A Wide Collar & Short Leash

by Total-Mal

It's bad enough to be forced into close quarters with an enemy, but Angel Dust is by far one of the most irritating demons Pentious ever had the displeasure of crossing paths with. Now the only way they're both getting out of this situation is to cooperate. Hopefully he doesn't lose his sanity in the meantime. Cover art by Scribblehearts.

5. By the Heat & Glare of the Forge

"No one can know his own beauty or perceive a sense of his own worth until it has been reflected back to him in the mirror of another loving, caring human being."
John Joseph Powell

---

He couldn't remember the last time he'd been this hungover.

Pentious groaned, adjusting the ice-pack on his head as he watched the eggs bounce across the kitchen. His morning tea was steaming away in his favorite cup (gold with a detailed black lattice pattern) and a plate of bacon and toast sat next to it, making his stomach rumble and churn simultaneously. The eggs had offered an identical plate to Angel, who had immediately refused it ("I ain't gonna eat my baby's siblings!") so they were now busy attempting to make a simple plate of pancakes as a replacement.

Speaking of Angel, he seemed completely unaffected by their excessive drinking (though his white sclera was rather bloodshot so perhaps he was just better at hiding the worst of his symptoms). He sat up straight in the oak chair, one leg casually thrown over the other as he nursed some coffee with approximately five cubes of sugar and nothing else mixed in. "You should probably pop some aspirin, y'know," Angel grinned, bouncing his leg, "If you can keep it down that is."

The eggboiz hopped onto the stool they'd pushed next to the dining table, sliding a plate of fresh pancakes and strawberries in front of Angel. The spider smiled and patted their heads with two of his free arms. "Thanks lil' guys."

"I have already taken several pills," Pent muttered, lifting his tea and sipping it slowly, feeling some relief as the warm liquid passed over the thick bitter film that coated the inside of his mouth. "Unfortunately, it's still not enough to counter my hangover." He really hadn't planned on getting drunk and sleeping on the floor of his study, but here they were the morning after their impromptu party, trying to put the pieces back together through fogged minds and sore bodies.

Angel picked up his fork, ignoring the knife entirely as he used the edge of the utensil to cut pieces off the pancake. "Just make sure you don't puke on the cab ride back. They'll charge us for it."

"Me," Pent corrected with a snort, lowering the rim of his cup. "They'll charge me for it. You have yet to pay a single fare."

"Hey, you're the one livin' it up in a mansion," Angel said, popping the slice of the pancake into his mouth and chewing. "Sides, you're a Kingpin. You got some folks kickin' up to you, right?"

Pentious frowned and set his cup down in the matching saucer. "I run a few protection and weapon rackets. Nothing large-scale obviously." He poked his bacon with the end of his finger before picking up the toast instead, smearing some butter and jam over the top. "But I would appreciate it if you paid for a few of our expenses. I'm not going to be footing the bill for the next year." He took a small tentative bite, relieved that the taste of bread was mild enough even with spread to not immediately send his stomach lurching in protest.

"Hey, we got a pretty sweet deal at the Hotel cuz of me. I think that's payment enough." Angel grinned, shoveling another slice of pancake in his mouth, syrup dripping down the tines of the fork. "Plus you get to spend all your time with moi." He touched a hand to his chest, arching his back and stretching out his other limbs to strike a more sensual posture. "Y'know how many guys would kill for that?"

Rolling his eyes, Pent took a few more bites. "Somehow, I doubt this," he jangled the chain pointedly, "-is what most of your fans would have in mind." He dropped the links unceremoniously, wincing at the loud clacking sound they made as they smacked against the wooden table.

Angel slipped back into a more relaxed pose, sighing as he looked at the other Demon. "Alright, come on, drink some more water." He leaned over and grabbed the sweating pitcher that had been left out, refilling Pent's cup. Pent took the glass and forced the contents down, groaning as his head throbbed. Angel chuckled and sank back down into his seat. "Remind me not to let you go ham on the liquor if I ever get your dumb ass into a real party."

Forcing down the rest of the toast, Pent pushed the plate away, bacon untouched. Angel managed to finish one of the three pancakes before putting down his fork and the eggs swooped in to clear the table. "We should probably head back," Pentious murmured, pulling out his phone to note the low battery and various texts from Charlie. "I imagine Fat Nuggets will be wanting a long walk."

"Extra treats and cuddles too. Nugs doesn't like it when I don't come home," Angel said with a yawn, stretching his top arms over his head and cracking the joints of his elbows.

Pent stood, pushing in his chair. "Why? Do they have attachment issues?" he asked as they headed toward the grand foyer, a chorus of eggs waving them off from the kitchen.

"Nah, just some bad past experiences," The spider shrugged and pulled out his own phone, calling for a cab service to come pick them up outside of the mansion. "Nugs is a smart lil' pig, but animals only understand so much, y'know?"

Pent pursed his lips, watching as Angel lifted his phone to give the service his address for pick-up. He could easily imagine what sorts of bad experiences would keep Angel out all night.

He wasn't going to pry though. Not only was he simply not in the mood for a long (and no doubt complicated) conversation, but part of him wasn't sure if he wanted the answers at all. He could already take a pretty solid guess based on the one interaction he had witnessed with Valentino and adding details to his own mental picture just sounded like an exercise in self-flagellation.

When their cab finally arrived twenty minutes later, Pentious locked up his home and headed down to the paved driveway with Angel behind him. He gave the driver a small nod of acknowledgement before he opened the door and slid in, rubbing his throbbing brow as he settled down on the cracked leather seats. Angel sat next to him and slammed the door closed, shuffling slightly to make room for his long legs in the cramped backseat.

The driver hooked their arm over the back of the seat, leaning back as he said, "Where to?" But before Pent could answer, the man's single normal iris widened and his entire feathered face lit up in recognition. "Oh shit! Long time no see. Almost thought you got whacked in the last Extermination, slut." The man looked Angel over, running a tongue over his teeth.

Immediately, Angel's tired expression morphed into an annoyed smile. "Hey shit for brains, I thought you'd pick up some better insults by this point, but y'know, good to see ya haven't changed." He folded his top arms back behind his head, his mismatched eyes meeting the driver's own pair in silent challenge.

The driver just grinned and waggled his brows before his eyes dipped down to the chain trailing down from Angel's wrist. "What was all that about not offering your services to randos?" He jerked his thumb to Pent who stiffened and crossed his arms over his chest.

"I'm not his client," Pentious muttered, resisting the urge to rub his throbbing brow. Why oh why did they have to encounter one of Angel's previous lovers while he was nursing a massive hangover? "Will you just take us to the Happy Hotel? I'd like to get a change of clothes and shower."

The driver laughed and pointed to the shackles. "What's this shit then if not some weird ass bondage kink?" He reached down to grab it, but Angel snatched the man's wrist, smiling as he twisted it until the bird snarled and pulled back, his feathered ears flattening in irritation.

"Travis, babe, how 'bout you keep your snotty lil' nose outta my business and take us where we need ta go?" He winked and added, "If you want the fare, you better start drivin'."

The driver (or Travis, he supposed), gave an annoyed huff and turned back around to face the wheel, adjusting his rearview mirror to stare them both down. "Is that why you haven't been performing? You lose a bet or something?" Travis asked as he pulled out of the driveway and began to head down the road leading from the top of the hill back into the city.

"Yeah," Angel easily lied, sitting back and smirking as he lightly shoved Pentious' shoulder. "Got chained to this son of a bitch for the next few months. No more shows 'til we're done."

Travis gave a snort and Pentious cringed as he watched the other man openly ogle Angel through the mirror. "Damn shame. I've missed seeing you shake your fat tits on stage."

Rather than take any offense or make an attempt to block the other man's predatory staring, Angel just laughed. "Aw, is the old lady's rack not doin' it for ya?" He purposefully cupped his chest so that the fur bulged out of his jacket and Travis swallowed hard, forcing his eyes back onto the road. "Don't worry, these bad boys ain't goin' anywhere. As soon as I'm out, my ass is headed straight back to work."

"What about the side gig?" Travis asked, shooting one last glance to the spider in the rearview. "When do I get to hit that again?"

"When you fuckin' pay me, like always," Angel said with a skeptical eyebrow, purposefully stretching out his legs across Pent's lap to kick the back of Travis' seat. "You want the goods, you gotta fork over the cash first. These panties don't drop until the check clears."

Travis clicked his tongue, his feathered ears flicking as he pulled off the private road leading to Pentious' house and onto the main street that fed into the city proper. "Y'know, you should start offering a regulars' discount. There's hundreds of new hotties coming into the city every day. I could always take my business elsewhere."

"Then go to them if they're so much better than me. I never gave nobody fuckin' coupons and I sure as shit ain't startin' that up now. Discounts don't pay my bills," Angel said, his smile slightly strained at the corners, lifting one hand to inspect his nails (despite wearing full-length gloves). "Sides, your dick ain't good enough for me to be handin' out any freebies, asshole."

Pentious' eyes went wide, unable to cover the noisy snort that escaped his nose as Travis' neutral expression morphed into an annoyed pout. "Plenty good enough for a less picky whore…"

Angel just ignored the half-muttered insult and chose to stare out the car window, his expression still fixed in a smile and body language confident and cocky as Pent had ever seen. In the reflection of the glass, Pent could tell that his gaze was out of focus and tired. He couldn't blame the spider. It was way too fucking early for this bullshit.

"So snake guy-" Pent blinked, turning to Travis as the driver slipped back into the normal city traffic, honking his horn when some jackass on a motorcycle cut him off.

"I beg your pardon?"

Travis leaned back in his seat to look over his shoulder as they rolled to a slow stop. "How's it been bein' chained to this cock-tease? Have you at least gotten the slut to go down on you yet? Ya got plenty ease of access." He glanced pointedly to the chain and Pent stiffened in his seat.

Pulling at the brim of his hat, Pent exhaled and shifted his tail against the seat, accidentally brushing Angel's calves. "We're not lovers, if that's what you're asking."

"Lovers?" Travis gave a full-bellied cackle, turning back to the road and weaving through several other cars to get off the main route and onto a side street running parallel. "Hate to break it to you, pal, but whores ain't for loving. They're for hitting and quitting." He leaned over to knock on the window, getting Angel's attention. "Right, slut?"

Angel rolled his eyes, keeping his teeth lightly bared. "Ya really need to learn to vary your nicknames, pal. The slut thing was old last year."

"Don't gotta be clever to be true," Travis remarked as the Hotel came into view, the building standing out starkly against the mostly empty neighborhood that surrounded it. "You and dick are a match made in Hell."

Angel's smile tightened and Pentious pinched his brow, shaking his head. "In any case, no we don't sleep together. Not like that anyway…"

Shrugging, Travis met Angel's eyes through the mirror again. "Your loss. If I was in your place, I'd be fucking that whore mouth every chance I got." He parked the car up against the sidewalk and winked. "Fill it with more than sass and backtalk."

Angel laughed and kicked the door open with far more force than was necessary, making Travis wince at the creaking sound the hinge made. "Fill is a strong word," he said, leaning over to stare Travis down as he brought his chained hand just a few inches from the bird's face. "Considerin' the tiny pecka you're packin'." He inched his forefinger and thumb together until there was maybe a few centimeters separating them before he honked Travis' nose and pulled back with a mean laugh.

Travis' feathered ears flattened against his head in annoyance as Angel stepped out of the car and Pent sighed, removing his wallet to pay the fare. "Here's your payment," he muttered, shoving the bills into Travis' hand before sliding out of the seat and slamming the door closed behind him.

Once Pent was out, Angel turned away from the taxi, his triumphant smirk dropping into a tired line as they climbed the steps leading up to the double doors. Pent followed, waiting until they were through the doors before saying, "I assume that sort of harassment is normal?"

"Eh, comes with the territory," Angel shrugged, yawning as the doors closed with a gentle click behind them. "Some Johns are alright, most are kinda dickish, and then there are the fellas lookin' to beat up on someone who can't say no." He pulled on the chain and Pentious sped up as they headed through the lobby. "It's why I prefer strippin' to whorin'. It's more fun, I get to dance and be the star of the show-" he waved his chained arm in a loose circle, "-but it's less work and more cash upfront to just take a coupla fellas back to a motel for a good ol' fashioned dick drain."

"Do...do you have to call it that?" Pentious asked with a tight frown as they passed Husk at the Welcome Desk who took one look at them and gave a disappointed sigh once he noted they weren't carrying any bottles of the promised schnapps.

Angel raised an eyebrow and laughed, shaking his head. "You're such a fuckin' prude sometimes. Come on, Pen, y'all had hookers back in your day, right?"

"We did, but it still wasn't quite so crass," Pentious muttered with a sigh as they rounded the staircase, heading up to their floor. "And none of it was out in the open. We kept things private."

"If you think the whorin' is bad, you should see the porn shoots. That shit can take all day dependin' on the scene. I'll be tied up for like eight goddamn hours to get a 20 minute video."

Pent made a face, earning him a snicker from Angel as he dug his key from inside his jacket "Hey, you brought it up this time," he reminded, unlocking the door and immediately brightening when he saw Nugs was sitting on their haunches, waiting patiently next to the bed. "If I had it my way, I'd drop the shittier stuff and stick to strippin' and webcam shows."

Of course, no doubt all of this was wrapped up in Angel's contract with Valentino. The spider still kept the details of the agreement close to his chest, but he'd made it abundantly clear that denying or refusing Val's requests (demands, orders) wouldn't be tolerated under any circumstance.

If Valentino wanted him to jump, not only was Angel to ask "how high?" but also suck his cock at the same time.

Pushing those thoughts from his mind, Pent closed the door behind them and removed his hat, setting it on the dresser. Meanwhile, Angel wasted no time and scooped Nuggets up into his arms to lovingly nuzzle the pig's nose. "How's my baby? Did ya miss us you lil' cutie?" Nuggets gave a soft oink in response and then licked Angel's cheek, wiggling happily in the spider's arms. However, once the pig's black eyes caught sight of Pent over Angel's shoulder, Nugs began to loudly snort and squeal, clearly wanting attention from him as well.

Angel laughed and shifted back, turning to the other Demon. "Aw, you really were worried, weren't you? We're ok." Then without giving Pent any warning, Angel lifted Nugs to his face, allowing the pig to immediately assault his scales with their wet tongue.

"Really now?" Pent asked with a defeated sigh, giving in and petting over the pig's soft ears as Nugs let out a contented rumble. "It wasn't even a full day."

"Hey. To a pig, we might as well have been gone a year." Angel kissed his pet on the head before settling Nuggets on the floor, letting them waddle back to the wicker basket serving as their bed. "Alright, let's shower. I gotta wash the stink of your stuffy house offa me."

Pentious rolled his eyes and unbuttoned his jacket and shirt, sliding them both off his shoulders. "My home isn't stuffy…" he muttered as he pulled his undershirt over his head, placing all three articles of clothing into the hamper.

Angel clicked his tongue and tugged off his gloves and bowtie. "Your house is like if my nana had a goth phase in her mid-90s."

