It had only been a week since the gang finished reconstructing the hotel and held the memorial for Sir Pentious, Dazzle, and the Cannibal Town citizens lost in the battle against Adam and his army of Exorcists. Everyone was still easing into the new norm of the new hotel, and Charlie had decided it was only fair to give the whole group a few days to settle in and relax before diving back into their work building up the hotel’s cause.
One member in particular, Alastor, seemed to be having the hardest time settling down. Nobody could quite figure out why, though. Almost everybody had a theory or two, but nobody could say for sure, and nobody was willing to pester him to find out what it was. Even Charlie was being uncharacteristically respectful of the man’s preference for personal space, having long since learned that while pushing may be necessary sometimes, some people are best left to come to you when they’re ready.
Alastor was definitely one of those people. Husk often described the radio demon as a ‘walking enigma,’ stating that Alastor was the kind of guy whose boundaries you simply do not screw with despite the man having little to no respect for those of most anybody else. That really stuck in the old cat’s craw, too. So much so that after Alastor blew up at him during the incident with Mimzy, Husk had done his best to steer clear of his master as much as he could; a fact which had not gone unnoticed by said demon.
Oddly enough, Alastor had apparently been more than willing to give Husk and the others their space these last several days. While everyone certainly found it a bit odd and out of character, Husk saw no point in complaining if it meant his master was giving him some peace. A trend that was about to come to an abrupt end as the Overlord trotted into the hotel’s newly furnished bar. Looking around, Alastor spotted his target polishing the laminate; he was sporting a surprisingly big smile as he hummed along to the song playing on the little old-fashioned radio on the counter behind him.
Alastor couldn’t help but smile a little as he realized he recognized the song that was playing. It was one of Husk’s favorites, and one of the few newer songs that Alastor actually liked. Well, newer compared to him. It was a blues song from the 1940s called You Always Hurt the One You Love. “The Mills Brothers, eh,” Alastor chuckled, “How… quaint.” Alastor leaned in close over the bar and said, “You truly are a hopeless romantic, aren’t you, Husker?”
“AH!” Husk spun around fast and let out a yelp as he came face-to-face with the red clad Overlord; his grinning face so close that they were nearly touching noses. “Christ in Heaven,” Husk panted, “You are too damn quiet, you know that?” Alastor simply smirked and chucked as Husk clenched his fluffy chest and struggled to catch his breath. As Husk let out a rattling sigh, “Goddamn, could you please just knock next time, or something? What the fuck do you want, anyway? I’m a bit busy right now, so,” “No, you’re not,” Al said in a teasing tone, “And even if you were, I need you for something far more important. So whatever it is you’re doing it can wait… and it will wait.”
Husk gave a grumble as he started cleaning a pink martini glass, “Alright, look,” Husk began, “Angel will be back from his film shoot in the next hour or so, so… ugh,” Husk turned back to Alastor, leaning against the bar and said, “Whatever it is you need, can you at least make it quick?”
“Hmmm… well, now, that all depends,” Alastor said as his face lit up, his eyes turning into radio dials as he grabbed Husk by his suspenders and pulled him close. Husk trembled as the bar dissolved around him into glitchy static; after a moment or so of pure horror, the static faded away and Husk found himself in Alastor’s new radio tower.
As the last of the static vanished, Alastor released his grip on Husk; the terrified feline panted hard as he attempted to speak, “D-d-depends… d-depends on what?” Husk stammered. “Depends on how fast you are.” Alastor stated, turning on his heels and walking to a drawer, pulling out a needle and a spool of thread. “Are you shitting me?” Husk wheezed, “You need me to sew!? The fuck is this?”
“Look closer, Husker,” Alastor said, the menacing tone of his voice making Husk flinch. The chimera’s eyes widened in horror when he realized the thread was glowing bright green, the same color as his chains. Husk instinctively touched his throat, swallowing thickly as he slowly raised his eyes back up to look at his master. “What’s the matter? Cat got your tongue?”
Husk was too caught off-guard to respond and attempted to back away. Husk shivered, freezing in place as the sound of tumblers clicking echoed in his ears; one look from Alastor and Husk realized the Overlord had magically locked the door behind him. Husk let out a squeak as Alastor shoved the needle and thread into his claws, reaching up and fiddling with the buttons on his shirts, first removing his red suit top before unbuttoning his white dress shirt. Husk gasped loudly as he noticed a huge blood stain across the chest.
