Something that dually peeved me off was how Arackniss was vastly underappreciated! Like, everything was with Sir Pentious (which I get, since he's also vastly underappreciated). But, I straight up headcanon that in Hell, Arackniss actually cares about Angel. He was too afraid to stand up to their dad while they were alive, but always believed that family was family.

I couldn't find Arackniss' human name, if he has one, so I'm going to call him Salvatore! It means "Savior"~

So, allow me to present you all with some protective!Arackniss

TRIGGERS: MENTIONS OF ABUSIVE BEHAVIOR (courtesy of Valentino)

Enjoy~

Kimiko Lee

________________________________________________________________________

Angel finally got back to the hotel, dawn barely breaking the horizon. He had a particularly bad night after Valentino got his hands on him. It had been months since his stunt the day after the extermination, yet Val still got mad about it. Something along the lines of ruining the studio's reputation.

Angel was littered in bruises all over his body, nothing a sweater and his heels couldn't cover. The thing that worried him was his black eye on top of his actual black eye. Angel would never outright admit it, but when Valentino punched his eye, he had a flashback to his brother doing the same thing before he overdosed on PCP.

He kept good contact with his elder brother, but he didn't speak a word of his work. Hell, Charlie didn't even know the extent of what he went through. The only person he told his troubles to was Cherri, and knowing her, she was fast asleep after a night of blowing up more of Valentino's turf.

Everything that Val did was kept under lock and key, out of fear of angering the overlord. It's not like Angel didn't want to tell Arackniss what was happening, it was just he knew his brother. While he was alive, Arackniss always kept his mouth shut. He didn't want to piss off their father, so he bit his tongue. But, after dying and meeting his current partner, Pentious, he began to be more open to Angel.

Angel can remember the very first time the two spent time together, in a civil matter, after dying. Opening his door and lightly shutting it, he flopped onto his bed. His eyes began to drift close as the memory came back to him, Fat Nuggets cuddling close to him.

Arackniss and he had gone to a pretty nice club for a few drinks when a fellow patron recognized Angel. He had been wearing a black, leather, strapless, crop top with a black, leather short and his normal thigh heels. As Angel tried to drag Arackniss onto the dancefloor, the patron slapped Angel's ass pretty hard. Angel let out a yelp of surprise, rubbing his tush.

Arackniss couldn't even contain his anger, getting up from the bar stool and decking the man across the face. The man, startled and unexpecting of the hit, fell backwards. Arackniss' eyes began to glow red and he kept his fist clenched.

"You don't ever touch my brother like that, Brutto figlio di puttana bastardo!" he went to swing again, but Angel caught his arm.
(Ugly son of a bitch bastard)

"Niss, it's cool. He probably thought I was entertaining tonight, I have danced here before. He ain't worth your energy," Arackniss growled and slapped money on the bar, snatching Angel's arms and dragging them out.

"I can't believe the nerve of that man, slapping you like some whore,"

"Well, according to pops, I am-"

"You ain't a whore, Anthony. Pops is just a prick with a tiny dick," Angel laughed.

"Since when did the every stubborn Salvatore get a sense of humor?" Arackniss playfully punched Angel's arm.

"I always had one, ya bastard," the two walked in comfortable silence for a bit before Arackniss spoke again, "you would tell me if anyone hurts ya, right Anthony?"

"Wha? Where is this coming from, Sal?"

"Cause if that random asshole thinks he can do that without paying, I can't imagine what some of your clients do. That sense of entitlement since they pay for your services, it just-" Arackniss took a deep breath, "I lost ya once, Anthony. I will not let someone jackoff hurt you like I let pops hurt ya. Or like I did when I gave ya that eye,"

"Hey, I forgave ya for that a long time ago! Besides, it adds to my charm," Angel winked. Arackniss rolled his eyes and chuckled.

