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Angel shifted nervously in his stool, picking at the glass in his hands. He was currently sitting at the bar with Husk, pretty late in the evening and pretty empty. The lights dimmed low over the bar, the atmosphere rustic and calm, for Husk, at least. Angel bounced his leg under the counter, biting his lip as he tried to articulate his thoughts. It was a big couple of weeks for him, as it was confirmed that he was able to successfully ascend into heaven after years of work.
But Angel was getting cold feet. He wanted this, right? It's what he had been working towards for the longest time now. This is what it'd take to get away from Valentino, to leave him and that stupid contract behind and start again in a place that wouldn't know his record.
And yet, every time he looked in Husk's direction, his heart fluttered and he wanted to change his mind. That was his problem. He didn't want to leave the stupid bartender down here to rot by himself. He didn't like admitting it, but he's grown way too attached to him now.
That's why he was so nervous, he didn't know how Husk was going to take his hesitation. The cat was the one making sure Angel didn't relapse or mess up his progress. He was the one that stayed by his side when nights felt too hard to keep going or felt like it was all pointless in the end. It was like spitting in his face and disregarding all of the effort Husk had to help.
Meanwhile, Husk was crouched down and below the bar, rearranging the bottles in a bunch of different ways. A to Z, Z to A, strongest to weakest, weakest to strongest, expensive to cheap, cheap to expensive, you get the idea. When he was done with one cabinet, he moved onto the next, doing the exact same thing. It was a bit of noise, but Angel didn't seem to be bothered so he paid no mind to it.
He just wished his feelings would stop. Stop making his wings flutter when he’s around or making his heart pound. Honestly, he wished he stopped caring. It was only going to make it worse for him when the spider leaves. He knows that he's gonna miss him, but fuck, it was for the best.
Angel Dust sighed, flicking his glass of juice before clearing his throat in the crouched cat's direction, “Husk?”
“Hm?” Husk mutters, quelling the moving around of bottles but keeping his eyebrows furrowed and his position still.
“Get up here, I'm tryna have a serious conversation with ya,” Angel patted his hand on the counter, urging Husk to stand up so he could talk to him properly.
Husk groaned, grabbing the counter and hoisting himself up. He laid his elbows on the counter, leaning on it comfortably with his back arched. He mumbled about something under his breath, but didn't elaborate or bring his eyes up to meet Angel's, his wings flexing against his back.
“C'mon, look at me, idiot,” Angel poked his shoulder until Husk turned to look at him, huffing and giving him a grumpy expression.
“What're you so upset for?” Angel questioned almost accusingly, frowning at him.
“What'd you call my name for?” Husk deflected, turning the conversation back on Angel.
“Fine, okay, I wanted to talk to ya about somethin’,” the spider sighed, kicking his foot against the counter, now averting his gaze as he tried to find the words.
“Well, spit it out,” Husk huffed, taking Angel’s glass so he'd stop fidgeting with it and start moving those lips.
“Okay, I, uh…” Angel started but fumbled his words. He sighed, taking a deep breath, deciding to just say it straight up and rip the bandaid off. “I don't wanna go to heaven.”
Husk froze, changing the gaze he had on the glass to look at Angel incredulously, like he just cut off his hand. “... What?”
Angel deflated at Husk’s obvious distaste at what just exited his mouth, so he felt a need to explain himself quickly.
“Look, I know that, I have been working towards it for so long so it almost feels like a waste but…” Angel trailed off as he once again was trying to find the words he had lost.
“But, but you what? Why!? Are ya even thinkin’ clearly??” Husk intercepted before the spider could even try to finish, his wings ruffling slightly behind him.
“Yeah, actually, I've been thinkin’ more clearly than I ever have and I've found that I actually don't want to go,” Angel told him matter of factly, his hands falling to grip the ledge of the bar.
“I don't think you are, because that's the dumbest thing you've ever said to my face,” Husk said with more bite than he intended, but he couldn't help it. He couldn't see any reason why Angel would choose to stay in *hell* when he could escape to literal paradise.
