FFS Friday
Nov. 21st, 2025 09:51 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessBetween my coworkers seeming to NOT understand that this 'new shining insurance' will cost in the long run three times the shit show we have and the unqualified twit Trump has running the Dept of Education deciding nursing is not a professional degree (which would make it harder to get student loans for it among other horrible things) I have had enough of this fucking day. And my apple set off my gastric paresis so not vomiting was a real chore in lab
I'm glad we didn't have the writers meeting. I'm not fit for man or beast (nor have I answered or read posts since...omg nearly the 7th, go me) so have fannish 50 recs
I wrote a thing!!
Title: Only Shades of Gray
Summary: Angel is ready to help his new lover, one of hell’s up and coming overlords grab more territory. But who walks into Valentino’s would-be new territory but someone Angel had been waiting for for decades. So, his brother had finally died.
Rating: teen
Notes:This is set in the late 1970s which is currently, from the old notes up on fandom wiki, the time period in which both Valentino and Arackniss died. So I gave hell that same 70s vibe and this would be when Valentino is just building his empire and what Angel’s role is in it. And his first meeting with his brother after Arackniss died. I am sticking with Giovanni for Arackniss’ living years name as the old notes have him as a Jonathan.
Content warning – Angel’s family is homophobic so there are references to that along with time period appropriate history for Angel’s living years in the 1930s and 40s.
Written Spikesgirl58’s six word challenge. The words were Cave, Situation, Extent, Shy, Sip, & Ambitious
And written for the lyrical titles bingo challenge for the prompt, Song with a color in the title. I chose Shades of Gray by The Monkees. And for the allbingo prompt of Duty is heavier than a mountain. Death light as a feather. This quote is used in the story and it is from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.
It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share.
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care.
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light.
Today there is no black or white,
Only shades of gray.
Shades of Gray The Monkees
Angel strode into the Sultry Spirits, doing what he promised: scoping it out. The place was packed more than it maybe should have been but maybe the Naughty Nights sex club next door was overflowing. He glanced around but saw no signs of Talon, the minor overlord who owned this chunk of the entertainment district. He was probably holed up in the nearby booze distributor.
Choosing a table in a shadowy corner, Angel plunked his whiskey down on the table and then pulled the tiny silver tray out of his pocket. It had been for a tea set for a spoiled ars goetia child once upon a time before making its way to a Pride ring thrift store but for him it made a nice little surface that wouldn’t break in his pocket if he happened to get into a fight or fell down drunk. He took a sip of the scotch and sprinkled out his mix of Beam Me Up Scottie, though he wasn’t entirely sure why the cocaine and PCP mix was called that. Valentino had tried to explain what Star Trek was but all that did was make Angel sort of sad he never saw the show. He had loved Flash Gordon after all.
Once the little silver tray was filled with powder, he inhaled it. As the angel dust and coke filled his senses, Angel licked his lips, not letting any granules go to waste. Drugs were expensive even in Hell. Angel found that offensive. They should be free to sinners but that was probably part of his punishment. He sat back waiting for Val’s signal but that would probably be a long time coming. He’d have to slip off to the payphone by the men’s room if things went sideways.
As if just thinking that thought was enough to make things go sideways, a cluster of spiders entered the Sultry Spirits. Angel gritted his teeth and wished he was wearing something less flashy. Valentino had picked out his white flare legged trousers and a neon pink and electric blue psychedelic print shirt. He even had on the chunky medallion Val had given him. He was seven feet of look at me. That was not ideal for this situation as his father, uncles and cousins took up residence in the corner opposite of him. Should he warn them about what was going to go down tonight?
Fuck them. Last time I saw Papà he shot me in the knees and in the dick to make a point about me being queer. I hope he gets caught in the crossfire.
As Angel contemplated slipping out the back and taking up another place to wait for Valentino’s signal, he spotted someone who made his heart drop. The little spider carried a bunch of beers back to where the rest of Angel’s kin was. So, it had finally happened. He’d been expecting it for decades but it had taken a lot longer than he imagined. The little spider had to be him, right? Angel felt it to his very bones.
What do I do about this?
He wondered and waited in his shadowy nook until finally the little spider went to the men’s room. Angel got up and leaned on the wall near the pay phone between the restrooms, waiting. He sure as hell didn’t want to be in the toilet for what happened next. The little spider came back out without even a glance Angel’s way. He’d gotten sloppy in his old age apparently.
“So you finally made it here, Giovanni.”
The little spider froze, his head rotating to look over his shoulder, slow like a robot. His jaw dropped, his cigarette dangling precariously. God, what an ugly face with slivers of rubies for eyes, all eight of them, nothing like Angel’s big, beautiful ones. He drank in the figure Angel cut.
“Antonio? Has to be. Papà warned me.”
“Sure, he did,” Angel said in little more than a snarl. He could imagine what Henroin had said about him.
His brother flinched. Angel had guessed right about that because, as much as he hated it, there was a resemblance in the face and in the hairline. Angel let a bit of the knot in his chest loosen. “Do you want to talk to me? If Henroin sees me, it’s likely to be a gunbattle.”
“I do,” Giovanni didn’t sound convinced.
“Go get them another round and we’ll meet elsewhere.”
“Not that sex club across the street, right?” Giovanni shot him stink eye.
“I can guess what Henroin has been telling you.” Angel sighed. “That is the last place I’d take my big brother…only not so big, ha.”
Giovanni scowled, his cigarette angling up sharply as he bit the filter.
“Go to the end of the block. There’s a small dingy looking diner, just called Flo’s. Give our asshole family their new round and tell the spider brigade you’re feeling peckish. This place don’t do food. Tell them you’ll be back in an hour. They ain’t here looking for trouble, are they?” Angel hoped not. He and Val had their plan and it didn’t include a dozen unpredictable tarantulas.
Giovanni shook his head, brushing his thick dark spray of hair back out of his eyes. “Just to get loaded but that’s when trouble starts.”
“Yeah. Okay, you up for this?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll go out the side door. No sense in risking them seeing me.”
“You’re hard to miss in that shirt.” Giovanni eyed the psychedelic swirls sourly. “And how are you so damn tall?”
“Lucifer likes me.” Angel grinned. Oh, how he wished. He’d seen pictures of the lord of hell and he was a doll baby.
Giovanni rolled his eyes and stomped off into the bar. Angel slipped out the door and hustled to the pay phone in front of Flo’s. He put in a call, hoping Valentino was still at home or at least one of his goons was so they could scurry off and tell Val there was a slight change of planes.
He perked up when Val answered. “Hey, baby, just wanted to let you know I’m down the block at Flo’s. My whole family walked into the Sultry Spirits and if I’m there, it’ll be a clusterfuck. I can watch the street from here.”
“Ugh, after that last time when they were at Shy’s I can live without seeing your papi again,” Val replied.