"Promise me, Anthony, that if anyone hurts you, you will tell me,"

"Sal-"

"Anthony, promise me! Molly and ma wouldn't want ya suffering like you did when you were alive! So, please, promise me you will always tell me if someone is trying to hurt you," Sal's voice nearly cracked, but he remained stern with his expression. Angel sighed and nodded, smiling softly and wrapping his lower right arm around Arackniss' shoulder.

"Yeah, I promise Sal," Angel smiled wider as the two continued to walk.

Angel's memory came to an abrupt end when a persistent knocking on his door woke him up. He shot up, nearly falling off his bed. He looked at his phone and checked the time, seeing it was nearly 9:30.

That's right, it was Sunday. Every Sunday, the gang plus Pentious, Arackniss, and sometimes Cherri would all eat a huge breakfast together. He knew Cherri was probably still asleep, but he had to clean up before his brother could see him like this. Just as he was about to get up, Nifty opened the door.

"Hey, Angel! Charlie asked for me to get you for breakfast!" Niffty's eye widened as she looked at Angel's face, "Oh my Gosh! What happened to your eye?!"

"I just got in a fight with a client, no big deal," Angel lied as he waved his hand.

"It looks really bad, that client really beat you up! I mean, look at that bruise on your neck!" Angel looked in the mirror and was in utter shock. Val had left hickeys everywhere, and when I say everywhere, I mean EVERYWHERE. The hickey on his neck was so huge that it bordered his jawline and collarbone.

"Oh my Lucifer," Angel whispered. Just then, Charlie came in.

"Niffty, did you get-" Charlie looked at Angel and gasped, "Oh Angel! You're really hurt! Come on, let's get you to Husk. He and I will fix you up," Charlie gently tugged Angel towards the dining area, where Vaggie was currently being held back by Husker and Alastor was simply smiling at her.

"Charlie! Get ahold of your girlfriend!" Husker screamed as the Latina began to boil over.

"He tickled my chin again!"

"I was simply trying to get a smile out of you, my dear. You always wear that angry face, it's not very becoming of a young lady like yourself," Alastor teased, Vaggie nearly popped a vein until she actually looked at Charlie. She instantly calmed down and pushed Husker away, running to the trio. Both Husker and Alastor noticed the instant change and looked as well.

"Shit," Husker whispered. Alastor was still smiling, but his brow twitched with shock as he looked at Angel.

"Husk, think you could help me patch up these wounds?" Husk nodded and went over to Charlie, setting Angel in a chair. The two began wrapping his many cuts and treating his many bites, all while Vaggie was watching them.

"Who in Hell fucked you up this bad, Angel?" she asked worriedly. Sure, she has seen him a bit bruised. But, she's never seen Angel like this.

"It was just a rogue client, it's fine,"

"Fine?! Angel, look at this hickey! It's fucking huge! Whoever did this obviously gave zero shits about how you felt," Husker yelled.

"Angel, we need to take care of this. I want to know the name of the person who did this to you," Charlie spoke softly as she applied a warm cloth to a bite mark on Angel's inner thigh. Angel hissed in pain and clenched his jaw.

"I can't, it's suppose to stay confidential,"

Just as Angel said that, two more entered the kitchen.

"I heard a hiss! Is there another snake here?" Pentious came in with a huge container of bacon. Arackniss was holding a platter of pancakes, a smug grin on his face. That is, until his eyes finally landed on his brother. Arackniss' hands began to shake and he dropped the platter. Pentious caught the platter with his tail as Arackniss ran over.

"Anthony! What the fuck happened to you! Who the fuck did this!" Angel looked away, "Anthony, I swear to Lucifer, fucking tell me who did this to you!" he gently snagged Angel's shoulders, squeezing them.

"Apparently it was a client," Niffty explained, "so he can't tell,"

"I don't give a shit, I want to know. I'll give that Faccia de Culo the fucking beating of his afterlife!"
(Assface)

"Nissy, I don't think I've ever seen you this angry," Pen pointed out as he placed the platter and container on the countertop. Arackniss growled and looked at Angel, shaking him again to get him to look at his face.

