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.

7. Fold, Bend, Break

MINOR CONTENT WARNING FOR THIS CHAPTER. SPANKING AND A BIT OF KINK ROLEPLAY. READ AT YOUR OWN RISK.

"Not all things end up tied with a perfect bow. Sometimes the ribbon frays. Sometimes you get a knot. A very messy one."
Anonymous

---

Pent couldn't sleep.

Despite every eye on his body being closed and his breath purposefully kept to an even and slow tempo; he was painfully aware of the fact that he was still awake.

Angel had cried in his arms for most of the night, but eventually Pentious managed to carry the other man into the bed and get them more or less tucked in. He let the spider cuddle close under the blankets, twisting around him like a clingy octopus (with nearly the same amount of limbs) and Pent didn't pull away even after he felt Angel pass out from exhaustion around 1AM.

That was probably four or five hours ago.

So here he was, in the guest bed of his own house, tail partially coiled around a man whose chest had been sliced open by a sadistic pimp using his own prototype weapon.

The spider still reeked of blood and rubbing alcohol, but Pentious was used to the scent by now. What he wasn't used to was the weight of another person's head against his chest, their warm breath skating across the scales of his pectoral muscles while wayward strands of hair tickled his chin.

When was the last time he had allowed anyone this close to him or even willingly hugged another person? It surely had to be before he died.

But here he was, playing the role of a living breathing body pillow so that this man could get some semblance of rest while his own mind continued to race around in circles like a model train on the world's shortest track. There were already so many things to consider and the entire situation had only grown more complicated after the events of last night.

From the very start of this venture, he'd known that he wouldn't be handing over a single gram of Heaven's Steel to Valentino. He'd worded his deal carefully to limit specifics while still keeping enough of Val's demands intact to satisfy most onlookers, though the fact that the Overlord didn't call him out either meant that Val was either just that confident in his ability to keep them both on lockdown from a distance, or believed that Angel would force Pent to keep his end of the bargain out of sheer fear of the consequences. Either scenario was a cause for worry, but it hadn't concerned him at the time. He'd only agreed to the deal in the first place to get them out of that goddamn limo and give them the time and resources they'd need to break the damn cuffs and go their separate ways.

He hadn't once cared to consider what might happen to Angel in the aftermath.

Of course, he hadn't exactly enjoyed watching the other man be openly abused in front of him (he had actually been rather horrified), but in the moment, Pent was more concerned about keeping his own limbs attached over Angel's well-being.

It didn't seem like it was all that long ago, but nearly six months had passed since this mess began and they were forced to start sharing their lives.

Spending every waking and sleeping moment with Angel had certainly been an eye-opener in more ways than one, but the thing that truly struck him was that while Angel might be a self-destructive mess of a man with more than his fair share of faults...

He was also very caring.

It wasn't obvious at first, but the more Pentious watched the other man interact with Cherri, the more he began to see just how selfless Angel could be. From just his own short time in their company, he had witnessed Angel go out of his way to hide the worst of his breakdowns from her, repeatedly cover Cherri's fees whenever they went out (despite his own lack of financial stability), and share very intimate touches that had nothing to do with any sexual attraction.

But Cherri was also a long time friend so Angel's treatment of her was to be somewhat expected.

What was truly surprising was that as the months passed, Pent began to notice that he too was occasionally on the receiving end of Angel's caring heart. Ever since their trip to the beach, the spider would check in on him when it was hot outside and he'd begun to regularly tell Pent stories of his life that were clearly near and dear to him when they were alone.

It hadn't taken long for Angel to start sharing those more intimate touches with him as well, whether it was laying on his shoulder in a dark theater or kicking his legs up onto the couch so that his long limbs casually brushed Pent's tail. In their more quiet moments, Angel's hands seemed to gravitate towards his hood, stroking the scales there in a gentle caress.

It felt so strange at first and Pent still wasn't used to being touched with such familiarity, but the initial trepidation had begun to slowly fade. He didn't flinch as much and he instinctively jerked away less often than he used to.

Angel's touch wasn't foreign anymore, though he'd never gone out of his way to encourage it throughout the course of their bondage.

And then last night happened.

He couldn't explain exactly why he had hugged Angel; Pentious had just reached for the other man in the moment and held him through the breakdown. There was just something about seeing Angel so torn, helpless, and alone that hit him deep down inside. He felt that pain so clearly in the ache of his heart, but it wasn't a feeling that he could even begin to name.

Angel hadn't fought against his hold, just simply hugged him back and cried. Was he grateful for the comfort? Maybe. But there wasn't much else that Pentious could offer him. He couldn't take away everything that had already happened and couldn't do anything in that moment aside from be a shoulder for the other Demon to snot into.

Of course he knew it wasn't enough, but his hands were literally and figuratively tied.

Pentious frowned, feeling Angel beginning to shift against him, the spider slowly lifting his head to look down at Pent and then craning his neck to look around the dark room. After a few beats, he heard Angel sigh out and then murmur, "You awake?" as he pushed himself up to sit with a pained groan, one hand brushing the bandages on his chest. "Shit...that really fuckin' happened, didn't it?" the spider said in a raspy voice as he slowly started the process of untangling his thighs from the coil of Pentious' tail.

Rolling up to sit as well, Pent nodded and yawned. "Unfortunately, yes," he said, watching as Angel pulled his knees in, resting the elbows of his lower arms on his absurdly long legs. Pent pursed his lips as he laid his tail out flat on top of the velvet sheets, letting the silence stretch between them. After what seemed like minutes, he finally took a breath and said, "Did you want to ta-"

"The fuck is there to talk about?" Angel said gruffly, lifting his chained arm to tousle through the mess of his hair. The spider paused and then winced, glancing to Pent with an apologetic expression on his face, both eyes looking hollowed with the white sclera bloodshot. "Sorry...just that last night doesn't really change anythin'. Y'know that right?"

Taking another breath, Pent shook his head. "I respectfully disagree," he murmured, reaching out with one hand and placing it atop the unchained wrist resting loosely on Angel's bent knee. Angel pursed his lips, averting his eyes.

"Well you're fuckin' wrong. He's just bein' an even bigger shit because he's pissed I'm not makin' him any goddamn money." Angel pressed the fingers of his opposite hand to the bandages, feeling over the length of the cut. "When I'm workin', he's an asshole, but it's manageable. When he's angry, he wants somethin' to wreck." He gave a cold huff and muttered, "This is how it's always been so welcome to my fuckin' world."

Pent frowned and slowly pulled his hand away, letting it drop back down to his own lap. "How about we get breakfast started? We can talk after we've had something to eat."

"No."

Sighing, Pent looked to Angel and said, "What about a coffee?"

The spider crossed his upper set of forearms atop his knees and leaned in to rest his chin on them. "I don't want anythin'."

Pent pinched over his brow, frustration bleeding into his voice as he said, "Alright, then what do you need?"

Angel scoffed and turned his head to the side to stare him down, the spider's expression more tired than angry. "Why do you care? Is it cuz your guilt finally caught up with ya?" he asked, folding his lower set of arms across his abdomen. "You said yourself that you never gave a fuck about the people who got gored by the shit you made. So why are you just now growin' a damn conscience?"

Pent sighed and scooted closer, coiling his tail underneath him. It really was too goddamn early for this, but Angel clearly wasn't going to make this easy on him. "I read about the plights of those people, but I never met any of them." He paused and added, "I never had to look them in the eye."

Angel just sat there for a moment before he turned his head to face away from Pent again. Then his shoulders began to shake and at first Pentious thought he was crying again, but instead the spider opened his mouth and let out a barking laugh. Lifting his chained wrist, Angel covered his eyes and nose, digging all four fingers into the minute crevices of his skull. "Great. So if your fat ass was chained to anyone else and Val still chose to use me as his stupid test dummy, you wouldn't give a shit." He shook his head, the hysterical giggles fading as quickly as they had come. "Thanks for confirmin'."

Groaning, Pent gestured at his own chest and said, "Could you honestly say you would give a damn about me were our situations reversed?" Angel just rolled his eyes and Pent scowled, lifting his chin. "No, I probably wouldn't have cared had I not gotten to know you. None of us see the world outside of our small corner of it. We're all wearing blinders that keep us focused on our own lives and the people around us."

Angel's frown only deepened so Pentious shifted to sit down in front of the other man, taking both of Angel's shoulders in his hands. The spider lowered his head, letting the fringe of his hair cover his eyes as Pent said, "You're in my sphere right now so I care. Rather than trying to dismiss it and tell me that my desire to help you isn't real, or that this is some sort of cheap trick, how about you simply accept that I'm here and offering you aid."

He felt the other man's chest shake under his hold and then Angel was biting his lip and curling in on himself all the more. "I liked it better when we were shootin' at each other."

A simpler time.

One they could probably never return to. Not really anyway.

Pent gave a soft sigh and thumbed over Angel's shoulder softly before moving his hand to touch his cheek, lifting the other man's face so Angel could meet his eyes. Once he had the spider's attention, he offered a small smile and said, "Oh to be mortal enemies once again. Those were indeed the days." Pentious chuckled and combed Angel's hair back and out of his face. "Though if I recall correctly, shooting at each other was what got us into this mess in the first place."

The spider's tired melancholy slowly faded back, replaced by mild confusion. "I can't tell if you're goin' for sarcasm or if this is some of that dry British shit you do."

Pent removed his hand from Angel's hair to cover his yawn. "Why can't it be a bit of both?" he asked as he hyper-extended his jaw and then cracked it with a small grunt.

A soft oink interrupted them and Pent leaned over the bed. "Ah, finally you're awake, you lazy little piglet," he murmured as he watched Nuggets tiredly toddle to the edge of the bed, looking at him expectantly. "Yes yes, you can come up."

He reached down and lifted the pig onto the mattress before leaning back on both his hands. Immediately the pig dove into the space between Angel's legs, sitting on their haunches and looking up at the spider with big sweet eyes. Angel pursed his mouth and pet Nugs slowly as the pig oinked and nuzzled against his lower abdomen, curled tail bouncing slightly. "Hey baby...daddy's ok," he assured his pet. "Just got a lil' roughed up, but we're all good now."

With Angel distracted, Pent unplugged his phone from the charger and sent a text to get the eggs working on breakfast, instructing them to bring it to the guest room along with some tea and coffee. Angel might have claimed to not want anything, but that didn't mean he wasn't going to try tempting him with food.

"Hey Pen…"

Glancing up from his phone, Pentious raised an eyebrow, "Yes?" he asked, watching as Angel cuddled Nuggets, the pig eagerly nosing against Angel's chained palm.

The spider sighed and folded his legs underneath him, pulling the pig up onto the crisscross of his calves, "If we get outta this in one piece and you're somehow not stuck bein' Val's bitch-" Pent winced at the wording. "-what are you gonna do?"

"You mean after we're free?" Pent looked to the chain snaking between them and plucked at the links. "I haven't really given it all that much thought to be perfectly honest. I've been more concerned about getting us to Extermination Day." He paused, watching as Angel lifted his head to look at the crack in the curtains where light seeped through the fabric. "Why? Have you already made arrangements?"

Angel gave a soft chuckle, but the smile didn't reach his eyes. "Heh, you know me. I ain't one fer makin' plans." He shrugged and turned back to Pent even as he continued to refuse meeting the other Demon's eye-line. "That's your thing."

Putting his phone down, Pent rubbed at his chin and coiled his tail around himself. "I know that I'll be very happy to be in my own bed again and to no longer have to stay at the Hotel. As for what I'll do, I imagine I'll begin preparing for the next opportunity to seize control that comes my way." He lowered his palm back to the bed and dragged the claws of his chained hand against the velvet, brushing against the fabric grain mindlessly.

"Back to business as usual?" Angel asked as he continued to pet a snorting Nuggets.

Pent pursed his mouth, thinking for a moment before murmuring, "What else is there?"

A knock on the door interrupted the conversation and Pent cleared his throat. "Ah, that must be breakfast." Angel frowned as the door creaked open, a troupe of three eggs parading in with a massive tray of waffles.

"Here's the food you wanted, Boss. Also, the waffle iron broke!" the first egg said as the other two waddled over to the bed with the tray.

Pent sighed and rolled his eyes. "I'll fix it later. Just clean out the plates and bring it down to the workshop in the meantime." Turning to Angel he gestured to the tray and said, "I assume you can handle eating waffles?"

"Eh, I'm not crazy hungry, but I get the sense you're not gonna lemme leave until I've had a few bites," Angel muttered as the eggs hit a button on the bed which activated a previously unseen ramp built into the side of the wooden frame. "Oh shit, where's that been the whole damn time?" he said, leaning over to watch as the snake's minions marched up with their breakfast, setting it down in front of them along with their tea and coffee.

Pent lifted his chin proudly. "I designed all the furniture so that they can still access me should I become injured or bedridden. They're too damn small so rather than have them cart around a ladder, this seemed like the most logical solution."

Nugs oinked and stepped out of Angel's lap to sniff the waffles curiously before nosing the nearest egg and licking a line up the side of their face.

Angel smiled, the expression finally spreading across his entire face as he turned to Pent. "Always thinkin' of everythin' huh?"

"It took some trial and error," Pent admitted as he picked up his tea and spooned at the lemon wedge floating on the surface. "As I said, necessity is the backbone of invention. Problems exist and technological advancements come about to solve them." He took a sip and then chuckled as Nuggets began to follow the eggs across the bed, his idiot minions quickly scurrying back down the ramp. Nugs blinked and tilted their head before chasing after the three eggs with several curious snorts.

"Call off the piggy, Bossman's friend!" one of them squealed as Nugs cornered them, insistently licking over the egg's face.

Pent snickered and shook his head before patting at the bed, whistling softly to get Nugget's attention. The pig paused and glanced over at the two Demons, allowing the three eggs to dash out of the room and close the door behind them.

Turning back, Nugs gave a sad oink and scratched at the door with their hooves before trotting up the ramp to sit between Pent and Angel as they sipped their drinks quietly. Angel petted Nugget's back, holding his coffee mug with his top two hands while making no moves toward the large stack of waffles in front of them. Pentious lowered his own cup and picked up one of the provided forks, shaking it at Angel. "You really should eat something before we go back. Your body is healing and will need the calories."

Angel's hand shifted from Nugs to the bandages between his breasts, frowning as he felt over the tape. "Yeah, I guess." Sighing, he took the offered fork from Pent, their fingers brushing as he slid the utensil from the snake's grasp. He then picked up the container of syrup and dumped the contents, watching the wells of the waffles overflow with liquid sugar.

As Angel began to eat, Fat Nuggets sniffed the plate curiously and the spider smiled, offering his pet a piece of waffle. The pig chewed it and licked Angel's fingers clean, wiggling their butt as they sat back down on the sheets.

Sipping his tea, Pent watched the other man quietly, taking in his noticeably subdued body language and the way the spider curled in on himself (the complete opposite of his normal posturing).

It was almost like looking at a stranger, which should have felt like a gross exaggeration, but the two sides of Angel truly were different men.

One was hypersexual and proud, dancing to the beat of a song that only he could hear; the other was defeated and miserable, a person whose heart was weighed down with countless decades worth of hurt and depended on drugs to hide that pain from the rest of the world.

Sometimes they were clear and distinct from one another. Other times the overlap was simply too muddled to separate them.

"Hey, ain't you the one always bitchin' about people starin'?"

Pent blinked and shook his head as Angel addressed him, one eyebrow raised in clear annoyance. Blushing, Pent picked up his tea cup and ducked his head apologetically. "I didn't mean to gawk. I was simply lost in my head."

"What's got ya so distracted?" Angel asked as he pushed the rest of the food away (his waffles maybe a quarter picked over and literally disintegrating under the sea of syrup).

Taking another sip from his drink, Pent tapped the stirring spoon against the side of the cup and then laid it down on the saucer. "Valentino's demands," he lied, not wanting to bring up any of his personal observations. "A week isn't a long time to make the key for these chains and then reshape everything into a proper navaja." He paused and watched as the lemon wedge bobbed in what little was left of his tea. "It will be a rushed job."

