Disclaimer: All characters depicted in this story are eighteen years of age or older. Any sexual content involves only consenting adults. This is a work of fiction.
A Marvelous Devil.
Chapter 59: Before the Light.
Dante Andromalius.
“Well, hello there, my friend,” I appeared in front of the hero and locked a part of my focus onto his life force.
I didn’t intend to use any force against the kid, but at the same time, I wasn’t playing around with knowledge like this. At least now, he wouldn’t be able to run away.
Again, I was just preparing for the worst, even if I doubted it would come to that.
Before Peter could say anything, I just lowered my gaze to Tandy’s crumpled form.
I didn’t know what to say.
Sharing an embarrassed look with the two mutants, I conjured a splash of water and threw it right against my light’s face.
“I don’t know her,” I sighed, completely ignoring her indignant coughs. “Anyways, I had some questions, and I would appreciate some honesty here, kid. Look, let’s not waste everybody’s time. I know we all have things to do.”
I had all of his attention by now, even if he was somewhat busy gaping at my embarrassing girlfriend.
Where did she even learn that from? Maybe I should take her phone away… Serafall was truly attacking me where it affected me the most.
“And what’s that, stranger I absolutely don’t know?” Peter said, making a magnificent effort to hide the quiver in his voice.
“Right,” I sighed, feeling a bit irritated. “I know who you are, Pete, but you have no idea what I am. I can assure you I don’t have any negative feelings toward you right now, and I hope that doesn’t change. Your soul is one of the most beautiful I have ever seen. But this? This can’t wait. Please believe what your danger sense told you the last time you saw me.”
His mask twitched as his expression changed tens of times, one after the other.
“Dante? Tandy?” he said hesitantly. “What you are? Are you truly a demon?”
“We are,” I nodded slightly. “Good to see you once more. You should visit the café more often. I would love to pick your brain about some things. Morality-driven humans like you are rare, and I haven’t enjoyed a proper debate in years.”
“Heya, Petey!” Tandy finished drying herself off and greeted the brat before glaring at me with puffed-up cheeks. “I’m sorry about this, but we literally couldn’t wait. Dante has been worried about something for a while. And he’s right! You should visit more often. I would love to train a bit with Spider-Man!”
“Not so loud!” Peter almost screeched, looking around in a panic. “And can’t you stop using my name? It’s Spider-Man when I’m on the clock.”
“There's no one close, and Dante is doing something to hide the alleyway. These idiots are unconscious, and I promise I will make sure they don’t remember even coming here,” Jean smiled softly. I noticed the genuine surprise and admiration in her eyes at discovering who Spider-Man truly was.
Not that I could fault her. There was something magnetic about these types of mortals.
“While we don’t usually care about secret identities, we understand the need for them. We’ll take this to our graves, Peter,” Rogue nodded. “That’s Jean. I’m Rogue. We’re part of the X-Men.”
Jean cleared her throat and glared at Rogue.
“Ignore her,” the goth rolled her eyes. “She’s angry right now, but the point is that we’re heroes, and it’s my friend’s fault that Dante wanted to talk to you. I owe you for that.”
“Right,” Peter mumbled, looking around one last time. “And here I thought I wouldn’t see you two anytime soon if I consciously ignored your place.”
My light's pout was pitiful to the extreme. It was so effective that Peter immediately started apologizing, and you could practically hear the blush in his tone.
“You’re right, he’s adorable, Tandy,” Rogue laughed. “What do you think, Red, should we push the kitty cat into the spider’s hands?”
It was like lightning struck the redhead as her eyes blew wide. “They would be so cute together.”
“Can we focus on the important part?!” Peter raised his hands into the air. “You dropped the pretenses for this, right? It must be really important!”
I was too busy deadpanning at the trio of girls who had started gossiping without a care in the world.
I decided to throw him a bone.
“I don’t care about my secret being out, brat,” I rolled my eyes as I put my hand on his shoulder and moved him a bit away from the murmuring trio. “There are very few people on this planet who could inconvenience me at this point. And it’s not like I go around making enemies with those who could.”
“Wait, wait,” his body tensed for a moment. “You’re really a demon? A biblical demon? Did MJ sell her soul to you?! Because that’s not cool, dude.”
Despite the joking words, I could hear the absolute steel in his tone.
