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Tonight was rough for Angel, but Husk made things better. When they both got home from the bar Angel was exhausted, he was just about to ask Husk for a drink but the cat demon spoke up.
“How about that drink?”
“You read my mind.” They walked off to Husk’s station, where he had already started pouring the drink he had given Angel earlier. It was a lot more peaceful this time though, they were talking and laughing and they finally had a real conversation without Angel’s usual persona getting in the way.
“So, how's fat nuggets? Or whatever you call your pet, I never paid attention.”
Husk asked, again without Angel’s persona everything just felt natural, they both sat in peaceful silence waiting for Angel to swallow the gulp he had of his drink. During this short moment, Husk thought he might as well grab his bottle to drink from, grabbing his favorite.
“Yeah you're right about his name, he's good, the other day I taught him a new trick.”
“I didn't know pigs can do tricks.”
“As long as you have the right treat to give them and a good tutorial, you'd be amazed at the shit they can learn.”
“So no bacon?”
Angel choked on his drink, giving Husk a nasty look, all the while trying to hold in his laugh. “No! Not! What the fuck wrong with you?!” as he yelled at Husk he still couldn't help but laugh at the remark.
Husk couldn't help but chuckle at the spider's reaction as well, handing him another drink as an almost apology. Even though the joke was light-hearted.
“But anyway, he's learning how to spin at the moment, but after hearing that I may need to teach him to run away from slaughterhouses.”
“Oh, that's interesting, so it's like a Charlotte’s web typa deal?” Husk said, referencing the movie night bonding activity Charlie forced the gang into doing, that was the movie they watched, they had randomly found the DVD for it in the basement from god knows where, Charlie said it was one of her favorites as a child.
“Only because of you!”
“I know I know, fuck me.”
“Yeah fuck you, I'm telling him about this when I go back to my room.”
The conversation continued like that for who knows how long, and they both kept coming back for drink after drink. Eventually, though, the clock in the hotel stuck at midnight and Angel was starting to get dizzy from the alcohol. Husk noticed this and started closing up for the night, wiping down the counters and continuing the conversation for a little while until all he had left to do was turn off the lights in the bar.
“Okay, I think it's time to close up, it's the end of my shift and I believe you've had a little too much to drink.”
“It's hell, I don't think that's possible,” Angel said, slurring his words a little.
“Uh huh, well I think you made it possible, kid.”
“Alright fine, I'll go to my room.”
“No, let me walk you there, I've already closed everything properly and you should probably be accompanied by somebody on the way back.”
“Ooh, what a charmer~ I thought I made it clear I can handle myself.”
“Oh don't start that bullshit again, y’know im just looking out for you, c’mon let's go.”
The walk to Angel’s room was again, silent and peaceful, Husk was slightly intrigued at Angel’s real self, although he’d never admit that out loud.
He knew love was off-limits when somebody owned his soul. Alastor could hurt Angel to get to him. Wait did he say Angel? He meant any lover, but thinking of Angel that way made his head go a little more spinny than it normally did after a night of drinking, brushing that off, they eventually made it to Angel’s door.
Husk was about to leave as Angel opened the door but he heard a familiar voice behind him as he was walking away.
“Stay?” They both stood there, taken aback by Angel's words. Satan, Angel was wasted why would he say something so stupid? Angel wanted to cover his mouth, run into his room, and make a time machine so he could relive this moment and not say that.
Yet the word still stood there, looming in the air while they looked at each other.
Wordlessly, Husk walked into his room, mentally cursing himself for giving in to stupid romance. What would Alastor do if he found out about this? The very thought of that made his knees quiver slightly. Angel sat on his bed and fat nuggets greeted him, husk eventually joined and sat right next to Angel.
“Hey nuggs, you ready to show husky what you can do?” Fat nuggets sat in his lap, looking up at him. Angel stood up and put fat nuggets on the floor, grabbing a bag of dried corn. Angel dragged the treat in a circle for fat nuggets to grab, telling him to spin. It took two tries but he got it.
