The sun was beginning to set when you woke up from your impromptu nap, and before you had time to feel embarrassed about how touch-starved you found out you were with Angel, your phone buzzed at your bedside. You noticed that Angel had thought to charge it for you- a sweet gesture, but one that made you chuckle to yourself when you realized the charger wasn't plugged into the outlet and your phone was still nearly dead. Picking up the phone with a soft smile, it was James' contact was flashing on the screen.

Your thumb hovered over the green icon, as you contemplated your options. You had yet to process and decipher his actions earlier in the day, and you weren't certain you were ready to face him even if it was just over the phone. You didn't even know what it was you wanted him to say about what happened, but you feared the worst. Still, he seemed pretty hurt the other day when you had been ignoring his calls and texts, so you figured you had better answer.

You pressed the up icon at the last second, bracing yourself for a potentially awkward conversation and instead being met with a flat, authoritative tone. "(Y/n), where are you?"

Great. He was clearly in hero mode. "I'm at home... are you okay? You sound tense."

"I'm fine, it's you- Rowan just asked me to meet him outside of my office to talk. It's the first time he's been active since he kidnapped you and we have no clue what he wants. Angel knows you live above the shop now, yeah?" He sighed in what sounded like irritation as he awaited your response.

Your face scrunched in slight displeasure- was he seriously gonna be weird about that right now? "Um, yeah? Why is that relevant to Rowan? Why are you even telling me about him at all-"

"I'm gonna send Angel to keep watch over you since he's the only other hero that knows you live there, then. Rowan didn't mention you in his message, but you can't be too-"

"Wait, what? No, Jamie," you interrupted him adamantly. "You guys had the super early morning shift and he's off now. I can see why you need to attend to the situation but don't make Angel work overtime needlessly."

James scoffed on the other end of the line. "You need to let me do my job. It's not needless when it's... a civilian's safety. I doubt Angel would feel too annoyed at the idea of spending more time with you. And if I don't send him, then I'm sending someone else. Do you really want another superhuman entwined in your life, complicating things for you and putting unwanted attention on you?"

You threw your head back and stifled a groan at his insistence. He was making several valid points, too... You were certain that especially after you latched yourself onto Angel and treated him like a human pillow, he'd jump on any opportunity to receive that treatment again. And if you were honest with yourself, which you decided begrudgingly to be, you wouldn't mind snuggling with someone again either. Especially since you were slightly antsy at the mention of Rowan and could use some physical comfort. James was also right in assuming you didn't want to attach yourself to more supers at all, seeing how you were already overwhelmed with your current three. Damn him.

"Okay. Fine. Send him over. Will your meeting be broadcasted? I don't usually watch, but this... well, it's sorta different this time."

A couple of seconds passed before his voice rang out from your phone. "Okay... I just told Angel to hurry over so he should be there soon. And hopefully not. We aren't alerting any news stations due to the unpredictable nature of the mission, but it's not like we can fully prevent more ballsy stations from showing up if he makes a big enough scene. Just don't go downstairs, and do draw your windows shut, please. I'll be back in contact when it's safe. (Y/n)- don't do anything stupid, understand?"

Before you could grumble out a response a spirited knock sounded on your door, presumably coming from Angel. It was honestly still difficult to believe how fast he was, but you deeply appreciated his urgency in coming to your aid.

"Hello? Are you even listening to- was that a knock?"

"Yep."

"That clingy little shit," he mumbled. "Whatever. Hey, I love you, and please stay safe."

The call ended with a short beep before you could think to return his final sentiment and you frowned to yourself until another knock sounded. Dragging your feet towards the door, within seconds of opening it you were crushed into a firm embrace by your feathered friend.

"No need to be afraid, your Angel is here to keep you safe!"

"Hey, buddy," you greeted as best you could after having all the air squeezed out of your lungs.

