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"Nisssy?" A soft hiss broke from the calm darkness of the foyer one stormy night down in Hell.
The serpentine Sinner had had his slumber disturbed by motion underneath his chin and furthermore when that motion started weakly pushing blankets and coils off his small form.
"Tony.. Tony stop.. Stop it! Yo..ur ganna wake Pops…" Was all he got out from the spider Demon that slept once so soundly alongside him on their couch.
Sir Pentious lifted his head a bit further from its resting position on the arm of the couch and flicked out his forked tongue slowly.
He caught salt in the air's scent. And now that his head was up, his hood flared slowly too and then he caught the sounds coming from the other couch to their right.
Angel Dust, Arackniss' younger brother, was crying in his sleep.
Was it the storm or a nightmare?
The serpent couldn't gauge as he fought within himself to hold his little Sniper back or let him go and tend to his little kid brother.
He chose to watch his partner and hold his breath as he did so. The two brothers once did not get along, even in life.
But once having been broken and left for dead, found by his youngest brother and things shared between when time seemed short, he wondered, would this be the start of a change between them?
And if he interfered, would that have cost them a rebuilt bridge?
He chose to watch and hold his breath, hoping for the best outcome between the spider brothers in this tense moment in time.
-
I KNEW we weren't alive!
I KNEW Pops wouldn't pop up at the Hotel either!
But the crying-
As soft as Tony always made his sobbing get, I always knew he was doing so and silencing him with anger before never helped anyone.
Surely you'd think knowing nothing bad would befall him now if he cried would leave me to sleep more at ease? I mean seeing he was protected by Lucifer's daughter, and yet-
I managed to get myself up and out of the blankets and coils I slept in with Pentious and limped heavily over towards my younger brother's couch.
I was still so broken, still so tired-
I stumbled even, at such a short distance from my couch to his, but I made it and what I chose to do instead of yell, made a few years with Pops worth it when I was done.
I never thought I'd be the one to make my brother smile, yet, here I was watching that goofy grin form as the words left my mouth, assuring him softly that everything would be okay~
-
"Its okay, Tony~"
I'm dreaming? Right? Cause Nissy wasn't NISSY, but Johnathan!
He was also being nice as he found me under the bed, crying softly after a heated argument between him and Pops.
The sounds of shattered glass and louder growing voices always tipped me over the edge and here it landed me-
Cowering, awaiting Nissy's rant about being a 'man' and to 'stop crying'. How 'look at me, I'm bleeding but not sobbing like a baby's, then, 'now suck it up and grow up!'
I was dreaming surely! Something must have happened? Pops hit him good this time, ya, that's what happened!
The only explanation I could conjure up when I felt one arm wrap around my shaking form and heard in a gentle tone Molly and I had heard him use only so rarely when it was desperately needed, "Hush now, no more tears~"
"I'm.. Scare..d.." I shudder and flinch along with him as a clap of thunder rattles this room we were in.
He braves up and says in that low, cocky manner of his, smile upon his tired face, "I won't let a little thund'a and lightn' hurt'ja Tony, al'right?"
"I.. I'm sorry I'm.. Scared.."
"Don't be, not anymore, Tony! Understand me?" His arm hugs me from the side and I feel him tucking me in. "Johnny's here now, your fine~"
I couldn't help myself and whimpered out when I thought this dream would end too soon-
"Stay?"
He doesn't answer but instead I feel him settling down behind me. I feel a smile forming at this and nuzzle myself more comfortably within his oddly given hold.
Protected by my Big Brother, a feeling I barely knew I understood~
I was going to stay asleep for as long as I could before he came into my room and forced me awake and back to reality.
I'd keep this warm moment so skant and far between embedded into my mind for as long as I could-
As long as I could stay-
Asleep-
I become more alert and blink into the early morning light of the foyer and find something has made itself comfy along my back.
I thought it was Fat Nuggets up until I saw Sir Pentious resting easily alone on his and my brothers couch.
I then found my brother passed out along my back, eyeless side facing me, broken arm just out of reach, tucked in neatly where it was splinted along his chest.
"Niss?"
My voice cracks, memories flooding back, but doesn't get my brother's attention and instead, gets Pent's.
He yawned a large tired yawn before asking lightly my way, "What ever isss the matter, Mr. Dussst?"
I hitch a thumb to my brother and he chuckles.
"You happened to be dreaming ssssomething frightful and he awoke out of a ssound slumber just to be with you~"
"N..iss..?"
"I think my decisssion to refrain in returning him to our couch was wissse since you fell asssleep almost at once after he got to your sssside~"
"He hobbled from dere to here, just ta help me go back ta sleep?"
With a little nod of his snake head, I turn my eyes from Noodle to Arackniss and smile weakly, melting as he snores in his sleep, undisturbed by the words spoken just then.
"Thanks, Johnny~"
I tuck my face back into my blankets and sigh, feeling the light weight of my brother breathing easy along my side.
Broken and tired, he'd come to me what to him must have felt like MILES and helped me drift back off to sleep.
All because I was scared and he was able to be the brother he never got to be with Pops!
I'd let him know when we all woke up again-
That I didn't feel so scared anymore~
And I'd thank him for that!