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It was supposed to be one night. One night and they would talk.
That’s what Husk had told Angel that day in the kitchen before he’d left.
That had been a week ago. A week of Angel sleeping in what was supposed to be their shared bed alone. A week of Angel waking up alone and cold and without his usual morning coffee that used to be waiting for him when he crawled out of bed. A week of missing the man he loved and wishing he could take everything he’d done to fuck this up back.
Husk needed his time, Angel knew that. But he’d also promised they would talk. And Husk still had yet to even approach Angel about it. Angel knew he’d fucked up, that he’d let Valentino get in his head and having to see the moth at work for the past week had been absolute torture. Luckily, Val had mostly stayed away since the incident, likely because Angel had been a good boy and played right into Val’s hand, the Overlord probably didn’t see the need to do anything further. But still, the sight of him alone that first day back at work after his fight with Husk had sent Angel hurdling for the bathroom to puke up his breakfast.
Things had gotten better and worse since. Better because he could make it through work now with Val without having to excuse himself to the bathroom to puke. Worse because the hotel felt so divided now, he almost hated to even come home. After Vaggie and Charlie had found Angel in the kitchen that day and talked him down from his screaming sobs, they’d tried to get him to tell them what had happened. He hadn’t been able to, couldn’t make the words leave his throat. He couldn’t badmouth Husk, not after what had happened. But he also couldn’t say anything really good about him at that moment.
Of course, Cherri and Vaggie had immediately taken Angel’s side. Charlie, bless her heart, tried her best to remain neutral as they didn’t know what exactly had transpired, but Angel could tell she was more on his side. Alastor, surprisingly, it seemed had chosen Husk. And Niffty, well… she was just happy to be included, Angel thought.
But Angel hated the sides. He hated that he’d managed to divide the hotel and that he had the majority on his side when he knew he didn’t deserve them. He’d good as cheated on Husk. He deserved to be shunned. And yet, every time he tried to voice that, the words got lodged in his throat.
Maybe that was why Husk hadn't spoken to him yet. Somehow, despite saying nothing, Angel had gotten the majority of their friends on his side.
Finally, one night, all of that changed as fate seemed to finally put Husk and Angel in the right place at the right time.
Angel came home late from a long, miserable day at work, feeling exhausted both from being fucked six different ways from Sunday until Val was finally pleased with everyones performance and he was let go, but also just from the idea of coming home to an empty room and an empty bed. He hated sleeping alone, he’d gotten so used to having Husk around over the past few months, he felt a little lost not feeling his weight beside him when he woke up in the morning, or not hearing Husk getting around in the bathroom on Angel’s days off while he lounged on the couch with Nuggets, or not smelling the coffee brewing in the morning, being made just the way he liked it.
He walked into the hotel, lower hands on his back, groaning softly to himself as he rubbed at his eyes. Part of him kind of wanted to run off and go get fucked up at a bar or club, but he’d always hated clubbing alone and Cherri was probably asleep in her own room by now and he wasn’t about to call up Valentino. So he gave a heavy sigh and made his way across the parlor toward the elevators by memory, still rubbing at his aching, tired eyes.
“That was a hefty sigh.”
Angel froze. It felt like it had been an eternity since he’d heard that voice talking directly to him yet it still made his heart lurch like it was the first time all over again. He dropped his hands from his eyes and slowly turned his head to look over toward the bar. Husk stood there, like he usually did, pouring some clear liquor in a glass, a bored look on his face.
“Well, been a long day.” Angel replied, hesitating, not sure if he was welcome to go sit with Husk or not.
Husk hummed his acknowledgement and bent down, grabbing a bottle of soda water from under the bar and topping off the drink with it before he garnished it with some some mint leaves and pushed it forward. “Here, maybe this’ll help.”