"Anthony," he growled. When Angel finally did look, Arackniss snapped, "the actual FUCK! He fucked up ya face?!"

"I would cover the little Niffty's ears, I know that tone. He's about to go nutty," Pentious warned Alastor, who did as instructed and covered Niffty's ears.

"That's it! I want his name, Anthony! I don't give a shit if he's a wealthy or high profile client, I'll rip off his dick and shove it up his ass! I'll gut him like a fish and strangle him with his own intestines! I'll slice off all his fingers and toes and shove them down his throat! I'll carve his skull like a Thanksgiving turkey and shank his face until-"

"Sal! Calm down! It's ok!"

"No, it's not ok! Why do you always say it's ok?! Look at you! I can handle the occasional hickey, I can handle the bruises on your thighs and bitemarks on your body! But to cause physical damage like this?! I will not allow you to subject yourself to this! I witnessed you get roughed up enough by pops when we were alive! I ain't gonna let some horny Pezzo de Merda do this to you here!"
(piece of shit)

"Salvatore, I-"

"I want a name, Anthony, tell me a name," Arackniss pleaded, looking into his brother's eyes. He remembered the fight they had when he gave Angel the black eye that would follow him to Hell. He regretted the fight till he finally kicked the bucket himself, he wished he could have done more when they were alive.

"It was Val," Angel whimpered. The group looked at him in shock.

"What?" Arackniss whispered.

"Valentino, he did this. He just got a little upset last night, that's all. He's still pretty pissed off about the stunt I pulled with Cherri the day after the extermination. He did this to teach me a lesson, since I was ruining the studio's rep. I get where he was coming from but-"

"DON'T YOU DARE DEFEND HIM!!!" Arackniss yelled. His eyes were glowing with anger, his entire body shook, "DON'T SAY YOU DESERVED WHAT HE DID!!! ANTHONY, YOU DIDN'T DESERVE TO GET BEAT UP FOR SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED MONTHS AGO!!! YOU DIDN'T DESERVE TO GET TREATED LIKE YESTERDAY'S TRASH!!! YOU DIDN'T DESERVE ANY OF THIS BULLSHIT THAT MOTH PUT YOU THROUGH!!!" Pentious slithered to his side and rubbed his back.

"Dear, calm down," he calmly suggested. Arackniss was panting in rage, but noticed the fear on his little brother's face and instantly stopped. He swallowed hard as a memory flashed. Anthony, his little brother, as a little boy, with that exact same look. Their father above him as Anthony would brace for assault. The look of fear in his eyes was unmistakable. So, taking a few deep breaths, he gently rubbed Angel's head.

"Anthony, I'm sorry for yelling at ya. But, I never want you to feel like you did back when we were around pops. I don't want you to feel unsafe or strange or worthless. I want you to feel loved, I want you feel secure and unburdened. God damn it, I hate to see you like this. You have any idea how much it hurts to see you, my little brother, scraping his way to the top by allowing himself to get beat? I-I never wanted to see you hurt again," Angel smiled and hugged his brother, his extra set of arms coming out to give Arackniss a tighter hug.

"It's ok, Sal. I know ya care and I know it bothers ya to see me like this. But, I'm a tough guy. I learned from the best," Angel felt his fur get wet. He knew Arackniss was crying and began to tear up himself. Pen realize Arackniss was crying, so he quickly began to usher everyone out.

"We should give them time, shall we?" Pen closed the dining room doors quietly as Arackniss and Angel continued to cry for a bit. After around ten minutes of silent tears, Arackniss felt Angel slump over. He held onto his brother and gently laid him back, treating the rest of his wounds before piggybacking him out of the dining room.

