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So maybe Angel didn't think this whole thing through.
To be fair, he barely got past the whole you're pregnant in Hell thing; any hurdles he cleared beyond that were gravy. He survived nearly ten months—yes, ten—of all the bullshit that comes along with the "miracle" of pregnancy and popped out the cutest little hellspawn on this side of Pride. Okay, he's the cutest fucker in all seven Rings, and you can kiss the business end of Angel's gun if you disagree.
Angel named him Bo after his first "word"—or rather, the first sound he made: bobobobobo. Despite Val vehemently disagreeing, wanting to name the baby after himself, he didn't have much of a leg to stand on when out came a spider that was the spitting image of Angel, no signs of another man in sight. Since there's not a market for sinner paternity testing in Hell, no one could really prove Val was the baby daddy, though Angel knew he was. A couple people even joked that this may have been the only thing Angel Dust has ever done asexually. Angel, not wanting to risk Val claiming any ownership over their son, kept his lips sealed watertight.
Angel loves being a dad. He's surprised himself, actually, being able to step up and stay—mostly—sober for his kid. It hasn't been easy, but nothing in the afterlife is. Loving Bo, though, is the easiest thing Angel has ever done in this life or the one he had topside.
"Are you fuckin' kidding me?"
Even when Bo is a goddamn menace.
Angel follows the sound of Husk's voice, taking his time ascending the stairs to his room. He's pretty sure he already knows what he's gonna find when he gets there.
He pushes the cracked-open door to let himself in. Bo, the fuzzy pink motherfucker, sits on the floor with the decimated remains of Husk's hat in hand. There's shreds of fabric scattered about, some clenched tightly in chubby fists. He uncoordinatedly waves all four arms around and babbles nonsense in that way babies do. Husk stands there uselessly, just watching the carnage unfold.
"Oh, my sweet mini moth monster," Angel croons as he scoops up his son. "Did you fuck up Daddy Husk's clothes again?"
Bo scrunches up his face, angry to have been disrupted. There's a piece of fabric peeking out from the corner of his mouth, which Angel quickly plucks away and drops onto the floor.
Husk picks up his hat, or the remnants of it at least. There's a variety of holes throughout and the brim is hardly even attached on one side, hanging loosely by only a few threads. Husk keeps muttering under his breath, little curses Angel can't make out. Angel does his best not to laugh out loud.
"For a motherfucker who wears less clothes than I do, I thought ya'd keep a closer eye on your son so he doesn't eat 'em all," Angel says. "Gotta admit it's impressive when he ain't got any teeth yet."
Husk glares at Angel. Funny how much Bo looks like him, how their facial expressions are identical, despite them sharing no DNA—or whatever shit hellspawn have.
"Oh no, he's your son right now," Husk says, feathered brows drawn so close they almost touch. The best part is, he doesn't mean it; Husk would murder and die for their baby.
Whether it's from being torn away from the hat snack, Husk's tone, or no longer being the center of attention, Bo begins to wail. Angel is unfazed by his son's crocodile tears, but Husk is reduced to putty in Bo's chubby little hands. The cat demon's face softens immediately.
"Fuck, okay. It's okay, kid. Daddy ain't mad." Husk holds out his arms and Angel rolls his eyes as he deposits Bo into them. "I don't even really like that hat. Don't worry about it."
Doesn't like the hat? Bull-fucking-shit. Angel feels like he can't even get Husk to take the fucking thing off when they have sex.
Husk gently brushes Bo's tears away with a claw and shushes him, just like he always does for Angel. Angel’s chest tightens and he feels like maybe he'll start to tear up too. He's been a sucker for Husk for a long time, but watching him become a father to a kid that's not even his… Angel could damn well double die when his heart inevitably explodes. At least Bo would still have a dad to look after him, and a damn good one at that.
Tears slowing, Husk begins licking Bo's cheeks and grooms him sweetly, laying his fur down systematically. Bo settles down. Husk may not like being a cat, but it has its moments as far as Angel's concerned.
"If you're done coddling our precious lil' demon, it's time for his nap. Unless ya want to end up like your hat," Angel says.
Husk runs his claws through Bo's hair, smiling down at their baby like he's the greatest thing to ever exist. Angel agrees. Bo and Fat Nuggets are the best things about Hell. Oh, and Husk, too.
"Yeah, okay," Husk resigns. "Lemme clean up here an' get back to the bar."