Angel stared between Husk and the drink for a solid minute, blinking stupidly before he finally took a step forward, then another and another until he was standing before the bar. His lower hands were twisting together, as they often did when he was nervous and he carefully took the glass with a top hand. “No bendy straw?” He asked, trying to make his tone light and teasing though he felt like he was walking on eggshells. He didn’t even want to sit down for fear Husk would just send him away.
“I don’t have any bendy straws.” Husk told him, recapping the soda water and putting it back under the bar. “I got regular, boring straight straws.”
“Can’t have that.” Angel said. “You gotta invest in more gay straws. You keep giving me straight ones, they might turn me straight, then you’re real screwed,”
Husk snorted and grabbed a straw from the holder under the bar, sticking it in Angel’s drink. “I’ll take my chances.”
Angel gave him a small, nervous smile and took a sip of his drink. It was good, of course it was good, Husk always made him perfect drinks. This one was refreshing and minty and, surprisingly, actually made him feel a little more awake. “Good.” He muttered around the straw. “What is it?”
“A mojito. Never had one before?”
Angel shook his head. “I’ve heard of it but never tried one. It’s good.”
Wiping the counter where he’d accidentally spilled some soda water, Husk nodded. “Didn’t add as much mint, I know you got the spice tolerance of a white woman in the fifties.”
“Aye,” Angel scoffed at that, though he was touched that Husk still made the drink just the way he knew Angel would like it. Just like always. “I’ll have you know, I didn’t even make it to the fifties.”
“But not denying the spice thing.” Husk chuckled, tossing his rag to the basket under the bar before he looked up and met Angel’s eyes. “So… hey.”
Angel blinked, mouth around the straw of his drink and muttered back. “Hi.”
“Think we can talk in our room?”
Heart skipping a beat, Angel nodded. “Yeah. Yeah, I’d like that. I mean I- I want to- I’ve been waiting-”
Husk held a hand up, stopping Angel from babbling on like an idiot and making himself look like more of a fool than he already felt. “I know.” Husk said. “Sorry it’s taken me so long. Had to kinda… sort through my thoughts and feelings before I felt comfortable enough to talk to you about it so I didn’t make anything worse for either of us. But I think I’ve sorted stuff out enough and feel like I can keep a cool head so, if you’re okay, then I guess we should do this.”
“I’m okay.” Angel nodded quickly. Well, he wasn’t really okay but he was ready to talk and he knew that was what Husk had meant so he wasn’t even lying to him.
“Alright.” Husk walked out from behind the bar and heard toward the elevators. Angel tried not to feel too hurt that he hadn’t offered him a hand like he used to and instead, cupped all four hands unnecessarily around his drink and followed behind Husk. The ride up the elevator and walk to their room was silent, and not the comfortable silence they usually shared in times like this. No, this silence felt suffocating and wrong.
Once they reached their room, Husk unlocked the door and let Angel in first, locking the door after he stepped in with him. Angel immediately set his drink down on the coffee bar and moved to the little corner they’d effectively turned into Fat Nuggets sanctuary, complete with a plush bed, a bunch of toys, his food and water dish and, a new addition from Angel, a light up neon sign of Nuggets name. The little pig was sound asleep on his bed, laying on his back, little legs in the air and Angel gave his belly a couple loving pats before dishing out some food for him.
“Do you want some coffee?” Husk asked and Angel looked back to see him hovering by the coffee bar, like he wasn’t really sure if he was allowed to use it or not.
“Nah, if I have coffee now, I won’t sleep and I got work tomorrow.”
Husk nodded and moved further into the room, sitting down on the couch where Angel joined him a minute later, lifting one foot up to rest on the couch so he could unzip his boot.
“So…” Husk started awkwardly. “I guess we should talk about what happened.”
Angel nodded slowly as he tugged his boot off and tossed it aside, lifting his other leg and tugging that boot off as well. “Yeah, guess so. You want me to start?”
Husk nodded slowly. “Sure, yeah. That might be for the best. You say your piece then I'll ask my questions and we'll go from there.”
