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Angel threw his sweater off, grabbing something close to him and throwing it, not caring about the shatter he heard clearly resonate through the room. Tears blurred his vision as he stumbled through his room, collapsing on his bed and hugging himself so tight it almost hurt how hard his fingers dug into his arms.
He hated his job.
He hated that contract.
He hated Valentino.
He hated himself.
He hated EVERYTHING.
An angry sob wracked Angel’s body, he shook, tears streaming down his face, messing up his mascara. And he lay there like that, too overwhelmed by emotions to even move. Seconds blurred into minutes into hours, and he wished hopelessly that his bed would open up and swallow him whole. Block him out from this cruel world and his own mind and emotions and heart that he wanted to tear out.
A gentle knock on the door went unheard over the flurry of anger and tears and despair whirling through Angel’s mind like a hurricane. Cherri stood on the other side of the painted wood, rubbing her arm. She had been waiting for Angel at the club, where they had planned to meet, but he never came. And it was certainly unlike the Angel Dust she knew to flake, especially not without an apologetic text. “A-Angel?” She called, but when she wasn’t met with a response, she simply sucked in a breath and opened the door, half expecting to see him dead with an exterminator towering over his body. The cyclops was instead shocked to see him on his bed, crying.
Cherri had…never seen him cry before…
Cautiously, she approached the bed with a wide eye, sitting on the edge and scooting closer to him, concerned when she noticed the small wounds his fingers were causing as they dug fiercely into his upper arms like he wanted to rip his own flesh to pieces.
“…Angie? Are you—?…” Before she could finish her sentence, Angel rolled over, his back now facing her, and curled up into a loose ball, gripping his head as his sobs became audible. The noise shattered Cherri’s heart, and she crawled even closer, placing a hand over his wounded bicep.
“Angel, I’m worried, what’s wrong?” She spoke clearer, now a little desperate to help her best friend. Angel whined, indicating he didn’t want to talk about it, and she deflated. “…Ok…” She mumbled, laying back down on her back, placing a single, comforting hand on the spider demon’s back, feeling each shake and quiver. Angel curled up tighter, pressing both fists to his forehead and desperately attempting to calm down to no avail. Cherri could only stare at him sympathetically, feeling like tearing up a little herself. She wanted to help him, probably more than she had ever wanted anything. But she didn’t want to overwhelm him while he was already clearly struggling, so she stayed silent, the feeling of complete helplessness in the situation crushing her internally.
“I- I-.” Angel's voice came at last, Cherri jolted, sitting up and looking down at him expectantly. “I- I can’t- t-.” He hiccuped, stuttering, his tone thick and watery. She took one of his lower hands in hers, stroking over his palm with her thumb, she rubbed his back with the other. “Yes, Angie? It’s ok, take your time, it’s alright.” She soothed him, watching in silence as he started to calm down and his breathing slowed.
Angel’s eyes finally opened, looking down at his lap while he slowly uncurled from his ball. “I…I hate it. I h-hate him. I hate m-myself. I-“ He began listing out his thoughts, his voice growing wobblier with each word, but Cherri shushed his train of self hatred. “Oy, don’t you dare speak about my best friend like that! He’s the coolest guy I fucking know!” Angel gave a weak chuckle, “And yeah, I get it, I hate Val too…” Her voice softened again. “I hate the things he does to you…” Angel nodded in silent agreement, feeling his body start to untense and relax.
After a moment of hesitation, Cherri leaned down and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, before pulling back to see him basically melt under the affection. She hummed a soft tune, laying back down to spoon the spider, petting the fluff on his bare side and resting her cheek against his back. “Mm…I luv ya…” Angel mumbled, yawning. “Love you too, Angie.” Cherri whispered before they both slipped consciousness, falling into a peaceful, dreamless sleep.