyhow, Gabriel has like a hundred people in her contacts-- no way have I met them all.""You don't drink that often either," Vane chipped in, grinning, "I doubt you even have blood running in your veins! Must be full of coffee at this point!" He laughed."Coffee is the only thing good in this world," Sandalphon agreed, crossing his arms.Well, not the only thing good.There were now two things that were good in this world, as Sandalphon had realized."Heeeyyy!" Gran shouted from the door to the bar, frantically waving his hand, "you guys gonna stand around and look pretty all night or what?!""That's the plan!" Vane joked, but quickly jogged over to Gran-- Sandalphon, Percival, Lancelot and Djeeta following after.And as Sandalphon stepped into the small bar and restaurant, he was almost immediately hit with an almost alluring smell of food mixed in with the familiar musky scent of alcohol.Even though Sandalphon wasn't one for intoxicating scents, the combination was almost... soothing, in a way. The atmosphere was more than welcoming; the dimmed lights combined with the light jingles from behind the bar counter, not to mention the gray haired performer sat upon the small stage far off into the room-- a glowing purple and blue guitar in hand as he strummed a gentle yet catchy tune, a small gray cat by his feet. And as Sandalphon was momentarily entranced by the music, Lancelot gave the brunet a soft pat on the back-- smiling at the former before beckoning with his hand to the large table in which their companions had ungracefully sauntered to.And seeing as though there was a perfectly vacant seat next to Lucifer, Sandalphon immediately followed suit-- sitting himself down and exchanging a small smile of greeting with the ivory haired."Ho, it's surprising to see you here so early, Gran," a newcomer spoke, and Sandalphon perked his head up to watch as a tall male donned in a simple button-up and tie stride towards their table, a smirk upon his lips.Gran grinned at the stranger, standing up from his seat to give the male a firm and rough handshake. "Nezha, my man, when do you not expect me?"The man named Nezha chuckled, his free hand sleeking back a few stray strands of ebony hair. "I can't argue with that-- even when we're minutes away from closing, you come rushing in asking for a whole bottle of beer and some more," he smirked, dusty blue eyes momentarily going to Sandalphon and the rest of his companions, "I see you've brought quite a large group. Let's not wait any longer, shall we?""You read my mind, Nezha," Gran grinned, "gimme the usual beer, we'll start with five bottles of that. Some red wine, champagne, vodka--""So the whole shelf?" Nezha joked, crossing his arms."Try to stay in the budget, Gran," Percival sighed out.Gran waved the redhead off with a hand, mumbling another handful of orders to the tall bartender before the latter nodded and sauntered off back to his position behind the large counter of the bar-- leaving Sandalphon to divert his eyes back to the glowing figure of Lucifer.Well, or at it seemed so. Underneath the dimmed lights and reflections of glass, Lucifer really did seem to shine with his soft white hair and bright blue eyes-- brimming with contempt and joy as he silently watched Sandalphon's excuse for coworkers bicker about the most nonsense of things. However, it wasn't long until he finally noticed the brunet's stare and almost immediately turned towards him-- blinking in what seemed like confusion as Sandalphon leaned back in both embarrassment and surprise at his very own actions. "Sandalphon? Is there something on my face?" He asked.Beauty was on his face, that's all Sandalphon could admit.But, thankfully, the brunet shook his head, averting his gaze to watch his fellow coworkers blabber about. "Nothing," he replied simply.Smooth, Sandalphon.Lucifer blinked, tilting his head to the side in doubt but nonetheless nodded his head, turning to his left to chat with his younger brother.Which, unfortunately for Sandalphon, left an open gap for Gran to squeeze himself into the chair on the brunet's right-- an arm ungracefully (and rather aggressively, might Sandalphon add) landing across the latter's shoulders, making him tense. "So..." Gran began, eyes shifting towards the pair of ivory haired brothers, "... you fancy 'em?"Sandalphon almost choked, his eyes going wide, "what?"Gran let out a long sigh, shaking his head, "dude, Sandy, you're as obvious as Belial when