“Fuck, he heard that, didn’t he?” Husk cursed to himself as Alastor’s eyes rose up to look at him. Alastor’s hands stilled, his red eyes staring straight into Husk’s soul as he spoke, “Husker,” Husk’s ears twitched to signal he was listening, “Listen to me… very carefully. What happens in this room… is never to leave this room. Are we clear?” Husk nodded slowly, never taking his eyes off of Al’s as the Overlord smirked approvingly and said with a nod, “Good kitty.”
Husk had to suppress the urge to bristle his fur at that last comment, his eyes lowering and fixing back onto Alastor’s hands as he opened up his shirt to reveal a nasty slash across his chest. It was still dripping blood, though the flow appeared to have slowed; it looked like Alastor had attempted to stitch himself up with regular thread, and the wound looked horribly inflamed and possibly even infected. “Alastor… what,” Husk’s whole body went completely numb, his hands completely failing to grip anything and dropping the needle and thread to the floor, “What happened to you?”
“That is none of your concern,” “The fuck it isn’t!” Husk barked, “When did this happen? How long have you been hiding this?” Alastor shot Husk a warning look, pinning his ears back as he growled, “Husker,” “Don’t give me that!” Husk snapped, surprising his master as his ears pricked back up, “Alastor… you’re not well; you’re sick!”
“Ha-ha-ha! Tell me something I don’t know,” Alastor cackled. “You know damn good and well that’s not what I mean, Al!” Husk groaned, “That wound hasn’t healed right; it’s fucking infected! Stitching it back up won’t do you any good. For the love of Satan, please, Alastor! Will you please, please just fucking listen to me for once? You need proper medicine; you need a doctor!”
“NO!” Alastor roared, sending Husk stumbling back; the chimera spread his wings wide to steady himself, letting out a yelp as his chains manifested and Alastor yanked on them to bring him within range. Husk’s eyes widened in horror as he found himself staring at the same monster he awoke a few months back, this time practically grabbing him by the throat as it snarled.
“What did I just get through telling you!? Was I not clear!? Nobody is to know of this! Hear me? NOBODY!” A tentacle manifested from Al’s back, reaching around to pick up the needle and thread and drop it back into Husk’s trembling claws. Husk yelped and panted hard, quivering as Alastor shoved him back to revert to his regular form. “Now do as I say… and fix this!” Alastor said angrily pointing to his wound, “Now!” Husk took a second to find the feeling in his hands and feet again, gripping the needle and thread tightly so as not to drop them again. He could hear his heart pounding in his ears, his fur bristling in a mix of defensive instincts and the anger that was bubbling up from somewhere deep. “Well? What are you waiting for?” Alastor snarled, “Move!”
Husk’s expression hardened; his eyes grew dark and serious as all fear quickly disappeared from his face and he walked over to the desk behind Alastor, placing the needle and thread down before turning around and walking towards the door. “Where do you think you’re going!?” Alastor shouted. “To get my first aid kit,” Husk said grabbing the doorknob; the older man paused and turned to Alastor, saying in as flat a voice as he could muster, “Since you won’t listen to me and go to an actual doctor, my kit is the next best thing. It’s got everything I’ll need to dress that wound properly.”
“I thought I told you,” Alastor growled, “What happens in this room… stays,” “I don’t need to tell anyone dick to go to my room, grab my kit and come back here. Pretty much everybody is either out or asleep anyway, so there’s nobody even around for me to tell.” Alastor let out a growl, but a raised hand from Husk cut him off before he could speak, “I’ll be right… back.”
And with that, Husk dashed out of the studio, leaving Alastor alone to huff and seethe. But the Overlord quickly composed himself, realizing that getting angry wasn’t going to help as a sharp pang in his chest stopped him from chasing after the other sinner. Alastor grabbed his white dress shirt and covered his wound before walking over to the arm chair in the corner and sat down to conserve his strength as he waited for Husk to return. After about ten minutes, just as Al’s patience was starting to thin, he heard the doorknob rattle. Alastor’s ears twitched as he looked up to see Husk entering the room with a large, professional first-aid kit in one hand and a couple of grocery bags in the other. Husk sat the kit down to shut and lock the door behind him before walking over to where Alastor was sitting.
