Arackniss loaded up his gun before he headed out for the night. He had just finished conducting his business with his Father and the deal had gone rather smoothly for once. His Father did most of the talking while Arackniss sat back and held his guns in his pockets on the off-chance a fight ever broke out.
Since no blood had to be shed today, Arackniss decided to go and get a drink. He hadn't indulged in alcohol in a while with how busy they were and he saw no harm in going by himself. He had done it before and he could defend himself if necessary. If it came down to it he'd pull out his gun and shoot whoever was bothering him.
It wasn't that big of a deal, particularly since every demon carries a gun on them.
Going outside in Hell without a weapon of some kind was downright suicidal and even though he couldn't die normally he sure as hell didn't feel like re-spawning in the most painful manner imaginable.
As Arackniss made his way to the bar he walked through the doors and ordered a beer. He was a regular here so the guy already had a feeling what he wanted the moment he stepped through the door.
He was handed a glass of wine and he sat down at a table by himself and sipped on his drink. Time passed slower when he was here, or at least, it felt that way.
Not like time mattered when you stopped aging. He was technically over a hundred years old but his body and mind hadn't changed since he died, still feeling as if he were forty years old. He had been in Hell since the late 1940s but he didn't feel like he had changed that much since his death. Other than being a demonic spider, his life remained relatively the same.
Shooting people who backed out of deals, listening to his Father and selling drugs to the addicted populace. Same old same old.
Only difference was that there wasn't any sort of taboo about drugs since demons were fairly open about their bad habits unlike the people on Earth. Murder was talked about as casually as the weather and acts of violence were seen as every-day occurrences.
As the spider drank he couldn't help but hear the familiar sound of the bell ringing on the door, signaling that another patron had entered the establishment. It was loud and obnoxious to him but it did its job.
Normally he wouldn't focus on it but he noticed the person wasn't a regular at the shop but was someone he recognized all too well.
Valentino. Prominent Overlord of Hell and controlled all things centered around Lust. He had the misfortune of seeing the fucker as Val often got some of his drugs from them and other dealers. Guy was a massive asshole from what his Father told him(not that it was an irregularity in Hell) but Val always gave him a bad feeling. It didn't help that Angel was working for him and becoming Hell's top porn star because of this.
Arackniss had no idea why the bastard was here. This wasn't a fucking strip club, it was just a normal bar and it wasn't exactly a lavish one. It was in a rather sketchy part of town even by Hell's standards and it wasn't anything like the clubs Val owned with all the fancy flashing lights and high quality drinks.
Whatever the reason, Arackniss didn't really care. He just wanted the fucker to leave, not only because he was a menace but his cigarettes smelled god-awful.
He supposed that shit was supposed to be 'addicting' but Arackniss never saw it that way. Val was told to not bring his cigarettes into the building but even when he didn't, his breath always smelled like cigarettes.
Arackniss had the misfortune of being close enough to breathe it in and it smelled like literal chemicals and toxins.
He wouldn't be surprised if there was a literal position in Val's drugs with how strong they were but Arackniss never felt himself getting affected. Hell don't have health standards anyway so Val could put just about anything in his drugs and people would overdose themselves on it purely because of how addicting it was to feel that rush in their veins.
Unfortunately things just weren't going his way today because Valentino must've spotted him and decided to take a seat near him for some reason. Arackniss tried to pretend he wasn't there and refused to make eye contact but Val suddenly cleared his throat and said,"Hasn't your Father ever taught you not to ignore people who want to speak with you, Arackniss?"
He scoffed,"No, but he did tell me to stay away from strangers…"
"Aw, Arackniss, baby-"
"Don't call me baby," He hissed,"I'm not your goddamn baby, Val. I don't know what you want with me but I'd appreciate it if you just cut to the chase. I'm not getting any younger and I'd prefer it if you stopped wasting my time."