“Not that kind of demon,” I assured him. “I won’t say that you won’t find what I do distasteful. Our natures are too far apart for us to see eye to eye. But I’m not taking anyone’s soul for the time being. All my favors are bought with favors most of the time, or money, depending on my fancy.”
“And MJ?” he asked hesitantly.
“She doesn’t even believe I’m a demon,” I rolled my eyes. “But that’s beside the point. I need your help, and I’m willing to trade for it.”
“What kind of help? If you’re as dangerous as I believe you are, I doubt I’d be of much help, dude,” he hedged before turning serious.
“I need some information about Venom. As Rogue said, her friend mentioned that you fought with him a lot. More than any other hero. I need to know everything about that,” I said simply.
“Ah,” his shoulders slumped. “I thought it would be more serious. He’s strong, don’t get me wrong, but shouldn’t someone like him be beneath you? Like, I’m panicking here even if I can’t feel you like I did last time.”
“I thought it would help you stay calmer,” I chuckled.
“It makes it even worse!” he waved his hands. “No one has been able to hide from my senses! Like, ever!”
“Ah. My bad,” I shrugged and dropped my clan trait, only to have him immediately stiffen under my hand.
He shook his head rapidly.
“And about him, you’re right, Venom is unimportant. What I care about is not the man wearing the suit, but the symbiote itself.”
“You know that? How do you know that?!”
His reaction was a bit more pronounced than I expected. Much more so. I almost regretted trying to act civil instead of just using my soul sight on him.
“You wore it?” I asked seriously. “Did you use it, Peter?”
“You’re starting to worry me, Dante.” Peter moved a step away from me. “What is this about? Is there something wrong with it? Will I get some space STD or something? Am I going to die?! Is it like a slowed super cancer? Will my hair fall out?! Why would a demon know about some alien goo that gives super strength?”
Did spiders have super lungs or something?
“Easy, easy, kid!” I palmed my face, mildly thankful when the girls finally joined us. “You’re not going to die anytime soon. You’re too interesting for me to allow that.”
Maybe their presence would embarrass Peter enough to have him focus on what was important.
“Like a guardian angel of hell?” Peter stopped hyperventilating.
“A hotter one, I assure you,” I huffed. “Also, word of advice, if any other demon approaches you, call me. Don’t agree to anything they say. I called dibs first.”
“Thank you?” Peter whispered in confusion.
I nodded firmly. “The symbiote, Peter. Focus. How was it? Did it have a consciousness? Tell me everything you can remember, Peter.”
“You’re really worrying me, Dante.” Peter pulled off his mask, looking conflicted for a moment.
I let him think on it.
“It was... like a puppy? I don’t know how else to call it,” he shook his head. “It didn’t know anything, and it barely spoke at the start. The only thing I knew for sure was that it wasn’t human. It was like it didn’t know much about the world. It did things that we see as reprehensible just because it didn’t know any better.”
That wasn’t as helpful as I would have liked, but it was also incredibly good news.
“Like it was guided by instincts but not fully aware of them?” I mused about it for a moment before nodding.
“Exactly!” Peter nodded firmly.
Tandy approached him and filled his body with her light, widening his eyes.
“The drink! It was you?! I knew it was magical!” He gaped at Tandy.
“Ufufu,” she giggled, sounding disturbingly similar to Akeno. “You were injured back then. It was my apology for scaring you so much.”
“Why did you separate from it? How did you do it? I don’t think this planet has the kind of technology for that.”
He looked at me like I was an idiot.
Which, admittedly, his next words confirmed that I was, in fact, one.
“I just hit a bunch of bells inside a church, and it slid right off me? Sound is their weakness, Dante.”
“Excuse me?” I gaped at him.
Tandy burst out laughing behind me, as did my two interns.
“I mean... yeah? Like, that’s how I defeat him most of the time. They are absurdly weak to sound,” he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.
It didn’t make any sense. Was this ‘Venom’ defective? A runt of the litter?
Or did Knull’s imprisonment cause this? That would make some sense. Maybe the ‘free’ symbiotes severed from the hive mind were weaker to sound because they didn’t have that monster as their nexus.
I racked my brain for any mention of sound, but I couldn’t recall a single instance of any civilization fighting against him with just that. It would be incredibly sad if a single mortal kid managed to find out something so pathetically simple for a conflict that wrecked the universe for so long.
