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The tea set rattled against its own glass as he made his way down the halls. His steps were slow, fearful that his quivering would spill even a single drop of the tea he had prepared. His lips were set in a firm frown. It was unlike him to be this nervous. But now he was shaking like a leaf.
“Your tea,” Barbatos said. The cup clinked against the table, immediately drawing the attention of the human.
“What’s wrong?” Lance asked and took a hold of Barbatos’s hand. He narrowed his eyes as he felt just how much the butler was trembling. “Sit down!” Lance ordered and pulled the demon to sit next to him. “What happened? Are you alright?” Lance let go of Barbatos’s hand and cupped his face. He leaned closer to try and make sure he wasn’t hurt.
“I’m fine,” Barbatos said and raised his hands to take a hold of Lance’s. He pulled them away from his face and gave them a small squeeze. “There is just something I need to tell you.”
Lance swallowed as he felt his own nerves become fried. “Are we…?”
"We’re okay,” Barbatos said with a chuckle. His words immediately calmed the human. “It’s my past that I wish to tell you about. No one knows it, not even Lord Diavolo.”
Lance gaped at the demon. “And you’re telling me?”
“I hope that you can trust me with anything,” Barbatos murmured. “And so, I need to show the same trust in you.”
“Don’t force yourself to if you don’t—”
Barbatos shook his head and pressed a fast kiss to Lance’s cheek, effectively shutting the human up. “I trust you.” Once Lance’s shock wore off, he offered a kind smile to the demon. Taking a deep breath, Barbatos shuffled on the couch to be closer to the human. He leaned some of his weight into Lance, causing Lance to immediately wrap his arms around the demon.
“I won’t think any less of you,” Lance spoke softly as he tried to soothe the butler’s nerves.
“I know you won’t,” Barbatos said. “It’s still incredibly difficult. I fear I will somehow be forced to go back.”
“Go back in time?”
“That, and back to the reality I’m originally from.”
Lance raised an eyebrow but didn’t release the demon from his embrace. “You’re from a different reality?”
“Yes,” Barbatos hummed and his arms circled around Lance. His hands held onto him tightly. “While in this reality I was never a child, in my original one, I was. I grew up as any other being does. It was very similar to this reality, in fact. However, I eventually inherited the title of King of the Devildom.”
“King?” Lance pulled back and looked at the demon in awe. “That makes sense given how powerful you are.”
“Yes, I’m very aware of the mutterings about how I should take the throne here. The truth is, I never wish to hold that burden ever again. Not after what happened.”
Lance shuffled and leaned into Barbato’s side; his head lulled onto his shoulder. “What happened?”
“I was betrayed. The father of Diavolo in that reality was far more bloodthirsty and power-hungry than he was here. He wished to take over the other realms. I knew it would bring about bloodshed and provide little gains for us, so I declined. He organized an uprising. The rats…” Barbatos flinched as the images flashed in his eyes. His breathing became sharp. The rats fell from the walls.
“Hey,” Lance muttered quickly. He sat up straight and faced the demon. His hands found their way back to his face as he pressed quick kisses to his cheeks, his nose, and his chin. “Barbatos, look at me. Ground yourself.”
Barbatos’s emerald eyes searched into the humans as the rats slowly faded. “My apologies, it’s been eons and yet…”
Lance shook his head. “Don’t apologize for that. Don’t ever apologize for your trauma.”
Barbatos nodded and leaned forward. His forehead rested on Lance’s shoulder. His fingers ran along with the fabric of Lance’s sweater, feeling the ridges of how it was woven. “The rats were in the walls. They leaked my location and led to the coupe succeeding. I had to flee. Eventually, I was able to come back to the doors.” Lance nodded; his own fingers weaved themselves into Barbatos’s hair. “The war had broken out between the realms. Demons, angels, and humans alike were being slaughtered like pigs. There was no stopping it in that reality. If I was stronger, smarter, anything, I could have prevented it.” His breathing shuttered. “So many died because of me.”
Lance pressed his lips into a long kiss against the side of Barbatos’s head. When he moved away, he whispered, “It wasn’t because of you.”
“I was their king. Their lives were my responsibility, and I failed them. I failed them and I ran. I ran back to the castle, back to my doors. I searched. I searched for a reality that would be peaceful. Then, they started hunting me down. As they grew nearer, I saw this reality. There would be wars, but it was more peaceful than the one I was in. I ran through and slammed the door behind me.”
Silence fell over the pair. Lance’s hands played with Barbatos’s hair as he processed everything. Lance’s eyes shut as he tried to put himself in Barbatos’s shoes. He couldn’t, not even close. Taking a deep breath, he nuzzled into the demon. “I’m so sorry you were forced to go through that.”
“For a long time, I seriously contemplated altering reality so that I never existed.”
“Barbatos,” Lance’s voice cracked.
“Don’t worry, I no longer feel that way,” Barbatos hushed the human quickly. “My life is so incredibly complete now. I am far happier now than I had ever been in the reality I came from. This is now my home.” His arms tightened around Lance. “Right here is my home.”
Lance grinned into the embrace. “I’m glad you told me. I’m even more glad that you’re here in this reality. It wouldn’t be the same without you.”
Barbatos pulled Lance closer so the human was on his lap. “I realize that your tea will grow cold, but please let me hold you for a moment longer. I promise I’ll fetch you a fresh batch afterward.”
“Even if you didn’t, you could still hold me for as long as you want,” Lance responded with a snort of amusement.
"Then, you’ll be here for a rather long time.”
Lance closed his eyes and relaxed into the demon, fully prepared to fall asleep. “That’s fine.”