Without waiting for a response from the dumbstruck snake, Angel strode past him, forcing Pent to follow him into the bathroom or let the chain drag taut between them.

"Goth phase!?"

---

The next two months passed with relatively few major arguments or fights. It wasn't that the frustrations of their situation had suddenly disappeared in a single drunken evening, but after that night there was something of an understanding between them. Pentious was hesitant to call it mutual respect, but he also couldn't think of a better phrase to describe their current relationship either. Instead he chose to simply not call attention to it (thankfully, Angel didn't seem particularly inclined to discuss it either) as they continued to live their lives, working around the chain as best they could.

They eventually agreed to visit Pentious' home once a week (both to make repairs and to get them out of the Hotel for a few hours). After three trips, Angel insisted on bringing Fat Nuggets along if only to give him something to focus on besides his phone while Pent worked on his ship. The eggs had been very hesitant around the animal at first, but eventually began to bake special treats just for Nugs whenever they came by (which instantly earned Angel's affections).

"Ya know, you guys aren't so bad. I mean, you're fun to kill, like it's real satisfying ta smash ya ta bits," Angel said with a laugh as he pet over Nuggets in his lap. "But damn it's gonna be hard to take a bat to your lil' faces after all this."

"You could simply not engage me in the streets," Pent reminded, turning off the blowtorch and lifting up his welding mask to swap it out with his normal safety goggles that hung against his collarbone.

"Aw, where's the fun in that? Beatin' your ass is like gettin' an early Christmas." Angel leaned back on his chair as the eggs scattered, leaving the tray of pig treats on the bench behind him. "Not to mention that you kinda picked my gal pal as your main rival, so there ain't no way I'm sittin' on the sidelines while she's dukin' it out with your boys."

Pent huffed, rolling his eyes as he looked over the welded edge, running his gloves against the seam and humming critically.

"Speakin' of Cherri," Angel began, clearing his throat as his mocking tone was replaced with something that could almost be described as hesitant. "Thursday is her Death Day."

Raising an eyebrow, Pent glanced back at the other man over his shoulder and said, "So?" as he reached for his hand-sander, checking to make sure that he had the correct grit already attached to the tread. "Am I supposed to care about that?" He didn't wait for Angel to respond as he turned on the motor and ran the grit over the metal carefully, his arms vibrating from the force of holding the sander in place.

"Uh, kinda. Cherri and I always go out for each other's D-Days," Angel said with a frown, his top two hands stroking Nug's velvety ears while his bottom set cupped over the ball of his knees. "We party it up in her fav club, get fucked up, smash some shit, y'know…fun stuff."

Pentious turned off the sander and heaved a sigh, lowering the instrument. "Let me guess, I'm going to be forced to attend the festivities…?" he asked snidely, checking over the section he'd cleaned up by running his forefinger over the metal.

Angel pouted. "Aw, c'mon, snake. I haven't gone to a club the entire time we've been shackled together. You can stand bein' out for one night, can't ya?" He pursed his lower lip up, making it wobble as he lifted Nuggets up with his arms, using the pig almost as an adorable little shield. "Just one night?"

Dragging his goggles off, Pent turned, letting his hands rest on his hips. "And do I get something in turn? For...partying with you both?"

Angel batted his eyelashes at him and lowered Nuggets back to his lap. "Why the pleasure of our company of course!" Pent scoffed and the spider snickered, waving him off with his chained arm. "Alright, alright, I'll cut the bullshit." He went back to petting Nugs, chewing his lower lip. "So what do you want then?"

Pentious leaned back against the damaged hull, rubbing his bottom lip with his gloved index finger and wincing at the dust flecks that slipped into his mouth as a result. "I would have to think about it. It's not as though either of you have a great deal to offer me in the first place."

"Hey, I could always suck your cock." Angel opened his mouth and mimed jerking off an invisible shaft into his puffed up cheek pocket. Pent just narrowed his eyes and Angel exhaled, dropping his arm as he stared at the other man. "When even was the last time you got off, like ever?"

Shaking his head, Pent felt his cheeks warm as he muttered, "Why do you care so much about my sex life?"

Angel shrugged with both sets of arms. "I wouldn't say I'm invested or anythin'. Guess I'm just tryin' to put the pieces together." He chuckled and added, "Coupla months ago I mighta pegged ya for an ace, but now I'm not so sure."

"I can confirm that I'm not asexual," Pent said, pulling his goggles back up and leaning over to grab the sander again. "But my sexual proclivities are really none of your business."

"Y'know, the more ya try and hide it, the more curious I'm gonna get," Angel said, grinning as he watched him turn on the sander and run the grit along the uneven weld. "But I think I can rule out gay and ace. Straight might be the ticket, but I dunno. It's always hard to tell with Europeans."

Pent blinked and turned off the sander again, thoroughly baffled by the last statement. "And what the hell is that supposed to mean?"

Angel grinned and leaned forward, gently placing Nugs down on the floor in front of him (but keeping a firm hold on the pig's leash so his pet wouldn't wander). "Let's put it this way, snake. If you were from the States, I'd have pegged you as gay, but since you ain't from my neck of the woods, I gotta speculate. The devil's in the details."

"How do I come across as gay?" Pentious asked, gesturing to his oil stained apron and then the myriad of lab equipment surrounding them. He was a well-dressed gentleman whose chosen career path included creating and maintaining instruments of mass destruction and death. What possible clues to his sexuality could be hidden in any of that?

"Eh, you gotta lot of girly hobbies and you care way too much about how you look." Angel sniggered as Pent pouted. "Don't fuckin' deny that crap, asshole. You preen in the mirror almost as much as I do. That's hella fuckin' gay." Angel gestured to the other Demon and heaved a sigh. "But like I said, I gotta factor in you bein' a foppy British guy too. It complicates shit."

Slapping the tip of his tail against the floor, Pent adjusted his grip on the tool and ran his opposite hand down over the length of his tied hood. "I can also confirm I'm not gay, despite my various hobbies," he muttered, poorly disguised annoyance lacing his words.

But really, none of this was any of Angel's concern. Who Pentious chose to spend his intimate time with (and their gender) was his private affair and not something to be shouted from the rooftops by Hell's equivalent of a Roman orator.

Of course, Angel wasn't the type of man to let a bone go once he'd sunk his teeth into it. The spider simply waggled his brow at him and said, "That still don't necessarily make ya straight." He held up a hand, ticking off fingers. "Ya got bi, pan, demi-" Angel paused, raising an eyebrow in thought. "Actually, now that I think about it, demi would make a lotta sense for ya."

"Demi?" Pent frowned, crossing his arms over his chest as he stared at the other man. "That's one I've never heard before."

Angel shrugged as Nugs settled underneath his chair, curling up for a nap. "It's like...emotional attachment shit. You don't get horned up unless you're in love." He clasped two of his hands together, interlacing the fingers mockingly as he batted his eyes at nothing in particular. He cackled and dropped his hands back to his lap, wrapping the pink leash around one of his free wrists. "Which honestly sounds extra gay to me, but eh, I wouldn't know."

Pent furrowed his brow, something in the spider's words stirring old memories to the surface . "I've had sex with people I didn't love before," he said plainly as their faces flashed before his mind's eye in rapid succession. He'd never been able to forget even after all these years (one of the many curses of a photographic memory). "Though I'll admit, it was far less fulfilling."

Of course, Angel didn't take the hint. "People? That's an interestin' word choice there." The spider's grin widened and he leaned his elbow against the arm of the chair, cupping his chin in his palm. "You sayin' you fucked non-lady types?"

Scowling, Pent raised the sander, pointing the tool at Angel. "You aren't going to let this go, are you?"

Angel scoffed. "Why would I when it gets your stupid ass blushin' like a goddamn fire hydrant with its skirts ripped off? Sides, who the fuck am I gonna tell your dirty lil' secrets to?"

"Cherri Bomb," Pentious said flatly, lowering the sander as Angel's smirk twisted into a guilty half-smile.

"Ok, yeah...but besides her-"

Pent sighed, lifting his free hand to cut the other man off with a quick mid-air swipe. "Alright, here is the deal. You stop harassing me about my sex life and I'll agree to go to your little Death Day party."

Angel blinked, his mouth pursed for a moment as he rubbed his thumb along his jawline. "So when you say 'stop harassin'..."

"I mean forever and not just today," Pentious confirmed with a firm nod. "If I, for whatever reason, choose to discuss the topic with you, then it is fair game, but otherwise you are to not bring it up in conversation." He raised an eyebrow, the tip of his tail coiling and uncoiling against the hull. "Fair enough?"

The spider puffed up his cheeks in a childish pout before exhaling. "Yeah, ok. I'll stop buggin' ya, but damn is it fun."

"Such a sacrifice you've made for your friend," Pentious declared, slowly turning back to face the hull as he raised both arms in mocking pantomime. "-deciding to no longer pester me for details on my private sexual history." He adjusted his goggles, fitting them back over his eyes before adding, "I'm sure your penance will be one for the records."

"Alright, alright, go back ta tinkerin', ya jackass. Sheesh…"

Pent smirked and turned the sander on, raising the instrument to the welded edge as Angel began texting. After a minute or two of renewed silence (save for the grind of the grit against solid metal), he was able to finally relax and sink back into the deep focused meditation of his work.

---

The day before Cherri's Death Day party, Pentious was told (not asked, told) they'd be going shopping for what Angel referred to as clubwear. Of course, he had insisted that he owned a plethora of casual clothes that would work just fine for the event, but Angel dismissed everything without even taking a glance at the clothing on offer. "Yeah, no offense, snake, but I don't trust you to dress down. You'll make us look like a buncha dorks so instead I'm gonna deck ya out and you're gonna just have to deal with that."

Pentious had rolled his eyes but agreed under the condition that Angel not pick anything too revealing or sexual. "I'm looking to have a good time, not be molested by strangers."

Angel had just grinned and rocked his hips to grind into the air. "I dunno what ta tell ya, Pen. With an ass like that, you're gonna have people humpin' up on you no matter what you're wearin'..." Angel gave him a flirty onceover and smacked his upper back. "C'mon, call the cab, busta. We got some shit to buy."

Half an hour later and they were wandering the aisles of a run-down shopping center where most of the clothes hung on the rusted ranks barely resembled fabric at all. Of course, Angel had picked this particular outlet both for the 'style' (a rather bold choice of words) and the affordable prices touted on the tags.

While Pentious grimaced over misaligned seams and purposefully ripped sleeves, Angel dragged him along to scour the clearance sections, grabbing handfuls of items that looked to be roughly in their sizes and stacking them on one arm. Then before Pent could even take a look at any of his selections, he was being manhandled over to a shady looking corner of the store with a dilapidated sign reading "CHANGING ROOM".

The changing room really wasn't made for two people so it was a tight fit made all the tighter by the length of Pentious' tail. He struggled to get out of his clothes while Angel just dropped his skirt and slid up a pair of leather hot pants in their stead, his back pressed up against the snake's.

"What even-?" Pent held up the hanger, frowning as he took in the sleeveless black leather vest that was adorned with cheap looking gold painted spikes stamped through the breast and shoulder. He flipped it over, wincing at the sight of more spikes spelling out 'DADDY' across the upper back. "This is a very deep v-neck."

"All the better to show off your cute lil' snitties," Angel said with a wink as he exchanged his jacket and gloves for neon pink fish-net sleeves and a teal sequin tube top, the breasts patterned in a way that vaguely resembled sea shells. He then adjusted the fit of the cuffs and then took the vest from the hanger. "C'mon, arms up."

"I'm not even going to ask what the fuck snitties are," Pent sighed and obediently lifted his arms. "You do realize we're going to have to modify anything we get to fit the chain…" he muttered as he tugged at the metal cuffs. It wouldn't take a great deal of time to modify a simple vest, but the cheapness of the leather concerned him. Poor fabric always shredded under a decent sewing machine.

"Yeah, but we gotta make sure this shit fits us first," Angel said, fitting it over the chain and through as best he could before zipping up the front and smoothing over the leather. He couldn't step back in the limited space, so he leaned away, his spine pressed against the corner of the booth. "Well damn, throw a few accessories on ya and it's like you're a whole new asshole."

Pentious shifted to look himself over in the stained mirror hanging skewed against the door. "It's not terrible, though it feels very strange to wear a vest with nothing underneath." He touched his chest which was very exposed in the middle, the zipper resting underneath his sternum entirely.

"Your hat can change shape right?"

Pent frowned and glanced to Angel who was fighting the hem of the tube top, folding the shimmering fabric over to expose his naval. Touching over the brim of his hat self-consciously, Pentious nodded. "Yes, why?"

Angel shrugged and then fixed the fishnets so the cross-hatched fabric didn't get caught in his fur. "Maybe wearin' somethin' familiar will make it less weird for ya? Shape that lil' fucker into somethin' that matches the vibe an' hopefully it'll help keep ya from havin' a heart attack when you take a whole goddamn step out of your comfort zone."

Unzipping the vest, Pent sighed and nodded. "I'll consider it." It wasn't a bad idea. His hat was an accessory he rarely went without in some form or another and he'd rather have that on his head than anything Angel might select for him.

Once he removed the vest, Pent turned the fabric over to stare at the lettering, frowning at the massive spikes that covered the entire width of the shoulder darts. Sighing, he shook his head. "Why did you pick this one?"

Angel snickered and bumped his hip to Pent, forcing the snake to move so he could look himself over in the mirror as well. "You don't remember our first fight do ya?" the spider said, his eyes giving the outfit a once-over before attempting to pose in the limited space.

"I do," Pent said with a frown, watching as Angel leaned over to adjust his breasts in the top (and shoving his backside against the snake's abdomen in the process). "I was ignorant at the time, but no longer. I did my research."

Angel paused and turned to look at him, one brow raised. "What? The fuck do you mean by research?"

Giving a tired huff, Pent crossed his arms and twirled the fingers of one hand idly against his elbow. "I bought a guide to innuendos and wordplay. I'm not fond of appearing ignorant so I made sure to learn the basics." He blushed and bit his lip. "For the record, I'm not nearly old enough to be considered a 'daddy' in that regard."

"Ok, first, 'daddy' ain't an age, it's a state of mind, but secondly...you fuckin' what!?" Angel let out a massive snort, placing one arm on the wall and cackling obnoxiously as he hunched into Pent. "You really got a fuckin' book? Holy shit you are the biggest goddamn dork I've ever met, snake."

Pent's flush deepened as the spider continued to laugh, the sound amplified in the changing room (even overwhelming the outdated pop songs blasting through the dusty overhead speakers). "I didn't want to be embarrassed again!" he hissed. "I don't like playing the fool and you and your smart mouth kept distracting me."

"Mmm, sure that wasn't all that was distractin'?" Angel asked, purposefully shimmying to bounce his breasts in the top, only half an arm's length between them in the limited space of the changing room.

Pent glanced at the other man's chest in question and his eyes immediately shot back up, ignoring the spider's knowing grin. "Those have to be implants. I've never seen a man with breasts."

