Natsu hurried back to the kitchen with the rest of his staff, his usual professional self back to the forefront of his mind. His heart ached, his body felt cold, he wanted to cry, but he had a job to do. He didn’t know what to expect, but he wasn’t sure that was it. He had known Toji couldn’t just rush at him, couldn’t kiss him or hold him. But he could have acknowledged him…right?

As he went about his tasks, ensuring every dish was plated and prepared, calling in the staff to carry it all out, he moved on autopilot, his mind reeling. He was being childish, behaving like an infatuated teenager, fawning over their celebrity crush. He had to remember where he was, who he was, and who he served. He had to push the memories aside, forget about what Toji was to him, if only for a few hours. When the day was done, the kitchen cleaned, and he could finally be alone in his room, he would bury his head under the covers and cry like the stupid boy he was.

He’d held on to too much hope…it really was over…

He stayed in the kitchen as the family filled the large table, the loud buzz of laughter and chatter filling the air. The house wasn’t sealed off when the family wasn’t there; Lady Elaine, Commander Jordan, and a few other Divine royals and dignitaries were constantly in and out handling matters and relaying messages to and from the God Kings. 

It still wasn’t the same as when the family was there, though. The atmosphere was different, more upbeat and informal. As the meal went on, it became infectious, and Natsu’s mood began to improve, his thoughts becoming more clear. He had to remember where he and Toji stood, what they had to be when they weren’t alone. If Toji ignored him in the garden, it was only because he had to. Still…

You could have just said hi, you idiot.

The door swung open, Victor appearing and getting Natsu’s attention. Natsu approached him, wiping his hands on his apron. 

“You’ve been requested, Chef,” he said plainly. Victor didn’t mince words, he was too busy. Plus, as a dark elf, he had very little patience for pleasantries. “Bring Walter with you.” Walter was Natsu’s sous chef, an exiled demon who had joined the staff a few months ago. 

“Um, sure, okay,” Natsu said, taken aback. “Give me just a second.”

Victor bowed and went out. Natsu removed his apron and called Walter over. A little apprehensively, the demon joined him, placing his own apron on the hook next to Natsu’s, his hat in his hands.

“Are we in trouble?” he leaned down to whisper.

Natsu shook his head. “No, this is normal. Sometimes when there’s been a promotion or something, the master of the house wants to meet and congratulate whoever it is. I guess it just happens to be my turn.”

“Oh,” Walter said, as they walked through to the dining area. “So why am I here?”

Natsu didn’t have the opportunity to answer as Victor and Gabby ushered them to stand to the side of the table behind Ynda and Havik, facing Toji who sat at the head of the table. Natsu hoped to hell Toji couldn’t hear his heart pounding.

Gabby put her smooth hand on Natsu’s upper arm. “Chef Kanaki took my position six months ago, Highness,” she was saying with a proud smile. She gestured to Walter who stood just behind Natsu’s right shoulder. “Walter joined us about three months ago and has been an excellent addition to our staff, a perfect assistant to Chef, if I do say so myself.”

Toji nodded to Walter, a small smile on his lips. “Is that right?” he said, his deep, smooth voice like a melody singing through Natsu’s veins. “Gabby said you helped put together tonight’s menu.”

“Y-yes, Your Highness,” the demon said, his voice wavering. “Uh, Ch-Chef and I discussed how much you all liked the local foods so we worked hard to come up with what we hoped you would enjoy the most.”

“I hope it’s to your liking,” Natsu added, his soft voice level with no trace of his anxiety showing through, to his own surprise.

Toji’s eyes held his, unblinking and focused. The flash from before skated across, those gorgeous blue and red jewels seeming to peer directly into Natsu’s soul. He clenched his hat tighter in his hands. 

“It is,” Toji replied. “I think the twins consumed about half of it on their own.”