Angel's eyes dropped to the sheets. "Well, don't try and beg for more time now. You either get him the goods when he asked for 'em or you're gonna be his bitch." The spider touched over his chest again, swallowing hard. "And now you've seen exactly what that shit entails."

Pent nodded and then finished off the rest of his drink, smacking his lips. "I don't plan to lose this gambit," he said with a toothy smirk, feigning more confidence than he truly felt in the moment. "Now will it be an easy victory? No of course not. But the most satisfying wins rarely are."

Snorting, Angel downed his coffee and set the empty mug on the tray. "This ain't a fuckin' game, y'know. This is your life we're talkin' about." He gestured back at Pent and then to the room at large. "Along with whatever little freedoms you got in this shit pit."

"I'm aware," Pent said as he set his own cup down next to Angel's, his arm brushing the spider's bare thigh as he pulled back. "You should have some more faith in me and my abilities for once instead of doubting me like you always do."

Angel's mouth tightened into a thin line as he reached for Nuggets, pulling the pig back from the plate of half-eaten waffles. "It's not you, dumbass...it's Val." He shook his head and dropped his bottom arms to the sheets, tracing nonsensical patterns in the velvet. "You can be the best fuckin' engineer in the world, make the prettiest goddamn knife, and do everything right. None of it's gonna matter. You're gonna lose cuz he's gonna make you lose." He bit his lip and slowly met Pent's eye-line. "If you think an Overlord is gonna play fair and give ya a clean fight, you ain't just naive, but downright batshit."

Pentious inhaled and then raised his chained arm to Angel's shoulder, clasping it gently in his claws. The spider flinched and tightened his hold on Nuggets, but otherwise made no attempt to pull away as Pent said, "I would never expect a gentlemanly fight from a man who beats on someone who can't say no."

He offered Angel a small smirk as he let his arm drop back down. "Besides, cowardly rats don't deserve my civility."

Angel's eyes immediately widened and began to dart around the room as if Valentino could somehow hear him through the walls. Pent winced, waiting for the panic to die down as Angel realized that the Overlord wasn't going to just pop out of the closet to scalp them both. After a few moments, Angel's muscles relaxed, the spider sinking back into the soft sheets. "Well, don't say I never warned ya, Pen," he murmured as he continued to pet Nugs who was staring up at Angel curiously, clearly aware of their owner's stress and anxiety. "Whatever happens, happens." The spider's mismatched eyes closed and he laid back down against the pillows, bringing Nuggets to rest against his abdomen rather than his wounded chest.

Pent nodded, glancing from Angel to the windows where daylight cut through the gap in the curtain. He was very well aware of their circumstances as he'd thrown his dice months ago.

Now all that was left to do was place his bet and wait to see where they fell.

---

The drive back to the Hotel was awkward and quiet (albeit private thanks to Charlie sending the limo to pick them up). Angel had borrowed one of Pent's black turtlenecks to hide his injury and while they weren't quite the same size (mostly due to Angel's large breasts), the fabric had enough give that the tight fit wasn't too noticeable so long as Angel kept his second pair of arms tucked into his body. Regardless, it was still very strange to see another person wearing his clothes, even if it was just one of his more casual outfits.

"They will ask why your breasts are covered," Pent remarked as he scrolled through his phone, Nugs curled on the seat next to him. "It goes against your carefully cultivated persona."

Angel just shrugged and kicked up his legs across the aisle of the car, resting the heel of his boots on the seat opposite him "I'll make some shit up, like I lost a bet or somethin'. Just leave the talkin' ta me cuz you can't lie worth a damn." He gave an annoyed tug to the long sleeves and sighed. "It's fuckin' hot though. You got anythin' without sleeves?"

"Only my undershirts, which will not hide all of the stitches," Pent said pointedly. "Neither will they accommodate your secondary limbs."

Angel leaned back and sighed heavily. "Alright, guess we're gonna have to do some shoppin' and get me some conservative shit while we wait for this crap to heal."

"Modest would be a more appropriate term," Pent said as he lowered his phone, gesturing with his free hand to the tight fit of the fabric around Angel's curves. "It's not as if you're wearing a shapeless trash bag."

Snorting, Angel cupped the bottom of his breasts, lifting them gently. "Yeah well, I believe in lettin' the titties breathe," he muttered before pointing to Pentious' chest, specifically the eye in the center. "Sides, you show plenty of cleave."

Pent glanced down to his chest and rolled his eyes. "As much as I would prefer to be more covered up, I'm not going to routinely restrict my eyesight in the name of propriety."

Angel snorted, a small smile splitting his features. "Beauty is pain, busta. Sometimes you gotta sacrifice for the aesthetic." He then closed his eyes and suddenly the six red dots that lined the bottom lids (that Pent had always assumed were freckles in the spider's fur) opened to reveal six pitch black eyes. Pent nearly jumped in shock as the spider snickered, only to wince and clutch at his chest. "Fuck that hurts…"

"Those were eyes...the whole time!?" Pent asked, leaning over to look at them, seeing his own reflection in their dark glassy surface. "So you mean to tell me that you've been going about your afterlife with only 25% of your full vision?"

Angel shrugged and closed the lower set of eyes before opening the two large ones again. "Hey, you said it yourself, I'm a spider so I got spider parts. But havin' a lotta eyes gives people the creeps and that crap ain't good for business." He tilted his chin up and tucked his arms behind his head. "I told you this ages ago."

Pent blinked and furrowed his brow. "I don't recall this conversation." Not that his memory was infallible, but it truly was rare for him to ever completely forget something in its entirety.

"Eh, you were pretty fuckin' high so that ain't a surprise." Angel yawned and tousled his fringe. "But yeah, we chatted a bit before you passed the fuck out."

Ah yes, the night he was drugged. Pent paused. Wait, he had been coherent enough to carry on a conversation?

"What else did we discuss?" he asked, pocketing his phone and crossing his arms over his chest. "You never told me that we talked after you brought me back to the Hotel."

"Ta be fair, ya never asked," Angel said with a snide grin before continuing with, "Also it wasn't a back an' forth so much as it was you babblin' nonsense at me." He chuckled and leaned over, letting his arms drop back down to scratch at Nugs' ear. "You were like a goddamn kid, wantin' to stick your grubby hands in everythin' and talk about any shiny object that caught your eye."

Before Pent could respond, the limo slowed and then parked, signalling they had arrived back at the Hotel. He heaved a tired sigh and stood, picking up Angel's duffel bag while the spider leashed Nuggets. They both got out and waved before Razzle and Dazzle drove off to return the car, leaving the two Demons and pig standing on the sidewalk leading up to the double doors.

Sighing, Angel turned to look up at the Hotel and adjusted his grip on the leash. "Alright, let's get this ova with." He pointed to Pent with his index finger, adding, "And remember to let me do all the talkin'. You just gotta stand there and look pretty."

Pent wrinkled his nose, but nodded as he lifted the duffel bag and slithered up the stairs. They opened the door, letting Nugs trot inside first before following the pig into the lobby.

Charlie and Vaggie were sitting at the coffee table, talking casually as they poured over what appeared to be a spreadsheet of expenses while Alastor hovered next to them (Husk snoozing at the Welcome Desk as per usual).

As soon as the door snapped shut behind them, the Radio Demon's red eyes flickered up to meet Pent's, his lips curling at the edge of his smile. "Welcome back!" he exclaimed, stepping over the coffee table and nearly kicking Vaggie in the face in the process.

Pentious stiffened, tightening his grip on the pink duffel as the Radio Demon stopped in front of him, casually twirling his microphone in one hand. "Hello Alastor," he said begrudgingly as the other man's simpering smirk widened. Pent tried to slither around the other Demon but found his path blocked when Alastor stepped in time with him, keeping him from entering the hallway. Gritting his teeth, Pent forced a smile. "Can we help you?"

"Why yes you actually can for once," Al said with a chuckle, leaning into the snake's personal space and making Pent rear back in mild alarm. "Charlie was just telling me about the plans for your lovely grand piano." Alastor touched his own chest and leaned back, eyes drifting absently to the ceiling. "I too am a music connoisseur and so I took it upon myself to hire a set of movers for you."

Pent's forced smile dropped as his hood opened slowly. "You what?"

Laughing, Al waved him off with one hand while continuing to twirl his mic like a baton in the other. "No need to thank me. Of course, the fee will be coming out of your account, but all the arrangements have been made."

As Pentious seethed, Charlie stood and walked over, stepping between the two men. "Al, you didn't tell me you already hired them," she said in a calm and measured tone before gesturing to Pent with both hands. "We should probably make sure that the date works for Sir Pentious' schedule."

The Radio Demon turned his head, the motion crackling with static as he swung around to face Charlie, smacking Pentious across the jaw with his mic in the process. "I suppose that is true, but considering that neither of these two are currently employed-" he glanced back over his shoulder at them, his grin widening all the more as Pent rubbed his chin and raised his hackles. "I thought it was in our best interest to book the soonest possible date."

"Cancel it," Pent growled, reaching out and grabbing the other man's shoulder, purposefully digging his talons into the Radio Demon's suit. Al's red eyes slid down to the hand that touched him before flickering right back up to Pent's as the snake added, "The movement of my property will be done on my terms and not yours."

"Ah, but you see the reserve deposit has already been settled," Al said, bopping Pent's fingers with the mic until the snake let his arm drop, curling the talons into tight fists at his side.

Clearing her throat, Charlie adjusted her stance, using her body to create a physical barrier between them as she plastered a nervous smile across her face. "I'm sure we can call the moving company and ask them to change the reservation to a new date." She glanced to Pent and then Al in turn. "Right guys?" When neither of them responded, she offered a double thumbs up and Pent just scowled, his tongue curling around one fang in irritation as Alastor chuckled.

Meanwhile, Angel just rolled his eyes and flicked Pent's cheek, making the snake wince, his anger momentarily redirected at the other Demon. "What the hell was what for!?" he asked, brushing his face. Would everyone just stop hitting him?

"Ta get ya to stop mad-doggin' Al," Angel muttered. "We'll change the stupid date. It ain't that fuckin' serious," The spider glanced to the Radio Demon who was now looking at them both curiously, his eternal smile never wavering even as his eyelids lowered in unabashed amusement.

Huffing, Pentious crossed his arms over his chest, shifting the duffel to the front of his tail. "Fine…" he muttered as Husk finally woke up from his latest drunken stupor and stepped out from behind the Welcome Desk, still clutching the half-empty bottle in one hand as his wings extended in a brief stretch.

"What the hell are you clowns yakking on about?" he muttered with a tired yawn, raising one long feathered eyebrow as he leaned back against the desk and took a swig from the bottle. Then his gaze fell to Angel and he blinked, rubbing his eyes before giving the other Demon another confused once-over. "Why the fuck are you in a goddamn turtleneck?"

Charlie glanced back at Angel in turn and her eyes widened. "Oh wow, I hadn't even noticed…" she murmured before offering him a kind smile. "It looks really nice on you though, Angel. Very sophisticated."

Angel sighed and pulled at the collar dramatically. "Thanks, dollface but you know that sophisticated ain't really my dig." He then turned to Husk and jerked his thumb back to Pent, nearly smacking him in the face (yet again). "Pen and I had a bet runnin' on whether or not Val would like the knife. If he lost, he was gonna have ta wear my white lingerie in public for a week-" Pent immediately flushed as everyone's eyes turned to him, clearly imagining him wearing said intimate apparel (bloody perverts). "-and if I lost-" Angel gave a mournful sigh and gestured to his chest. "I gotta put my titties away for a whole month!"

"What a travesty," Vaggie muttered in a flat tone as she stacked the spreadsheets and stood, walking over to stand next to Charlie while slipping the papers under one arm. "How will you ever survive?"

"Well, there's nothing wrong with a little change every now and then" Charlie said, gesturing to the turtleneck as Al gave a staticy hum and tapped the head of his mic against his opposite palm, red eyes sliding from Angel's outfit to Pentious with a deliberate sweep that immediately set the snake on edge.

Angel grinned and stepped away from the group to lean back against the Welcome Desk alongside Husk. "Just don't get used to it, babe. As soon as the month's ova, the boys are comin' right back out to play." He laughed and cupped his chest, resting his palms over his tits but not applying any real pressure to the area.

Vaggie rolled her eyes and Charlie just chuckled before taking the stack of papers from her girlfriend. "Alright well we're glad you're back. At some point we'll need to discuss picking a new date to move your piano-" She paused and glanced to Alastor who just raised an eyebrow as his lips fell to cover his teeth, mouth still stretched in a wide smirk. "-but I'm sure you'd rather rest and get unpacked for now."

"Yes, time for our guests to get settled back in," Al murmured, those yellow teeth briefly flashing at Pentious who resisted the urge to bare his own fangs right back at the other Demon. "I suppose I shall take my leave too. Inform me of the new delivery date at your leisure." He gave a bored flick of his wrist and then started off down the hall to the elevator, humming to himself as he went.

Pent scowled, but relaxed once the other man was no longer in their vicinity (though his tail was still swishing irritably from side to side behind him).

Truly the best part of being free again would be no longer having to share a roof with one of his greatest enemies.

Clearing her throat, Charlie interlaced her free hand with Vaggie's as she turned her attention back to Pent and Angel "Anyway, we've got some important business stuff to go over, but if you need us, feel free to just shoot me a text, ok?"

Both men nodded, watching the girls head down the hall to a room that had been more or less converted into Charlie's office. The princess gave them one last wave before disappearing through the door, closing it behind them with a clean snap. Immediately Angel broke the silence by snorting obnoxiously loud and saying, "10 bucks says this is their important business." He made a V with his index and middle fingers, slipping his tongue through the wedge and wiggling the appendage suggestively.

Husk shrugged, walking back behind the desk to swipe a glass from below the counter. "So what if it is? Let'em have their fun," he muttered as he poured himself another drink. "Sides, if you're gonna bullshit them, I think they got the right to pull one over on you too, legs."

Angel raised an eyebrow and grinned, turning to lean over the bar. "What's that handsome?"

Husk rolled his eyes and gestured at him with the rim of the bottle. "You think you're being real cute, but something happened." He scowled and glanced to Pent who just averted his eyes and pursed his lips in an effort to keep from drawing any further attention to himself. "Dunno what, but you're both stiff as shit and it ain't just cuz Al puts Pentious in a fucking tizzy faster than dropping a goldfish into a shark tank."

The cat took a swig straight from the bottle before remembering that he'd just poured himself a glass and then drank that too. "So spill. The fuck is going on?"

Angel laughed and slid the bottle from the other Demon's grip. "Oh Husky, I think you've just had a few too many." He took a languid sip, running his tongue over the edge of the glass. "Damn, goin' straight to tequila this early?" The spider batted his lashes at Husk. "Very bold."

Husk rolled his eyes and snagged the bottle back. "Don't piss on my head and tell me it's raining. I don't want no fucking bullshit, kay?" His yellow eyes softened a bit as his wings shifted behind him, extending and refolding. "If you can't talk, fine. I get it. Everybody's got their fucking baggage." He took another long pull from the bottle and swallowed, messily wiping his mouth off on the fur of his forearm. "But if you need some goddamn backup or whatever, you lemme know."

Blinking, Pent stared at the cat, unsure if he had just heard him right. Angel of course just grinned and reached out, pinching the other Demon's cheek. "You're so fuckin' cute when you're drunk."

Husk gave an annoyed hiss and knocked Angel's fingers away from his face. "And you're a pain in my ass when you're trying to distract me." He gestured toward the stairs with his bottle. "I said my piece and I mean what I said. Take it or leave it."

The spider never dropped his flirty smile, blowing the cat a winking kiss before turning away from the bar to head up to their room. Pent glanced back at Husk over his shoulder as the other Demon just furrowed his brow, a hint of concern tinging his obvious irritation.

