Their foot steps echoed off the walls as they walked into the large marble entrance, little Sandalphon finally pulled his sippy cup away from his mouth and turned slightly to look at something to his left, as Lucifer was distracted by something on his right.
He tugged on the archangels hand and he turned sharply at the call for attention.
"Yes little one?", he followed the little finger as it pointed across the way, "What is it?"
Sandalphon tugged him again and pointed, "There."
Upon closer inspection he did in fact notice the strange sillouette hiding behind a column, a sillouette with a noticeable addition of wings.
"Good eye kiddo!", he straightened and stepped forward, "Hey? Over there?"
The shadow moved and a head of braids poked above the top to get a better look at who was calling out, he saw the eyes widden and they turned tail to run, but not after Lucifer had already seen enough of them to know who he was looking at.
"Yabbashael!"
Their shoulders stiffened slightly but still they made to escape, he sighed heavily and scooped Sandalphon up, "Hang onto your cuppy!"
They made chase as the other angel took off in the other direction running down halls and corridors littered with rubble and debris. It was a sad sight, one that would break hearts if they stopped a moment to observe it, but they didnt have that luxury at the moment.
Sandalphon held on tight as he could and clutched his cuppy to his chest, already back at it again happily drinking away at the juice.
Rounding the corner, the Morningstar tired of chasing like cat and mouse, he extended his grace and flung his hand out.
"Not so fast!"
The other angel, Yabbashael, froze mid run as if his life had been put on an actual pause. Not that he hadn't tried to move, the strain on his face obvious and his muscles strained, but he was stuck until the archangel let him go again.
Lucifer stopped beside him, setting Sandalphon down to his feet, and doubled over to catch his breath. The fledgling giggled around his sippy cup at his exhausten. The archangel poked his belly playfully.
"Watch it you rascal."
Straightening back up he grimaced as his back cracked and turned his attention back towards his captured sibling.
"Yabba, that was not cool, I'm not as young as I used to be."
Sandy giggled again at that and he smiled at him for a moment.
"Let me go."
"Oh so he speaks, let me see you,", He remembered Yabbashael. Once upon a time he'd been a little runt of a trouble maker. Always chattering, and quite the class clown. But now looking at him.."What's happened to you little brother?"
Yabbashael snarled, "Your rebellion is whats happened. You ruined everything!"
"Everything I did was for you, for all of you, you were too-"
"Don't you dare say I was too young! We were fine with what we had! We had our brothers! Our choir Master!"
"I did it to protect you! To protect us!"
"What was the point of protecting us if you're going to lose us in the process? We didn't need protecting. We needed you."
Lucifer eyed him carefully and waved a hand, letting his grace fade, releasing him at once. Sandalphon made a small noise around his cuppy and tugged at his robe as if to say he was there and all was cool.
Yabbashael didn't move even though he could, he adjusted himself but didn't turn to run away, "I know I was not always there, but I am here now, and I'm not going anywhere."
He didn't duck away as he reached up a hand for his wings, he didnt step back but the appendages did quiver under his touch despite how soft it may have been, Lucifer took it as it was and smiled down at the younger man.
"You need healed."
"We need you."
Sandalphon reached out and tugged on Yabbashael's robes until the other angel kneeled down for him, pulling his cup aside he leaned up to whisper into his Choir brothers ear. Lucifer stood by as they shared the moment, and Yabba pulled back with a nod, Sandy settling back against the archangel's leg.
The elder looked up, "He thinks highly of you. He says you have been kind to him. He is one of our youngest."
"He has taught even me, he shows kindness that most can't or won't."
Yabbashael stood, lifting his chin slightly, "He says you have given him ambrosia, he likes it."
That stole a chuckle from him, "You want more, don't you?"
Their fledgling nodded and lifted his sippy cup above his head expectantly, the archangel smiled at him indulgantly and tapped a finger to the side of the red child's cup, smiling even still when he pulled it back down to his mouth and began anew.
"He vouches for you, your heart is in the right place, your mind back to where it needs to be again."
Lucifer goes still for a moment when he's overcome by the other, arms around his neck tightly as he hugs him. It only takes him a moment to wrap his arms around his once student, and they sway, silent for the longest moment.
"You were all we ever needed", he whispers into his ear, "We missed you more then anything."
Yabba pulls away and they share a similar smile, "It is good to have back to where you belong again brother mine."
"It is good to be back. I missed this place. Missed all of you", his hand curls around the younger angel's cheek, "Go see the healers, please?"
It's not a command but rather a request, a suggestion, a question, and it doesn't go unnoticed by Yabbashael either as he smiles and bows his head in consent to the 'suggestion'.
Sandalphon waves as his brother goes to visit Raphael and the Healers, on his 'own' terms instead of the will of the archangel (though they both knew that no matter what he would have ended up there in the long run).
Lucifer swung his little arm and Sandalphon looked up at him with wide eyes, "You only said nice things about me so I'd give you more Ambrosia, didn't you?"
The giggle was the only answer he needed.
Shaking his head he scooped the little angel back up, settling him on his left arm, he bounced him softly, "I thought so. It worked though, didn't it?"
Sandalphon smiled and pulled the cup away to kiss his cheek.
"Now how can I say no to that? You play a hard game kiddo, and you know how to play those cards to win, don't you?"
There was no verbal reply, the sippy cup was pulled back into his mouth, but the smile he gained from such a question was again, the only answer he needed.
And on that note, they continued on.
