A/N:

Hi everyone! It's finally time for the spider siblings to all meet up together for the first time in a long time ^^ There's drama and some hurt feelings — some anger and anxiety and panic too. But also a lot of tenderness and love and a chance for new beginnings. I hope you like it. Thank you al for your support!

Partners

Chapter 52:

How to Wound and Mend Your Spider

Sir Pentious realized as soon as the spider brothers were on board that hosting multiple demons at once was distinctly more stressful and than just fighting them.

The moment the brothers had entered the hull, Sir Pentious had announced their arrival by calling out to Molly that she had guests. Instantly, the Egg Bois then charged at Angel Dust for an attack (force of habit) and were only stopped by their creator corralling them with his tail and threatening to revoke all ray gun privileges if they didn't cease and go back to their rooms quietly. That chaos taken care of, an awkward Sir Pentious had called out to Molly again just in case she hadn't heard him — this time (with Niss's consent) adding the fact that the visitors were her brothers. The snake overlord then apologized to Angel for the attack and tried to greet the spider properly but found himself unsure of the best way to do so in this rather specific situation. After all, Angel was an established enemy seeking temporary hospitality who also happened to be family of the man who he…rather fancied. Sir Pentious wasn't sure if he should doff his hat or offer to shake Angel's hand or perhaps give him a warm embrace. Then he realized he was even more unsure how to greet Niss since their mutual affection needed to remain secret for now. Should he refer to Niss as a friend or a business partner or as a mere acquaintance?

Basically, Sir Pentious just stood there awkwardly, wringing his tail, smile askew, hood folded down in worry for several minutes.

Niss finally took it upon himself to help things along because if he watched Pen's panicked face (or Angel's confused face) any longer, he was going to start spouting a bunch of true secret things and lose focus.

The shorter spider cleared his throat. "Thanks for takin' care of the eggs, Pen. Appreciate it." He nodded and tipped his hat.

At the comforting sound of Niss's voice, Sir Pentious snapped out of his racing thoughts and nodded as his hood flaps perked back up. "Yes, of course, Niss!" He looked to Angel. "My apologies, Angel Dust, the Eggs are very…difficult to reason with. They've taken to mobbing Cherri as well, though now it's because they want her autograph ever since she encouraged their ray gun enthusiasm last time she was aboard." He shrugged sheepishly. "Anyway, I officially welcome you here as a friend today!" He hesitated then held out his hand to shake.

Angel tilted his head, staying very still.

Sir Pentious bit his lip and was already starting to withdraw his hand.

Niss was about to frown at his brother when suddenly Angel jumped forward, grasped the snake's hand firmly in both of his own, and shook with him heartily. He looked him in the eyes. "Thanks for having us! And for looking after our sister! We owe ya one — Niss and me both."

Sir Pentious's eyes widened. "Oh! Quite all right. I've loved having her. Molly is a delightful lady to befriend! And the Egg Bois adore her. I was happy to help for Nis…for nicety's sake! Heh!"

Niss smiled a little at him. "And we do appreciate it — a lot." He nudged Angel. "Lay off the drama, sheesh. This ain't a mobster movie, ya don't gotta pledge to name your firstborn after him or anything."

"Hey, I use drama to process!" Angel pouted and whispered back, arms crossed.

Sir Pentious found it very hard not to chuckle.

Niss noticed and found it very hard not to blush. "Anyway, uh…Molly and us talking — it might be a while. We don't wanna impose. We can move it off the ship if you'll fly over a rooftop or—"

"Please, it's not an imposition at all! I've already set up tea in the solarium, if you'd like," Sir Pentious offered with a smile. "Plenty of privacy and flowers and light. And I made scones!"

Niss felt his smile grow. The spider quickly blinked and tried to hide his happy look. He turned to see if his brother had noticed, but he found Angel completely preoccupied, brow furrowed in thought as he rubbed one arm.

"I think we should take him up on the offer, Niss," Angel replied. "I don't wanna bring Molly into the city and risk anything happening to her."

Niss snapped out his coy moment and nodded. "Maybe you're right." He glanced at Sir Pentious again. "We'll try not to be long, promise!"

"Please take all the time you need!" The snake assured with a bow. "I'll have my hands full with ship repairs and minding the Egg Bois."

"Okay," Angel mumbled to himself. And then he was pacing, running a hand through his hair.