Angel kept up the act until Nugs' leash was off and the door was closed and locked behind them. Then his shoulders slumped and he turned to sit down on the bed, leaning back on his palms. "We're gonna have ta be careful around Husk. Didn't think he'd pick up on that…"

Pentious sighed and leaned over, unhooking Nuggets' harness to hang it up with the leash before dropping the duffel bag on top of the dresser. "Husker was a medical officer. You do know they are trained to read their patient's body language in the likely event that they are unable to speak or refuse to be honest about their pain level, right?"

"Yeah, well normally he's too shit-faced to give a damn," Angel groaned, shaking his head as he laid down on the sheets, his long legs hanging over the side of the wooden bed frame. "Observant fucker."

Wincing, Pentious sat down next to him and said, "We'll just dismiss him every time he brings it up. I doubt he'll voice any concerns to Miss Charlie. Husker was never much of a gossip."

Angel gave a loose nod and dragged his hands down the sides of his face. "Suppose we're gonna need to plan our next move, huh?" he asked, glancing up to Pent through the cracks in his fingers.

"Hmmm?"

The spider rolled his eyes and slowly sat back up. "Weren't you the asshole talkin' about how we needed a plan? Or are we just gonna sit on our asses for the next half year until it's time to pay up?" He heaved a tired sigh and pointed to Pent. "You're the idea guy and I'm the blow shit up guy. Just lemme know what I gotta do and we'll get this shit done."

Pentious glanced to Angel's chest and said, "Our first priority is healing your wound. After that, we can talk about how to best utilize the loophole I planted in my deal."

"Loophole?" Angel raised an eyebrow and leaned over to snatch Nuggets off the floor, settling the pig on top of the bed between them. "The fuck are you talking about?"

"I never promised to give Val the weapon. I only ever agreed to bring it to his studio," Pentious explained, rubbing over his chin as he thought back on Val's reaction to his offer. "I'm sure he is aware of my wording, but he didn't challenge it at the time. In any case, once the weapon enters the studio property, our deal is concluded and I won't have to honor the agreement any further."

Angel's expression tightened and the spider bit his lip, chewing at the corner before releasing the swollen flesh. "You won't leave the studio once you're in it. He's gonna make sure the exits are fuckin' sealed and blocked off," he said flatly, bringing his long legs up to tuck his knees to his chest. "Every goddamn asshole for the next ten blocks is under his payroll so even if ya somehow managed ta get your fat ass outta there, you'd be chased and pinned down before you could cross the goddamn street."

Pent nodded and sighed, running a hand down the back of his hood. "I assumed as much. But once again, my loophole also never states that I personally am to deliver the weapon, only that I get it there. That leaves us with a few potential options. Though none of them will be easy to pull off." He looked to Angel and shrugged. "I imagine as soon as you're free, none of this will matter much to you? After all this is my deal. You won't be punished for failing to follow-through."

Angel snorted and rolled his eyes, resting his chin on top of his knees to stare at their reflections cast in the closet mirror. "You're such a dumbass," he muttered dismissively. "Val is gonna fuck with me either way for being indisposed for an entire goddamn year." He paused and exhaled, mismatched eyes flickering back up to Pent. "But even if that weren't the case, I ain't exactly on his side in this mess. Ya got me in your corner whether ya like it or not, busta."

Pentious blinked and Angel offered him a smile, small at first, but growing as the seconds passed between them. "I know, big shock right? Guess you're not the only asshole who gives a damn now that we're outta each other's blinder spots or whatever the fuck you called it."

Slowly Pent returned the grin, genuinely surprised, but all the happier for it. "So much for going back to shooting each other at the end of the year, hmmm?" he said with a chuckle as Angel shoved his shoulder.

"Hey, I never said I wasn't gonna put a few bullets in ya, just that I don't want your stupid fuckin' face ta be used ta shine Val's bumper." He winked. "Don't let it get ta that big ego of yours."

Pent clicked his tongue and offered a hand to Angel in mock agreement. "Shall we be mortal enemies on a 9-5 basis then? We clock in and out for our shifts of violence and mayhem before heading to the pub for an after work pint?"

That got Angel laughing hard enough to actually snort, raising one hand to touch his chest (which probably hurt like hell from giggling so much). "Sounds like a pretty sweet deal ta me. Just gotta get you in the habit of watchin' your stupid drinks."

Groaning, Pent dropped his hand and shook his head. "Oh don't remind me," he muttered as Angel just continued to cackle next to him.

"Heh, you kiddin'? I'm never gonna let you forget it!"

---

Their normal routine was briefly altered during Angel's healing process, but otherwise their regular day to day remained roughly the same. Each morning, Pent helped Angel remove his bandages and clean the wound before applying more cream along with fresh wrappings. Then Angel would spend the next ten minutes bitching as he hid their work away under modest clothing.

Though despite Angel's threat of more shopping, the spider ended up simply raiding Pent's side of the dresser and closet, regularly using his sweaters and hoodies to cover the mark. At first Pentious was a little annoyed by the theft, but if he wasn't going to be wearing that outfit for the day, he supposed there was no real harm being done. Besides, Angel didn't exactly have the money for a new wardrobe (that would ultimately be abandoned for his normal scantily-clad style in a few weeks anyway).

Of course, the real scars ran far deeper than his skin and no amount of cocaine or alcohol seemed to stem the spider's anxieties (especially on the days when Val would text them: both to request updates and to generally torment them, Angel much moreso than Pentious).

One thing that did seem to have a positive effect (albeit a trifling amount) was physical contact.

It started out small, with Angel gradually leaning on his shoulder as they binged movies or read before eventually progressing into the spider stealing his blankets, long legs brushing against Pent's tail whenever Angel shifted under the sheet.

At first it came as a bit of a shock, but Pentious never fought or opposed it, not sure if he even wanted to have that conversation with Angel in the first place. Besides, the contact might be foreign, but it wasn't altogether bad. Angel's body was covered in very soft fur and it wasn't exactly a hardship on his end to let the other man take comfort in the gentle press of their skin.

Then about two weeks into this new cuddling habit, Angel looked him in the eye and actually requested that Pent wrap his tail around him.

"It just felt nice when ya did it the last time," Angel murmured as they both scrolled through their phones on the bed, late afternoon sunlight drifting in behind the narrow gap in the curtains. "You're like a big heavy blanket."

Pent furrowed his brow as the other man reached a hand down, patting over the smooth scales of his hip. "C'mon, Pen. Just for a lil' bit?" Angel pursed his lips, making his eyes as big and round as he could before adding, "Tell ya what, you let me do this an' I'll rub your back. Knock out all the kinks." Angel dropped the pleading expression for a sultry wink and pinched the scales in his grasp. "Sound nice an' fair?"

Sighing, Pentious just shifted to give Angel more room, laying his tail over the stretch of the spider's long legs. "You should just invest in a large pillow or a weighted sheet," he muttered, settling his hips back down against the mattress and headboard behind him.

"Why should I do that when I got you ta bribe?" Angel said with a snicker, settling against the other man's side and adjusting the pillow supporting the weight of his head.

"Just don't poke any of my eyes," Pent muttered as he raised his phone and went back to scrolling. "The ones on my tail can take a fair beating, but I don't need you testing out their durability."

Angel smirked and laid his palm down flat against the thick skin, giving it a firm pat. "Got it."

With the spider thoroughly tangled around him, Pent relaxed the muscles of his tail, enjoying the ability to freely leech warmth off the other man's body. "Has anyone else asked why you don't show skin anymore?" he murmured casually.

Angel snorted and opened one of the pictures where he was standing in front of their bathroom mirror, wearing the most absurd hoodie in Pent's collection (which the other Demon had insisted on wearing as soon as he found it). "They're too distracted by all these adorable kitties in galaxy print," Angel said, enlarging the image to show Pentious. "But yeah, a coupla regulars are bitchin' that I ain't showin' off the goods." He shrugged and set his phone back down on the bed. "Fuck 'em."

Pent smirked as he continued to leisurely read through his own feed. Out of boredom, he'd begun allowing Angel to try makeup looks on him (though nothing overly feminine or theatrical). Apparently he made for good practice as it was quite the challenge to get most pigments to show up against his much darker skin.

The comments on the images they had posted varied from rather crude slurs about his masculinity (which was hardly a surprise, but Pentious was used to low-brow insults) and gushing praise. "Apparently your night-time glow makes me look like-" he paused, squinting as he reread the comment, "-an ebony snack?"

Immediately Angel began to cackle and he reached up with his chained arm, tugging Pent's phone down to read it for himself. "Looks like you've got some admirers." Angel tilted his head back, grinning at Pent upside-down. "How does it feel to finally embrace your inner thot?"

"I keep seeing that word everywhere but no one has explained what in the hell it means." Pent furrowed his brow and raised one arm to scratch at his head. "If I'm a snack, does that mean they want to eat me?"

"Oh my fuckin' god," Angel muttered, releasing Pent's phone to drag his hand down the side of his face. "How are you this goddamn smart and this stupid?" He shook his head and tapped the side of the device with his index finger. "Yeah, they wanna eat you, but not in the way that Al eats folks if ya catch my drift."

Pentious sighed and gestured to his social. "Why can't people just speak plainly anymore? Flirting used to be simple!"

Angel shrugged and pressed the side of his face into Pent's abdomen. "I dunno, busta. I've been makin' the most obvious innuendos at you fer months and half the time they still fly right over the top of your hat." He yawned and stretched out a bit before settling back against the snake's body, his two lower hands tracing patterns in the thick scales.

"To be fair, I'm also not used to being flirted with on this scale," Pentious muttered, scrolling through a few more comments. "In life I didn't have a great deal of trouble attracting partners, but the process has been much more difficult in Hell."

Though a part of that had been his early discomfort with his body. It had taken well over a decade for him to get used to this form and accept it for what it was. By then, the Demons that had been interested moved on and the few that were left were clearly just fetishists.

Pent didn't mind casual sex, but he had no intention of being someone's kinky toy.

"You sayin' you were hot shit as a human?" Angel asked with a snicker. "A regula casanova?"

Pent shook his head and curled his tongue around one fang as his eyes scanned the feed. "Not to that extent, but I never wanted for partners. I was a handsome man, though none of those specific features translated into my Demon form." Without looking up, he gestured to his hat sitting on the nightstand next to them. "That was the one thing that carried over from my original life."

Angel raised an eyebrow and lifted his head to stare at the accessory. "Wait so your hat is actually part of you?" he asked curiously. "I thought it was just somethin' you made like your little egg kids."

"For the last time, they are not my children," Pent said with an annoyed pout. "But yes, my hat is a small part of my soul. It regenerates the same as my body does when it's damaged and it has always come back into my possession the few times I managed to misplace it." Pentious exhaled and glanced down to Angel from over his phone. "I can go without it, but I feel better with that hat on me or at least close by."

Slowly closing his eyes, Angel lowered his head to rest on Pent's hip. "I guess I've seen weirder shit down here. Every Demon's got some unique bullshit they're cursed with."

Indeed, everyone's forms and curses were entirely personalized, but in the most bizarre of ways. He still had yet to discover exactly why he'd taken the form of a snake, but on the other hand, he hadn't been particularly surprised to find that his soul was wrapped up in the physical embodiment of his uphill climb through life. After all, the first nice piece of clothing he'd ever bought for himself was a gentleman's top hat.

Pent sighed, thinking back on the memory of putting that hat on for the first time and seeing his reflection in the mirror of the shop. The rest of his clothes were worn and bordering on threadbare in some places, but the silk hat on his head was like a beacon of shining hope. He could make himself into something better even if it was piece by piece. He just had to replace the old parts with new ones until nothing original remained.

Even as the years passed and he acquired nicer clothes and newer accessories, that first hat remained in his closet as a regular staple of his wardrobe, worn whenever he wanted to impress (which was fairly often).

If a blonde wig was Angel's 'good luck charm' then his hat had served much the same purpose.

My one constant in this shit-pit.

As Angel's words floated around in his head, Pent glanced down, seeing that the other man had dozed off and was now breathing softly against him, one long leg kicked up to cross the width of his tail. He exhaled and tousled the fluffy hair that lined the little heart on the back of Angel's head before returning to the constant scroll of his social media.

An hour later, the sun was dipping below the horizon and beginning to dim the light in the room. Pent yawned as he flipped to the next cat video, audio muted so as to not wake the sleeping spider. For being as slight as he was, Angel sure managed to find interesting positions to sprawl out in, especially now that they weren't keeping to separate sides of the bed anymore. Not that Pent particularly cared as long as the other man didn't kick or punch him in his sleep.

Though Angel was getting a bit squirmy which likely meant he would be waking up soon.

He could just poke the other man and hurry the process along, but he didn't want to give Angel an excuse to take revenge on him when he was sleeping (despite all their progress, the spider remained a positively vindictive asshole).

When Angel began to murmur, Pent paused, but didn't pay it much mind. People often talked in their sleep and while he hadn't yet heard Angel make much noise other than light snores on occasion, he assumed it was due to how close the other man was to breaking through the barrier that separated dreams from consciousness.

But then he felt something shift against his scales and he blinked, lowering his mobile in mild confusion to take stock. One foot under the blanket, the other hooked over his hips, two arms under the pillow behind his head while the last set was curled lightly on his chest.

He shook his head and was about to raise his phone, but then he felt whatever it was move again, pressing up insistently against his tail.

Pursing his lips, he looked down at Angel and then shifted his hip toward the spider, only to jolt as it earned him a responding moan.

He dropped his device and immediately tried to pull his tail back, but Angel's legs and arms held tight, the spider nuzzling into the scales against his cheek. Pent grunted and pulled harder, using his arms to try and drag his body, but only succeeding in sending them tumbling off the bed where they hit the floor with a loud thud.

Angel groaned, his arms bracketing the snake's torso as he pushed himself up. "The fuck? How the hell did we fall off the damn bed?" he muttered, blinking his eyes open and taking in the snake's wide-eyed panic and full flush. "You have a nightmare or some-" Angel paused as his bulge rubbed up against the snake's tail. "Oh for fuck's sake."

"You were moaning," Pent muttered, averting his eyes as he felt his face heat up all the more. "And rubbing against me." He managed to lift his torso up, leaning back on both hands. "I was trying not to wake you but-" He paused, noting that the other Demon wasn't immediately making any attempt to get off of him. "Um, Angel? This isn't exactly comfortable."

"Which part? Bein' on the floor or my dick on you?" Angel asked with a tired yawn.

"Both obviously!" Pent said with an embarrassed hiss. Why on earth was the other man being so bloody cavalier about this!?

Angel rolled his eyes and grabbed the bed, lifting himself up enough to untangle his legs from the snake's thick tail. "Y'know, the gay panic isn't a cute look. It was a fuckin' accident." Angel sat back down on the bed, not covering the obscene way his panties tented over the jut of his cock. "Nothin' but a lil' mornin' wood." He yawned again and stretched his arms up as he glanced to the window over his shoulder. "Or afternoon wood I guess. Honestly I'm surprised we got this far without accidentally crossin' swords at some point or another."

Pent swallowed and slowly pulled himself up, brushing his tail off as he stood. "Do you need to…?" he cleared his throat and pointed to the bathroom awkwardly. Angel just glared at him and Pent gave an exasperated sigh. "At least I'm offering you a solution."

The spider's eyes flickered down to his crotch and then back to Pent, his lips tightening into a firm line. "And I got a better one," he said, turning to face Pentious and pulling both his legs up to partially dangle over the side of the bed. "I'm hard as shit, haven't gotten any in months, and there's a guy who ain't half-bad to look at right fuckin' here."

Angel gestured to him with his chained arm and Pent went stiff, his eyes searching the spider's face for any hint of jest. This had to be some kind of joke. "You cannot be serious."

Sighing, Angel lifted his arm to run his hand back through his hair, making the chain dance between them. "Yeah, I'm dead fuckin' serious," he muttered in a tired voice. "C'mon Pen, you gotta be ready ta burst too." Pentious shook his head and Angel frowned, dropping both arms to his lap (but making no attempt to cover himself). "I'm not sayin' we do anythin' other than blow off some goddamn steam. We get it outta our systems and go back ta business as usual. Capice?"