“Its not *dumb*-” Angel started, feeling an even bigger need to defend himself but Husk cut him off before he really could.
“It is dumb. Do you not want to get away from Valentino?” Husk accused, his eyebrows lowered in confusion and his pointer finger tapping restlessly on the counter.
“What -? No, no it's not about him, it's got nothin’ to do with him,” Angel told him, offense potent in his tone, his body tensing and his grip on the wood of the bar growing tighter.
“But you want to stay in hell. With him,” Husk stated in a tone that made it seem like he was talking to a toddler. Which only started to piss Angel off.
“I know that, but I don’t want to stay for *him*,” Angel said with venom creeping into his voice as he couldn't believe that Husk would even have the audacity to say that.
“Then why the hell do you want to stay here? What’s so fucking important down here that makes you want to stay despite him?” Husk asked pointedly, crossing his arms and huffing.
“... Why the hell are you so pressed over this?! It's not like you're getting denied to goin’ ta heaven.” Angel noticeably hesitated before countering his question with another question, his grip growing even tighter against the wood.
“Because this is an incredibly stupid choice and you're giving me no damn explanation for it,” Husk challenged, only leaned forward. Despite acting antagonistic, he really did want to know why he doesn't want to go. He cares, he wants him to go to heaven, regardless of his own feelings.
Meanwhile, Angel only seemed more upset. His jaw tightened, and he pushed away from the counter, the bar stool scraping on the floor beneath. He initially wanted to leave this conversation, but he knew unresolved tension would only be worse, so he had to tell him. He took a deep breath, relaxing his shoulders like he's been taught to do so many times.
“I want to stay because of you. I… like you, like that. And I don't want to go all the way up there if you're not with me,” Angel confessed in a quiet tone slightly above a whisper, but Husk’s ears twitched in his direction so he knew he was heard.
When they were both met with silence, Angel's hands released the counter and fell to his lap. His eyes wandered and scanned the wooden counter, not wanting to meet the eyes that he knew were boring into his soul right at this minute.
Husk met him with equal silence, his eyes widened slightly while his arms dropped to the counter. For him, his eyes couldn't leave Angel's face, even though he very much wanted to. This made everything so much worse. How… Why would anyone choose to sacrifice anything to stay with him? There was nothing lovable about him. Angel… *Anthony* deserves better.
“... I know this is sudden, I'm kinda just droppin’ it on ya, I just, I really would rather stay…” Angel rambled a bit to try to fill the silence, it only making his nerves sky rocket and his heart race.
“No. No, no, no shut up. SHUT up.” Husk slammed his palm on the counter, making Angel quiet his words and flinch. The spider's heart dropped and his expression hardened. Husk suddenly got a headache.
“You don't like me, or whatever feelings. It's probably something else, you don't. No,” The cat deflected, pulling back to grab a random bottle of brandy from a cabinet.
“... How are ya gonna tell me about my own damn feelings?!” Angel raised his voice, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Somethin’ called common sense, you outta learn it,” Husk insulted that reeked in salt, his fingers messing with the cap on top of the bottle he grabbed. He didn't even know what the fuck he grabbed, he just hoped it was strong.
“What the hell is your problem?!” Angel finally stood up, his hands clenching into fists. He felt like screaming, but making a ruckus was the last thing he wanted.
“My problem is that you are willing to throw your chance of a better afterlife away out of… a stupid love,” Husk growled under his breath, giving up on the bottle and pushed it away.
“It's not stupid to me!” Angel screamed, not caring about his volume anymore as he looked at Husk incredulously. The bartender finally looked up at Angel, his voice going radio silent when he saw the tears pricking at the spider's eyes.
“Y’know what? Fuck you. I'll go to heaven since you want me gone so badly.” Angel didn't wait for Husk’s response; he turned away from the bar and stormed off upstairs, slamming the door to his room behind him once he was in there.
