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Angel was lying down on the couch of the Hazbin Hotel lobby, staring absentmindedly at the ceiling. Face blank of any form of expression. He didn’t even grab his phone to scroll on Sinstagram to pass the time, he just kind of laid there.
Angel doesn’t even remember how he got here. All he knows is that he had his clothes barely on him, body covered in cum and blood, and he just plopped onto the couch for god knows how much time. He also knows he texted Husk not to wait up for him, it was getting really late and he sure as hell didn’t want to bother his rest.
Usually talking helped him after nights like these, but he just couldn’t fathom talking right now. His mind was foggy as hell and he couldn’t really think, let alone have a conversation with someone who would definitely wanna know what the fuck happened to him. God, he didn’t really get why this happened, it wasn’t just the drinks this time, he was sober, so what the hell was going on?
He didn’t necessarily feel sad or angry, he just didn’t really feel anything. It was like he was on autopilot, just moving and breathing, but certainly not all the way there.
He was so gone that he didn’t hear the loud click of heels going down the stairs and the notifications from his best friends phone as she got closer and closer. But he did in fact register the snapping in front of his face.
“Angie?”
Angel blinked all eight of his eyes very slowly, but tried to snap back into attention to his best friend. “Oh, hey Cherri.”
God just saying that tired the fuck out of him. Angel Dust sat up and smiled at his friend in an attempt to look energetic enough. But despite his efforts of putting on his usually pristine mask, he did quickly notice the concern on her face.
“Cherri, I swear I’m fine, doll.”
Cherri shook her head stubbornly, “No you’re not, bitch! Stop denying it.” Angel just went quiet, staring off into some other point in the distance not even bothering to reply. Just staring. Cherri’s frown deepened. Seeing her usual conversation wasn’t working, she quickly switched gears, “You alright?”
Cherri’s voice seemed to pull her friend back down to Earth and Angel blinked rapidly, “Oh, huh?”
Cherri Bomb studied her friend, he was definitely more distant to say the least. He was slow and sluggish and not having his usual focus, but he definitely wasn’t high. Cherri knows what her best friend's signs were and today they didn’t point to drugs. But the pieces started to click in her head and she realized.
Dissociation.
Fuck, what did that pimp do to him today?
Cherri inhaled slowly before asking “Angie, are you zoning out again?”
Angel nodded slowly, taking time to register what Cherri had said to him. “Yeah, I guess so. But I don’t know Cher. It’s like stronger or somethin’. I’m not even fuckin’ high!”
Cherri nodded, okay she could work with that. It’s not the first time Angel’s had an episode in front of her before.
“Ya mind if I talk to ya Angie?” Cherri asked, “I know you don’t like talking when this type of thing happens, but I can. You don't have to say a word. It might help ya from floating off again or something.”
Angel considered his options for a moment. I mean if he declined, what else could he do but wallow in his numb, floaty state? Nothing. So might as well listen. “Yeah.”
Cherri nodded and gently grabbed his hand and squeezed it before talking about her daily adventures while Angel was slaving away at the studios. She talked about the letters from Pentious that Emily delivered to her. She talked about how many shots she took at Club 666 before she had to beat some asshole up for laying hands on her. Now kicking his ass was fun as hell.
Cherri kept on talking and talking and talking, rubbing circles in her friend's hand to ground him further. Listening to Cherri’s speech did help him a little, keeping him down to Earth enough to comprehend what she was saying. Even if it didn’t really help the feeling fully, it did help keep him grounded. It was nice to know she was there.
But then after a while, her hand was gone, and the speech stopped. And she was going up the stairs. Away from him. She was leaving.
Fuck she was leaving.
“C-Cher,” Angel slurred, “Don’t go. Please.”
Cherri just smiled at him gently, “Who said I was? I told you I was just gonna get something for you Angie. I think you’ll like it.”
Angel relaxed back into the couch and sank deeper into its cushions. She was going to come back. She won’t leave him. She was going to come back.
And soon enough, she did. And Angel felt a slight compression on the couch’s cushions, followed by a soft “oink” as Fat Nuggets climbed onto his chest. Angel genuinely smiled for the first time that night. And held his pig close to his chest.
“Hey buddy,” the sex worker said gently as he stroked the pig’s body..
Cherri smiled at the scene, “Thought he might help ya a bit, so here he is. There’s nothing some Fat Fucking Nuggets can fix!”
Angel smiled at Cherri and mouthed a quick thanks before returning his attention back to the pig. Fat Nugs was certainly happy to see his daddy, nuzzling into Angel’s chest fluff and giving soft oinks of reassurance. Out of the few people that knew how to cheer him up, that being Husk and Cherri, Fat Nugs was always constant. His very presence lightened his mood just enough.
Cherri stood up after a few moments of silence, “Imma get you something to eat Ange’. You must be starving.”
And then she left for the bar, intentionally clinking the glasses to show Angel that she was indeed there and present. She looked through the snacks Husk had and decided on a bowl of nuts. Cherri vaguely remembered how much Fat Nuggets loved eating the mixed variety. And she strided over to Angel, a bowl of nuts in one hand and a glass of water in the other.
Angel lit up when he saw the glass, “Is that alcohol?” He questioned as he immediately took a sip and gagged, “Ew what the fuck is that!”
Cherri laughed, “Water bitch. You’ve had enough of the hard stuff for today.”
Angel glared at Cherri, “Oh fuck you,” He said, thought there was no bite in his words.
Cherri laughed, “Maybe later.”
The two kept on talking the night away and surely enough, they forgot why they had to talk in the first place. Angel’s dissociation went away surely after that. Laughter and care filled the lobby till Angel passed out of exhaustion. And Cherri brought a blanket from her room to cover the spider and let him sleep.
Cherri tucked in on the floor next to the couch, she wasn’t gonna leave her friend. And she didn’t ever plan too.