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When Barricade opened the door to his place to come face to face with Deadlock, it brought an annoyed frown to his features. Stopping the Enforcer in his tracks and prompting him to squint a them.
"Did you follow me home?" Barricade insisted sternly, standing in the door way to keep the Demon from entering.
"Well how else was I supposed to find out where you lived?" The Demon prompted, shifting just slightly closer. Before glancing back over their shoulder. Almost as if nervous. It caused Barricade to falter, "May I come inside?"
A low sigh left the black and white mech, before he stepped back inside and gestured in, "You shouldn't follow people like that. It's creepy."
Deadlock laughed, slipping past Barricade fluidly with a swaying tail as they bee-lined for the couch, flopping onto it and kicking their pedes up, "You'd turn it into a game if I asked. It's how it tends to go."
Barricade hummed, following after the crimson mecha and knocking their pedes off the couch to set down too. Only for Deadlock to promptly kick their pedes back up over Barricade's lap and grin.
"Well, you're not entirely wrong," Barricade admitted, noting that despite how relaxed Deadlock seemed to try to be they seemed rather on edge, "Is there a reason you're here?"
"What? Can't just chill with my favourite mortal whenever? Must there always be a reason?"
"... No." Barricade ventured, frowning faintly as he placed his claws over Deadlock's legs. Eying their sharp and deadly tail when it flicked up at the act before relaxing once more, "But something seems wrong."
Deadlock heaved a heavy vent, squirming at Barricade's touch before pointedly looking away. No doubt trying to figure out what to say, or how to say it.
"... Do you know why I'm so notorious?" They finally started, leaning into a seating position and hooking sharp digits carefully into Barricade's armour to help keep themselves balanced, "Like. The tales they tell about me?"
"You mean that you outsmarted the Devil themselves?" Barricade offered, hooking an arm impulsively around the Demon as they snuggled in close. "I'd like to think so, why?"
"They... they knew my true name once upon a time." Deadlock huffed, falling silent and staring down at their own tail for a long moment before they spoke up again, voice a low whisper, "I beat them at their own game, and got my freedom back. They can't use my name against me and they hate that someone out in the world has outsmarted them and got away with it."
Barricade felt Deadlock's hold tighten, and couldn't help the soft pained hiss that escaped him at the act, "I take it this is leading up to why you're here?"
"They're after me again," Deadlock stated bluntly, pulling back enough to peer up at Barricade with their golden optics. Genuine terror shining just beneath the surface of the glow, "I've been in one place too long and drawn too much attention to myself and— and—... And I don't want to leave."
Barricade had never seen Deadlock terrified ever in his life. He'd honestly figured the Demon was beyond such an emotion. But now he sees it wasn't true, and it only had worry gnawing at him. If the Devil was so bad that they managed to terrify Deadlock of all mecha, Barricade wasn't sure he ever wanted to meet them.
"...hey," Barricade offered softly, soothing over the Demon's prickled plating in an attempt to ease them, "Why don't we both just take a vacation from this place for awhile, then? Wait for things to cool down. Keep our games behind closed doors now, too."
Deadlock almost seemed surprised for a moment, before it was hidden behind a calculated expression. A slow nod being offered before they spoke up once more, "That sounds like a good idea."
"Perfect. We leave in a few hours. Do you have anything you need?"