Pent took a deep breath and coughed, raising a fist to cover his mouth. "Excuse you, how on earth do we go back to business as usual after having sex?"

"It's called havin' friends with benefits, asshole. I ain't sayin' we pick out goddamn china sets together, I'm sayin' we get off good and dirty." Angel raised an eyebrow and added, "We can just stick to handjobs if you're that fuckin' terrified of doin' shit with a guy."

Swallowing, Pent twisted his hips to the side, averting his eyes from Angel. "It's not that," he muttered quietly.

Before he could try and elaborate further, he heard the spider let out a loud snort and then Angel was cackling, arms crossed over his chest in smug affirmation. "I fuckin' knew you weren't straight." He continued snickering for a moment, but then Angel looked at Pent and his expression softened. "Alright, how many dudes have you slept with. I want the nasty deets."

"That's really not your business," Pent said as Angel dragged him down to sit on the bed, pressing them hip to hip with one of the spider's arms unfolding to wrap around his shoulders.

"Pen, we're already talkin' about swappin' jizz. I think I got the right to know what your stupid sex hang-ups are at this point." Angel grinned and tucked his legs underneath himself which did absolutely nothing to conceal his blatant hard-on. "So what do I gotta do ta convince ya that this isn't some big deal just because it's with me and not your past boy-toys?"

Pentious huffed as his cheeks darkened. It wasn't that he wasn't frustrated. He was a red-blooded man just like the spider (albeit with a great deal more self-control), but Angel was suggesting they cross a bridge that he wasn't sure either of them should even dare to approach. It wasn't that he was afraid of casual sex or that he found Angel unattractive…

But they would be chained together for the next five months. If anything went wrong, there would be no escape from the awkward confrontation. They wouldn't be able to simply 'ghost' each other and forget it ever happened.

In his silence, Angel sighed and squeezed the snake's shoulder. "Hey, if ya don't like it we just stop and I'll go make the walk of shame to the bathroom to take care of this." The spider gestured down to his crotch and winked. "But trust me, I'll make it good for ya. I know all the tricks."

"I'm sure you do…" Pent muttered as Angel sat up, walking on his knees behind him and placing both his hands on the snake's shoulders to rub circles into the muscle and tendon. "I don't know…"

"What's holdin' ya back?" Angel asked as he dipped his head down over Pent's collarbone. "Is it because I'm a porn star? Does me havin' no ass turn ya off? Are my titties not big enough for ya?" he teased, purposefully pressing his chest against Pent's back, making the snake stiffen at the feel of very soft breasts rubbing along the dip of his spine.

Biting his lip, Pent turned to meet Angel's sultry gaze. "You're not going to relent on this are you?" he said as he felt Angel dig his thumbs into the back of his scapula.

"I mean, you haven't given me a real answer this whole damn time." Angel shrugged, continuing to massage over the snake's upper back. "My offa is pretty clear. I don't really do ambiguous." Exhaling, Angel gave a pinch to Pent's nape (not hard, but enough to make the snake flinch) and said, "I need a yes or a no. None of this 'I don't know', crap."

Staring at Angel, Pentious' tongue flicked out, curling anxiously over one fang. "What if it becomes awkward?"

Angel blinked, his thumbs tracing the outline of Pent's muscles under the scales. "I mean, I've had plenty of casual fucks and been just fine after. Have ya never had sex with a friend before?"

"I have, but it was a long time ago," Pent admitted, rubbing over his hood. Of course his relationship (or whatever they were calling this) with Angel was nothing like the bond he'd had with his closest friend.

Angel raised a brow before his confident smirk returned. "And were ya any less friendly after? C'mon, be honest."

Pent closed his eyes and nodded. "We were still friends, yes. But we had also known each other for years before we slept together. It was very different."

I trusted them. I don't know if I could ever truly trust you.

Angel breathed out a long tired sigh, tilting his head back dramatically. "You really are overthinkin' this shit, y'know. I get that you don't wanna make this whole thing weird…" He lifted his arm to jangle the chain pointedly. "But we're already ass-deep in one of the craziest scenarios I've ever fuckin' seen, which considerin' all the shit I've done, is actually sayin' somethin'."

Pent nodded slowly. "I suppose that isn't inaccurate," he murmured as he clasped his hands loosely in his lap, tapping one talon over the bump of his knuckles. "But we still have to deal with each other for at least the next several months…"

"Yeah, well in my humble fuckin' opinion, I think it's gonna be way shittier to dance around each other through all this sexual tension the whole damn time." Angel pressed up against him again, spreading his legs to accommodate the width of Pentious' hips. "This way, we rip it off like a bandaid. Get it over with and out of our systems."

Pent heaved a sigh, his chest deflating. That was also true. Much like trying to skirt around the idea of them seeing each other nude, none of this would get better with time. "I guess that would be rather awkward to work around," he admitted in a soft voice. "Biting the bullet would at least clear the air so to speak."

He heard Angel click his tongue and then he was being turned to face the spider, forced to scoot his tail all the way up onto the bed to avoid losing his balance. Once they were facing each other, Angel stood up onto his knees, casting Pent in his shadow as he settled both his hands on his hips (of course conveniently leaving his erection fully exposed through his thin underwear). "Alright, are ya good with a mutual old-fashioned and some makin' out?"

"I thought this was just us jacking off?" Pent asked as he watched Angel unzip the chained sleeve before dragging his stolen hoodie up and over his head, tossing it unceremoniously to the floor.

"I mean, I'd be fine with just a handjob, but guys like you need a lil' warmin' up." Angel winked and then laid back against the pillows, giving a practiced tilt of his hips as his second set of arms grasped the waistband of his underwear, slowly sliding them down. Pent swallowed as the fabric was pulled off the spider's erection, the pink member gently bobbing just above Angel's abdomen. Considering Angel's Demon form, it wasn't all that unusual looking, but it was strange to see that it was the only part of the spider's body not covered in fur.

Lifting one leg and then the other, Angel slipped his stocking covered feet out of the leg-holes before flinging the underwear at the dresser where it promptly slid off the edge and onto the floor. The other Demon laughed and then looked up at him as he curled his tongue around the corner of his lip. "Alright snake. I've shown ya mine. Let's get to work on coaxin' that scared turtle outta its shell."

Angel rolled back up to sit and began unbuttoning Pent's shirt, pushing the sleeves down his arms to fully expose his chest before unzipping the side to free the fabric from the chain. Pentious exhaled slowly, trying to relax as Angel's eyes freely roamed over his body. "Now, why dontcha tell ol' Angie what gets you hot and bothered?" the spider asked, reaching one arm up to tickle underneath Pent's chin.

Picking up his shirt, Pent folded the garment and placed it down on his nightstand. He patted the fabric smooth and then took a deep breath, slowly meeting Angel's eyes. "Don't make this weirder than it has to be," he muttered before he clasped the spider's face in both his hands and drew him into a kiss. He felt Angel stiffen before relaxing, his upper arms coming up to loosely drape over Pent's shoulders.

It was soft at first and somewhat exploratory with Angel letting him set the pace even as the spider's lower set of hands ran up and down his chest, tracing the outline of his rib cage as it descended into his waist and then the wide expanse of his hips.

But that didn't last longer than a minute or two. Just as he was starting to get into the kiss, Pent found himself pushed down against the bed and quickly straddled, the spider's hardon pulsing against his lower abdomen. He barely had a chance to draw breath before Angel deepened the kiss, his thick tongue snaking its way into Pent's mouth.

Grunting, Pentious adjusted, shifting his tail underneath Angel (which only made the spider shiver as he pressed up against his dick) and moving his arms to grab at the other Demon's shoulder and waist. Before he could get comfortable, both of his wrists were seized and redirected to Angel's chest.

Angel pulled back from the kiss, his eyes half-lidded and lips slightly swollen as he grinned down at Pent. "Don't be shy, I know ya wanna touch 'em," he said in a slightly breathy voice. "Ya got full permission. Just be gentle. Still healin' an' all that shit." He winked and then went right back to kissing Pentious, his top set of hands running up and down the snake's deflated hood while the bottom arms continued to play at the curve of his hips, seemingly fascinated by the shape.

Slowly, Pent cupped the other man's chest and pressed his thumbs into the soft yielding fur, careful not to pull or tug. Immediately Angel let out a low moan and leaned into his touch, rocking his hips down into Pent's tail.

It was a little strange, having an erect cock resting against his stomach while he cupped a set of large breasts in his hands…

Though it wasn't exactly a turn off either.

Closing his eyes, Pentious let himself sway with the rhythm of Angel's kisses, his own tongue chasing the spider's around the inside of his mouth and playfully wrapping around it. Meanwhile, Angel's lower arms moved up his chest, tracing patterns against the yellow scales that surrounded the eye in the center.

Angel paused and then glanced down at the eye in question. "Mmm, bet someone's got a nice view," he said with a smug grin, leaning in and kissing underneath Pent's chin, mouthing down his throat and against his collar. "This doin' anythin' fer ya?" he asked, shifting his hips and rubbing his shaft up and down the length of Pent's tail.

Pent swallowed, dropping one hand from Angel's chest to skate across the dip of the other man's spine. "It's been a while," he admitted quietly, "But yes, this is fine."

It was more than fine, but Pentious wasn't going to feed into Angel's ego anymore than he already was.

Snorting, Angel rolled his eyes and removed one hand from Pent's pectorals, sliding his fingers over the skin of his belly. "Now which one of these is hidin' the prize?" he asked, palming down the tight muscle. "Startin' to feel some swellin'." Angel licked his lips and glanced down, counting the scales. "Mmmm, I think it's behind door number...three." He pressed his fingers into a barely noticeable slit in his skin and Pent's breath hitched, tightening his grip on the spider's chest before quickly releasing.

Angel snickered and continued to run his index finger back and forth over the hidden opening, not penetrating, but teasing along the sensitive skin. "Damn I'm good. Got it on the first try."

Pent groaned, shutting his eyes as he felt the tell-tale swoop of his stomach deepen the more Angel played with his cloaca. Under the spider's touch, the skin slowly began to stretch and swell until there was a noticeable bulge under the scales and a trail of fluid leaking out from the slit.

"Man, you rev up like an old car," Angel muttered, pressing his hips back down and tilting Pent's chin up to kiss him again. This time, Pent surged into it, the hand around Angel's shoulder tugging the spider down hard. Angel didn't fight his hold, just grinned against his lips before opening his mouth and letting Pent's forked tongue slip its way inside.

As they kissed and rocked against each other, Pent felt the pressure in his abdomen continue to wind up and tighten to the point of being actually painful. He pulled back with a breathy gasp, taking his hand off Angel's breast to push the heel of his palm down on the bulge, forcing both shafts to emerge through the loosened slit. Pentious hissed as they met the cooler air outside of his body and pressed his brow to Angel's clavicle, panting heavily through his fangs.

Angel straightened his stance on top of Pent, his hands petting over the snake's hood as he glanced down, his expression cocky for one moment before twisting into one of utter confusion and then delight. "Fuckin' jackpot! Why the hell didn't you say that you had two!?"

Pent continued to pant, watching as Angel's lower set of hands abandoned the edge of his cloaca to wrap around the bases of the two thick black shafts throbbing against his belly. "Why on earth would I tell you that?" he finally managed, almost biting his own tongue as Angel squeezed both members in his palms and thumbed the edge of the sensitive heads.

Laughing, Angel leaned down to playfully peck Pent's mouth before nipping his lower lip. "Cuz if I knew you were packin' this much heat, I woulda jumped your bones months ago and saved us all this fuckin' time." The spider looked down at the two cocks in his grasp and shivered as a horny little whimper escaped his mouth. "It's gonna be real hard to keep off ya now."

Before Pent could retort, the spider began to pump both of his shafts, his grip smooth and firm as Angel peppered little kisses over his cheek. "Well it took forever to get ya to pop, but fuck the wait was worth it." Angel scooted up to press his own weeping shaft against Pent's and gave a contented sigh as he rocked his hips in rhythm with the twisting of his wrists. "Shit, they're nice an' thick."

Laying back on the pillows, Pent stared up at Angel, one hand still holding the spider's back while the one that had pushed his cocks out moved down, reaching for the pink member jutting from Angel's groin. Angel grinned toothily and shifted his hips as the snake wrapped his fingers around him. "Was wonderin' when you were gonna get to reciprocatin'," he said with a wink, moaning softly as Pent thumbed over the sensitive head.

Pent just rolled his eyes, syncing to match Angel's pace as both of their hands slid wetly over the length of each other's dicks in time with the spider's rocking hips. As Angel's skilled fingers tightened their grip, Pent groaned and shifted the hand that wasn't stroking Angel's member against his abdomen to tangle in the spider's white hair, tugging hard. Angel gasped, his eyes going wide for a moment before his pupils dilated. "Kinky," he teased as Pent gave another solid yank. "Oh fuck yeah, pull my hair, daddy."

Immediately Pent tensed and gritted his teeth, growling, "Don't call me that," as he leaned his chest up and tilted Angel's head back, exposing the spider's throat.

Angel just grinned, showing every single tooth in his mouth as he arched into the hold, not fighting Pent's firm grasp at all.

"Mmmm, not into it? Too bad." He laughed as Pent began to mouth against his neck, forked tongue licking up the tendons and tracing the heady pulse pounding underneath the spider's skin. "Alright, let's try this one on for size." Angel twisted his head, not pulling loose from Pent's fingers, but lining his mouth up with the thin membrane covering the snake's ear.

"Why dontcha show me what you got, sir."

Pent stiffened and groaned, burying his face fully into the spider's throat as his heart hammered a heady beat under his ribs. Fuck, why did that sound so goddamn sexy?

He felt Angel laugh against him, the rumble of the other man's voice vibrating through his chest and throat respectively as hot breath misted over Pentious' shoulder. "Mmmm, that got you going. Both your goddamn dicks jumped." Angel gave the two shafts a playful squeeze and Pent hissed, muffling the sound as he continued to press kisses along the warm fur and arched his body up into Angel's.

Angel's breathy dirty talk filled his ears as Pentious continued to pull the spider's hair while pumping Angel's weeping cock hard, smearing the clear precum over the swollen slit and down the throbbing length with each and every pulse.

The spider's upper arms gripped his shoulders and Pent closed his eyes, panting against Angel's neck as he felt the other man's nails drag down his skin hard enough to sting, but not break the scales.

It had been so damn long since he had the warm weight of another person's body above him. That solid weight combined with the distinct smell of the spider's fruity shampoo mixed with sweat and cum had him shaking with arousal.

He yanked Angel's hair again, earning him a strangled moan and a full-body shudder along with another spurt of precum against his knuckles. "Oh fuck yeah," Angel rasped, clawing deeper down Pent's back. "Make it hurt. C'mon."

Swearing under his breath, Pent tucked his head into the juncture of Angel's neck and shoulder, panting against the pounding pulse barely hidden under a layer of soft white fur. The heartbeat was like a siren song and he pressed kisses to the skin, sucking on it until Angel was purring and stroking him all the faster, his impatience revealing in its desperation.

Not that Pent was much better off. The heady combination of Angel's teasing pumps to his shafts, bouncing breasts, and wanton moans had the snake already close to the edge.

He hadn't had anyone in years and just six months without even his own hand was finally catching up with him. It didn't matter that they were barely doing more than rubbing up against each other like teenagers, Angel was loud, eager, and fuck Pent couldn't hold back.

Letting out a low hiss, Pentious shivered as his cocks gave a heady throb against Angel's soft palms. It was the only warning Angel got before the snake was spilling against his own abdomen, two lines of thick semen jetting out hot and messy against his scales.

Without missing a beat, Angel laughed and continued to rub him through it, making Pent whine as his shafts emptied that last of their sticky load into the other Demon's fingers.

Pent was still breathing heavily as Angel lifted one of his hands, flexing his cum-slicked fingers playfully before lapping at the meat of his palm. "Someone really needed that," the spider teased, that sinful tongue darting out for a second taste. "Mmm, did that feel good, sir?"

