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There was an insistent, impatient, and uncomfortable tapping against the bar, the culprit of which had his eyes narrowed on the large grandfather clock positioned on the other side of the room. It was late, much too late for Husk to be tending bar, but Angel was the only one he had much consideration for tending to a majority of the time and he wasn't back from work yet. The arms of the clock had been gradually approaching 5 AM, and each minute passed had his stomach sinking deeper and deeper. Angel only rarely had nights this late.
Husk was tempted to call and check to see where he was and if he needed any help, but the anxiety of making it worse by putting Angel in a more vulnerable position with Valentino kept him from doing so. If things were shittier than usual that day, the very last thing he needed was to do something to tip the overlord's already fickle temperament.
Still, the feeling of uselessness had his eye twitching a bit. He'd gotten somewhat used to feeling powerless by now, but this was different. This was a situation he could've gotten Angel out of if he'd still had his status. From what he knew of Valentino, there couldn't have been a better target for Husk. Arrogant, immature, easily riled up, impulsive. The number of times in his life and afterlife he'd swindled overconfident pricks out of their wealth was too high to count. He could cheat out 6 Valentino's in a single night without breaking a sweat. It had Husk's nails digging a bit into the oak of the bar, swallowing back the growl that threatened to escape as he pulled the whiskey bottle to his lips once more, gulping it back to muffle the rising tension in his chest.
He needed to relax. Angel didn’t need to be met with more anger tonight.
Not five minutes later, the pin-drop silence was broken with the telltale sign of the door opening, and Husk was quick to start grabbing the ingredients for his usual drink. However, the former overlord froze in his spot at the condition the other was in.
Angel was more roughed up than usual, cuts and the beginnings of hefty bruises adorned his thighs and bare stomach, and the fabric of the clinging and tight skirt was lightly ripped along the edges. The glittery and fluffy top, which the porn star had shown off and raved about to Husk before he’d left for work, was stained and slightly torn, nail marks from a set of claws exposing him further across his chest. His primary set of arms were pressed and crossed tightly over his chest to hide the exposed area and each step taken further into the hotel was extremely minimal, shuffling along in his boots with a bit of a limp with each step. His secondary set hung limp at his sides, noticeably missing each set of jewelry that had also been shown off to the bartender previously.
But the true sign that something needed to be done immediately was the lifeless state of the other's sweet features.
Half-lidded eyes were fixated straight ahead, no move made to indicate he'd even seen Husk to begin with, much less that he intended on greeting him. The dark circles beneath his eyes only highlighted the spacey look to them, lethargic and not all there. Dead.
Husk didn’t know how long Angel had been in this state, but he could assume that he’d been like this the entire walk home.
His body moved subconsciously and swiftly, any semblance of Husk's typical drunken stupor entirely erased at the situation before him. It was certainly a quick way to sober him up, that was for sure. The sight of the torn fabric had him glancing at the couch nearby, quickly detouring to grab the decorative throw blanket that was strewn across the back of it. He approached him near the door and was gentle as he draped the blanket across his shoulders, smiling as calmly and as welcoming as he could manage, even if the unease was eating away at him.
“Hey, Angel.”
The buzz of the street lamps overhead was a grating sensation as Angel shuffled along the street in silence, arms clasped tightly around himself and head fixed downwards to deter any slight attention that could possibly be thrown his way. Every step ached, he was cold, and it was much harder than usual to keep a steady train of thought. Angel tried to remedy it by just focusing his attention on getting back home-..or, back to the hotel, more specifically.
The route back normally would’ve gone by much faster if it hadn’t been for the small steps and unsteady movements, and it gave his mind ample time to retreat to a safer place. If anyone was attempting to gain his attention and flag him down to bother him, Angel wasn’t aware of it. By the time the hotel was in sight, the sound of the buzzing street lamps that had previously been a nuisance was falling on deaf ears. He could only recall his condition being this severe once or twice, and it had only been during his period of living at the studio, where the extent of any sort of comfort was extremely minimal, at best.
The ever-reoccurring shame that came along with the events of the night was just as potent as ever, and Angel's motions were automatic and practiced as he opened the door and headed inside the hotel.
Sleep. He needed sleep.