“So, like a newborn, and weak to sound. Got it. Anything else?”
Peter hesitated for a moment. “I took it off because it kept controlling my body while I slept. It was like it saw I loved being a hero, and its way of helping was controlling my body and beating up thugs. When we separated... it didn’t take it well.”
“And that’s how Venom was born?” I raised my eyebrow.
“Yes,” Peter sighed sadly. “Is it really that serious, Dante?”
Yes. Yes, it fucking was.
I just nodded.
He stayed silent for a long time, looking up at the dark sky before sighing.
“His next host was Eddie. Eddie Brock,” he said firmly. “He hated me for something I did... and so did the suit. When they merged, it seemed like the hatred amplified, and they both had it out for me. It’s like every negative thing about them was notched all the way up to eleven.”
“Where is he, Peter? I need to find something out,” I locked eyes with him.
“Gone,” Peter shrugged. “I haven’t seen him in months. I have no idea where he is.”
I clicked my tongue. I didn’t have the time to go on a manhunt.
“Did it seem different to you? Apart from the hatred? Like it knew things it shouldn’t? Was something guiding him, maybe?”
“Is this about their origin? Is it truly that bad?” he asked carefully.
Smart brat.
“Yes,” I said. “Considerably so. Frankly, you’re better off not knowing. This is way above your pay grade. What I need to know right now is whether you have any leads on where Brock went.”
“I have no idea, man. I didn’t know him well before he went insane. He was a reporter and, as Spider-Man, I destroyed his reputation without meaning to.” Peter shook his head sadly, but also dryly. “Is Eddie in danger, Dante? Can you help him?”
I looked at him, seeing the genuine worry he had for someone who hated his guts.
It was almost blinding.
Tandy cooed next to him while Rogue and Jean smiled.
“Everyone is potentially in danger,” I shook my head. “I hope I’m worrying over nothing, but life loves being a bitchy mistress against everyone who wants to live in peace. Can you keep your ears peeled and call me if you find information about him? I truly need to see it in person to find out if there’s a problem.”
“And what will you do to him once you find him?” he asked seriously, his eyes hard.
“Just assess the situation, maybe pull the thing out of him,” I said calmly. “Nothing more, for now. I don’t want to push too hard in case I’m wrong.”
Peter seemed to accept that. He looked around at the unconscious Maggia thugs for a moment.
“I’ll let you know if I hear anything,” he said finally. “How do I contact you?”
I pulled a magical circle out of my pocket.
“If you see him, use that. Just think of me while holding it in your hand and I'll teleport there,” I explained. “If you just hear of it, call me.” I gave him my calling card.
“Was that everything?” he nodded as he pocketed both sheets... somewhere.
“Now I just need to discuss your recompense, my friend,” I smiled. “Please, read this and sign if you agree.”
I spat a mouthful of hellfire into a burning contract. The basics, as usual, plus a monetary gift for him to do whatever he wanted.
A second clause was added, in case he agreed to give me a copy of his memories of the time he had the symbiote on his body.
I doubted he’d agree, but I didn’t lose anything by adding it.
“This is too much,” he shook his head. “And I don’t feel comfortable letting you into my head, Dante. I don’t know you that well, even if you have been civil.”
“That’s what the information was worth, kid,” I smiled at the dumb mortal. His desire was there, and I could see behind his eyes that he had some ideas on how to spend the unexpected windfall.
But once more, he shook his head.
“Then consider this a freebie from your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man!” He pulled his mask back on and returned the contract to my hands.
He looked at my mouth as if wondering whether he should shove it back in there to send it back where it came from.
What an amusing idiot.
I bit back a laugh.
“Thank you, Spider-Man,” I nodded calmly as he webbed away.
“Where’s the fair demon? Did you guys see him?” Tandy cocked her head at the mutants with a wide smirk on her face.
“I am fair,” I rolled my eyes and pinched her cheek. “I’ll make sure his aunt wins the lottery soon.”
Brat. As if I wouldn’t compensate someone who helped me like him.
The sweet smiles from the trio turned even gentler.
“Mr. nice demon over here,” Tandy swooned as she hugged me.
The pair of mutants laughed, shaking their heads as they put their hands on my shoulders.
We still had to prepare for the travel, so the Dark Force ate us whole.
Dante Andromalius.
I paced around the room as the girls started packing their clothes and everything they had bought while playing bait.