The words settled deep in the pit of his stomach like sparks threatening to reignite the glowing embers of his own arousal. He forced himself to take a deep breath and then closed his eyes, counting to five. When he opened them again, he saw Angel was still looking down at him with a sultry half-lidded stare, rubbing his own hardon against the semen pooling in the dip of Pent's abdomen. "You gonna help me with this or not?" Angel said with a laugh, removing his remaining hand from Pentious' shafts to cup his own breasts, giving a himself a firm squeeze.

Pentious felt something in him snap and without warning he was dragging the spider's head back by his hair hard enough to make the other man cry out and arch his spine. Gripping down on Angel's cock, Pent pressed up against the spider's chest and sank his teeth, fangs and all, into the other Demon's throat, jacking him furiously.

Angel moaned, the entire length of his cock twitching as he shuddered bodily against Pent. Then the spider's dick was kicking in his fist and Pent growled as he felt Angel messily shoot out over his clenched knuckles. "Oh shit…" Angel groaned, thrusting his hips weakly into Pent's hand as he shivered in the aftermath. "Damn, Pen. Didn't think you could get this rough." He loosened his grip on Pent's body, muscles going lax as he leaned into the snake's chest to catch his breath.

Pentious grunted around Angel's throat and slowly withdrew, wincing at the sight of two red pinpricks where his fangs had pierced the other man's skin. He probably shouldn't have bitten down so hard, but in the moment, instinct had driven him to sink his teeth into that mesmerizing pulse. Pressing an apologetic kiss to both marks, he drew back, sighing as he stared at Angel who was still glassy eyed from orgasm.

Slowly the spider lifted his head, his expression loose and languid as he met Pent's gaze. "Mmmm, normally I ain't into gettin' marked up-" He raised one arm to brush the marred skin of his neck and said, "-but that actually felt really good."

Pent blushed and grinned awkwardly as Angel went in for another kiss, slipping his tongue into the snake's mouth without any push back.

He should probably stop kissing the other Demon and begin the clean up process. They both got what they wanted out of this and there was no point in continuing any intimate touches, but Pentious couldn't bring himself to pull away as Angel pressed onto him, licking into every corner of his mouth.

As they kissed, he felt the spider's legs loosen their grip around his tail while Angel's arms slowly went limp over his shoulders and against his sides.

Angel gave a muffled grunt and Pent pulled back, only to see the spider slide forward and land limply against his chest. "The fuck?" Angel growled as he tried to lift his chained arm, only for the appendage to immediately flop back to his thigh with a slight smack. "Why the hell can't I move my goddamn body?"

Realization slowly dawned and Pent offered the other man a weak smile as he helped straighten him, holding Angel upright on top of his tail with one hand. "Ah, that would be my venom…" he reminded, loosening his grip from Angel's cock and wiping his fingers on his own soiled scales. "I guess I got lost in the moment." He winced as the other man's brow furrowed, mismatched eyes narrowing in annoyance. "It will eventually wear off."

"You stupid asshole," Angel groaned as Pent adjusted the other Demon's torso to lay against his, their spent cocks trapped between the warm press of their bodies. "How the fuck did you forget about your own goddamn juice!?"

Pent sighed and gently carded through Angel's hair, petting over the strands he had been pulling at just mere minutes ago. "You should take it as a compliment," he murmured all while the spider continued to glare at him.

"I guess…" Angel muttered, rolling his eyes. "Got you off good enough to the point where you fuckin' forgot you can knock me on my ass with one chomp." He sighed and pursed his lips. "So how long am I gonna be comatose?"

"Half an hour maybe?" Pentious said, feeling Angel huff against his collarbone. "How about I get us into the bath?" At least he could get them both clean while they were waiting for the effects to dissipate. No need to lay in their own filth any longer than they had to.

"If we can even fuckin' fit with your fat ass in the tub," Angel said as Pent shifted up to sit, holding Angel as he separated them slowly, wincing at the tacky sensation that came from the mess of cum on his belly. Angel glanced down as Pent manhandled him to lay back. "Least it was good until you fuckin' decided to poison me."

Pent rolled his eyes and leaned over, lifting Angel into his arms with the spider's head pillowed in the crook of his elbow while the Demon's long legs dangled over the opposite forearm. "I've already explained it's not poison," he murmured as he slipped off the bed and carried them into the bathroom, sitting Angel down against the tub as he began to fill it. "But I am sorry. It truly was an honest mistake."

Angel just continued to pout as the basin filled behind him. "Sorry doesn't give me back my arms, dickbag," he muttered as he tried to move one leg, only succeeding in the smallest of twitches.

Sighing, Pent turned off the faucet and said, "Well, you still got what you wanted out of this, even if the ending wasn't quite what you had in mind." He bent over and lifted Angel up again as he slithered into the tub, carefully sinking down to not displace the water. They barely fit and it wasn't particularly comfortable for Pent, but it was better than staying sticky.

"If we really had it my way, we'd be startin' up round two," Angel corrected as Pent began to wash the cum off underneath the surface of the water.

Pentious raised a brow and snorted. "Round two? Is your lust and curiosity not thoroughly sated?"

Angel raised one eyebrow at him incredulously. "Uh, no? I just found out you have two dicks. I'm still imagining all the possibilities." At the scandalized look on Pent's face, Angel chuckled and added, "What? It's hot! I've fucked a lot of guys, but never had a fella with two full-sized cocks. Tentacles sure, but not this." He pointedly glanced down to Pent's abdomen where both his softened members were still laying outside of his tail. "You can't tell me you don't wanna go again."

"It was good, but I thought the point of this was to just get the carnal urge out of our systems," Pent muttered as he slipped a hand down, adjusting his slit to tuck both his shafts back into their pouch (earning him a childish pout from Angel).

"Yeah, that was before. Times have changed," Angel said with a small smirk. "You have two dicks and you're actually a decent kisser so sucks to suck, but if you think I'm not gonna chub up every time I see you get naked from now on, you're outta your goddamn mind." Pentious sighed and Angel just laughed in turn. "Pen, can ya honestly say you wouldn't come back for more of this?"

Had he any control of his limbs, Angel would probably have attempted a sultry pose, but as is, he was limp and curled on his side, head pressed to the hollow between Pent's shoulder and collarbone.

Pentious chewed his tongue before glanced down at Angel's body, taking in the way the wet fur clung to the shape of his Demon form. "I mean-" He paused and cleared his throat, struggling to articulate his thoughts.

It wasn't that it hadn't been good, quite the opposite in fact, but a one-night stand and a true friends with benefits relationship were very different things. The latter required so much more trust and the ability to keep emotionally distant. He was already struggling with the latter given how tied up their circumstances were with Valentino. Adding regular sex to the mix was surely a disaster waiting to happen.

Finally after what seemed like an eternity of mulling over the idea, Pentious exhaled and looked down at Angel (who had surprisingly shown a great deal of patience while the snake silently battered the concept around in his head). "You really want to do this again?"

"I mean, I'd want more than just a coupla' handjobs, but yeah, I'm down to fuck again," Angel said with a shrug, his eyes going wide as he realized he was capable of basic movement again (albeit, very minor). "You've been teasing me with that mouth of yours for literally months so I feel like I've earned at least one blowie at this point." Pent scoffed, his cheeks tingling again as Angel grinned up at him. "But yeah, I'm down for making regular sex a thing. We'll both be less goddamn ornery."

Pursing his lips, Pent tipped his head back to rest against the rim of the porcelain tub. "I suppose that is true," he agreed. "But-"

"But what?" Angel asked with a raised brow. "I swear, you're the only guy I know who overthinks sex this much. It ain't that serious."

Pent licked his lips and closed his eyes. It was and it wasn't. Of course Angel didn't see any problem with the arrangement. He was someone who sought pleasure above everything else, the fallout be damned.

But there were potential consequences to this, namely more fights and other people finding out.

As Pent mused, he felt Angel manage to shift his hips on top of him, adjusting his posture to better look the snake in the eyes. "Ok, what's got you so hung up on this? We've already broken the dam so what's wrong with a repeat performance or two? Afraid I'm gonna charge ya for it when all's said an' done?" Angel teased with a flirty eyebrow waggle. "Consider this my payment for all the cab fares. You get free access to this," he nodded his chin down in a vague gesture to his body, "-on a regular basis."

Pent sighed. "People will talk…" he murmured, lifting a hand to pinch over the bridge of his nose.

Angel's smile fell and he let out a loud groan. "Ugh, you're such a fuckin' tool. Look, we don't gotta do PDA and shit like that. I'm down for keepin' this squarely in the bedroom." He slowly raised his arm a bit and flexed his fingers. "Oh thank god," Angel murmured before slowly tilting his head up to meet Pent's gaze. "So ground rules. Let's make a list and stick to it so ya don't get your non-existent panties in a bunch."

Pent blinked and then looked down to stare at the rippling surface of the water. If they were going to continue this strange arrangement, setting up basic restrictions would certainly make him feel safer and a little more in control. At least then there was always something to fall back on when he felt unsure of himself or the decision to continue sleeping with the other man.

He took a deep breath and shifted his hips, helping Angel to straddle him again and holding the spider's shoulders up with both arms. "If we do this, there can be no displays of physical intimacy or affection outside of private interactions, including anything posted to social media," he swallowed and added, "No surprising me either. Don't just assume that I'll go along with every strange kink and sex act that you personally enjoy."

"You mean like stickin' a finger up your snussy?"

Pent nearly choked as he stared up at the spider, watching the way Angel's smile turned into a smug grin. "My what?"

The spider cackled and leaned his head down. "Your snussy. Snake puss-" Pent immediately covered the other man's mouth with his palm, a deep blush rising to his cheeks as the other Demon devolved into giggles above him, the bathwater rippling with the force of his laughter.

"No, do not ever call-" Pent paused, going momentarily stiff underneath Angel before removing his hand from the spider's mouth to scratch down the side of his face. "Oh dear lord, is that what you meant by snitties..."

Angel just laughed all the louder, his thighs tensing around Pent's tail as he flexed the muscles of his legs. "Hey, at least between the two of us, we got plenty of T and A." He grunted and managed to shift out of Pent's hold, sitting up straight on his own before adding, "But yeah, I wouldn't do any freaky shit without checkin' in anyway. Can't have you runnin' away from me with your dicks hangin' out."

Giving the spider a tired frown, Pent shook his head and muttered, "I can assure you that I'm more experienced than you assume. I'd still prefer to have some warning before having something thrust upon-" He paused mid-sentence and groaned as Angel just gave an amused snort.

"Yeah, well I don't buy your self-proclaimed status as some Victorian sex god," Angel said, slowly stretching out each of his arms and cracking his elbows as the venom wore off. "You fuckin' turn bright red when you stare too long at my goddamn tits." He gave two small bounces, his lower hands cupping the underside of his wet heaving breasts pointedly as Pentious frowned.

"I simply prefer to keep things behind closed doors. Intimate," the snake corrected even as Angel continued to playfully grope over his own body. "I don't like to discuss or engage in sexual conduct around people who I'm not inviting to my bed."

Lifting one leg up and out of the water, Angel settled the long dripping limb over the snake's shoulder in a truly impressive display of flexibility and pursed his lips. "Alright, we're fuckin' now ain't we? So when are ya gonna mellow out, huh?" He leaned in letting his top two hands splay out against the snake's pecs as the bottom two cupped Pent's hipbones underneath the rippling surface.

Pent looked at the spider's leg and then down at the hands groping over his scales before murmuring, "Were there any stipulations you wanted out of this?" He raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side as Angel let his leg slide down over his arm and back into the water. "I assume you have some requests as well?"

Angel shrugged and readjusted to press his torso into Pent, dripping breasts smothering the eye in the center of his sternum. "I already mentioned the blowjob right?" he asked, earning him an annoyed sneer from Pent. "What!? I think that's pretty goddamn reasonable!" Angel snickered and then pressed a quick peck to Pent's mouth, ignoring the other Demon's scowl. "Alright, how 'bout you work ta keep an open mind then? I don't wanna throw you into shit that you really can't stand, but don't just shoot down everythin' that's new and a bit scary for ya." His smirk dropped into a gentler smile as he pinched Pent's hips and waist. "Promise me you'll give my stuff a shot before decidin' we're done and movin' on with your vanilla shit. The strawberry with chocolate sprinkles is pretty damn tasty if you're brave enough to try."

"I guess that is reasonable enough," Pent agreed as Angel continued to touch him, the spider's hands skating over his scales as if he couldn't get enough now that he'd been given permission to explore. "As for the blowjob, I can't make any promises. It's been a very long time since I've had a man in my bed."

Angel's smile morphed into a sultry pout. "Just how many dudes have you had sex with?" he asked, lowering his voice as he pressed his brow to Pent's, hot breath misting over the snake's lips. "I gotta know what level of experience I'm workin' with here. You've at least done anal before, right?"

Pentious furrowed his brow, undaunted by Angel's salacious posturing. "I've had sexual encounters with at least a dozen different men over the years," he said, knowing that Angel was simply not going to drop the subject until he had given him the juicy gossip he clearly wanted. "Before you ask, I've had roughly double the number of female partners, not including Kat."

"Who were the guys?" Angel asked, rolling his hips against Pent's and causing the water to ripple even more, threatening to spill over the rim of the tub. "Friends, coworkers?"

"Why do you care?" Pentious asked, grabbing the spider's hips and forcing them to still even as Angel let out an annoyed huff. "Those men are long dead and haven't been a part of my life for decades if not over a century."

Angel shrugged and leaned back, crossing his upper arms into a loose knot behind Pent's hood. "Can't a guy be curious? Look, how 'bout you just tell me about the first man you fucked? Who stole your gay-ginity?"

"I'm not gay," Pent muttered with a groan, removing his hands from Angel's hips to rest both arms along the porcelain edge of the basin. "But if you insist on knowing, I was probably 15 years old. It was my first sexual encounter and altogether wasn't anything impressive."

Humming, Angel grinned down at him and licked his lips. "Interestin', most bi-guys don't jump right inta bed with a dude. They usually sleep around with ladies first. Alright, so who was this guy who stole your precious innocence?"

Pentious shifted his tail underneath Angel, wincing as he displaced some water over the edge with a loud splash. "His name was Patrick and he worked with me. He was a few years older...maybe 17?" He shook his head. "My point is we were still young and stupid. Our encounters consisted of little more than jacking off together in a closet and making out like the teenagers we were."

Angel gave an exaggerated cackle. "Masturbating with a coworker while at work?" He whistled and batted his lashes. "Pretty racy shit, snake. Alright, so what happened? You guys get caught?"

Heaving a tired sigh, Pent tapped his talons against the side of the tub and said, "No, he was splashed with acid."

Immediately Angel's easy smile fell and he pursed his lips in understanding. "Oh shit. Was he the one that-"

Pent nodded and winced at the memory. "He lived, but I never saw him again after that. Our relationship, as simplistic as it was, disappeared with him." Clearing his throat, he grabbed Angel's shoulders, shifting the spider off of him so he could slip out of the tub without spilling too much more water onto the tile. Once he was out, he turned and offered his hand to Angel who took it, slowly standing on shaking legs.

"Fuck, I'm still feelin' pins from your juice," Angel muttered as he stepped out of the tub and straightened up while Pentious leaned over to drain the bath.

"I'm truly sorry for that," Pent mumbled, setting the plug off to the side while Angel grabbed two towels off the rack. It was embarrassing to lose control like that, even if he had the excuse of it occurring during an intimate moment.

He really should have fought the urge off, but Angel just kept egging him on.

The spider sighed and ran a hand back through his damp hair as he toweled off with his lower arms. "I mean, it was hot at the time." One of his upper arms touched the swollen marks, fingers tracing the distinctive punctures left by Pent's long fangs. "You said that it's possible to build immunity right? Might wanna try it out so you don't knock me on my ass every time you nut."

Pentious blinked as the spider passed him the second towel. "What? Purposefully dose you with my venom?" he asked as he rubbed the cloth over his damp scales before dropping it to the floor to absorb the puddle that surrounded the rim of the tub.

