Arackniss paced back and forth in the living room, anxiously. Sir Pentious stood by the door, his excitement growing as he adjusted his coat, eager for their rare date night. "Arackniss, darling, you need a break," Pentious coaxed with a smile, brushing off his husband's concerns. "A night alone, just the two of us. You deserve it."

"I don't want to leave Jackie home alone," Arackniss snapped, his voice tight with frustration as he glanced back toward the kitchen.

Their five-year-old son was in there, happily scribbling on a piece of paper, blissfully unaware of the storm brewing outside. Pentious chuckled, clearly unconcerned. "He's fine, love. He's not a baby anymore. He can handle a few hours without you."

"I know," Arackniss grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck. "But he's still... five. He shouldn't be alone."

Pentious sighed but remained patient. "Why not call your sister or your father? You know they'd help."

Arackniss pulled out his phone, dialing his sister Molly first. The phone rang only once before she picked up.

"Arackniss? What's up?" Molly's voice came through, cheerful yet distracted.

"Molly, please," Arackniss said urgently, his tone filled with a mix of worry and exhaustion. "I need help. Pentious and I are going out, but I don't want to leave Jackie alone. Can you stay with him for a few hours?"

Molly paused, and Arackniss could almost hear her weighing the request in her head. "I'm kind of in the middle of something right now," she said reluctantly. "I've got work to finish, but..."

"Molly!" Arackniss said, frustration creeping in. "I really need you."

"I know," she sighed. "Look, I'm really sorry. Maybe Dad can help. He's around, right?"

"Fine," Arackniss muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I'll try Dad."

He ended the call and quickly dialed Henroin's number. This time, it only took a few rings before his father answered.

"Arackniss," Henroin's deep voice rumbled, always calm, but with an edge of concern. "What's wrong?"

"Dad, I need your help," Arackniss said, his voice strained. "Pentious and I are going out tonight, and I don't want to leave Jackie alone. Can you come over and watch him for a bit?"

Henroin's voice softened with understanding. "I would love to, son. But I've got a meeting tonight that I can't miss. You know how these things go."

"Damn it!" Arackniss cursed under his breath, pacing again. "I don't know what I'm supposed to do. Everyone's busy. I—"

"Why don't you call Anthony?" Henroin suggested, surprising Arackniss. "He owes you one, right?"

Arackniss hesitated. "Anthony? He's... not exactly the best with kids."

Henroin chuckled, "You're right. But if anyone's going to give you a break, it's him. And you can't just keep putting everything on your sister and me."

With no other choice, Arackniss sighed, "Fine. I'll call him."

At the hotel, Angel dusted off his hands as he exited the lounge area, a smirk on his face. "What do you want, gorgeous?"

"It's... Arackniss" came the gruff voice on the other end of the line.

Angel raised an eyebrow. He didn't expect that. "You calling me, just to chat? I thought you had a soft spot for me, but this is a little much," Angel teased, leaning back against the wall.

"Tony, I really need a favor," Arackniss's voice crackled through the phone, laced with a mix of anxiety and exhaustion. "I need you to babysit Jackie tonight. Pentious and I are going out, and I can't leave him alone."

Angel cocked an eyebrow, his smirk never wavering. "Ooh, a date night? How cute. But, uh, you sure you want me, of all people, babysitting your kid? I'm not exactly father of the year material."

"I'm out of options," Arackniss sighed, his voice heavy. "Molly's busy. Dad's busy. You're the only one left. Please, Tony."

Angel made a dramatic show of thinking. "Fine. But you owe me. Big time."

Arackniss sighed in relief. "Thanks, Anthony. I really appreciate it. Just... keep him safe."

When Angel arrived, Jackie was already bouncing off the walls in excitement, having been told that Uncle Angel was coming over to babysit. The little demon was practically vibrating with energy, his tail swishing back and forth. "Uncle Angel's here! Uncle Angel's here!" Jackie shouted, running toward the door as soon as Angel stepped into the house.

Angel grinned, leaning down to scoop Jackie up in a playful embrace. "Well, well, if it isn't the little gremlin himself. You ready to cause some trouble, kid?" he asked, winking at the boy.

Jackie giggled uncontrollably, his excitement infectious. "Yeah! I wanna show you my dragon drawing!"

"Show me what you've got, kid," Angel said, following Jackie toward the living room. "Let's see that masterpiece."

As Jackie eagerly went to grab his drawing, Arackniss stood by the door, watching the scene unfold. Despite the overwhelming chaos he knew would come with leaving Jackie in Angel's care, he had no other choice. Still, he needed to make sure Angel understood the importance of the job he was about to take on. "Alright, Angel," Arackniss said, crossing his arms. "I'm laying down some rules. No disappearing for hours on end, no letting Jackie play with anything dangerous, and please no encouraging him to get into the chocolate stash. Got it?"

Angel rolled his eyes with a grin. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. No getting him into trouble too much. He's your kid, after all, not mine."

"I'm serious, Angel," Arackniss said, voice firm. "Jackie's still pretty young. If he ends up locked in the closet or swinging from the chandelier—"

"Arackniss, chill out. I got this," Angel interrupted, still grinning. "You're gonna have a nice night with Pentious. Just go have fun. I'll make sure your little troublemaker doesn't destroy the house."