Val narrowed his eyes,"Feisty little fella aren't you, Arackniss? Just like your brother…I can see the similarities go farther than appearance…"
Arackniss scowled at the comparison, he sure as hell didn't appreciate being compared to his brother, who he viewed as a disappointment not only for his sexuality but because of his 'carefree' attitude as a gangster while alive.
It didn't help that because of Angel's reputation Arackniss had gotten unwanted comments from men who mistook him for his brother and even after clarifying he wasn't' Angel, they tried going for him and he had to show them his gun to get them to back off.
The fact Angel's boss was here wasn't helping Arackniss's feelings towards his brother, already having a bad feeling about Valentino's intentions from the get-go.
"What do you want out of me, Valentino?" He growled, disdain seeping his voice,"I know you're not just here for a chat. What is it that you want from me?"
"Perceptive little thing aren't you?" He chuckled, seeming more amused by Arackniss's attitude by now, like it was a joke. Arackniss grit his teeth at him in response, wanting nothing more than to shoot that large grin off his face but held back the urge(albeit just barely).
Val then blew a sickle of smoke out from his cigarette before saying,"I'll cut to the chase, Arackniss. You see, your brother has disappeared-"
"I don't know where he is," Arackniss said,"If that's what you're asking. I haven't seen Anthony in decades and I sure as hell don't know where he is now."
"I know that," Val mentioned, causing Arackniss to raise his eyebrow at him.
"If you know that then why are you here? I have no information on Tony's whereabouts so if that's what you're here for then you are outta luck. He hasn't contacted us in years so you're better off asking his friends assuming he has any…"
"Oh believe me, I tried that. She doesn't know either and at this point, it's highly likely your brother met a grim fate at the ends of an Exterminator's spear. I had sent him out to satisfy some clients prior to Extermination and he never returned. Given how sinners tend to fare against Angels I think it's best to assume Angel Dust didn't make it."
Arackniss flinched for a split second, normally he couldn't care less if something happened to Angel but he never imagined him dead…Well, again that is. Sinners were built to withstand a lot of pain and given holy weapons were hard to find, the thought of actually dying for real was hard to swallow.
Val must've sensed his discomfort because he 'soothingly' reached out to him,"Aw don't be like that. Not like you guys cared about him anyway. Hardly that much of a loss in hindsight is it?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Don't play dumb with me, Arackniss. Angel told me about how your family treated him back in the day. From what I heard, you guys weren't the nicest bunch to him about his interest in men, telling him to suppress himself and to keep his mouth shut and giving him beatings if he acted out."
"So what? You know if Anthony was open about that shit he would've gotten shot for it after getting beaten within an inch of his life. Us telling him to shut up was mercy compared to what the other's would've done to him. What they could've done to us all.."
Truth be told, Arackniss couldn't give less of a fuck of who Angel was attracted to, his Father on the other hand hand…cared very much and Angel being open about his sexuality would've put them all in danger.
Gays were killed and at best, beaten until they were black and blue for their sexuality and shunned by society as a whole.
Angel got enough beatings for being disobedient(for either screwing up a mission/delivery or for 'mouthing off' on the job), his sexuality being discovered would've been a nail in the coffin since Angel's wise-cracking attitude often put him at odds with not only his family but other gangsters. No doubt they would've beat him until all his bones broke before killing him as a warning to their family as a whole.
"But you'll never accept him for who he was. And you know where that led him? To me. Because I allowed him to embrace his sexuality, allowed him to embrace what he was denied in life and made him the perfect star. I gave him what he wanted, the hottest parties, the finest wine and he was able to fuck to his heart's content. All he had to do was sell his soul to me and I gave him everything he ever wanted."
Arackniss scoffed, the story sounded nice but he knew better. No deal in Hell was ever that good without a high price to pay and he had the feeling Val was embellishing the tale of Angel's claim to fame and leaving key details out of the story to make it more appealing to him.
