“So..” Gust twiddled his thumbs. How in the world Lucifer was here of all places baffled him. He never intended for him to even find  what he does for work and now he’s here, The entire day, Gust couldn’t stop thinking about Lucifer's cheeks resting on his hands on the table with a sly smirk, his blonde hair draped over the side of his face. He was so cute sitting there holding his face up.The girl, an actual resident, stood leaning against the countertop, eyes darting between the two of them.

“Is this your boyfriend?!” the girl asked with a smile threatening to engulf her entire face.

Gust stuttered. “I, wait...what...I…”

“Lulu, rude,” reproached Lucifer. “We met just a few days ago.”

“Right. And I’m working.”

“The  old lady in the wheelchair is working. You’re waiting.”

“Well, you’re not wrong.”

“You don’t fix the stuff, but you do something else, right?” Lucifer asked.

Gust squeezed his hands together. Lulu made him nervous. Other people lived here too, so they could arrive at any moment. He fixed his gaze on Lucifer. Maybe I can ignore her. “I organize all of her decks and carry her supplies, and I assist her in some runificery when she feels like it. I don’t have my runificer’s license yet, so I can’t actually  help her with paid work.”

“Deck?” Lulu asked. Gust kept his focus on Lucifer. He could sense her impatience.

“What’s a deck?” Lucifer asked.

“Oh. A book of prepared runes or sometimes cards that are…”

“Don’t ignore me!” Lulu screamed. “You won’t get any food.”

The door outside slammed open and two boys burst inside. A woman's voice, full of reproach. “Lulu! Is that any way to treat a guest?”

“But mom, he’s ignoring me.”

A plain, middle aged woman entered the kitchen just after two small boys ran  through shouting about the bath being fixed. Their hair was still wet. 

“And he’s in an unfamiliar place with unfamiliar people and a little girl being rude. Sir, would you like to join us for dinner?”

“I don’t think my boss will…” A shout interrupted Gust.

“Gust! Get these minions away while I’m working.”

“Speaking of.”

“It’ll be good. I promise.” Lucifer said.

“Sure, sure. I really, really gotta help her.” He dashed away.

-

After Dinner, after introducing Gust to Trevor, a broad man built by construction and home repair, and after Gust’s employer insisted he stay and that he was only going to get in her way (though he should return all of their tools the next day, the time came to leave. Lucifer saw Gust from anxious to only warily guarded. His eyes always found Lucifer’s whenever he’d laughed, as if he had to check if it was ok. Watching Gust slowly relax, Lucifer lost track of time. 

“I’ll see you soon.” Lucifer called back to Christine and Trevor. 

“Anytime,” they both said. They made a great couple, even if Trevor always came back late.

It was late. Outside the windows, the final remains of a sunset glimmered weekly onto the floor. There was barely enough space at Horizons for its six residents as is. They shouldn’t need to take care of him too. As panic set in, Lucifer raised his hands under his chin and pressed his wrists together. 

“Lucifer?” Gust had opened the door and turned to face him. His jaw dropped, then tightened while concern furrowed his brows as he remembered the previous night. “Ummm, I’ll take you home. The whole way. Ferek’s probably going to kill me anyway if I don’t get you home soon.”

Lucifer’s voice, already sweet and soft in the best of circumstances, was barely a whisper. “Yes, please.” Gust reached out his arm. Lucifer hesitated before breaking his arms protective formation. While Lucifer’s hands were soft, they held onto Gust with an iron grip. “Thank you,” he said with his heart rapidly beating like a fleeing bunny. 

“Just hold on ok. You-you can close your eyes if you want. I’ll direct us, just keep walking.”

Somehow, Lucifer clutched harder. “Ok.”

They stepped out, Lucifer with his eyes closed and his heart beating like a hammer on an anvil. It was slow at first. Their steps were mismatched, and Gust needed to adjust to Lucifer. Lucifer tripped a few times, but Gust caught him before he could fall. The whole time, Lucifer’s eyes never opened. He shook as if cold, but Gust knew that it couldn’t be the cold of night or the light breeze. Every so often, soft, quiet sounds escaped Lucifer’s lips. They sounded private, like Gust shouldn’t hear them at all. Everytime, Lucifer’s body pressed closer to Gust’s. He found support around Gust’s waist. 

The silent streets discomforted Gust. It felt as if someone was watching their every move, so he talked as they walked. He couldn’t tell if Lucifer listened. Lucifered whimpered still and failed to respond, but his grip loosened and his breathing slowed, so Gust kept talking. 

By the time they crossed two districts and reached the market district where Lucifer and Ferek lived, Gust had gone over, in great detail, the history of runificery, and his own theories on the Eruli sigiling ceremony in the context of Berkan’s academic study of their futhark. Lucifer’s trance hadn’t abated, but he simply rested on Gust’s shoulder rather than death gripping his waist.

“We’re home, Luci.” Lucifer responded with a groan. “Ok, Let’s get you inside.” Gust opened the door, still holding Lucifer steady. As he stepped inside, Gust felt a cold sharpness against his neck. Ferek spoke menacingly from the dark. 

“I’m sorry. Last night he wouldn’t go home and tonight he didn’t…”

Ferek interrupted him, speaking faster, angrier in a language he couldn’t understand. Gust felt panic setting in, but a weight left his shoulder. Lucifer left him to hold Ferek back. Lucifer spoke softly, yet firmly into Ferek’s chest. Ferek relaxed, removing his sword from Gust’s neck. Ferek tipped his head down in only what could be understood as a threat, and Gust took that as his queue to leave. He was gone without saying goodbye.