Work Text:
“Ten bucks.” Angel barters, eyes narrowed at Husk.
“Twenty.” Husk replies, smirking.
Ever since they had that little musical moment outside the bar something changed. Something big. Not that Angel was complaining.
“You’re willing to lose twenty bucks on this?” Angel asks, shocked. Husk rolls his eyes and slides another cocktail towards the spider.
He switched to virgin ones about fifteen minutes ago but Angel doesn’t need to know that. Husk is going to bring that secret to his… well you get the gist.
“I’m not going to lose anything.” He corrects, leaning against the counter to get closer to Angel. “Because I’m right.”
“There is no fuckin’ way.” Angel argues, but there’s no bite to his words. He’s too far gone for anything harsher than a half-baked glare.
Husk shrugs, grabbing Angel’s now empty glass. “I’m telling you, I’ve known this guy a long time. I think I know better.”
“Ok ok.” Angel taps his fingers on the bar top. “So you bet me twenty bucks that he doesn’t have a tail.”
“Alastor does not have a tail.” Husk says, failing to stifle a laugh. “He’s too…. yikes.”
“Who is too ‘yikes’?” Charlie asks, bouncing over to the bar, Vaggie in hand.
“Guess.” Angel smirks.
“Alastor?”
“Yes?” He appears out of the shadows. Despite seeing this a million times Angel, Charlie, and Vaggie all jump. Husk doesn’t even blink.
“Uh. Nothing.” Charlie lies quickly. Angel facepalms.
Why did I not know until right this second that the Princess of Hell is a terrible liar? He thinks to himself.
“Hm.” Alastor hums, eyes clocking each demon before returning to Charlie. “Alright then.”
Charlie practically runs away and Vaggie doesn’t hesitate to follow her.
Husk has already slid Alastor a drink, apparently deciding that he was going to stay for him. Alastor doesn’t mind, sitting at the bar a few stools away from the spider who is looking at him far too intensely. Alastory sips his drink, pointedly ignoring Angel.
“Do you have a tail?!” Angel blurts out, immediately slapping his hands over his mouth. He hadn’t meant to just yell it out but he couldn’t think of any other way to ask. Alastor pauses, his drink halfway to his mouth.
There’s a screech of static as he unnaturally turns to look at Angel. “Pardon?”
Angel slowly removes his hands from his mouth and swallows anxiously. “Do ya have a tail? Y’know… like a deer?”
Alastor doesn’t answer for a second, eyes narrowing at Angel. His smile looks far too tense but when he answers again, his voice is calm. “No.” His ear flicks in annoyance and Angel’s eyes follow the movement.
“Oh,” Angel says. Alastor doesn’t miss the not-so-discreet passing of a twenty-dollar bill between the two demons but decides to ignore it.
A few days later, Angel is walking around the hotel on his phone. He pauses by the kitchen, soft jazz floating through the cracked door. Out of sheer curiosity, Angel pokes his head into the kitchen to find Alastor, cooking. It isn’t an odd sight really, he does that often. But he has taken off his overcoat this time. Angel’s eyes widen and he runs off before Alastor catches him.
Alastor isn’t quite sure why Angel and Husker are acting stranger than usual but he did notice the twenty dollar bill return to Angel’s hand.