Niss watched, frowning in worry. And Molly still wasn't coming. He hesitated, trying to think of what to do, when Angel spoke again, looking to Sir Pentious and playing with his hands.

"She's…she's doing okay, right? I mean… did she tell you exactly what's up with her? Like, where she's from? And why she really should have gone back sooner?

Sir Pentious shook his head. "She was vague on details, and I didn't want to pry of course…"

Niss stepped toward his brother. "Angel, remember, we're not here to push the 'go back' stuff. We're just tryin' to have a conversation."

Angel gripped his temple, eyes darting around. "If she even CAN go back…if it hasn't been too long already. But if she still can, then we're kind of working on a tight timeline here, heh." His second set of arms appeared — one set was crossed while the other set gestured as he spoke. "I don't want to scare her, but we have to explain what she's getting into. She's been safe up here in the air ship thankfully, but life in hell isn't just popping in on demons for tea and having fun misadventures and learning how to accessorize with a bunch of extra appendages…"

"She gets it, Angel — she's been here for weeks, almost no help from either of us. She can handle hell," Niss assured as confidently as possible.

"She was also the one of us three who was most sheltered during life," Angel shot back. She didn't get put through the worst of what was up there thankfully, but…there's so much worse down here." He sniffed and quickly wiped his eye — his pacing became quicker.

Sir Pentious tilted his head, frowning.

Niss sighed. "Okay, maybe I'll give ya that one. But she's had her own problems to face too. And we weren't there to help her with the last of 'em." He sniffed then shook his head. "Point is, I'm the big brother, and I'm gonna help make all of this right. Maybe we need to go up there and get her to start though. She might be too freaked out to come down."

Angel scoffed, throwing all four arms up in the air. "Well, I think I'M too freaked out to go UP there, so I guess it's a twin thing!" He blinked and glanced at Sir Pentious. "We're, uh…twins. Molly and me."

"Oh I know! Molly told me!" The snake smiled. "And you do bear a striking resemblance! Her fashion sense reminds me of yours!"

"I…thank you?" Angel groaned then took a breath and looked at his brother again, arms gesturing with a life of their own. "Niss, for real, even if she's staying…someone who chooses this place can't know what's good for 'em."

Niss hesitated. "Even if she made a mistake, we're gonna support her."

"Yeah. But we'll also have to keep an eye on her all the time to make sure she doesn't make any other dangerous impulsive choices." Angel came forward, grabbing Niss's shoulders.

"Angel! We'll see…okay?" Niss's brow furrowed in worry. He hadn't been around Angel when he was this jumpy since their lives together on earth. And he knew it could escalate. Only getting this talk over with would fix things. He was about to leave his brother for a moment to go get their sister himself.

He didn't need to though.

From one of the landings above them she leaned over with a wobbling smile and a glare, finally coming into the light. "I don't know what's good for me? I didn't suffer as much in life? I need ta be watched like some fragile little bambino? Who the hell do you two think you are?!"

Niss's eyes widened very much — all eight of them.

Sire Pentious noticed. He tried not be too distracted by how cute the little pink eyes were.

"Molly!" Angel jumped and turned to her. "You were eavesdropping!? What are we, twelve?"

"I might as well be twelve with how you talk about me! Like I'm some big spoiled child who needs baby sitting!" she shot back.

"Hell is a fucking nightmare — you're damn right you shouldn't just be wandering around alone!" Angel scowled, but it was a look of hurt mixed with anger. "Just like you shouldn't of been avoiding me for weeks — coming to the hotel then running away right when I come back!" He wiped at some tears. "Everyone there seein' my sister but me!"

"Cuz I knew you'd be like this!" She was teary too, arms thrown in the air. "You don't listen! So I wanted to wait until I couldn't go back — and guess what, you're right, it's been too long and now I can't!" He eyes flashed and the pink glow of an X on her chest came through her robe.

Angel pink markings glowed a fiery neon. "Oh my god, did you really get damned just to prove a point?!" He flung out all six his arms.

"I got damned cuz I felt like it!" She stuck out her tongue.

"Guys!" Niss ran in front of Angel to stand be between him and Molly. "Come on, no yelling! We are gonna talk about everything calmly right now!"

"And you — was this your idea, springing this visit on me?" Molly looked down at Niss, frowning in disappointment. "You could have just told me you wanted to sit down together. You could have told me it was important to you both. I would have been nervous, but I would have talked. Don't you trust me that much? Don't you know me at least that well? Or has it really been so long?" The pink lines along her body glowed now too.