“Good, you’re already sitting down,” Husk said sitting the supplies on the desk, “That helps things.” Alastor arched a brow as Husk opened up the grocery bag and started pulling out a couple of towels and a few lengths of rope. “What exactly do you think you’re doing, Husker?” Alastor asked nervously as Husk grabbed the rope and stared tying his wrists and ankles to the chair he was sitting in.
“Taking precautions,” Husk said bluntly, “This isn’t going to be painless, and since I don’t have the appropriate supplies to sufficiently numb your wounds, there’s no way you’ll be able to hold still during this. That and,” Husk lifted his gaze and looked straight into Alastor’s eyes and continued, “I don’t trust you not to try to take a chunk out of me.” Alastor let out a scoff as Husk stood up and opened his first-aid kit, rooting around for something. Eventually Husk let out a hum and pulled out what he was searching for; it was a thick strip of leather that looked like it came from an old belt.
“Oh, come now, Husker,” Alastor said in a derisive tone, “This wouldn’t have anything to do with our little spat a moment ago, now would it?” “Shut up,” Husk snapped, holding the leather strip to Alastor’s lips, “Open your mouth.”
“Is this really necessary?” Alastor asked. “Open your damn mouth!” Husk repeated. Alastor rolled his eyes and complied, opening his teeth just enough for Husk to shove the leather between them, causing him to gag a bit. “Bite.” Alastor obeyed once again, biting down gently onto the strap and watched as Husk double-checked his binds before he began pulling supplies out of the grocery bag and the first-aid kit.
Husk truly had thought of everything. Among other things, he had a couple of fresh wash cloths, baby wipes, paper towels, rubbing alcohol, gauze, and a small box that contained suture needles and medical thread. He also had a seam ripper; seeing that sent an odd shiver down Al’s spine, especially as Husk opened it and began cleaning it off thoroughly with rubbing alcohol and a few squares of gauze. Once he seemed satisfied that it was clean, Husk placed the seam ripper onto a clean paper towel before diving back into the first-aid kit again.
This time, he pulled out a bottle of Povidone-iodine and a small sponge. Husk walked over to Alastor, taking the soiled dress shirt and tossing it onto the floor behind him before bathing the sponge in the iodine. Alastor flinched as Husk rubbed the iodine all around the wound, staining his pale skin a reddish hue. Once he was done, Husk let out a hum before standing up and exchanging the sponge for the seam ripper and a pair of forceps. Al tried to keep his breathing even as Husk walked back to him, grabbing Al’s shoulder to try and keep him steady as he brought the seam ripper closer to his wound.
“This isn’t going to feel good,” Husk warned, “But I’ll try to be fast.” Alastor’s eyes widened a bit at hearing Husk’s words, only for them to shut tightly as he felt Husk start to rip up and remove his haphazardly applied stitches. The process was very uncomfortable, but true to his word, Husk had worked surprisingly quickly. It only took him a good eight minutes or so to remove everything. Unfortunately, this left Alastor’s wound completely reopened and seeping blood and infection, and the smell was now impossible to ignore. As soon as the scent hit his nose, Husk was shielding his airways, trying his best not to gag as the stench of rot made him dizzy. Alastor couldn’t really blame him, though. It was strong, even by Al’s standards, and all he could do was sit there and be grateful that Husk was too stubborn and had enough tact to not let himself puke right then and there. After a moment or so, Husk was able to collect himself and looked at his master with a wide-eyed, frightened expression.
“You really are sick.” Husk rattled. Alastor wanted to retort, but the pain of his wound made it all but impossible to speak; all he could muster was a half-hearted angry growl which quickly devolved into a pained moan. Husk let out a scoff at Alastor’s weak attempt at a threat, shaking his head in disappointment as he got back to his feet and walked back to the desk to root around for something else in the first-aid kit.
“I had a feeling this would happen. I’m going to have to flush it,” Husk said flatly, “This is why I tied you down.” Alastor’s eyes grew huge as Husk produced a bottle of some kind of saline solution and a syringe. He then grabbed the bottle of hydrogen peroxide and started mixing a little of it with saline in a small red Solo cup. Al attempted to free himself from his binds, but Husk had tied them too well.