He only pulled you in tighter, your feet lifting a few inches off the ground. He turned with you in his slightly awkward hold to close the door, and you felt almost like a rag doll as maintained the same strange carrying position as he brought you to your couch and finally sat you on the faded cushions. He stood in front of you, failing miserably to mask his giddy smile in order to put on a strict hero persona.

"Now... what am I keeping you safe from...? I didn't listen after I was sent here, I just flew..."

You snorted at his admission and patted the spot next to you, a wordless invitation. "That's okay, sunshine. So, uh, there's this villain who kidnapped me a while back, and he asked to meet Megistos today. I think you're here in case he tries something fishy? I don't really know either, your boss is just being a bit over dramatic again if you ask me..."

Angel gasped in horror as he took a seat, grabbing both your hands and staring into your soul. "He's not overreacting! Rowan's already super dangerous, but I remember reading that case before you and I became friends, and that makes this all worse! Oh my God, (Y/n), that must've been so scary for you! And here he's back and could come try to take you again! Or he could hurt your friend! Or he could threaten your safety! You must be petrified, poor thing!"

You frowned at his worrisome ramblings. "Okay, well things weren't that scary before- mostly just annoying. But now that you said all that, yeah. It's a bit freaky.."

You gnawed on your bottom lip anxiously as you began to further entertain his ideas. What if Rowan felt embarrassed that a 'subpar' human managed to best him and escape, so now he planned to try to hurt you, or even worse James, in retaliation? Your best friend was inhumanely strong, but you weren't sure he was entirely invincible. If something unthinkable happened to him because of you, you'd never forgive yourself.

Before you could you got too caught up in your inner turmoil, Angel's hands cupped your cheeks as he guided your face to meet his. "Hey, no! Nothing bad is gonna happen cause Megistos and I are gonna keep you safe no matter what! Megistos is the strongest hero ever! And I would never let someone hurt you, either! I'm a super strong guy, right?"

You grumbled a flippant agreement and he gave you a small shake as he shook his head.

"Nuh-uh. Say it like you mean it! I'm super strong, right?"

"Yes, Angel. Very strong. Freakishly. Which is- y'know- fitting, maybe..."

He beamed under the praise, not noticing the way you'd half teased him, and he pinched your cheeks. "Aw, my little (Y/n) thinks I'm super strong! Cause I am! So I won't let any bad guys hurt you or take you away!"

You pulled his hands from their almost painful grips on your face, but you couldn't fully bite back your small smile at his words. He was surprisingly good at managing to cheer you up, and you couldn't lie, his words had you feeling better about your and James' safety.

"Wanna watch a movie to keep your mind off things? Of course, if you still feel nervous you can fall into my super huge, super strong arms and I'll keep you nice and protected, and- um, what was the word you used earlier? Oh- comfy!"

A soft glow emitted from his skin as he leaned back, his arms open wide as they awaited your body. You hesitated to give in to the admittedly cozy-looking arrangement, your embarrassment at him bringing up your earlier state resurfacing. You almost wished you could go back in time and deny him his requests to touch you so freely. Almost. Because the truth was, you reveled in the sensation of being so gently and carefully held- even by someone who wasn't James. In fact, the only real reason you wished to go back was because you were scared of what that meant for you- what it meant for your feelings for James.

Well anyways, whatever you had going on with James wasn't the most pressing matter on your mind- your threatened safety was. And lucky you- you were sat next to a kind, new friend who was offering you some physical comfort in such a trying time. So moving past your bashfulness and conflicting feelings, you allowed yourself to move closer to him and rest your upper body on his chest. His arms stayed in their open position for a moment, like he was in disbelief that you accepted his offer- not that you could really blame him, seeing as you had been so brusque with him when you first met. You were surprised by your compliance to his whims too, but a new friendship might've been what you needed to discover the things you enjoyed and even craved outside of who you wanted to be for James. And apparently, one of those things was physical affection.

