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Husk walked slowly and wearily through the streets, his black fur drenched from the pouring rain. His back felt heavy due to his soaked wings, but he couldn’t care less. The water, the dark clouds, the obnoxious midnight clamoring…he was affected by none of them. Because he was already damaged. And the only thing that could heal him was out of his reach. Possibly forever.
He then stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, for a familiar sight caught his eye. It was the Consent Club, now battered and empty, its broken neon sign almost invisible in the dark. It had been closed down a few weeks ago, and some of the thugs in the area used it as their hideout.
Husk automatically began to move toward the building. Maybe he was driven by the memories he had made in that place. With his dearest, his light of hope. It was all gone now, yet the sense of longing tugged at his consciousness and took over his body.
As soon as he pushed through the doors, however, a tall, multi-limbed silhouette in the center of the desolate space caused him to freeze on the spot.
Underneath the single spotlight illuminating the circular stage, the silhouette danced, tangling his four arms and boot-covered legs around an iron pole. And he was singing. In his thin, slightly nasal voice, he was tracing a nostalgic melody that brought Husk close to tears.
“I’m a loser, honey
A schmoozer and a dummy
But at least I know I’m not alone
You’re a loser just like me”
“Angel…?” Husk whispered, causing him to stop and turn his head. He was wearing a turquoise blue crop top that exposed his chest fluff and black leather shorts with heart-shaped holes on the sides.
“Oh…hey,” he said, his rounded eyes narrowing to a frown before he resumed his dance. For a split second, there seemed to be a spark in his pupils, but it disappeared immediately, leaving Husk with no choice besides dismissing it as an illusion.
“What…are you doing here?” Husk asked, hesitantly approaching the stage.
“Practicing. Val said we’re gonna have some VIPs over tomorrow, so, you know…gotta look extra spicy.”
Angel lifted himself off the floor, twirling around the pole, extending his arm outward as if he were reaching for something. Husk put his hand on the edge of the stage, staring up at the marvel he had spent months searching for.
“…You look beautiful.”
“Oh, stop it,” Angel said with a glare.
“No, I mean it. I…” Husk let out a trembling sigh, then said earnestly, “I’m so glad to see you.”
“Well, I ain’t. I thought I told you to forget about me.”
“You know that’s impossible. I need you. We all need you.”
“Bullshit. You guys can do perfectly fine without me. Not sure if your aged little brain remembers, but I made zero contributions to your fight against the Vees. Zero. So quit the fucking smooth talk and leave me alone.”
“No! I’m not leaving you. Not again.”
“Ugh, for fuck’s sake,” Angel growled, angrily landing on the stage with a thud. “Are you deaf or what? I don’t want to see you, goddammit! You’re nothing to me!”
“Then why were you singing our song?”
“That’s…”
Angel opened his mouth a few times, but no words came out. He averted his gaze, clenching all four fists and gritting his teeth. His enraged expression gradually fell apart, and now there was only sorrow. Deep as an ocean, cold as a blizzard, sharp as a blade. His heart was bleeding, just like Husk.
After a long pause, Husk closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then released the melodious baritone that had been tucked inside of him for who knows how long. Angel’s eyes widened when he heard the old cat singing the first verse of their shared number with both melancholy and relief. It sounded so warm, so comforting. Yet, he couldn’t bear to listen to any more of it; if he did, his armor would instantly break into pieces.
He climbed back up the stage and reached for the pole, singing a different tune to shut out Husk’s voice. But Husk kept on going, following Angel’s dance with his teary gaze, watching the alluring spider’s face contort every time their melodies accidentally merged together. He harmonized with Husk, almost by instinct, then shook his head to regain control, dancing more aggressively like a bird trying to escape from a trap.
Husk then amplified his voice a notch, spreading his wings with great force to repel the water droplets. Angel sang louder to resist, but he struggled against Husk’s intensity and sincerity.
“You’re a loser, baby
A loser, but just maybe if we—”
“Dead inside ‘cause I know it’s all pretend”
“Eat shit together, things will end up differently”
“I’m goin’ off the deep end again”
Husk flapped his half-dried wings and flew up to where he could meet Angel’s gaze, though the spider made every effort to avert it.
“It’s time to lose your self-loathin’
Excuse yourself, let hope in, baby”
“Though my odds are bleak”
And finally, Husk caught up to Angel, and Angel looked into Husk’s eyes, sharing the tears and desperate yearning. As they slowly came down to the floor, their voices synchronized at last, singing the same words with perfect harmony.
“Play your card, be who you are”
Husk gently held all four of Angel’s hands and brought his face closer until their foreheads were touching. And Angel surrendered to the cat’s touch, leaning in and interlocking fingers.
“A loser, just like me”
They closed their eyes and nuzzled each other, their pent-up affection flowering as one in the tranquil silence.
However, the moment was cut short by a high-pitched ring coming from Angel’s back pocket. He let go of Husk’s paws, pulled out his phone, and accepted the call with an anxious look on his face.
A few seconds later, he said quietly, “Be right there, Val,” then hung up with a powerless thumb.
He let out a sigh and smiled apologetically at Husk, saying in a barely audible voice, “I gotta go.”
Before Husk could protest, Angel hopped off the stage and walked out of the club with quick steps, not looking back even once. Husk’s head sank as the spider’s figure disappeared from his view, his revived soul dying yet again.
In the end, he was still an empty shell. He drowned in the misery of this indisputable fact as he stood alone under the spotlight, crying internally for his lost half.