He didn’t care if he woke up in worse pain from not cleaning himself up, he didn’t care if the sleep that came was restless and riddled with discomfort. He couldn’t be conscious anymore, his tolerance for it had been diminished hours ago. He couldn’t even bring himself to accept being fully inebriated via drugs or hard liquor as an alternative.
Angel vaguely noticed a flash of movement from the corner of his eye, but he didn't have enough time to register it before the sensation of the warm, knitted blanket was gently placed across his shoulders and the low rumble of the all too familiar, rich voice broke through and embraced him, comforting and sweet. The taller's primary arms instinctively moved to grab the blanket to keep it from slipping and pulled it tighter, slow blinks and the heavy weight of the fabric against his shoulders helping to break the detached state.
Husk just waited, being sure to maintain the distance to not crowd him and staying quiet to allow him to come back without feeling too rushed. It made him sick to his stomach to get a closer look at the situation, but he refused to let it show on his face. Despite it all, he could try to just feel content with the fact that Angel was back home safe.
It took about a minute of silence for him to finally look at the bartender, glassy eyes trying to firmly blink away the heavy fatigue as he thought through how to play off the events of the night. But, when he searched for the words to respond with a simple greeting of his own, he couldn't find them. It was like he'd lost the ability entirely. Angel's brows furrowed together in worry, concern settling in, and he opened his mouth once to attempt to push out a 'hi' or 'hello'.
His panicking didn’t have a chance to get too far, however, because Husk was almost instantly shaking his head, moving himself into Angel’s line of sight so he could keep his eyes on him. Even out of an attempt for comfort, he refused to take hold of him or forcibly touch him in any way.
"Hey, hey. It's alright. You don't have to say nothin'. Bet you wanna get to bed, huh? Can I help ya up to your room?" Husk was quick to redirect his attention, holding his arm out as an open invitation for him to hold onto it for support. There was no telling if Angel would be able to get up the stairs on his own to begin with, but he wouldn't force it. He watched the taller stare for a moment before pulling the throw blanket closer to his body and taking hold of Husk's arm.
The routine guilt of having to be taken care of was starting up in Angel's chest, and it doubled in quantity when they reached the stairs, every nerve in his body stood on edge with each small step. The muscles in Angel's exposed thighs beneath the blanket were tensed and twitching with strain, and the cuts and bruises ached as his legs moved. Through it all, though, Husk was offering quiet encouragement, hand lightly rested atop the arm wrapped around his own through a mumbled 'good job' and 'see, you've got this'. There was no condescension or patronization in his tone, or fake, overly-enthusiastic support.
It was helping.
Once the agonizing trip up the stairs was over, they reached his bedroom door and headed inside, and Husk’s arm moved to slowly take hold of Angel’s hand so he could help him down onto the bed. Each stifled noise of pain was like a knife through his chest, but Husk pointedly refused to focus on it, another comforting smile lightening his features as he moved to lift Fat Nuggets onto the bed with Angel. “Would it be okay if I ran a bath for ya? I know you’re exhausted, doll, but a bath might help with gettin’ around tomorrow.” He offered, watching fondly as the pig crossed over and curled himself up in the other’s side before returning his eyes to Angel. He looked so…small, sitting there in the large throw, and so, so tired.
Angel glanced away for a moment to think, looking to Nugs and slowly moving a hand to rest against the pig's belly, rubbing gently. Though he was tired, he knew Husk was right. He also knew the other just wanted the best for him, and he didn't want to deny himself that when he was being so doting and kind. A bath would be nice. Angel nodded, a weak smile slightly lifting his appearance.
The words were still too difficult for him to push out, but Husk didn’t seem to mind, offering a confirming nod in return and glancing over to spot the long, elegant, purple silk robe hung up on a hanger in his closet. He was quick to retrieve it and hand it off to the actor with an amiable smile before crossing the length of the room to the on-suite bathroom to get the bath ready.
Angel rolled the fabric in between his fingers before clutching it close, gaze following the other as he headed into the bathroom with brows slightly furrowed and upturned in gratitude. With a deep breath, he carefully pushed off the blanket from his shoulders and, somewhat swiftly, pulled the robe on and tied it around his body, holding onto the collar and tugging it a bit tighter. After a minute or so of a few steady breaths and squeezing his eyes shut to gain his composure, Angel started to work on putting his arms through the straps of his outfit and pulling each article of clothing off beneath the robe. The lack of exposure was a welcome comfort and he was quick to toss the clothes into his hamper without sparing another look at them, curling in on himself as a secondary arm continued to pet Nugs and he tried to focus on the quiet sniffles and snorts coming from his baby. A small smile quirked his lips upward as his hand was licked comfortingly, and the sound of Husk humming from the bathroom as the water filled the tub had his throat tightening up.