Once he overcame his surprise, his arms finally encircled you, and they admittedly were super huge, super strong, and super comfy. Damn heroes and their pristine bodies. You wondered for a moment if James would feel the same way if he held you, but you were quick to discard the thought in order to enjoy the man who actually would touch you.

For a few seconds, it felt not exactly uncomfortable but a bit stiff (likely due to your inexperience), so you tried to re-situate yourself better, curling up into a ball and leaning further into his chest, your knees and legs partially resting on him. He moved in perfect sync with you, placing his legs on the coffee table in front of the couch and leaning into you as well. He rested his head on yours and gave you a quick squeeze where his arms wrapped around your frame, sighing in clear contentment at your new position. You felt similarly contented, you decided, allowing a soft smile to pull at your lips.

You were so cozy that you almost forgot your original plan of distraction via television, so you hastily grabbed at your remote and powered up your boxy TV, flicking through TV stations as you prayed that Angel hadn't noticed your trance-like state initiated by an embarrassingly short period of cuddling. He didn't need to know how pitifully touch-starved you were quite yet.

"Streaming isn't in my budget, so we're gonna have to watch a trashy cable flick- those are usually funny anyways, though."

"You can use my streaming accounts... but I'd watch anything with you," he assured you gently, and you paused channel surfing for a moment to send him an appreciative smile. He was already looking down at you, a tiny smile of his own playing on his lips. It was a tender moment, and before you could thank him for his offer the TV caught your attention yet again.

"Well, well, well- if it isn't the great Megistos?"

Your head whipped to the monitor, eyes zeroing in on the scene being displayed. As you scanned the screen, you had a clear view of two men's side profiles, where they stood in front of a Commission building- James' Commission building. One of the men, Rowan, stood haughtily, hand on hip and head tilted to the side challengingly, and the other was James- or, no, Megistos- standing a few feet away from him tall and proud. No real crowd seemed to have accumulated yet and the terrain surrounding the men looked untouched, so thankfully nothing violent had broken out yet, but you still felt your heart begin to race anxiously in your chest. This was why you hated tuning into news regarding heroes.

A logo in the corner of the screen informed you that some tiny news station seemed to be covering the budding situation, and you wondered how they'd gotten there so fast when nothing substantial or newsworthy had yet to have taken place, although Megistos and Rowan were both quite famous- maybe even more so in relation to each other- so maybe that was why? Whatever had clued the news outlet into the meet-up you were somewhat thankful to, because you were also rather curious as to why Rowan would ever ask to simply talk to Megistos like James had informed you earlier.

"Jesus- cut the 'well well well,' villain bullshit, Rowan," Megistos scoffed. You blinked at his unusually clipped tone, surprised that he was so peeved by this man that he would drop the usual professional behavior he maintained while on the clock. "And that's redundant. To say 'the great Megistos.' Megistos means 'the greatest'. Am I 'the great the greatest?' Tch, dumbass."

You chuckled weakly at your friend's irritation, the interaction reminiscent of your own with the villain on the day of your kidnapping.

Rowan didn't seem too affected, though, rolling his eyes disinterestedly. "Spare me the lecture, brat. I came here for a reason, not to hear your pitifully off-base insults."

"And the reason is? Let's wrap this up. I was supposed to be off hours ago, asshole."

"Don't care. I'm here to inquire about your flower friend- little miss (Y/n) from Francesca's." You, Angel, and Megistos all noticeably stiffened at his words. You placed your feet on the ground and moved to the front edge of the couch, but Angel kept his now tense grip around you. "I've taken quite an interest in the little thing, but there's just so much I don't know! Let's start here- what is she to you? Family, a friend- something more? Don't spare me any details!"

Megistos' face contorted into a grimace beneath his mask as he listened to Rowan talk and press him about you, his hands balling up into angry fists at his sides. "I'm not telling you anything. All that matters is that she's nothing to you and is under mine and the Commision's protection. You're going to stay away from her."