"Yeah. Either that or we put caps on those fangs of yours to keep you from bitin'," Angel flicked one of the teeth in question, making Pent flinch and cover his mouth with a frown. "But that might make kissin' kinda impossible." Angel shrugged as he finished fluffing up his damp fur, hanging the terry cloth over his shoulders. "I just don't wanna get stuck waitin' on it to wear off every time we bump dicks."

Pent sighed and rubbed over his chin. "I suppose that is the most logical solution to the problem. I'll try to refrain from biting you, but in the meantime, we can build your tolerance through smaller doses. That way, should I accidentally bite you, the effects won't be as debilitating."

Angel laughed and shook his head at Pent. "Man, you sound like you're my goddamn dealer." He began to drag the towel off his back when he paused, smirk widening as Pent bent over to clean up the water they had spilled around the tub. "I just thought of something else I want to do," he said, stepping up behind Pentious while the snake dragged a towel across the cheap tiling.

Pent rolled his eyes, wondering what exactly the spider had thought of at the last possible second to tack onto their deal. "What is it now?"

THWAP

He froze, feeling the distinct sting of a palm slapping his backside, pain radiating out from the impact of the firm strike. Immediately he stood up and whipped around, wincing at the shallow ache in his back as he growled, "Why the hell did you hit me!?"

Flapping the offending palm, Angel just whistled and gave him a toothy smirk. "Needed to spank it at least once," he teased, both his lower hands wrapping around the snake's trim waist and dipping low to soothe over the spot he'd just slapped. "Fuck you got a thick ass," Angel purred, squeezing the muscle as he leaned in and gave a flirtatious nip to the snake's shoulder.

Pent closed his eyes and shoved the other man back, making Angel stumble and pull the chain taut between them. "Why did I ever agree to this?" he muttered as he slithered out of the bathroom and back into their bedroom.

"Can't take it back now. I got you off good." Angel snickered, following behind Pent with his lower hands crossed innocently at his waist. "So, round two?" he asked, batting his long eyelashes at the snake playfully. "No biting this time?"

Pent sank down onto the sheets and glared up at Angel in mild annoyance. "How about we take this slow? There's hardly a need to rush given that we have months left to explore the depths of your depravities."

In truth, he was still on the fence about this whole thing. Angel might be ready and willing to dive head first into a sexual arrangement (no surprise considering the other Demon's complete and total lack of impulse control) but Pent had barely recovered from the shock.

He had just slept with a man who he'd wanted nothing more than to kill a few months prior.

And, it had been better than he had expected. A lot better.

The spider groaned and rolled his eyes before plopping down on top of Pent, straddling his tail as he hooked his top set of arms over the snake's shoulders. "Fine, but can we at least make out?" he whined, bouncing on Pent childishly. "Ya gotta gimme somethin' to work with here."

As the other man pursed his lips and made his eyes as big and round as was possible, Pent sighed and lifted one hand to rest on Angel's hip while the other cradled the spider's head, letting his claws idly comb through the damp hair. "Alright-"

Before he could articulate anything else, Angel was pressing into him, all four arms encompassing his chest in a cage of limbs as the spider practically devoured his lips. He grunted, stunned stiff for a moment before he tightened his own grip on the other man, letting Angel tip him back to lay against the bed with his tail dragging on the floor below them.

As they writhed together on the sheets, Nugs stepped out of their bed and yawned, trotting over to Pent's tail and curiously nudging the limb with their snout. When that got no reaction, they tilted their head in slight disappointment before grabbing their favorite ball and walking back to the basket. Nuggets settled down on their blanket and contentedly squeaked the toy as the two Demons continued to tangle in a mess of breathy moans and shuddering sighs.

---

Despite Pent's insistence, things between them did not remain slow for long. Angel kept to his word and didn't touch him any time they were out in public or even when they weren't in their room, but as soon as the door closed and locked behind them, the spider would pounce.

Maybe it was making up for all the months prior, but Angel was always ready to go, whether it was in the morning where he'd slide under the covers and play with the outside of Pentious' cloaca until his cocks emerged or at night when he'd toss a packet of lube onto Pent's chest and turn around, bending over to expose his hole and taint for the snake to pleasure while the spider jacked off onto his tail.

And Angel was not quiet. Every encounter was filled with open moaning and some of the most lewd dirty talk that Pentious had ever heard. Part of him couldn't tell if it was real or just a performance (though Angel's orgasms were at least confirmation enough).

For weeks, none seemed the wiser to this change in their relationship.

Then on the very first Girl's Night since the start of their arrangement, Cherri came by with a tote of snacks and face masks in hand, took one look at the both of them and gave a tired roll of her single eye. Angel of course just laughed it off, but Pentious was absolutely mortified as he followed them to the rec room.

"I know what Angie looks like after he's gotten dick," she said as she began unpacking the bag of junk food, pausing only to toss the mud masks towards Angel while he laid out his nail kit on the coffee table. "But I'm glad to see that you finally lost your virginity, old man." She straightened up and elbowed Pent playfully. "Better late than never."

Groaning, he pinched his brow and glanced to the hallway over his shoulder, making sure that none of the Hotel's other inhabitants were within earshot. "You can't tell anyone. Our relationship is purely physical, but if other people found out-"

She waved him off and grabbed the remote, turning the TV on and flicking through the channels as Nugs nuzzled against her shoe affectionately. "Yeah, yeah. I get it and I'm not here to judge. Just...no details." She paused to pet the pig and then looked back up to Angel. "But I won't lie, if I was in your shoes, Angie, I might've gotten desperate enough to jump on that train too."

Angel just laughed and then glanced at Pent, giving him a sultry wink as he pulled the large fleece blanket off the back of the couch. "It's a surprisingly nice train. Old, but well built."

Cherri groaned. "Ang, you promised."

Laughing, Angel leaned over and pecked her cheek. "Yeah, yeah I got it. No details." He mimed zipping his mouth shut and then settled down on the couch to open up the first packet of mud masks. The two friends applied theirs first before Pentious begrudgingly let Angel put one on him as well, holding the pig in his lap all while the Hightown Housewives fought and tossed wine at each other on screen.

As the mud dried, Angel and Cherri began to do each other's nails. Angel begged him for permission to paint his claws, but Pent held firm, only allowing the spider to file and shine them up with some clear-coat while Cherri worked on her own pedicure. Then when they finally washed off the face masks, Pent was genuinely surprised to discover that the scales around his brow felt exceedingly smooth and soft to the touch.

Now they were quite a few beers (and episodes) in with all three of them sprawled out across the couch with several empty bottles, half-eaten bags of chips, and a tray of brownies scattered over the coffee table.

Pent was barely paying attention to the TV, half-dosing when he felt Angel's knee nudge his tail under the cow print blanket. Glancing up, he tried to meet the spider's gaze, but Angel just continued to watch the screen, sipping his beer as Cherri rattled on next to him about how Sandra (one of the 'housewives') was such a catty bitch.

Lowering his eyes, he tried to pull his tail away, but then Angel's knee nudged him again with the other Demon's mouth quirking in profile.

Pent resisted the urge to snort before pressing his tail back against the other man's limb. It was all rather silly, but there was a mild thrill to the act of getting away with even a small public touch. Shifting slightly, he let the lower half of his body slip further under the sheet and almost immediately one of Angel's lower arms was resting against it, concealed only by the thick fabric of his hoodie and the blanket draped over them both.

At their shifting, Nugs gave a small oink of protest, standing up to trot in a small circle before setting back down against Pent's chest to cuddle. He smiled, petting over the pig's back before grabbing his phone off the armrest next to him.

"If she notices, she's going to kill us both."

Pentious watched from the corner of his eyes as Angel picked up his phone right as it began to buzz, unlocking the device and reading the text with a small smirk before typing back: "She won't notice if ya don't make it obvious, asshole."

Smirking right back, Pent quickly turned off his notification alerts to avoid drawing Cherri's attention away from the TV and pressed his tail into Angel's firm grip under the blanket. "You started it."

The spider gave him a mild pinch and then tugged at the oversized blanket so that it wasn't laying flat against their bodies so much as loosely hanging off Angel's shoulders. "Yeah well, I don't see you bitching."

Pent shrugged and smiled to himself. That was true. He wasn't exactly pulling away from the other Demon's touch when he very easily could draw that line in the sand. Not that this playful back and forth was particularly obscene, but knowing Angel, it wasn't likely to stay innocent for long.

He sank back anyways, enjoying the gentle petting and occasional squeeze as Angel continued to grope over him under the fleece.

When Cherri left to go to the bathroom, Pent barely had time to react before Angel was leaning over him, caging his body with all four arms. "I think you got a lil' bit of an exhibitionist in ya, Pen," he breathed, continuing to drag his fingers up the length of the snake's thick muscle. "Fuckin' a coworker at work and now this? Your kink is showin'."

"Make all the assumptions you wish," Pentious said as he lifted his tail, wrapping it around Angel's waist under the covers so that the tip of the limb curled around the top of Angel's thigh. He ran his forked tongue over his fangs, enjoying the way Angel gasped as his tail lightly brushed the spider's crotch through his pajama shorts. "You're clearly getting something out of this too."

Angel's eyes dilated and he grinned. "Never said I wasn't. Just findin' it real interestin' how you've gone from bein' a total prude to playin' footsie under a blanket."

Pent was about to retort but quietly closed his mouth instead as Cherri emerged from the hall, a bottle of vodka in her fist. "Who's ready to switch out the brewskis?" she asked as she plopped back on the couch next to Angel. "Oh, and I almost forgot!"

She dug into her back pocket and pulled out a crumpled bag of weed and rolling papers. "You gettin' in on this, old man?" she asked as Angel passed her his coke mirror so she could roll a few blunts.

"Pen doesn't smoke, babe," Angel said, reaching for his lighter on the coffee table but making sure not to pull out of Pent's grip underneath the blanket.

Snorting, Pentious watched as Cherri closed the joint, twisting the paper at the ends. "I've had cannabis before, you know," he corrected as Angel raised an eyebrow. "Normally I can handle a bit of back pain, but on occasion, it gets to be more than I can handle and smoking helps."

Cherri laughed and passed Angel the first blunt before going to work on a second. "Of course you have a bad back. I swear, we're gonna need to get you one of those life-alert collars."

Lighting the tip, Angel took a hit and blew the smoke out into the air above them, spreading a mildly skunky cloud over the faded chemical scent of nail polish. "If ya need a rub down so bad, you can just ask like a normal person. Ain't like I'm opposed to gettin' my hands on ya," he said with a wink as he passed the blunt to Pent, one of his lower hands flirtatiously skating across his scales under the blanket.

Pentious took the lit joint as Cherri made an exaggerated gagging noise behind them. "I'll keep that in mind," he said as he brought the blunt to his lips and inhaled, holding the smoke in his chest for a few beats before slowly exhaling it through his fangs. He saw Angel's mismatched irises widen and round in a way that Pent had begun to recognize as aroused and the spider grinned, taking the blunt back from him.

"Well lookat that. No coughin' or nothin'." Angel took another inhale himself as Cherri snagged the lighter to ignite her own joint. "So much for that I don't do drugs angle you had goin'."

"I don't do them recreationally," Pent said with a sigh, sinking further into the couch as Angel's fingers continued to wander up the length of his tail, clearly trying to get to the slit of his cloaca without leaning over to draw any attention to the act.

Cherri blew out a plume of smoke and said, "Didn't the Victorians do all sorts of weird shit though? Like you guys had literal cocaine in baby medicine."

"And it was considered just that: medicine," Pent reminded as Angel handed him the blunt again. "Were there people who partook outside the confines of medical necessity? Of course." He drew another inhale, his mind feeling fuzzy the longer he held the smoke in his chest before breathing it out with a sigh. "I simply wasn't one of them."

Angel smiled and nudged his shoulder with his elbow. "Until now. Look at you lightin' up like a regula pothead. We've corrupted you." He turned to Cherri, lifting his unchained arm to high-five her as the sneaking fingers of his lower set of hands found the slit, running along the edge teasingly while Pent stiffened.

Cherri snickered and nodded, letting her tattooed arm drop back to her lap. "It is pretty nice to see you pull the stick outta his ass, Angie. Though I don't think he'll ever not be an absolute fuckin' Edgelord."

Huffing, Pent focused on petting Nugs as Angel continued to insistently rub along his slit, never making an attempt to penetrate underneath the scales, but clearly trying to get a rise out of him. In purely calculated revenge, he squeezed the section of his tail that was wrapped around the spider's waist underneath the blanket. Angel immediately let out a soft gasp that devolved into coughs as he choked on the smoke in his teeth.

Cherri winced and began to hit his back as he hacked. "You ok, Ang?"

Clearing his throat, Angel grinned and wiped the tears that had formed under his largest set of eyes. "Yeah, just chokin' on my own damn spit," the spider said raspily even as his fingers meanly pinched the scales of Pent's abdomen.

Pent just smirked and lifted his phone, typing out, "If you start something, always expect retaliation."

The phone lit up on Angel's lap and Pent saw the spider's mouth curve into a small smile as he read through the text. He quickly typed something back and Pent glanced down, seeing the notification bubble pop in the corner of his screen.

"Bring it on, bitch."

Pentious swallowed and looked up just as Angel flashed him a slow wink, shifting his narrow hips to rub against the tail coiled around his thighs.

Repressing the urge to growl, Pent forced himself to turn back to the screen, trying his best to concentrate on the toothpaste commercial rather than the spider's lustful advances. Of course, it was nearly impossible now that Angel had turned the whole damn thing into a competition.

If there was one thing Pent could never back down from, it was an open challenge.

Fortunately, unlike the other man, he had a little something called self-discipline on his side.

A few hours later (vodka, chips, pretzels, and Pentious' homemade brownies consumed in equal quantities), Cherri called it a night and packed up her things. After exchanging a solid hug with Angel, she pet Nuggets and then flipped Pent off before shouldering her bag and heading out the front entrance.

Once the double doors closed behind her, Angel turned to Pent and grinned, holding Nuggets in his lower arms as he playfully tousled the fringe of his hair with his shackled wrist.

Rolling his eyes, Pent gave a tired grunt and dragged him by the chain to the stairs, the spider whistling far too innocently as they ascended the carpeted steps. Stopping in front of their door, Pent slid back to let Angel unlock it. "You're going to want to put the pig down," he warned as the spider inserted the key and turned the knob.

Angel raised an eyebrow, but didn't question the statement, simply setting Nuggets on the carpet as the door creaked open, letting his pet toddle inside to go to their basket.

"So what'd you-" Angel's eyes went wide as Pent immediately shoved him through the frame, knocking the door closed behind them. He gave Angel no quarter as he pinned the spider up along the wall with both hands on either side of his head.

Angel's stunned surprise quickly melted into a wicked grin and he groaned, arching up against the door. "Ooh, didn't think I'd riled you up that much. Am I gonna get punished for all the flirtin'?" he asked, lifting his upper arms and crossing his wrists, tilting his hips back to puff out his ample chest a bit more.

Pent just smirked, baring his teeth. "Maybe," he murmured, letting one of his hands drop to Angel's throat while the other groped at the juncture of Angel's waist and hip. Pent lifted the other Demon's chin a bit and Angel just returned his confident smile in full. "I assume that's not a problem?"

"If you're askin' if you can rough me up a bit, you've got the all clear" Angel said with an amused snort even as he continued to hold his sultry pose. "Just don't go full-tilt on the pain. Make it fun."

Leaning in to nose at Angel's throat, Pent exhaled a hot breath and smirked, feeling Angel shiver and stretch out all the more. "How do you feel about being spanked?" he purred, digging his claws into the muscle that wrapped around the Demon's abdomen.

"Ooooh, you're really feedin' into my daddy kink now," Angel said with a horny little giggle, batting his lashes as he rubbed his thighs together. "Mmm, yeah, spank me sir. I've been soooo naughty."

Angel's permission given, Pent began to mouth along the spider's tendons, resisting the urge to sink his teeth in before kissing the spot instead and pulling away.