Angel takes Bo from Husk and cuddles him into his chest. They're just about the same shades of pink, so Bo nearly vanishes into the camouflage of Angel's fluff. Safe and sound, Angel thinks.
Husk ruffles Bo's hair and smiles fondly at him. "Love you, kid. Love you, baby."
They kiss and part ways, Husk to the broom and Angel his room. In reality, it's their room; Husk hasn't slept apart from Angel in over a year, since the beginning of his pregnancy.
Angel and Husk were doing a will they, won't they thing until the reality of an unplanned baby entirely derailed their afterlife. Either they stick together and call it the real deal, or they cut it off and return to whatever their version of platonic is. It took a week or two for both of them to rip their heads out of their asses, but they made the right decision. They've been a family ever since.
When parenting gets hard and Angel feels like he's bound to fuck up their kid no matter what he does, Husk is always there to hold him together. He couldn't have made it through the pregnancy and early days of parenthood without Husk— and everyone else at the hotel, too. "Sure, ya tried to drown him a time or two," Husk said casually one time, "but what parent hasn't?" Angel wasn't sure if that's as normal as Husk assured him, but it made him feel better anyway.
Angel sits cross-legged on the fluffy white carpet in the designated Bo corner of their bedroom, baby in lap. Fat Nuggets comes galloping over, hooves tip-tapping against the floor, until he plops down next to them. He snuggles against the side of Angel's thigh and Angel scratches behind Nuggets' ears with a free hand. There is nothing Angel loves more in all of Hell than cuddling up with his favorite boys. All they're missing is Husk, but Daddy will be back later.
Angel reaches for one of Bo's favorite books: Goodnight Moon. Cute little ripoff of the popular book topside, or so Angel is told. He died a couple of months before it was published, so the hellish version with a werewolf howling at the moon on the cover is the only one Angel knows.
He holds onto the squirming baby with his top arms, the book with the middle, and keeps petting Nugs with the lower set. Thank Satan he has so many hands. Angel isn't sure how he'd manage without. Somehow Husk does it with only two, but Angel has the sneaking suspicion their son has a favorite parent.
Bo chews on the corner of the board book and a hole appears in seconds.
"How the fuck do you do that?" Angel muses, watching Bo work away at the book instead of stopping him.
Again, the bastard doesn't have any teeth. Angel's tits are grateful for that, too, even if Bo has chewed some suggestive holes through many of Angel's shirts to get to his dinner.
Angel takes the book away from Bo before he can chow down on the entire thing, earning him a wriggling, crying baby. With a sigh, Angel pulls out his phone and shows it to his son—the lockscreen is a picture of Husk. Quickly enough that it hurts Angel's feelings, Bo stops crying. He reaches for the phone, trying to rip it out of Angel's hands. Okay, the fucker does have a favorite parent and he's made that abundantly clear.
"You motherfucker. I carried you. Do ya know how hard it was to push your massive head out of my pu—" Inappropriate. "Now you gnaw on my tits until my nipples almost fall off. And you have the audacity to like Daddy more? What about your Mama?"
Naturally, Angel receives no response. He lets Bo take the phone and taps the screen every so often so it doesn't go to sleep and resume the hysterics all over. His son babbles at the picture like it's Husk himself. Fine, it's kinda cute how much Bo loves his daddy.
Angel scratches the scruff of Bo's neck where he's sprouting a patch of fluffy white fur. That, and a delicate set of fuzzy little moth wings are a new development over the last month or so. While Angel wasn't surprised in the least, he was still disappointed, just a little, that it confirmed Bo is Val's. It doesn't change how he or Husk view their son, but there's always the concern that Val will find out. They've been careful to conceal the wings within the confines of his onesies and they mostly stay inside the hotel where they know he's safe anyway.
Eventually, Angel is able to stow the phone away and try to put his monster down for a nap. He reads through most of Goodnight Moon before Bo goes slack in his arms, out cold. About damn time, Angel thinks. He cradles his son in his arms, squeezing him gently into his chest and breathing in the scent of him. He loves this baby more than anything.
Late in the evening when Husk is done at the bar—business much slower now that Angel doesn't really drink anymore—he returns to their room. Bo lets out a screech of unadulterated joy upon seeing his daddy and holds out all his arms, signaling he wants to be picked up. Husk, the fucking sucker, does it without second thought. He pulls their son against him and they give each other the biggest smiles. Guess Angel's just a glorified milk machine then.