Henroin had shot at both Angel and Valentino outside of Shy’s. And Angel’s cousins had chased them with bats and homophobic slurs. Angel had shot three of them in the process. But that had been months ago before his movie had come out and before Valentino had snared a bunch of territory.
“That’s fine. I’m about to head your way, amorcito. It might take me a little while. I heard there’s a dust up over on Main that might slow me up.”
“I’ll be ready to rock and roll when you get there and Val, if my family does come out to see what the ruckus is about, feel free to shoot Henroin a few times. I’ll make it worth your while,” Angel purred into the receiver.
“Listen to you,” Valentino’s voice went equally as sultry. “You’re excited for tonight.”
“I’m going to get to see you fly in battle, babe. You know what that does to me.” Angel needed not to think about it because he couldn’t walk into Flo’s hard as a rock. Seeing his brother approaching, Angel leaned on the phone booth glass and pointed to the restaurant. Giovanni nodded and went inside.
“Yes, I do. See you soon, lover.”
Angel hung up the phone and walked inside. Giovanni had chosen a booth in the back where they wouldn’t have their backs to a window and could see out the big ones in the front. Smart choice. Angel joined them and waved for a waitress.
“Flo was from Canada,” Angel said. “She makes this thing where it’s all French fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy. It’s amazing.”
“You can actually eat?” Giovanni widened his eyes. “My stomach is in knots.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been dead for.…”
“Thirty years,” Giovanni supplied.
Angel widened his eyes. “That long? Wow. Okay. So anyhow I’m used to hell and I figured if me and Henroin were here, where else would you go?”
Giovanni made a soft retching sound. Yeah, he hadn’t adjusted to hell yet. A wave of pity washed over Angel. He had always looked up to his big brother when he’d been a kid. On the other hand, Giovanni had helped turn him into a killer and had bullied him so his pity only went so far.
“I’m not gonna ask how it happened. You got old so could have been anything.”
“Could have been but it was bullet related.” Giovanni rubbed his chest at the memory of the pain.
“Ah, no real surprise. So, where to start catching up. Lemme guess, Henroin filled you in on a few facts about me, like I recently quit running guns for Carmilla Carmine.”
“He said you’re doing something embarrassing to the whole family but not what that is. He was too busy ranting about how you killed him. Antonio, how could you?” Giovanni stared at him.
“Please, like you didn’t always think it was me.” Angel smiled up at the waitress when the canary-like woman arrived. “Just one of the large poutines and two beers. We’ll share and don’t worry, I tip well even if we’re sharing.”
She warbled a bit. “That’ll be a first in this place.”
“Hell sucks. Why make it worse?” Angel shrugged and she walked off.
“I did wonder if you killed him, Antonio,” Giovanni admitted.
“Angel, it’s Angel Dust now.”
Giovanni knitted his brow. “Like the drug?”
“Sooo good.” He could use another bump to get him through this reunion.
“God, Tony, you’re still on that shit?”
Oh, the judgement in those red, creepy eyes. Angel wanted to slap the expression clean off his brother’s face.
Instead, he puffed up and bragged, “Fratello, I’m on all the shit now. What does it matter, I’m dead. It’s not like it’s going to kill me again.”
Giovanni shot him a vicious look. “Yeah, again, you stronzo. I had to comfort Molly and Mamma as they cried. All I could think was ‘why would you do this to me?’ Why would you put us through a funeral, fighting with the church that it wasn’t suicide and how much light Mamma lost.”
“Hey, it ain’t like I planned to overdose and fuck you, Giovanni, you know why.” Angel reached across the table and poked his brother in the chest. “You know what you put me through, what Papà did to me. Is it any surprise I needed to numb my brain to get by? We all knew where I was heading. I found that early grave.”
Giovanni’s eyes glistened. “And you killed a part of all of us. Don’t you think I wished I could have done things differently, that we could have helped you. Molly found you. She was never the same.”
Angel turned his face away. Now he didn’t want a snack either. “I don’t wanna talk about that now, Giovanni.”
“Too bad, Anthony. Don’t know if any of our cousins filled you in but you should know what happened after. Molly found you all contorted up because your heart fucking exploded from all the snow you snorted. How was she to live with that in her head? You devastated her.”
“You think I don’t already torture myself with that? Of course I do. It was an accident. I would never have left Molly like that on purpose. It was bad enough I took her papà away but that fucker deserved it. He hit all of us, abused every one of us and look what he did to you and me. We killed for him and we’re damned for him.”
“I know. I have sons. What I wouldn’t do to get word to them, to get them to repent if that’s even possible.” Giovanni shivered, tears standing in his eyes unshed, because of course they were. Henroin would have beaten either of them senseless for displaying that sort of weakness.
Angel let go of some of his anger, seeing his brother in so much pain. Maybe he could help a little. “There might be a way. Some of the hell born go to the living world. The trick is to get them to do you a favor.”
“Really, Antonio?”
“Really and it’s Angel now, Giovanni,” he reminded his brother gently.
“I thought it was Ragno because Papà said I couldn’t use that name, that he never wanted to hear it again. I’m Arackniss, now.”
“I was Ragno when I was with Carmilla but I have a new job.”
“Yeah Papà was volcanic about that but wouldn’t say what it was.” Giovanni scrubbed at his eyes. “I don’t want to call you by some dumb drug name. Why that one? Angel dust hit the streets long after you died.”
“A friend suggested it, turned me onto the drug and said it would be a perfect stage name for me.”
Giovanni shook his head. “You’re still Tony to me.”
Angel decided not to make that a battle for today. “Fine.”
“I just wish…I guess I didn’t understand how much it was hurting you to do your duty to the family business. I thought you wanted to make Papà happy. You’d bully me on a whim if you thought it would please him.”
“And vice versa,” he reminded his brother.
Giovanni sighed, deflating. “I know. We shouldn’t have let him do that to us but that’s easier to say with time and distance. I didn’t do that to my boys, couldn’t scar them like he did to us. And I don’t know if you could have possibly been anything other than in the mob with the rest of us. I just thought you were doing better with it than you were. I thought the drugs were for fun, not to hide your pain.”
“You were wrong. Duty was heavier than a mountain. Death light as a feather.”
They both fell silent. Songbird came back with two tankards and a plate of poutine. Neither brother picked up a fork but Giovanni downed half his beer in two long swallows.
“I’m guessing Henroin told you other things about me other than I emptied my revolver into him.” They might as well get into this before Valentino arrived and Angel would be needed elsewhere.
Giovanni nodded, scrutinizing Angel, probably taking in his clothing and his coloration, and putting it together with what their father had said.
“That I’m a culattone,” Angel added, using the terrible slur his family had hurled in hs face.
“He said finocchio but yes.” Giovanni’s gaze made Angel shift uncomfortably. “I’m looking at how pink you are and have to think he was right.”
Angel displayed his pink and white hands and opened his psychedelic shirt a few buttons to display the heart on his chest. “I’m queer and I could do without the slurs.”
