Chapter 18

"AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! OZZHEEHEEHEEHEE!"

"Oh, you're not escaping me that easily, ragno."

Angel squealed as Ozzy tickled his shoulder blades, making the spider nearly fall, but large arms caught him before that could happen, but it also made it easier for the larger being to tickle the spider being too.

What had led to this moment was Angel had gotten a message from Valentino, which was surprising as he had blocked the moth's number, but having guessed that the moth had gotten a new account or something, he opened the message and listened as the moth berated him.

Ozzy, having heard Valentino's voice, followed it and saw Angel sitting on the floor and hugging himself while the phone lay on the floor, the message still playing. Frowning, the rooster being reached out and tapped the pause button, making Angel look up in surprise before seeing it was Ozzy, who looked at him. "Want me to delete the message and block that creep's account?" He asked.

Angel nodded and the rooster tapped a few buttons. "And done," he said before sitting by the spider and giving him his phone back. "You okay?"

He got a nod from the other, but also saw the unshed tears in his eyes. "Oh, ragno," he said sympathetically before holding his arms open to give a hug. "Come here."

Angel didn't hesitate to accept the brotherly hug, clinging to the tall being and trembling as sobs escaped him. Ozzy rubbed his back and held him protectively. "I've got you, Angel," he said soothingly. "Valentino is never going to hurt you again."

The spider knew the larger being would keep that promise and the words helped to soothe him, helping his sobs to calm down. "Perhaps we should get you a new phone and a new number," the rooster being said.

Angel sniffled. "I...I don't have enough to get a new phone," he admitted.

"Don't worry about that," Ozzy said. "I'll get it for you. Consider it a gift for helping me out with those files and for all the times you've watched Oliver and the Queives."

The spider gave him a look of appreciation. "You guys really spoil me too much, you know," he said.

"What you call 'spoiling', I call showing you how you deserve to be treated," the larger being said with a smile. "You deserve respect and being treated like your thoughts and feelings matter too, Angel."

Angel smiled, a few tears of happiness escaping at the kind words and Ozzy gently brushed the tears away with his hand. "Feeling better?" He asked gently.

The spider nodded. "Yeah, thanks," he said before looking away. "I knew I shouldn't have opened that message, but...old habits."

"Well, I know one way to get rid of old habits," the rooster being said with a smile that Angel didn't see because he wasn't looking at him.

"Getting a new phone and a new number so he can't contact me again?"

"That's one way, but there is another," Ozzy said, his tone becoming playful.

That prompted Angel to turn around and look up at the rooster being, only having a split second to see the playful grin before Ozzy caught him and lifted him up, making Angel yelp in surprise before squealing with laughter as large fingers began tickling his sides. He tried to escape, but then Ozzy began tickling Angel's shoulder blades and the spider went into tickle paralysis, laughing as the larger being chuckled in amusement.

"Tickle, tickle, tickle!" He cooed to Angel.

Oliver had arrived home from school when he heard his uncle laughing and he followed the sound to find his dad tickling his uncle, who was trying to escape, but not really. The spider saw the child and reached for him. "Save me, piccolo!" He said overdramatically through his laughter.

The boy giggled and went to 'save' his uncle, running up to his dad. Ozzy, seeing this, kneeled down to make the 'fight' a bit more fair to the boy and the boy crouched down, ready to pounce. "Oh, is that how you are going to defeat me?" He asked playfully, letting Angel up and placing him in a nearby chair before standing up to face the child. "Very well, brave little one. Let's see how you do."

Angel watched as Oliver began stalking around like a cat, keeping his eyes trained on his dad, who moved in a circle and the boy mimicked him. The spider chuckled at this. "Careful, piccolo," he said playfully. "Your dad might be a softy, but he's sneaky."

"Sneaky?" Ozzy retorted playfully.