Angel nodded and tossed his other boot aside, pulling both legs up under him on the couch and tapping his fingers on his ankles. “Okay, well, I guess first an apology is in order. I- I'm so sorry, Husky. I never, ever wanted to hurt you and I'm feel so fucking stupid for what I did.”
Husk looked like he wanted to say something but he pressed his lips together and nodded for Angel to go on.
“Val… Val tricked me. He- I thought when he came into my dressing room that he was going to come in swingin’, ready to fight about me dating without his permission. I was so ready to have it out with him and then… that didn't happen. He didn't come in angry or with a hand raised at me. Instead he came in the way he used to, back when we were in love and I-” Angel sighed heavily, disappointment heavy in his voice with his next words. “I let myself get swept up in him, in the feelings. I know now that he was manipulating me, that he was doing it to hurt me, to hurt us but I didn't realize it at the time and I’m- it's not an excuse and I'm not trying to make an excuse for what I did, I should have known better. But I just need you to understand I never, ever meant to hurt you and I'm so fucking sorry I was such an idiot.”
Husk's throat bobbed as he listened to Angel talk, his mouth opening for a minute after he was done before it shut again, no words coming out. Angel sat there silently, chewing his lower lip and watching Husk think about what to say to all of that. Finally, he looked up and met Angel's eyes. “Well, that answers a few of my questions.” He said with a nod. “I just…” he sighed and rubbed at his eyes. “You said you asked him to fuck you. And that you were sober. Was it really just because of the feelings or… or is there something else there? Am I not satisfying you, Angel?”
“No!” Angel shouted quickly, turning to face Husk and taking his hands. “No, God, no baby you satisfy me so well. You make me feel so fucking good. It really wasn't anything to do with you being inadequate or anything like that. Val and I, we have a really complicated relationship, as you know, and when he came in all soft and sweet and the way he kissed me, fuck.” Angel hated that he felt his heart pound a bit just remembering that kiss, even though he knew now it had all been a lie. “It was like having the old Val back again. It was like he never changed. And I let myself get sucked into that and I- I have no excuse for what I did because at the end of the day, I made the choice to follow through. I could have pushed him away, let him punish me for it, but I didn't.”
Husk nodded again. “You said that day that you weren't sure you wanted to be free. Was that the feelings talking? Or do you actually not want to be free of him?”
Angel blew out a long breath at the question. “Part of me wants to be free of him. I hate working for him now, you're right, you know? He treats me like garbage so much and the few good days aren't worth it anymore. But then there's the other part of me that knows that if I somehow manage to get free of him, I'm losing not only him, but my job. And I love my job. Like I told you the other day, I enjoy making porn and having sex and, I dunno, I don't want to lose that.”
“I get it. But you don't have to give it up completely, Angel. You're Angel Dust, you could probably start up your own porn thing and people would watch because of who you are. You asked me the other day if I could handle you being Angel Dust while also being my husband and, God, of course I can Angel. I never wanted to make you think that was something I wouldn't be willing to do for you.”
“Well,” Angel started, twisting his lower hands together. “When you wouldn't even talk to me about even being my husband in the first place, it was kind of hard to know what you would or wouldn’t do. And, again, I ain't blaming you and I ain't making excuses, I'm just… talking. We're supposed to be talking so here it is.”
Husk reached over and placed a hand on Angel's lower hands, stopping their twisting. “I know. And I guess I also owe you an apology for that. I'm sorry, Angel. I should have talked to you about everything that happened. I should have made it more clear to you that I meant it when I agreed to marry you. I should have done more and I'm sorry I didn't.”
Angel nodded and looked down at his lap, playing with a loose string on his sock. “I’m sorry I cheated on you. I’m sorry I- I let Val cloud my better judgement like that.” He sniffed and tried to make a joke. “It wasn’t even that good of a fuck.”
