LIGHT ME UP ↝ Lucifer Morningstar

FOUR.

AFTER CATCHING UP with Chloe, Benjamin had kissed his sister-in-law and niece goodbye, assuring them that they would spend some time together soon enough, but right now, he was hungry and Dan had promised to come home with pizza. So, with the wonderful taste of cheese already poking at his imagination in the most tempting of ways, Benjamin eventually left the Decker residence and hopped into his Camaro to drive back home, where he expected a box of pineapple-free deliciousness to await — if not, heads would roll.

Luckily for Dan, just as Benji curved his car into the parking lot of their shared apartment building, the oldest Espinoza did the same. However, he wasn't alone — Benjamin noticed that quickly, and he couldn't help but lift an eyebrow when he spotted someone else coming out of the car along with his big brother. But when he saw the short, red hair shining in the darkness of the warm night, he broke into a grin whilst walking towards Dan and the woman in his company, the one and only Izzy Holt.

"We brought pizza!", Izzy grinned whilst lifting the three hot boxes of pizza to show Benjamin, who clapped his hands together and sighed in satisfaction when the irresistible scent of warm food reached him.

"Yeah", Dan cleared his throat, "it's okay if Izzy joins us, right?", giving a careful look to Benjamin — as if his brother wasn't usually okay with making new friends. Snorting at the cautious look in Dan's eyes, Benji simply threw his arm over Izzy's shoulder and started to walk towards the entrance of the building, far too hungry to remain outside anymore.

"Hell yeah, it's okay. Come on, I'm starving", the boy encouraged, and with that, the three of them walked inside — a silent bond already formed between Benji and Izzy, which was causing the latter to smile even if Benjamin was trying to keep it cool.

They settled in eventually, the TV turned on to keep them company in moments of silence as they were all seated in the living room, munching on slices of pizza happily. It wasn't awkward, by any means, if anything it was comfortable as they occasionally laughed at the funny lines of the cop show on TV, or when Benjamin wondered if Dan and Izzy's work was like that, too.

"You've always wanted to be a cop?", Benjamin questioned Izzy as he grabbed his third slice and eyed the redhead curiously, and without a second of hesitation, she nodded to confirm that was the truth.

"Always. My mom used to work for the LAPD, but she's retired now. Still, that inspired me and here I am — lucky to have Dan as my mentor, too. I haven't been around the precinct for too long, but I'm already loving it, you know?", Izzy explained, and a happy sigh escaped her lips as she told the short version of her story. Nudging Benji then, she lifted an eyebrow, "What about you? What's your dream?"

It was a question that always required time and effort from Benjamin, mostly because he truly didn't know the answer. Other people had these vivid, clear views and plans for the future — his brother included — but he had never been that. Since childhood, he had been spontaneous, impossible to keep in one place, unable to commit.