It was almost overwhelming, in a way, going from the last time a night had been this bad to the gentle and natural way he was being cared for now. As much as he knew mostly everyone in the hotel was there for him, Husk seemed to consistently be the best at quickly making him feel better. It felt organic, something that could only be accomplished with an innate sense of understanding. It was making his eyes water, and Angel was quickly sniffling and tilting his head back in an attempt to clear the beginnings of relieved tears.
The sound of the water shutting off had him wiping his eyes a bit, sniffling once more, but managing to push back and clear his misty eyes by the time Husk was strolling back into his bedroom, gesturing back to the bathroom. "Water should be warm enough. I'm gonna step out, alright? I'll be just outside the door, come get me when you're ready." His tone remained casual, but not uncaring, waiting for the nod of confirmation before granting one of his own and stepping out. He wanted to do his best to eliminate any possibility of Angel feeling watched while in a more vulnerable state. A long exhale left Husk when the door was fully shut behind him, eyes squeezing shut as he shook away the lingering feeling of worry that his care was overbearing. While he didn't want Angel to feel like he was patronizing him, he really couldn't prevent himself from being delicate with him, especially in a state like this. He pushed that feeling as deep down as he could so he could focus on the task at hand, leaving to retrieve the first aid kit from his room.
The feeling of the warm water against his legs had Angel sighing out as he stepped into the tub, slowly lowering himself down and submerging himself as much as he could to soothe the building ache. It’d be much worse when he woke up, he knew, but as he started to cautiously work the blood and other substances off of his skin, he found himself more than happy with his decision to agree to the bath Husk offered. He’d feel much better going to sleep clean and warm rather than cold and bloody. As nice as the bath felt, Angel didn’t spend much time lingering in the feeling, working on getting himself cleaned up and blinking hard through his tiredness.
Around ten minutes later, after being as quick and vigorous as possible while maintaining some sense of being gentle on his skin amongst the injuries, Angel was stepping out of the bath and drying himself off. He kept his eyes fixed straight ahead as he did so, patting over each area with the fluffy towel before pulling the robe back on and heading back into the bedroom. After pulling on a pair of shorts, a pair of long socks, and a loose-fitting sweater, he winced slightly as he pushed himself up from the bed and shuffled over to the door again to open it up for Husk once more.
He was close to reassuring him that he'd done plenty to help him already and that he should go to bed and get some rest, but before Angel could work up the nerve to speak, the bartender was holding up the first aid kit and speaking first. "I'll be quick, okay? I'm sure you're just about ready to pass out." He sympathized, catching the softened look in Angel's gaze before he was being let back into the room once more.
Angel crossed the room and carefully sat himself down on the bed, moving his attention to work on figuring out how to get himself to start speaking again. While Husk had told him it was fine and that he didn’t have to talk, the silence between them would only add to the guilt he already had burning in the deep parts of his chest. However, there was no opportunity for that heavy silence to start up again, and pretty soon Husk was opening up the first aid kit and starting to go through each detail of the dull day he’d had, opening up an alcohol pad to start cleaning each cut.
“…and I swear, Vaggie was this close to blowin’ her lid. I’m startin’ to think she would’ve killed us all by this point if we didn’t have the princess around.” A small chuckle followed the anecdote, quickly interjecting it with a gentle question. “Is it alright if I clean up some of the cuts under your sleeves?” Angel noticed his relaxed eyes and soothing smile, and the sheer experience of being asked for permission to just…see his bare arms had him swallowing hard, being sure to smile a bit in return with a firm nod to negate any confusion about whether the shift of expression was out of distress or sentiment. Slowly, Angel shifted the collar of the sweater down to expose most of the damage done to his shoulder and bicep, thin, but deep red lines scattered together in clusters.
