Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Angel always leaves every other Friday early in the morning and comes back in the mid evening. Husk would think it was his work for the spider, if it wasn’t for one thing… he’s happy, unhurt, and weirdly smells like fish. He hasn’t a clue where he goes or what he does. Curiosity may have killed the cat, but this cat was already dead so that doesn’t apply to him.

He and Cherri Bomb were playing gin at the bar he made his move. “Hey, you’ve known Angel awhile right?”

“Been best bitches for about 6 years now. Why?” she asked, not looking up from her hand.

Husk cleared his throat. “Well, Charlie was wondering where he goes on his Fridays,” he’s lying through his teeth.

He knows everyone tells, Cherri is scratching her elbow when she bluffs. “He goes to this incubus strip club in Imp City.”

Weird, she stops scratching right before she says the location. So, he goes to Imp City but not to gawk at hot demons. He did mention he had an imp friend who lives on the westside of that town, maybe he visits.

“What’s the name?”

“Why? Got a thing for hellborns now? No judgement if you are,” she also tends to change the subject when she can’t think of a bluff.

Tomorrow’s Friday. Time for a little investigating.

Flying over the buildings of Pentagram is something Husk should treat himself to more often. He’s been tailing Angel since he left the hotel. He had to touch down when Angel went down to the subway. He keeps his distance so as not to tip off the spider. He gets in one car behind Angel’s. After about a two hour ride, they arrived in Imp City. He falls behind and loses track of Angel after leaving the station. “Damn it!” he growls under his breath. Noticing a bar across the street. He needed a drink.

“I cannot believe I just bumped into the Angel Dust, he even signed my cast,” he heard behind him. He peaked behind so he wouldn’t be noticed. He saw a Jack Russell hellhound showing off the famous signature on his plastered forearm.

They were coming from the east so Angel might not be visiting his pal. Not as many fliers here than in Petagram so he has to go on foot. After turning a third street corner he spotted Angel going into…the Imp City Aquarium?

Husk didn’t understand! Male clubs or visiting a friend he got, but an aquarium? He quietly headed in and saw met with a screeching black and red penguin trying to peck him. “What the fuck!” He tried to grab the bird, but was pulled away from it and heard a loud whistle.

He looked and saw it was Angel blowing a training whistle, while wearing a blue four arm polo shirt, loose but form fitting khaki pants, and non skid work shoes. “Plockton,” he said calmly before tooting the whistle twice. “This is a nosy friend of mine,” he emphasized the nosy bit with an annoyed look on his face. Husk smiled nervously and chuckled a bit. Angel rolled his mismatched eyes and picked up the bird. The penguin coo’ed and chirped while nuzzled into his chest fluff. “Let’s get you back to your enclosure before Dr.Tren reduces your dinner,” he said before giving the little guy a head scratch.

The cat was surprised. He’s only seen Angel act like this Fat Nuggets. He noticed that the spider had a lanyard that says, ‘Star Volunteer’. He also saw him extend his lower hand to him. He smiles and takes it to get up. “Guessing I’m the one fucking with boundaries this time.”

Angel gave him a soft smile. “Just be glad this little guy didn’t poke your eye out. Come on, I’ll show you around.”

Chapter Text

After returning the sinner penguin to its enclosure, Angel took Husk to the food court. They sat down and started talking. “Guess you want to know why and how long I’ve been volunteering  here?” he asked before eating a french fry.

“If you want to tell me I wouldn’t mind listening,” the cat retorted before consuming some of his fish shaped nachos.

The spider chuckled. “I’ve always been fascinated by ocean life. Back topside when I was a kid, some of my best times were visiting the New York Aquarium. Watching the fish, learning all that I could about them, it made me realize for the first time…there was more to life than the mob world I was born into,” he explained, while fiddling with the paper straw of his soda. He turned his gaze to the nearby tank. “After I died and ended up down here, I thought I would never feel like that again, but a decade ago on my day off from the studio I somehow made my way here. I wandered around the town for a few hours, before arriving here. I was so excited I ran as quickly as I could. Seeing that they had species from different rings and the living world, I almost started crying.”