“Will you please just try to hold still?” Husk pleaded, “If you struggle, it’s going to take a lot longer to do this and it’ll hurt way more than it has to.” As Husk approached, Alastor snarled, spitting out the leather strap and shouted, “Stop it, Husker! I just needed for you to fix my stitches, not to torture me!” Husk’s face fell, taking on a hardened expression once again as all the care and compassion the old cat had just left his body.
“Right… torture. Well, you would know all about torture, wouldn’t you, boss?” Alastor raised a brow as Husk reached down and grabbed the leather strap off the floor, sitting the cup down and dusting off the strap before holding it up to Alastor’s mouth, saying, “Believe it or not, I’m trying to help you, you ungrateful dick! Now open your damn mouth and bite down!”
Alastor huffed, turning his head away defiantly. Husk let out a frustrated growl and said, “Like I said, I don’t trust you not to try to take a chunk out of me. So either bite down on the damn leather… or I’m calling a fucking doctor like I should have done twenty minutes ago and they can deal with your dumb ass!” Alastor turned back to Husk and saw just how serious his expression was. Al took a second to think and finally said, “Why don’t you trust me, Husker?”
“Excuse me?” Husk asked. “I said… why don’t you trust me, Husker?” Husk just stared at him with an incredulous look; after a moment of just staring at each other, Husk finally broke the silence, bursting into a bitter cackle as he walked back to the desk and slammed his fist so hard it made the instruments inside the first-aid kit rattle.
“Am I… am I supposed to take that fucking question seriously, Alastor!?” Husk coughed, “Why don’t I trust you? Are you for fucking real!?” Husk just stood there, laughing a very hurt, very embittered laugh, earning a genuine curiosity from the Overlord behind him. Husk finally managed to catch his breath, turned back to Alastor and said, “Why don’t I trust you? Hmm… let’s see, where do I fucking begin?” Husk walked back over and picked up the Solo cup off the floor by Al’s feet before walking back to the desk and sitting everything onto the desk next to the first-aid kit.
“How about I start with the fact that you lied to me all those years ago? You said you and I would be partners; that you were going to help me save what I’d worked so damn hard to build! Instead, I gave you my soul and you’ve turned me into your slave… fuck, I’m not even that! Even you call me your damn pet!” Husk emphasized that last word with another slam on the desk, panting hard as his eyes started to glow a faint gold.
“Newsflash, boss: Under all these feathers and fluff, I’m just as much of a human being as you! But either you don’t see that… or you don’t have any fucking decency to treat me like person instead of some goddamn animal! And you… have the balls to call me your ‘old friend’? Well let me tell you something, Alastor, you are a shitty friend!” Alastor’s eyes widened in shock as Husk shoved a finger his direction, tears welling up in the older man’s eyes as he tried to keep it together.
“For the past few decades I have done my damnedest to make the best out of my situation; for myself and my family. I have tried so hard to try to see you like the ‘friend’ you say you are… that you said you’d be. I’ve been loyal, and I’ve tried everything to treat you as a friend in kind. And yet,” Husk paused reaching into his pocket and pulled out a pocket knife, walking over to Alastor and pointed the blade in his face.
“Every time I try… all I get is your fucking demon. All I get… are threats and pain. Apparently your damn ego is more important than the people you claim to care about… or you wouldn’t blow up on me every time I try to treat you like we are friends! I call you out on your bullshit because I’ve come to actually care about you! That’s what real friends do! I don’t know a single Overlord who can say they can relate to the shit I’ve endured besides you. And yet… you still act as if you’re above me and every other sinner in Hell. Truth is, you’re just as immortal and invulnerable as the rest of us. I get that reality hurts, but that doesn’t make it right for you to take it out on the one person who’s done nothing but try to support you. The same person who happens to be the only one who knows your secret. And I’ve kept it a secret all this time.”
The Overlord was shaking now, in part from the pain and the stench from his wound making him dizzy. But more than that was the sheer amount of rage and pain that rang in Husk’s voice; every word felt like a paper cut wearing away at the same place to create a burning open wound. Alastor realized that he might have finally taken things too far.