Giovanni took a deep breath and Angel half expected him to walk out. “If I’m honest, I used to wonder why you were so into the bachelor life. I didn’t think you were gay, just uninterested.”
“I was interested but I couldn’t exactly come out and tell you I was gay.”
“Dad would have emptied his revolver into you instead of the other way around.”
“I know.” He had to ask even if he might hate the answer. “Is this gonna be a problem? I was hoping not since it wasn’t the first thing you said.”
“I’ve got bigger worries than that.” Giovanni shrugged. “Don’t know as I’ll see you all that much to begin with. Papà will eventually figure out I’m talking to you.”
“And shoot you. That shit don’t stick down here. We die, respawn, die again if we’re unlucky. But here’s your warning as far as Henroin’s concerned. He will shoot. He’s shot me a few times already and vice versa.” Angel speared a cheese curd with a fork. “I’m starring in movies now.”
“Really? I guess you did say Angel was a stage name.” Giovanni made a face. “That’s what Papà was so mad about? That makes no sense.”
“They’re stag films, Giovanni.” Angel laughed and popped the curd into his mouth.
A baffled expression passed over Giovanni’s face. He pulled a dripping fry from the gravy and ate it. “Not bad. I like this. But…you just told me you’re queer.”
“Gay men like porn too, Fratello.”
It visibly took seconds for his brother to process what he was hearing. He shook his head. “No way.”
“No way we don’t like porn? Because I assure you we do or no way I could make a stag film? Have you not noticed how hot I am?”
“At least that hasn’t changed in death. You’re still vain as ever.” Giovanni snorted eating one of the curds with his fry this time. So much for ‘I can’t eat.’
“When you’re this hot, you’ve earned the right to be vain.”
“You’re fucking for a living?” Giovanni’s voice cracked a bit at that.
“Better than running guns. Nothing wrong with getting to cum a few times a day.” Angel shrugged.
“Ugh, no, don’t put that into my head.” Giovanni shuddered. “You’re my baby brother and I can’t be picturing that.”
“You might not want to look directly at some of my upcoming posters.” Angel smirked.
“Now I see why Papà didn’t want me talking to you.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk to you if I’m honest. Should have known I’d cave instantly on that. I did miss you, Giovanni even if I hated you half the time.” Angel looked down at his hands, fighting to steady his heart.
“Goes both ways.”
“But I loved you too,” Angel said softly. “I didn’t forget that and I was afraid of this day, afraid of how much I would need to protect my heart. I can handle it if you hated me for the things I did when we were alive, but not if you hated me for being who I am deep down, for who I love.”
Giovanni pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Angel. They both lit up. He took a long drag, contemplating an answer. “I think if I had known when we were alive, I wouldn’t have known how to handle you being queer – and the less said about the stag films the better. It would have been…ugly, probably.”
“It’s who I am, Giovanni. I love men.”
Giovanni blew smoke at the ceiling and took a deep drink of beer, draining it. “I guess it don’t matter than much to me except…”
“What?” Angel snapped.
“I think I understand why you were in so much pain now. That’s a big secret to live with. Our lives were always shades of grey bordering on black, hiding things from Mamma and Molly and my wife, like they didn’t actually know what we were. And there you were hiding this other big secret. Fuck, they would have arrested you if you were caught with a guy somewhere at best.” Giovanni shuddered and Angel hunched in on himself. “I don’t care about what you do in your bedroom, Tony.”
“But if Henroin starts in on me, you’re not going to defend me.”
Giovanni’s shoulders slumped. “I’m working for him right now. I’m new. I don’t even know half of what’s going on. At least with papà I know the lay of the land. I know he’s going to blacken both my eyes if he knows I’m talking to you, he hates you that much.”
“Eight.”
“Huh?”
“Blacken all eight of your eyes. You got more now.” Angel smiled faintly.
“I do. I can’t…I can’t even look in a mirror. It freaks me out. How come you don’t have eyes like this?”
“Because I’m handsome.” Angel opened his arc of secondary eyes.
Giovanni sat back in his chair, crossing his arms, scowling. “That is so unfair.”
“Told you, Lucifer likes me.”
Giovanni snorted and then shook his head. “Pornos! You can’t be doing that. You’re….”
“What?”
“I mean you need certain attributes to get cast in stag films.” Giovanni blushed.
Angel’s face heated as well. “Are you saying you think I have a cazzo piccolo?”
Giovanni stammered around his cigarette some word too muddled to make sense of.
“Don’t make me whip it out here,” Angel threatened putting a hand on his zipper.
“You leave your cazzo in your pants!” He jabbed his lit cigarette at Angel.
“Bigger than your forearm,” Angel grumbled.
“Stop!” Giovanni shook his head. “Porn!”
“My poster’s at the end of the block. Angel’s Delight: The Sweetest Drink. It’s gone wild. I’m up for best picture of the year and Val is up for best director.”
“Wait, I’ve seen that poster! I thought that was a woman…oh my fucking god.” Giovanni’s blush deepened. “Guess I can scratch that movie off the to be watched list.”
Angel snorted. “Yeah. That would be weird. You’re not allowed to be turned on by me. Here.” He waved to the waitress as Giovanni gave him the finger. “Let me give you something. Hon, can I borrow a pen?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
She gave him a pen and he wrote a number on the napkin. He shoved it at his brother. “My number if you want someone else to help you get used to hell other than Henroin’s sour ass. Don’t give that to him.”
Giovanni pocketed it. “Thanks. I don’t have a phone of my own yet. Bunking at Papà’s warehouse for now.”
“Yeah, won’t catch me there. Even when I was running guns, I did it for his competitor. Look, I’d love to sit and talk more because in spite of everything I missed you,Fratello maggiore but I got a thing coming up.” Angel beckoned him closer, leaning across the table. Giovanni did the same. “My partner is about to take on the overlord who owns this little piece of turf,” he whispered. “You might want to get out of ground zero. Tell la nostra famiglia if you want. I ain’t gonna. If Henroin catches a stray, I’ll laugh.”
“Jesus, Tony. I didn’t know your hate went this deep.”
“You don’t know the half of it. He hurt Mamma and Molly all too often. He ruined us. I will never not hate him.” Angel swung out of the booth and handed a wad of bills to the waitress. “That should cover it and your tip, sweetie.”
“Thanks!”
Giovanni followed him onto the street. Angel looked around wondering if Valentino was already taking on Talon. It seemed too quiet. Was Bonnie around? Bonfire was Valentino’s steadfast assistant, glomming onto him the moment he fell from the way he described it. It was usually easy to tell if Bonnie was already in motion. Shit would be on fire.
The sound of cracking glass drew his attention upward. A window blew out of the booze distributor next to Naughty Nights followed by thick black smoke and flames. Angel grinned ferally.
“It’s going down, Fratello. You might want to run now or at least get back inside the Sultry Spirits. I’d go out the back if you want to avoid the carnage.”