Husk loved seeing this side of him, happy, confident. “Guessing that fish you showed me last week is here?” he asked with a cocky eyebrow.

Angel’s eyes light up. “Yeah, Penelope!” he nearly shouted in cheer. He got up, grabbed Husk’s arm, and pulled him away from their food. He brought him over to a tank with different color coral and a few sucker fish clamped on the glass. “My very favorite resident of the ICA, Penelope Fishchez.” He did some giddy clapping before showing the blob fish slowly swim upfront to greet the two. She squishes her nose to the glass where Angel gently places his hand on it, acting like he’s petting her.

Husk leans in a bit. “I don’t get it, but it’s nice to see you in your element. Didn’t think it would be a literal nature element,” he grinned and what Angel could have sworn was giggle.

“Angel!” a voice yelled from behind them. It belonged to a tall infestor demon in a labcoat with a non-binary flag button attached to the lapel. Their lanyard badge was flopping around as they ran over.

“Hey, Dr. Tren. Is everything okay?” Angel asked, gently holding their back as they caught their breath.

“Julie is home sick with the fire flu, I need you to be the tour guide for the middle school field trip today in an hour,” they said before straightening their back. They handed him a file folder and a clipboard with a bunch of cute design fish stickers on it. “I know you’ve never done a tour before, but you’re the best person for the job.”

Angel sighed before going over the file a bit. “No prob, D.T.” Husk felt invisible for a moment. He let out a cough. “Oh, right. This is a friend from the hotel, Husk. Could you keep him company while I go over this?”

The doctor nodded and the two shook hands. “I need some help in my office anyway.”

“So, Angel’s the star volunteer around here?” Husk asked as they both organize species files.

The infestor demon chuckles. “He’s been helping here for almost a whole decade now,” they paused for a moment, looking over at their desk calendar. “Yes, next week will be his anniversary actually. That reminds me, I wanted to see if he was interested in applying for the sinner scholarship that Pride University is hosting.”

Husk noticed a semi old photo of them, Angel, and a few other demons gathered under a banner that read, Opening Anniversary. “Not sure how that would work if he gets redeemed and goes to heaven. But it would be a shame if his big brain goes to waste,” the cat explains. He did like seeing Angel like this, but he deserves Heaven too. He looked through the glass tank wall of the office, peering through the clown fish and blow fish. He could see Angel guiding the middle schooler hellborns, the look he had on made Husk think the spider was beautiful. “I’m gonna grab a soda, you want anything?” They shook their head and Husk left. He found himself following the tour from afar.

Angel stopped them at the octopus tank. “These are octopi from the living world. Can anyone tell me which species this one is?” He pointed to white and black striped one.

Only one kid raised their hand. A brown poodle hellhound. “That’s the mimic octopus, right? They can change to look like almost any predator?”

“Not bad. You are correct. That mimic is named Morph. She’s been training herself even to look like the regulars around here.” He got closer to the tank and gave the mollusc a quick wave. The eight legged creature contorted with limbs and changed color to mirror like Angel himself. “Looking good, Morph.” He gave the sea animal a thumbs up. The student clapped a bit before he carried on with the tour.

Three hours later Angel finished the tour and met back up Husk at the snack bar. “I think that went pretty well. Don’t think I didn’t see you following along,” he told the cat, grabbing a few of Husk’s new nachos. 

“Maybe I was curious about some of the animals here.” 

“You know, I’ve been wanting to bring you guys here. Show you all I’m not just a coked up whore with an itchy trigger finger. But it’s been nice having this to myself,” he explained, fiddling with his lanyard.

“Well, I’m glad I learned something new about you. Ever thought of applying here for a paying job?”

Angel looked crestfallen for a moment. “They only hire people with college diplomas, and while I was valedictorian in my high school, that doesn’t count towards a higher education. Besides, I don’t think I’ll be out of my contract any time soon.”

Husk grabbed his hand for a second. “You never know.”

Angel blushed a little. “Wanna hear the backstory I made up for Penelope?”

Husk answered with a sincere smile.