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Husk leans back into the cushions and takes a sip of Whisky as he watches Lily untangling her red curls with a brush. Damn, they had managed to make quite a mess out of it. She turns this way and that to get a good look at herself in the tiny mirror hanging on his wall. Husk has never seen much use in mirrors, even less so in the afterlife. No need to look at the misery every day.
He should get a bigger one, though. For Lily. She spends more than enough time here, and she deserves to see herself in all her beauty.
It's a little alarming how much he revels in looking at her. Almost as much as touching her. Kissing her. Making love to her.
If that’s what it is.
Husk catches himself calling it that lately. Only in his head for now, but more and more frequently the more time he spends with her.
Fuck, it's far too easy to fall for her. Just watch her perform on stage and it's a done deal. He never believed she could ever care about him in the same way. Fucking mystery what she sees in him.
Too independent, too self-sufficient, and he's certainly not gaining bonus points for his Overlord status either. Several months ago, she came to him with demands for working conditions, accommodation, and protection, threatening to take her talent elsewhere if he considered getting basic needs met outrageously exaggerated, thank you very much.
As if she refused Hell getting to her.
They drove a hard bargain, but in the end, they reached an agreement, and she moved into one of the tiny apartments Husk kept at the ready for his employees.
Of course it didn’t take more than a few performances at the Magic Kat for the audience to eat out of Lily's hand.
Husk included.
He only learned recently that she’d been fucking terrified of rejection, too. No place to stay. In desperate need of help. And still, she had chosen to go all in and fight for herself.
Husk can definitely appreciate a gamble like that.
He places the glass of Whisky on the nightstand as he gets up and walks over to Lily. He brushes her curls out of the way and places a gentle kiss on her bare shoulder.
“Fucking tragedy you can’t come back to bed,” he murmurs, pressing against her. Her scent reminds him of a warm day at the sea. It’s a scent he had almost forgotten after spending years in Hell. Now he'd recognize it anywhere.
She laughs, and damn, if that isn’t one of the most beautiful sounds he’s ever heard. It’s definitely one of the best things he gets to hear in Hell.
“Blame the idiot who assigned a performance slot to me tonight,” she quips, turning around in his arms, burying her fingers in the fur on the back of his neck.
“Past-me made cruel decisions,” Husk grumbles as his palms trace down her back, merely brushing the warm skin.
“Ah, stop the sulking already. You love seeing me perform. I've watched you. Can't take your pretty eyes off me.”
Well, seems like he's been found out.
“You sure as Hell make it difficult,” he admits, and fails at sounding gruff.
“Mhm,” she hums. “You can have me all to yourself later tonight,” she promises, pressing a quick kiss to his lips before wiggling free and turning around to face the mirror again.
There. Choosing to spend time with him. Fucking mystery, that’s what it is.
Husk returns to the bed to watch her as she starts applying make-up, picking up the glass of Whisky from the nightstand and turning it absentmindedly in his hands, unable to tear his eyes away from her.
He catches himself making plans for the future. He’s never made plans for the future in his life–or afterlife, for that matter–especially none that hinged on the presence of one particular person. But here he is. He imagines inviting her to leave her tiny staff apartment behind and move in with him. Having her around all the time definitely sounds like something he could get used to.
“By the way,” Lily says in a conversational tone as she colors her cheeks, “we’ve been wondering where Ryder’s gone. It’s not like him to miss the monthly staff meeting, and no one has seen him for several days now. Do you know what he’s gotten up to?”
Husk pulls a face and downs the rest of the Whisky in one large gulp. Figures. He’d managed to keep his losses covered up in the past, but of course, they’d notice someone from the core staff going missing.
“I lost him,” Husk mumbles, setting the empty glass down on the nightstand with a clonk that resonates much too loudly. It’s hard enough admitting it to himself, but saying it out loud is a whole different matter. He can’t lie to her, though. Not her. He's shit at covering up his tells in her presence. Because he doesn’t really want to.
“What?” Lily interrupts her attempt to adjust her earrings and turns around to him, frowning. “So you don’t know where he is, either?”
“No, I mean…” He pauses, but the look on her face makes it clear that she won’t allow him to dodge this conversation. “I lost him in a game of poker at the last overlord meeting.”
Lily stares at him, slowly lowering her hand that’s still holding the earring. Her raised eyebrows feel like judgement, and he hurries to reassure her, “Don’t worry. I’ll win him back next time.”
“You’re joking,” she says with a weird little smile that falls somewhere between disbelief and I can fool myself just fine, thank you very much.
Husk frowns. He isn’t sure what he's supposed to be joking about. The losing- or winning-him-back-bit. If it’s the latter, she certainly doesn’t give him enough credit. He didn't become the Overlord of Gambling by losing after all.
“Husk?” she says when his silence stretches too long. The smile disappears, giving way to a pleading expression as if she desperately longs for him to reveal the punchline already. “Tell me you’re joking.”