Angel shook his head and leaned back, keeping one arm extended to lean against the wall. "Wrong, but you ain't the first to think so. They're as real as the rest of me." He lifted a free arm to squeeze his chest through the top and winked at Pentious. "Just my luck, I got the best pair of tits in the Pentagram, but no ass. It's a cryin' shame."

"Everything has trade-offs I suppose," Pent muttered, keeping his eyes averted as he took the vest and hung it on the arms of the hanger. "I'm assuming you didn't have them in life."

"Oh hell no." Angel grinned and ran his bottom two hands down over the length of his sides, the motion smooth and sensual for how practiced it was. "I had no curves at all as a human. Least down here I got somethin' to work with, even if it's only up top." He checked himself out again in the mirror and blew his reflection a kiss. "I think I'm goin' with this bitchy mermaid look. It's hot."

Pent held up the Daddy vest and pursed his lips. It could be a lot worse and it was all neutral colors so he wouldn't be a walking neon signpost like Angel. "If anyone actually calls me Daddy, I am going to punch them," he said, lifting his chin as he waited for Angel to strip off his 'bitchy mermaid outfit' and change back into his normal skirt, gloves, and jacket.

"Might wanna wear some brass knuckles then cuz your fists are gonna be flyin'." Angel cackled as he finished getting dressed, fixing his bowtie before snatching up Pent's shirt and jacket. "Arms up," he said, helping Pentious back into his own clothes. "Now, let's pick out some bling. I saw a choker and some bands that I wanna look at."

Pent had barely finished buttoning up his jacket when he was bodily towed from the changing room. That earned them a few stares as Angel marched through the store, his mismatched eyes going wide with barely restrained excitement as they approached the jewelry counter. Pent raised an eyebrow, noting that most of the rings and necklaces under the glass display case were cheap knock-offs of much nicer and high-end pieces (though he supposed the quality was reflected in the pathetic price tags attached to them).

Angel didn't seem to care, slipping some gold colored bangles off a broken plastic hand-model and trying the set on his own wrist, shaking his arm to watch the metal dance with the motion. "Those will break very quickly and only continue to deteriorate once the paint chips off," Pent remarked as the metal clacked against itself, already showing tell-tale signs of rust underneath the rushed paint-job that was working very hard to cover it.

"So? Sometimes the point is just to look good for a night or two. Not all of us wanna wear the same shit day in and day out." Angel paused, eying a gold colored ring with a big pink stone in the middle of it. He grinned and snatched it off the dusty velvet pad, sliding the piece on his middle finger before flicking Pent off with it.

Pentious sighed and picked at the frayed edges of the cheap leather in his grasp. "It just seems like a waste of money. I'd rather spend more on something that will stand the test of time than buy items that will need to be replaced after a few uses." He raised the vest back to eye-level and cringed. "I don't even want to know what animal they skinned this terrible hide from…"

Angel clicked his tongue, looking over the ring on his finger before checking the price. "Well, you ever consider that buyin' the pricier shit is exactly that? Fuckin' expensive?" As he spoke, the excitement faded and the smile on his face fell to a more tamed expression. Pent raised an eyebrow as Angel began to slip off the jewelry and pile it back on the counter. "Just cuz you got cash to burn doesn't mean everybody else does."

He pulled off the ring last, turning it over in his fingers before gently laying it on the velvet display. "An' if it makes me happy for a night, then it's done the damn job."

The spider then tapped the fingers of his chained arm against the glass as he used the opposite arm to pull his billfold out from inside his jacket, tallying up his finances with a furrowed brow.

Pent watched Angel, thinking back to the collection of clothes he'd seen in the spider's dresser and closet. Suddenly all the misaligned seams and cheap fabric were starting to make more sense. Not that he'd ever been under the impression that the spider was well-off, but he'd never assumed that Angel was this stint for cash.

Chewing his tongue, Pent felt his stomach sink a little, reminded of his life as a young man, so desperate to pretend that he wasn't wearing third and fourth-hand clothes as he clawed for a better life in London's factories. The deep-set feelings of inadequacy never left even when his shirts changed from frayed cotton to fine linens and silks and his shoes fit for the first time in two decades rather than being a size too small.

While he was alive, he'd managed to accumulate a small fortune, marry into a good family, make a real name for himself, but at the end of the day he was still just a common work-mule smuggled into the blankets and stable of a prized stallion.

Angel wasn't playing at being high-society, but his loud distracting clothes reflected that same desire: look at me, but not too close.

Just keep your eyes locked on the right places and you'll never see the painful truth.

"C'mon, let's go pay," Angel said, knocking him out of his musing as he closed his wallet, a disappointed expression on his face. Pent blinked and glanced down, seeing that Angel had left all the cheap jewelry on the counter, including the pink ring he seemed to be fond of.

Without thinking, Pentious snatched it, pocketing the ring into his suit with a somewhat rusty sleight-of-hand. Thankfully the clerks were too busy with other customers to notice his sloppy work and the two men were able to proceed to the register without anyone accosting them.

When it was their turn to pay, Pent reached for his wallet, but Angel opened his billfold, thumbing through some crumpled bills before frowning and tugging out a credit card. The spider huffed at Pent's curious stare and he crossed his arms as the clerk rang them up. "Thought you'd be happy I'm payin' for somethin'," he said snidely as the girl removed the hangers and packed up their purchases. "You gonna complain about this too?"

"Not at all," Pent said, slipping his wallet back into his pocket. "I'm just surprised." The girl behind the counter popped her gum and stuffed the receipt paper into the bag before handing the entire thing to Angel. The spider took the bag and turned to head out of the store, Pent following behind him at a pace.

Sighing, Pent thumbed over the bump of the ring in his pocket. "...Thank you," he said quietly as Angel lifted the bag to sling it over one shoulder, using a free hand to tuck his credit card back into his wallet.

Angel just gave a nod. "Yeah, yeah. You're gettin' the cab back though."

Snorting, Pent smiled softly and gave a knowing tip of his hat. "I assumed as much."

---

When they got back to the Hotel, they barely had time to put away their purchases before there was a playfully rhythmic knock at their door.

Raising an eyebrow, Angel opened the door to reveal a very excited looking Charlie bouncing up and down on her heels, holding what looked like a very crumpled sheet of red paper in her grasp. "Hey babe. What can we do ya for?" the spider asked, leaning his arm against the doorframe as Pentious sidled up next to him. "Somethin' goin' on?"

"Sorta! Um, so Vaggie and I were thinking of handing out some flyers for the Hotel. I think we can probably drum up some interest since we've had a lot of new souls drop in recently." Charlie flipped the sheet in her hands, the paper displaying a rainbow logo for the Happy Hotel alongside crudely drawn caricatures of all the staff.

Pent reached out and took the paper from her, frowning. "Is that...supposed to be me?" he asked, pointing at a black noodly looking figure with a top hat standing next to what could only be Angel (judging by the number of limbs anyway).

Charlie laughed and rubbed her opposite arm. "Yeah. I'm not the best artist, but I think most people will get the picture." She took the flyer back, holding it in both hands. "Do you guys wanna come help out?"

Both men frowned and Angel tentatively ran his tongue along his upper row of teeth. "I mean, you do remember the last time I helped out with your little chores, don't ya?" The spider jangled the chain and Charlie winced through her smile.

"We won't be split up across the city this time and we'd be killing two birds with one stone: getting everyone out of the Hotel for a bit and spreading the cause." She folded the paper and tucked it into her suit, adjusting the button at her waist. "It's perfect beach weather tomorrow so we're gonna be giving out flyers around the boardwalk!"

Angel's eyes lit up and he pushed off the wall, all four of his hands closing into fists. "Oh shit, really? Well fuck." He turned back to Pentious and made his eyes as wide and round as was physically possible. "C'mon snake. We're bein' offered a goddamn beach day."

"Is it really a beach day when we're handing out flyers?" Pentious asked, crossing his arms as Nugs trotted up behind them, curious as to why they were all gathered around the door. He reached down, picking up the pig and handing them to Angel so that Nuggets wouldn't try and wander out into the hallway off-leash. "It's also terribly hot this time of year…"

"Which makes it perfect!" Angel countered, nuzzling Nug's head as Charlie nodded eagerly behind them. "We can cool off in the water and play some stupid carnival games an' all that jazz."

Pentious pursed his lips, his tail flicking against the bed frame. "What about Cherri's party? That's tomorrow night, remember?"

"We can do both of course!" Angel shifted Nugs into his bottom arms while his top set grabbed Pent's shoulders (the snake suppressing a surprised flinch). "Don't be a goddamn stick in the mud. We spend the afternoon at the beach and then get dolled up and head to the club with Cherri. It'll be a full day, but you can manage, right?"

The spider's pleading expression returned and he raised Nugs who just tilted their head in mild confusion before licking Angel's hand and snuffling his pink glove. Pentious exhaled heavily and pushed Angel's hands off his shoulders before reaching up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I suppose it's doable…" he muttered, earning a cheer from both Charlie and Angel in turn. "Though, we'll need sunscreen."

Charlie grinned and gave him an assured wave. "Don't worry about a thing! I've already got all the essentials written up. You guys just have to get dressed and come downstairs when it's time to leave. Sound good?" They both nodded and she gave them an excited thumbs up. "Awesome, I'm gonna let Husk and Niffty know. See you guys at lunch!" She then headed back to the elevator, leaving Angel to shut the door behind her.

"Man, it's been ages since I got to go to the beach," Angel said with a warm smile, gently squeezing Nuggets in his arms. "Well, aside from the shoots we did out there." He shuddered, sticking out his tongue. "Got so much fuckin' sand in my ass cheeks."

Still rubbing over his brow, Pent pursed his lips and nodded. "Sounds highly unpleasant." Among many other things that could be found at the beach, namely the goddamn sun.

"The fuck would you know? You don't even got cheeks," Angel said, leaning over to ogle Pent's backside. "Just one solid piece of cake." He mimed slapping it with one of his top hands and Pent shot him an annoyed glare, making the spider laugh and back up. "Chill, it's a fuckin' joke, dickbag." Angel grinned and then sat down on the bed, settling his pet in his lap. For a moment he was happily playing with Nugs, but then his expression froze and he winced. "Oh fuck..."

"What?"

Pursing his lips, Angel raised his pig up to kiss Nug's forehead. "I don't know what I'm gonna wear!"

Pentious blinked slowly and then reached over, yanking open Angel's filled closet with a dramatic sweep of his hands. "Pick your poison," he said sarcastically, adding a showman's bow before laying down on the bed next to Angel.

"Gee, thanks," Angel muttered, rolling his eyes before placing Nugs back down to the carpet.

Pent shrugged and yawned, stretching out against the sheets. "Always glad to be of service."

---

The next day, Angel actually woke before him, the spider excitedly lifting a sleepy Nuggets out of their basket and into his lap so as to press messy kisses along the pig's snout. Pent just yawned, letting his tea boil and then steep as Angel settled the pig into his lap and texted back and forth with Cherri. He watched them swap selfies and memes for a good thirty minutes before he tugged on the chain, forcing Angel to get up and go through their usual routine.

After they'd had breakfast, they returned to their room and Pentious found himself almost enthralled by the way Angel picked through his closet, insisting on finding the perfect swimsuit in his massive collection of skimpy outfits. After an hour and a half of trying on what had to be a dozen different suits, Angel decided on a red halter top bikini with a matching thong bottom ("I don't have much junk in the trunk, but there ain't no fuckin' way I'm wearin' granny panties.")

Tying a purple sarong around his waist, Angel dug a ladies' sun hat out of the closet and glanced back to Pent who was still looking in his dresser. "What the fuck are you even going to wear? Not like you can throw on any trunks." Angel raised an eyebrow, shifting his weight to one side as he thumbed over the wide-brim of the hat. "Can't see you headin' outside in the buff either."

"I don't plan to be naked," Pentious huffed, finally pulling a white tank top and a red short-sleeve button-down with a bright tropical floral print out from the stack of folded clothes. He laid the fabric out neatly on top of the dresser, smoothing over the wrinkles with his hand before sliding the drawer closed.

Angel stared at the cloth with a blank expression for a moment before his face cracked into a grin, raising one hand to muffle his giggles (unsuccessfully). "Oh my fuckin' god, who gave you a goddamn hawaiian shirt?"

Pentious frowned, slipping the tank top over his head and zipping up the altered seam to bypass the chain. "No one. I bought it for myself," he said, tugging the floral print on over it, leaving the buttons undone for a more casual effect. "I don't participate in summer activities very often, but I'm not going to wear my suits to the beach."

Biting his lip, Angel just shook his head and watched as Pent pulled out a pair of sunglasses, fitting them on top of his hood. "You look like every dad on vacation ever." He stepped forward and playfully outlined the shape of Pent's waist in the air. "Except without the beer gut."

"I suppose that counts as a compliment," Pentious muttered with a sigh as Angel grabbed some platform sandals and slipped his feet into them, hiding the majority of the appendages in a closed-toe box. "Are you finally done?"

Angel held up a finger before swiping his makeup bag off the nightstand, yanking Pent toward the bathroom by the chain. "Just gotta put on a lil' face."

Pent scrunched his brow, but didn't fight as he was towed. "What is the point of makeup when we're going to the waterfront?" he asked, crossing his arms as he slithered in and leaned against the sink counter.

"The point is I'm goin' out in public for the first time in fuckin' ages and I wanna look nice," Angel stuck his tongue out at him and unzipped the bag to pull out an eyeliner pencil, some mascara, and a dark lip shade. "So shut your pie-hole and let a man work."

Pentious sighed and leaned back against the counter, watching as Angel drew small black wings on both eyes, outlined his lips and colored them in before curling his lashes with an instrument that looked like a torture device. He finished the look off with some mascara and setting spray before giving himself a wink in the mirror, blowing his reflection a sultry kiss. Turning to Pent, he posed, folding his top two arms behind his head while the bottom two rested on his popped hip. "Bam! Now we're cookin' with gas!"

The spider did look nice, the darker colors of his swimwear and makeup contrasting well against his white fur. The sarong also served to give him more of a shape than his normal skirt, evening out his upper body and lower body in a way that most would agree was appealing. "I hope all of that is waterproof," Pent remarked as they headed out of the bathroom, grabbing their phones and wallets off the dresser.

"Of course. I only wear the non-waterproof shit when I'm told to." Angel laughed at Pent's confused expression and mimed crying with his chained wrist. "Some guys like it when it turns all wet and smeary. Gets 'em off real nice to see the mess."

Sighing, Pent dragged a hand down the side of his face as Angel continued to giggle. "Of course it's a porn thing…whyever wouldn't it be?"

"Everythin' is porn, babe. The sooner you accept that, the less time you'll spend clutchin' your pearls like a granny." Angel leaned over the bed to reach his pet's basket, giving Nugs a soft pat to both ears. "Now you be good while we're gone, ok?"

The pig snorted tiredly before settling back down in the blankets, content to curl up and sleep. Taking their room keys, Pent opened the door and locked it behind them, checking his pockets one last time for his phone before they made their way downstairs.