“Now, I can cut you loose and you can figure out what to do about this for yourself,” Husk said motioning to his wound, “Or, you can listen to me and do what I tell you to do so you won’t get a worse infection! Then we can both go back to what we were doing before you fucking Shanghaied me. What’s it gonna be?” Alastor took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. “Where is that chunk of leather?”
Husk hummed and put the knife away, tucking it back into his pocket before walking back to the desk and grabbing the strap, the Solo cup and syringe. Alastor didn’t even need to be told as Husk held up the leather strap, opening his mouth and taking it in his teeth as Husk prepped the syringe. Alastor did his best to stay still as Husk brought the syringe to his wound and began to flush it, biting down hard on the leather in his mouth as he could feel the solution burning as the infection was washed out from underneath his inflamed flesh.
The Overlord mulled over everything Husk had said as he watched the demon work, trying his best to be as quiet as he could as Husk injected three or four more syringes full of the solution before whipping it clean with a soft washcloth. Alastor wasn’t even sure when Husk had gotten the cloth, but he was in too much discomfort to care. Husk gave a long, heavy sigh, clearly already exhausted as he stood up and walked back to the desk, tossing the syringe into the Solo cup and placing it and the used cloth onto the desk before grabbing the box of stitching needles, a clean set of forceps, a pair of small scissors, a couple of clean paper towels, and a spool of surgeon’s thread.
“Think you’ll be able to keep your teeth to yourself while I stitch you up?” Husk asked tiredly. Alastor thought for a moment before he nodded, giving an affirmative hum as Husk turned around and walked back to him. Husk nodded and took the strap out of Alastor’s mouth, shivering as he noticed the teeth marks in the thick leather. Husk shook his head and composed himself as he sat the strap down on the windowsill close to the chair before turning his attention back to the task at hand.
Husk held the box of needles in his teeth as he took the spool of surgeon’s thread and pulled it out until it spanned the entire length of the gash, adding another half inch or so before cutting the thread and placing it onto the clean paper towels. Husk grabbed one of the needles and made quick work threading it before turning his attention to stitching up the gash. As Husk worked, he kept his ears held high and pointed towards Alastor, listening very carefully as the Overlord winced and hissed throughout the procedure. Thankfully, all of these noises were just made in response to pain, and Alastor was able to stay still enough for Husk to suture the wound, leaving just enough space to insert a few draining tubes.
“How you holding up?” Husk asked. Alastor took a deep breath and said, “It… hurts. A lot, surprisingly enough.” “Well, it wouldn’t hurt as bad if you went to a doctor for this. Morphine is… fucking amazing, let me tell you.” Husk said with a chuckle, “Of course, that’s assuming you’re strong enough not to get hooked on the shit.”
“I take it you speak from experience, Husker?” Alastor asked cautiously. A sullen look dawned on Husk’s face. “Um… kind of,” Husk replied, “Not… my own experience… but experience, nonetheless.” Husk slowly got onto his feet, taking the suture gear with him and placing it on the table before grabbing another clean sponge and pouring iodine on it to. Alastor winced a bit as Husk carefully dabbed the wound with the iodine, making sure it was clean before hurrying back and grabbing a tube of lidocaine cream, antibacterial ointment, several squares of gauze, and a roll of medical tape. “Almost done,” Husk sighed, “These ointments will help ease your pain a bit.”
Husk brought the supplies over to where Al was sitting, placing them on the ground before reaching in and pulling out his pocket knife to cut Alastor’s restraints, figuring he wouldn’t need them anymore since the worst was pretty much over and done with. Alastor rubbed his sore wrists once they were freed, taking a second to calm himself down before leaning back into the chair so Husk could bandage him up. The Overlord dug his red claws into the chair’s arms as Husk quickly applied the creams and placed several pieces of gauze across the length of the wound, being careful that it wouldn’t be totally suffocated and avoiding the drainage tubes as best he could. He then used the medical tape to secure the bandaging in place. “Alright, that should do it,” Husk rumbled. Alastor gave an exhausted sigh as Husk began cleaning up the mess from the procedures, putting away all of the equipment and materials that he could while anything that he’d need to disinfect was put into the red Solo cup from earlier.
“Try not to stretch too much, or you might burst your stitches again,” Husk explained, “And I’d recommend not showering for at least a few days. Use a washcloth or a sponge and do your best not to get the bandages too wet.” “Husker,” Alastor sighed, “And you’ll need to get them changed out at least once every three days. They’ll probably be fine to remove completely after a week.”