“What about you, Tony?” Giovanni tugged at Angel’s sleeves to draw him away from the impending violence. If Giovanni had been in hell more than twelve hours, he already knew how rough the streets were.
Angel flexed and brought out six Tommy guns and beamed. “I am the carnage.”
Giovanni widened his eyes and raced for the bar to warn their family, not the choice Angel would have made. His part in this was easy: shoot Talon’s goons. Gunfire erupted inside the booze palace next to the Naughty Nights and Talon leapt out a window. Talk about making it easy. Several goons followed him to back him up and Angel let loose on them with glee. Valentino soared out of the window ahead of the flames. He was beautiful, framed by the fire.
Running for cover, Angel took Talon out at the knees. Valentino grabbed him and flung him back into the burning booze palace. Talon’s clothing caught fire. Some of his men raced to his rescue as he screamed. Angel dropped them. Every time Talon tried to crawl free, Valentino kicked him back into the inferno. As a car filled with more of his men roared up, Bonfire glided down from the roof like the flying squirrel she was. She dropped Molotov cocktails on the vehicle as she rode the thermals on her way down.
Out of the corner of his eye, Angel spotted his family exiting the Sultry Spirits the wrong way. They probably didn’t believe he was the one taking over the street and wanted to prove Giovanni wrong. Angel jumped up on the burning vehicle and machinegunned anyone trying to escape. Someone winged something at him and he backflipped off the car, avoiding the explosive, which rocked the nearby building it struck. He shot the asshole who had flung it.
“Sign it over!” Valentino roared at Talon who flailed, fully engulfed with flame. “Sign and this all ends.”
Even hardened to violence as Angel was, this made his stomach flip. Still, Valentino was his man and he had to back his play. He wasn’t entirely sure if Talon signed or was simply so weakened Valentino wrestled his control and soul away from him and left him to smolder out on the sidewalk. He lit his cigarette from the man’s body and sauntered into the middle of the street.
Valentino blew a streamer of red smoke into the air. “If you don’t already know who I am, I’m your new overlord of this territory. Remember my name. It’s Valentino. You come along with me, babies, and we are going to create something great. If not….” He gestured to Talon and the fire.
Giovanni inched toward Angel, leaving their family behind. “What the hell is going on, Tony?”
“Please, like you don’t recognize a gangland turf war when you see one. How many did you order when you were capo?” Angel scoffed and his brother shrugged. “You know the drill, we’re only as strong as the extent of our territories. My Val is very ambitious. Just wait and see. He might be a smalltime overlord now but he’ll get bigger and he’s taking me with him.”
Giovanni blinked at him. “You are stupid in love. I can see it all over your face.” He glanced at Valentino. “With that psycho?”
“The words you’re looking for are hottest overlord this side of the pentagram.”
“See? Told you I spotted his pink fairy ass in the bar,” Henroin grumbled, stomping down the sidewalk with some of his brothers and nephews tagging along. “And you, what the fuck are you doing talking to this finocchio” He casually slapped Giovanni hard enough to knock him off his feet. “You should know better, Arackniss.”
Giovanni – Arackniss? No Angel didn’t like that name – picked himself up, wiping his bleeding lip. “Just watching il mio fratellino creating carnage. You remembered what Papà taught us, Antonio.”
“He’s no son of mine,” Henroin snarled before Angel could respond.
Angel shrugged. “Never said Papà didn’t teach me well.” He hit the word papà just to piss Henroin off.
“Stay away from Arackniss or I’ll pull your fairy wings off,” Henroin warned.
“Angelito,” Valentino purred sashaying over to him. Angel was shocked his family wasn’t attacking. Maybe after this battle, they saw him and Val as more formidable than they had thought. “What are you doing? We should be celebrating.”
“Just welcoming my brother to hell.” Angel cocked his thumb at Giovanni. “It’s his first overlord battle.”
“And such a good one.” Valentino caressed Angel’s cheek and then swept him up in an open mouth kiss so hot and fierce Angel was shocked Henroin didn’t shoot them both for daring it. Valentino cupped Angel’s ass and he jumped up, wrapping his legs around Val’s slender hips. Val cradled him in all four arms and deepened the kiss, their tongues openly entangling around each other like mating snakes. Angel’s lips tingled and his head swam as Val broke the kiss. “Let’s go home babe and move this celebration inside.”
“Best idea yet.” Angel grinned and wrapped himself around Valentino tighter. Val took to the air. He waved goodbye to his brother who stared at him, mouth gaped. Angel flipped the rest of his family off with several hands but Henroin didn’t try to hurt him. Either he was too stunned or Angel was right. His father was impressed by the battle.
Valentino couldn’t fly them together for long distances but this display was just enough to let everyone know who was in charge. Together they were going to carve out their spot in the entertainment district. Val landed next to his sporty car and he let Angel drive them home. This is where he was meant to be, his name up in lights and on the arm of a handsome man. He might never see his brother again, not with Arackniss all caught up in Henroin’s shades of gray. Angel was meant for the bright lights and brighter colors. Valentino would give him that. What in hell could he want more?
Author’s Notes
Maybe I’ll get tired of exploring how Angel and Valentino first met and how Angel and Arackniss’ first reunion is hell is like but that day is not today. I thought it would be interesting to see Valentino being an up and comer, seeing him in the still love bombing part of the relationship before he gets Angel fully under his control and we know Angel is no push over. It was fun showcasing this. And it’s my first real chance to play with Arackniss and Henroin since we had that lore drop in episode three.
Italian Translations
As usual when I write these guys, they do what most Italian American families of this generation that I knew did, mix the two languages freely
Fratello - brother
Stronzo - asshole
Culattone & finocchio – incredibly awful homophobic slurs. Don’t use these. Ever.
cazzo piccolo – cazzo is penis and piccolo is small so you can see why Angel’s hot under the collar
Fratello Maggiore – a familiar form of big brother
la nostra famiglia – our family
il mio fratellino – my little brother
Recs!!
No More Torchwood
In Denial FAKE
A Time for Healing Starsky & Hutch
Hope Against the Shadows Hazbin Hotel
Divergent Roads Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fool's Rosegold The Owl House
Heartache Stargate Atlantis
To Trust His Daughter Hazbin Hotel
Goodbye, little duckling. Hazbin Hotel
Dill With It Hazbin Hotel
Childhood Ambitions Torchwood
Never Giving Up he Fantastic Journey
Perfect shot Call of Duty
The Write Stuff Stargate Atlantis
This Moon, That Moon 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Uncomplicatedly Complicated Wolverine/The X-Men
wooing the lady 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
something you could sin for Naruto
Living Their Own Lives Teen Wolf
We've Done This Before Addams Family
I'm glad we didn't have the writers meeting. I'm not fit for man or beast (nor have I answered or read posts since...omg nearly the 7th, go me) so have fannish 50 recs
I wrote a thing!!