"Yeah, sure, that's TOTALLY the entire story, Val. Uh-huh…" He remarked, giving the overlord a glare,"Seriously, how dumb do you think I am? I'm not falling for your laced cheap-talk bullshit, Val, you're barking up the wrong tree and I'm not interested in what you have to offer."
"Arackniss, there's no need to be so dimissive. We can talk about this…" Val said,"After all, there's gotta be something you want."
"Nothing that you'd be able to provide…"
"When you're as rich as me, nothing is completely impossible," Val chuckled,"I can make every dream you've ever had come true, baby. You just gotta give me a chance."
He shook his head,"Even if you can do all that, I personally am not interested. I may not be swimming in money right now but I'm doing well enough that I don't believe selling myself is necessary. So long as I'm with my Father there's nothing in the world you could offer me that would make me turn to your side…"
"But what if your Father ain't here? What if he…disappears someday?"
"Disappears? People don't disappear, Val. They die…"
"Disappear, die, basically the same thing," The moth shrugged,"I was just trying to tell you nicely, because I can make you do what I want Arackniss. Don't make me force my hand because I doubt you'd fare too well without your Father's protection…"
Arackniss tensed,"You wouldn't dare…"
"We both know I would," Val said simply,"It's nothing that has to happen but it will make you don't comply. I always get what I want and if that means a little blood has to be shed then so be it. Though it doesn't have to happen, if you agree to my terms, I'll allow your Father to live…"
Arackniss grit his teeth, clenching the drink in his hands so tight that it threatened to break right then it there. He growled before grumbling something that Val couldn't quite hear.
"Speak up, baby, you know I can't hear you if you're that quiet."
"Why?" He asked.
"Why what?"
"Why me?" He snapped,"Why me of all people? Why am I the person you want so badly? Is it because I look like him? Because I look like no good brother of mine? Well, contrary to popular belief, I'm not anything like my brother. I don't like guys, I don't like sucking dick and I don't like drag. What the hell makes you think I'd be a good star if you're willing to go through these lengths to get me to work with you? I'm not like him in any way, I'm not a pretty boy whose every demon's walking wet-dream, I'm a gangster who has been raised to kill since I was born. What the hell makes you think I'm cut out for that shit?"
"Because I can see talent in you, Arackniss. You have potential and I need someone new who can do better than Angel now that he's gone. I need someone who cna rise up and become the best star there ever was."
The spider still couldn't wrap his head around the situation."I still don't understand. There are plenty of sex workers in Hell, lot of them don't have steady income. I bet on my life that they'd jump into your arms if you offered them this deal. Why not offer this deal to people who are up your alley, Val? Because I'm not the type of person you're looking for."
"Because I've got enough people like them back in my Studio. I need fresh talent and you are the perfect candidate. I know you can surpass Angel Dust popularity wise, Arackniss, you just have to be on board with me. You can't tell me you've never thought about becoming a star, everyone wants to be popular…"
Arackniss shrugged,"I can live without fame…"
"But you can't live without your Father can you?"
Arackniss bit his lip before sighing,"What do I have to do to get you to leave my Father alone, Valentino?"
"You know exactly what you have to do, baby. Pledge yourself to me and I'll spare your Father…or don't, it'll all end the same regardless. Like it or not, I'm not leaving empty handed so either we do this the easy way or the hard way. Take your pick."
The way Val said this bone-chilling statement was eerie in itself, the tone of his voice hadn't changed, as if the two of them were good friends discussing the weather over a cup of coffee. Arackniss was downright disturbed as his mind raced, he knew Val wasn't the type to bluff and he had heard of Val shooting people with holy bullets for angering him for even the slightest of reasons.
"Suppose I agree to this…how do I know you're telling the truth about my Father? How do I know that you won't just kill him when my back is turned?"
