Urushihara took a deep breath before he tentatively opened the door to his apartment. Peering around the door, it seemed his over cautiousness was wasted as the room was empty. So much for that then. What an anticlimax. It was a relief to have temporarily put off speaking to his comrades, but he couldn't deny being slightly disappointed not to see the faces of his fellow demons. Closing the door, he found himself at a loss before he remembered why he'd left Suzuno's in the first place.

After logging back into his RPG, and grinding through the latest quest, Lucifer just couldn't concentrate enough to make it enjoyable. His hands had been itching for his console, but now that he had it, he was remembering how frustrating and draining this part of the game could be. Rolling his eyes, he saved his progress and figured while he was at home he might as well check what they'd got leftover. Chiho-san had dropped off some ice creams recently, and he was sure there should still be at least one. Scraping his knuckles against the back of the freezer, his hand wrapped around a familiar shape. Score! Enjoying the refreshing chill from the fridge-freezer, he slipped the popsicle into his mouth as he continued to rummage through the rest of their dwindling food stash.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!"

Startling at the sudden sound, Lucifer gasped and dropped the ice lolly. He audibly winced as it bounced off the top of his bare foot before rolling sadly away. Great. Not only had he lost his treat, but he was also about to be reprimanded for wasting food. Hell, today was already turning into a nightmare. He took his earlier thoughts back; solitude was preferable to this. Resigned, he closed the fridge door and spun on his heel, head already dipped as he waited for the inevitable blow.

"Oh, it's just you Urushihara..." Alciel wasn't sure what to do, every instinct was screaming at him to loudly berate the teen in from of him, but he'd caught the violent way his roommate had flinched at his earlier tone. Emi implied the general needed space, which was why he was staying with their neighbour, but Ashiya was surprised to see how truly unsettled his comrade had become. Assessing the purple haired demon in front of him, his guts squirmed unpleasantly at the submissive stance Lucifer held. No insults were thrown his way, not even an insolent pout or an eye roll (their normal hostility's bare minimum). As he stood there, he had to admit the mess melting into the floor was equally his fault.

Urushihara held his breath for an eternity before he felt his fellow general move. Remaining still, he waited to be struck, Ashiya's reaction time was usually quicker than this, but the expected slap never came. Opening his eyes questionably, he was faced with the back of Alciel's head as he knelt and mopped the floor. Huh, that was a strange development. As he watched, the younger man's eyes flicked to him worriedly, even reaching a hand to check over the lump on his foot before he stood up again.

Alciel shrugged nonchalantly at Urushihara's astounded expression, moving past him to dump the rubbish in the bin. "What? Just making sure you weren't bleeding all over the tatami."

That was weak and they both knew it.

Unable to stand the bizarre tension of the kitchen any longer, Urushihara moved to sit cross legged at the table instead. Maybe returning to his game wasn't the worst idea?

After a few minutes, Alciel broke the thickening silence. "Are you alright Urushihara?"

Lucifer didn't look up from his game and mumbled. "Tsk. I'm fine."

Unimpressed with the response, Ashiya's brows knitted together. "You just about jumped out of your skin back there."

Puffing up his cheeks, Urushihara pursed his lips. "Whatever. I'm just not used to you creeping up on me."

"I didn't creep, you know."

Urushihara sighed in exasperation, knowing his fellow general was like a dog with a bone and was unlikely to let this go. "What do you want from me Alciel?"

Ashiya took his cue and seated himself beside the smaller demon, feeling his comrade stiffen at their close proximity. That was new. He'd been tough on Lucifer since they'd gotten here (his wayward behaviour had nearly bankrupted them several times already!) but their wealth of shared experience had formed a tentative bond between the two of them over the years. As he looked over his fellow general, Alciel took in the discolouration of his delicate features. It was impossible not to notice the bruises as they slipped below his t-shirt, starting again on his legs as they trailed below the bottom of his shorts. They'd faced many brutal battlefields together, but that Lucifer was rather cavalier about any blood he'd shed and was always the first to laugh off his injuries. Something was wrong here, very wrong.

Alciel put his fingers around the hand-held console, taking it slowly from Lucifer's grip and placing it on the table in front of them. Silently waiting for the explanation.

What the fuck. Urushihara eyed the blonde demon suspiciously. About to question this new and disturbing action, he was stunned when Alciel swiftly reached over and pulled him into a hug.

Drawing his roommate's slight frame closer to him, Alciel wrapped his left arm around Lucifer's back, and brought his right hand up to cradle their fallen general's head. Damn, he really was small. He forgot at times, with all that big attitude. Their demon selves were all less impressive in this realm of Japan but, without his wings, Lucifer seemed to be the most diminished. Like he'd lost half of himself.

Suddenly finding himself with a face-full of Alciel's broad torso, Urushihara had stiffened and brought his hands up defensively. As he moved to push the bumbling and suddenly clingy idiot away, he felt the other man cup the back of his head. Faltering, his own fingers found purchase in the worn material of Ashiya's jumper instead. Now stuck, he honestly didn't know what to do. They'd never really embraced before. As the unexpectedly soft caresses to his hair continued, he felt a lump growing in his throat.