“Good boy!” Angel said, leaning down the pet the happy pig.
“Impressive.” husk said, who was now sitting on Angel's bed, after fat nuggets did the trick Angel joined him.
“Y’know, he's the only good thing to ever come from Valentino.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, he bought him for me when I first started the job, he was there with me for it all, and still is.”
“I can imagine.”
Husk was purposefully giving dry responses to not to give away how much he loved being in Angel's room, it was exactly like him, full of pink and white. With stuffies everywhere, a little vanity in the corner, and an odd red-ish stain on the wall that looked like wine.
“Wanna stay the night? You don't have to, but it's been a while since I've had company.” Angel said, recalling how many times Cherri had stayed over in the past, they text each other every day but life is just busy sometimes.
And wow, if Husk wasn't being stupid coming into his room in the first place he was being an idiot now, was he really about to do this? He would never hear the end of it with Alastor, but he was relaxed around Angel. He almost accidentally purred as the word ‘yes’ left his idiotic mouth. What could he say? Gambling is his thing, and with such a reward he just couldn't turn away. He almost chuckled at the thought that that was the very reason he was worrying about this in the first place. How ironic.
Eventually, they started watching a movie, it was a romance movie since he had let Angel pick. They both started the movie, getting comfortable in Angel’s bed as Husker grabbed the nearest blanket and placed it around them.
The beginning scene was pretty basic, a girl waking up and getting ready for the day, talking about her whole back story to add to the plot or whatever. Neither of them were paying attention.
If Husker was an idiot then the angel was a goddamn lunatic apparently, with some booze still in his system one thing led to another and angel was in the corner of his bed with Husk laying in his lap to cuddle.
Angel slowly started to pet his furry head, putting soft strokes right between his ears and on his neck. Husk was trying too hard not to purr but he eventually relaxed into the touch. It's been a while since somebody loved him. Wait, loved him? This was just a casual thing between friends. He shouldn't feel like this. His body tensed up quickly, but right as he continued to feel Angel’s soft hands on his head he relaxed, melting and purring into his touch.
“I missed this feeling,” Angel said, filling the comfortable silence.
“What feeling?” Husk said, still purring and relaxed.
“Cats, I loved them in my lifetime,” Angel explained.
“Really?” husk pondered, still a melted, purring, being under Angel’s touch. God, he had no idea he was so touch-starved until this moment.
“Mhm, growing up in a gang was… interesting, to say the very least. In my younger years, before I got hooked on drugs, I would always go to drug deals with my dad and the rest of the gang, but I would stay outside while the adults talked. Sometimes I’d hear gunshots and we’d suddenly have to leave. But there were a lot of stray cats in my neighborhood, they always kept me company.” Angel said, reminiscing on one of the only good parts of his childhood.
“Ah, I see,” Husk said, Angel's hands started petting his ears and his head while telling his story. He was almost doing it without thinking at that point.
“Yeah I would sit outside, there was one that would always walk up to me and nuzzled my legs, but there was a bunch, I eventually even took to naming them. Speaking of cats though, that makes me remember something else.”
“Mhm?” Husk said lazily, he was getting super tired, at this point, he had removed all senses of embarrassment, he was the most relaxed he'd been in who knows how long.
“All cats have a specific spot behind their ears, it's fluffier than the rest of their body and it was always my favorite spot to pet, it was always so silky.” At this point the movie ended, they both didn't bat an eye at it though.
Angel shifted his hands for a minute and eventually laid them on a small spot behind the husk’s ears. Husk's purring got a little louder as Angel started to rub the spot.
“Just as I remember, so fluffy,” Angel said to himself, not loud enough for Husk to make out.
Husk eventually started kneading into the blanket Angel had put on them both, although he had no idea when he had the time to do it. He was getting tired now. He felt like he should say something but all he could muster was a yawn. Apparently, it was contagious though, because Angel yawned right after he did.
They eventually both fell asleep, Angel’s hands still on husk’s head, dreaming of cats. They both silently agreed to themselves that they hadn't slept like this in a long time.