"Hmm. Sounds like she's quite important to you- I don't think I like that," the villain mused. "I'm thinking that I might want to occupy the spot by her side that's currently filled by you! Even if I have to take you out to do so... unless you'll just... give her to me?"

Megistos was fuming now, stomping up to Rowan so that they were mere inches apart. "You piece of shit! I will give you nothing! You don't even know her!"

"Yes, I know- that's the whole issue," he agreed matter of factly, taking you a bit off guard. Because she got away from me, and now you're not telling me anything about her. If you're really going to make things this difficult then I suppose I'll need to just kill you and go talk to her by myself..."

Before you could let the implications of his last sentence settle in, the earth around the two superhumans seemed to erupt and crumble, causing the camera to topple over and the screen to subsequently turn to static. You stared at your TV with lips slightly parted and eyes wide, your mind having gone blank, unwilling to try to make sense of what you just saw yet.

After a few tense moments, you felt one of Angel's hands gently shake your shoulder as he quietly spoke up. "Um, you okay, precious...?"

His voice drew you from your stupor, and you slowly turned to him. Your eyes narrowed as your emotions began to click back into place, the strongest being that of pure infuriation.

"What the fuck is wrong with that nutcase? He's gonna fight the strongest hero out of jealousy- for what? Because him and I had one conversation where I said not all villains are evil? I literally insulted him immediately after and said he wasn't one of the good ones! You have to be a certain breed of delusional to think that the person you kidnapped and belittled for being non-powered would ever want to be your friend! God, Angel! What's wrong with this guy?"

Angel blinked at you owlishly, taken aback by your mini-rant. "You're not scared? You're just... annoyed?"

"Why the fuck would I be scared?" you chuckled ruefully. "First, Megistos is gonna go batshit and beat his ass for threatening me, then I'm gonna go finish the job! Rowan should be the scared one- he should be petrified. I'm so tired of him!"

You stood up in a huff with the slightly thoughtless intention to make good on your threats, but Angel grabbed your wrist before you could find your keys and head towards James' Commission office. He rose to his feet and tugged you into a firm hug that you were too frustrated to reciprocate.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you go anywhere yet, precious," he apologized sweetly into your hair, rubbing your back as he attempted to bring you back to your wits. "Our friend would kill me if he knew I let you go to the scene of a fight- especially one that broke out partially due to... well, you. You can berate Rowan when he gets arrested and locked up for good, but right now there aren't any chains protecting you from whatever he wants to do to you. For now, you've gotta stay here with me."

You groaned loudly into his chest, annoyed by the fact that he was right. Besides, James had told you not to do anything stupid, and a regular civilian attempting to take down a supervillain was pretty far from wise.

The nonstop buzzing of your phone on the couch had you prying yourself from Angel's hold, much to his thinly veiled disappointment. You picked the device up to find a seemingly never-ending stream of oncoming notifications lighting up the screen, a tiny ball of dread forming in the pit of your stomach. Some notifications were concerned texts from loved ones, but most were from your social media accounts- mostly the ones you ran for Francesca's, but it seemed a few were also coming into your personal ones as well. Not ready to face what you feared the latter notifications would entail, you opted to check the texts first. Unsurprisingly, a large amount came from your sweet Eloise, but a similar amount also came from Tony.

7:24 - evil minion 👿

- unbelievable.

- u have supers literally fighting for u.

- what is ur life...

- and ur going crazy online?

- how can i make this about me

His words not helping alleviate your steadily increasing anxiety, you opened your chat with your more characteristically positive young employee, just to see similar, vaguely ominous messages.

7:24 - good minion 😈

- are u okay miss (y/n)

- pls stay safe

- rowan is so unhinged

- also, maybe stay offline

- people can be really scary sometimes

- they're even finding me to ask about you

And then came the most negatively foreboding message yet:

7:29 - evil minion 👿

- stay safe.