it comes to liking someone.""No, I'm not," he defended."Yes, you damn are," Gran retorted, grinning, "don't worry, we all got your back on this. Remember the time when Djeeta confessed to that dude back in high school? Instead of her, I'll be your wingman this time."Sandalphon's eyes narrowed, frowning, "you and Belial pummeled that guy behind the school when Djeeta came to us in tears.""Oh man, I miss those days-- these old bones don't work the same as they used to," Gran sighed dreamily, smiling."What're you on this time?" Sandalphon grimaced in disgust."The sweet smell of alcohol, that's what," his coworker smirked, "isn't the atmosphere great? Nezha's place is the shit, man." His brown orbs went to the dark stage in the back, smiling at the gray haired musician-- who merely caught his coworker's gaze and gave the former a small nod in acknowledgement. "Music's great too-- Baal knows how to play a damn good guitar.""You come here often?" Sandalphon asked, raising a brow."Ohh, hitting on me, Sandy?" Gran teased, which the brunet hissed at, "I'm joking! But after Gabriel mentioned it to me some months ago, I became a regular here. Haven't made my appearance here in a while though," he hummed."But I thought you were bar hopping with Belial two nights ago.""We were," his friend sighed, "but my drunk ass decided to go to every other bar than this one. Plus, Nezha wouldn't have let Belial get slapped in the face like that. If anything, Nezha would've been the one to punch the dude in the face first if he saw that he was bugging me."Sandalphon frowned, "the bartender? He looks pretty chill to me."Gran grinned, "you haven't seen Mr. Wind God in action yet. I hope a fight breaks out, then you can see what the guy's made of."A hand suddenly came down upon Gran's head, making the latter let out a yelp in surprise from the sudden attack. Blinking, Sandalphon diverted his gaze to Djeeta, who merely frowned upon her twin brother. "Gran, that isn't a very nice thing to wish for," she huffed."C'mon Djeeters, I bet you wanna see a bar fight too," Gran whined."I don't think any of us would like to," Lancelot chipped in, letting out a nervous laugh."It'll just ruin the night," Djeeta agreed, "you're the one who dragged us all here anyway," she sighed."Don't blame me-"Gran paused in his words as footsteps approached their large table, and Sandalphon's entire party averted their eyes from each other to the taller form of Nezha-- who carried a large platter filled with varying drinks and cups. "I hope this is enough to last," the bartender mused, placing down the bottles onto the wooden table, "though, it will be good for me if you all order more," he winked."Oho, you better believe I'm gonna get wasted," Gran grinned.Sandalphon sighed, this was going to be a long night-- a regretful one at that.God, what was he doing?~In one hour-- one singular hour did chaos erupt. Here Sandalphon sat, a glass of half finished beer in his hand as he watched everyone slowly succumb to the effects of the alcohol. Gran and Lancelot started an arm wrestling competition after the former refused to hand over Djeeta to the latter when it came to marriage, Percival and Vane were having a drinking competition after a redundant argument as to who could drink the most, and Lucio was just about passed out drunk alongside Djeeta and sleeping soundly on one of the large couches in the bar.With a heavy sigh, Sandalphon watched as Lucifer chatted alongside Nezha-- the latter clutching onto a spare blanket that he gently draped over the two sleeping forms on the velvet couch. And although the ivory male seemed to be enjoying himself, Sandalphon's lips tightened in doubt.This was his fault, wasn't it? Why didn't he object Gran's decision to go to a bar? They even said prior to arriving that they couldn't handle alcohol well-- hell, even Sandalphon himself couldn't handle it. And whilst the brunet was more than glad that Belial wasn't here to rein even more havoc upon their night outing, he was sure that this wasn't what the two ivory haired brothers wanted.With a glance at his companions and another to his glass of beer, Sandalphon heaved another sigh before putting down his cup and shakily standing to his feet, maneuvering himself to the bar counter where he took his place upon a velvet stool. Hunching over, he placed his arms on the cold wooden table before resting his cheek on his appendages, letting out a small hum as he distanced