“I did not!” Noah and Arla responded together. Nearly everything they said was in unison and they rarely spoke as individuals. It was something Natsu had always found fascinating. He smiled over at them and bowed his head.

“Please, eat as much as you like, Young Masters. There’s plenty more, I promise.”

Ynda tapped his arm from where she sat. He looked down at her, the warmth of her smile calming him. “Congrats, Natsu,” she said. “You really did an impressive job. Both of you.”

He could feel Walter slump with relief at his side. “Thank you, Highness,” he said.

Natsu smiled at her. “Yes, thank you, Highness.”

Toji lifted his hand. Natsu’s heart skipped a beat as he tentatively reached over to take it. He nearly collapsed right there at what he felt slide between his fingers. “Congratulations on your promotion, Chef,” Toji said sincerely. “You have truly earned it.”

Natsu bowed. “Thank you, Highness.” He stood straight and smiled. “I’d like to stay and chat with all of you, but unfortunately, we’re really busy and we need to get back.”

“We understand,” Chloe said from across the table. “It was good to see you again, Natsu. And welcome, Walter. You’ve done a wonderful job.”

Walter smiled wide. “Thank you, My Lady.”

They bowed to the table and headed back to the kitchen. Once there, Natsu hurried to the huge walk-in cooler and leaned against the steel shelving, trying to cool his body and regain his balance, his fist shaking where it held Toji’s note. With trembling fingers, he unfolded the thin strip. 

Midnight. 

That was all. Nothing else. Yet it told him everything. He squatted down and buried his head in his arms as he forced himself to breathe normally, choking back the tears of joy that threatened to break loose and run down his face. 

It wasn’t over…

Toji hadn’t forgotten him after all.

-*-

Lukas tossed a grape at Toji’s face, beaning him right in the nose.

“Dude!” Toji griped, rubbing his face and tossing the grape right back.

“Could you be any more obvious?” Ynda hissed.

“What? I didn’t do anything,” Toji said. “It’s my duty to congratulate him.” He pushed around the pasta on his plate, hoping the heat in his neck wouldn’t rise above the already uncomfortable collar.

“Is it your duty to eye-fuck him in front of everyone?” Chloe asked, smiling coyly.

Toji glared at her. “I didn’t.”

Just like in the cafe two weeks prior, the sounds of disbelief swirled around the table. Toji rolled his eyes and shook his head.

“Guys, seriously, I don’t have a crush on the guy, okay? He’s a friend and a great chef, that’s all. He earned his position and it was only right I acknowledge it.”

Lukas wanted to hit him. Anyone with two working eyes could see how Toji looked at Natsu Kanaki. For years, the two had been close, hanging out when Natsu was off shift, talking and even playing games together in the staff lounge or in Toji’s room when Toji’s parents weren’t around. It wasn’t that they were dissuaded from hanging out with the staff, it was just that Toji and Natsu weren’t exactly subtle with their interactions. Whether they realized it or not, everyone could see the two liked each other.

However, that was as far as it could go. One of the main house rules was absolutely no fraternizing between staff and masters, the races didn’t matter.

“I heard a rumor the other day,” Ava said, changing the subject quickly. For once, Toji seemed interested in whatever she had to say, even though he was more focused on his plate than on her, or really anyone else for that matter. “There’s a group of Divine that want to shut off contact between the Mortal Realm and the rest of the Realms.”

“Why?” Finn asked, taking a sip of his red wine. He had no food in front of him. “What would that accomplish?”

She shook her head. “Not sure, if I’m honest. It’s being said, among other things, that there’s concern about too much interaction between Divine and humans and that there may be questions floating around that can’t be answered. It’s bad enough world governments want to capture and destroy what they don’t understand, but what if they managed to get their hands on one of us?”

“Not gonna happen,” Finn reassured her, winking. “We’re too fast to get caught.”

“You say that now,” Havik said, “but exiles have been caught and killed for centuries.”