If Tony was openly expressing his concern for you, things had to be bad. You didn't draft a reply to either teen, instead deciding to ignore Eloise's advice entirely and open up your socials. You logged into the shop's account first to look at its mentions, the store having never received this much traction before, aside from the few times a fan posted a stalker-esque pic of James visiting you in his hero suit.

@megistosleftasscheek: literally tracking down this (y/n) as we speak... i hope u can fight bitch! no one comes between me and my husband. 💘 🤍 im pulling up @francescasflowers

It was an undoubtedly alarming thing to read upon just opening the app, and the posts below it weren't any better.

@heroslutttt: Guys wth do I need to do to have the hot hero and villain fight over me? That should be meeee @francescasflowers (Y/n) reveal???

@herohub: We'll be providing coverage first thing at @francescasflowers 💐 tomorrow to find out more about the mysterious (Y/n)- the woman who seems to have captured two super's hearts! Drop a 🤍 for team Megistos and a 🖤 for team Rowan! Follow us @herohub for more info on your favs!

@megistosleftasscheek: wait guys i think i found her??? @(u/n) ? she's private but with that pfp i changed my mind 🫦 who is megistos to come between me and my wife? 💍 💗 @francescasflowers can you confirm it's her?

Seeing your personal account had been revealed, it was like your fingers went on autopilot as they opened up that account's messages. You were private, but that didn't stop the steady influx of message requests being sent to your account's inbox. Despite knowing what kind of sentiments you'd likely been starting to receive, as well as knowing that reading such messages would have no positive impact on your mental state, your morbid curiosity prevented you from looking away.

@user8293383847- When I find you I'll gut you like a fish, you disgusting whore. Megistos doesn't want you and everyone wants you gone

Angel grabbed your phone from your weak grip and tossed it aside on the couch before you could read on, the deep frown on his lips indicative that he'd seen all that you had. You honestly hadn't even remembered he was there beside you, let alone that he was reading along, due to the intense feelings coursing through your mind. You looked up at him blankly, feeling your knees start to tremble. Taking his seat on the couch again, he pulled you down with him and cradled you gently in his lap as he tried to reassure you.

"It's gonna be okay, (Y/n)."

"I don't understand what's going on..." you trailed off numbly.

He sighed sympathetically, trying to help you make sense of the situation. "It looks like the footage got out online or a bigger station was also there on the scene somehow and started covering the altercation, that's why you got those messages. But right now I've still got you and you're safe-"

The TV interrupted him, the static switching to the scene of a very low-budget newsroom, where a man and woman stood awkwardly as they awaited their signal to begin reporting. A flashy banner graphic ran below them reading: "SUPERHERO MEGISTOS' SECRET LOVER SOUGHT OUT BY SUPERVILLAIN ROWAN: A SUPER LOVE TRIANGLE"

The woman began to read choppily from her teleprompter. "And we're back! Sorry for the- the delay, but this just in- a huge fight between Megistos and Rowan took place outside the hero's Commission office on- um- on Main! Civilians were harmed, er- no civilians were harmed, haha, but many were shaken when Rowan created a large earthquake! What's caught the nation's attention, however, is a young woman named by Rowan as (Y/n), she's the cause of the huge altercation! Neither super was seriously hurt, but the area took a hit!"

"Where is the remote?" Angel muttered to himself as he shifted around beneath you, but your eyes stayed glued to the screen as you watched the low-quality recapping of events. How fitting that some lousy little news station would cover your equally lousy situation.

The man was the next to speak, his demeanor no better than his correspondent's as his tinny voice rang out. "That's uh- that's right, Jen! Still, the most damage is certain to be done to this mystery lady, when super fans get their hands on her! Oh God, haha, it appears fans have already made plans online to raid this Francesca's tomorrow to find out who it is that is so special to Megistos, and if they don't like what they find? They're gonna rip her to-"

The TV powered down before he could finish his unpolished lines, Angel finally having found the remote. You sensed his worried gaze fall on you, but you couldn't meet his eyes as you struggled internally to understand the series of events that had taken place in the last few minutes. The implications of everything cast their disconcerting shadows over your future, but you seemed unable to react to any of it yet. You were nothing more than a silent observer fighting to take back the reins of your psyche.