Surprisingly enough, Tandy didn’t mention anything about staying back there for a moment longer to take care of the thugs.
Not that her anger had abated. I could feel it storming inside her soul every moment we were in that alley, but she stayed her hand.
I was proud of her.
Not because of her mercy. I didn’t care if she killed them or did whatever she wanted to some pathetic mortals who had wronged her. I was proud because she recognized the timing was bad. It showed that despite her anger, she could think long-term.
Rogue wouldn’t have cared after I explained the circumstances. There was some Darkness in her that I found deeply attractive. But Jean was a different matter. She was a bit... just a tiny bit more rigid. All thanks to Charles Xavier.
Despite her anger at the telepath, his teachings would take a long time to break.
“Is it really that worrisome, Dante?” Jean asked as she put a dress inside her suitcase. “You called me a ticking supernova when you first saw me, and you’re acting like this is worse.”
She was packing a dress that was more expensive than a secondhand car. She sent a smirk my way despite looking genuinely curious about my answer.
I just stared at the gaudy piece of clothing.
Mortal currency was not something I cared about, but... ugh, it wasn’t even that beautiful. I could make something better with a snap of my fingers.
But that was mortals for you.
Jean’s smirk widened even more, as if she knew exactly what I was thinking.
“So?” She raised her eyebrow. “I get he has to be something else if a 'pathetic' being could go on a god-slaying rampage for hundreds of years with just his weapon. But weren’t you stronger than most gods?”
Rogue and Tandy sat next to Jean, waiting for my answer.
Tandy, who learned about my life as Seere directly from my mouth, looked curious. Rogue was a bit confused but clearly eager to know more. It was easy to see that the distance between us bothered her more than she let on.
I sat on the edge of Jean’s bed and looked at the ceiling.
“Knull...” I looked at them seriously. “He is really bad news. As bad as the Phoenix, with one simple difference. You can’t bargain with someone as insane as him.”
Tandy snapped her fingers and summoned a couple of beers and some snacks.
My lips twitched.
“Fine. Let’s have a history lesson. It might be more useful than panicking without a plan,” I sighed. “I’m old. Absurdly old. Jean and Tandy already know that, but you don’t, Rogue.”
“I’m so old that counting time is a waste. I was there when life started in the universe. What you mortals call the Big Bang... that happened after my creation.”
Rogue’s open mouth was glorious. The glance she threw in Tandy's direction was hilarious, especially proud look my light threw at the goth.
I threw a piece of popcorn her way, and she coughed in surprise.
“Yes, I’m old,” I deadpanned. “The story of my kind is complicated, to say the least. Our creator, Nemesis, was the sole being living inside what they call the First Cosmos. She was lonely and decided to create life. Us.”
The girls got even closer to me. I didn’t mention Tandy’s hand resting on my thigh. Or Jean brushing my shoulder with hers.
“She didn’t like what she saw,” I chuckled. “We were evil. There’s no other way of putting it. We were a mistake given form, and she couldn’t handle that. She killed us all.”
Rogue’s eyes widened.
“The correct choice, I assure you,” I waved my hand airily. “You only have to look at my brethren to know what kind of mistake our creation was. But she couldn’t handle the loneliness any longer. She longed for what she couldn’t enjoy because of how we turned out. So, she killed herself.”
“That’s horrible,” Tandy gasped.
“And she is the one who made my focus Fairness, my dear,” I smiled softly. “She was the one who showed me the ultimate fair exchange. Her existence for the universe’s existence. It was the most beautiful sight I have ever seen in my very long life. I wonder if I ever will.”
I continued without waiting for their reactions.
“Now, the First Cosmos is not the only plane of reality, but I won’t bore you with details that are confusing even for someone like me. The one who made Nemesis's existence possible was the One Above All. The one true, real God. Everything else? Everything you know and everything I don’t? Below him.” I smirked at their slightly dazed looks. “The point is, my creator’s death became the turning point of history. He used her death as the seed for existence and everything that followed. Are you still with me?”
They nodded timidly. Even Jean, who had seen some of this inside my soul, looked captivated.
“That’s the story everyone knows. Nemesis dies, The One Above All creates everything else, and history continues its course. But there’s a hidden side to that story.”
“Knull?” Jean asked knowingly.
