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Luke was always afraid of thunder, for as long as he could remember, so scared he was often unable to move from his place and would end up tearing up uncontrollably by the loud banging noises. He remembers Simeon always telling him that as he grows older, his fear would disappear, it was a clear lie as his trembling body and fearfulness never went away whenever he hears a clap of thunder coming close.
He would always go to Simeon and ask to sleep next to him whenever there was a thunderstorm, always feeling safe in his guardian's arms. But he was older now, he can’t rely on Simeon anymore, and he can't keep always on depending on him unless he wants him to treat him like a helpless child.
Since arriving at the Devildom, there were no thunderstorms or lightning at all, until today— would be the first day he would see a thunderstorm in the Devildom.
Not a single star was visible tonight, the clouds were pitch black the covered the night sky, blocking out any light. Luke sat alone in the castle study room, a yellow lamp on his table as the only light source, writing on whatever he wrote on his papers in the dark for RAD, while his other hand twiddled with the red cape of his uniform. His ears caught the pattering sounds of rain from behind him from the window, the sound of rain made him relax a little. His entire focus began to wander and eventually zone out.
Suddenly, a blinding flash of white light burst through the window, causing his eyes to widen like saucers. The deafening crash that followed made him freeze in terror, his hand trembling with fear. As he tried to process what had just happened, a distant roar from the sky echoed in the background, sending shivers down his spine.
With a pounding heart, Luke dashed into his room and hastily locked the door, hiding under the cover of his bed, gripping the blanket to block out the frightening noises. Luke desperately tries to cover his ears, hearing another dreadful crash from above his small body, he flinched and let out a cry, large tears falling down his face. He never felt so much smaller as he curled himself under his bedsheets; trying his best to hold back his whimpers so no one else can hear me...if only he knew someone had heard him.
Barbatos was downstairs doing his regular tasks around the castle when he heard small feet rapidly fleeing upstairs, and the only one here with him was Luke. He grew concerned, making his way to the bedroom door where Luke resides, knocking on the door to let him know he was there.
“Luke?” his voice as gentle as he spoke; Barbatos opened the door and broke the lock. As he opened it, came another loud shot of thunder startled whoever was in the blanket. The butler quietly entered to see a quivering lump under the fluffed duvet. He gently touched the shaking lump, lacing his fingers toward the end of the blanket and pulling it away.
Luke’s eyes widen in incredible dread when Barbatos saw him, eyes watery, tear stains, and curled into a ball and shaking like fragile glass.
"G-Go away—!" The angel whimpered. Lighting came crashings down with another roar of thunder, Luke yelped and covered his ears more, shutting his eyes.
Luke whimpered and curled up tighter, blocking out the world around him. He wished this butler would leave immediately; never before had he felt so vulnerable and exposed. He despised the fear and shame that consumed him. Barbatos watched the angel in distress, watching him quiver, He hummed to himself as he held the angel in his arms. Lying in bed with him, holding the small boy close to him, placing his hand on his hair and the other on his waist.
"Poor little darling, why didn't you tell me you were scared? I would have been there for you right away." He spoke gently, Luke's lips quivering as he tried to respond. But another clap of thunder and bolt of lightning interrupted him, causing him to cling tightly to the demon butler and bury his face in the crook of his neck. He allowed his tears to stain his uniform, no longer crying, but letting tears fall from his blue eyes.
He slowly began to relax in the demon's embrace, his shoulders lowering as he exhaled, closing his eyes as he began to sting from how red they had become. The only sounds Luke could now hear were the pattering rain, making his eyes close and falling asleep.
The sounds of rain had stopped, replaced with the sun shining through the window. Luke slowly woke up to see the demon sleeping beside him and still in his arms, the boy blushed furiously as his brows furrowed, feeling embarrassed about what had happened last night. He placed both hands on his chest and tried to push himself free from the demon, but he was nowhere close to being strong enough to push him away. The older man's grip tightened around, pressing him closer to his chest, close enough to hear the beating in his chest.
Despite his efforts to escape, he eventually gave up and surrendered to the moment. As he focused on his breath, his body began to relax, and he drifted back into a peaceful slumber. Barbatos watched with a smile as the angel fell back asleep, tenderly kissing the top of his head and resting his chin there. He couldn't help but recall how adorable and vulnerable the angel looked, curled up and crying in distress before he came to his rescue, soothing away his fears and worries.
Such a troublesome child, but that is what makes him so cute and admirable to him.