Title: Only Shades of Gray
Summary: Angel is ready to help his new lover, one of hell’s up and coming overlords grab more territory. But who walks into Valentino’s would-be new territory but someone Angel had been waiting for for decades. So, his brother had finally died.
Rating: teen
Notes:This is set in the late 1970s which is currently, from the old notes up on fandom wiki, the time period in which both Valentino and Arackniss died. So I gave hell that same 70s vibe and this would be when Valentino is just building his empire and what Angel’s role is in it. And his first meeting with his brother after Arackniss died. I am sticking with Giovanni for Arackniss’ living years name as the old notes have him as a Jonathan.
Content warning – Angel’s family is homophobic so there are references to that along with time period appropriate history for Angel’s living years in the 1930s and 40s.
Written Spikesgirl58’s six word challenge. The words were Cave, Situation, Extent, Shy, Sip, & Ambitious
And written for the lyrical titles bingo challenge for the prompt, Song with a color in the title. I chose Shades of Gray by The Monkees. And for the allbingo prompt of Duty is heavier than a mountain. Death light as a feather. This quote is used in the story and it is from Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time.
It was easy then to know what was fair
When to keep and when to share.
How much to protect your heart
And how much to care.
But today there is no day or night
Today there is no dark or light.
Today there is no black or white,
Only shades of gray.
Shades of Gray The Monkees
Angel strode into the Sultry Spirits, doing what he promised: scoping it out. The place was packed more than it maybe should have been but maybe the Naughty Nights sex club next door was overflowing. He glanced around but saw no signs of Talon, the minor overlord who owned this chunk of the entertainment district. He was probably holed up in the nearby booze distributor.
Choosing a table in a shadowy corner, Angel plunked his whiskey down on the table and then pulled the tiny silver tray out of his pocket. It had been for a tea set for a spoiled ars goetia child once upon a time before making its way to a Pride ring thrift store but for him it made a nice little surface that wouldn’t break in his pocket if he happened to get into a fight or fell down drunk. He took a sip of the scotch and sprinkled out his mix of Beam Me Up Scottie, though he wasn’t entirely sure why the cocaine and PCP mix was called that. Valentino had tried to explain what Star Trek was but all that did was make Angel sort of sad he never saw the show. He had loved Flash Gordon after all.
Once the little silver tray was filled with powder, he inhaled it. As the angel dust and coke filled his senses, Angel licked his lips, not letting any granules go to waste. Drugs were expensive even in Hell. Angel found that offensive. They should be free to sinners but that was probably part of his punishment. He sat back waiting for Val’s signal but that would probably be a long time coming. He’d have to slip off to the payphone by the men’s room if things went sideways.
As if just thinking that thought was enough to make things go sideways, a cluster of spiders entered the Sultry Spirits. Angel gritted his teeth and wished he was wearing something less flashy. Valentino had picked out his white flare legged trousers and a neon pink and electric blue psychedelic print shirt. He even had on the chunky medallion Val had given him. He was seven feet of look at me. That was not ideal for this situation as his father, uncles and cousins took up residence in the corner opposite of him. Should he warn them about what was going to go down tonight?
Fuck them. Last time I saw Papà he shot me in the knees and in the dick to make a point about me being queer. I hope he gets caught in the crossfire.
As Angel contemplated slipping out the back and taking up another place to wait for Valentino’s signal, he spotted someone who made his heart drop. The little spider carried a bunch of beers back to where the rest of Angel’s kin was. So, it had finally happened. He’d been expecting it for decades but it had taken a lot longer than he imagined. The little spider had to be him, right? Angel felt it to his very bones.
What do I do about this?
He wondered and waited in his shadowy nook until finally the little spider went to the men’s room. Angel got up and leaned on the wall near the pay phone between the restrooms, waiting. He sure as hell didn’t want to be in the toilet for what happened next. The little spider came back out without even a glance Angel’s way. He’d gotten sloppy in his old age apparently.
“So you finally made it here, Giovanni.”
The little spider froze, his head rotating to look over his shoulder, slow like a robot. His jaw dropped, his cigarette dangling precariously. God, what an ugly face with slivers of rubies for eyes, all eight of them, nothing like Angel’s big, beautiful ones. He drank in the figure Angel cut.
“Antonio? Has to be. Papà warned me.”
“Sure, he did,” Angel said in little more than a snarl. He could imagine what Henroin had said about him.
His brother flinched. Angel had guessed right about that because, as much as he hated it, there was a resemblance in the face and in the hairline. Angel let a bit of the knot in his chest loosen. “Do you want to talk to me? If Henroin sees me, it’s likely to be a gunbattle.”
“I do,” Giovanni didn’t sound convinced.
“Go get them another round and we’ll meet elsewhere.”
“Not that sex club across the street, right?” Giovanni shot him stink eye.
“I can guess what Henroin has been telling you.” Angel sighed. “That is the last place I’d take my big brother…only not so big, ha.”
Giovanni scowled, his cigarette angling up sharply as he bit the filter.
“Go to the end of the block. There’s a small dingy looking diner, just called Flo’s. Give our asshole family their new round and tell the spider brigade you’re feeling peckish. This place don’t do food. Tell them you’ll be back in an hour. They ain’t here looking for trouble, are they?” Angel hoped not. He and Val had their plan and it didn’t include a dozen unpredictable tarantulas.
Giovanni shook his head, brushing his thick dark spray of hair back out of his eyes. “Just to get loaded but that’s when trouble starts.”
“Yeah. Okay, you up for this?”
“I’ll meet you there.”
“I’ll go out the side door. No sense in risking them seeing me.”
“You’re hard to miss in that shirt.” Giovanni eyed the psychedelic swirls sourly. “And how are you so damn tall?”
“Lucifer likes me.” Angel grinned. Oh, how he wished. He’d seen pictures of the lord of hell and he was a doll baby.
Giovanni rolled his eyes and stomped off into the bar. Angel slipped out the door and hustled to the pay phone in front of Flo’s. He put in a call, hoping Valentino was still at home or at least one of his goons was so they could scurry off and tell Val there was a slight change of planes.
He perked up when Val answered. “Hey, baby, just wanted to let you know I’m down the block at Flo’s. My whole family walked into the Sultry Spirits and if I’m there, it’ll be a clusterfuck. I can watch the street from here.”
“Ugh, after that last time when they were at Shy’s I can live without seeing your papi again,” Val replied.
Henroin had shot at both Angel and Valentino outside of Shy’s. And Angel’s cousins had chased them with bats and homophobic slurs. Angel had shot three of them in the process. But that had been months ago before his movie had come out and before Valentino had snared a bunch of territory.
“That’s fine. I’m about to head your way, amorcito. It might take me a little while. I heard there’s a dust up over on Main that might slow me up.”
“I’ll be ready to rock and roll when you get there and Val, if my family does come out to see what the ruckus is about, feel free to shoot Henroin a few times. I’ll make it worth your while,” Angel purred into the receiver.