Oliver took that moment to 'pounce'. "Rawr!" He roared, landing on his father's arm, impressing both adults with how high the boy could jump. Ozzy decided to play it up a bit and gave a mock grunt of surprise, playfully 'staggering' backwards as Oliver jumped off his arm and landed in front of Angel.

"Oh, he got me!" Ozzy said before he playfully fell back, landing lightly on the floor.

Or, at least what should have been the floor.

None of them had seen Fizz come up behind the taller being, but heard him cry out in surprise as he was suddenly on the floor and underneath Ozzy's back. Quick as a flash, Ozzy sat up and turned around in worry. "Froggie!" He said, his voice panicked.

"Fizz!" Angel said in shock, leaping to his feet and rushing over. "Oh, man, are you okay?!"

"Papa!" Oliver cried out in fear, running over to them.

Fizz looked a bit dazed before shaking his head and letting out a sigh. "Good thing you weren't falling back faster, big guy," he said jokingly as he chuckled.

Ozzy picked him up carefully and Fizz let him. "I'm okay, Ozzy," he said. "Surprised, but not hurt."

"You sure, Fizz?" Angel asked. "Not saying you're weak, but that looked kinda painful."

"Nah, it's fine," the jester said, though he let Ozzy check his prosthetics just to make sure the metal didn't get damaged or bent. Though Ozzy had made the prosthetics to be nearly indestructible, he was still concerned about them being damaged from him falling on the jester, even if it had been by accident. "By the way, what was going on that Ozzy fell backwards?"

Angel chuckled. "Well, Ozzy was helping me feel better after a certain moth managed to get a message through to my phone and Oliver came in and tried to 'rescue' me. He pounced on the big guy, who played it up that Oliver had pounced on him with enough force to make him fall back," he said. "But I guess none of us expected you'd be right behind him when that happened."

Fizz laughed in amusement before a sly grin came to his face and he turned to look at the larger being, who looked at him curiously. "You get Noodle and I'll get the spider," he said, making goblin fingers.

Ozzy smirked as he caught on and the two turned to their targets. Angel's eyes widened as he saw this. "Oh, fudge biscuits!" He exclaimed. "Run, Oliver! Quick!"

The boy, also realizing what his dad and papa had in mind, began running, but was scooped up a moment later into his dad's arms and he squealed with laughter as Ozzy tickled his stomach and sides. "Who's my ticklish little Noodle?" He cooed playfully.

Angel found himself caught by Fizz, who was grinning at him. "You know what's worse than a clown tickling you?" He asked.

The spider blinked. "Um, no?" He said in confusion. "What?"

"A jester who knows your ultimate weak spot."

Angel's eyes widened and he tried to escape, but when metal fingers began playfully tickling his shoulder blades, the spider howled with laughter, falling to the floor and holding onto Fizz's shoulders. Fizz took careful note of that, making sure that if Angel squeezed his shoulders, he'd stop tickling him at once.

Ozzy had suggested it not long after the spider had become part of the family and Angel had not only readily agreed, but was grateful that both the larger being and jester were thinking about him. Fizz even told him never to be afraid to tell them if he was getting overwhelmed during the playfighting. "We'll understand," he had said. "Playfighting is about everyone having fun, but the moment someone feels overwhelmed, then the playfighting will stop and the person feeling overwhelmed will be allowed to calm down."

Fizz now felt Angel squeeze his shoulders and he stopped the tickle torture, letting the spider catch his breath. "You okay, Angel?" He asked.

The spider nodded. "Yeah, thanks," he said, smiling before he got up with the jester's help. Ozzy came up to them with Oliver in his arms. "Never dreamed I'd one day have two brothers who would protect me and that I'd be an uncle," he admitted.

"Funny how things go sometimes, huh?" Fizz asked before looking up at Ozzy, who smiled.

"I know my life would be rather dull without you three," he said.

Oliver giggled and hugged his dad, feeling his papa and uncle join in the hug too.

The feels! The feels! :)

Next up: We'll have a chapter with Vaggie that will take place between episodes 6 and 7.

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