Husk didn't let the rage fester at the sight of it, keeping his fond gaze on the other to keep his attention as he, as lightly and effectively as he could, rubbed the pad along the area, no move made to grab or hold his arm. He took immediate notice of the lack of any reaction to the sensation but chose not to linger on it. "Charlie was talkin' today about having a 'vacation day' where everyone goes out together for an activity. Movies, shopping malls, whatever." He mentioned, chuckling a bit to himself as he fished out a bandage to wrap the first set of cuts. "I'll tell ya what, she'd make a great kindergarten teacher." Husk teased, chest lightening a bit at the quiet sound of Angel's light giggles filling the silence. Music to his ears. It was typically a sound that he'd grown more than a little accustomed to, beautiful as it was, but this time, it felt like an accomplishment and it had him beaming with pride subconsciously.
Finishing up each arm, Husk paused a moment to look back at him, gaze reassuring. “Would it be okay if I cleaned up under the sweater?” He asked, subconsciously hoping the repeated action wasn’t becoming a grating issue for Angel. He wouldn’t risk adding to his discomfort, though, even if the asking did end up being unnecessary.
Still, Angel nodded once more with a smile, leaning back on his primary arms and using one of the secondary to roll up the sweater. The sight of the next set of ailments made it slightly harder to keep his cool, but he pushed on to continue his rambling. "Your kid voiced his complaints with the new brand of cherries today, by the way. Wouldn't eat a single goddamn one." He snickered, glancing over to the pig briefly and smirking at the immediate snort he'd earned in return from the small animal. "Don't get snippy with me, kiddo, I told ya I'll buy the other ones again," Husk responded playfully, taking careful note to use the back of his hand to rest against his waist instead of grabbing and gently pulling the skin taught so he could clean the space more thoroughly.
Each feather-light touch from Husk was making it more and more difficult to keep it together for Angel. How could he help it? He’d been so careful, so meticulous, in making sure the taller didn’t feel even slightly unsettled with each touch and gesture. Not only was everything catered to making sure he was helped without being crowded or pressured, but Husk was talking more than he’d ever imagined to make sure Angel didn’t linger on the fact that he wasn’t able to get any words out. If he wasn’t so alluring, he might’ve already gotten misty-eyed.
The sight of the two together always made his heart warm, but Angel could tell especially now how genuine Husk’s fondness for Fat Nuggets was. Admittedly, he’d started out feeling somewhat guilty for making the bartender babysit while he was gone, but it hadn’t taken long at all, really, for him to see that Husk enjoyed watching him. Sure, there were times Nugs caused a bit of trouble, but he’d seen the way the other deflated every time he tried to remain frustrated with the little guy for more than a minute.
When Husk reached the last area that needed tending to, his legs, he couldn't help but hesitate slightly. The cuts were clustered a bit high on his thighs, and the implications of the sickening sight of the inner thigh lesions were making his stomach turn. Angel seemed to notice the hesitation immediately, features softening. Carefully, the actor raised a hand to gently rest against his jaw, guiding his eyes away from the sight and back onto his. With a reassuring smile, he lightly grazed his thumb along Husk's cheek before resting his own hand atop his. Slowly, he moved the bartender’s hand to rest above his knee, maintaining eye contact with a vigilant and confirming nod. Angel would be okay. He trusted him. If he didn't have a reason to before, he certainly did now.
The affectionate flicker in Husk's eyes was mixed with underlying distress, but lingering in Angel's warm gaze had him pushing the distress aside in favor of prepping another alcohol pad. He couldn't get caught up in his thoughts now, the other was probably far too exhausted right then for him to start dawdling. Clearing his throat quietly, Husk, once again, used the back of his hand and knuckles to slightly prop Angel's leg up before getting to work. There was only a moment of contemplative silence on Husk's end before he was speaking up again, a bit softer and more serious. "Y'know, it makes the day go by faster when I'm watchin' him." He noted, taking a breath before the pad was moving to his inner thigh area. "It's a pain to try to get him out of those cabinets every time he wants to take a snooze, but it certainly keeps things interestin'." He paused a moment, glancing up to meet magenta eyes once more. "Thanks…for trustin' me with him. I know I'm…always complainin' and shit, but I can see why ya love the little guy." Husk smiled a bit, tearing his eyes away to glance back down, middle and pointer knuckles lightly pulling the skin as he finished up the space. "It's easy to forget about shit around him." He admitted.