himself from the drowning sounds of shouts and laughter.It oddly reminded him of his days in high school-- where he was merely an outcast in a bustling building of people. He never did fit in anywhere, nor did he make any good decisions.His lips pursed, god did he hate what alcohol did to his mind. What was he doing, going back to all of those damned thoughts from those wretched days?"You seem fazed."Sandalphon's gaze perked up, his crimson eyes locking onto dusty blue ones of the bar's owner. Nezha took his place behind the large counter, leaning an elbow against the table and cupping his cheek with his hand. "Drunk already? Well, I can't be that surprised-- your friends over there were gone the second they took a sip.""I'm not drunk," Sandalphon retorted, pouting, "just wanted to get away from the noise.""Sensitive, are you?" Nezha chuckled, reaching for a glass underneath the counter. "It seems to me like you got dragged here," he mused, filling the cup with water."... I agreed to it," Sandalphon mumbled after a short pause, glancing away, "so really, it's my fault in the first place that Luci- no one's enjoying themselves."The bartender raised a brow, humming, before placing the cold glass of water in front of the brunet. "I don't believe that's true."Sandalphon scoffed, reluctantly taking a cautious sip from the cup, "and what would you know?""I believe I can vouch for everyone here that we're all enjoying ourselves."Sandalphon almost spat out his drink.His back went straight upon turning his head and meeting the blue gaze of Lucifer, who merely smiled and sat on the stool next to the brunet. "I hope it wasn't too rude of me to eavesdrop, but your worries about us had me wanting to intervene," he voiced softly.Sandalphon gulped.This was bad.His crimson gaze went to Nezha, silently pleading for help from the ebony haired bartender in any way, shape or form. And, much to Sandalphon's disappointment, Nezha merely chuckled at his predicament, giving the brunet a wink before leaving his place from behind the countertop and to the back of the bar-- joining his gray haired companion at the dark stage.Sandalphon mentally cursed at Nezha's sadistic nature before reluctantly turning his head back to Lucifer, slowly shaking his head, "i-it's fine... don't worry about it."The ivory male's lips pursed, worry laced in his swirling blue hues, "you have no need to concern yourself over us, Sandalphon. I'm sure you can see for yourself that we're having fun."The brunet let out a grunt, glancing away."Gran would have brought us here either way, even if you didn't agree. Both Lucio and I came here willingly, so even if we weren't enjoying ourselves, the fault would be on us-""No, it's never your fault," Sandalphon interjected, "it's mine, I always make the wrong decisions. I was too caught up in the moment to realize how stupid this was and I-""Sandalphon," Lucifer voiced firmly, and the former immediately closed his mouth upon hearing the sternness in the latter's tone. "Do not push the blame on yourself. I can assure you that coming here was a good decision on your part, and we all sincerely enjoy being able to bond so freely. I wouldn't have been able to meet your other coworkers and know them more personally if it weren't for this outing, and it goes the same for Lucio as well. This night has been a chance for us both to get closer to you, Sandalphon. And although you may not think of it that way, please know that you have our deepest appreciation."Sandalphon blinked once, twice, before narrowing his brows, "... are you drunk?"Lucifer laughed, "I'm certainly not. I'm sure we'll need someone to drive everyone back, and considering both Percival and Gran have been drinking, I've left myself sober. Though, it seems as if your alcohol tolerance is just like Lucio's, for that matter," he smiled, gesturing to the brunet's flushed cheeks."I'm not drunk," he hissed, covering his reddened cheeks with his hands, "you don't see anything."Lucifer blinked, surprised, before letting out a small chuckle, "you're quite different when you're drunk, Sandalphon.""No, I'm not.""Your denial seems to increase as well.""Don't mock me!"Lucifer laughed-- a joyous, pure tune that brought Sandalphon to stop in his frustration and instead let his cheeks darken in their red hue.God, he really did look like an angel.Did Sandalphon even deserve to feel this way? Such an innocent, beautiful person was more than the opposite of what he was-- a coffee crazed, ill-tempered cafe worker who lived with a perverted asshole.He felt sick just thinking about Belial.Which was, in fact, true as his hand immediately came to cup around his mouth, his shoulders tensing as a wave of nausea passed through his figure.
