The sun poured in through the large windows of the shared house, casting warm golden light across the kitchen floor. It was Sunday, which meant one thing: Damien was going to attempt to cook breakfast. And that always meant chaos.
Kaelan sat at the dining table, still thinking about yesterday's strange game of magical hide-and-seek. The moment he and Ethan had shared in the closet replayed in his mind like a loop, making it hard to focus on anything else. His mind was scattered, and his heart was racing every time Ethan so much as walked into the room.
"You seem tense," Inas observed as she floated into the kitchen with her usual grace, silver hair flowing behind her.
Kaelan grunted. "Just... tired, I guess."
Inas smirked knowingly. "Tired? Or thinking about a certain human?"
Kaelan's face flushed, but before he could respond, the sound of a loud clatter erupted from the kitchen.
"Lucifer! Stop playing with the stove, or we'll all end up in the hospital!" Damien barked, trying to shove the devil away from the pot of eggs he was attempting to scramble.
Lucifer grinned, his fiery red eyes glowing with mischief as he floated just out of reach. "What? I'm just helping, Damien. You know I'm great with heat."
Damien shot him a murderous glare, his sharp fangs just barely visible as he spoke through gritted teeth. "The last time you 'helped,' you set the kitchen on fire, and I had to put it out with a bucket of blood."
Lucifer grinned wider. "It's called adding flavor."
---
Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen
Ethan sauntered in, casually grabbing a chair next to Kaelan like nothing had happened the day before. Kaelan's pulse sped up, but he kept his face neutral, refusing to let Ethan see how affected he was. Ethan winked at him before turning his attention to the chaos in the kitchen.
"I've got twenty bucks that says Damien accidentally eats garlic today," Ethan quipped.
Seraphina, perched gracefully at the end of the table, raised a delicate eyebrow. "Do we really have to gamble on potential food poisoning?"
"It's not gambling when it's a sure thing," Ethan replied, leaning back in his chair with a lazy grin.
Meanwhile, Damien continued trying to fend off Lucifer's "assistance" as the smell of burning eggs started filling the kitchen.
"Okay, that's enough," Damien snapped, grabbing the frying pan and pushing Lucifer aside. "If you want breakfast done right, then let me handle it."
Lucifer crossed his arms, leaning against the counter with a smug expression. "You're no fun, Damien."
"And you're no chef," Damien muttered, scraping the burnt eggs into the trash.
---
A Close Call
As the morning continued, the bickering escalated. Inas had finally stepped in to save the pancakes from becoming charcoal, while Seraphina used her angelic powers to purify whatever dark magic Lucifer had accidentally summoned into the coffee maker.
Kaelan found himself leaning back in his chair, watching the chaos unfold. A smile tugged at the corners of his lips. For all the craziness, this house—these people—felt like family in its own bizarre way.
Ethan nudged him, his voice low. "You okay? You've been quiet."
Kaelan shrugged, his eyes flickering over to Ethan's deep blue ones. He could still feel the weight of their conversation from the day before. What were they doing?
Before he could say anything, Damien suddenly yelled, "Lucifer, NO!"
There was a loud crash, followed by a poof of smoke. When the haze cleared, Lucifer was standing there, hands covered in flour, looking rather pleased with himself. The kitchen was an absolute disaster. Broken eggs, spilled flour, and a strange green mist swirled around them.
"Oops," Lucifer said with zero remorse. "Guess I got a little carried away."
Damien looked like he was about to combust. "I'm going to kill you."
Lucifer chuckled, waving a dismissive hand. "You've been saying that for centuries, darling."
Damien took a step forward, his crimson eyes flashing dangerously, but Seraphina appeared between them with a serene smile, wings softly glowing. "Let's all take a deep breath, shall we? No need for violence over a little… flour."
"A little flour?" Damien hissed, wiping his face. "He's ruined breakfast. Again!"
---
Love and Flour Fights
In an attempt to diffuse the situation, Kaelan stood up, brushing flour from his pants. "I think we should all just—"
Before he could finish, Ethan grabbed a handful of flour from the counter and tossed it at him, laughing. "Lighten up, Kaelan."
Kaelan blinked, surprised, then grinned. "Oh, it's on, Swordwind."
Without hesitation, Kaelan grabbed a handful of flour and hurled it back at Ethan. Soon enough, the entire kitchen devolved into chaos, with everyone—except for a now-disapproving Seraphina—throwing flour, eggs, and anything they could find.
"You're all children!" Seraphina said, exasperated but laughing.
As flour flew everywhere, Kaelan tackled Ethan onto the couch, both of them laughing as they tumbled in a heap. Kaelan pinned Ethan down, the two of them breathing hard, faces inches apart. There was a beat of silence, where the world seemed to stop, and Kaelan felt his heart race again.
Ethan's grin faded, his eyes locked on Kaelan's, and for a split second, the playful moment turned serious.
"You're a mess," Ethan whispered, brushing a bit of flour from Kaelan's cheek.
"So are you," Kaelan shot back, his voice quieter now, the tension between them thickening.
Before either of them could say anything else, Inas threw a handful of flour at them, laughing. "Oh, don't get all sentimental now! We've got a food fight to finish!"
Kaelan and Ethan were both jolted back into the moment, breaking into grins as they joined in the chaos once more.
---
After the Flour Settles
Once the flour and egg war finally died down, the kitchen was in ruins, but the mood had lifted. The tension from the day before had softened, replaced with lightness and laughter.
Kaelan wiped his brow and surveyed the mess, shaking his head. "We're going to be cleaning this up for hours."
"It was worth it," Ethan said, nudging him with his elbow. "Besides, we needed a good laugh."
Kaelan couldn't argue with that. He looked around at his strange, dysfunctional family—Damien grumbling as he scrubbed flour off his clothes, Lucifer looking far too pleased with himself, Inas and Seraphina cleaning up the magical green mist—and felt a warmth in his chest.
For all their quirks, he wouldn't trade them for the world.
But as he glanced at Ethan, their earlier moment replaying in his mind, he knew there was still something unresolved between them. Something that couldn't be ignored forever.