Alciel kept his voice low and calmly probed once more, hoping he could share some of the burden. "What happened Lucifer?"

The use of his real name was what did it, "Erm, well…", Urushihara stumbled, damn where to even begin? Closing his eyes with a shuddering breath, he knew he could trust his fellow demon to understand at least some of what he was about to say. "Well, you know most of it. And you, like me, would be incapable of leaving Maou's Chiho-chan in danger."

Not liking where this was going, Alciel remained silent while Lucifer recounted his version of the story and only nodded and hummed along when needed or to soothe a long silence. When the full explanation for the fallen angel's sorry state was reached, it took all of his power not to demand the name of the cursed demons. Once he knew exactly who they were, there would be NO possible redemption for this abominable crime against one of their own. But Lucifer didn't need to feel his anger in this moment, and so the Scorpion General sat quietly and offered what solace he could.

- - -.

That was how Maou found them when he got home, holding onto each other while Alciel rhythmically stroked Lucifer's back. It brought a smile to his face to see them choosing to be so close. Although, his expression dropped as he wondered at the reason. Satan was also admittedly a little jealous to have been left out of something so serious. Putting away his coat, he caught Alciel's eye and could have sworn he'd seen a flash of simmering fury in their depths.

Taking a seat at the table across from his entwined generals, Maou tried to lift the mood. "Aww you're both so cute. Do I need to get you two a room?"

Lucifer's head snapped up and he frowned at the insinuation. "Ugh. Don't start Maou."

He knew his joke hadn't landed, but Satan couldn't help himself. "Oh, come on Lucy, have a sense of humour! You're the ones in here getting cozy while I'm out at work. Who knows how hot and heavy this would have gotten had I not come back when I did!"

Insulted at the disrespect from their 'wise and powerful' leader, Lucifer angrily shrugged out of Alciel's hold. He paused to grab his console from the table before stalking towards the apartment door. Turning around, he icily met the eyes of his so-called King. "Why don't you just fuck off."

Once the door had slammed shut behind him, Maou rubbed the back of his head awkwardly and turned to Ashiya with a smirk. "Phew! That was weird. What's with the drama queen, anyway?"

Alciel was equally incensed, how could their Sire misread the atmosphere of the room so badly? He knew Maou had spent the day with Chiho, had she not explained the severity of the situation? He'd better find out just how much their King knew about what had happened, before further jumping to conclusions. "Did you have a good day at work, your highness?"

Maou raised an eyebrow at the shift in subject. "Huh? Yeah. We didn't quite hit our sales target but I'm sure we will by the end of this month."

Alciel interrupted. "And Miss Saski was present?"

Not knowing where he was going with this, Maou nodded. "Yeah, she was. I told her she could have taken the day off following her ordeal, but she insisted on coming in."

"Her ordeal?!"

"Well, yeah. Being kidnapped isn't fun for anyone, Ashiya. Especially when you're stuck in close quarters with somebody you don't like."

Alciel's mouth dropped open, surely, he'd misheard. "Chiho-chan said that about Urushihara?"

Waving a hand dismissively, Maou continued. "Oh no, she just said I need to talk to him. Didn't give any details. But it must have been tough for her, and scary too, since Lucy dropped her off that building and all. She's never really been comfortable around him. I don't blame her for that; he can be hard work at times."

"T-Tough for her?"

"Yeah! You should have seen how bad her face looked. Damn, I wish I'd kept her by my side. At least then she'd have been adequately protected. Lucifer only did half a job. Spent the whole time looking out for himself probably."

Having heard quite enough, Alciel took to his feet. "You've said a lot of stupid things since we've gotten here, Sire, but I think this might be the worst."

Maou's eyes glowed red at the open insubordination from his loyal follower. "Hey! What's that supposed to mean? I'm your King!"

Alciel, now at full height, towered over the still seated demon. "If that's the case, then you'd better start acting like it. One of your generals, that you supposedly care so much for, took a big hit for your Kohai, and you didn't even stop to ask if he was alright."

Maou shrugged. "Lucifer's a big boy, and much tougher than he looks. He was always one to exaggerate; former high-ranking angel remember? I'm sure he's just fine. And it's not like you've said a kind word about him since we got here. Anyway, what are we having for dinner? I'm starving."

Too angry to speak, Alciel gestured behind himself towards the fridge. "Whatever you deem suitable, sire. I'm afraid I was dealing with something that clearly took precedence over your latest meal." Deciding that Urushihara had the right idea, he too was filled with the need to get out of the apartment. With that, the Scorpion General retrieved his coat and headed for the door himself. "Do whatever you want with the food, I'm going out."

Left alone with his thoughts in the Devil's castle, Maou frowned to himself. That was doubly weird, Ashiya normally took his side. Shaking his head, it was of little matter. When his wayward generals both got back from sulking, he'd make them both explain. Mutiny amongst his subordinates wasn't something he would tolerate for long. They were both lucky he was so understanding (and hungry).