Angel’s heart raced in his throat as his back hit his door, the adrenaline wearing off as he panted softly. His bottom two hands crossed over and hugged himself while one of his top hands covered his mouth. A sob managed to escape out of his throat, tears rolling down his cheeks.
He thought he already learned his lesson, but no, he thought it'd be different this time. But it's not. It never was. He was stupid to think it was different. Love will *always* hurt.
◆◇◆◇◆◇◆◇
Husk was still sitting at the bar counter, even though hours had passed since the argument and he'd turned the lights out. He couldn't bring himself to retreat into his room, but he couldn't drink a drop of liquor. So he stood at the bar counter, not having moved from his position and only shifting from one leg to the other. He stared at the bottle and the empty bar stool Angel had sat in earlier.
He felt so conflicted… It's better like this, right? He said he would go. Who cares why he'd go? He'll be safe up there, that's what matters. Who cares if… if Angel would hate him forever. That he fucked up. That he ruined it. He's so fucked, that he ruined it just at confession. And he didn't even confess. And he ruined it.
He glanced up at the stairs, where Angel had disappeared. When he was upset. Because of what he did. Because he ruined it. He ruined it.
Without a second thought, he pushed away from the damned counter and headed upstairs. He didn’t know what he was going to do, but he didn’t want Angel leaving thinking he didn’t care. Because he did, so fucking bad.
He just… the thought of Angel staying for him was too damn jarring. He couldn’t let Angel do that, but he couldn’t let him go thinking that Husk hated his guts. That didn’t sit right with him. Maybe, deep down, he wanted Angel to stay down here for him… No, fuck, that’s selfish as hell. He didn’t want Angel to stay, not if it meant risking his happiness.
Before he knew it, he was in front of Angel’s door, staring at the doorknob like it'd turn itself. Part of him knew this was a bad idea, there was no way Angel would open the door for him, not after tonight. He, rightfully, probably, hated him. Fuck.
Husk knocked on the dark pink door gently, but loud enough so he knew Angel heard it. He knew it was late, like two in the morning, so maybe he went to sleep…
Just as he was about to walk away, his ears picked up the sounds of bed sheets ruffling around and the spider's footsteps. He stilled his movements as Angel cracked the door open, but shut it immediately when he recognized Husk. The cat couldn't even get a word out before the door slammed, making him groan and rest his forehead onto the door.
Despite his quick leave, Husk did get a good glimpse of the pornstar’s current appearance. He was shirtless, only his skirt was on and his hair was messier. But what struck Husk particularly was the tell tale puffy eyes and streaks of mascara. He had been crying and it was all because of him.
“Ugh... Angel, c’mon, please?” Husk asked against the door, hearing the sounds of him laying back in bed and ruffling the sheets around.
“Fuck off!” The pink sinner yelled through the door from his bed, laying on his side. He faced the wall with his back to the door, curled in on himself.
“Angel…” he knew he should leave him alone, but he couldn't let this go. He needed to fix what he ruined.
“What, I'm going to heaven. You got what you wanted! Why are you still bothering me?!” Angel shouted back, not moving from his position in the bed.
“Because I shouldn't have called you stupid for your feelings, it's not your fault you… feel that way.” Husk’s hand rested on the doorknob but he didn't turn it. He sighed as his words trailed off, he felt incredibly guilty for how he handled that.
“... Yeah. You shouldn't have.”
Angel's softer tone made Husk breathe a small sigh of relief. This meant he calmed down. That’s what Husk wanted, to make him feel better after what he said to him.
… So why did he feel like he still owed him something?
“I'm sorry for what I said, you aren’t stupid for how you feel..” Husk apologized clearly, taking a pause afterwards as his foot kicked at the floor. Before thinking, his mouth opened and words started spilling out. “... And I'm sorry for falling for you too.”
Angel was relaxing until he picked up the last thing Husk had said. He almost missed it, but it was just loud enough to have his brain process it instantly and his heart rate to pick up. He kicked his sheets off and rushed to the door, opening the wooden barrier just as Husk was taking a step back from it.