Niss blinked a few times then hung his head.

Angel clenched his jaw. "Molly, okay, for real, let's just calm down — demonics are a lot to handle, and yours are flaring up big time. Now, we're gonna eat scones in the solarium and work out your life down here."

Her fangs grew and she gripped the railing so hard it bent. "Calm down, Molly. Do what I say, Molly. You can't handle things, Molly!" she mocked. "You're no better than Pops! Both of you!"

"Molly!" Niss exclaimed.

Meanwhile, Angel's frustrated look fell away to blankness as his jaw dropped open.

Molly's scowl wavered but then remained firm. She turned away from her brothers.

Sir Pentious was watching their exchange with a great deal of worry, torn between excusing himself so he wouldn't be in the way of family matters and wanting to stay to help if he could.

Suddenly Angel turned and headed for the door.

"Angel?" Niss turned to him.

"I'm leaving. This was a mistake on so many fucking levels!"

"But we're flying too high to—"

"I'll make it work!" Angel grabbed the rope ladder, pushed open the door, lowered it, and jumped down, never looking back.

Molly swallowed, her breath shaky. She tried to put on a smile. "I think I need ta lie down for a bit. You two should have the scones and stuff in the solarium. Don't let it go ta waste. I'm sorry for all the shoutin', Penny." Then she walked away to her room.

"Fuck…" Niss whispered under his breath. "Fuck, fuck, fuck… I'm the big brother, why can't I ever get these two to just listen!?" He turned back to Sir Pentious. "I'm so sorry, I really didn't think this would turn into such a disaster! And not only was it bad, but it was embarrassing as hell too! I've gotta go after Angel. We'd have to fly lower though — I'm not as good of a climber as him. Fuck, I'm not even sure where he'll go." He rubbed his temple. "Maybe I should check on Molly instead? Or does she need space? Is she gonna be okay? I don't know…

Sir Pentious came forward and gently laid a hand on his shoulder. "Why don't you take a few minutes for yourself first? Those two aren't the only ones who seem like they could use comfort." He swallowed. "I do still have scones and tea waiting in the solarium…if you'd like."

Niss swallowed and brushed away a tear, almost smiling a little. He nodded and began following as Pen led them to the upper level where the solarium was. "In my head this really went a lot better, Pen. Molly and Angel and I worked out a bunch of stuff, I introduced you… then I introduced us… and told them about the whole 'gay' thing, heh. We all bonded, and you thought I was super cool and capable for leading the family. Real quality memory."

"Well," the snake shrugged, "regardless of how your meeting turned out, at least one of those things is still quite true: I do think you're 'super cool and capable' — but just for being you."

Niss flushed scarlet, eyes wide.

Sir Pentious smiled sheepishly. "Sorry, now is probably a poor time for flirting."

Niss swallowed. "No, uh…I don't think any time's a bad time for that."

His eyes brightened. "Ah, in that case, I should let you know that I like your new outfit a great deal! Blue suits you immensely. Oh, and your other six eyes are quite fetching."

Niss tripped but the snake's tail caught him before he fell. He took a deep breath. "I…really want to feel bad about feeling so good right now. But also…I was really hoping you'd like the new outfit. And, um… thanks for not thinking my mini eyes are creepy."

"Of course I like your outfit and your eyes." Sir Pentious' smile grew. He played with the end of his tail. "Were you really inclined to tell your brother about us today if things had gone better?"

Niss nodded. "If things had gone better, I don't think I would have been able to resist. And as soon as we got onboard and I saw you again, I didn't want to try resistin' anyway." He swallowed. "Feels a little like comin' home when we meet up."

Pen's hood flaps fluttered a little, and Niss's heart pounded at the cute sight.

They made it into the solarium and over to the table.

They moved their chairs right next to each other.

Niss swallowed. "I wish I was up for, uh…gettin' a bit closer, but I'm still kind of on edge. Could we just sit quietly together while my head settles down and I figure out what to do next?"

"Indeed. I'm happy to provide company. And some warm tea and hot food are probably just what you need to feel better."

Niss bit into the savory, flaky, sweet scone while smelling the comforting aroma of chamomile tea and decided Pen was the best potential boyfriend in the whole world.

Molly re-entered her room very carefully and calmly — she really was doing her best to keep herself together. Except there was too much to keep together.