“Listen to you,” Valentino’s voice went equally as sultry. “You’re excited for tonight.”
“I’m going to get to see you fly in battle, babe. You know what that does to me.” Angel needed not to think about it because he couldn’t walk into Flo’s hard as a rock. Seeing his brother approaching, Angel leaned on the phone booth glass and pointed to the restaurant. Giovanni nodded and went inside.
“Yes, I do. See you soon, lover.”
Angel hung up the phone and walked inside. Giovanni had chosen a booth in the back where they wouldn’t have their backs to a window and could see out the big ones in the front. Smart choice. Angel joined them and waved for a waitress.
“Flo was from Canada,” Angel said. “She makes this thing where it’s all French fries, cheese curds, and brown gravy. It’s amazing.”
“You can actually eat?” Giovanni widened his eyes. “My stomach is in knots.”
“Yeah, well, I’ve been dead for.…”
“Thirty years,” Giovanni supplied.
Angel widened his eyes. “That long? Wow. Okay. So anyhow I’m used to hell and I figured if me and Henroin were here, where else would you go?”
Giovanni made a soft retching sound. Yeah, he hadn’t adjusted to hell yet. A wave of pity washed over Angel. He had always looked up to his big brother when he’d been a kid. On the other hand, Giovanni had helped turn him into a killer and had bullied him so his pity only went so far.
“I’m not gonna ask how it happened. You got old so could have been anything.”
“Could have been but it was bullet related.” Giovanni rubbed his chest at the memory of the pain.
“Ah, no real surprise. So, where to start catching up. Lemme guess, Henroin filled you in on a few facts about me, like I recently quit running guns for Carmilla Carmine.”
“He said you’re doing something embarrassing to the whole family but not what that is. He was too busy ranting about how you killed him. Antonio, how could you?” Giovanni stared at him.
“Please, like you didn’t always think it was me.” Angel smiled up at the waitress when the canary-like woman arrived. “Just one of the large poutines and two beers. We’ll share and don’t worry, I tip well even if we’re sharing.”
She warbled a bit. “That’ll be a first in this place.”
“Hell sucks. Why make it worse?” Angel shrugged and she walked off.
“I did wonder if you killed him, Antonio,” Giovanni admitted.
“Angel, it’s Angel Dust now.”
Giovanni knitted his brow. “Like the drug?”
“Sooo good.” He could use another bump to get him through this reunion.
“God, Tony, you’re still on that shit?”
Oh, the judgement in those red, creepy eyes. Angel wanted to slap the expression clean off his brother’s face.
Instead, he puffed up and bragged, “Fratello, I’m on all the shit now. What does it matter, I’m dead. It’s not like it’s going to kill me again.”
Giovanni shot him a vicious look. “Yeah, again, you stronzo. I had to comfort Molly and Mamma as they cried. All I could think was ‘why would you do this to me?’ Why would you put us through a funeral, fighting with the church that it wasn’t suicide and how much light Mamma lost.”
“Hey, it ain’t like I planned to overdose and fuck you, Giovanni, you know why.” Angel reached across the table and poked his brother in the chest. “You know what you put me through, what Papà did to me. Is it any surprise I needed to numb my brain to get by? We all knew where I was heading. I found that early grave.”
Giovanni’s eyes glistened. “And you killed a part of all of us. Don’t you think I wished I could have done things differently, that we could have helped you. Molly found you. She was never the same.”
Angel turned his face away. Now he didn’t want a snack either. “I don’t wanna talk about that now, Giovanni.”
“Too bad, Anthony. Don’t know if any of our cousins filled you in but you should know what happened after. Molly found you all contorted up because your heart fucking exploded from all the snow you snorted. How was she to live with that in her head? You devastated her.”
“You think I don’t already torture myself with that? Of course I do. It was an accident. I would never have left Molly like that on purpose. It was bad enough I took her papà away but that fucker deserved it. He hit all of us, abused every one of us and look what he did to you and me. We killed for him and we’re damned for him.”
“I know. I have sons. What I wouldn’t do to get word to them, to get them to repent if that’s even possible.” Giovanni shivered, tears standing in his eyes unshed, because of course they were. Henroin would have beaten either of them senseless for displaying that sort of weakness.
Angel let go of some of his anger, seeing his brother in so much pain. Maybe he could help a little. “There might be a way. Some of the hell born go to the living world. The trick is to get them to do you a favor.”
“Really, Antonio?”
“Really and it’s Angel now, Giovanni,” he reminded his brother gently.
“I thought it was Ragno because Papà said I couldn’t use that name, that he never wanted to hear it again. I’m Arackniss, now.”
“I was Ragno when I was with Carmilla but I have a new job.”
“Yeah Papà was volcanic about that but wouldn’t say what it was.” Giovanni scrubbed at his eyes. “I don’t want to call you by some dumb drug name. Why that one? Angel dust hit the streets long after you died.”
“A friend suggested it, turned me onto the drug and said it would be a perfect stage name for me.”
Giovanni shook his head. “You’re still Tony to me.”
Angel decided not to make that a battle for today. “Fine.”
“I just wish…I guess I didn’t understand how much it was hurting you to do your duty to the family business. I thought you wanted to make Papà happy. You’d bully me on a whim if you thought it would please him.”
“And vice versa,” he reminded his brother.
Giovanni sighed, deflating. “I know. We shouldn’t have let him do that to us but that’s easier to say with time and distance. I didn’t do that to my boys, couldn’t scar them like he did to us. And I don’t know if you could have possibly been anything other than in the mob with the rest of us. I just thought you were doing better with it than you were. I thought the drugs were for fun, not to hide your pain.”
“You were wrong. Duty was heavier than a mountain. Death light as a feather.”
They both fell silent. Songbird came back with two tankards and a plate of poutine. Neither brother picked up a fork but Giovanni downed half his beer in two long swallows.
“I’m guessing Henroin told you other things about me other than I emptied my revolver into him.” They might as well get into this before Valentino arrived and Angel would be needed elsewhere.
Giovanni nodded, scrutinizing Angel, probably taking in his clothing and his coloration, and putting it together with what their father had said.
“That I’m a culattone,” Angel added, using the terrible slur his family had hurled in hs face.
“He said finocchio but yes.” Giovanni’s gaze made Angel shift uncomfortably. “I’m looking at how pink you are and have to think he was right.”
Angel displayed his pink and white hands and opened his psychedelic shirt a few buttons to display the heart on his chest. “I’m queer and I could do without the slurs.”
Giovanni took a deep breath and Angel half expected him to walk out. “If I’m honest, I used to wonder why you were so into the bachelor life. I didn’t think you were gay, just uninterested.”
“I was interested but I couldn’t exactly come out and tell you I was gay.”
“Dad would have emptied his revolver into you instead of the other way around.”
“I know.” He had to ask even if he might hate the answer. “Is this gonna be a problem? I was hoping not since it wasn’t the first thing you said.”