Curse him and his weak stomach.
"Sandalphon? What's the matter?" Lucifer's hand hurriedly came to his back, concern laden in his shining blue eyes as he gazed at Sandalphon's weakened form.But, alas, the brunet didn't dare speak, and instead (gently) pushed the ivory male away and hopped off of the velvet stool, fast walking to the bartender who sat on the black stage alongside the gray haired performer. And upon seeing Sandalphon's rather pathetic state, Nezha let out a laugh in amusement, gesturing with his head to a set of doors along the side of the room. "Bathrooms are over there, make sure to pick the right one," he hummed, smirking.Sandalphon gave a thumbs up in thanks and a glare at Nezha's tease, striding over to the array of doors and throwing open the entrance to the male restroom, entering and closing a stall door before he...Well, you know what happened.A few minutes had passed since Sandalphon started his endless rainbow waterfall before he heard the faint sound of the door click open, close once more, and for a voice to speak up amidst the brunet's nausea. "Sandalphon? Are you alright?"He knew that voice."Lucio? How did you--" he stopped to cough-- "know I was here? I thought you and Djeeta were sleeping," he mumbled weakly."I awoke not so long ago," the youngest brother hummed, "Lucifer had voiced how you felt unwell and advised that I should come check on you.""What's Lucifer doing?"Lucio hummed, "he went to ask Nezha if he had any medicine, that's all." Sandalphon heard footsteps before they came short at the door to his stall, hearing the ivory haired male lean against it. "I'm sorry to disappoint you-- I know you want to see him," Lucio chuckled.Sandalphon almost threw up again."W-What?" He managed to stutter out, "the hell are you--""We all know you have quite a liking to my brother," Lucio mused, "well, not exactly all of us. Lucifer himself is quite oblivious when it comes to these things.""I don't like-""Please, Sandalphon, it's alright," Lucio chuckled, "you can find comfort in me-- I promise not to tell a word that's not already known."Sandalphon grimaced, "how many times do I have to say it? I don't like Lucifer, I-""You love him?" The ivory male interrupted, making the brunet almost bite his tongue in surprise. Sandalphon paused, blinking, before inevitably letting out a hiss in frustration, "you're just as bad as Belial..." he muttered, face littered with a reddening embarrassment.Lucio laughed, "I'll take all of your remarks, Sandalphon. But rest assured that I'm not here to tell you to avoid seeing Lucifer-- in fact, it's quite the opposite.""Opposite?""Indeed," there was a brief pause before Lucio spoke again, "Lucifer has always been selfless, ever since we were little. You could say Lucilius had some influence in his shortcomings, but Lucifer discards his own emotions when it comes to the feelings of others. Not once has he acted out of his own accord, so to see him take an almost immediate interest in you and the rest of the cafe... I can't speak for Lucilius on this, but it surely surprised me," he chuckled, "I hope that you, Sandalphon, will be able to help him. His caring nature is certainly one that I do appreciate very deeply but... I believe it would be nice to see him find his own happiness and comfort from you."Sandalphon was damn lucky there was a door standing in between him and Lucio or else the youngest ivory brother might've witnessed him sobbing.And upon hearing no answer from the brunet, Lucio gave an amused hum, "I won't say any more, but know that I have your side, and I hope all goes well for you. Who knows, it's a possibility Lucifer shares the same feelings as you do."Sandalphon opened his mouth, about to question the ivory haired male, before discarding his thoughts to instead pose a different sentence-- his face contorting into one of disgust, "I swear to damn God you're still drunk."Lucio laughed, "perhaps, perhaps."And with his words, there was a small shuffle before a pink bottle rolled its way into Sandalphon's stall, the brunet immediately recognizing it as a container of Pepto-Bismol as he heard the click of the restroom door closing shut.