“That scary fucker, yes,” I nodded. “He was always there, since before the very beginning. Between the void of the void. Like I told Ororo, he was woken up when the Celestials started spreading the seeds of life around the universe, and he took immense offense to that. The Celestials are a race of cosmic beings all the way at the top of the food chain, sitting just below the abstracts and, obviously, the creator.”
“And one died,” Tandy murmured, looking even paler than usual.
“We can visit its severed skull when we have time,” I smiled amusedly. “It shocked everyone who was around back then. Since that day, Knull’s mission has been to eradicate life as a whole just to return to the quiet nothingness he came from.”
“Why haven’t we heard of him?” Rogue asked curiously. “Like, I know most people don’t believe in aliens and all that, but if such a being is out there, wouldn’t he be known everywhere?”
“That’s part of the story, my dear,” I grinned. “You see, the universe is vast. A being... not entirely dissimilar to the Phoenix... picked someone perfect to act as his herald. Galactus, the Devourer of Worlds. Another thing your scientists got right is that the universe doesn’t stop expanding. The problem is that endless life is not sustainable. So, Galactus was tasked with curbing that growth in his own way.”
I wondered if they caught the sheer sarcasm of that 'perfect'.
I didn’t mention the real reason for Galactus’s existence, or why he was protected by everyone in the know. No one wanted to see what would happen to reality if he weren’t here.
“He eats planets, and I will be like him?” Jean deadpanned.
“You’ll burn them, not eat them, my dear,” I shook my head amusedly. “Even the Phoenix would hesitate to ruin your figure like that.”
Her eyes flashed white for a moment before she looked to the side with a heavy blush.
“Heh, you’re cute,” I snorted at the exact same time Tandy did. My light nodded in agreement.
Even Rogue chuckled.
"Well, coming back to the story. Galactus acquired a herald who, despite being an absolute headache to work with, managed something no one else did. He fought Knull by his lonesome when no one else even tried." I shook my head. "I'll give him that much."
“And he stopped him,” Rogue mumbled. “It makes sense that Knull is unknown, then.”
“Fuck no,” I laughed loudly. “The Surfer is a planet buster, my dear. Just a planet buster who holds back because he's afraid of his own power. He ended up as Knull’s slave for a while.”
Rogue dropped her beer.
“You’re welcome, by the way,” I grinned. “That energy I gave you last time? It’s the exact same type he uses.”
Tandy hugged Rogue from behind and whispered something against her ear that left her fiercely blushing.
I wasn’t going to ask.
“Then how was he stopped?” Jean asked curiously. She wasn’t quite as shocked after everything she had seen inside my soul.
“Well, the idiot number one was his slave for a long while. Then an even bigger idiot freed him from Knull’s clutches. You see, Knull likes to talk,” my lips twitched in disbelief. “He was mocking him instead of re-slaving him once more, and the Surfer basically conjured a star directly in Knull’s face. It exploded right there and then, and it knocked him down for a while.”
I had watched that happen in person because I was always too curious for my own good. I projected the memory to the girls without comment.
“That’s fucking absurd!” Rogue stood up and started pacing. “You’re saying that thing is back?! He tanked a fucking star!”
“He was stopped for years, though,” I chuckled. “For a very long time, in fact. Then he went back to his crusade. It wasn’t until a thousand or so years ago that he stopped for good. Or at least, that’s what I hoped. Thor fought one of Knull's creations right here on this planet. And because Thor is a bullshit existence thanks to our lovable little firebird, he managed to put Knull into a coma without even hitting him directly. You see, Knull's creations operate on a hive mind, with him at the absolute center.”
“And whatever the God of Thunder did traveled through that connection!” Jean’s eyes brightened as she sat up straight. “He must have affected Knull the exact same way Tandy’s reincarnation backlash got Xavier! Is his lighting just lightning or does it have special properties? I mean, he's a God, so he should be especial on his own way.”
Did she know how attractive she was when she put things together?
I wanted to laugh as her sudden embarrassment hit her. I shook my head fondly at the other two, who were wearing matching smirks.
Yeah... they were going to fit in amazingly with my group in the Underworld. I wasn’t planning on letting them escape my hands anytime soon.
“Exactly that. And everyone in the cosmos who knew about it cheered, even if no one understood how the golden idiot managed it,” I smiled at her. “You know, Knull is a particular brand of insane. Not even the evilest bastards around want him roaming the cosmos. What’s the point of world or universal domination when there’s nothing left alive to control? He’s one scary fucker, and it worries me that he might be awake once more. I need to find out what is going on.”