“I’ve got bigger worries than that.” Giovanni shrugged. “Don’t know as I’ll see you all that much to begin with. Papà will eventually figure out I’m talking to you.”
“And shoot you. That shit don’t stick down here. We die, respawn, die again if we’re unlucky. But here’s your warning as far as Henroin’s concerned. He will shoot. He’s shot me a few times already and vice versa.” Angel speared a cheese curd with a fork. “I’m starring in movies now.”
“Really? I guess you did say Angel was a stage name.” Giovanni made a face. “That’s what Papà was so mad about? That makes no sense.”
“They’re stag films, Giovanni.” Angel laughed and popped the curd into his mouth.
A baffled expression passed over Giovanni’s face. He pulled a dripping fry from the gravy and ate it. “Not bad. I like this. But…you just told me you’re queer.”
“Gay men like porn too, Fratello.”
It visibly took seconds for his brother to process what he was hearing. He shook his head. “No way.”
“No way we don’t like porn? Because I assure you we do or no way I could make a stag film? Have you not noticed how hot I am?”
“At least that hasn’t changed in death. You’re still vain as ever.” Giovanni snorted eating one of the curds with his fry this time. So much for ‘I can’t eat.’
“When you’re this hot, you’ve earned the right to be vain.”
“You’re fucking for a living?” Giovanni’s voice cracked a bit at that.
“Better than running guns. Nothing wrong with getting to cum a few times a day.” Angel shrugged.
“Ugh, no, don’t put that into my head.” Giovanni shuddered. “You’re my baby brother and I can’t be picturing that.”
“You might not want to look directly at some of my upcoming posters.” Angel smirked.
“Now I see why Papà didn’t want me talking to you.”
“I wasn’t sure I wanted to talk to you if I’m honest. Should have known I’d cave instantly on that. I did miss you, Giovanni even if I hated you half the time.” Angel looked down at his hands, fighting to steady his heart.
“Goes both ways.”
“But I loved you too,” Angel said softly. “I didn’t forget that and I was afraid of this day, afraid of how much I would need to protect my heart. I can handle it if you hated me for the things I did when we were alive, but not if you hated me for being who I am deep down, for who I love.”
Giovanni pulled out a cigarette and offered it to Angel. They both lit up. He took a long drag, contemplating an answer. “I think if I had known when we were alive, I wouldn’t have known how to handle you being queer – and the less said about the stag films the better. It would have been…ugly, probably.”
“It’s who I am, Giovanni. I love men.”
Giovanni blew smoke at the ceiling and took a deep drink of beer, draining it. “I guess it don’t matter than much to me except…”
“What?” Angel snapped.
“I think I understand why you were in so much pain now. That’s a big secret to live with. Our lives were always shades of grey bordering on black, hiding things from Mamma and Molly and my wife, like they didn’t actually know what we were. And there you were hiding this other big secret. Fuck, they would have arrested you if you were caught with a guy somewhere at best.” Giovanni shuddered and Angel hunched in on himself. “I don’t care about what you do in your bedroom, Tony.”
“But if Henroin starts in on me, you’re not going to defend me.”
Giovanni’s shoulders slumped. “I’m working for him right now. I’m new. I don’t even know half of what’s going on. At least with papà I know the lay of the land. I know he’s going to blacken both my eyes if he knows I’m talking to you, he hates you that much.”
“Eight.”
“Huh?”
“Blacken all eight of your eyes. You got more now.” Angel smiled faintly.
“I do. I can’t…I can’t even look in a mirror. It freaks me out. How come you don’t have eyes like this?”
“Because I’m handsome.” Angel opened his arc of secondary eyes.
Giovanni sat back in his chair, crossing his arms, scowling. “That is so unfair.”
“Told you, Lucifer likes me.”
Giovanni snorted and then shook his head. “Pornos! You can’t be doing that. You’re….”
“What?”
“I mean you need certain attributes to get cast in stag films.” Giovanni blushed.
Angel’s face heated as well. “Are you saying you think I have a cazzo piccolo?”
Giovanni stammered around his cigarette some word too muddled to make sense of.
“Don’t make me whip it out here,” Angel threatened putting a hand on his zipper.
“You leave your cazzo in your pants!” He jabbed his lit cigarette at Angel.
“Bigger than your forearm,” Angel grumbled.
“Stop!” Giovanni shook his head. “Porn!”
“My poster’s at the end of the block. Angel’s Delight: The Sweetest Drink. It’s gone wild. I’m up for best picture of the year and Val is up for best director.”
“Wait, I’ve seen that poster! I thought that was a woman…oh my fucking god.” Giovanni’s blush deepened. “Guess I can scratch that movie off the to be watched list.”
Angel snorted. “Yeah. That would be weird. You’re not allowed to be turned on by me. Here.” He waved to the waitress as Giovanni gave him the finger. “Let me give you something. Hon, can I borrow a pen?”
“Sure, sweetie.”
She gave him a pen and he wrote a number on the napkin. He shoved it at his brother. “My number if you want someone else to help you get used to hell other than Henroin’s sour ass. Don’t give that to him.”
Giovanni pocketed it. “Thanks. I don’t have a phone of my own yet. Bunking at Papà’s warehouse for now.”
“Yeah, won’t catch me there. Even when I was running guns, I did it for his competitor. Look, I’d love to sit and talk more because in spite of everything I missed you,Fratello maggiore but I got a thing coming up.” Angel beckoned him closer, leaning across the table. Giovanni did the same. “My partner is about to take on the overlord who owns this little piece of turf,” he whispered. “You might want to get out of ground zero. Tell la nostra famiglia if you want. I ain’t gonna. If Henroin catches a stray, I’ll laugh.”
“Jesus, Tony. I didn’t know your hate went this deep.”
“You don’t know the half of it. He hurt Mamma and Molly all too often. He ruined us. I will never not hate him.” Angel swung out of the booth and handed a wad of bills to the waitress. “That should cover it and your tip, sweetie.”
“Thanks!”
Giovanni followed him onto the street. Angel looked around wondering if Valentino was already taking on Talon. It seemed too quiet. Was Bonnie around? Bonfire was Valentino’s steadfast assistant, glomming onto him the moment he fell from the way he described it. It was usually easy to tell if Bonnie was already in motion. Shit would be on fire.
The sound of cracking glass drew his attention upward. A window blew out of the booze distributor next to Naughty Nights followed by thick black smoke and flames. Angel grinned ferally.
“It’s going down, Fratello. You might want to run now or at least get back inside the Sultry Spirits. I’d go out the back if you want to avoid the carnage.”
“What about you, Tony?” Giovanni tugged at Angel’s sleeves to draw him away from the impending violence. If Giovanni had been in hell more than twelve hours, he already knew how rough the streets were.
Angel flexed and brought out six Tommy guns and beamed. “I am the carnage.”