Husk chuckled softly and Angel lifted his head to meet his eyes with a teary smile. “You don’t have to lie, yanno. I… I really am sorry I didn’t talk to you and made it so easy for him to get in your head. And I’m sorry for what happened in the kitchen the other day.”
“I know.” Angel sighed and held a hand out to Husk, a peace offering of sorts. “Are… are we okay?”
Husk hesitated for a minute before taking Angel’s hand, intertwining their fingers. “Almost. Can I ask ya something?”
Angel nodded warily, watching Husk chew his lip like he was debating how best to ask whatever was on his mind. Angel let him think, just content at having Husk’s hand back in his again. He’d missed how the cat’s hand could completely encompass his own without even really trying. He’d missed just getting to be this close to the man he loved with his whole heart.
“You said,” Husk started suddenly, snapping Angel’s attention away from their hands and up to his face. “At the aquarium, you said you didn’t want to be redeemed. Is that still true?”
Oh, right. Angel knew they needed to have this talk, and he needed to have it with Charlie soon too but between everything else that had happened over the past nearly two weeks, it had sort of slipped his mind. “Yeah.” He said slowly, licking his lips. “Yeah, it’s… it’s still true.”
“And,” Husk looked nervous as he said his next words. “Is it just because I don’t want you to be redeemed? Because I-I’ll get over it if it’s something you really-”
Angel reached forward and placed his finger over Husk’s lips, cutting him off. “It’s not just because you don’t want me to. I mean, that’s part of it, yeah, but also I just don’t feel like it was really ever my path. Not really. I mean, you know I’m not clean. Cleaner than I was but not fully clean and part of that’s because of my job and Val, but part of it’s also just because I don’t want to be. And drugs aside, I ain’t giving up having sex before marriage. Like, that just ain’t happening, no matter what happens going forward with Val. And, I mean, obviously I have no idea if any of those things are actually what get you into Heaven or not but even so, like I said, redemption just never really felt like my path. I mean, I started staying here in the first place because Charlie offered me a roof over my head and food in my stomach for literally nothing. And I stayed because I started to like it here, started to like the people and this place started to feel like home but, even after all that, redemption just never felt right.”
Husk nodded along as Angel rambled, letting him finish before he spoke up. “Have you talked to Charlie about it?”
“Not yet. Between everything else that’s happened, it’s not really been a top priority.”
“Are you gonna?”
“I mean,” Angel started, twisting his lower hands in his lap. “Eventually, yeah. Guess I gotta. I’d feel bad continuing to live here rent free with no intention of going through with her program. She gets under my skin like crazy some days, but I do still like Charlie and I don’t think she deserves the ol’ ring around.”
“What do you think she’ll say?” Husk asked, looking a little nervous. “I mean, I ain’t here for redemption either and she knows that but I’m also technically staff, not a guest. But if you’re neither…”
“Yeah.” Angel frowned. “I’m trying not to think too much about it. I don’t think she’ll kick me out when I have nowhere else to go, I don’t think she’s like that, but ya never know I guess.”
Husk nodded and gave Angel’s hand still in his a squeeze. “Well, whenever you do decide to talk to her, I’m here. No matter what happens.”
Angel perked up with the words, a soft, hesitant smile spreading twitching his lips. “So, that means we’re okay?”
There was a beat, then Husk’s own lips twitched into a smile and he leaned in, bumping his nose against Angel’s. “Yeah, caro. We’re okay”
Angel felt tears prick the backs of his eyes as they bumped noses like they used to when they’d first started falling in love. It was such a simple gesture, one he hadn’t realized he’d missed so much until Husk was doing it. He’d thought he would look forward most to kissing Husk until they couldn’t breathe. Or maybe having Husk push his legs to his chest and making sweet love to him all night long. He hadn’t expected this simple gesture of their noses rubbing together to make him want to cry.
“Husky,” Angel sniffed and Husk pulled back, a look of concern on his face when he took in Angel’s wet eyes.