Husk noticed right away how Molly's brightness had dimmed. Her smile was wobbly and there were tear stains on her face, and some of the pink glow still remained around her big sad eyes. He went over to her. "Molly? What happened? Do you need me to go talk to them?"

She shook her head. "No. Angel's gone and Niss is with Pen. Everything's fine." Her tears started falling again.

Husk frowned. "Hey… talk to me. I don't need you to pretend you're okay. I want to help."

Her eyes met his. She frowned so much. "We had a big fight. I said something bad at the end. Maybe it woulda been better if I'd stayed put in purgatory. I mess up so much stuff."

Husk blinked then pouted. "I know it's selfish of me to say, but if it helps to know… I'm really fucking glad you came here. I feel like less of a mess ever since I met you, actually. And whatever you said or they said down there, you three can work it out."

She squeezed her eyes shut and hugged him. She was silently sobbing now. She whispered to him. "Will you just stay and sit with me for a little while? Sometimes…sometimes I get overwhelmed. Like I shine real bright then burn out a little. Everything inside of me feels too big and I just need some time to let it all settle down. But I hate doin' it alone."

Husk nodded and brought her over to the bed where they sat on the edge. She leaned against him, still quietly crying and shaking a little as she held him.

Husk normally didn't feel too confident handling emotional situations — Alastor was the only person he knew worse at managing them. But nothing about this moment with Molly felt unfamiliar or confusing. She just wanted him to be here for her, and that's what he'd wanted for a while now. He stroked her hair. Niffty liked having her head patted whenever she got sad, and he hoped it would be the same for Molly. It seemed to be working because she sighed and stopping trembling so much.

Eventually she was fast asleep. Husk shifted her completely onto the bed and put a blanket over her. She needed the rest. And he needed to get back to the hotel unfortunately before there were any problems. He sent her phone a quick text for when she would wake up.

'It'll all be okay. Let me know how I can help. I might even be able to get the Princess or the Radio Demon to do something.'

Fuck his pride — he'd ask Charlie and even Alastor for help if it meant helping Molly.

Husk left from the window and spread his wings.

The hotel wasn't too far away; he could see the familiar building from here.

What caught his eye more though were some quick movements in the shadows of nearby buildings. Like a lot of demons were skulking about…which was odd on a Saturday morning. He caught sight of a fedora on one of them, and then another and another…all of them circling the hotel and looking in its direction.

Husk scowled — obviously these were hired henchmen. The last thing the hotel needed to be dealing with right now though was potential overlord shit. He wasn't sure who Alastor had managed to piss off this time, but he'd let him know about the spies so they wound't get ambushed. If Alastor questioned how he'd seen them, Husk would just grumble something about having two working eyes and enough sense to use them. Either way he would also have to make sure Charlie knew too and Vaggie and possibly Angel — everyone needed to be safe and the hotel needed to be safe…especially if one day Molly might come to live there.

He hoped Molly would come to live there very, very much. Even with his soul bound to Alastor, he would find ways to help and support her in whatever she needed to begin life in hell.

Angel had recklessly used the rope ladder and some of his spider thread to drop himself onto the nearest tall building. He didn't give a fuck if anyone managed to see the thread and realize it was his. He didn't give a fuck that he had to free fall the last ten feet and tumble down into the grit and rubble of the rooftop. And he didn't give a fuck that the airship was already long gone with his brother and sister and that nothing was better and everything was worse!

He paced, breaths quick, eyes flickering pink, scowling and gripping his hair. "I shouldn't ever go near my fucking family, I just end up falling apart over 'em all over again!" He hadn't felt this horribly restless and angry and erratic and ready for a fight since before coming to the hotel. He needed something…or at least someone.

"Alastor!" He couldn't scream the Radio Demon's name from the rooftop — that would bring a whole new slew of problems if someone heard. But he said the name as loudly to himself as he dared through his bared fangs. "Al, I swear, if you really can hear me when I call for you, I need you to come here now and teleport me away PLEASE because I cannot fucking walk the streets like this. One person cat calls me and I'll blow their head off!" He clutched his temple and felt his eyes burn with angry tears that he willed away. "Smiles, help me!"

He turned in his pacing and nearly ran into Alastor as the frantic Radio Demon appeared in a burst of magic. Alastor jumped back, eyes wide with concern at Angel's disheveled and erratic state. "Ma cher! Quelle est l'urgence?!" he exclaimed in a suddenly dark voice as his eyes turned to Radio Dials and demonic symbols swirled over his head, ready to fight.