"Hey, what's going through your mind?" Angel asked you, his voice once again pulling you from your temporary paralysis.

You looked up at him, only for the image of a dark-haired man to flash in your mind, sending a terrified chill down your spine. Oh god.

"He's never gonna let me see the light of day again," you whispered. You'd mostly said it to yourself, though the vague statement still earned Angel's concerned attention.

"Rowan's not gonna-"

"No, not him, worse-" you began, interrupted by your front door as it flew open with a bang, allowing entrance to James, still in an extremely tattered uniform. Angel had jumped from his seat, initially believing the intruder to be a threat, his movement sending you crashing to the floor with a thud. He gasped and began rambling frantic apologies, but you dismissed them as he helped you up with a weak but forgiving smile.

"Don't just fucking drop her!" James snapped at the other hero. "Why was she even- no, whatever! (Y/n), are you alright? Did you hear what-"

"Of course I fucking heard! And saw it- on the news and online and in my texts," you listed off anxiously. "What do I even do from here?"

"You just- fuck, would you get your hands off of her?" James ordered Angel, yet to fully address you.

And Angel, who had been gingerly holding you up beneath your arms, began to comply- until your hands gripped at his retreating forearms and pulled him back into his prior position. "He's fine. Just close the damn door and help me figure out what to do!"

James reluctantly did as you asked, and the three of you soon after found yourself sat at your small kitchen table.

The tension begging to ebb away, you allowed yourself to really take in the older hero's form, and he certainly looked like he'd just engaged in a superpowered brawl. His suit was muddy and wet, decorated with few sear marks and other minor tears across his abdomen. It seemed Rowan had utilized every element in his arsenal, but luck was on your friend's side as his actual skin seemed perfectly unharmed. You felt the anxious coil of your body come slightly undone, now that you were able to see he was alright. Or maybe not alright, exactly, judging by the pensive scowl pulling at his handsome features and the nervous bounce of his thigh that you only clocked due to the way it shook your table slightly.

"You're moving in with me and closing down the shop," he finally announced, voice firm and final.

You took a moment to recover from such a bold order, willing your voice to be steady and even when you replied. "No the fuck I'm not."

"There's no other option- people know where you work now, (Y/n). They think we're a couple- do you know how parasocially territorial fans can get? They'll eat you alive without a second thought, I can't just-"

"I'm not closing Francesca's or moving just cause a bunch of super-fans think I'm your secret lover," you cut in. "People speculate about other heroes' love lives all the time and those civilians in question don't have to uproot their lives."

Angel placed his hand atop yours as he chimed in meekly. "Um, I don't think that it's quite the same, (Y/n)... Megistos is one of the most famous heroes ever, and he's kinda known for being the world's boyfriend and stuff, so the scale of public response is different for you than other civilians..."

You drew your hand away from his at what felt like his betrayal. "You're taking his side?"

His eyes widened as he shook his head adamantly. "No- no! I just acknowledged his point! I don't think you need to move or close shop at all, honestly!"

James rolled his eyes at Angel's quickness to please you. "It's not just the fans, Angel, they'll die down over time. As a hero, you should understand that the real issue is Rowan's weird fixation on (Y/n). He said he 'just wants to talk' to her, but he also said he 'just wanted to talk' to me today but then he tried to put me six feet under. It's too dangerous for her to stay here above the shop he knows she works at, so she's moving in with me."

"She's right here," you pointed out agitatedly, not appreciating his attempt to exclude you from a conversation regarding your future. "And I'm really not moving in with you. You can't force me to, and I won't do it of my own volition either. Why aren't the heroes you have patrolling my street enough security anymore when the threat is basically the same?"

