Day Five: Shopping
The chaos of Pentagram City seemed to reach new heights during the holiday season. Everywhere you looked, sinners were rushing around in a flurry of last-minute shopping, flashing neon lights, and blaring holiday music. But none of that compared to the true chaos that was about to unfold at Arackniss's house. Inside, Arackniss sat sprawled across his couch, scrolling through his phone and ignoring the world around him. Sir Pentious was tinkering with one of his gadgets in the corner, and Jackie happily coloring at the coffee table. It was a rare moment of peace; one that was about to be interrupted.
"'Niss!" Angel Dust's voice rang out as he appeared in the doorway, a wide grin plastered on his face. "We're going shopping! And you're coming with us!"
Arackniss didn't even look up from his phone. "No, I'm not."
"Yeah, you are!" Molly added, stepping in right behind Angel with her arms crossed. "Family bonding time! You're coming, and that's final."
"I don't need bonding time. I'm perfectly fine," Arackniss replied, tapping away on his phone, clearly uninterested in what they had to offer.
Angel dropped dramatically onto the couch next to Arackniss, leaning into his personal space. "Come on, don't be a buzzkill. We need a third wheel to help us keep it interesting."
"I'm already your third wheel, Angel. And I don't need to go shopping to prove it."
"I'll buy you a new bottle of whiskey," Molly offered, her voice sugary sweet. "Consider it a reward."
Arackniss sighed, the offer making his ears perk up a bit. He glanced over at Pentious, who didn't even look up from his tinkering. "You're letting them drag me into this?"
"Not my problem," Pentious replied, his mechanical voice barely masking his amusement. "You're an adult. Handle it how you wish."
Jackie, coloring happily, suddenly piped up, "Papa, can I come with you? I wanna get a toy!"
Molly crouched down beside the little boy and ruffled his hair. "Sorry, kiddo, not today. You're staying here with your daddy."
Jackie pouted, but his tail swished happily, clearly not that bothered. "Okay, Papa, have fun!" he called out, returning to his coloring.
Arackniss stood up, glaring at Angel and Molly. "Fine. But I'm not carrying anything."
Angel smirked. "You say that now."
The first stop was the toy section, and naturally, it was a disaster. The aisles were crowded with kids and toys that seemed to scream bad idea. "Look at this!" Angel exclaimed, grabbing a plush spider toy and holding it up in front of Arackniss's face. "We should get this for Jackie! It's a mini version of his papa!"
"No." Arackniss raised a brow, his tone final.
"Come on!" Angel ignored him, tossing the toy into their shopping cart. "He'll love it!"
Meanwhile, Molly was sorting through a pile of toy cars, her eyes lighting up as she held up a remote-controlled off-roading vehicle. "Jackie would love this! What do you think, Arackniss?"
Arackniss glared. "I think it'll be a nightmare when Pentious starts 'modifying' it."
"Exactly! That's the fun part!" Molly laughed and tossed the toy into their cart.
Arackniss grumbled but didn't argue. He was already too deep into this nightmare to back out now.
The clothing store was next, and that's when things really started to fall apart. "Hey, 'Niss! What do you think of this one?" Molly stepped out of the dressing room in a glittery red dress, spinning around.
Arackniss barely glanced at her. "Looks like something you'd wear to a circus."
Angel snickered. "I think it's cute, Mol." He gave her an exaggerated wink.
"It's perfect for the holiday party!" Molly grinned, looking pleased with herself.
Arackniss rolled his eyes. "I'm not even going to pretend I know what looks like a good outfit. Just make sure there are no sequins."
"Sequins are mandatory for the holidays!" Angel declared, and without hesitation, grabbed a sequin-covered scarf and wrapped it around Arackniss's neck.
"What the hell are you doing?" Arackniss hissed, yanking it off.
"You're being festive! Get into the spirit!" Angel said, grinning like a kid in a candy store. He spun around, holding up a ridiculous pair of Santa Claus glasses. "Try these on!"
Arackniss made a face but, much to his displeasure, Angel shoved them onto his face. He looked in the mirror. "I look like an idiot."
"Exactly!" Angel cheered. "Now you're in the holiday spirit."
The final destination was the Christmas decoration section, where the true chaos began. "Look at this!" Molly gasped, holding up a garland of blinking lights. "This is perfect for the office! Arackniss, help me put it in the cart!"
"Help? What are you talking about?!" Arackniss exclaimed, his voice rising as Molly casually tossed the garland into the cart and turned away.
"You're the big brother," Angel chimed in, suddenly holding a giant inflatable Santa. "You're carrying that." He tossed the inflatable Santa onto Arackniss's head, causing him to stumble slightly under its weight.
"I'm not carrying that!" Arackniss protested, pulling it off his head.
But Molly and Angel just ignored him, busy loading up the cart with all the ridiculous decorations they could find. Angel started piling sparkly reindeer antlers onto Arackniss's head, and Molly stuck a glowing candy cane in his hand. "I'm not a damn Christmas tree," Arackniss muttered, rubbing his forehead. "I'm done."
"Nope! You're doing great, 'Niss!" Angel called over his shoulder, clearly enjoying the chaos.
Finally, after what felt like hours, they made it to the checkout. Angel, ever the drama queen, insisted on buying the giant inflatable Santa and the sequin scarf, while Arackniss was forced to carry every single bag. "I swear," Arackniss grumbled, his arms buckling under the weight, "If you two don't take some of these, I'm going to start throwing them at people."
Molly rolled her eyes and grabbed a few bags. "You're such a whiner. We couldn't have done this without you!"
Angel flashed a wicked grin. "Yeah, but that's because you're the best big brother ever," he teased, slapping Arackniss on the back. "You love this."
Arackniss, under the weight of bags, a blown-up Santa, and various other holiday monstrosities, muttered, "Next year... online shopping."
But deep down, even he couldn't deny it: in the madness of it all, there was something nice about spending time with his siblings. Still, that didn't mean he wouldn't grumble the entire way home.
When they finally returned home, Arackniss was beyond exhausted. His arms ached from carrying all the bags, and the absurdity of the day's shopping trip had drained him mentally. He kicked open the front door to his house, ready to collapse onto the couch and forget the chaos. Pentious looked up from where he was organizing something on the counter. "You're back. How'd it go?"
"Don't ask," Arackniss groaned, tossing all the bags onto the hallway floor.
"You look like you've been through hell," Pentious teased, walking over with Jackie in tow.
"Just get me some whiskey and a nap, and I'll be good," Arackniss muttered, sinking into the couch with a heavy sigh.
Pentious chuckled and walked over to the kitchen, quickly returning with a steaming mug of hot chocolate. "No whiskey, but this should help."
Arackniss barely registered the warm drink in his hands before he drained it in a few gulps. It wasn't whiskey, but it was soothing enough. He sighed again, sinking further into the couch. Jackie, who had been excitedly talking about his day, finally noticed his dad's exhaustion. He climbed onto the couch beside Arackniss and curled up against him, his small body warm and comforting. "Papa, can I sleep with you?" he asked softly, his tail wrapping around Arackniss's arm.
Arackniss didn't even need to respond. He just pulled his son closer, the chaos of the day finally giving way to a rare moment of peace. Jackie nestled comfortably against him as Arackniss closed his eyes. Pentious smiled warmly at the sight of his family, taking a seat beside them on the couch and sipping his own cup of hot chocolate. For a moment, everything felt right. Even after the madness of shopping, it was these quiet moments at home that made everything worthwhile.
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