Giovanni widened his eyes and raced for the bar to warn their family, not the choice Angel would have made. His part in this was easy: shoot Talon’s goons. Gunfire erupted inside the booze palace next to the Naughty Nights and Talon leapt out a window. Talk about making it easy. Several goons followed him to back him up and Angel let loose on them with glee. Valentino soared out of the window ahead of the flames. He was beautiful, framed by the fire.
Running for cover, Angel took Talon out at the knees. Valentino grabbed him and flung him back into the burning booze palace. Talon’s clothing caught fire. Some of his men raced to his rescue as he screamed. Angel dropped them. Every time Talon tried to crawl free, Valentino kicked him back into the inferno. As a car filled with more of his men roared up, Bonfire glided down from the roof like the flying squirrel she was. She dropped Molotov cocktails on the vehicle as she rode the thermals on her way down.
Out of the corner of his eye, Angel spotted his family exiting the Sultry Spirits the wrong way. They probably didn’t believe he was the one taking over the street and wanted to prove Giovanni wrong. Angel jumped up on the burning vehicle and machinegunned anyone trying to escape. Someone winged something at him and he backflipped off the car, avoiding the explosive, which rocked the nearby building it struck. He shot the asshole who had flung it.
“Sign it over!” Valentino roared at Talon who flailed, fully engulfed with flame. “Sign and this all ends.”
Even hardened to violence as Angel was, this made his stomach flip. Still, Valentino was his man and he had to back his play. He wasn’t entirely sure if Talon signed or was simply so weakened Valentino wrestled his control and soul away from him and left him to smolder out on the sidewalk. He lit his cigarette from the man’s body and sauntered into the middle of the street.
Valentino blew a streamer of red smoke into the air. “If you don’t already know who I am, I’m your new overlord of this territory. Remember my name. It’s Valentino. You come along with me, babies, and we are going to create something great. If not….” He gestured to Talon and the fire.
Giovanni inched toward Angel, leaving their family behind. “What the hell is going on, Tony?”
“Please, like you don’t recognize a gangland turf war when you see one. How many did you order when you were capo?” Angel scoffed and his brother shrugged. “You know the drill, we’re only as strong as the extent of our territories. My Val is very ambitious. Just wait and see. He might be a smalltime overlord now but he’ll get bigger and he’s taking me with him.”
Giovanni blinked at him. “You are stupid in love. I can see it all over your face.” He glanced at Valentino. “With that psycho?”
“The words you’re looking for are hottest overlord this side of the pentagram.”
“See? Told you I spotted his pink fairy ass in the bar,” Henroin grumbled, stomping down the sidewalk with some of his brothers and nephews tagging along. “And you, what the fuck are you doing talking to this finocchio” He casually slapped Giovanni hard enough to knock him off his feet. “You should know better, Arackniss.”
Giovanni – Arackniss? No Angel didn’t like that name – picked himself up, wiping his bleeding lip. “Just watching il mio fratellino creating carnage. You remembered what Papà taught us, Antonio.”
“He’s no son of mine,” Henroin snarled before Angel could respond.
Angel shrugged. “Never said Papà didn’t teach me well.” He hit the word papà just to piss Henroin off.
“Stay away from Arackniss or I’ll pull your fairy wings off,” Henroin warned.
“Angelito,” Valentino purred sashaying over to him. Angel was shocked his family wasn’t attacking. Maybe after this battle, they saw him and Val as more formidable than they had thought. “What are you doing? We should be celebrating.”
“Just welcoming my brother to hell.” Angel cocked his thumb at Giovanni. “It’s his first overlord battle.”
“And such a good one.” Valentino caressed Angel’s cheek and then swept him up in an open mouth kiss so hot and fierce Angel was shocked Henroin didn’t shoot them both for daring it. Valentino cupped Angel’s ass and he jumped up, wrapping his legs around Val’s slender hips. Val cradled him in all four arms and deepened the kiss, their tongues openly entangling around each other like mating snakes. Angel’s lips tingled and his head swam as Val broke the kiss. “Let’s go home babe and move this celebration inside.”
“Best idea yet.” Angel grinned and wrapped himself around Valentino tighter. Val took to the air. He waved goodbye to his brother who stared at him, mouth gaped. Angel flipped the rest of his family off with several hands but Henroin didn’t try to hurt him. Either he was too stunned or Angel was right. His father was impressed by the battle.
Valentino couldn’t fly them together for long distances but this display was just enough to let everyone know who was in charge. Together they were going to carve out their spot in the entertainment district. Val landed next to his sporty car and he let Angel drive them home. This is where he was meant to be, his name up in lights and on the arm of a handsome man. He might never see his brother again, not with Arackniss all caught up in Henroin’s shades of gray. Angel was meant for the bright lights and brighter colors. Valentino would give him that. What in hell could he want more?
Author’s Notes
Maybe I’ll get tired of exploring how Angel and Valentino first met and how Angel and Arackniss’ first reunion is hell is like but that day is not today. I thought it would be interesting to see Valentino being an up and comer, seeing him in the still love bombing part of the relationship before he gets Angel fully under his control and we know Angel is no push over. It was fun showcasing this. And it’s my first real chance to play with Arackniss and Henroin since we had that lore drop in episode three.
Italian Translations
As usual when I write these guys, they do what most Italian American families of this generation that I knew did, mix the two languages freely
Fratello - brother
Stronzo - asshole
Culattone & finocchio – incredibly awful homophobic slurs. Don’t use these. Ever.
cazzo piccolo – cazzo is penis and piccolo is small so you can see why Angel’s hot under the collar
Fratello Maggiore – a familiar form of big brother
la nostra famiglia – our family
il mio fratellino – my little brother
Recs!!
No More Torchwood
In Denial FAKE
A Time for Healing Starsky & Hutch
Hope Against the Shadows Hazbin Hotel
Divergent Roads Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Fool's Rosegold The Owl House
Heartache Stargate Atlantis
To Trust His Daughter Hazbin Hotel
Goodbye, little duckling. Hazbin Hotel
Dill With It Hazbin Hotel
Childhood Ambitions Torchwood
Never Giving Up he Fantastic Journey
Perfect shot Call of Duty
The Write Stuff Stargate Atlantis
This Moon, That Moon 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Uncomplicatedly Complicated Wolverine/The X-Men
wooing the lady 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
something you could sin for Naruto
Living Their Own Lives Teen Wolf
We've Done This Before Addams Family
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Date: 2025-11-22 12:19 pm (UTC)Also, I can't believe they've said nursing isn't a professional degree. I heard that and was like o_O WTF?!! (Looking for any way they can fuck over women and minorities, even if it takes a few men with them, in this case.)
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Date: 2025-11-22 05:12 pm (UTC)Just found out physical therapy was also declassified as professional along with nursing. BTW that's a doctorate.
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Date: 2025-11-22 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2025-11-22 09:40 pm (UTC)You're welcome