James' expression went blank for a moment, like he was looking for an explanation himself. "Those are- well, they're just sidekicks. If they were fully fledged heroes, sure. But the only sidekick even that might be able to defend you from a Rowan-level threat is Angel- and he requested his location in order to work under and shadow me, not to babysit my helpless little friend who won't take better preventative measures. I can't dispatch actual heroes with set schedules and patrol routes to be a simple bodyguard either- so you're moving in with me. It's settled."

Tears began to prick at your eyes as he tore into you, regarding you so hurtfully like a petulant child. He wouldn't even acknowledge your perspective or try to understand your unwillingness to trade your current life to go into hiding. It was so belittling and frustrating, even more so since you knew that due to the power he unknowingly held over you, you were sure to actually give in.

Or so you thought, until Angel spoke up again, his face unusually solemn. "I'll do it."

"What?" James questioned him.

"There's nothing more I'd rather do as a hero than help protect my friend," Angel began. His words may have been directed at James, but his eyes found your face as he continued, deep affection evident in the way his gaze softened. "Keeping civilians safe physically is really important, but heroes are also told to protect people's freedom too. You said if someone strong enough were watching over her then she could stay here and still feel like she's in control, right? So appoint me as her bodyguard until you apprehend Rowan for good. I'll do it."

You felt your heart swell in your chest with immense appreciation for the blonde as his hand wrapped back around yours. He was willing to sidebar his dream of shadowing James in order to stick by your side for work that wouldn't give him any glory or public gratification. All he'd receive was your unwavering thanks as well as your constant presence, but somehow- remarkably- it seemed like that was enough. And as he stared so steadfastly at you- so eagerly devoted- you wondered for a moment if maybe his dream had changed altogether.

"Really, Angel?" James scoffed, removing you from what had been a sweet moment as his gaze moved between you and the blond bitterly. "You mean to say you want to stop shadowing one of the top heroes in the country, just to be a glorified guard dog for some random civilian you hardly know? I knew you were lying when you said you were done trying to get in her pants."

'Some random civilian'...really? You felt yourself deflate at the unnecessary jab, retreating into yourself as you tried to push down how insulted you felt by it.

Contrastingly, Angel got worked up by James' words, speaking up on your and his behalf. "That's not okay, Megistos! You shouldn't disrespect your friend like that! I don't want- I- she's my best friend, okay? Of course I want to do this for her..."

You could tell how hard it was for him to speak out against his boss, and it made sense considering that Megistos was the sidekick's literal idol for so many years. The fact that James made such a mean-spirited remark when he knew of the colossal amount of respect that Angel had for him, as well as the strength of the younger man's newer bond with you, made your blood boil.

"That was a really shitty thing to say," you said. "To both of us."

Guilt etched itself on James' face, but the damage had already been done. "I... I'm sorry."

"Right." You rolled your eyes and stood up from the table, crossing your arms over your chest. "So it's settled then. I'm opening shop tomorrow like normal and Angel is my bodyguard. I'll see you tomorrow, Angel. Megistos, you can just-"

"I'm staying over tonight," he stated firmly before softening his approach. "Please. Just- let me. Please? For my peace of mind."

You looked away from him, hating yourself as you nodded in approval of his wish. You glanced at Angel, who was standing up to leave, and you hastily spoke again. "Angel stays too. He's the one who offered to take the lowly, miserable job of being my guard dog, so he might as well get used to suffering in his temporary new home."

Angel visibly perked up, back to his smiley self. "Okay!"

James glared at the winged hero, practically baring his teeth at the happy man. When did he start disliking Angel that much?

"There's only two spots to sleep- the bed and a couch. He can't stay," he tried, his not looking like even he was confident in the weak argument.

"My bed can fit two..." you pointed out flatly.