Angel couldn’t bring himself to focus too intently on his hands cleaning up the area as he listened to Husk’s confession, throat tightening slightly as every kind and considerate gesture he’d received upon returning washed over him like a waterfall. The fairly paranoid part of him wondered what he’d done to gain someone like Husk. It couldn’t have just been luck. He immediately went to look up again to keep the tears back, but the slightly heavy breathing from the welling tears was indicative enough of the sudden rush of emotion he was feeling brought on by nothing more than a tender moment shared between someone he cared for and cared for him in return.
Husk, though, immediately reacted with concern, carefully but quickly pulling his hand away through stumbled apologies. "Oh, fuck-..Shit, sorry-..I'm sorry, I didn't-" His panicking was cut short by Angel immediately shaking his head, a honeyed smile pulling up his quivering lips as a hushed giggle escaped through tears. His hands moved to gently take Husk's, squeezing reassuringly and stroking soothing motions across his knuckles with his thumb. Slowly, his fingers intertwined with the bartender’s, gaze apologetic as he held his hands close to him like they were the most precious things in the world. And to Angel, they were. Always kind, always warm, always supportive, and never degrading.
The assurance seemed to register and had Husk relaxing his shoulders, squeezing Angel’s hands in return for confirmation. There was some slight heat rising to his cheeks at the tender gesture, unable to tear his eyes away from the magenta ones in front of him, filled to the brim with shining gratitude. It was impossible to not get lost in them. He noticed the slight shift to them hint at a deeper affection before Angel was slowly leaning forward to press a mild kiss to his cheek, granting Husk the blessing of getting to linger in the other’s closeness, heavenly and coveted. It damn near took his breath away.
When Angel slowly pulled back, he hummed, secondary arm retrieving one of the bandages to hand off to him. Though they were both acutely aware the taller was perfectly capable of tending to the last of the wounds himself, the gesture made clear he didn't want the moment to end, content to exist in Husk's space for the rest of time if able. The comfortable and homely silence that followed did well to bring Angel's fatigue back to the forefront, a quiet yawn escaping as a hand moved up to cover his mouth and he peered back at the other through drained, half-lidded eyes.
Husk worked quick when he noticed the yawn and was finished within a couple of minutes, a small sigh of relief escaping as the last bandage was applied. "Alright. You're all set, doll." He spoke quietly, glancing back up to meet his drowsy gaze and pausing a moment before beginning to close up the first aid kit once more. "I can leave this here if there's any place I missed. I'll tell the princess ya won't make the shit she's got planned in the morning. Make sure ya sleep in enough, yeah?" Husk's deep voice was soft in his urging, watching him with attentive and caring eyes before denying himself any more of Angel's time. He'd kept him awake long enough, no reason to overstay.
Before he could make his move to get up, though, Angel was quickly grasping his hand, and his voice was filling the space for the very first time that night. "Wait-.." His voice was slightly scratched, a combination of lack of use since being home and a likely result of the events of earlier in the night. Angel squeezed his hand again, affectionate, but pleading eyes peering at Husk in a way that made his body ache and his heart swell. "Stay. Please?" His voice was quiet, barely radiating above a whisper, and uncharacteristic for his day-to-day demeanor.
Well, that certainly settled it. He’d stay attached to Angel’s hip if he asked.
Husk's brows upturned and his features softened once more, the nod that followed instantaneous. "Of course. Yes, of course I'll stay with you, baby." He reassured, squeezing the delicate hand in his own and taking his own turn in holding it close like the treasured gift it was. Angel nearly melted in his spot, and Husk was quick to put the first aid kit aside to carefully help the other get settled in bed, thoughtfully asking how he liked his pillows and how many blankets he needed. This time, the questioning only earned a giggle from Angel, primary arms wrapping around his shoulders and secondary arms pulling him in by his midsection to lay down beside him.
“It’s alright, kitty, you’ll keep me nice an’ warm.” He breathed out, words slightly teasing but sincere all the same.
The gesture earned a brief chuckle in return from Husk, loosely moving around him as he shifted to get himself comfortable. "Yeah, yeah, don't get used to it, darlin'. I ain't a cuddler." The words had no bite to them, instead coated in silk-smooth honey, and the way he sweetly pulled Angel close to his chest proved them null and void to the actor. But, Husk wasn't a cuddler. He wasn't kind, he wasn't gentle, he wasn't soft.
What he was, though, was Angel’s.