Outside, the Magne limo was idling with Razzle and Dazzle in the driver's seat (Razzle working the pedals as Dazzle stood on the other goat's shoulders to reach the wheel). Husk and Vaggie were in the process of loading up the trunk with several stacks of blankets, an absurdly large umbrella, and a few coolers (one of which was simply labeled BEER).

Meanwhile, Charlie was on her phone, frowning as she leaned her forearm against the vehicle. "Yeah, I guess I can come by and grab them. No really, it's not a problem at all." she said in an overly cheery tone that did not match the tight knit of her brow. "Ok, see you soon." She hung up and tilted her head back in an exasperated groan. "Fuuuuuuuck!"

"Something wrong?" Pentious asked as Angel slipped his phone inside the cup of his bikini top and placed his sunhat over the fluff of his hair, adjusting it until the brim flopped over at the perfect angle.

"The printer screwed up and our flyers aren't ready," Charlie said, dragging a hand down the side of her face. "I'll have to go and pick up the set before we head to the boardwalk. The shitty part is that it won't be done for another hour or so."

Vaggie closed the trunk and walked around the side of the car, brushing her fingers over Charlie's bangs before taking the princess' opposite hand and thumbing over Charlie's knuckles tenderly. "It'll be ok, hon. I'll go with you to collect the flyers while everyone else sets up camp on the beach. We won't lose that much of the day."

Charlie's frown tightened briefly before she let out a sigh, the tension in her shoulders releasing as she nodded. "Yeah, but it's still annoying. Nothing ever wants to go smoothly around here." She picked at the straps of her black one-piece and slid the phone into her handbag. Finally Charlie glanced up, eyes flickering to Pentious and then Angel in turn. "Uh, nice outfit, Sir Pentious…"

Angel immediately started cackling (not even trying to hide his laughter behind his hand) as Pent scowled and fingered the shirt collar between his talons. "Clearly this top will have to go in the bin after today. I assumed it was rather innocuous, but apparently I was mistaken."

"Eh, I don't see what the problem is," Husk said with a shrug, leaning back against the limo as he snatched his metal flask from where it was resting on the roof of the car. "A shirt's a shirt."

"You hardly ever even wear normal clothes," Vaggie pointed out, gesturing to the cat who just snapped the waistband of his wrinkled red swim-trunks pointedly and puffed up his chest as he unscrewed the flask cap.

"I got a hat and tie. That's practically fucking business casual. Just be glad that I threw on trunks for this shit." Husk then pointed to Angel and added, "It's more than legs wears on the regular."

"If you wanted ta see the rest, all you gotta do is ask for it, baby," Angel said, giving a sultry bat of his eyelashes as Husk sighed and took another long pull from the flask.

"Where's Al? I wanna get this fucking show on the road," he muttered, yanking open the door to let Niffty hop up onto the step and slide inside.

Charlie winced and pushed her swim braid over her shoulder. "Al didn't want to come and we needed someone to mind the Hotel while we're gone anyway. It was either him or me and he volunteered to stay behind...soooo…yeeeeah..." She raised both of her hands, giving the group a tentative double thumbs up and Husk groaned, waving her off.

"Well then the fuck are we waiting for?" he snapped, climbing inside the limo after Niffty and scooting back to make room for the rest. "Let's pick up your damn papers and get going."

Charlie sighed and ducked her head to get into the limo, Vaggie rubbing her shoulder as she followed her in. Lastly, Angel and Pentious slipped inside, closing the door behind them.

Their first stop was the print shop where Charlie and Vaggie hopped out of the car to get everything settled with the flyers. "How are you gonna find us?" Angel asked, watching as Vaggie tied her hair back into a high ponytail and covered her light blue bikini top with a towel slung over her shoulders.

"Just set up close to the ferris wheel and we'll figure it out," Charlie assured with a small smile before going to the driver side to instruct Razzle and Dazzle to drop the gang off at the beach and then head back to the print shop while Vaggie grabbed some white shorts from her bag. She handed them to Charlie to slip over the bottom of her bathing suit, only stepping up onto the sidewalk once they were both covered enough to be decent.

"Worst case scenario, keep your phones close." Vaggie waved hers and added, "We shouldn't be long, but we'll let you guys know when we're on our way."

Pentious nodded and Husk gave them a lazy thumbs up before downing the rest of his flask. With that, they waved to the girls as they shut the door, the vehicle driving away from the store and towards the massive carnival boardwalk and wine red sea that lined the adjacent coast.

Razzle and Dazzle took them as close to the massive ferris wheel as possible and they all got out, slowly unloading their supplies from the trunk.

Tilting his head up from underneath his wide-brimmed sun hat, Angel grinned and inhaled the salty air. "Fuck it's a nice day."

"You know we're here to do actual work, right?" Pent said with a frown as he lifted the first cooler into his arms and stepped back to give the others room. Husk immediately took his place, leaning into the trunk to grab the massive umbrella and stack of blankets and setting them both off to the side.

"Eh, I'm gettin' a tan in either way," Angel shrugged, looking at him from over the rim of his cat-eye sunglasses and winking.

"Like anyone will see it through all that fluff," Husk muttered, picking up the towels and blankets before shoving them into Angel's hands. "Now pull your damn weight like the rest of us."

"Mmm, I'd rather pull yours," Angel shot right back, licking his lips as the cat huffed and slammed the roof of the trunk closed. Niffty bounced next to him, a smaller cooler held above her head as the men took the heavier loads.

The four of them descended the wooden stairs of the boardwalk before beginning to trudge across the hot black grains that made up Pillager's Point.

Pentious rarely visited any beaches, both when he was alive and after he was dead. Sun and sand had never held much appeal to him, but apparently he was in the minority as there were already plenty of beach goers out and about, either in the process of setting up their own blankets or already camped out and settling in for a late-morning soak in the sea.

Once they found a clear spot within sight of the ferris wheel, Husk and Pent drove the umbrella deep into the sand while Niffty began to lay out blankets, pinning the edges with the coolers and other heavier items. Adjusting the hand-crank, Pent opened the umbrella and fixed the angle, making sure the vast majority of their little camp was properly shaded before he leaned over, digging through the blanket bag for the massive bottle of sunscreen Charlie had packed.

Angel was already stretched out on a blanket, his top arms settled behind his head while the bottom set rested against his trim abdomen. "Can you even get sunburnt, snake?" he asked with a grin as he watched Pent roll up the sleeves to his floral shirt and stretch out his tail to begin applying cream to his scales.

"Unfortunately yes," Pent muttered, not looking up from his work, pausing at the base of his tail to smear a handful over his face, rubbing it in. "And I'm really not fond of shedding so I'd like to avoid getting burnt as much as possible."

Angel shrugged and laid back, content to ignore him as he worked at applying sunscreen over his body. Nearly half an hour went by before he was satisfied with the coverage, capping the bottle and setting it to the side.

"That took forever," Husk remarked, a stack of three empty beer cans half-buried in the sand next to him. "Never thought I'd be grateful for the hairballs, but shit, if I had to do that every time I went out, I'd just fucking off myself."

"I rarely go out for that exact reason," Pent said with a sigh, coiling up under the umbrella as much as possible even with all the sunscreen he'd just applied. "It's not fun to burn, but neither is this particular chore enjoyable."

At least it had killed some time. No doubt the girls would be back soon and then they could get to work handing out the flyers. The day was starting to turn very hot and he wanted to get this little outing over with as soon as possible so he could return to the sanctuary that was climate controlled interiors.

An hour passed and the girls still hadn't returned.

According to their texts, the printer was struggling to fulfill their order and it was going to take even longer to get everything squared away.

"Welp, if they're gonna be late, I'm gettin' my happy ass some ice cream," Angel said, rolling up to sit. "You two want any?" he asked, brushing the sand from his legs with his top hands while his bottom two pointed to Niffty and Husk in turn.

"Chocolate works," Husk said with a shrug, crushing his ninth beer can against his forehead and tossing it into the pile.

Niffty shook her head, barely glancing up from her tablet as her tiny fingers typed away. "I'd love some, but I really need to concentrate on this chapter." She paused, rubbing her chin. "Getting these two together is such a challenge."

Pent sat up and groaned, already feeling a headache coming on from spending over an hour sitting on hot black sand (the blankets did little to block the heat already absorbed into the ground and it was only getting hotter). "What exactly are you writing? You've been at it for some time now…"

Niffty gave a shy smile, her cheeks flushing almost immediately which made all three men exchange curious glances. "Oh it's nothing, just a story I'm drafting up." She pulled her tablet close to her chest before Angel could lean over for a peek, lifting her chin defiantly. "It's not done!"

"Go ahead and get her a lemon pop. She's gonna want it when you guys get back," Husk muttered, rolling his eyes as Niffty gave a shocked gasp. "What? It's true. When we hit high noon, you're gonna be wishing for something nice and cold."

"I guess..." Niffty murmured, loosening her grip on the tablet.

Angel straightened up and ticked off his fingers. "Chocolate and a lemon pop if they got it." He tugged the chain and Pent sighed, slipping his sunglasses over his eyes as he followed Angel out from underneath the muted comfort of their umbrella. The sand not shaded by their camp was a lot hotter now and Pent was suddenly very grateful for the thick hide that made up his underbelly.

Back at the boardwalk, the crowds had swelled to double the size they were when they'd arrived, with lines for various attractions and food stalls snaking their way all across the wooden platform. Luckily there were plenty of ice cream vendors so it didn't take long to find one with a relatively short line. "What do you want, snake?" Angel asked, gesturing to the list of flavors plastered to the side of the cart with his chained arm while his lower hands settled to rest on his hips.

"I'm fine with a vanilla cone," Pent murmured, feeling disgustingly hot as they stood there fully exposed to the sun. He fanned himself with his hand, a pathetic attempt to stave off the heat as they watched the next customer step forward to talk to the vendor.

Angel snorted and rolled his eyes behind his sunglasses. "Why are you so goddamn borin'? No sprinkles? No chocolate syrup? Just...vanilla!?"

Pent glared at Angel, sweat dripping down the sides of his face as he flapped his hand. "And what are you planning to get that's so revolutionary?" he asked as the customer in front of them paid for their order.

"Strawberry with chocolate sprinkles of course," Angel said with a grin, adjusting the brim of his sun hat. "Y'know it's not the 1800s anymore right? There's more than one flavor to pick from."

Sighing, Pent stared longingly at the ice packed inside the buoy-shaped cart to keep the tubs of ice cream nice and cold. "I'm very aware and I've tried quite a few flavors. I just like my ice cream simple; is that so difficult to comprehend?"

"I mean, if you're a sad old man," Angel said with a laugh as the previous customer stepped aside, allowing them to scoot up to the front of the cart. "Hey pal," Angel began, leaning his elbow on the cart as he pointed out the items he wanted with his opposite hand. "Can I get a chocolate cone, a vanilla cone, one of those kiddie fruit pops, and strawberry with chocolate sprinkles in a cup?"

The vendor put their order together and they both left the stand (after Pent paid the bill): Angel carrying Husk's cone in one arm and Niffty's popsicle in the other while his bottom hands held his ice cream cup.

To keep his own cone from melting too badly, Pent tilted his head to the side and wrapped his forked tongue around it, cleaning up the edges and smiling softly as the cool sweet flavor hit his system. Oh thank god, something cold. "Ice cream was a good choice," he admitted after a few licks, his heat-induced headache still throbbing away behind his temple. No doubt he'd have to drink a lot more water once they got back to their umbrella (and probably rest for a while too). "They won't last long in this weather though."

Angel snickered, watching Pent out of the corner of his eye. "Definitely not at the rate you're goin'. You look like you're about to deep-throat that cone."

Pent paused with his tongue wrapped around the circumference of the ice cream. He retracted it slowly, licking the excess off his lips before saying, "It's very rude to stare at someone when they're eating."

"I'll stop starin' when you stop givin' your ice cream all that tongue action." Angel dug his spoon into the cup held in his bottom two hands, lifting the spoon to his lips and giving it a slow salacious lick before sucking on the utensil. "Don't put on a show if you don't want the attention."

"I'm not putting on a show!" Pent muttered, groaning as they went down the stairs leading from the boardwalk to the black sand of the beach. "It's not my fault you've got a dirty mind." He defiantly bit into the top of the dessert in frustration and swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut in discomfort as his nerves immediately began to throb even worse than they already were.

Angel laughed and said, "Stick your thumb to the roof of your mouth. That'll kill the brain freeze." He opened his own mouth and demonstrated it, Pent following along, careful to keep his talons from getting caught against his sharp teeth.

The pressure certainly helped and Pent hummed as he removed his finger, glancing to Angel. "Where did you learn that trick?"

Angel took another few bites of his own treat, stirring the spoon to mix the sprinkles into the ice cream. "My sis and I used to go to a lil corner store and get pops. The owner gave us freebies and bein' kids, we just shoveled that shit in our faces without a second thought." Angel chuckled, his eyes staring out at the horizon as if lost in a memory. "One of the guy's sons told us the secret and it's been savin' my ass from ice cream headaches eva' since."

Pent frowned, looking down at the melting cone in his fist. Sometimes it was terribly easy to forget that his fellow Demons were once people with real lives, family, and friends. Angel wasn't just Angel Dust, the biggest porn star in Hell. He was someone's child, someone's son.

And apparently, someone's brother.

"You have a sister?" Pent asked, relief filling him as he caught sight of their umbrella, the Magne family crest emblazoned on the fabric.

"Got a coupla siblings," Angel said with a rather dismissive shrug, the fond expression on his face falling just as quickly as it had come. "I told ya that most of the family lives here, but not on my end of the Pentagram if ya catch my drift."

He paused and reached out, his index finger trailing over Pent's knuckles where some of the vanilla had melted and dribbled past the edge of the cone.

Wiping it off with his fingerpad, Angel brought it to his mouth, giving a flirtatious wink as he trailed the digit down the flat of his tongue. Pent immediately stiffened as the spider purred. "Hmmm, alright, the vanilla ain't so bad."

Scowling, Pent lifted his chin and cleaned up the rest of the cone with his tongue. "You aren't very slick you know."

"Well, yeah baby. That's what lube is for."

The comeback was so unexpected that Pent nearly choked on his cone, melted ice cream dribbling out of the corners of his mouth as Angel let out a barking cackle and smacked the snake's shoulder with one fist. "Oh my fuckin' god your stupid face!"

Husk glanced up from his phone as they rounded the umbrella, Pent still flushed (from heat and embarrassment both) while Angel fought to control his giggles. The cat held out one hand for his ice cream, setting aside the beer for once as Angel gave him the chocolate cone. "The fuck took you guys so long?" he asked, quickly cleaning up his partially melted ice cream and biting into the rim of the baked waffle. "Also what'd you do to Pentious this time? He looks like he's about to have a heart-attack."

Pent gave a miserable sigh and shook his head, before settling down against the blankets, Angel plopping down next to him after handing Niffty her popsicle. "I don't want to talk about it," he muttered as Angel muffled his snickers behind one hand, using his chained arm to prop up his torso as he continued to eat his ice cream with the remaining two.