James sent a smug grin towards Angel at the implication of your words. "I guess I don't mind sharing-"

"Me and Angel in the bed and you on the couch," you clarified, watching with minor satisfaction as James' face dropped indignantly.

"You can't be serious."

"I'm sorry, did you wanna sleep with him?" you offered dryly, not understanding the issue when he'd slept happily on the couch many times before. "If you wanna sleep in the bed so bad just say so, and I'll take the couch."

"What? No. I'm not- I wanted to- no. I don't even... you know what? Nevermind. Whatever!"

"Okay," you sighed, trying to decipher the troubled and contemplative look on his face as he trudged to the couch. Your interest in him died down soon enough though, when you were suddenly in Angel's arms and being twirled around to the sound of his excited laughter.

"Sleepover time! Mom and Dad never let me have them when I was younger! Can I do your hair and paint your nails?"

You laughed tiredly at his childlike excitement as he set you down, wondering how he'd managed to lift your spirits yet again. "Not this time, sunshine. I'm dead after everything that's happened today- even after my nap. Tonight we're just gonna go to bed. But..." you paused and looked away from him, unable to say your next... needy words while maintaining eye contact with him. "We can maybe, uh... cuddle... if you wanna..."

At his silence you sent him a suspicious side-eye, only to find him trying and failing to mask his excitement as his warm beams of light escaped his giddy self. You couldn't lie, it was pretty cute.

"Can I please be the big spoon to my cute little-"

"Oh my God- would you shut the fuck up?" James bellowed from the couch. His face was almost humorously inexpressive for someone who practically shook the foundation of Francesca's down below with his volume and fervor, and the three of you stared at each other in a stunned silence.

You were the first to recover, and therefore the first to speak. "...okay. So... I'm gonna get you both some spare clothes, and uh- yeah. Wow..."

The tension slowly lessened as the three of you completed your nighttime routines, and while Angel was noticeably quieter in volume, his elation was still tangible as he spoke in animated whispers about how he couldn't wait for your slumber party. James remained almost entirely silent the rest of the night, though, not even offering you a cordial 'goodnight' before he crashed on your couch. You almost checked in with him, but Angel was tugging your body towards your bed before you had the chance. You guiltily felt sort of relieved by his unknowing interference, as you weren't too anxious to speak with James after his treatment towards you or Angel all night.

So you both settled in your bed, and you pretended to begrudgingly grant Angel his request of being the big spoon, secretly enjoying the way his body molded to encompass yours perfectly. He tucked his nose in your hair as his arms draped around your middle and his long legs intertwined with yours- every point of contact his body made with yours was an unspoken promise of comfort and safety that you doubted you'd ever be able to express your appreciation for adequately. Still, you wanted to try.

"Sunshine?" you spoke softly into the night after a few minutes, half expecting him to be asleep.

"Mhm?" was his hushed reply.

"I just wanted to say thank you."

"Oh? I didn't do anything, though...?"

"No- you've done so much. I just- today was really hard for a lot of reasons. And you just- I don't know. It's like you made all the pain feel more bearable. I hope I can do the same if things ever get hard for you."

You felt him pull you a bit closer, his voice more bashful than you'd ever heard it before when he responded. "You already do. Seriously, (Y/n). I wasn't lying when I said you were my best friend earlier!"

You smiled as his animated whispers. "Yeah? You're one of my best friends, too."

You finally caved into your exhaustion once the tender confession escaped your lips. Maybe it was naive of you, but you felt strangely at peace with the day's events and prepared for the coming days ahead, no matter how perilous. You were in good hands, now. And since you were fast asleep, you didn't hear his confession, granting you a similarly ignorant kind of peace concerning his true feelings towards you.

...

"(Y/n), I think... I think I wanna be your only..." Angel whispered, receiving no response. That was okay, though. He was just as unprepared as you were to confront that specific truth and its potentially ugly consequences. It was for the best- he thought to himself as he eventually drifted off- that you hadn't heard it at all, and that things would remain as good as they had been before.