Lifting his head back up to his full height, he stared at Angel with half-lidded eyes. The other Demon was looking more than just a little flushed, cotton shorts tight across his groin. "Get undressed," Pent ordered, running his claws up the line of Angel's throat and then back down to his sternum.

He saw Angel's adam's apple dip as he swallowed, the spider's pupils wide with unbidden arousal. "Fuck, it's hot when you're all serious." The spider leaned in for a kiss and Pent's hand rose to grip his jaw, stopping him.

"You're being punished, remember?" Pent reminded, tilting Angel's head to the side to chastely peck his cheek. Angel pouted, but it quickly morphed into a smirk as Pentious released him and slid back.

"So bossy," he said as he dropped all four of his arms, removing his hoodie before yanking the tented shorts and underwear down with a single motion. Angel stepped out of them, leaving the clothes piled into a loose circle on the floor. Now naked (save for his socks), Angel turned around, the chain rattling with the motion as the spider trailed three of his four hands over his body, groping his chest, hips, and half-hard cock respectively. "Now where do you want me, sir?"

Pent just shoved past the wanton Demon, sitting down on the bed and pulling his tail over the sheets to make a broad lap. He looked up with a neutral expression, ignoring the seductive sway of the other man's body to pointedly pat at his tail. Angel just continued to stroke his own dick, moaning softly as he stared down at Pent. "I'm so sorry, sir. I won't be bad anymore. Promise," he teased, rocking his hips with every tug to his cock.

Raising an eyebrow, Pent just patted his lap again and Angel chuckled before moving to straddle the snake, only for Pentious to grab his top wrists and manhandle him onto his stomach across the thick width of his tail. Angel turned his head to the side, staring at him as he kicked up his legs and arched his back into a clearly practiced pose. "Won't you please go easy on me, sir?" he begged, pursing his lips even as he rolled his cock down into the firm press of Pent's scales.

"You might have too much fun if I went easy," Pentious murmured, letting one hand rest on the small curve of Angel's ass while the other settled against the bed, palm down and fingers splayed on the sheets. Angel immediately pressed back into his hand and Pent resisted the urge to chuckle.

It was a little desperate, but at least Angel's enthusiasm was unmistakable.

He ran his claws up and down the curve of Angel's backside, building the anticipation as he felt Angel only get harder underneath him, the spider's hips beginning to squirm impatiently. Pentious grinned as Angel glanced back over his shoulder, his lower lip swollen from being chewed on. "Fuck you're mean," he said with a low whine. "A goddamn cockteas-"

Pent raised his hand and brought it back down, smacking Angel hard and making the spider jolt against him. Angel gasped, all four hands gripping the sheets below him tightly. "Shiiiit," he groaned, precum smearing wetly against Pent's lap.

"I think twenty ought to teach you a lesson," Pent confirmed with a hum, taking his chained hand and lifting Angel's chin, tilting the other man's face back to look at him.

Angel smiled, his arousal blatant and intoxicating.

"Sounds fair. I was a real bad boy, wasn't I?" he asked as Pent raised his hand again and smacked him firmly across the ass. Angel hissed, his fingers digging into the cloth, knuckles tight. "Aaah!"

Pent nodded, licking over his fangs as he hit Angel a third time, watching the spider's long legs twitch in the air. "Very bad," he said, slipping the index and middle finger of his chained hand up to Angel's lips. Immediately the spider opened his mouth, sucking around the claws with a low moan.

It had been a long time since he'd adopted a more domineering persona in bed, but it had been surprisingly easy to slip back into form. It certainly helped that Angel was eagerly playing along, smoothing the transition without ever making it awkward.

And fuck, it was very sexy to hold this sort of power again. It was all within certain parameters of control, but there was something primal that boiled up inside of him whenever a partner let him take the reins and be the master of their pleasure.

Maybe it was because he was used to playing the role with clients, but Angel surrendered beautifully. Of course the spider was still just as mouthy and taunting as he always was, but his excitement was palpable and Pent found himself getting hard just watching him.

Then Angel was humping against his lap impatiently and Pent grinned, brushing aside his thoughts to raise his hand again and give the spider's raised ass another solid slap. Angel whimpered and shuddered against him, arching to deepen the already absurd curve of his spine even more.

He made sure to vary his blows, alternating between light and flirty to being just on the edge of painful. Angel didn't tell him to stop, only continuing to moan desperately around the snake's fingers as his cock spit out more precum where it was trapped between them.

On the last smack, Pent went rather soft, rubbing over the other man's ass which now was a little swollen and hot to the touch after all the abuse. Beneath him, Angel groaned and leaned into the tender caress. "Am I forgiven, sir?" he asked as Pent slowly dragged his clawed fingers out of the other Demon's mouth.

"For now," Pent let his hand slide down into the crevice of Angel's ass, teasing against the hole and then along the thin skin of his taint. "But if you misbehave again, I can't promise that there won't be repercussions."

That last word made Angel's entire body shiver as Pent slowly helped the spider sit up to straddle him, watching Angel hiss a bit as he put weight on his throbbing ass. "Mmm, well I can't promise to not be bad," Angel murmured as he wrapped his arms around Pent's shoulders, rocking his hips so that his cock rubbed against the snake's swollen cloaca. "Especially when the punishment is so good."

Pent gritted his teeth as Angel pressed down on the pouch, forcing his members through the engorged slit before taking them both into his grip. "Seriously though, that was pretty goddamn hot. You should try dommin' full time," Angel purred against his cheek. "I know a lot of subby sluts who'd love to have a guy like you whippin' the shit out of 'em."

Hissing, Pent just groped for Angel's cock, his free hand coming up to cup and squeeze Angel's breasts. "I'm sure you do," he growled in a low voice before pressing his mouth to Angel's, enjoying the way the spider moaned and leaned in closer, practically trapping all three dicks between their hips.

The spider continued to whine loudly through their kiss, opening his teeth to let Pent's tongue play inside as he rocked up against the snake. Pentious closed his eyes, focusing on the heartbeat that pounded through the thin sensitive skin of Angel's cock, tightening the grip of his claws every time he reached the swollen leaking head. Angel's cock was wet enough to slick his entire palm and Pent huffed, pulling back to mouth over Angel's jaw as he pumped him. The spider panted, twisting his own hands up and down Pent's pricks in turn before the snake leaned back to drag Angel fully on top of him, forcing those long legs to splay wide across the bed.

Angel grinned, his cheeks flushed as he lifted himself up to reach over, ripping open his nightstand drawer to pull out some lube. "Get those fuckin' fingers in me now," he said, forcing Pent's hand off his tits to pour some of the lubricant into his palm. Pent snorted, but didn't fight the request, instead spreading the lube around until his claws were more or less slick and shining.

Capping the bottle, Angel pressed down and went right back to kissing him, rocking his hips in time with his hands while Pent's fingers trailed over the spider's spread thighs and dipped into the crack of his ass.

He felt Angel twitch against him as he pressed a claw to the other man's hole, teasing around the rim before slipping inside easily. Angel sighed and bit down on Pent's lower lip. "There's one, two to go…" he murmured in a breathy voice.

Pent hummed and pressed his finger in all the way to the base of his knuckles before slowly beginning to thrust, twisting and curling it until he felt the muscle had loosened enough for a second.

"You know your way around from this angle or do I have ta give you a map?" Angel said as two fingers slowly slipped inside, curling as soon as he was breached. His breath hitched and Pent just whimpered as he felt the spider's hands clench tight over both his shafts. "Shit...never fuckin' mind."

"I know how to find a bloody prostate," Pent grunted, pumping his fingers in and out of the other Demon as Angel began to whine and lift his hips to allow the snake to reach even deeper.

If he thought the spider's dick was wet before, it was practically weeping against him now. He only knew Angel hadn't come because he was still moaning like a wanton whore and babbling dirty nonsense into his ear.

But he was close. It was clear that Angel wouldn't be lasting long between Pent's determined fingers and the tight grasp of his hand.

Mouthing over the spider's throat and collar, Pent's lips twitched as he repressed the urge to sink his fangs into the other man's skin. Instead he laid kisses against the white fur, feeling Angel's heady breathing skate along the dip of his shoulder and nape.

Pulling out his two fingers, Pent lined up three, curling them through the slight gap of Angel's swollen rim until he was able to rub at the spider's sweet spot, shifting his wrist to press deep into the pulsing node.

Angel immediately tightened into a goddamn vice around him and Pent gritted his teeth as the other man let out a loud cry. The spider's entire back arched as he came against the black scales, opaque white splattering messily over Pent's skin.

He grunted but continued working Angel through the orgasm, circling the spider's prostate for another minute until Angel's hips finally stopped moving. Then he slowly retracted his fingers and wiped them off on Angel's thigh, ignoring the annoyed look the other Demon gave him. Pent just returned the glare with a smug smirk that was quickly smothered by the spider dragging him up into a deep and thorough kiss.

All the while, the two hands working his cocks never stopped. They only tightened their stranglehold and picked up the pace, filling the space between their breathy moans with wet pornographic squelching.

Angel broke their kiss and gave a few raspy huffs as he stared down at Pent, waiting until the snake opened his glassy eyes to laugh and growl, "I know you're close, asshole. Your dicks are ready ta fuckin' blow their goddamn load."

Pent nodded and bit his lip, thrusting up into Angel's grip as the spider's spare arms dragged his hands back to his tits, letting the snake grope over the soft fluffy mounds with rough abandon. Groaning, Pent focused on the feeling of Angel's weight pinning his hips, the spider's warm breasts filling his palms, the wandering fingers that would not stop touching his chest-

And the two hands that held his members in a vice, threatening to tip him over the edge of oblivion.

Through the sensory overload, he felt Angel lean down to lick a long line up from his collar to the underside of his chin and for some reason, that alone made him absolutely lose it.

Pentious shuddered, eyes screwing shut as his cocks spilled over the spider's hands in messy rivets. Hot cum dripped down over the side of his body and onto the sheets below as he chuffed, his hips giving two last hard thrusts up before settling back against the bed with a weak whimper.

He took a few moments to catch his breath, simply basking in the pulsing afterglow as his entire body vibrated with pleasure and total exhaustion while Angel shifted around above him.

When he blinked his eyes back open, Angel was staring down at him with a slightly smug grin, fingers continuing to trace over his chest in ever-twisting spirals. "Y'know...I think the only time I've seen you get this quiet is when we're fuckin'." He lifted his lower set of cum-slick hands and snickered before pushing off of Pentious's limp body.

"You do plenty of talking for the both of us," Pent muttered as he rolled up to sit, wincing at the mess that painted his stomach before sliding off the bed.

"What? Don't like my dirty talk?" Angel asked as he stepped down from the sheets himself, softening erection bouncing between his thighs. "Admit it, you fuckin' love that shit." He winked and then finally allowed Pent to tug him toward the bathroom so they could clean up.

Pent rolled his eyes as he flipped the lights and turned on the shower, giving it a few moments to heat up. "I would say I'm ambivalent towards it. It's not a kink of mine at any rate." He checked the temperature and nodded, slithering inside the stall to make room for Angel.

Following him into the spray, Angel closed the sliding glass door and turned, pressing up against the snake's back before giving the curve of his tail a few suggestive humps. "I dunno. You get awfully hard wheneva I call ya sir."

He nipped Pent's shoulder and the snake exhaled, pouring some soap into his palm to clean the lube and cum off his hands and stomach. "I never said it held no appeal," he muttered as Angel's arms caged his chest, fingers running down the slick skin of his torso and abdomen. "Just that it's not something I actively seek out."

"Then what are your kinks?" Angel asked, continuing to mouth against his shoulder and collar with unabashed lust. "Maybe we can get ta tryin' some of those out, hmmm?"

Pent shrugged as he continued to clean his scales, trying his best to ignore the other man's attempts at starting up round two in the shower. "I wouldn't say I have any particular fantasies. I enjoy most aspects of sex…" He passed Angel the soap as he cleaned both of his shafts and then tucked them back inside of their pouch. "Though I admit that certain types of bondage are especially titillating."

Angel snorted as he took the soap and worked up a lather over his stomach and down into his crotch. "I fuckin' knew it. All those chains and restraints in your arsenal were such a giveaway." He grinned and let his upper arms continue to explore Pent's chest while the lower set washed away the mess they'd made. "You prefer to tie folks or be tied?"

"They both have their appeal," Pent said with a yawn, finally batting Angel's questing hands off of his body. "I'm normally the one doing the tying, but I've been bound before. There's a thrill to holding all the cards and to being powerless."

"Mmmm, a man after my own heart," Angel said with a hum. "Yeah, I got probably more kinks than you can count, but bondage is pretty fuckin' high up." He scraped his fingers through the fur of his fringe and ducked his head into the warm spray. "What about clothes? You got a thing for certain outfits?"

Pent paused thoughtfully, letting the suds drip down the length of his tail. "This is going to sound strange to you, but layered clothing with lots of fasteners." Indeed, Angel's face immediately morphed from an amused grin to a confused frown. "There's something about taking someone apart that I enjoy. You start with their clothes and work down. The more layers there are, the more intimate it becomes," Pent explained, crossing his arms over his chest as Angel continued to rinse out the soap from his hair. "It's like peeling back their defenses piece by piece."

"Ok, I can see that," Angel said with a shrug, stepping out from under the shower head. "It's kinky in that teasing way, though it sucks for quickies."

"The intent is to go slow," Pent said with a tired eye roll. "As much as I enjoy a fast dirty fling, there's something to be said for the careful unravel. My best orgasms have come from long nights stretched all the further by tender foreplay."

Angel shifted and cupped Pent's shoulders, looking the snake directly in the eye. "You are the gayest non-gay fucker I've ever met," he declared with a small smirk, making Pent scowl in turn. "But at least you're not all roses. That spankin' was nothin' soft." One of his lower hands reached back to rub over his ass and Pent glanced down, noting it was still a touch pink underneath the layer of wet white fur.

"I don't mind being rough, but my tastes are varied." Pent slithered out of Angel's grip and turned off the shower before yanking the slider open.

Angel stepped out of the stall with him, grabbing both of them towels and handing one to Pent before rubbing it through his damp fur. "Well I guess at some point, when I got the patience fer it, we should try that slow shit." He winked from under the flop of his bangs and added, "I wanna see you goin' straight the fuck off."

Pent laughed as he dried himself, tossing the towel over the shower rails to dry. "That would require you to wear actual clothes for once."

However, rather than look disappointed, the spider's smirk only widened. "Whoeva said I was gonna be the one unraveled?" Angel purred, leaning into Pent's space so that their mouths were barely an inch apart, threatening a kiss, but never quite crossing the threshold.

Pent paused and felt his face begin to flush violently as the spider knowingly dragged his tongue across his swollen lips. "I beg your pardon!?"

"You heard me," Angel teased, elbowing Pent as he hung his own towel and dragged him by the chain out of the bathroom, hitting the light switch as they passed the door. "I think you'd like bein' the pillow princess for once."

"Pillow princess!?" Pent hissed under his breath as Angel crawled onto the mattress naked, forcing the snake to follow as the other man dragged the blankets over them both.

Angel gave a nod and raised his arms to clap, turning the room nice and dark save for the telltale glow of the moon that pierced through the curtains. "Yeah. I want your ass meltin' into the sheets. Maybe that'll get you babblin' for once." The spider chuckled and wrapped his arms around Pent, laying his head on the other Demon's chest. "Don't think on it too hard, you're gonna hurt yourself."

Pent huffed and settled back against the pillows. "I thoroughly regret sleeping with you," he muttered under his breath.

"No ya don't ya fuckin' liar. This is the most action your poor dicks have gotten in ages and we haven't even done all that much," Angel closed his eyes and yawned. "Still waitin' on that blowjob by the way. Any day now."

Sneering, Pent stared at the ceiling for a few minutes in passive silence as their breathing synced up, his chest deflating with Angel's gentle exhales.