"Nothin' worse than the usual teasin'. The snake just makes it way too easy," Angel said with a wicked smirk, licking the spoon clean with a playful swipe of his pink tongue. "Guess all that research of yours hasn't helped much, huh?"

Groaning, Pent just ate his cone, doing his best to keep Angel from staring at him as he lapped at the rapidly melting treat. He couldn't even enjoy the one good thing about this trip without the other Demon butting in and twisting it into something perverted.

Truly nothing was safe from the horny spider's hyper-sexual observations and wordplay.

Niffty frowned, raising her one eyebrow. "Research? What are you guys talking about?" she asked, sucking on the popsicle as she typed with one hand, balancing the tablet against her knees.

"It's nothing-" Pent began, falling silent as he saw Charlie and Vaggie emerge from the opposite side of the umbrella, both girls carrying a massive stack of flyers in their arms.

"Hey guys! We have the-" Charlie frowned, her already large eyes widening even further as she looked over the group. "Aw, you got ice cream without us?"

Angel shrugged, flicking his spoon at her. "You were takin' too long. Sorry toots, maybe next time." He scooped up the remaining ice cream in his bowl and shoveled it into his mouth, giving a wink to Pent as he continued to suck on the spoon.

"All the stands are still open on the boardwalk," Pent assured, chomping through his own cone and using a water bottle to clean off the sticky sugar from his fingers. He exhaled and swallowed the rest of the bottle's contents, pinching over his brow ridge as his headache gave an angry pulse against his palm.

"We can start handing out the flyers while you guys get some ice cream," Niffty suggested as Husk groaned and dragged a hand down over his ears.

"Great job reminding them, kid. Now they're gonna make us do the legwork," he muttered, sitting up with a grunt, his tail flicking back and forth irritably as his wings stretched out and refolded against his back.

Charlie chuckled and thumbed through the papers before giving Husk half of the stack in her arms. "Please hand these out. Don't just throw them in the nearest trash can and lie about it." She looked to Angel and Pent, handing them the rest of the flyers. "Husk, you can take the beach west of the ferris wheel, Angel and Sir Pentious can take the east side, and Vaggie and I will take the boardwalk itself."

Angel got to his feet and crumpled the empty cup in his grip. "So you guys get all the fun shit?" Vaggie just shot him a glare and he groaned, kicking at the blanket with the toe of his wedges. "Figures. C'mon snake, let's get this over with." He grabbed Pent's arm, yanking him back up to stand before he could crack open up another water bottle.

"What about me?" Niffty asked, glancing up at both girls. "Do I just...stay here?" She paused and gestured at their little camp, frowning softly.

Vaggie nodded and split her own stack of papers between herself and Charlie. "We need someone to watch our things. Is that ok?"

Niffty sighed and then looked back at her tablet. "I guess I can get some more writing done," she said before going back to typing, sticking the barren popsicle stick in her teeth as she worked.

Turning back to the group, Charlie grinned and pumped her fist. "Alright! Let's put out the word, guys! Meet back here when all your flyers are gone." She put her hand out, smiling with her teeth as she waited for everyone else to join in. Vaggie extended her own arm, though even she was clearly a little embarrassed by her girlfriend's enthusiasm.

Husk took one look at their hands, grabbed a beer from the cooler, and kicked it closed. "See you kids in an hour," he said, turning and ducking out from under the shade of the umbrella.

Charlie pouted and then looked to Angel and Pentious expectantly. "Aw, c'mon you guys! This is a team-building exercise!"

"Can this even be called a team when neither of us are your employees?" Pentious asked, raising one brow as Angel sighed and dropped his hand on top of Charlie's (whether out of obligation or sympathy was unclear).

"Sure, go Team Hazbin or whateva," Angel muttered, his tone bored as he lifted it back up. "See ya later, bitches," he added, turning in the opposite direction that Husk had gone and waving them off over one shoulder. Pent followed behind, holding his own half of the stack in one hand before slipping his sunglasses back down over his eyes.

Somehow it had gotten even hotter and Pentious found himself breathing through his mouth within minutes as they tried to pass out the Hotel flyers to the many dozens of beach goers peppered across the obsidian sand. Most of the Demons that took the papers immediately tossed them or crumpled them up into balls (one actually set it on fire with his cigar which was fairly stylish, though entirely unnecessary)

Pent wasn't surprised by their reactions all things considered, but the consistent rejection wasn't helping clear his already sour mood.

Three hours had passed by the time they had exhausted their flyers and returned to the umbrella and Pent felt like he was dying all over again. He was slicked with sweat, but it did little to help him cool down from the onslaught of the sun's glare. He'd convinced Angel to stop and get some water, but even after draining another bottle, his muscles still felt fatigued and his brain was foggy. Thankfully he didn't have to think, he just had to follow behind Angel as the spider led the way back to the umbrella and blissful shade.

The girls were still gone when they slipped under the umbrella, but Husk had returned and managed to make a mid-size castle out of all his beer cans. The cat glanced up at them as they sank onto the blankets, Angel looking mildly sweaty while Pent took calm measured breaths. "It's a goddamn scorcher isn't it?" he said, grabbing some waters from the coolers and tossing a bottle to them both.

Angel snatched them out of the air with two hands before dropping one unceremoniously onto Pent's belly. "Just a bit," he said with a chuckle before glancing down to Pentious who was already unscrewing the cap and drinking from the plastic nozzle.

Finishing off the water, Pent tossed the empty container to the side and said, "Do you know how much longer we are going to be staying here?"

Husk shrugged. "Probably another few hours," he said as he adjusted a few of the cans that served as one of the main towers of his beer castle. "Once the princess gets back, no doubt she'll wanna do group activities and other shit. She likes that crap."

Resisting the urge to groan, Pent sat up and grabbed the bottle of sunscreen. "I'd better reapply then…" he muttered tiredly. He should never had agreed to this stupid beach day.

Angel laughed, watching him for a moment from behind his sunglasses. "You're gonna be at this forever. C'mon, gimme the lotion." He rolled up to sit and snatched the bottle from Pent's side, shoving the sunglasses up into his fluffy hair. "And lay on your stomach."

Pent frowned and poured more cream into his hands, rubbing it into his hood, (careful of the eyes there). "What makes you think you can do this any faster?" he hissed, making sure the protective cream was thoroughly applied to his sweat-slicked scales.

"Uh, the fact that I got a lot more fuckin' arms than you," Angel said, stretching out so that his third pair of arms had space to emerge from his torso, wiggling the fingers of all six hands.

Pentious' eyes widened, his surprise enough of a distraction for Angel to easily push his tired body down to lay against the massive towel. "I forgot you had those…" he muttered, pillowing his chin on his forearms as he heard Angel squeeze some of the sunscreen into his hands with a plastic farting noise.

"Eh, they don't get much use outside of porn," Angel murmured as he pressed his hands to Pent's lower spine, making the snake flinch both at the touch and the lukewarm sensation of the cream. It was bizarre, feeling six hands gliding over his back, starting at where his waist met his hips and moving down the length of his spine, smearing the sunscreen against the ribs that ran through the entire tail. "I prefer havin' a waist over a third set of arms on the regular so they only get to come out and play when it's worth havin' 'em."

Pent frowned, but didn't comment, trying to keep himself from flinching as Angel flatly squeezed a massive pile of suncream onto the middle of his spine. "That's way too much," he hissed, the tip of his tail smacking the side of Angel's thigh.

"Hey, I got a lotta ground to cover," Angel mocked playfully as he spread the lotion, slowly warming it even more with the smooth pass of his palms. "Not my fault you're thicc back here."

Pent gave an annoyed scowl even as he found himself relaxing against the blanket. He was too damn heat-exhausted to argue with the spider and he needed to conserve what little energy he had left to get through the rest of the damn day. Fuck, he still had to go to Cherri Bomb's party too, didn't he?

"Huh...that's weird," Angel said as his hands pressed up against a tight section of Pent's lower back. "Jesus fuck, snake...is this a goddamn knot?" He outlined it with his fingers and winced. "It's huge."

Pent grunted, digging his claws into the towel as he felt Angel continue to poke at the center of his spine, just a few inches above his hips where his tank top had ridden up. "Most likely…" he said, voice tight as the muscle gave a warning throb that went all the way up to his head. "Don't mess with it."

But Angel ignored him, placing two of his hands over the spot and thumbing along the edges of it before finding another lower down with his second set of arms. "Your entire body is all knots," Angel muttered, his mouth pressed into a line as he explored the thick black scales.

"Leave it alone," Pent hissed, lifting his head to glare at Angel from over his shoulder. "You're supposed to be putting sunscreen on, not investigating my backside."

Husk snickered, popping the tab off what had to be the 20th beer can he'd swiped from the cooler. "Just accept your fate, Pentious. You shouldn't have let him climb aboard in the first place."

"Oh don't worry, it'll be your turn next." Angel winked to Husk before turning back to Pent. "Seriously though, I thought you just had a massive stick up your ass, but it turns out this is your goddamn problem." He leaned down, shifting his weight to sit down on the curve of Pent's spine, knees sliding to either side of the tail as he straddled the snake. Pent froze as Angel's groin settled against him, the cradle of the spider's hips pinning the length of his tail into place. "Now, let's see if we can crack this sucker."

"I said leave it-"

He barely got the words out when all six of Angel's arms settled along the line of his spine and the other Demon pressed his entire body weight into the dip of his vertebrae. There was a ridiculously loud series of cracks (drawing the attention of several people walking by their umbrella) and Pentious' eyes went wide as his back practically collapsed underneath Angel.

"Oooooh, shit…" he moaned as he felt stark relief spread through the entire length of his body, his tense muscles shuddering and releasing to lie flat against the towel.

Angel was quiet above him, but the spider's hands continued to dig into the seam of his spine, cracking more of the sensitive joints until Pent felt completely boneless. Then the other Demon's weight shifted and Pent caught sight of Angel leaning over him, a smug grin on his face. "Good, you're still alive. Honestly couldn't tell if I killed you or got you off with that."

Pent just whimpered, closing his eyes as Angel went back to rubbing lotion into his scales, the spider humming under his breath as he worked.

"Uh, you definitely killed him, legs. I ain't ever seen Pentious this fucking quiet," Husk said with a laugh. "Though I don't know how he fucking exists without being in constant back-pain. He's 90% spine so that shit has to suck."

"It often gets very tight…" Pent murmured weakly, burying his face into his arms before groaning and raising one hand, his index finger pointed out. "That is not an invitation for innuendo. I've had my fill of those for today."

Angel cackled and finished with the lotion, shifting to sit next to Pent's collapsed torso. "Y'know I could make a real good joke outta that last line too, but since you're bein' a real sour puss today, I guess I'll be nice." He flicked Pentious' cheek as he capped the sunscreen and added, "Though I gotta give ya some shit for all that moanin'."

Pent turned his head to the side, shooting Angel a glare as the spider just grinned. "Oh don't gimme that face; you sounded like you just had the world's best orgasm." Angel chuckled and pet over Pent's hood in a way that was far too familiar (though at the same time, admittedly felt very nice). "If you were on the studio set with me, I'd ask ya ta tone down the dramatics."

Slowly, Pentious shifted up to sit, cracking his neck and sighing with relief. His headache wasn't entirely gone and he was still utterly spent, but he might be able to make it through the rest of the day now (keyword: might). "While that was entirely unnecessary-"

"Unnecessary my ass," Angel said, rolling his eyes as he retracted his third pair of arms back into his torso, crossing the remaining two sets over his chest. "Stop bein' an asshole and just thank me already."

Pouting, Pent ran a hand over the back of his hood, coiling his tail around himself. "Thank you," he finally said after a few moments, refusing to meet Angel's eyes.

Angel sighed, shaking his head and slipping his sunglasses back down over his face as he stretched out against the towel. "Don't strain yourself, snake. Fuckin' hell."

---

It was fairly late in the day by the time they returned to the Hotel, uncomfortably hot, slightly sunburnt, and feeling sticky from the salty air. As soon as Angel closed their bedroom door, Pentious sighed, stripping off the sweaty shirt and tossing it and the tank top into the hamper with an exhausted thwap. "Well, now I need a shower," he muttered, cringing as he ran a hand over the scales of his arm which were somehow dry and oily at the same time. Ugh.

"Yeah, don't wanna hit the club smellin' like the sea," Angel agreed, stripping down to his fluff and striding past the snake in nothing more than his beach wedges. Pent bit down an irritated groan as he ran his hands over his hood in frustration, his head throbbing painfully.

That was right, he still had a party to attend.

Instead of whining, he simply followed Angel into the bathroom before the chain ran out and pulled tight between them. He'd already agreed to this event and Pent would be damned if he had to chicken out now due to some mild heat-exhaustion.

Angel started the shower, slipping off his shoes as the temperature adjusted. He tested the heat with his hand and then stepped under the spray, sighing with relief as the water dampened his fur. Pentious slithered in behind him, taking one of the rags he normally used and wet it, wincing at the uncomfortably warm temperature of the water.

Steam filled the room as Angel shampooed his fur and Pentious cleaned his scales with the soapy cloth, running it up and down the length of his body to wipe away the stink of the day thus far. Thankfully he hadn't burned too much so he wasn't likely to peel in the aftermath, though he was still feeling absolutely miserable. The hot water certainly didn't help and he began to pant just to try and keep his breathing even through the thick cloying steam.

"You ok?" Angel asked, rinsing out the soap from his head as he turned to watch Pent, his mismatched eyes flickering over the snake's body with none of his usual flirtatious advances. "You're breathin' real hard there, snake."

"Fine...just very warm," Pentious murmured, leaning his back against the tiled wall and groaning softly as the cooler surface touched his overheated skin.

Angel frowned as Pent began to slide down, his tail bunching up underneath him. "Shit, you're not gonna pass out are ya?" he asked, touching the other Demon's shoulder as the snake continued to breath shallowly through his fangs. Angel sighed and shook his head. "Ok, shower's over for you, nerd."

He grabbed the snake under his arms, slipping him out of the large stall to sit on the steam-damp bathmat. Angel then laid Pent against the wall and smoothed over the snake's hood with his chained hand. "Take a seat and get your goddamn breathin' under control. You ain't allowed to have a fuckin' asthma attack on my watch."

Closing his eyes, Pent nodded, holding his shackled arm aloft so the spider could continue with his shower. Thankfully he kept it short, switching off the nozzle after only a few minutes of rinsing. Then Angel stepped out of the shower, wiping his feet on the bathmat as he reached for a towel and began to wring out his hair.

Pent's eyes trailed down, taking in the unusual shape of Angel's appendages for what had to be the first time since they were locked together. Despite all the fuss Angel had made in his attempts to hide them, they were hardly all that monstrous: simply large paw pads with two small pink claws in front. Why was this the one body part the spider reserved all his shame for?