Husk settles into bed next to Angel and gives him a quick kiss, so at least someone gives a shit about him. Bo clambers up Husk's chest to yank on one of his ears, bringing it to his mouth to chew on it. That's a hard limit for Husk who pulls the baby to lay so they're belly to belly, and offers him one of his claws in exchange. Bo grasps it between his stubby little fingers and waves it around before shoving it into his mouth. With his other hand, Husk undoes the clasps at the back of Bo's onesie to release his wings.
Though he doesn't say anything, Angel still disapproves. He doesn't care that Bo has wings—he really doesn't. It's just terrifying to have such an in-your-face reminder that Valentino will always be a part of Angel's afterlife. And if they aren't careful, it's likely that Val will take advantage of Bo in ways Angel doesn't even want to think about.
The baby stretches his downy wings out wide, so soft and cute with their heart design that reminds Angel more of himself than Val. Bo makes a sound, something like a growl, that Angel chooses to believe signals contentment.
"That's right, buddy. Bet that feels so much better," Husk says. He gently brushes his claws across Bo's wings. "Don't worry, you won't always have to hide 'em."
It's a point of contention between Angel and Husk—keeping Bo's wings tucked away like this. Husk knows how it feels to be restrained like that, how it's almost like cutting off an arm. Angel also knows a lot about not having a say in what's done to his body, too. So they fight about who knows more about what's best for their son versus how much of his bodily autonomy they take away. They fight about it until they're both blue in the face or until Bo gets into mischief that distracts them until next time. Angel doesn't have the energy to scream about it tonight.
Exhausted from a day of baby wrangling, Angel lets out a yawn. He scoots down the mattress a little, enough so he can comfortably rest his head on Husk's shoulder. Bo whacks Angel in the face with a fist for getting too close to Daddy without his blessing.
"You slippery little fucker—"
Husk interrupts, "Don't call our son a fucker."
"I won't when he stops being one."
Husk takes several of Bo's fists in one hand to keep him from taking another swing at Angel. Unlike if his Mama did it, Bo makes an amused sound.
"Why dontcha head off to sleep, baby? I can watch the kid."
Angel nods lazily instead of making a smartass remark. That sounds like a dream right now. He immediately begins to nod off, curling into his boyfriend's side.
"I love you," Angel says before he slips into sleep.
"I love you," Husk says.
And Bo makes his silly baby noises that they take to mean I love you, too.
Angel swears Bo gets bigger every single day. He's not sure where his precious baby who couldn't even hold his head up went and how he's now reigning terror wherever he goes. Angel can only imagine the chaos he'll cause once he can walk, and don't get him started on anything past that—he's not sure his heart can handle it.
Something inconvenient but inevitable is the growth of Bo's wings. Angel now has to wrestle his monstrosity into his onesie from all sides: four arms in front, wings in back, and wildly swinging legs in between. It takes all six of his hands to fight one baby into dressing, the worst part of which is tucking his wings in and buttoning up the onesie. Husk watches on without offering to help, disapproval always plain on his face despite Angel knowing he can hide it. When Bo rears his head forward and bites Angel's hand, hard, Angel stops.
"Fuck you too!"
"Angel," Husk scolds.
"The asshole bit me!"
"How would you like being tied u—?" Upon seeing Angel's smirk, Husk changes tactics. "Can't you see he's gettin' too big for this? You need to let him grow up."
Angel dodges another bite attempt and drops his hands. "Fine. I fuckin' give up. That make you happy?" He says it while looking at Bo, but it's directed at Husk.
Bo lets out a screech and stretches his wings wide, nearly smacking Angel in the face. If that's what Husk and their son want, they can have it. Angel's sick of fighting them both.
It's been a long fucking day, and a long day of fucking. Angel is so close to home that he can almost feel the weight of his baby in his arms and smell his boyfriend's tobacco-stained fur. He's ready to take a scalding bath then settle into bed with his favorite demons.
Angel doesn't quite make it that far.
Rounding a corner several blocks from the hotel, someone shoves a thick canvas sack over Angel's head and drags him to the ground. Angel thrashes against them, but they've got his arms pinned under him. There's the sound of a car approaching, squealing tires as it stops and the click-thump of its doors opening. Then Angel is heaved onto a spacious floor in the back of the car that smells all too familiar: acrid smoke and heavily spiced cologne.
Valentino.
