Chapter Text
Angel laughed as he downed another shot, the cool liquid burning its way down. His head felt clearer than it had in a long time, despite the amount of alcohol coursing through his blood. He was in his element, laughing with the table around him and sharing lewd jokes. The smell of smoke filled the air, as well as the sound of lovers going at it. This was a place where Angel could stay for years without question. Redemption as a concept was great, but spending time here was where he was truly at ease.
“Hey, Ange,” a lionlike demon purred as she extended a thunderous paw in his direction. “Where’s that hunk you brought with ya? Chase him away, didn’t you?”
Angel rolled his eyes with a flourish of his wrist. “Of course I didn’t!” His head lifted proudly and stared around the club, flashing lights momentarily obstructing his vision as he tried to locate the winged bartender. “Oh fuck, where did he go?”
The lioness laughed, high pitched and squeaky. “Your guess is as good as mine, hun.”
Angel reached out to take another shot, and once he downed it, pushed himself away from the table and excused himself with a flirty wiggle of his fingers. He laughed as he pivoted on his heel and wove around the numerous people throughout the club, keeping his eyes peeled for one in particular. When he had no luck, he pivoted towards the restrooms, knowing that he wouldn’t be in any of the VIP rooms.
His knuckles tapped on the door lightly before pushing his way through. The pornstar wrinkled his face at the stench filling the restroom, several stalls left in disarray from numerous rendezvous that Angel wanted no part of. Not everyone could afford a private room and it certainly showed. He tried to ignore the stickiness of the floor under his boots as he drew himself from stall to stall in his search for his companion.
“Husky, you in here,” Angel called sweetly.
A muted grumble answered him. Angel turned the corner to the stall at the corner of the bathroom to see the familiar bartender sitting against the wall, face ashen white and sweat collecting on his brow. He looked smaller than ever, wings pressed flush against his body to conceal what remained of his hunched over body.
“What the fuck happened to you?”
Husk narrowed his eyes. “Nothin’. I’ll be out in a sec,” he replied as he drew a hand over his face, tips of his claws threading through his thick eyebrows.
“Hmmm, don’t think so, whiskers. You look like you’re about to hurl again,” Angel commented as he tapped his foot.
Husk groaned to himself and closed his eyes tightly, fighting the churning that clenched at his stomach. “Don’t mention that,” he nearly spat as he swallowed hard. “M’not fucking doing that again.”
“Did you eat somethin’ bad? Some of Alastor jambalaya finally do you in?” He chuckled softly as he shifted closer into the stall and stooped down to Husk’s level. It was only as he leaned closer did he see that Husk was practically shaking, vibrating as he sat with his teeth chattering. “What’s with the vibrator impression?”
Normally, Husk would protest to any sort of comparison to one of Angel’s toys. He didn’t have the strength, nor willpower to do so right now. Instead he looked away sharply, shoulders hunched as he attempted to conserve what little body heat he felt like he had left. His cheek touched his opposite shoulder as he took in deep, calculated breaths; anything to settle the storm still brewing in his stomach.
“Husk, you still with me?”
Husk gave no reply.
Against what little judgement Angel had left, he reached out to smooth the thick fur that threatened to obscure Husk’s vision. The moment his gloved fingers grazed skin, he felt the dry heat clinging to Husk like a second vest. He allowed his hand to lay there for a second before testing his cheeks and the sides of his neck, the same his sister used to do for him when he was ill.
“You’re hotter than even me,” Angel exclaimed after Husk shook him off abruptly.
“I told you that shit ain’t ever gonna work on me. Why do you keep insisting on—“
“No,” Angel interrupted frustratedly. “I mean like hot, hot. You got a fever. Wait, are you sick?”
The moment those words were out of Angel’s mouth, Husk turned up his nose at the suggestion. He didn’t offer any answer in retort though, which only made Angel all the more curious about Husk’s current situation.
“Hey, you listenin’ to me or not,” Angel chirped. “Because this whole ‘silent thing’ ain’t workin’ for me.”
Husk twitched his left ear. “M’still listening. I just don’t know what the fuck you want me to say,” Husk ground out as his left arm snaked around his middle, hand clutched into a fist as his muscles tensed across his stomach. Just that added pressure was enough to settle it temporarily, though he doubted it would last long in these conditions.