Before he could muse any further, Angel was squatting down in front of him, his damp hair hanging in front of his face as he reached out and pressed the back of one hand to the snake's brow. Pent flinched and Angel sighed, keeping his hand there for another moment before pulling back. "How do you normally cool down? We need to put your ass in a cold bath or somethin'?"

"Just get me some ice to chew on. I can sweat and shiver, but those are the only physical mechanisms I have for controlling my internal temperature." Pent gave a shallow laugh and took another deep breath. "They're not enough most of the time." Angel nodded and helped him up to stand, getting him out of the bathroom and onto the bed before shooting a text to Charlie.

Angel was already toweling the rest of his body off and wrapped up in a robe when Charlie knocked on their door, entering with her own master key. "Hey Angel, here's the ice you wanted-" she paused, taking in Pentious' exhausted slump and Angel's worried expression. "Is...everything ok?" she asked, setting the bucket of ice on the nightstand next to the bed and shifting the tea kettle to make more room.

"Got too hot," Pent said, leaning over to grab a handful of ice cubes and shovel them into his mouth without care. "It happens."

Angel rolled his eyes and crossed his top set of arms. "Yeah, but you still shoulda given me a heads up that you were practically fuckin' faintin'. If this had happened at the beach, I wouldn't have been able to drag your fat ass back." He gestured at the snake with both of his bottom hands as he turned to Charlie. "Can you believe this stubborn prick? He went the whole damn day without sayin' shit until he was ready to drop."

"Is there anything else that would help?" Charlie asked, shifting the bucket closer and biting her lip. When Pent shook his head, she nodded and sighed. "Ok, but if you think of anything, please please please let me know." She touched his shoulder and offered a sympathetic smile. "I don't want you getting sick on our watch. You're our guest, Sir Pentious."

Caring girl. Far too sweet for her place in the halls of eternal damnation. Pentious gave a nod, swallowing another mouthful of ice as Charlie removed her hand and headed back to the door, giving them both a friendly wave before closing it behind her.

Sighing, Angel tossed his towel into the hamper and looked over Pent, pressing a hand to his forehead to check his temperature (making the snake shiver and shift away in response). "Better…" he muttered before opening the closet with a sharp yank. "You gonna be good to go out tonight or am I gonna have to call this whole shindig off?"

"No need," Pent insisted with a tired sigh. "I told you that this is normal for me. I don't spend a great deal of time out of temperature controlled environments and I think the combination of direct sunlight with the heat already absorbed from the sand-"

Angel waved him off and dug a bottle of aspirin out of his purse, tossing it at Pent. "Yeah, yeah. I get it. Ya got too fuckin' hot and you're a sensitive noodle. Least you're back to usin' your big boy vocab and not two word sentences." He pulled out the components of the outfit they'd bought the day before along with a purple corset, layering them against his torso in the mirror. "Just lemme know when you're good to move so I can get dolled up."

Pent nodded and swallowed a couple of pills as he chewed on the ice chips, his body temperature slowly lowering. By the time he was halfway through the bucket, he was feeling much closer to normal and sitting up straight, watching as Angel texted on the bed next to him. "I think I'm ready," he said, his tail brushing Angel's thigh before pulling away just as quickly. His headache was still present, but it was more of a mild irritant rather than a bull raging against the inside of his skull.

The spider glanced up and raised an eyebrow skeptically. "Ya sure?" Angel asked, waiting until Pent nodded and made to stand before reaching out to steady the snake as he slid off the bed and onto his tail.

"Your concern is noted," Pent said, pushing the half-melted bucket to the side. "Next time I go out like that, I'll simply have to remember to bring a parasol or steal ice." Or just find an excuse to not go at all.

Angel snorted, clearly amused by the mental image. "Just don't collapse on me. My scrawny ass will hit the floor when yours does," he said, swinging the chain as Pent pulled the vest he'd modified out of the shared closet. "And unlike someone, I don't got a lotta cushion down there."

"I would hesitate to call my tail a cushion," Pent muttered as he put on the vest, zipping the front and side seams before digging out the leather bracelets and choker that Angel had insisted he borrow to "complete" the look. He slipped them on, latching the choker last and staring his reflection down. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but at least it was a consistent style. Turning, he winced, reminded of the wording along printed his shoulders. He'd almost forgotten just why Angel had chosen this particular look for him.

"I dunno, your tail was pretty comfortable to sit on. Nice and firm, but with plenty of give," Angel said with a wink as he slipped on the purple corset, beginning to do up the laces against his bare back.

Pent frowned, his eyes drawn to the spider's fingers as he worked. "You really should wear something underneath so it doesn't leave bruises," he murmured, moving to pick up his hat from the top of the dresser, only to drop it immediately as Angel pulled the laces taut to the point of straining the cheap fabric. What on earth was the stupid spider doing?

Pentious' eyes narrowed, his face twisting into a grimace. "Don't do that. You're going to fracture a rib if you pull any tighter."

Angel glanced back over his shoulder, his cheeks a little flushed from straining the laces behind him. "It's worked fine for me before, snake. Sides, I like the super cinched look." He gave another pull and Pent scowled, unable to just sit back and watch this complete horror show.

He batted Angel's fingers away, slipping behind him to undo all the lacing ("Hey, the fuck, asshole!?") with a few practiced tugs of his talons. "You're very lucky you haven't injured yourself yet. Especially with this cheap boning." He paused, examining the material through the low thread count. "What is the shank even made of? Aluminum?" He pressed his fingers into the fabric, feeling the lack of give underneath and groaned. "Of course…"

"Most people prefer to bone for cheap," Angel grinned with a not so subtle hip thrust, only to pause when Pent didn't even react to the sex joke with his normal embarrassed fluster and simply continued to rip through the laces until they all hung open and loose at his spine. "Alright, what's so wrong with it?" he groused as Pentious grabbed the laces and began to redo the entire back.

Pent pursed his lips as an annoyed frown twisted his face. "What is right with it is the better question," he muttered as he worked, biting his lip as his claws slipped the laces through, putting an even amount of pressure between each point where the fabric crossed. "This is an appalling product, but if you're going to wear it, you should at least tie it properly."

Angel rolled his eyes, but didn't try to shove him off while the snake continued to lace, simply holding his bust-line steady as his torso was rocked with Pent's handiwork. "The fuck do you know?"

"A great deal more than you," Pent said, not looking up from his work as he added, "If you keep the pressure consistent, you will get the tight-laced effect without any damage to your ribcage. Cinching that tightly at the floating ribs is a disaster waiting to happen."

He grabbed Angel's waist, turning the spider to face the mirror next to the closet before going back to lacing. "As you can see, it only takes a bit of practice and patience to do this the right way."

Angel stared at himself in the mirror, touching over the shape of the bodice with his bottom hands. "Did you help your wife with this shit or somethin'?" he asked as Pent moved down to his lower spine.

"She didn't require my assistance because she wasn't stupid enough to tight-lace." Pent rolled his eyes and lifted his chin before clearing his throat. "My grandfather taught me."

Angel blinked, staring at the snake's reflection in the mirror. "Wait," he leaned his head over his shoulder, unable to arch his back with the corset laced. "I thought he did guys' stuff?"

"Once upon a time, men wore corsets too," Pent murmured, tying the final knot at the bottom. "It was his specialty in fact...until they eventually went out of fashion of course." Pent sighed, putting his hands on his hips as he looked over his handiwork. He then clicked his tongue and gestured for Angel to turn and view the nice clean criss-crossing laces for himself. "See the difference? No doubt you can feel it as well."

Angel looked over his shoulder, raising his eyebrow in mild surprise as he slid his hands down over his sides, feeling over where the fabric hugged his torso. "So you know all this shit about them...You ever wear one yourself?" he asked before giving a playful poke to Pent's side. "Not that ya need it with that lil' wasp waist of yours but it wouldn't be too outta place with your fancy get-up."

Pent managed not to go stiff at the unexpected touch and simply sat down on the edge of the bed with a mild scoff. "Oh heavens no. The men who wore them were the subject of ridicule everywhere they went. If you wanted to be accepted, you dressed to the fashion of the day rather than stubbornly clinging to the past."

Though it really was a shame. His grandfather's corsetry had always been very lovely and deserved a far better fate then being tossed into a furnace. But no woman would wear a man's corset and no man would be caught dead in such an out-dated trend for fear of public ostracization.

With no one to sell to, they were left with little choice but to be promptly disposed of.

Angel smirked and then grabbed Pent's hat off the dresser (the headwear's single eye going wide as it was manhandled by the spider). "Uh, hate to tell you this, but top hats ain't been in fashion for like...ever." He waved the accessory and then settled it on top of his own white hair, looking at himself in the mirror. "Huh, ok...I guess I can see why you wear this thing. Get me a cigar and I'll look like I own a yacht."

Frowning, Pent reached up and swiped the hat from atop Angel's head. "Well, there are some things that are more difficult to let go of." He thumbed over the brim. "Very difficult, in fact."

Angel shrugged and took his mermaid tube top off the hanger clips, sliding it over the corset. "Eh, just seems like you let other people tell ya what you could and couldn't wear." He adjusted the hemline and turned to the side, checking out his profile in the mirror. "Well, I'll be damned. Guess you weren't just bullshittin'..." Angel leaned over, posing and giving his reflection flirty looks as Pent snorted, his red eyes locking on the small pink heart patterned against the spider's white fur.

"You're welcome," he said before standing again and looking himself over in the mirror next to Angel. "Meanwhile, I feel ridiculous," he murmured to his reflection before shifting the silk top hat into the shape of a black canvas hat, sliding it on backwards over the top of his hood.

Angel glanced up from buttoning the leather hot pants, his lower set of hands adjusting the fit of the neon pink fishnets wrapped around his arms. "Ya look fine, snake. Though-" he grinned and reached over, touching Pent's cheek. "-you should lemme put some paint on that mug."

Flinching out of Angel's hand, Pent stared at him incredulously. "I don't wear makeup."

"First time for everythin'," Angel said with a snicker and a wink, enticing Pent with a curled finger to follow him into the bathroom. "C'mon, lemme take your makeup virginity, snake. I won't go full glam or anythin'. Promise to keep it nice and subtle for ya."

Pent furrowed his brow and gestured down at the outfit he was currently wearing. "This is already well outside of my comfort zone…"

"So what's another step then?" Angel asked, pouting as he looked over Pentious. "Look, if ya don't like it, just wash it off. I won't hold it against ya." Pent chewed his lip, but didn't fight as Angel pulled the chain, leading them both into the bathroom. Once they were inside, Angel pushed Pent to sit down on the rim of the bathtub and then grabbed his makeup bag off the counter.

Sighing, Pent rolled his eyes and then closed them when Angel indicated to. He heard Angel open a plastic package and then a few moments later he felt a soft paint brush against his eyelids. "What even are you putting on me?" he asked, hearing Angel's other hands rummage through the bag.

"Lil' eye-shadow. This shit is gonna make your peepers pop." Angel laughed to himself and Pent could almost hear the damn spider winking at him. "Probably make a coupla peckers pop too."

Pentious remained silent and still as Angel brushed more powder along his eyes and then his cheeks before taking what felt like a gel pen to the top of his eyelids. It didn't feel particularly heavy so at least he could rest assured knowing that Angel wasn't secretly turning him into a bloody clown.

"Keep 'em closed. Gotta put the settin' spray on so this shit sticks." He could hear Angel shaking a can and then something wet was misting over his face. "Ok, open and take a gander."

Opening his eyes, Pent stood and moved to the mirror, his slitted irises going wide as he took in his new appearance. Angel had put a shimmery gold color over the lids of both his eyes along with a metallic eyeliner to create a short cat-eye effect. His cheeks also had a light shimmer to them as well, but it was much softer, a compliment to the eye makeup rather than an overpowering force.

Behind him, Angel looked a touch smug, packing up the metallic palette he'd used for the snake's face. "I suppose it's not too feminine…" Pent murmured, reaching up to touch his cheek, only for Angel to whack his hand with an eyebrow pencil to keep him from messing it up.

"Told ya," he said, moving the bag back to the counter to do his own face. "I like the heavy-handed drag queen style, but it ain't for everyone." Angel fell silent as he leaned over, working to create a red and purple ombre for his own eye-shadow look, topping it with a fierce set of black wings.

Meanwhile Pent continued to stare at his own reflection, tilting his face to the side as the highlight on his cheekbones caught the full glow of the cheap fluorescent bulbs.

The party clothes and makeup were such a sharp contrast to his normal outfits (even the more casual ones) that he almost couldn't recognize himself.

It didn't look bad per say, but it was rather alien.

Sighing, Angel capped his eyeliner and picked up a pair of tweezers and false eyelashes. "Look, if ya really don't like it, you can wash it off." He applied some glue to the falsies, waving them around to get the adhesive nice and tacky before setting them atop each eye with careful precision. "I said I wouldn't get all upset or anythin'."

"No, it's fine," Pentious assured, his voice quiet as he turned away from his mirror image to watch Angel get ready. "It's just very strange to me."

Angel smiled. "Yeah, but that's the fun part about dressin' up. You get to be somebody else for a night, even if it's just another version of you." He checked the fit of the lashes and then moved to line and fill his lips, going for a dramatic mix of pink and red that glittered brighter than the cheap sequins on the mermaid top.

Once he was done, Angel looked himself over and gave a satisfied nod, muzzing his top arms through his hair. "Think Imma wear the blonde wig tonight." He winked to Pent and added, "You a blonde, brunette, or redhead kinda guy?" as they left the bathroom to go back into the main living space.

"I never had any preferences for hair color," Pent said as he watched Angel pull out a wig that was an alarming shade of straw yellow, briefly brushing through the strands with his fingers before settling it on top of his head.

Angel laughed, hiding his natural hairline underneath the fit of the wig. "Well the rumor is that blondes have more fun so this is more of a good luck charm than anythin'." He fixed the wavy curls so that they cascaded down the back of his spine, a few strands brushing his collarbone.

Pent raised an eyebrow as he took in Angel's appearance. It was somewhat difficult to pin Angel's gender down when he was completely dolled up for an evening on the town. The makeup and outfit were so starkly feminine, but despite his ample bustline, the lack of shapely hips was a major tell.

Of course, Angel noticed him staring and he immediately grinned, cupping his chest playfully with his top hands as his bottom set groped over his waistline. "Yeah, I know I look good, snake. Take it allllll in."

Snorting, Pent just shook his head. "Are you ready to leave?" he asked, folding his arms over his chest.

"Damn, so impatient." Angel chuckled and grabbed a set of black and pink stiletto thigh highs from his closet, stepping into them and zipping them up all the way. "Barely givin' a guy a chance to get his face on. Sheesh!"

Angel then took out his phone and handed it to Pent. "Take a few pics for me. I need to share this masterpiece with the world." He posed, one hand buried in the wig strands while he bit the thumb of his opposite hand and gave the camera a slightly needy expression.

"It's something, though I hesitate to call it a masterpiece," Pent said with a small smirk, taking a few pictures before handing the device back to Angel. The spider grimaced at his poor camera skills as he flipped through the images and sighed, posting the least awful of the bunch.