Angel held up his hands. "For fuck's sake, I don't know what you just said but we're not under attack. No French or curses required."

Alastor's demonic appearance ebbed, but he still looked to Angel with attentive concern. "But you summoned me and you're not smiling." His ears went down. "Did things not go well with your siblings?" His eyes flashed to radio dials again. "Did that snake do anything?"

"No!" Angel paced again, scowling, holding his hair. "Just…fuck, Pen's the only one who did absolutely nothing wrong now that I think about it. It was the fucked up spider siblings in another one of our finest hours!" He threw his arms into the air. "I should not be allowed near my family, I end up completely strung out! Just reliving all the trauma! It's not good! It's not good when I'm like this! I can't…" He huffed, hands gesturing. "I'm not explaining it right!"

Alastor watched Angel carefully, his voice soft. "I'm happy to wait and listen if you need time to compose your thoughts."

Angel almost laughed. "No… When I'm like this, I only burn off all the nervous energy by either getting high, getting railed, or getting into a brawl." He shook his head. "Haven't gone overboard with either of those since before the hotel — the turf war with Pen was the last time actually. God Damn…sorry for the zero warning, Al, but welcome to a pretty fucked up side of me. The one that hurts myself to forget about how other people hurt me." He wiped at his eye. "Sometimes I start spiraling and I just can't stop. You should fuckin' run while the getting's good just like I ran away from Molly…"

Alastor was in front of him in an instant. With a flick of his wrist he had a hanky which he placed tenderly in Angel's hand. "Never. I will never, ever leave your side," he said quietly, softly — enough that Angel's heart skipped a beat despite all the anxiety racing through him. "You are upset. We can work out the details and how to mend the rift with your siblings later. For now, let's work on helping you. What can I get you?"

Angel was still shaking, still fighting with himself to not burst, teeth chattering. "I-I don't think anything you give me right now will help. Unless you can snap your fingers and supply me with a barroom brawl, some hard hits of dust, or hours of rough fucking." He almost smiled, meaning it as a joke at his own expense — another point about how pathetic he felt in this moment thinking of those ugly things he'd always used for dealing with his problems.

But he realized his reply could be taken in another way when he saw Alastor clutch his cane, ears drooping as his eyes went down awkwardly.

Angel blinked away some tears. "Wait, hey, no, I did not mean anything against you! I meant that against ME, about my fucked up coping mechanisms. I do not expect you to 'fix me', let alone with sex! Fixing me is on me. I'm just wallowing in pity. I'm sorry. I'm sorry, Alastor."

Alastor nodded and his ears returned closer to normal. "Quite all right. But I do believe you're correct about one point — no 'thing' I could deliver you would help. You're having a crisis, and however dear you are to me I have to accept that we've only known each other for a few months. You need someone who knows you better."

Angel raised an eyebrow.

Alastor concentrated then snapped his fingers.

Cherri appeared on the rooftop, lounging on her side like she'd been reading a magazine elsewhere. She blinked and scrambled to stand at the change in surroundings. "Whoa! What the fuck, where am I?" She was already reaching for her bombs.

Alastor stepped right over. "Help him — please." Tone and look serious, he gestured to Angel.

"Angie?" Cherri blinked at the Radio Demon's presence then looked past him to Angel.

"Things didn't go well with Niss and Molly." Angel was shaking. "I'm having one of my bad times, heh. I've gotta work off all the feelings but I don't want to do it with drugs and sex and fighting anymore. I've gotta hurt something, but I don't want it to be anyone else or myself!"

She nodded. She took his arm then turned to Alastor. "Radio Head, can you do a reverse dial and send us all back to the place you just teleported me from? It's my hideout."

"You want me to come as well?" Alastor tilted his head, looking first at Cherri and then Angel.

Cherri nodded. Angel hesitated, gripping his hands. "I'm not sure if I want you to keep seeing me like this. But I do want you with me, Al. I just don't want to hurt you too." He was crying.

Alastor stepped toward them. "You won't. Let's go, darling. Together," he whispered. Then he focused his powers and teleported them all away.

They arrived on a rooftop in another district of the Pentagram. Cherri was still holding Angel's arm. But Alastor was clutching his microphone and bent over, breaths shallow.

Angel blinked and reached out. "Al?"