Husk doesn't say a word. He feels that anything coming out of his mouth would make the situation worse. And it feels fragile enough as it is. His hands are shaking. Damn, he desperately needs a Whisky to hold onto.
“So you … what?” Lily presses on, crossing her arms over her chest. “You wanna tell me you gamble for souls with the other overlords?”
Husk shrugs and doesn’t look at her when he replies. “It’s the only currency that matters to them.”
“The only currency that matters to you, you mean,” Lily corrects, voice harsh. “You’re one of them after all.”
Well, Husk can hardly contradict the obvious. The way Lily says it makes it sound more like an allegation than a statement, though.
“Why do you even join their idiotic games?” Lily asks. But before Husk can explain himself, she groans quietly.
“Oh, I'm so stupid,” she scolds herself. “It’s your doing, isn’t it? Overlord of Gambling. Who else would organize cozy little poker evenings with his powerful friends? The stakes not high enough for you at the Magic Kat?”
“Lily,” Husk says softly, trying to calm her with the sound of his voice alone. Judging by her furrowed eyebrows, he isn’t very successful.
It's got nothing to do with stakes. It’s about the challenge. Outsmarting the other overlords. Gaining respect. He's not sure Lily cares for his reasons, though.
“I told ya, I’m gonna get him back,” he says instead. “No big deal. The cards were stacked against me last time. It’ll be fine. That’s how the game works.”
“That’s how you made it work, you mean.”
Lily shakes her head, laughing, but it isn’t the beautiful sound from earlier. It sounds hollow and bitter. “I can’t believe it. When it's no big deal, how come you never told me about it? Or were you ashamed after all because deep down you know it's fucked up?"
Fucked up?
He’s lost a game. Happens to the best. After every losing streak, there'll come a lucky one. He'll get Ryder back. It's not like Husk killed him or anything, he just changed hands for a while. Souls do that all the time. Power shifts. Turf wars, contracts, deals, you name it. Doesn’t mean it's permanent. Lily will see for herself soon enough.
Lily starts walking up and down. “You think you can prove yourself with that kinda shit? Never saw you engage in turf wars when you could avoid it. Always appreciated that about you. But this … this …”
She doesn’t seem to find the right words to continue. Instead, she stops and looks at him, disappointment written all over her face. It hurts more than the most heated anger could.
“You know what they say about you?” she asks quietly. “The reason I decided to come to you instead of any other Overlord when I needed help?”
She shakes her head. “He can be stern, they say, He expects you to do a good job. But he’s decent. Cares for your well-being when you work for him. He’s never cruel.” She looks at him, and her jaw clenches. “Until a minute ago, I believed this to be true.”
Husk stares at her, dumbstruck. “What do you mean?”
“You gamble for souls,” Lily shouts at him. “Other people’s lives are on the line, and you make it a game.”
“That’s not what …”
Husk falls silent. That’s not what it is? What is it, then? Husk has no idea what to call it, but the fact is he never … He hadn’t intended to …
“That’s not what this is, you mean?” Lily scoffs. “You can’t tell me you don’t know how some of the other Overlords treat their souls. I don’t want to end up with one of them just because you decide it's time to raise the stakes.”
“I’d never gamble you away!” Husk leaps up from the bed, outraged at the implication. She doesn’t really think that, does she?
“Why? What makes me different from all the others? Because you wanna keep fucking me?”
All the words Husk’s kept to himself threaten to spill out. He wills them back. Not now. Not like this.
“You’re important to me, Lily,” he admits quietly. “You must know that.”
“I thought I did.” Her voice sounds choked, and she draws a shaky breath to steady herself. “Now I’m not so sure that we’re more than poker chips to you.”
She gathers her remaining clothes that are scattered all over the room and presses them to her body, refusing to look at him. “I think we shouldn't see each other for a while.”
With vigorous strides, she walks over to the door.
“What? No!” Husk takes quick steps towards her, almost reaching out to hold her back. “Don’t leave, Lily.”
She stills right in front of the door as if she walked against an invisible barrier.
“Whatever you say, Husk,” she says, and it sounds heavy, weighed down by bitterness.
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Lily turns around, and the smile on her face is a sad one. “I can’t leave when you won’t let me.”
“What?”
His gaze flicks between the door and Lily, who stands rooted to the spot, something desperate crossing her face, as if she's working against some brutal force holding her back.
Then it hits him.
He flinches and takes several steps back until he bumps against the bed.
Don't leave.
The soul contract.
Had he … had he just drawn on its powers without meaning to?
“I don’t want you to leave,” Husk says, voice hoarse. “But of course you can.”
The barrier that has held Lily back seems to vanish. She inhales shakily and takes the last few steps, hesitantly, as if she didn’t believe she'd be able to leave. The door opens to her touch. Without a backwards glance, she walks through it and slams it behind her.
Husk stares at the closed door, hands shaking.
It feels like he just lost everything.
Unlucky in love, least that's what they say
He lost his head and he gambled his heart away
He still keeps searching though there's nothing left
Staked his heart and lost, now he has to pay the cost