“Angel?” Husk asked, reaching up with his free hand and cupping Angel’s cheek. “Baby, what’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” Angel said honestly, smiling. “Everything is perfect. Husky, ti amo. Ti amo, fai molto. Per sempre.”
Husk smiled and leaned in, bumping their noses again. “I love you too, caro mio. Per sempre.”
Two days later, Angel had a day off work and decided he might as well get this conversation with Charlie over with sooner rather than later. He was sitting at the bar across from Husk, nursing a drink - as he usually was on his days off - and waiting for Charlie to break away from whatever crazy scheme she was currently cooking up, when Cherri came down the stairs.
“Aye, Angie, I’m heading out to go get this fuckin’ mop on my head tamed, you wanna come wi- what are you doin’?”
Angel looked over his shoulder at her and held up his drink. “Having a drink. And I don’t really wanna go out, nah. This is my only day off this week and I’m determined to be a lazy sack of shit all day.” He gestured down his body to the cropped pink hoodie and short shorts he wore, even having forgone his boots, opting instead to just wear a pair of frilly socks.
“That’s great an’ all, babe,” Cherri said and narrowed her gaze on Husk. “But I more meant what are you doing with him?”
Angel heard Husk’s heavy sigh, though he didn’t say anything. They’d discussed how they wanted to go about the whole “telling their friends they were back together” thing and had opted to just go about it like they had when they’d first told them they were dating. Just going about what they normally did and waiting for everyone around them to notice. Angel had warned Husk Cherri would probably be pissed at him and Husk had just shrugged like he’d figured that would be the case. Because even though Husk hadn’t really done anything wrong, Angel still had yet to fess up to the others that he’d been the one to fuck them up.
He added that to the list of shit he needed to do to get back to normal as soon as possible.
“I’m just sitting here.” Angel finally said. “Having a drink and watching my fi-” he stopped himself, not really sure if he was allowed to say that word. It was the one thing he and Husk were still avoiding talking about. Yeah, Husk had said he’d meant it when he’d said yes to Angel’s proposal but that didn’t necessarily equate to them telling people, did it? Angel was sure it would have to come up eventually, but he was content to let it lie for the time being. “-boyfriend do his job.”
Husk didn’t correct Angel on his term, most likely didn’t want to get into it in the middle of the lobby, instead just humming his agreement to Angel’s statement.
“Boyfriend?” Cherri asked, hands on her hips. “I thought you two were, yanno,” she held her hands up and pressed them together then split them apart.
“We…” Angel tapped the bar for a moment as he searched for the words. “Took a little break. But we’re back together now.”
“Uh huh.” Cherri said before walking up to the bar and grabbing Husk by the bow tie, making him grunt in surprise when she yanked him forward. “I told you once and I’ll tell you again, dick, you hurt my Angie ever again, you’re double dead. I still have those bombs I threatened you with before and you better count your lucky stars Angel didn’t let me use them.”
“Jesus Christ, Cherri, let go of me.” Husk batted her hand away, straightening back up, his feathers ruffled from his wings to his tail. “It was a mutual fight, we both said and did some bad shit, why ain’t you getting on his case about it?”
With a roll of her eye, Cherri said simply, “Because you’re not my best friend.”
“Everything’s okay, Cher.” Angel said, trying to keep what little semblance of peace there might be left between his best friend and his boyfriend. “We’ve talked and both apologized and we’re okay. You don’t gotta threaten his life again, I think he gets it.”
“Good.” Cherri said with a huff. “I gotta go but,” she turned to Angel, grabbing his hands, “call me if you need anything?”
“I will.” Angel gave her hands a squeeze as he smiled. “Thanks babe.”
The cyclops gave Angel another smile, flicking her gaze briefly back to Husk who was fixing his bowtie before she released the spider's hands and left the hotel.
“Well, that was fun.” Husk said, struggling to get his bowtie straight again.