"He cried himself to sleep, he probably had a long night with that Culo. I'm going to lay him back in his room," Arackniss began to make his way to the elevator, his mind was spinning.
(ass)

He was angry, furious, livid. His blood was boiling so hot that even Hell's wild flames would feel like a blizzard. That moth didn't just mentally, but physically, destroyed his baby brother. To say that Arackniss wanted to erase Valentino was an understatement, he wanted to torture the overlord until he begged to be erased, and then continue to torture him and force him to plead for death. He wanted to make Valentino feel ten times more lost hope and despair that he placed onto his little brother.

But, to do that to an Overlord? Impossible.

He opened Angel's door and walked in, backing into Angel's bed and gently plopping him down. He tucked his brother in and gently rubbed his head, thinking about how much he wanted to help. He wanted to help his brother in anyway he could. So, with determined eyes, he went to find Alastor.

He knew Alastor wouldn't be able to to fight Valentino, as that meant getting involved with the other members of the Triple Vs: Vox and Velvet. Alastor was strong, but not strong enough to take on Vox, Valentino, and Velvet. So, he had to get creative. He found the famous Radio Demon smoking on a balcony, having already finished his breakfast. He quietly approached the red haired man, weary of his humming and oddly sadistic smile.

"Well, Arackniss, you performed quite a display of passion in there," Alastor offered a cigar to Arackniss. He took it and watched as Alastor lit the tip of his finger, lighting his cigar.

"My brother is one of the only things I have in this fucking prison of an afterlife. My pops disowned me once he found out about Pen and my ma and sister are in Heaven. I only have him left, I want to make sure he remains safe. Is there any way you could think to threaten Val without involving Vox and Velvet?"

"Hmmm," Alastor took a long drag, blowing some golden smoke, "not really. Much like your bond with your sister and Angel, Vox and Velvet would happily be at Valentino's side in his time of need. The trio are quite close, just as siblings would be,"

"You think there is anything I could do to break their bond?" Alastor shook his head.

"Afraid not, the three of them are too close at this point," Arackniss growled, taking in a deep breath of golden smoke. The two were standing there, silent for only a minute, "perhaps, if you made them believe you got Lucifer or the royal family involved, they would back off. His Majesty is the only person they fear aside from Lilith, and Ms. Charlie can be very violent believe it or not,"

"Well, you'd be foolish not to fear their majesties. They're the most powerful people in Hell," Arackniss smirked, "I wonder if Charlie would help me out,"

"Ms. Charlie is a pacifist, dear boy. She would not wish to provoke such senseless violence. However, I am sure she and I could try to work on a contract if she so wishes. Something between us and Valentino could be just as effective, but you didn't hear this peaceful idea from I,"

"You, the great Radio Demon, wouldn't want to take credit for such a brilliant plan?" Arackniss took another huff of the cigar.

"No, no, dear boy! Of course not! I would never take credit for such a conflict-free plan! I am a man who loves chaos! I bring discord and pain wherever I go, leaving a trail of blood and corpses in my wake! I can't let others know I have become soft, but being around Ms. Charlie has really made me more cordial," Alastor put out his cigar and wrapped it in a handkerchief, putting it in his coat pocket. Arackniss chuckled to himself and took one last drag of the cigar before stomping it out.

"Alright, then," Arackniss smirked and tipped his hat, "thanks, Alastor," Arackniss walked in and went to find the princess. He walked to the bar and saw her talking to Vaggie, Pen, and Husker. Niffty was dusting the parlor, humming a sweet tune as she worked. Charlie noticed Arackniss standing there and smiled, getting up and walking over.

"How is Angel?"

"He's good, just tired. He's been working for that bastard for so long, I think he forgot how to sleep peacefully," Arackniss' arm was hooked by Charlie's, the young princess leading him to the bar. Pen gently brushed Arackniss' hair and smiled at him as the small spider sat down.

"I'm glad he can finally get some proper rest now," Husker commented as he cleaned up a glass, "Lucifer knows how many nights he's gone sleepless or with nightmares, working for that son of a bitch,"

"I wonder if Angel has been beaten worse before, he has been under Val's grip for decades," Vaggie thought outload. Arackniss growled at the thought of Angel, beaten and violated any worse than what he saw.