Angel rose to his full height with his hands on low on his hips. “That’s it; we gotta get ya back. C’mon.” Angel reached down to attempt to scoop Husk into his arms, only for the bartender to scramble away as though Angel had burned him. He staggered a few steps, using the wall for support when it felt as though his legs would give away from under him. His wings flexed enough to push him from the wall, the momentum propelling him forward as his feet seemed to drag against the sticky floor.
“Stop being so damn stubborn,” Angel admonished as he reached two arms around Husk; one around his middle and the other his shoulders. Husk grumbled at the help, though he was in no shape to argue. It was a struggle to keep his eyes open, let alone walk forward unassisted.
The two shouldered their way from the bathroom, Husk immediately wincing when they were back in the heart of the club with the scent of alcohol overwhelming while the music blared and the lights glared down at them. Husk tucked his head to the side, what little color he had remaining immediately drained from his face.
Angel began to use one of his free hands to feel around his pocket on the front of his shirt before bringing out a silk blindfold. He began to secure it over Husk’s face with the feline shaking his head desperately.
“Don’t get your tail in a twist. Just for the lights and I got a plan for the noise too.” Angel secured the silk blindfold over Husk’s eyes to the best of his ability before slipping his hands over Husk’s ears. He had known him long enough to know how sensitive his ears could be on a good day, and how keen his hearing really was. It must increase tenfold when his head was clouded by fever. It wasn’t something that Husk ever spoke about to the others, and Angel wasn’t about to give away his secret.
Husk didn’t shift away from Angel’s touch this time, almost reveling in it as Angel kept them moving to the entrance of the club. It was only when they stepped out into the harsh heat of the street did Angel loosen his grip on Husk’s ears and pulled the blindfold from his eyes. Husk gave his head a much needed shake and pulled away from Angel with his wings flapping aimlessly behind him while not leaving the ground.
Angel frowned at the sight as he continued forward with concern in his sharp gaze. “When did this start?”
“What,” Husk rasped as he looked back over his shoulders, wings still spread to keep him from toppling over.
Angel waved him off. “Nevermind. We’ll talk about it later.”
Husk turned his glazed over eyes forward as he continued towards the hotel. Every step he took lumbered forward as he rubbed at his brow as though struggling to concentrate. He began muttering under his breath, words that Angel couldn’t quite catch, and wasn’t sure he wanted to understand. A chill ran down his spine as he kept his distance. Something about how Husk was acting had Angel on edge. He didn’t always understand the cagey old tom usually, but this behavior was just unnerving to say the least.
It was only when they arrived at the hotel doors did Husk nearly trip over his own tail as he stepped through the entrance. Angel winced when he realized that the lobby was fairly crowded. He had hoped that everyone would’ve turned in for the night, yet it seemed like they were only getting started.
“What happened to him,” Vaggie questioned as she twisted on the couch to eye Husk suspiciously.
“Couldn’t hold his liquor, hmmm,” Alastor added, voice crackling with static.
Angel shot them both a glare. “Assholes! He’s sick, can’t ya tell?”
“Sick,” Alastor echoed curiously. “With what?”
“Yeah, is it contagious,” Vaggie added on with a grimace.
Angel scoffed in distain. Was that really what they cared about? Whether he was contagious and could possibly infect the rest of the hotel? “So what is he is? It’s none of your fucking business!”
Alastor narrowed his eyes as the grip on his staff grew tighter. He didn’t voice whatever he was thinking, smile never faltering on his face. It was that same look that Angel had both grown accustomed to, and loathed seeing all at the same time no matter how many jokes he made just to fuck with the radio demon.
“Just keep him away from the rest of us until you know what it is.” Vaggie turned back to her spot on the couch and continued to flip through the channels on the TV. “Last thing the rest of us need is some kind of hellish flu going around.”
“Trust me….you’ll be the last to know.” Angel looked around the lobby and cursed to himself when he realized Husk was nowhere to be found. He half expected him to stumble back over to the bar and continue working. His relief was short lived when Angel looked up the stairs and swore that he saw a flick of a tail tip. “Awe, shit, where’s he goin’ now?”
Angel quickened his pace and took the stairs two at a time. By the time he reached the level at which Husk’s room was at, he realized that there was no sign of the bartender. He muttered under his breath as he jogged over to his room and went to knock when he found it ajar. Without hesitation, Angel wedged his way inside and looked around the dark room, save for a broken lamp in the corner that offered a sliver of light.