Angel leaned on the bar on his lower hands, reaching forward with his upper hands and knocked Husk’s hands away, untying and retying his tie in a perfect bow. “Sorry about her. I figured she’d be pissed but didn’t realize she would come after you again.”
Husk made a noncommittal noise and shrugged, reaching up and touching the knot of his tie once Angel pulled his hands back. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.” Angel sat back and picked up his drink, lifting it to his lips and finishing off the last of it in one drink. “Okay, well, I think I’m gonna go see if Charlie is available to chat yet. Gotta get it over with sooner than later.”
“Good luck.” Husk said, taking Angel’s glass as he stood up. “I’ll be here when you’re done.”
Angel nodded. “Thanks. I love you, yanno.”
Husk gave Angel a quiet smile. “I love you too. You want me to have another drink ready for you?”
“Yeah, I think I might need it honestly.” Angel blew Husk a kiss then headed off down the hall from the parlor toward where Charlie had set up her office when they’d rebuilt the hotel, right between her dad’s and Alastor’s. To keep the peace between them, she claimed.
Angel stopped outside the office and rapt his knuckles on the door quickly then bounced from foot to foot as he waited for a response. Finally, the door opened a crack and Vaggie poked her head out. “Angel?” She asked, looking surprised to see him. “What are you doing here?”
“I was hopin’ I could have a word with our esteemed princess.” Angel said, crossing his arms, trying not to look like he felt awkward being here. He wasn’t really looking forward to having this conversation but, well, it was sort of necessary if he wanted to keep staying here and stop feeling like he was taking advantage of Charlie’s kindness.
“Oh, uh…” Vaggie glanced behind her then nodded, but didn’t move out of the way. “Just, yanno, be nice.”
Angel scoffed. “I’m always nice.”
Vaggie raised her brow at him and pulled the door open, stepping aside and allowing Angel to enter. Charlie sat at her desk, her hair that she usually kept pulled back and out of her face fell around her shoulders in soft waves that looked like she’d created by tugging on it too hard. She looked calm enough but Angel knew just based on Vaggie’s warning for him to be nice, she was definitely freaking out about something.
“Hey, Char. You doin’ okay? You, uh, need a coffee or something?”
Charlie quickly shook her head and ran her fingers through her hair. “No, no, coffee won’t help anything, it just makes me anxious.”
Well, that explained why Angel had never seen Charlie partake in a cup of coffee from the pot in the kitchen. “Oh. Uh, well, I can come back later if now’s not a good time-”
Charlie waved her hand at Angel, encompassing him and the seats before the desk, giving him a big smile. “I always have time for my friends! Please, sit, talk, I’m good.”
Angel glanced at Vaggie who gave a subtle shake of her head as if telling him not to ask before he took a seat in one of the chairs.
“Vaggie, honey, would you maybe go get me another glass of water please?” Charlie asked when Angel didn't speak right away, glancing at Vaggie. He really hadn't wanted to do this in front of an audience and he silently thanked his lucky stars that Charlie had noticed his discomfort.
“Oh, sure sweetie.” Vaggie nodded and grabbed Charlie's glass from the desk, looking between her and Angel. “I'll be back.”
Angel waited until Vaggie left the room, shutting the door behind her before he leaned forward in his chair. “Thanks.”
The princess gave him a kind smile. “Of course. Now what's up? You wanted to talk about something?”
Angel took a deep breath and nodded his head. “I do. It's… kinda important.” he fiddled with the string of his hoodie for a long minute, trying to decide how best to go about telling Charlie what he had to say before he finally just decided to tell her straight up. “I… I don't think I want to be redeemed.”
Charlie blinked at him for a minute before she gave him a slow nod. “Okay.”
“Okay?” Angel asked, head jerking up fast enough to nearly give himself whiplash at her unexpected response. “That's it?”
