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A spider demon walked into the Hazbin Hotel after a long, rough, and quite frankly, just shitty day at V Tower. He was wearing sunglasses, with his hair a mess and a bit of dried blood on his face coming from his nose and across his cheek. He sat down at the bar, right in front of the bartender, who currently had his back turned.
When he heard someone sitting at his counter, the bartender turned around and said, “Jesus, you look like shit.”
And Angel scowled from behind the sunglasses he was wearing- sure it was indoors and dark outside, but he needed to wear those damn glasses right now. “Gee, thanks asshole. Didn’t know I was supposed to look gorgeous after a long day at work and being punched in the face by that Dickhead.”
Husk sighed, as he started to make Angel his favorite cocktail- being sure to make it extra strong. “Look, I didn’t mean to offend, but I mean, look at you.” He frowned, pouring out the cocktail into a glass. Once he was done pouring the drink, he would put the cocktail shaker under the counter. He leaned onto the counter on his elbows to look at his patron.
The spider took a sip of the cocktail- a small smile crossed his lips once he realized that the drink was extra strong this time. This smile quickly faded away. “Yeah, yeah, I know what you mean… I feel just as shitty as I look. Oh, and uh, thanks, by the way. My head feels like it’s about to fucking explode. Hopefully this will numb the pain. Man, you would not believe the day I had…”
“Well, go on and tell me what it was like. Sounds like you need a bartender to talk to.” Husker smirked a little, as he listened to Angel as he started ranting about his day. If the tomcat was going to be honest to himself, he stopped listening fully after about 30 seconds. He already could guess what he was gonna say, since it was the same song and dance at work for him and it was a messy situation. He knew what those were like all too well. Angel was a bit of a mess too- but a beautiful mess, in the eyes of Husker. He just wished that there was something that he could do to help Angel save himself from that disaster. So, in the meantime, the best they could do was to make the best of their shitty situations. While cleaning up one of the glasses with a rag, the bartender heaved a sigh, accidentally letting his thoughts slip out of his mouth. “You deserve better. You really do.”
Angel Dust raised an eyebrow, finishing off his cocktail with one last swallow. He set the empty glass down on the counter. “I mean… yeah, I know that I do; you’re not wrong… but when I wrote my name on that dotted line? I made a choice and sealed my fate.” He reached into his suit jacket to grab some money to pay for the drink. “Why? You offering to give me something better?”
The bartender glanced at the money, before pushing it away gently, taking the empty glass and putting it under the counter so it could be cleaned later. He scoffed, “Can’t say I have anything better to give ya.”
Angel tucked the money back into his suit jacket while leaning onto the counter with his second set of arms. “What do you mean?”
“What I mean is that I am a lost cause. A pathetic old drunk. I have nothing good left in me to give to ya, Angel.” The cat muttered, as he went to grab the half empty bottle of cheap booze he kept behind the bar for himself so he could drink straight from the bottle about to bring it up to his lips to take a long drink.
The spider frowned, leaning forward across the bar. He purposely pushed the bottle of booze away from the bartender. He placed two gentle hands on the cat’s face, purposely making it so that Husker couldn’t drink the booze. “Well… I don’t think that’s all true. Yeah, you’re an old drunk, but I don’t think you’re that pathetic, nor are you a lost cause.”
Husker said nothing, but his gaze would fixate on the eyes of the man in front of him while setting the bottle of alcohol back where he got it from. His large ears twitched, his cheeks flushing slightly as he found himself lost in the eyes of the others, even behind the sunglasses he wore.
Angel continued, “You know, you’re really good at helping other people through their emotional baggage. Hell, you managed to find that even underneath all the pain, drugs, and pretending… that I am still a half decent soul. I just wish you could use that incredible gift on yourself.”
Husker looked away from him for a moment. “How could I not see who you really are? Your mask was obvious, but the person behind the pain, drugs, and lies, is a good man. You’re beautiful… inside and out. And one hell of a resilient son of a bitch, too. I don’t know how you manage.” His gaze returned to focus on the other demon in front of him. “I don’t know, I guess it’s hard to look inside and find anything good about yourself when you’re down on your luck.”
Angel leaned in closer to him subconsciously. He hesitated, but still remained close. “Then let me help you. Just like you helped me.” His voice dropped down to a soft whisper, pressing his forehead to the other man’s. “Well… I managed at first because I was convinced Valentino loved me- because he wasn’t always this awful to everyone. When I first signed on to be his star, he was different… a man I loved. Once I signed that contract, it was like a light switch had flipped, and he was no longer the same man. I was convinced that maybe the Valentino that I had met, that I fell in love with, would come back if I just stayed. Clearly, I was a fucking idiot. Since I had no way out, I would just try and numb it with drugs, and booze. But then I came here… and met you. And you knocked down the wall I built around myself.”
The bartender listened to him, just as he always does. He smiled a little, grabbing the spider’s hand with his own, lacing their fingers together and squeezing his hand. “I guess, at the same time… you knocked down the wall I built around myself, so you already did help me, in a way.” He remained silent for a moment, just enjoying being close to Angel Dust- feeling his soft fur against his face. His voice dropped to a hushed whisper. He placed his other hand on the frame of the other’s sunglasses- pausing for just a moment before pushing them up to the top of the other’s head. “Y’know… maybe there is something good I can give ya.”
Before Angel could even ask what that meant, he was silenced by a kiss. Kiss him back, ya fuckin’ idiot, don’t just stand there. You want this. He reciprocated, knowing that his mind was telling him the truth this time. After a minute, their lips separated… but they still remained close.
Husker looked deep into the other man’s eyes- properly this time. “Was that okay? I’m sorry, my thoughts just–”
“Don’t be sorry, Whiskers. I wanted that to happen.” Angel Dust said with a smile. “...I just wanted you to make the first move. When you said I was pushing your boundaries, I took it to heart, because I wasn’t going to ruin my chances with someone like you.”
The former Overlord blinked as he was at a loss for words as he processed what he had just heard. “...I wouldn’t expect a guy like you to even consider dating a man like me.”
“Why the hell wouldn’t I consider you? No one’s ever loved me like you. It’s kind of hard not to love the guy who made me realize that I’m not alone, and if we eat shit together…”
Husk cut him off with, “things may end up differently, heh. Love you too, Legs. Why don’t I walk you back to your room? It’s getting late, and all. I’m sure you need your beauty sleep.”
“I’ll only let you walk me back if you stay the night with me. I’d sleep better if you were cuddling me.” He teased the shorter demon in front of him.
The cat chuckled, temporarily letting go of the spider before walking around the bar to stand at his side. He offered a hand. “Alright, alright fine… but let’s get you cleaned up first before you go to sleep. I think you got a cut on your face, not just the remnants of a bloody nose.”
Angel Dust nodded as he placed his hand from the second set of arms into Husk’s, giving it a gentle squeeze. He used the first arm to wrap around the shorter demon’s shoulder. “I’m just going to give you two warnings. One, I am basically like velcro when I sleep, so I’ll probably be clinging onto you all night. Two, Fat Nuggets also likes to sleep in my bed… so he’ll be with us.”
“Baby, that’s fine by me.” Husk said with a soft chuckle, letting Angel Dust lead the way. As they left, the lights surrounding and behind the bar would dim, signaling the bar was closed for the night.