17

"Alright!" Andres said happily to his friends as he stepped through the portal into their shared bedroom. It had taken him a while to accept that he was in heaven after the last time Lucifer threw him out, but he had eventually learned not to question it. He wasn't about to give up hope on what had happened though, so he would continue with his life as normal, hoping one day to get back in the celestial good graces again.

'But how? What can I do now?' Andres thought as he walked over to his bed. He had tried everything imaginable, and it didn't change anything. Lucifer still threw him out, and he still couldn't come back. He wondered if that meant this would be the only place he could stay until the end of eternity.

"Hey you look lost in your own world" A voice behind him said, "You okay dude?"

Andres turned around, a huge smile appearing on his face at the sight of two familiar faces. "Lucifer! Raphael! I haven't seen you guys in forever!" Andres exclaimed happily.

They both chuckled slightly at the statement before Raphael spoke again. "Yeah yeah yeah, we've just been doing some work at the precinct recently. But you know," he said with a smirk "we have been wondering if you wanted to go hang out tomorrow night".

"Sure! When should I come by?" Andres asked excitedly.

"Uh well I think there is an opening at this new coffee shop right off the street, and we could stop there and catch up?" Raphael suggested. Andres nodded enthusiastically at the suggestion. This was exactly what he needed, something to keep his mind occupied during the lonely hours of the day when everyone else went out and did whatever it was they did to keep themselves entertained. Even though this whole situation was pretty bizarre, he still enjoyed spending time with his friends.

Lucifer looked back and forth between the two boys standing before him. "Sounds great, Andres, when shall we meet up tomorrow?" He asked.

"Oh I can text you my address" Andres replied quickly, pulling out his phone. As he did so, a sudden pain shot throughout his shoulder. He winced slightly, feeling a burning sensation begin to spread through his entire body. 'I wonder what that means?' He thought worriedly. As he read the number written out for him and sent it to Lucifer, another jolt ran through his shoulder and he let out a quiet groan.

"Dude what happened? You okay?" Raphael asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine, just... a little shocked maybe?" Andres muttered nervously. His shoulder was getting really painful now, and even though he didn't want anyone else knowing, he knew he had to try to hide it from them.

"A little surprised, huh? Well, guess what, you won't ever need to worry about that! Because we're here now!" Raphael replied cheerfully. He pulled Andres into a tight hug, patting his back as he did so.

Lucifer watched all of this curiously; he had never known Andres to show such strong emotions. Maybe the shock and pain had something to do with him being an angel, Lucifer thought. Or maybe it was simply because Raphael was the most affectionate one in his friend group. Either way, Lucifer decided to keep silent. If Andres needed space, then he wouldn't press him too far. Besides, he hadn't felt like making small talk yet either.

For several minutes the two friends talked in low voices, unaware of what Lucifer was thinking.