"Fuck you, snake. I'm goddamn flawless."

After saying goodbye to Nugs, they headed out and called a cab. The driver gave them both weird looks (thankfully moreso for their outfits than the chain running between them) and drove them to the club. By the time they arrived, there was already a fairly lengthy line outside of the building (but according to Angel, that wouldn't be an issue).

As soon as they exited the taxi, they were ambushed by an excited Cherri decked out in a shiny red leather jacket, white tube top, black leather skirt, and fire engine pumps. "Love the slutty siren look, Angie!" She gave an exaggerated wolf whistle as Angel did a turn, twisting up the chain as he flicked the long wavy hair of his wig. "Damn, baby. Can I get your nuuuuuumber?" she said in a faux deep voice before turning to look Pent over, her single eye going wide. "Oh my fuckin' god, are you wearing makeup?"

Pent sighed, rubbing the side of his face to avoid smearing the eye makeup. "Angel convinced me to give it a try." He pursed his lips. "It's not terrible."

"Wait, wait wait! You haven't even seen the best part," Angel insisted, grabbing Pent's shoulders and wheeling him around to show Cherri the lettering on his back before he could draw up any protest.

Cherri gave a howl of laughter and Pent cringed, pulling himself out of Angel's grasp as his cheeks burned hot. "I didn't pick this out!"

"Oh I can tell," she said, wiping her eye as she caught herself mid-laugh. "Honestly, this is the best you've ever looked, old man." Cherri punched his shoulder and then turned back to the club, putting her hands on her hips. "There's an hour wait to get in. Guess tonight's pretty fuckin' popular."

Angel licked his lips and touched her shoulder. "You forget who you're with, sugar-tits." He winked and then stalked up to the front of the line, ignoring the enraged looks of the people waiting behind the rope as he sidestepped them in his massive boots. The security guard immediately frowned and tried to wave him away. "Back of the line, miss."

"Aw, c'mon baby. It's my girlfriend's Death Day and we're just lookin' to have some good clean fun." Angel leaned up against the man's torso, wrapping his top arms around his shoulders to press his tits into the other Demon's broad chest. "Won't ya give us girls a pass? Please?" he batted his eyelashes and gave the other man a sultry look that had the guard clearing his throat and looking a touch more conflicted.

Pent watched the entire exchange from behind, somewhat amazed at just how well it was working. He had fallen prey to skillful seductions before but he'd certainly never watched the process as an onlooker.

Was it truly that easy?

Cherri just grinned and nudged Pent's arm with her elbow. "I swear, he works fuckin' miracles sometimes," she said in a hushed voice as Angel leaned in, murmuring something into the guard's ear that made the man's jaw hang ajar. Pent's eye twitched as he watched the exchange, praying that Angel wasn't promising the other man anything. He really didn't need the spider trying to take a stranger back to the Hotel while they were still chained to each other.

But whatever Angel said had worked its magic because not a moment later, the guard was pulling back the door (letting the intense pounding of a loud bass spill out onto the street). The people in line began to complain, but Angel and Cherri just flipped them all off as they walked through, Pentious trailing next to them.

"We didn't even have to pay the admin fee, you amazing slut," Cherri shouted over the music once the door closed, shutting them into an incredibly dark room lit only by several red spotlights hanging overhead. "Fuck, I love you."

"Happy D-Day, bitch," Angel said, kissing her cheek before smacking her on the ass. "Now let's grab some drinks and get this party started!" He gripped Pent's shoulder, heading to the bar that was opposite the DJ booth and stage. Several dancers were caged throughout the venue, their metal boxes suspended from the ceiling or placed on platforms that jutted up from the floor for people to gather around and rest their drinks against. Pent just swallowed as he was led through the pulsing crowd to the bar where Angel immediately ordered a round of tequila shots.

"To 38 damned years," Angel said, passing a glass to each of them as he leaned against the counter. "Fuck, you're gettin' old, Cherri." He clinked his shot against hers and then Pent's, giving the snake a wink.

"Heh, look who's talkin'," Cherri responded before downing her shot, smacking her lips and hissing at the delicious burn. "Your ass has been here since goddamn World War II."

Angel swallowed his shot and Pent followed suit, not a fan of tequila, but not opposed to the sweet liquor either. "Yeah, still died young and left a pretty corpse," the spider said, flipping his blonde wig over one shoulder. "Unlike this old bastard." He jerked his thumb at Pentious who scowled and placed his empty shot on the bar.

"I wasn't old when I died," he hissed over the music (thank god he'd taken all those aspirin). "I've just been down here a very long time."

Cherri grinned and ordered another round of shots. "How not-old we talkin', Edgelord? Mid 60s?" she teased, flashing her sharp teeth as she spoke.

Pent continued pouting as he watched the bartender refill their glasses. "I was nowhere near my twilight years. 43 is respectfully mature, but by no means was I at the dizzying age."

"Whoa, whoa...you were in your fuckin' 40s!?" Angel said, his eyes wide as he slammed one palm down on the bar dramatically. "Holy shit, you died a lot younger than I pegged you for, snake."

Rolling his eyes, Pent disbursed the refilled shots and clinked the rim of his portion to theirs. "I'm certainly not young anymore. Though I'm hardly the oldest Demon in the Pentagram, 132 years is nothing to sneeze at." He downed his second glass and raised an eyebrow at Angel. "How old were you when you passed on?"

Angel laughed and shook his head, the blonde curls bouncing slightly. "Passed on…" he repeated as he tapped a nail to the side of the glass (the clinking sound swallowed by all the noise around them). "You make it seem so damn peaceful." He downed his drink and slid the glass across the counter. "I OD'd in my mid-30s. Pretty sure I was 36. Hard to tell, since I've been down here for the last 70ish years."

Pent raised an eyebrow as he stared down the other Demon. "I would have assumed you died in your early 20s with the way you carry on…"

"Hey! Partying isn't just for the barely legal babies, grandpa," Cherri said, swallowing her shot and wiping her mouth on her arm. "Though I'm surprised you're keeping up with us. Didn't think I'd ever see you taking shots."

"I'm British. We drink a lot," Pentious assured with a slightly smug smile, running his forked tongue over the last drops of tequila clinging to the glass before placing it down on the bar. "Mostly tea and beer, but hard liquor is never off the table."

Cherri chuckled and crossed her arms, leaning against Angel's shoulder. "Pretty bold claim," she said, her tone skeptical before her face split into a toothy grin. "Bet you can't out-drink me though. I'm the fuckin' queen of this castle."

Pent scoffed, his eyes following the line of various beer nozzles that were placed along the length of the bar. Well now he'd been challenged and by his rival of all people! There was just no way he could back out of this without looking like a coward, a fool or worse. "Excuse you, but I can swizzle with the best of them!" He put one hand on his hip as the other adjusted his hat, staring her down with just as much tenacity as he showed on the battlefield. "A queen is nothing to a king."

Angel grinned, waggling his eyebrows as he glanced to Cherri, shoving her shoulder playfully. "Oh shit, I think the snake's callin' you out."

"Challenge fuckin' accepted," Cherri said, licking her lips before reaching out to tap the counter with her index finger. "Loser pays the tab?"

"Ha!" Pent grinned, emboldened by the competition (though the two shots of tequila in his belly were probably helping to smooth things along). "Let's go, missy! Don't assume I'll play nice just because it's your Death Day." They then both turned to the bar, requesting a line of three pints each from the bartender who seemed entirely amused by their little rivalry.

Once the beers were poured, the foam at the top bubbling innocently, Angel sank into the bar stool next to Pent and grinned, lighting up a cigarette. "Alright, ya gotta chug all three without pukin'. First to finish and show me some teeth wins."

They both nodded as they grasped their first glass, holding it at arm's length. "Three-"

Cherri gave Pent a slow snide blink (possibly a wink?) before running her tongue over her lip as she stared him down. He just lifted his chin, adjusting his claws around the pint to keep the glass' natural condensation from loosening his grip. "Two-"

Angel took a puff on his cigarette, spewing smoke into the air above them. They both held their breath for a moment, neither looking away from one another.

"One," Angel flicked the ash off his cigarette onto the floor, flatly ignoring the ashtray on the bar. Pent could hear his own heart beating even over the pounding music and conversation that swallowed the room around them.

Angel lifted a fist, pumping it into the air. "Chug, bitches, chug!"

Immediately Pentious lifted the pint, opening his mouth and throat to spill the entire contents of the glass down in a single slide. He ignored Cherri and Angel as he grabbed the second glass, repeating the well-practiced motion just as smoothly while his opposite hand snatched the third and final pint from the counter. He glanced up to see Cherri was more than halfway through her second drink, but had yet to grab her third.

Not bad, but still too slow.

He gave a dramatic flap of his chained wrist and then swallowed the contents of the final glass, opening his mouth again to playfully wag his forked tongue at Angel. Cherri finished her third drink a few seconds later and she scowled as he shook the empty pint at her. "Oh, don't be a sore loser," he mocked, making an L with his forefinger and thumb across his brow. "Not everyone can keep up with my skills." He continued to grin as he pulled at the choker in place of his usual bowtie, his hood flaring slightly under the backwards cap.

Angel smirked right back, taking a drag on his cigarette as he watched Pentious cackle triumphantly. "Not gonna lie, snake. That was kinda hot." He blew a stream of smoke over Pent's head and raised an eyebrow curiously. "Do you even have a fuckin' gag reflex?"

"Oh don't make his stupid ego any bigger, Angie," Cherri said as she put down her glass and dug inside her jacket for some bills. However before she could pay, Angel slapped some cash down on the counter, sliding it to the bartender. "Ang-"

"It's your day, sweetcheeks," he told her with a kind smile before turning back to Pent and licking his lips salaciously. "So, you swallow anythin' other than beer with that mouth, snake?"

Pent felt his face turn hot as the bartender cleared their glasses and took the money Angel had left behind. "We had an agreement," he reminded, "-to not discuss my sexual proclivities."

Angel leaned one elbow on the counter, smoking his cigarette casually as his mismatched eyes gave Pentious a clear up and down. "Sure, but you can't go ahead and do that," He punctuated the word with one hand mimicking Pent's drinking technique (which really did look a lot more lewd sans the pint glass). "-and not expect anyone with eyes and a functional dick to not get curious."

Looking between the two of them, Cherri raised her eyebrow and said, "Angie, I know you've been in a dry spell since this whole bullshit started-" She grabbed the chain and shook it before releasing the metal and pointing at them both. "-but if you guys fuck, I don't want to know any of the details." Sticking out her tongue, she made an exaggerated gagging sound. "Really don't need any mental images of the Edgelord's weird snake cock."

Pentious blanched, his hood deflating as Angel just gave a knowing grin. "I'm not that desperate yet, babe, but who knows where we'll be in a few months." He took another drag on his cigarette and let his tongue curl around the edge of his red lips.

Sputtering, Pent just shook his head, ignoring Cherri who was now openly snickering at him. "Don't speak for me!" he finally managed, the alcohol in his belly making it all the harder to keep his composure. "Just because you have no self-control-"

He froze as Angel leaned over, gliding his chained hand over Pent's chin and lifting it slightly, a pink index finger tracing the edge of his jawline. "Say what ya want, Pen, but I'm a man who likes to keep my options open." He grinned, exposing all his teeth. "Among other things."

Pent immediately yanked back, a fierce blush underneath the highlighter Angel had applied. The spider didn't take any offense to it though and simply pulled his hand away to finish his cigarette, stubbing it into the tray. "Such a blushy betty," he teased before sliding off the stool, his heels clicking as they hit the floor. "How's about we hit the dance floor now that we're all good an' juiced up?"

Cherri pumped her fist. "Fuck yeah. Let's go, hoes!" she shouted as she lowered her arm and extended her index finger out towards the dance floor.

Swallowing, Pent followed behind them both, noting that the crowd had grown quite a bit from when they first entered. As they stepped out onto the main dance floor, he struggled to keep people from walking on or tripping over his tail. As a result, he was forced to keep extremely close to Angel and Cherri if only to avoid everyone else.

Once they found a spot next to the empty stage with enough room, Cherri and Angel began to let loose, Cherri's dance style more of a punkish mosh while Angel was sensual, rocking his hips and swaying to the beat. Pentious followed along, his eyes wandering around the club as he wished he had another drink if only to distract himself from the close press of bodies around him. The meds had blocked the worst of his earlier headache, but his condition certainly wasn't helped by the noxious mixture of body odors, perfume, and heavily applied cologne.

Suddenly a hand brushed his hip and he flinched, nearly smacking into Cherri but narrowly avoiding the collision with a twist of his hips. Angel snorted and leaned over, his top set of hands punching up over his head as he rocked to the rhythm. "You ok?" he asked loudly so as to be heard over the club music. "Someone smack your ass?"

"It's not my ass!" Pent shouted back, ignoring Angel's sniggering.

"The lady doth protest too much!" Cherri said, swishing her long pink hair back and forth. "C'mon old man. If you're partying with us, you can't be a stick in the mud!"

Frowning, Pent slowly began to dance, keeping his eyes on the crowd around them. Thankfully no one was paying attention to the three of them, either focused entirely on the sexy cage dancers or just bouncing to the beat within their own groups.

Then the tempo changed and a roar went through the entire club as the audience surged to keep up with the new music. Pent found himself crowded on all sides and he leaned into Angel if only for the familiarity. The spider chuckled, but the sound wasn't audible over the jeers and music. At least with the chain, he wouldn't have to worry about being separated and getting lost in the crowd.

He felt a hand slip into his own and he tensed, only to realize it was Angel. He saw rather than heard the other man say "Relax," and then Angel was twirling him by his free arm, making him spin in a circle. It was surprisingly easy to let the other man take the lead, the tension easing out of his body as they moved. Angel's grip gave him something to focus on aside from all the crowded bodies closing in on him, something that was far less panic-inducing than a literal wall of flesh.

By the time they left the dance floor an hour later, they were all drenched in sweat and Angel's makeup was a bit smudged. They ordered some waters and whiskey sours as they caught their breath, Pent leaning back against the bar as the tender slid their drinks forward. Angel snatched his up and took a drink from the rim, smacking his lips. "Fuck I missed this place," he said, looking to Cherri as she bit into the lemon wedge and nibbled around the maraschino's pit. "It's such a breath of fresh air."

"The air in here is hardly fresh," Pent muttered, taking out his phone as Cherri sipped from her glass.

"Still not the Hotel," Angel said, lifting his drink in a loose approximation of a toast. "Any chance to be outta there is like a goddamn vacation."

Cherri sighed and tugged out her own pack of cigarettes, fiddling with a lighter before igniting the tip of one. "Why are you still stayin' there, Angel? It's been over a year and you aren't exactly having a great time of it."

Crossing one leg over the other, Angel kicked out his heel and shrugged. "Livin' rent free is still pretty damn nice and the folks ain't so terrible." He sighed and snagged a cigarette from Cherri. "It's just borin' as tar." Leaning over, he lit the end of his stick with the burning embers on hers before she flicked the smoldering ash off the tip.