The hood is ripped off Angel's head and were it anyone else, he'd pump them full of lead without hesitation. Instead, Angel freezes as his former Overlord smirks down at him. He hasn't seen Val in months, not since he gave birth to Bo. Valentino's still just as imposing as he ever was despite his relaxed posture, reclined in his seat with cigarette holder balanced between his fingers. A whispy trail of crimson smoke curls out of Val's parted lips.
Valentino motions for Angel to come closer with the curl of a claw. Old habits die hard and Angel crawls toward him. He sits on his knees between Val's spread thighs, a familiar position.
"You've been hiding something from me, amorcito," Val purrs as he trails a claw along Angel's shoulder.
Angel has to suppress the shiver that races up his spine. Terror washes over him like a bucket of ice water dumped over his head. Angel isn't stupid—he knows what Val is talking about—but he can play dumb.
"And what's that, Val?"
"You've kept my son from me, baby. My flesh and blood, and you deny me. I'm wounded."
Val digs his claws into Angel's skin hard enough it causes him to flinch. Angel tries to keep the easygoing smile on his face despite the pressure in his chest, the pounding of his heart ready to tear through his ribcage.
"I don't know what you're—"
Searing pain blooms across Angel's cheek where Val strikes him.
"Don't lie to me, bitch. Vox saw his wings on camera—I've seen them with my own eyes. I considered just taking him, but I am reasonable."
Angel wishes he could point out that Val's eyes are such shit he wouldn't know what Bo looked like if he was right in front of him. He has a hard time believing Valentino could pick anything up on that flat-faced fuck's TV monitors. Val is also not known for being reasonable by any stretch of the imagination. Instead, Angel remains quiet; there's no point in pissing off Val any more before he knows what happens next.
"So here's what's going to happen," Val says. "You're going to bring me my son. He's going to spend some time with Papí. And if you behave, maybe he can return to your shithole hotel—let's say, once a week?"
Angel clenches all of his hands at his sides to avoid an outburst. Don't make it worse. Don't make it worse. He's not sure how he remains so calm other than to protect his baby.
"You're not takin' my kid away from me, Val."
"Who said anything about taking him away? I'm not a monster, baby. You're more than welcome to come home so you can be with la familia."
This is exactly what Angel was afraid would happen the moment he found out he was pregnant. Valentino isn't above using a baby as collateral, and unfortunately, Bo is one of the only things Angel will do anything to protect, even if it means putting himself in danger.
"Okay," Angel says because he has no other choice. He knows when he can fight back, and he knows when fighting will only make things worse.
"Good boy. Now go get me my son."
Valentino reaches around Angel to open the door then pushes him out of the limo. Though Angel falls flat on his face, he's grateful to get the fuck away from Val.
Angel doesn't dare cry in front of Valentino. He doesn't do it on the way home. Not until he's safely in Husk's arms with Bo in his does Angel break down.
Their baby boy doesn't understand what's happening, so he claws at Angel's fluff and tries to put anything in his mouth that he can get his hands on. To Bo, it's another day. Mama just cries sometimes, and that's okay. Daddy is always here to turn things around. Oh to be a clueless, barely sentient baby.
"What do I do?" Angel whispers to Husk.
"I…" Husk is quiet for a long time as he thinks. "I don't think we have much of a choice right now."
"He has no fuckin' right to tear him away from his family. Valentino's not just gonna let him go, Husk. He's gonna hold him hostage until I agree to—"
Husk presses Angel's face into his chest and holds him there tightly. "Take Bo for now and we'll figure out a plan together. It's just temporary. The longer we keep him here, the more pissed Valentino will be."
"Husk, if I stay—I can't."
"Hey, baby, it's okay. You don't have to go. He doesn't get to hurt you anymore."
Angel looks down at Bo who has chewed through one of Angel's gloves while they weren't paying attention. He's still gnawing away at Angel's finger. Angel lets him. He can't bear to say no to his baby right now.
"You're sayin' I should just give our son to Valentino? Leave him helpless and alone with that psychopathic freak?"
Angel's not a crier, but he feels pretty fucking close to starting all over again. Husk, on the other hand, has done a shit job at keeping the waterworks locked down. He has tear tracks streaking through his fur, so there's no denying it.
"Valentino won't hurt him," Husk says. "Guy's too full of himself. He'll view Bo as an extension of himself. And we won't let him keep him long enough to do anything else. Okay?"
Angel thinks Husk is full of shit. He can't even begin to imagine how he can leave his baby with Val and just run away. But Angel also can't keep Bo safe if Val's beat him half to double death, and that's what they're looking at if Angel moves back into Vee Tower. The best thing Angel can do is comply with Valentino so he can keep Bo safe.