“Husker,” Alastor repeated, “I still say you should consult a doctor, but, hey, what the fuck do I know, right?” “Husker!” Alastor roared; Husk looked back and locked eyes with Alastor’s, his pupils dilated with nervousness and his hands shaking as he waited for Alastor to speak. The Overlord took a deep breath, exhaling slowly to calm down before continuing, “I just wanted to say… thank you… for everything.” Husk arched a brow, carefully placing what he was holding down before turning towards Alastor and said, “Uh… you’re welcome.”
“And, Husker,” Alastor slowly got onto his feet and walked over to the desk next to Husk, placing a hand gently on the other sinner’s shoulder. Al took a second to catch his breath and continued, “I’m sorry.” Husk’s expression shifted from fear to disbelief as he starred up at the taller demon in shock. “W-what did you say?” “I’m sorry, Husker,” Alastor repeated, “You… are right… about many things. Aside from Rosie, you are the closest thing to a real friend I have, and I don’t want to lose that.” Husk said nothing, simply nodding slowly as he turned his attention over to the untouched grocery bag and scooted it within Alastor’s reach.
“I brought you a fresh set of clothes,” Husk droned, “Thought you’d want something that wasn’t soaked in your own blood.” Alastor opened the bag and saw that Husk had brought him a whole new change of clothes, including fresh socks and undergarments. There was also another older shirt that Alastor could only assume was to be worn underneath his other tops to protect them from his wound’s drainage.
“The man really should have been a doctor in life,” Alastor thought, “He thought of everything. Quite impressive… commendable even.”
“I’ll leave the baby wipes here for you to, um… clean yourself up. Just toss what you use in the bag along with your dirty clothes and I’ll make sure they’re laundered. Well… what can be laundered, anyway. Not sure if there’s any hope for the white dress shirt, but everything else should be fine.” And with that, Husk grabbed his first-aid kit, the Solo cup, and the other grocery bag and headed towards the door. As Alastor was about to call Husk’s name, he heard a soft buzzing sound. Husk groaned and put the kit down before reaching into his pocket and pulling out his cellphone; a small smile appeared on the cat’s face as he accepted the call and said, “Hey, Angel. You home already?”
“Yeah, it was a surprisingly short shoot tonight,” Angel’s voice said over the phone, “Mostly Val just wanted to get some different angles on a few of the… well, I won’t bore you with the details. Let’s just say tonight was short, but goddamn, I could use a drink.” Husk chuckled and said, “Yeah, I can believe it. I’ll be down in a few minutes. Alastor had a chore he needed me to take care of. Took longer than I thought, but I’m almost done. Be down as soon as I can.”
“Alright, well, you know where I’ll be,” Angel said, making a soft kissing sound before hanging up. Husk sighed heavily before picking up the first-aid kit and turning back to Alastor, “So, boss,” Husk said holding up his hands full of equipment, “Aside from dropping these off in my bedroom, is there anything else you need me for tonight?” Alastor felt his heart sink at seeing how quickly Husk’s face went from cheerful to humorless, as if having to speak to his master robbed him of all his joy. Alastor could see just how exhausted Husk was; his eyes dark and sunken, and he was slumped over as if he barely had the energy to stand. The Overlord decided to show the man a little mercy and simply shook his head, motioning towards the door to let Husk know he was free to leave.
Husk nodded and hurried out of the room, using his tail to close the door behind him as he left. Once Husk was gone, Alastor slowly made his way to the door, cracking it open just enough to see if anyone was around. As he peered outside, he could see Husk walking down the hall; what struck Alastor even more was hearing him singing, and he was singing a very familiar tune.
“You always hurt the one you love… the one you shouldn't hurt at all. You always take the sweetest rose… and crush it till the petals fall,” It wasn’t lost on Alastor that Husk wasn’t singing the song just because it was one of his favorites; he was singing it because he knew Alastor could hear. “You always break the kindest heart… with a hasty word you can't recall, so… if I broke your heart last night… it's because I love you most of all.”