“That’s true,” Kayla agreed. “It could be because their power is much more limited when they’re exiled so they can’t get away as easily.”

“Or they can’t sense when they’re in danger,” Chloe suggested.

Toji shook his head. “Not possible. Even with limited power, their senses are still just as sharp. The only thing that could combat that is complacency. Get too comfortable, get sloppy.” They had heard that line hundreds of times from all their instructors.

“Do you think they’d do it, though?” Arla asked.

“Seal us off?” Noah added.

“Doubtful,” Ynda replied. “The Divine are dependent on the Mortal Realm just as the humans are on us.”

Finn frowned. “Unfortunately, our main food source is here,” he said. “It’s not that we can’t get what we need elsewhere, but…” he shrugged. He knew better than to bring up a demon’s feeding habits at the dinner table. Plus, he refused to talk about anything that nasty around Ava. It wasn’t that they were ignorant to the fact, they just didn’t like hearing about it.

“Angels feed on emotions,” Ava said. “It keeps us strong. Humans will still die and we will still receive their souls, loaded with their emotions and memories and the like. But you would essentially become scavengers, wouldn’t you?”

“In a way, yes,” Finn nodded. He grimaced. “You really don’t want to know what we would have to resort to.”

They did know. They knew the stories of demons consuming other Divine; of the Blood King. They were all silent for a few tense beats.

“It won’t happen,” Ynda and Chloe said in unison.

“Outside of food, it’s also about worship and supplication,” Ynda said.

“Who do humans pray to if they can’t feel their gods or angels close to them?” Chloe added.

Toji snorted. “Trust me, they’ll still pray, just not to us.”

“Who would ever pray to you?” Lukas teased. “Exiled magical creatures?”

“Yes,” the Helmans all said in unison. The Franks were the only ones who looked astonished. Ynda and Havik looked between the Immortals, bewildered by their reaction.

“What did you think we were the gods of, exactly?” Ynda asked.

“Um, the Veil?” Kayla asked, genuinely unsure.

Toji nodded. “That’s our Realm, yes, but that’s not all we’re responsible for. Thanks to what our dads started years ago, we’re now responsible for the care and protection of the exiles here on Earth. That’s what Helman Hall is here for, a central location where they can look to for guidance and strength.”

“Hope and faith is something all humans need,” Ynda added. “Even those who feel there is none left to them.”

“Those who are in exile were cast out for various reasons,” Havik added. “They’re not all criminals.” For being so young, he sounded way too wise and mature sometimes.

“So they look to you?” Chloe asked, her focus on her twin.

Ynda nodded. “We offer them a second chance, provide them with resources they can utilize to adapt and assimilate while working toward redemption and atonement. We’ve hired on a lot of them over the years, actually, some of which have stayed on permanently.” She looked over at her maids standing against the wall nearby and smiled at them. “My maids are all exiles who decided to stay with me instead of returning home.”

“I never knew that,” Lukas said, shaking his head as he picked up his glass of wine. “All these years and I had no clue.”

“What did you think we did here?” Toji laughed. “Dicked around and traveled?”

“Sort of,” Lukas admitted. “I mean, I’ve never actually seen you guys do any work with the exiles so I really didn’t know. Plus, all you do in the Veil is train and keep the peace between everyone else.”

Havik nodded, his ruby red eyes serious as he turned them on Lukas. “That’s our royal duty,” he said. “Our godly duty is to protect those who need us the most. Those who were cast aside and forgotten.”

“I hate the idea of being a King one day,” Toji said. “But I’m fine with working with the exiled, doing everything I can to save and protect them. If I could stay here and just do that forever, I’d be happy.” His eyes flicked to the doors that led to the kitchen before dropping them back to his empty plate, his wine glass in his hand. “I would just need the right partner to help balance it all out,” he added, more to himself than to the rest.

“Who would be King, then?” Ava asked quietly, her eyes on her plate.

No one had an answer to that one. 

-*-