"Relax Arackniss, so long as you do as you're told and behave yourself your father will be just fine…"
He didn't believe Val's words for a second but Arackniss didn't exactly have much of a choice in the matter. If he disagreed, Val would likely kill his Father and then force him to the Studio to do who knows what, if he went along willingly the ride would be smoother and Val would at least play nice for the time wasn't sure how long it would last, but he figured Val would at least keep to his word as long as Arackniss behaved themselves.
"Fine…" He grumbled,"You've got yourself a deal, Val…"
"Perfect…" Val then grabbed Arackniss's hand,"Glad to see you see it my way, Arackniss. You've made the right call…"
Arackniss gasped as Val pulled him out of the bar before walking down the streets. Val was using his lower arms to hold Arackniss's hand and only now did the spider realize just how tall Val truly was. The man towered over completely and Arackniss himself was barely at his waist.
'Holy shit…he's so fucking tall…' He thought to himself, trying to ignore how intimidating Val already had made him feel. The fact he was this much taller than him(not to mention stronger) wasn't easing his thoughts whatsoever.
Val then leads him to a large red limo parked on the side. Arackniss had to actually crawl inside while Val merely crouched a little, demonstrating just how big the gap between them height-wise truly was.
Arackniss sat on one side while Val was right beside him. Val told the driver to head back to the Studio and the ride the tension in the air was damn near suffocating.
The small spider felt sweat trickle down his face. He didn't feel safe here and the fact Val was literally right beside him was making his heart threaten to burst out of his chest.
His mind then got back to his Father,'I…I should tell him where I am…' He thought before going into his pocket and pulling out his phone and preparing to call Henroin's number when Val's voice suddenly asked,"What are you doing, Nissy?"
Oh god…he was already calling him a nickname..
He resisted the urge to visibly cringe and merely said,"I'm calling my Dad. I need to let him know where I am so he doesn't blow up my phone with messages about where I've been…" Val suddenly swiped his phone and he hissed as he tried to take it back,"Hey! What was that for?"
"Your Father can live without you having to report back to him, Arackniss. Besides, by the end of the month I'm certain he'll know exactly where you are…"
"But won't he get worried until then? I should at least call him and-"
"There is no need," Val said,"Besides, you won't be needing him anymore. Nor will you need this phone." Val then crushed the phone in his hands, Arackniss's jaw dropping at his display of strength. The moth demon didn't even bat an eye as he said,"Don't worry, I'll get you the latest Hellphone to replace your old one. It was outdated anyway so I did you a massive favor getting rid of it…"
"But my Father-"
"Is no longer a concern anymore. Remember, you work for me now and it's time to let go of your old connections. Your family will only hold you back and it's time to develop your own sense of independence. You're not a child, Arackniss, it's long overdue for you to leave the nest and become a star…"
The spider narrowed his eyes before folding his arms and looking away. Despite not making eye contact with the guy, he could tell Val was staring at him, as if he were examining his every move…
It was beyond creepy and he was trying to remind himself that he was doing it for the gang…for his Father if anything.
Val's eyes narrowed as the ride continued, noting the silence,'He's not much of a talker is he?'
It was new but Val found it rather refreshing. By now, Angel would've said some sassy remark that Val would've had to 'discipline' him for it but Arackniss merely dropped the subject and fell silent once pressed enough.
The older sibling seemed easier to control due to his complacency and Val planned on exploiting it for all it was worth….
Eventually, the vehicle came to a halt and they arrived at the Studio. Arackniss's jaw dropped at the sight of the Studio, the building towering over all the nearby buildings like a literal skyscraper.
"Porca troia…" He muttered, in amazement at how large the building truly was. If Arackniss could feel even smaller than in that moment he would've shrunk to the size of a mere ant because that's how small and pathetic he felt he was at that moment…
Like a small insect, all alone with no one else and nowhere else to go. He was in too deep and the only way forward was inside that hellscape of a porn studio. He had heard bad things about this place, about Valentino and the red flags in his mind were blaring like sirens by now.