“Can you even do anything about him as you are right now, though?” Rogue asked cautiously.
It was a very sensible question. One that I had been actively ignoring ever since I saw the hints in Logan’s memories.
Tandy Bowen.
The Underworld.
Red’s scale spat us into the designated room we used to travel between both universes. Dante had warded it to the high heavens just in case someone in this universe was capable of sensing his travels.
Not because he worried about someone from here following him, but because he didn’t want an idiot making a mess and catching the attention of someone from the other side.
His words, not mine.
And as secure and secret as the place was supposed to be, the room was filled with a warmth I had come to love.
Not Dante’s. Our connection didn’t feel as good as it usually did. Ever since Rogue asked that question he refused to answer out loud.
Not that I needed him to say things to me at this point to understand what he felt. It was almost cute that I understood things better than he did, because they were all so alien to someone like him.
That anger, at himself mostly. Shame, disappointment. Things that were new for him.
Most prominently, the disgust he felt for the gap between what he was and what he needed to be to face someone like that monster.
I would do everything in my power to keep him away from that thing until we were ready, even if I had to keep him smothered between my thighs for the next decade or however long it was needed.
“My baby!” Celestine hit Dante like a missile and refused to let go. His arm snuck around her automatically, and I smiled at the confused happiness that filled his being for a moment.
It got rid of his negativity if only for a moment.
I grinned at the scene, and my two new best friends smiled softly, even if they were confused about Dante acting this way.
She pulled back, looking like it pained her to do so, cupping his face in both hands, and looked at him in a motherly way that Dante didn’t know how to face.
Without saying anything, her eyes locked with mine.
I shook my head slightly.
Her expression didn’t change as she kissed his cheek once more and finally let go, then turned to Jean and Rogue.
“And who are these beautiful ladies?” She was already moving into their personal space.
Which wasn’t a thing for the devil called Celestine Andromalius. Her eyes brightened as she nodded approvingly at what she saw.
And her hands twitched like she wanted to grab a cooking utensil or something.
“Mom,” I stepped into her bosom before she could asphyxiate my friends. It wouldn’t last long, but it would give them enough time to prepare for the force of nature that was coming their way. “These are Jean and Rogue. They will be with us for a while.”
Celestine laughed happily before her face turned serious.
“Do their guardians know, or did you two kidnap a pair of princesses?” she winked at the pair.
Jean stood very straight with a nervous smile on her face.
Rogue blushed in a way I had only seen her blush once. When I asked if we should ask Dante to inject more cosmic power into her.
Heheh.
Celestine took Jean’s face into her hands, just like she did Dante’s, and pinched her cheek gently, “You’re gorgeous, I love your hair, my dear. But you're too thin, have you been eating well lately?”
Without waiting for Jean to answer, she tutted and glared at Dante.
“Don’t worry, I won’t let my son overwork you, and I’ll fix you something good for dinner.”
Jean blinked owlishly. “I… thank you?”
Heh. She sounded just like Peter did when Dante claimed him out of nowhere.
Celestine nodded cheerfully and moved to Rogue, who looked mildly alarmed before remembering that her power was turned off. The change of expression was instant but noticeable as Celestine hugged her, as if she had known her since she was a babe, but she relaxed a second later and hugged her back.
I wondered how interested she would be in asking her to snuggle one of these days. Was it too soon? We were friends, right? There was nothing wrong with snuggling with your best friend.
Would she blame me if my hands wandered a bit? I mean… I wouldn’t be able to blame myself.
Over Rogue’s shoulder, Celestine looked at me.
Her eyebrow rose just a tiny bit, but I understood her question.
More daughters-in-law?!
It was almost loud.
I pressed my lips together to avoid laughing and nodded almost imperceptibly.
She nearly flew from the excitement as she hid her squeal.
I wondered what Jean was thinking about what was running inside Celestine’s head.
The door opened once more, and another person I had missed walked inside.
“Dad!” I grinned and hugged Hadrian Andromalius like I always did.
He had gotten better by now and hugged me back a moment later after getting rid of his surprise.
“Daughter, welcome home,” he said simply with an honest smile on his face.
“It’s good to be home,” I couldn’t help but agree.