Alastor held up a hand and got himself standing. He wiped his brow. "I'm quite all right. It just requires a little extra juice from me to travel to new locations over long distances while taking guests. I'll eat a fresh sinner steak later or some jambalaya, and I'll be right as rain!" His smile brightened. "I brought us to the roof to prevent ending up lodged in walls since I'm not familiar with this location's architecture. Cherri, if you could describe it for me, I'd be happy to teleport us inside as well."

"Nope!" Angel shook his head. "We're going inside the old fashioned way. No more teleportation powers for you for the rest of the day." He looked at him seriously.

Alastor hesitated but gave a small nod.

Cherri turned Angel in the direction of the door and gestured for Alastor to follow. "Come on, we're just heading down one flight anyway." The group descended and came to a story of the building where any separate rooms had been demolished (probably blown up). There was just space and sealed windows and rubber mats and…what appeared to be many items of exercise equipment: punching bags, dummy targets, weights. And there were also some more unusual items too — wooden bats, brass knuckles, lead pipes.

Cherri grabbed a towel and tossed it at Angel. "Get to work — don't stop til it's all out of you."

Angel sighed, wringing the towel in his hands. "That took two straight days the last time I tried doing things this way. That's why I went back to drugs and dick and turf wars."

She crossed her arms. "Yeah, well, last time you were getting high anyway and overworking yourself and barely hanging out with anyone who isn't shit to you. Now you've been living clean, keeping a sane personal schedule, and you're around a bunch of fantastic friends all the time including me and hot stuff over there." She jerked a thumb in Alastor's direction.

Alastor's glow utterly illuminated his face, and his eyes flickered red for an awkward moment.

Angel sighed deeply. "Maybe you're right. I already don't feel as out of control." He glanced at Alastor. "Al, if you have anywhere you need to be, it's okay. This still might take a while."

"I want to be with you," Alastor assured without hesitation, his eyes normal again.

Angel smiled a little, blushing slightly. Then he turned away and removed the pink coat Alastor had made him and the fedora and set them aside.

When he started to then remove his striped jacket and tie, leaving his upper body only covered by a thin white sleeveless undershirt cropped to barely cover his chest, Alastor glanced away with a glow and an awkward flick of his ears.

Cherri noticed and resisted a chuckle. "Hey, Radio Head — Alastor. Come on, let's take a load off while Angel works out his issues." She gestured to an old sofa pushed against the wall with a beat up card table in front of it and a small mini fridge on the side.

Alastor took a seat beside her but his eyes returned to Angel, no longer nervous now that the spider wasn't undressing before him. Angel had grabbed one of the bats and, for lack of a better term, began beating the living daylights out of one of the punching bags. And doing a rather exquisite job of it in Alastor's professional murderous opinion. He was so relieved to have him in a contained, safe space with a safe person. Alastor absolutely wouldn't leave until he was certain Angel was better and ready to leave too. Perhaps by then Angel would be more inclined to let Alastor use teleportation again. They could go right home to the hotel and Alastor would set him up in bed and bring him something warm to eat and listen to everything about the meeting between the spider siblings so he could figure out the best way to help.

"…Radio Head? Hello?"

When Cherri waved a hand in front of his face, Alastor finally blinked and looked to her. "Hello! Yes, what?" His smile grew and he tilted his head.

She grinned a little. "I've been trying to get your attention but you've been staring holes into Angel. You really are gone for him, huh?"

Static built up around Alastor's ears in his fluster. "I desire that he feels better very, very much."

"Yikes, loosen up. I get you're shy, but eventually I hope you'll remember that I'm kind of one of the people who helped set you two up in the first place." She went to give him a nudge in the shoulder but then paused and nudged the air near his shoulder like she'd seen Angel do sometimes (which made sense based on how sensitive Alastor was about personal space according to her talks with Rosie and Mimzy).

At the gesture Alastor did seem to noticeably relax a little. "Indeed. But right now I'm really not looking at him for 'personal' reasons. I simply want to be sure he's well." Angel moved on to the brass knuckles now, attacking one of the dummies. "Are you certain he can't hurt himself?"

"Nah, all that stuff's padded and he knows what he's doing. Angel's a fuckin' ringer even if he doesn't show it off too much."

"Oh, I'm well aware." Alastor explained when she tilted her head. "We tried some good old-fashioned playful hand-to-hand combat once." He sputtered when she smirked suggestively. "Not like that! It…we were working out a situation, and it was right before the hotel open house so emotional tensions were high!"