“Husker,” Angel questioned, his full name catching in the back of his throat as panic rose inside him.
“He doesn’t own me. He doesn’t fucking own me.”
Angel swung around, jaw gaped as he saw Husk pacing back and forth in his room, claws flexed and digging into the thick fur around his throat. He managed to dig in deep enough to draw blood, coating his fur and dripping down his chest. He continued to flex his digits as he paced, a shadowed expression stretching across his face.
“Hey, hey,” Angel exclaimed as he lunged forward and grabbed at Husk’s wrist to pull them from his throat. “What the fuck are ya doing?! Do you want to fucking bleed out?” Angel sighed heavily, worry churning in hit gut. “Actually, don’t answer that. I really don’t want to know.”
Husk snarled and pushed Angel back hard. He fell crashing back, narrowly missing colliding with the corner of Husk’s bed. He rubbed at his hip as he flashed a fearful look at Husk, who was now towering over him with his teeth bared and ears shoved forward. His claws has fastened themselves back to his throat as he dug deeper and deeper until he started to gurgle with each breath.
“Husk, stop!”
Angel launched himself forward and wrapped himself around Husk, using his height to unbalance Husk and make him stagger. He used a pair of his arms to forcibly peel Husk’s claws from his throat while using his other arms to keep Husk from fighting him. The two lumbered forward until they fell sideways onto the floor, Husk howling and spitting as he fought back against Angel with all his might.
“No, no,” Angel practically begged as he held Husk close to his chest, still not letting his paws, damp with blood, go. “M’tryin’ to help you, dick. Just fucking let me!”
Husk yowled louder with his head snapping back, narrowly missing striking Angel in the middle of his face. Angel ducked to the side just in time, breathing heavily as he was forced to wrap a leg around Husk’s middle to keep him from kicking out. Safe to say this wasn’t how Angel imagined his evening going.
“Let me go,” Husk screeched with his eyes blazing. His voice began to chip away, leaving a rough whimper in its place. “You can’t fucking treat me like this!”
Angel shook his head to clear it, hoping his own emotions didn’t give him away. He had no idea what Husk was going on about and feared actually asking when he was in this state. Now that Angel was closer, the fever from earlier seemed to be burning through his entire body, and dry heat at that. He may not have known much about sickness of any kind, but he knew dry heat with a fever was not a good sign.
Husk gave another tense flex of his wrists, claws spread, though when they couldn’t dig into his own skin, he let out another frustrated yelp. His head bowed forward, thick beads of blood bubbling from his neck. The metallic smell of blood filled the room with Angel looking around for something he could use to stop the bleeding. He didn’t want to go snooping in Husk’s room, but he wasn’t given much of a choice.
He reached over into Husk’s nightstand and blindly felt around until his fingers enclosed over a red handkerchief. He pulled it free and pressed it against Husk’s throat to stem the bleeding, relieved when it seemed to do the trick as the amount of blood slowly began to slow. Husk’s eyes had nearly closed, listless and blank as he let out a soft groan every couple seconds. Angel was relieved that he no longer fought him, but he wondered if it was more due to exhaustion than trust.
Angel continued to press on Husk’s neck until the bleeding finally stopped. He threw the handkerchief aside and looked to Husk’s bed. “Think we can make it up there? Not that this isn’t great or nothin’. Just you’re on my fucking leg is all and it hurts like hell!”
Husk gave a weak cough.
“Sounds like a ‘yes’ to me. Lets do this!” With strength that Angel could thank his work for later, he managed to bundle Husk in his arms enough so he could shift Husk’s side against the bed. His knees pressed under him to half push, half carry Husk onto the bed until the two were left almost sideways, Angel panting from the effort while Husk curled in on himself, tail lashing back and forth as he started at the door as if expecting someone to walk through at any moment.
Angel looked to where Husk was focused on. “What are you lookin’ at?”
“He’s here,” Husk gasped. “He’s always fucking here!”
“I-I don’t know who you mean.” Angel’s voice grew rougher as he felt Husk shudder against him. The bartender howled in alarm and went right back to clawing at his throat. Luckily, Angel was prepared and intercepted him before he could do any damage. “So this is how the night’s gonna go? We can make the most of that, right?”
Husk’s sudden flailing didn’t give Angel much hope for the rest of the night. But, he wasn’t about to duck and run, not when Husk needed him. He just longed for the strength that he needed to take care of his friend.