The spider wasn't wrong; this was the most active his sex life had been in decades. He hadn't gotten laid this often since he was alive and married, but unlike his relationship with Kat, there was something about this that made him timid to invest any further, both emotionally and physically.

When they finally were free, they might not go back to their usual ways. So where would they (or could they) go from here? Before this mess, they might have kept a strange friendship of sorts, but now with sex complicating the matter, there really was no telling what might happen.

Angel was very easy to be intimate with, if just on a purely physical basis. The spider was passionate, frisky, and open. But underneath the relaxed veneer of their relationship, Pent knew that he was there to fill a role in the other man's life that would normally be played by clients and regular partners. He was practically a glorified sex-toy for Angel to pick up and use whenever the need hit him.

Casual sex was fine, but this wasn't just casual, it was regular and Pent couldn't help but wonder just how quickly everything would deteriorate when they were separated? Angel claimed to care about his fate, claimed to be invested in the bizarre friendship they had formed, but bringing sex into everything made Pentious hesitant to trust in that promise.

It certainly wasn't helped by the fact that this aspect of their relationship had formed so quickly after their last meeting with Valentino.

Pent wasn't a fool, he was well aware of the fact that Angel was someone who sought distraction and distance through pleasure. Most likely, this was just the spider's way of putting Val's abuse and threats out of his mind so he didn't go mad with fear. Sex was an escape for him and Pentious was simply the most accessible route he could take.

It really shouldn't bother him to be used in such a way, but it did.

Pentious chewed on his lip and glanced down at Angel, watching the way the spider held onto his chest and tail, clearly making himself right at home against the other Demon's scaly body.

How was he supposed to keep his distance with a man he was literally chained to?

Slowly he closed his eyes and curled his shackled arm around Angel's shoulders, feeling the spider shift, but not wake under the touch.

When everything was over and he was alone in his own bed again, he hoped he wouldn't be reaching out for a body that wasn't there.

---

The next week passed between them with little fanfare apart from finally making plans to get his piano transferred from his mansion into the Hotel's lounge.

Of course, arranging the entire process had turned into much more of a complicated endeavor than he'd initially thought. The professional moving company that Alastor had so thoughtfully hired arrived over an hour late and then had the nerve to incessantly bitch about how far away he lived when they did finally show up on his doorstep.

Pent kept a close eye on the movers handling his instrument the entire time, tail flicking in mild agitation whenever they threatened to accidentally bump the edge of the piano into the nearest wall. Meanwhile Angel just texted next to him, occasionally flirting with the burly men whenever he caught one of them ogling his ample bustline.

"You know the more you distract them, the longer this will take," Pent groused to Angel as he finally locked up his home, slithering down the short walkway leading to the road where the Magne limo was waiting next to the moving truck. He paused, wincing as he watched the men struggle to lift the instrument and walk it backwards up their flimsy-looking ramp.

"So? Didn't realize we were in some big hurry to get this shit back." Angel tugged his cigarette out of his mouth and tossed it to the ground, grinding his heel into the butt before he tugged at the chain between them. "I swear, you're the biggest goddamn worrywart I've ever met."

Pent allowed himself to be dragged back to the limo, sliding inside before making room for Angel who unceremoniously dropped himself on Pent's lap as soon as the door was closed behind them. Thankfully the privacy screen was up, keeping Charlie's two little servants from peering in as Angel boldly teased a hand down his chest, tracing the outline of the eye in the center.

"I just don't want them to break it," Pent muttered as the engine revved and the vehicle pulled away from his home to head back onto the road leading down the hill. "It wasn't an easy thing to build and I'd rather not see it manhandled by a pack of clog-brained buffoons."

Angel just smiled and lifted two of his arms to wrap around Pentious' neck, stretching his long legs across the seats. "If they break it, we'll just fuck 'em up. Between the two of us, we could take a coupla' assholes like that no problem."

Pent sighed and shook his head. "Beating them up wouldn't fix my piano should they break it," he muttered as Angel's lower set of hands unbuttoned the top of his jacket. He blinked and glanced down. "What are you doing?"

"Nothin'," Angel said in an entirely too innocent tone, unbuttoning the next fastener with an unnecessary flick of his wrist.

Pursing his lips into a line, Pent closed his eyes and muttered, "We are not having sex in the limo."

Angel pouted as the snake quickly did his buttons back up, tugging the fabric back down to lay straight against his chest. "Aw c'mon. We'll clean up afterward. The bitches won't even notice." Angel tried to lean in for a kiss, but Pent blocked him with his palm. "Ugh, fine. I'll be good."

The spider made to slide off of Pent's lap, but found himself being held in place by two sets of firm red claws. Angel raised an eyebrow and Pent smiled, tapping one talon against Angel's arm. "I never said you had to move," he said with a shrug. "Unless you'd prefer to sit elsewhere?"

"Nah, your lap is pretty nice," Angel said with a chuckle, leaning back into him with a smug expression. "Even if you're bein' a cockblock."

They arrived at the Hotel a few minutes before the truck, getting out and watching as the limo drove away before they went inside and headed to the lounge.

Pent raised an eyebrow as he slithered to watch as Vaggie and Charlie attempted to push the other piano from behind while Husk tugged at a rope that was wrapped around the legs. Charlie grinned and waved as she caught their eye before turning around to push with her back as her feet scrambled across the dusty carpet. "Hey guys! Didn't expect you back so soon!" she gasped as they slowly slid the heavy instrument across a sheet they'd laid out to assist with the moving process. "We're almost done here, but if you want to put jams in the door for the movers, they're behind the desk."

Pent raised a brow. "Do you three require-" he began before Angel smacked a hand over his mouth and walked him out of the lounge and back to the Welcome Desk in the lobby. "What was that for?" he groused, batting off Angel's hand once they were out of earshot.

"You are not volunteerin' us for that bullshit," Angel said, bending over the counter to yank the various drawers open with his top two arms, pulling out multiple half-finished bottles of alcohol before finally finding the door stoppers. "Unlike you, I ain't inta manual labor. Might break a nail." He didn't bother to put away any of the bottles or close the drawers before heading back to the entrance, sticking the jams into the space at the bottom of each door as the moving truck rolled to a stop in front of the sidewalk.

"Right through here, boys," Angel said, grinning as he gestured for the movers to bring the piano inside and down the hall to the lounge. Charlie and Vaggie looked worn out and sweaty, sitting on the piano bench while Husk was rubbing his lower back and looking extremely irritated as the movers marched in with the new piano.

"Hey why the fuck didn't we ask these guys to do the heavy lifting?" the cat growled as the movers set the piano down and easily maneuvered it against the empty stretch of wall. "They coulda done this shit in half the time."

"Because they're here to bring in Sir Pentious' piano. We had to make space for it," Charlie explained, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow as the movers began to remove the protective wrap they had secured around the instrument.

Pentious smiled, crossing his arms over his chest proudly as his beautiful black grand piano was unveiled. Charlie's eyes went wide and she turned to Vaggie, practically bouncing. "Oh my god! Look at it!" She slid over to Pent and took his arm. "I can't wait to perform with you, Sir Pentious. It's going to be amazing to have someone to finally practice with."

He chuckled and gently removed her fingers from his arm. "It will be nice to play again," he said as the movers finished up and exited, leaving the five of them alone in the lounge with both pianos now situated against the expanse of wall between the writing desk and bookshelf.

Husk walked over, a thoroughly unimpressed look on his face as he tapped one of the keys. "Don't look all that special to me, Pentious. Just another fuckin' piano."

"I can assure you, it's a unique build." Pent said as he checked over the tuning before taking a seat on the bench with Angel leaning against the side of the instrument next to him. Flexing his fingers, Pentious slid the tip of his tail inside a small compartment underneath the piano and played a few scales before starting up a rendition of Clair de Lune.

Charlie gave a squeal and moved to stand behind the snake, Vaggie joining her to watch Pentious' hands float across the keys to the gentle tune of the song. Even Husk was quiet, content to sit back with his flask as Pent played.

But more than anything, Pentious was aware of Angel's eyes on him. The spider wasn't doing anything in particular, just leaning back against the instrument as Pentious ran through the song, but for some reason he felt a distinct weight to Angel's stare.

Pent nearly stumbled over the ending, but managed to keep from playing offkey as he finished up, giving a small bow of his head as Charlie immediately began to clap excitedly.

"That was so good!" she said as she sidled up to the bench. "Have you ever composed music or do you just play from existing songs?"

"I'm no composer," Pent admitted as he stood to close the top of the piano. "The extent of my skill is in reading sheet music and matching the harmony. I've never been an artist of any sort."

Husk snorted and capped his flask. "Well at least your playing isn't half-bad. I was gonna veto this whole goddamn thing if you were a trainwreck." He gestured loosely to Charlie and Pent and added, "Though you two clowns still gotta keep your practice restricted to the wakin' hours. I ain't listening to this shit all fucking night."

Angel grinned and then laid back against the piano, lifting his legs dramatically as he rolled onto his side to give Husk a sultry look. "Aw, don't like the idea of watchin' our show, big boy?"

Husk snorted and shook his flask. "There ain't a pole in here, legs. How exactly are you gonna put on a fucking show with these two musical morons?"

Laughing, Angel sprawled out, spreading his thighs and stretching his upper arms out alluringly across the top of the instrument. "Well, y'know I always wanted ta be one of those hoes hangin' off the end of a piano. That's a show in an' of itself."

Vaggie groaned, her expression twisting from mild annoyance to pure disgust as she lifted one hand up. "Angel, close your legs! You're flashing us!"

Angel just grinned, lifting his hips all the more out of spite. "Enjoy the view, bitch," he said as Charlie sighed and shook her head in dismay.

"Well at least we have the piano now." She looked to Pentious and beamed, clasping her hands together in front of her chest. "Everything else can fall into place from here."

Sliding off the top of the piano, Angel dropped his heels to the carpet and brushed the hem of his skirt back down. "Gotta give me fair warnin' whenever you wanna steal the snake for band practice," he told Charlie as Pent slipped out from behind the bench. "Only so long I can sit still while you guys do your thing."

Charlie laughed and nodded, touching the spider's shoulder. "Of course, Angel. I promise to keep the sessions short, depending on how often Sir Pentious feels like playing." She glanced at the snake in question and he shrugged.

"I imagine it will depend entirely on my mood for the day, but for now, let's agree on a bi-weekly basis and make any adjustments from there," Pent said, straightening his bowtie while Angel just nodded dismissively, clearly not caring all that much one way or the other.

"That works for me. Wanna start on Saturday?" Charlie asked, jerking her thumb back to the piano. "I don't know if you guys have already made plans or whatnot, but I figure that's a good enough time as any?"

Pent looked to Angel and then nodded. "Every other Saturday afternoon," he agreed as Charlie beamed and then moved in to hug him. Normally he would have sidestepped (side-slithered) the embrace, but he held firm, letting her give him a quick squeeze before pulling back.

"I can't wait. This is going to be so amazing." She turned to Vaggie and pulled her girlfriend in for a kiss while Angel hooted at them both to get a goddamn room. "Anyway, I've got some things to take care of. Thank you all for helping out!"

Husk rolled his eyes and flipped them all off. "Next time, I better get something outta it if you're gonna make me lift heavy shit," he growled as he left the lounge, slowly followed by the girls.

Angel snickered and then looked back to the piano, tapping his finger against several of the keys. "Well, guess I better get used to the idea of sittin' around while you two fuckers go ham in here."

"It won't be so bad," Pentious assured him as he headed out of the lounge, Angel following him as they started down the hall toward the stairs.

"Just don't try ta sing. Stick to fingerin' those keys," Angel waggled his brows and made a lewd gesture with his hands. "Not that I ain't givin' ya plenty of practice in that regard."

Pent huffed, blushing softly as they ascended the stairs to their shared room. "That is hardly comparable."

When they finally arrived on the fourth floor, Pentious immediately noticed a nondescript box placed in front of their room. He blinked and leaned down, picking it up as Angel unlocked their door. "It for us?" the spider asked as Pent shrugged and followed him inside.

"I don't see a label, but there isn't anyone else staying on this floor to my knowledge," Pent said as he took the keys from Angel, using the jagged metal teeth to cut the tape keeping the package closed.

Setting the box down on the dresser, he pried the cardboard flaps open and peered inside. Pent paused and then immediately went stiff as he noted the contents.

Angel raised a brow and leaned over his shoulder, grabbing the package and tugging it from Pentious' grasp to dump it out on the bed. "The fuck is-?"

A box of condoms dropped out, landing on the sheets with a barely audible thud. "Oh shit…"

"Someone knows," Pent said in a quiet voice, his throat feeling tight as he gripped the edge of the dresser, digging his talons into the cheap wood. Who had left the package? Was it Miss Charlie? Vagatha? God forbid Husker…

He paused, his blood running cold as he remembered the Radio Demon's knowing smirk.

Or Alastor.

"Hey," Pent blinked as Angel shoved the condoms to the side and snapped his fingers in front of him, pulling his attention away from the mysterious package and its highly suggestive contents. "Cut the panic attack and look at me. This shit-" Angel shook the empty box, "-isn't the end of the world. So someone heard us, fine. Clearly they haven't ratted us out."

"Or they plan to blackmail us first," Pent muttered, raising a hand to pinch his brow ridge. "Fuck…"

Angel bit his lip and said, "Pen, I get that you're not the sorta fella who likes people talkin' about your sex life, but I gotta wonder if this shit goes deeper than your weird Victorian hangups." He crossed both sets of arms over his chest. "Is it cuz it's me?"

Pent frowned and averted his eyes, making Angel's expression tighten and twist. "Is it because of what I do?"

After a few moments of awkward silence, Pent finally exhaled and ran a hand down the back of his hood. "It's complicated," he murmured, noting the way that phrasing made Angel flinch before the spider recovered, his stance stiffening. "I imagine that you feel similarly."

"Not really," Angel said, his lips pulling into a thin line as he tightened the cage of his arms. "I've had sex with hundreds if not thousands of dickbags. What's one more asshole on top of that, huh?"

Pent winced as he felt the other man yank the chain, but he didn't fight it, allowing Angel to drag him away from the dresser and onto the bed.

They both sat down on opposite sides of the mattress, neither willing to meet the other's eyes. Pentious swallowed thickly as Angel picked up Nugs, settling the pig on the sheets. Immediately Nuggets oinked and ran between them, begging for pets from both men as the awkward silence grew more and more tense.

Finally Angel inhaled sharply and said, "Y'know, I'm not ashamed to be a whore." He continued to pet his pig as he added, "Work is work. There's shitty parts to it, just like any job. But the worst of it is people like you who wanna act like the shit I do makes me less of a person."

"I never said-" The arm not petting Fat Nuggets reached out and grabbed his shoulder, squeezing down hard enough to make Pent hiss.

Angel quickly released him again, a sour look on his face as he glared at Pentious. "Yeah you fuckin' did. You don't gotta use fancy words to insult someone. I'm not a goddamn idiot." He sighed and ran his two top hands over his hair as the bottom two tugged Nuggets up and onto his lap. "Y'know, I don't ask for much from ya in this lil' deal. Just that you give me some fuckin' respect."

Pentious lowered his gaze, clasping his hands on his lap. "What, do you want me to shout from the rooftops that we're having sex?"

"Oh cut the dramatics, shitbag. I don't need no grand declaration and you know it." Angel rolled his eyes and laid back, pulling Nuggets from his lap up onto his chest. "Just take your head out of your ass for once and realize that your world won't end if people find out we're fuckin'."

Pent frowned and chewed his tongue. "As long as it's private, we can both go back to our lives at the end," he finally muttered. "With no one the wiser, it's less to untangle."

Less people meant less questions. Less questions meant a clean break and no awkward conversations.

No loose threads he'd be forced to cut.

He felt Angel staring at his back, but he didn't acknowledge it. Instead he slumped his shoulders and then laid down himself, rolling onto his side to face away from the other man, the chain connecting them resting against his hip.

Things really were a lot simpler when they were still shooting at each other.

---

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Beta assistance by SirDust & DerpingLina