"What about you, old man? You enjoying your time at the Happy Hotel?" she asked, taking another drag.

Pent glanced up from his phone and sighed, rubbing over his chin. "It's adequate for what it is. Though I truly miss being in my own bed." He made to pocket the device, but stopped when a notification from his social popped up, the innocent bubble dancing in the corner of the application.

He opened the DM and pursed his lips, adjusting his screen to face away from Cherri and Angel who were still bitching about the Hotel, idly smoking as they sipped their cocktails.

Last month, Angel's employer had found him through the spider's friends' list and had immediately followed him. Every now and then he got a slightly threatening message from the Overlord: reminders of their deal and whatnot. Pentious was used to that sort of thing from rivals and other Kingpins, but Valentino seemed intent on keeping tabs regardless of whether or not progress on their agreement was even possible.

This message contained no text, only a picture of a serrated navaja with two heart emojis below it.

Pentious pursed his lips, enlarging the image to take in the minute details of the knife.

So this was what Valentino had decided on then, his weapon of choice. It certainly made a great deal of sense. The traditional folding blade was smooth and deadly, large enough to cut through a rib cage but small enough to conceal and carry with ease.

He ran a hand back over his hood, his gaze drifting to the chains binding him to Angel. For a moment, his eyes flickered up to the spider's laughing face and then he bit his lip, twisting on the stool to watch the distantly dancing crowd instead.

There was no way he could let a weapon this valuable fall into Valentino's hands. He had to think of something that would allow him to escape this deal with not only his soul, but his freedom intact.

And if he was clever enough...maybe even Angel's as well.

"Hey snake, you ok? You're lookin' kinda pale."

Pent froze and looked up, seeing the spider staring at him, his brow furrowed in concern. "You gettin' dizzy again?" Angel asked, finishing his drink and placing the empty glass on the bar.

Forcing a smile, Pent said, "No, I'm fine. Just got distracted reading a news article." He closed out of the application and pocketed his phone inside the vest.

"Ugh, you actually read the news? You really are an old fart," Cherri said with a snicker, bumping his side with her elbow.

Pentious scowled, grabbing his glass off the bar to take a sip, frowning at the slightly bitter aftertaste before plucking the cherry and lemon wedge out of the ice. "I simply prefer to be informed. Unlike some people."

Suddenly the music switched out the hard bass beat for a high-energy techno number and the lights morphed from a dim red to a cool blue. "Oh shit!" Angel hopped off the stool and aggressively stubbed his cigarette into the tray, grabbing the chain and yanking it hard enough for Pent's drink to slosh in the glass. "C'mon, this is my fuckin' jam! We ain't missin' this number, snake!"

Pent winced and then downed the entire whiskey sour quickly, eating the cherry and spitting out the pit and stem on top of the ice. He then shoved the glass along the bar before following Angel back to the floor, Cherri marching in step to the beat behind them.

This time there was a lot more movement, the flurry of hands nearly disorienting and certainly not helped by a flashing overhead light that Pent found himself unable to stare at without feeling sick. So instead he focused on Cherri and Angel, the two friends dancing in time with each other as they mouthed the words to the unfamiliar song that poured out from the overhead speakers.

The number felt overly long, but Pentious just kept dancing, his hips swaying even as he felt people press up behind him. He didn't appreciate the touches, accidental or otherwise, but they felt more distant, like he was treading water and the dancers behind him were just fish brushing against his body under the churn of the blue surf.

Demons kept crossing his line of sight, their silhouettes shifting in scale and form as their bodies caught the light before immediately being recast in dark shadow. Pentious blinked a few times and then groaned, rubbing his head as he lowered his gaze to the floor which was looking rather muddy despite the blue glow raining down over the crowd. He must have had too much to drink if he was already feeling a bit featherbrained. Or the alcohol combined with all the stimulation was effectively mixing the club and its inhabitants into an unrecognizable slurry of light and color.

Pentious felt someone touch his shoulder and his eyes flickered up, realizing it was only Angel. He could see the other man's mouth moving, but there was no sound. Come to think of it, he couldn't even hear the music anymore.

His brow furrowed as he tried to follow along with Angel's red lips, but all he could focus on was the smudge of makeup at the corner of the other man's mouth. Pentious let his gaze slide up to the spider's eyes and for a moment he thought Angel's blonde wig had turned blue, only to realize it was stained by the colored overhead lights.

Blonde or blue, it was a rather fetching wig, and the loose curls looked very nice on Angel (even though they covered the little heart-shaped splotch on the back of his head).

The spider's expression twisted and for a moment, Pent wondered if the other Demon had gotten taller (or maybe he'd gotten shorter?) only to then realize that he had sunk down, his tail coiled underneath him loosely. "Oh…" he said softly, unable to even hear his own voice as he tried to get back up, only for his muscles to remain stubbornly lax.

Cherri pushed her way through the crowd not a moment later, her own expression unsettled as she spoke to Angel, gesturing at Pent before taking out her phone. Angel bit his lip, smearing his lip color even more as he used all four arms to drag the snake back to stand upright, carving a path in the pulsing mob to get him to a stool.

Pentious was pushed down to sit as he continued to stare out at the literal sea of bodies, the rolling wave of hands and heads making him nauseous the more he watched. As he sat there, the sounds around him slowly came back into focus, buzzing bass, followed by thundering bodies, and then finally high-pitched vocals. Suddenly a cup of water was shoved into his claws and he nearly dropped it in surprise before looking to Angel who said, "Drink up. I'm not havin' you get heat stroke in the goddamn club. Once was enough for the day."

Humming, Pent looked at the water, swirling the liquid and watching as it reflected the flashing lights, the crystals in the ice cube dancing just under the surface. Angel sighed and then grabbed his wrist. "Open up," he said and Pent obeyed without a second thought, allowing Angel to tip the water and ice down into his throat.

Once he'd swallowed the water, Angel lifted a hand to Pentious' forehead and the snake swayed slightly, leaning into Angel's grip. "How's he doing?" Cherri asked, crossing her arms over her chest as she looked him over. "Not dying anymore?"

Pentious smiled. "I died a very long time ago," he said simply as Angel's expression morphed into a confused frown.

"Not runnin' a fever…" Angel glanced to the line of empty drinks lining the bar counter and he paused. "Think someone mighta spiked his drink?" he asked, turning back to Cherri.

Cherri shrugged. "How good is his alcohol tolerance? Maybe he just had too much?" Pent was almost offended at the insinuation. The great Sir Pentious wouldn't be laid low by some tequila and beer!

"Nah, I've seen him down drinks way stronger than anythin' we had tonight. Look at his fuckin' eyes, too. They're huge," Angel sighed, looking back to Pent and taking him by the hand. "C'mon. We're gettin' your ass outta here before you end up on the floor again."

"It is rather disgusting," Pent murmured, allowing the two of them to take his shoulders and lead him out of the club. He wasn't sure how long it took them to reach the exit, but it felt a lot longer than just the minute or two it took to enter in the first place.

Then as if time sped up around him, he was suddenly inside of a cab, sandwiched between Cherri and Angel with his head resting on the spider's speckled shoulder. "Who called the cab?" he asked, the end of his tail idly pressing into Angel's legs. When no one answered him, he frowned, touching over his hat which almost felt too tight for his skull. "Are we going back to the Hotel?"

The spider sighed and then reached down, forcing Pent's hood to deflate before straightening the cap on his head. "Yeah," he said, his voice rather soft.

"Can we go to my house instead?"

"No can do, Pen. The Hotel's closer and I don't got a ton of money for the fare."

Pent wrinkled his nose. "You always make me pay…"

"Yeah well, you're drugged so I don't trust you to do more than sit there and ride it out."

"Drugged? I don't take drugs," Pent laughed, shaking his head and accidentally knocking into Cherri's shoulder with his flailing.

"Someone drugged you, idiot," Cherri said, rolling her single eye. "Fuck, don't you know to watch your goddamn drinks?"

Pent stared out at the opposite seat, his vision turning foggy as the car bumped over a pothole.

What was that about drinks?

He blinked and then the cab doors were opening in front of him. Pent raised his head, confused as he watched Angel step out onto the sidewalk leading to the Happy Hotel.

When had they stopped moving? Was he home?

Pentious saw Angel reaching out to wrap his arms around his torso and Pent willingly clung to him as he was pulled from the car. Cherri scooted to the edge and closed the door, rolling down the window to lean her elbows over the side of the taxi. "You need any help, Angie or you got this?"

"I can handle it," Angel said, hoisting Pent a bit higher as the snake's head began to dip. "Get home safe, babe. We'll have a better time of it when I'm outta these damn cuffs."

Cherri smiled and nodded. "Got it. Just text me if ya need anything." She gave a thumbs up before turning to the driver to give him her address as the next stop.

Pent saw the cab drive off and he raised an arm to wave as Angel heaved a sigh and then began to trudge up the stairs. "Fuck you're heavy," the spider muttered as he opened the door and shoved them both through, kicking it closed behind them.

Instead of taking the stairs, they took the elevator and Pent's eyes went wide as the cabin went up, his body feeling totally weightless for a moment before it jolted, making him collapse against Angel. For some reason, he laughed, clinging to the spider as the doors opened, revealing the fourth floor. "Let's go up again," he murmured, reaching out to press the button, only for Angel to grab his hand and force it down.

"Nope, we're not stayin' in the goddamn elevator all night so you can push buttons." Angel shoved him out of the compartment and into the hall, his stiletto heels muffled by the carpet.

When they got to their door, Pent traced the numbers as Angel fumbled with their key. "404...that's an error code," Pentious pointed out. "I see it on websites all the time."

Angel managed to unlock the door and he grunted, practically lifting Pent up and carrying him over his shoulder into the room. "Remind me to never be sober around you when you're havin' a trip," Angel muttered as Pent felt his stomach swoop, nausea returning with a vengeance at the sudden change in perspective. He dangled against Angel's back, one hand reaching to trace the crisscrossing laces that could barely be seen underneath Angel's top.

"You should get a nicer corset," he murmured as Angel managed to close the door behind them and set Pent down to lay on the bed. "This one is so...cheap." He smiled as Angel took off his wig and put it on the styrofoam form in his closet. "Quality matters..." Yawning, he stretched out, arching his back against the sheets. "My grandfather always looked for the best materials. Everything he made was art."

Angel sighed and unzipped his boots. "That right?" he said, his tone worn and tired as he stepped out of the shoes and carelessly tossed them into the closet.

Pent hummed as he nodded, his chin touching his collarbone. "He saved the best for himself though. Customers would take one look at him and determine right then and there if they wanted to purchase his work based on what he was wearing." He laughed and closed his eyes, taking off his hat and toying with the brim in his hands, the fabric loosening as it changed back into his usual top hat. "He used to say-" Pausing, he cleared his throat, lifting his hat and waving it in the air as he took on a slightly deeper accent, "First impressions always count, Simon. You can't sense a man's true character at a glance, but you can certainly judge his taste by how smartly he dresses and carries himself."

Angel was in the middle of stripping off the fishnets when he suddenly froze and glanced down at Pent, his eyes wide, mouth slightly ajar.

Sighing, Pent dropped his hat to the bed and then pulled at the zipper of his vest, dragging it down until it unhooked from the latches. He tried to shimmy out of it, but it got caught on the chain, requiring Angel to lean over and unzip the seam under his arm. "Mmmm, thank you," he said with a lazy smile as Angel dragged the vest out from under him.

"No problem," Angel murmured, also removing the leather choker and arm bands from Pent's limbs, tossing them onto the dresser along with the vest. He removed the rest of the fishnets and then peeled off the mermaid tube top, leaving just the black hot pants and purple corset. Pent's eyes were immediately drawn back to the article as Angel began to undo the knot he'd tied, loosening the laces until he was able to slip it off, exposing the pink heart that outlined the shape of his breasts.

Angel raised an eyebrow when he caught Pent staring and said, "My eyes are up here, y'know. Not that you ain't seen these plenty of times at this point." He hung the corset and leaned over, the chain stretching taut as he nabbed a box of makeup wipes off the dresser.

"Your hearts…" Pent traced the shape against his own chest (nearly poking the eye in the center of his sternum).

Glancing down, Angel shrugged. "Yeah, what about 'em?" he asked, removing the false lashes and then ripping a wipe from the box to clean his face.

"Why do you have so many?"

Angel snorted and tossed the used wipe into the trash, taking a second and third to clear away the horribly smudged mascara from his eyes and cheek. "Why do you got so many eyes?" he shot right back.

Pent frowned and glanced down at himself, rubbing one hand over his abdomen. "I do have rather a lot, don't I?"

"Heh, I mean, I got more than the two, but no one likes a lotta eyes. People feel creeped on when folks are watchin' 'em." Angel finished cleaning off his face and turned to Pent, reaching for another wipe. "Speakin' of eyes, close 'em. I'm gonna clean your damn face."

Pent did as he was told, his breathing soft as he felt Angel gently scoop around the hollows of his eyes and along his cheeks with the slightly damp cloth. It actually felt sort of nice and he gave a soft whimper as it was taken away, the white sheet now covered in sparkling gold splotches. His eyes drifted from the dirty wipe to Angel who was looking at him curiously, as if he was trying to figure something out. "Do I have something else on my face?"

"Nah, just your goofy fuckin' fangs," Angel said, the expression twisting into a sympathetic smile as he tossed the wipes into the trash and then lifted the bucket of ice (long melted into room temperature water). "Drink this shit and keep the bucket by your bed. You're probably gonna puke and I don't need ya doin' it on the sheets."

Pentious didn't fight as Angel tipped the water into his mouth, some of it spilling out and down his chin. He swallowed and groaned, feeling extremely heavy all of a sudden. A hand then pressed against his bare chest, forcing him down to the sheets as the blankets were tugged out from under him. In what felt like the blink of an eye, Pent found himself burritoed into his heated blanket, facing the edge of the bed frame.

Angel climbed over him to get to the other side of the bed, slipping his hot pants off and pulling the sheets up over his nude body. The spider then raised his top arms, the chain clanking as he clapped to turn off the lights.

Surrounded in darkness and the warm burn of his blanket, Pent found himself suddenly very sleepy. He yawned and closed his eyes, rubbing his face against the pillow.

An hour later, he woke, retching into the empty bucket next to the bed before he had any time to process exactly what was happening.

Next to him, the sheets shifted and he felt a gentle hand passing over his back, fingers tracing the yellow markings on his scales as he groaned, tasting stale alcohol and watery bile. "Feelin' better?" Angel asked quietly as Pentious finished, wiping his mouth on his hand and grimacing.

"No…" he groaned, laying his head back down as his stomach gave another lurch (but thankfully didn't send him up for another round).

"Yeah, just try and sleep it off." Angel patted Pent's head and then his fingers slipped away, leaving Pent feeling a touch cold in its absence. He compensated by burying under his blankets again, coiling around himself as he closed his eyes.

He vomited twice more and each time, he had only the simple comfort of the spider's hand against his spine to help him through it.

A reminder that for once, he wasn't alone.

---

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