So despite every bone in his body telling Angel he shouldn't, he takes Bo to Vee Tower.
This has been the worst hour of Angel's entire existence. The second he left Bo with Valentino, a piece of Angel died. He misses his baby. Being apart from Bo is like living without the arms he sprouted in Hell; what the fuck is the point if he's missing a part of himself? Without a doubt the best part, too.
Angel has been rapidly cycling through every negative emotion known to man, from guilt to anger to despair. Even Husk, usually the calm answers guy, has been useless. He's tried giving Angel reassurance but it's a little hard to believe that everything will be okay when the motherfucker hasn't stopped crying since Angel left with Bo. So instead, Angel has smashed or torn everything he's come into contact with before melting into a puddle of tears on the floor with Fat Nuggets curled into his side.
Angel's phone rings and he panics when he sees it's Val. He swipes to answer as quickly as inhumanly possible, pressing it to his ear.
"Hey, Val, everythin' o—?"
"Get your scrawny fucking ass over here now!"
Angel holds the phone away from his face after Valentino nearly bursts his eardrum. His heart starts racing faster as he thinks about Bo, how Val's rage may not be tempered even for a baby.
"Your bastard put holes in all my clothes! Do you know how expensive this shit is? How the fuck—get back here."
There's a clattering like Valentino drops the phone. Angel feels a little at ease now that Val seems more flustered than furious. That sounds typical of what Bo does to people, the little menace.
Husk asks what's going on and Angel holds up a finger. He listens for a moment. Bo makes a series of demanding noises in the background and Val curses.
"I think your son is givin' Valentino a run for his money," Angel whispers, feeling like a proud Mama.
Val appears to have picked up the phone again. He breathes heavily into the receiver. Angel stifles a laugh to avoid stoking Valentino's rage.
"He never shuts the fuck up!" Val screeches. "And he—FUCK!"
The shriek of an eldritch horror. A loud crash as something shatters in the background. Val squeaks in response, then curses in Spanish under his breath.
"Come get your fucking hellspawn before I throw it out a window!"
The line goes dead. Angel kisses Husk and immediately bolts out the door with a wave.
"Gotta go get our son! Be back soon!"
Angel doesn't stop running. His boots aren't meant for it and his lungs feel ready to burst, but he doesn't give a fuck. He's so close to his baby that Angel doesn’t care if it kills him. Shit, he'll kill himself if that'll do anything.
Upon arrival, Valentino plops a very pissed-off Bo into Angel's arms and tells him to get the fuck out. Bo wriggles around frantically and tries to snap at Val with his toothless mouth. Valentino reflexively squeaks.
"Out!"
And that's it. They don't wait around for Val to potentially change his mind, but Angel doesn't need to run now. He takes his time walking home, snuggling his baby tightly into his chest and telling him how loved he is. Bo growls at him several times, displeased that Angel won't set him down. Angel doesn't care. He smiles so widely he feels like his face will split in half, even when Bo chews a hole through his bowtie.
After some time, Bo settles into Angel's arms. He curls up with a thumb in his mouth and wraps a hand around one of Angel's slim fingers. Angel is pretty sure his heart might explode and that's okay.
The second they arrive back at the hotel, Husk is waiting for them. The sucker is already tearing up and Bo is ready to throw himself at Husk, so fuck Angel or whatever. But Angel is so relieved to have their family back together that he'll gladly take last place in a Bo's favorite person contest every time.
"Hey, sprout," Husk says as he snuggles his face against Bo's. "Proud of you for bein' on your worst behavior."
Bo makes a series of sounds that sound suspiciously close to dadada. Angel reaches out for his son with all four arms and is surprised when Bo willingly leaves Husk. Angel kisses the top of his baby's head.
"I think it's time for bed. How's that sound, squirmy wormy?"
Bo wriggles around excitedly, most definitely not ready for bed. Nothing a spin with Goodnight Moon can't fix, though.
Angel sits on the floor in Bo's corner of their bedroom with baby reclined against his knees. He takes each of Bo's chubby little hands in his and squeezes them tightly. Maybe if Angel holds on, he'll never have to let go. Husk stands behind Angel, hands on his boyfriend's shoulders, and looks at his family. He doesn't have to say anything for Angel to know Husk is just as relieved to have them all together again.
Maybe Angel didn't really think it through when he decided to keep the kid, but he's glad he did. He really fucking loves being a parent.