“Well,” Charlie gave a shrug, holding her hands before her. “I kinda figured you didn't really want redemption anyway. I mean, you've never really been very big on participation in our activities and, well, you kind of told me when we met that you were really only in it for the free housing and I kinda hoped I could change your mind on that but then…” she trailed off, cheeks going faintly pink.
“But then?” Angel asked, fully curious what she would say.
“Then you and Husk started dating.”
Oh. Oh. Of course Charlie knew Husk had no interest in her program at all. He’d not exactly kept that a secret, especially when he'd been tasked with the job of helping Charlie make everyone's files. Of course it would stand to reason that Charlie had assumed, with how close Husk and Angel had gotten even though she didn’t know about the sort of engagement - only him, Husk and Cherri knew about that as far as Angel knew - that Angel wouldn’t go down the redemption route without Husk.
“Oh.” Was all Angel managed to say in response.
“It’s okay.” Charlie said quickly. “I’m not upset about it or anything. If your heart is telling you to go with Husk, then please, don’t let me stop you.”
“Yeah but…” Angel faltered a little. This was going far different than Angel had been anticipating. He hadn’t exactly expected Charlie to be angry per say, that wasn’t really her style, but he’d at least expected… well, some sort of argument maybe? Her telling him she regrettably couldn’t let him stay at the hotel if he wasn’t going to take part in the program? Anything?
“But what?” Charlie asked kindly, giving Angel a soft smile.
“I just- you really gonna just let this slide? Let me stay here still, not participating in your little program just because, what, my boyfriend lives here?”
Charlie steepled her fingers on the desk before her, looking suddenly more serious than she had a second ago. “I’ve learned a lot over the last few months since the battle with Heaven and losing Sir Pentious. My dad being here with us now, even part time since he’s still got his own stuff to do has really opened my eyes too. I’m still learning, of course, but I’ve realized that…” She gave a little shrug, “the thing I’ve always wanted is to help sinners. For a long time, I thought I had to do that by getting them into Heaven, that it was the only way. Then Heaven turned out to be this… big facade.” She sighed, looking down at her desk. “I don’t know if it’s the best option anymore. Hell, I don’t even know if redemption is even possible. I haven’t been able to get anything from anyone up there about Pen, I’ve been trying for months. So, yeah, I think it would be amazing if it was possible, but if my duty is to help sinners, then maybe that means it’s not the only option.”
Angel felt tears sting the back of his eyes as Charlie talked but he didn’t interrupt her, just let her say what she needed to say.
“I love you, Angel.” Charlie continued on, reaching across the desk, holding her hands out for Angel which he took without hesitation. “You’ve truly become an essential part of this hotel. And even though you don’t want to be redeemed, you’ve still improved so much since you first showed up here. You’ve helped me to realize that me helping sinners doesn’t have to mean I get them to Heaven, because I feel like I have helped you. I know you did a lot of the getting clean yourself but I was there, I was part of it, I encouraged you. And it’s so amazing to see you thriving here, Angel.”
“Damn princess,” Angel sniffed and reached up with a lower hand to wipe at his eyes. “You’re gonna make a guy cry or something.”
“Oh! Here!” Charlie released one of Angel’s hands and grabbed a tissue from a box beside her, holding it out to him which he gratefully took and blew his nose into.
“Thanks, Char. For lookin’ out for me.”
Charlie sat back in her seat, blowing some hair out of her face. “I’m just so happy I get to see how much you’ve grown in your time here, Angel. Really.”
Angel felt his face warm a bit at her genuine kindness toward him and looked down at her desk. “Hey, um, ya want me to maybe braid your hair for ya? Looks like it’s kinda gettin’ in your face.”
“Oh, you’d do that?” Charlie asked, pushing her hair back, seeming to realize for the first time it was falling unruly around her shoulders. “You know, that would actually be great, thanks Angel.”\
As Angel got to his feet and walked around the desk, for the first time in days he finally felt like he was whole once again. Like a weight that had been crushing his lungs had just been lifted off his chest. And he couldn’t have been happier about it.