“Did you, did you mean that? You aren’t lying or nothin’?!” Angel said a bit frantically, his eyes wide with hope and his fingers messing with the edge of the door.
“You… you weren't supposed to hear that…” Husk mumbled as he averted his eyes to the ground, his face stunned but nervous.
“Did you mean it?!” Angel repeated at a volume higher, again, with no regard for the other hotel residents sleeping. His tone was more demanding and needy.
“Yes, yeah, I. Yeah,” Husk said in an exhausted tone as he looked back up to see Angel’s face, seeing how relieved and happy he looked. Then, he watched how it quickly turned into frustration and exasperation.
“THEN WHY DO YA WANT ME TA LEAVE SO BAD?!” Angel shouted before turning around completely back into his room, Husk hurriedly rushing in and closing the door behind him.
“Stop screaming, would ya?! It's like three in the morning, people are trying to sleep…” Husk tried to shush him as the spider huffed and pulled a shirt on. Fat Nuggets perked his head up groggily from the foot of Angel’s bed, waking up from all the noise.
“Answer my question, dickhead,” Angel ignored what Husk told him and sat back in his bed, next to his pig. The bartender sighed and sat next to the spider, leaving some space between them.
“Isn’t it obvious? You'd be way better off up there.” Husk slumped in Angel’s cushions lazily, turning his gaze to the floor.
“Why do ya think that?”
The cat’s eyes turned to his face, his head not moving, though. He saw the clear exhaustion in his features, and yet he still saw a calm vulnerability behind those hot pink irises. Husk blinked repeatedly, turning his head to fully give him his ‘its OBVIOUS’ expression, making Angel groan loudly and flop backwards onto the bed.
“C'mon, I don’t care about Val! I'll be fine. Come up with a better reason,” Angel huffed, throwing an arm over his face dramatically while an eye peeks out at him.
“Okay, fine, fuck, since you insist, I won't talk about him anymore,” Husk huffed as he turned his whole body around to face Angel. The gay one removed his arms and sat up, propped by his elbows, waiting for Husk to continue.
“Even if you stayed down here for… me, that's.. I don't know. I'm not worth that sacrifice,” Husk whispered but loud enough for Angel to hear. And he knew he heard, his eyes widened a bit larger as he processed the words.
“What? Husk, you're plenty worth it. That's why I wanna stay,” Angel sat up fully, reaching his hand out carefully towards the tired bartender in a silent question. Husk silently opened his hand up and nodded, letting Angel take his hand gently. When Husk stayed quiet, Angel sighed and squeezed his hand.
“Look, no matter what ya think, I’m not going to heaven if you're not there with me-” Angel tilted his head slightly so he could look at Husk more thoroughly in the eye- “I don't *need* to go up there. You're my heaven, right here, okay?”
He watched as Husk finally met his eyes, seeing confusion but also an unwavering emotion of relief throughout the cat’s features, making Angel smile reassuringly at him.
“We'll find another way to get away from Val, okay? Now go to bed, I’m tired.” Angel leaned in before pulling back and flopping back onto the bed, his head hitting the pillow. He watched as Husk stood up from the bed. “Where ya goin’?”
“To my own bed, duh,” the cat said obviously, already walking towards the door as Angel turned on his side to face him.
“You don’t have ta, I got room for two,” the spider said a bit teasingly, patting the spot next to him with a smile.
“Goodnight, Angel..” Husk chuckled softly, leaving his room and shutting the door behind him. A small satisfied smile was on his features, thinking about how things were gonna look from now on. He felt guilty, but maybe Angel was right. They'd figure it out.
“Goodnight…” Angel muttered as the door shut, leaving the room in silence. He could sleep now, really sleep, now that his heart was bubbling with positive emotions he thought he swore off decades ago. He curled into himself, the comforter draped on him tightly. Before he fell asleep, he couldn't help the giddy smile that spread across his face.