But it was far too late to go back. That ship had since sailed and the only thing he could really do now was step forward into the great unknown and hope for the best..
"Welcome to your new home, Niss," Val said, snapping him out of his trance,"Do you like what you see?"
Arackniss made a face before slowly nodding his head in hopes it would satisfy Val.
"Good. I promise the inside is just as amazing as the outside. Follow me, I've got a lot to show you…"
Val led Arackniss inside the Studio and the spider took a look around. He could see some people in the lobby, no doubt other prostitutes and some of them stared at him for a moment before whispering amongst themselves like gossiping teenagers. He couldn't tell what they were saying but he had the feeling they were talking to him and he didn't like it. Not one bit.
The moth demon then led Arackniss to the elevator and pushed the button, stepping inside. When they got to the floor they were supposed to be on, Arackniss was led through a long corridor before stopping at a room that had the words 'Angel Dust' crossed off and the words 'Arackniss' drawn onto it.
"Uh…is…is this Angel's old room?"
"Course it is," Val admitted,"Why? Is there a problem?"
"No.." He lied,"I just..didn't think we'd be using his room."
"It'd be a waste of money to build an entirely new one for you," He said,"Besides, it's not like Angel-Cakes is gonna be back to claim it as his own anymore. Since Angel is gone this room is yours for the taking." Val then typed the numbers 6-6-6-8 into the pad the door opened.
Arackniss peeked inside and saw the inside of what used to be his brother's room. Unsurprisingly,it was pink and white and everything still appeared to be in there. Arackniss looked hesitant at stepping inside but jumped when Val said,"Go on ahead in, Nissy…The room won't bite…"
'But I'm sure you will…' He thought to himself, not daring to say that aloud. He stepped inside and began looking around. It was everything he expected out of his brother, posters of himself and on the bed was a bunch of 'toys' ranging from fluffy handcuffs to dildos and whatever other sex toys they made nowadays.
Worst part was that they had clearly been used and the stuff was dried…
'Ew…' He cringed,'God…couldn't even bother to put his disgusting toys away after he's done with them? What is wrong with him?'
He then looked at Valentino before saying,"Uh Val? Can I ask why the room looks so…" He struggled for the word as he didn't want to piss Valentino off,"So…unkempt?"
"Angel isn't known for his tidiness," Val admitted,"He typically leaves his stuff lying about once he's done with it. This is standard behavior from him. I suppose he's never grown to put his toys away when he was young and that habit has extended to his afterlife."
"How long has this place been like this?"
Val shrugged,"About five months. It's been this way since Angel vanished."
"Why didn't you get rid of his stuff?" Arackniss asked.
"I didn't think about it, I had other things to attend to and a messy room is really the least of my worries…."
"So you expect me to live in HERE? With all of my brother's dirty toys and other junk he has left in here?"
"Eh, I'm certain you'll make it work. You'll have plenty of time to clean this place up," He said dismissively,"It's not that big of a deal. You'll work it out somehow…"
Arackniss cringed at the notion of living in this dump. It Wouldn't have been so bad if Angel don't leave his toys lying around but since he did, Arackniss feel rather uncomfortable at being in the same living space and that fact Val was being an unhelpful dick wasn't helping.
Val then decided to move the conversation to a topic he seemed far more interested in,"By the way, Arackniss, we'll be getting you ready for your future performances tomorrow morning at 6:30 AM."
"Geting me ready? How so? Are we going to practice dancing or something?" He asked, still not entirely sure how Val's field of entertainment oopereated.
He laughed,"Oh no, honey. You're not ready for the spot-light, not yet anyway."
"What do you mean, not yet? Is something wrong with me?"
"Not wrong per say…just need a little…adjustments before we let the public see you. You don't exactly look like our standard hooker and we need to dress you up a little to make you fit in with the aesthetic we're trying to sell."