As Husk went to turn the corner, his eyes opened and gazed at him with a look that Alastor couldn’t quite read. It wasn’t angry, but it was far from happy. It was a serious, heavy look. It was almost sad in how his eyes were looking at Alastor yet almost didn’t seem to recognize the person they were looking at. Husk lingered for just a moment before vanishing around the corner. The radio demon quickly shut and locked the door, walking clumsily back to the desk and retrieving the clean clothes Husk had brought him. As he cleaned up and changed clothing, Alastor replayed the last hour or so over and over again in his mind; Husk’s angry words still echoed loudly in his ears.
The Overlord sighed and said, “It was too soon. Husker just… needs space right now. Yes, that’s it. Perhaps… tomorrow will be better.”
Angel tapped his foot impatiently as he stared at the clock on his cellphone. “Ugh, where is he?” Angel gripped, “It’s been forty-five fucking minutes since I hung up! What’s taking that old fart?” Just then, a familiar groan alerted Angel to Husk’s arrival. Angel stared at the bartender with an unamused glare as the he made his way behind the bar and said in a gravelly voice, “Hey, Angel.”
“‘Hey, Angel’? Is that all you have to say to me?” Angel asked indignantly, “Do you have any idea how long I’ve been sitting here!? Where the fuck were you!?” Husk grabbed the pink martini glass he was working on earlier and grabbed all the bottles off the shelf he’d need to make Angel’s usual drink. “Well,” Angel scoffed, “Ain’t you going to say anything?”
Angel’s eyes widened in shock as Husk turned to face him; he looked terribly disheveled, his fur was an absolute mess and his eyes were bloodshot, sunken and exhausted. “Husk… w-what… what happened to you?” Angel stammered, “Are you alright?” Husk just sighed, shaking his head slowly as he added the crushed ice and various ingredients into the shaker. “You, uh… wanna talk about it, Husk?”
“Ugh, honestly, Angel,” Husk moaned, “I don’t feel much like talking at all. I… uh,” Husk hesitated for a moment and said, “Honestly, I don’t want… to feel anything right now.” Angel looked at Husk with empathy as the chimera sat his drink down, sliding it to his side of the bar before sighing heavily and burying his face in his arms. Angel reached out to place a hand on Husk’s shoulder but stopped when he saw Husk’s fur and feathers bristle a little.
Angel looked up and spotted a bottle of Husk’s favorite cheap booze on one of the upper shelves, hidden behind a bottle of schnapps and brandy. Angel picked up his martini, giving it a quick swirl before taking a little sip. Angel smiled down at his worn-down friend and very quietly got up from his bar stool, carefully making his way over the bar and reached up to fetch the bottle of booze. Husk’s ears twitched as he heard the sound of bottles rattling; he turned to see Angel pulling down the old bottle of cheap booze from the shelf and asked, “What the…? The hell you doing back there?”
“Here, Husk,” Angel said with a smile as he held the bottle out, “I, uh… something tells me you’ve earned this.” Husk’s eyes darted between Angel’s smiling face and the booze bottle a few times before landing on the booze, the corners of his mouth curling into a small smile as he accepted the booze before Angel climbed back over the bar and returned to his stool.
“You know, technically I’m not supposed to drink when I’m on the clock, right?” Husk asked in an almost teasing tone. Angel smirked knowingly at the old bartender as he swirled his martini a bit, took a sip and said, “Yeah. But that’s never really stopped you before. Besides,” Angel took another sip and continued, “What the others don’t know won’t hurt ‘em. Right?” Husk smiled back, wrenching the cork out of the bottle and holding it up before saying, “Salud.”
“Salud,” Angel couldn’t help but feel butterflies as he and Husk cheered. Unfortunately, the glee quickly faded as the spider took a slow, careful sip, watching Husk bring the bottle to his lips, tilting his head back and starting to chug. It was almost painful watching the man drown his frustrations and pain in alcohol. Angel wanted to ask questions, to get Husk to open up about whatever his burden was, but he could see that it was too soon and the man was just too raw. Angel had many, many questions, and he fully intended to ask them all. But not tonight. Tonight, he was just happy to have Husk in front of him, just him, being his rock and his source of support like he always was. And if he got the opportunity tonight, Angel would gladly return the favor.
“Eh… probably best to just leave it tonight,” Angel thought as he took another sip, “Yeah, I’ll just give him his space tonight. I'm sure tomorrow will be better.”