Arackniss hesitated for a moment, glancing at Jackie, who was happily showing off his drawing of a dragon, before giving Angel a nod. "Alright, fine. But if anything goes wrong..."

"I'll blame it on the kid," Angel finished, his grin widening.

Jackie, excited about his artwork, tugged at Angel's sleeve. "Look! I made a dragon! It's gonna be so cool when it grows up!"

Angel leaned down to take a closer look, pretending to examine the drawing seriously. "Oh, yeah, that's a future dragon right there. Can't wait to see it fly!"

Jackie beamed, clearly proud of his creation. "I'm gonna make a whole dragon army! You can be the leader, Uncle Angel!"

Angel chuckled and gave Jackie a playful noogie. "I'm already the leader of my own chaos army, kid. But I'll make room for one more little troublemaker."

Arackniss smiled at the interaction, even though he couldn't completely shake his anxiety. "Alright, I'll leave you two to it. Just remember, if anything goes wrong, you are getting the blame, Angel."

Angel gave him a mock salute. "Yeah, yeah. Now go on, enjoy your date. I'll make sure the house is still standing when you get back."

Arackniss glanced at Pentious, who was standing by the door, giving him an encouraging nod. "Alright. Thanks, Angel. And... try not to burn the house down."

"I said I got this," Angel teased, rolling his eyes. "Now go have fun. I'll keep the little gremlin under control."

With a final glance at Jackie and Angel, Arackniss and Pentious stepped out, leaving the two on their chaotic babysitting adventure. The chaos began almost immediately. Jackie was bouncing from one corner of the room to the other, dragging Angel along for the ride. The little demon had decided that tonight's activity would be building the tallest tower of cushions and blankets the house had ever seen. Angel, who didn't normally do much babysitting, quickly realized that keeping Jackie entertained was going to take more energy than he had anticipated.

"Alright, kid," Angel said, lifting a cushion. "You want to build a tower, huh? Well, I hope you've got some serious architectural skills for this thing, 'cause I'm not carrying the weight of this tower alone."

Jackie grabbed a handful of cushions and tossed them onto the floor. "We gotta make it taller than Daddy's couch!"

Angel raised an eyebrow. "Taller than the couch? Buddy, that's a big task. But okay, if you think you can pull it off."

The building continued, and as the tower grew, so did the mess. Every cushion, blanket, and stuffed animal in the house was soon part of the "construction project," and Angel found himself climbing and balancing with the same precision he used to while performing in the circus. Jackie, for his part, was giggling nonstop, fully immersed in his creation. Angel paused for a second, taking in the mess around him. "Alright, kid. I'm gonna need a break. How about we raid the fridge for some snacks?"

Jackie jumped up immediately. "Yes, please! I want cookies!"

Angel grinned. "Of course you do."

Meanwhile, Arackniss and Pentious were enjoying their rare night out. They'd gone to a quiet restaurant, but Arackniss's mind kept wandering back to Jackie. His phone buzzed in his pocket, but he didn't dare check it. He needed this time to be free of worry, to just enjoy being with Pentious.

"I know you're thinking about him," Pentious said with a knowing smile, reaching across the table to take Arackniss's hand. "It's alright. He'll be fine. Angel might be a handful, but he's got a soft spot for your kid."

Arackniss gave a soft chuckle. "Yeah, I just... I don't know. It feels weird leaving him with anyone who isn't family."

"You're family, too," Pentious said with a reassuring squeeze of his hand. "He's fine. Enjoy this time. We deserve it."

When Arackniss and Pentious returned home, they were greeted by the familiar sight of the living room... in total disarray. Cushions were piled high, blankets and toys were scattered everywhere, and there were traces of cookies on the floor.

Jackie was sitting proudly in the middle of the room, holding up his dragon drawing as if it were a trophy. "Look, Papa! I made a dragon!"

Arackniss let out a sigh but it wasn't one of frustration, it was a mix of exhaustion and amusement. "You made a whole dragon army, huh?"

Jackie beamed. "Yeah! And Uncle Angel helped me!"

Angel, lounging on the couch with a bag of chips, waved lazily. "Yeah, we totally built an empire, Arackniss. Don't worry. I kept him alive and mostly out of trouble. Mostly."

Arackniss couldn't help but chuckle as he knelt beside his son, ruffling his hair. "I guess we survived."

"I didn't make a mess, promise," Angel said with a grin, though his eyes betrayed a hint of exhaustion.

Arackniss gave him a playful glare. "Sure, Angel. Sure. I'll take your word for it."

With a relieved sigh, Arackniss collapsed onto the couch, his head finding a comfortable spot on Pentious's shoulder. Jackie snuggled up beside him, curling into his father's arms. "Best day ever, Daddy," Jackie murmured sleepily, his little hands clutching the dragon drawing.

Arackniss smiled, feeling a warmth fill him from the inside out. "Yeah, kid. It really is."

Pentious, who had joined them on the couch, passed Arackniss a cup of hot chocolate. "Let's rest. We've earned it."

Arackniss leaned back, taking a sip of the hot chocolate, letting the comfort of his family and the night's chaos settle over him. Despite the madness, it was perfect.