"What kind of aesthetic?" He asked, the sinking feeling in his stomach growing deeper and
"Don't tell me you don't know what's popular? Everyone nowadays loves the femme look, it's iconic and everyone wants a piece of it. People love the 'innocent' and 'soft' appearance demons can have even though they are anything but that."
"Why do they love it again?"
"No idea, it's just what sells. I think it's what made Angel-Cakes so popular with the audience. All we have to do is adjust our appearance a bit and make you presentable for the public eye."
"And my eyes? They aren't exactly like Angel's where they can be mistaken for freckles…"
"Oh don't worry, Arackniss. I'll take care of it, there's nothing a little money and surgery can't fix. All you need is a bit of makeup and surgery and I'm certain the crowd will love you," He teased, pinching Arackniss's cheek.
The spider rubbed his cheek in discomfort before Val looked at his phone,"Gotta go, Arackniss. I have a meeting to attend to. In the meantime, get yourself situated, I'll see you tomorrow morning so be sure to get yourself ready until then…"
"Fine…" Arackniss mumbled as Val turned his back on him and left.
Once the moth had taken his leave he groaned,"Fuck…What have you got yourself into this time, Adriano? This is bad…very bad. Not only am I stuck with this damn moth but I'm meant to be Angel's replacement now that he's gone…Father is going to kill me when he finds out.."
He then sighed,"Whatever..I'll deal with that later. Right now I gotta focus on getting situated…First things first, I gotta get rid of all the junk Angel left behind and clean this room. But first…" He pulled out a set of gloves,"I'm going to protect myself. No doubt Angel's contracted sexual diseases from the amount of people's he fucked. I'm not taking my risks catching something because of his clumsiness…"
Arackniss then began making a move to clean out Angel's room by first getting rid of Angel's 'toys', pulling out boxes from under the bed..
He then headed towards the closest and opened it to see if anything was inside. There were dresses, old wigs, suits and a large chest with a lock on it, the words labeled 'Angel's box of toys, don't touch' on the front.
"Of course he puts these here…Oh well, not like he needs them anymore anyway. Time to toss these out in the trash…"
Arackniss then pushed all the boxes outside and placed whatever he couldn't fit in garbage bags, figuring someone else would come by to pick them up later to toss them in the trash.
Once the toys were out, he felt a bit tired and was about to lay down…until he noticed the stains in the bed that is. He lifted up the sheets and cringed,"Good god…this shit is literally embedded into the fabric…Definitely getting a new sheet when I get the chance…"
Arackniss decided that from now on that all of Angel's things would be going in the garbage purely because of how disgusting his room had become. Because whether he liked it or not, this was his new home and at the very least, he wanted to have a semi-clean apartment that didn't look like it had every STD imaginable lingering inside…
So Arackniss spent the rest of the day cleaning out Angel's room, by the time he was done most of the things in his brother's room had been removed and tossed out. Since all of Angel's toys didn't interest him and clothes/wigs didn't fit him Arackniss saw no reason to keep said things around.
"And that should do it…" He mumbled as he looked at the bare room. Everything had been taken down and the place looked rather empty without all the posters and stuff hanging around.
Still, it was an improvement and Arackniss considered it an accomplishment. He wasn't anywhere close to being done(the walls still had to be painted and he had to make it look like home to an extent) but it was a start in the right direction.
Given he didn't have a bed, Arackniss decided on the bare mattress(one of the few things that weren't tainted in that room) and laid down. It wasn't terrible but it wasn't overly comfortable either.
'Well…it could be worse…' He thought to himself as he turned over on his side. He didn't have high hopes for tomorrow and his stomach was already filled with dread at what awaited him on the other side.
The only thing that brought him some peace was the temporary relief he got when closing his eyes. He knew it wouldn't last but it did bring him a small escape from the hellscape around him…
Thanks for the views, tell me what you think below!
Enigmus-288K It's Val. He's gonna target the next best thing if he can't get his hands on Angel. People like him always move onto the next piece of ass.