"I was actually hoping for a diplomatic solution from you, Charlie. The Triple Vs aren't people who scare easily, the only people they'd be smart enough to fear are your parents and you," Charlie hummed at the idea.

"Why, Nissy! What an amazing idea!" Pen cheered.

"I suppose I could ask my father's personal lawyer for advice. Alastor might be helpful as well, him being a fellow Overlord and all," Charlie smiled and nodded, "I'll be sure to call my father and get the number! We can free Angel from Valentino!"

"Maybe after getting out of the contract will finally allow him a chance at actually redeeming himself," Vaggie explained with a small smile. The two left the bar and went to the office, allowing them privacy for the personal call. Arackniss leaned back onto Pentious, who rubbed his head again.

"I must say, my dear, you are such a caring person. I love seeing the real you come out," Pen kissed Arackniss' cheek, making him blush in front of Husker and Niffty, who both laughed.

2 MONTHS LATER

Angel, Alastor, Charlie, Valentino, and the family lawyer were present at the meeting. They had worked out a new contract, in which Charlie was to pay a million dollars a year to Valentino until Angel was redeemed. After all, Angel was his best star and he would be losing a lot of money with him gone. Angel happily signed the contract, as well as everyone else in the room. Once the deal was done, Angel was finally free.

The moment he left the porn studio building, he felt his entire being get lighter. No more red smokes, no more beatings, no more rapes, no more control. He was finally a free demon who could do as he pleased.

Niffty and Vaggie had invited Cherri, Pentious, and Arackniss over to celebrate the deal and Angel's freedom. The party was a lot of fun and Angel was finally able to dance the night away and shake out the remaining energy he possessed. He didn't need to get up the next morning to go to a shoot, he didn't need to work the streets until the crack of dawn, he was finally able to party to his heart's content without fear of retribution.

A few hours into the party, Angel went to the balcony to get some fresh air. Looking up at the red sky above him, something felt nice. Angel knew that it would takes years, maybe even decades, to get over his fears. His night terrors filled with trauma were going to happen still and his PTSD would flare. But, he was fully prepared to fix himself.

"Figured you'd want to take a break," Arackniss walked out with two glasses of water in his hands, "sober up a bit, it will allow you to party more," Angel chuckled and took the glass, sipping it slowly.

"I know the road is gonna be rough, Val did a lot more than what ya realize. But, I really hope you'll stick with me,"

"Anthony-"

"And if I wake up crying in the middle of the night, or if I have a panic attack, I want you to know in advance that it's not your fault and that I'm sorry,"

"Anthony-"

"And I want you to know that I probably will be like this for a few years at least, so I wanna-"

"Anthony!" Angel quieted down and looked at his brother, who was smiling, "I will never leave your side again. I abandoned you enough when we were alive, I won't do the same thing here," Angel smiled at him and took another sip of water.

"I'm glad I found you again, Sal. I missed you so much, believe it or not. Even if we didn't get along, I always knew you cared about me,"

"Damn right I did! Family is family, no going around it! And, as my baby brother, I reserve the right to be the way I am now! If that winged creep every comes near you again, I'll-"

"I can already guess what you're going to say, so you don't need to say it," they both laughed as Angel leaned down onto Arackniss, "the night feels nice,"

"Yea, it does," the two of them were peacefully watching the sky when Charlie came out to the balcony.

"Hey, guys! Vaggie found some cat nip! We're about to prank Husker!" Angel immediately stood straight.

"Ohohoho! I gotta see this! Come on, Arackniss!" Arackniss chuckled as he watched Angel run inside. He looked up to the sky with a smile, a small brush of wind blowing his fur.

"I'll keep my eyes on him from now on, ma. You and Molly don't need to worry no more, big brother's watching now," Arackniss went back inside, only to find Angel recording Husker's reaction.

All while two bright stars lit up Hell's sky.