Cherri just chuckled. "Yeah, well, speaking of working out high tensions…" She gestured around the room. "This level of my hideout is exactly for that. Sometimes you just got to punch something or train in case you need to punch something. Hell gives you shit — you give it right back, but in a way that makes you stronger." She glanced to Angel. "Hun, widen your stance!"

Angel did and nearly took off the dummy's head with his next punch.

Some part of Alastor couldn't deny that in this moment Angel's utter descent into masculinity was somewhat intriguing on a more personal level for him. But he swallowed and did his best to focus back on his host. "I am glad Angel has had you in his life for so long."

Cherri smiled. "Thanks. Right back at ya." Then her grin grew. "So who won? When you did your little hand-to-hand combat?"

"Er…it was a draw, I suppose. I was somewhat ill, he was somewhat tired…"

"Bummer. Wanna try me? I'm great at arm wrestling." She put her elbow down on the table and held up her hand.

From the floor, Angel called out without looking away from his current target. "Don't do it, Al — I believe in you, but she lifts!"

"Perhaps another time," Alastor quickly offered, though he gazed at her arm. "You would…be willing to take my hand?"

"Why not?" She shrugged. "I mean, sure, the first time we met you wouldn't let me and tried to scare me off by acting like you might trap me in a deal, but all overlords are dramatic like that."

Alastor thought about his first meeting with Cherri before their garden party as well as his conversation with Baxter this morning. "Most demons assume that touching my hand will grant me their soul, no dramatic suggestion from me required. It can seem easier to play along I suppose…" He gripped his hands. "I rarely get handshakes as greetings — when I even do get greetings rather than fearful whimpering. Er, not that it bothers me! What I mean to say is—"

Cherri held out her hand, cutting him off. "Alastor, even if we skip the arm wrestling, do you maybe wanna just shake? It sounds like you could use one, free and clear."

Alastor smiled very much and nodded. He reached out and they shook.

"Cherri, don't vice grip him!" Angel managed between two more blows.

Indeed, Alastor noted that her handshake was strong. But she released him now. And he felt…very normal. Like an average likable demon. And it was nice. "A firm handshake is a sign of firm character in my book."

"Yeah I do think I'm pretty fucking amazing." Then she gestured to the fridge. "Can I get you something? I've got crappy canned iced coffee, questionable water, and cheap wine."

"Erm, how about I provide us something? After all, this is your house and I'm a guest — it's only fair." He snapped and instantly a pitcher of golden brown liquid filled with ice appeared along with two glasses. "Sweet tea, like we had at our tea party with Rosie at the hotel. Ha!"

Cherri sighed. "I did like that fancy stuff. And it's probably too early for the wine." She poured their glasses then held hers up. "Cheers?"

Alastor lifted his glass and clinked with hers. They drank. Then Alastor considered and snapped again. Beside Angel appeared a bottle filled with the cold tea. Angel noticed — he glanced behind him with a small smile, then took a big swig and went back to his fighting (this time he was beating a mat on the wall with a lead pipe).

"My apologies, Cherri," Alastor said under his breath. "Normally I'm quite keen on making polite conversation, but I'm rather distracted at the moment. I didn't realize Angel's meeting today had the potential to go so terribly. I'm concerned…"

She took a deep breath and spoke low too. "He probably really convinced himself it wouldn't get this bad and that's why he didn't warn you. Reconnecting with his family… it makes him feel good but it can also make him have to relive a lot of trauma. It's complicated. He can have episodes… Panic attacks." She glanced at him. "You did the right thing, calling me in. You're a good boyfriend, Alastor."

Alastor swallowed. "Beau. We…call each other beau." He glowed bright yellow. "But that information does not leave this room."

She smirked. "You got it, Radio Head."

"Also, thank you — for saying I'm good at taking care of Angel. Coming from his best friend, I consider that high praise indeed."

"You're a solid guy, Alastor. You're everything Angel needs and more. And I get the feeling he's the same for you."

Alastor smiled privately, softly to himself. He thought about waking up together the other morning, holding each other close, kissing, Nuggets cuddling them. Perfection.

"Yes. I suppose so…" he replied.

They drank tea and waited for Angel to finish safely weathering his own storm.

A/N:

Thank you all for reading! Yes, let's of drama and family issues, but the spiders will move past them and come together again very soon. And in the meantime, at least each of them has their boyfriends looking out for them 3 And just in time too since Henroin is appearing soon :333

Thank you for the support! Take care!

-Azure129