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Husk wasn't exactly... unfamiliar, with Angel's escapades. One could even argue he was beginning to know more about them than the spider himself, considering the amount of times he'd had to tell Angel what he'd been up to the night before. He didn't particularly mind, per se, but there were times Angel said some increasingly strange things, to the point Husk wasn't sure what was true and what was some high-as-a-cloud bullshit he'd drummed up on the spot. In some ways, he didn’t know if he preferred his nonsensical ramblings caused by drugs, or his drunken personal stories and reveries that made Husk's heart clamp up. If he was actually being honest with himself for once, he'd say his favourite was when Angel sat with him late at the bar, neither of them on anything, no flirting, no insults, just... talking.
But you'd have to pull every one of his feathers out before he'd even consider admitting that out loud.
He didn't want Angel getting the wrong idea, even if he himself didn't know what the right idea would be. He could say to himself he definitely cared for him without immediately choking up, but anything farther than that wasn't something Husk wanted to face without at least a few bottles of booze. Angel was pretty, he was smart, clever, and even funny when he wanted to be, and that felt like it was the whole issue. Everyone knew Angel Dust was a force to be reckoned with, and Husk... was Husk. Even if he was able to accept the fact that there was a chance he felt more for Angel, what would that change? Angel enjoyed talking to him, sure, but when he could probably have anyone he wanted in the nine circles of Hell, what were the chances he'd actually want an old, washed up, alcoholic cat? Husk figured not many.
Such was life, however, and Husk did his best to brush that insecurity away when Angel came home and needed him to trade his bartender persona out for his faux therapist one. Which, ironically, was exactly the type of night it was.
Husk wasn't entirely sure how Angel managed to do it, especially with his loud ass heels that clicked like they were announcing his arrival wherever he went, but at some time far past midnight, Husk nearly dropped the glass he was holding when a loud slam echoed from behind him. Wings flaring up in surprise, he quickly spun around, only for them to immediately relax when he saw the familiar white fur and pink coat of the spider. He had one hand flat on the bar top, the other wavering between attempting to point at him and sitting to join the other one.
"Fuckin' hell legs, can't you say something instead of sneakin' up on me? I'm not as young as I used to be." He snorted, rubbing his temple as he leaned his elbows on the wood. "I swear to fuck you're going to kill me a second time by doing that." While Husk expected a sarcastic quip in reply, all he was met with was an uncertain silence. Angel was staring at him, not like he usually did before coming over and saying he wanted to gobble his dick or some shit, but in a way that made Husk feel like he was more so looking through him. His eyebrows were furrowed in thought, but Husk had a good feeling not much was actually going on behind his eyes right now. "You alright?"
"Gimme a... a..." Angel narrowed his eyes, waving his hand back and forth. "A vodka tonic, I need sumthin' strong." Husk raised an eyebrow. Despite a lack of a direct response to his question, he didn't think he really needed one. Whatever Angel had been up to, it'd clearly already involved all the strong alcohol he already needed.
"...Right." Rather than disputing Angel and telling him to go to bed, because that never worked, no matter how drunk he was, he picked up the glass he'd had in his hand and turned around. He didn't even try to pretend he wasn't pouring vodka or tonic into it, filling it to the top with fresh water, and only adding a slice of lemon to the edge as a precaution to make sure Angel would be more likely to drink it. Husk had a good feeling water had not been part of what he'd been drinking for the last few hours, and though it technically wasn't his problem, he felt inclined to at least try and help him out a bit. "Here." He placed the glass down delicately, sliding it over to the spiders side. Angel snatched it up within seconds, cradling it in his hands like it was his pig as he took a long sip. Almost instantly upon tasting it, his face contorted. "What?"
"Nothin'." Angel shifted, turning away from him as he took another sip. Husk was worried for a moment he wasn't as stupid as most people were when drunk and realized it wasn't even vodka, but that theory was quickly disputed with a huff from Angel. "Husky makes better drinks than you..." He mumbled, a sentence barely audible both because of his lips still being wrapped around the glass, and because it seemed like he was trying to make it sound under his breath. Granted, he didn't succeed because it was pretty clear to Husk, but he'd definitely tried. Despite his 'insult', he continued to take swigs of the thing, complaining about whoever he thought Husk was right now the whole time. "He knows all ma favourites," Angel slurred, spinning on him. "An' he knows I prefer lemons over limes on ma rims, unlike you, ya useless bastard." He pointed with all three free hands at the lemon currently sitting on the glass, before promptly flicking it off and onto the counter.
"Uh huh." Husk stated flatly. "I'm sure he's a great guy. Sorry he's not in right now."
"Ya better be sorry, mista. He's not just great, he's the best." Angel once again placed his palm flat on the surface, managing to coherently point with a finger that was previously wrapped around his glass. Why he didn't use either of his two lower arms, Husk didn't know. "He even watches ma pig while I'm gone, if that's not boyfriend material, I dunno what is." As quick as Angel had turned on Husk to accuse him as not being as good as Husk, his expression drooped. "Why doesn't he like me?" Leaning forward, Angel plopped his forehead next to his hand.
Husk blinked slowly.
"Uh... what makes ya think that? If he's takin' care of yer pig-"
"I'm fuckin' annoying, that's why!" Angel gestured vaguely, to nothing in particular. "I-I talk to 'im bout shit he doesn't wanna hear, he never responds to ma flirting, he only looks afta ma pig so I won't botha him, he hates me." Angel splayed himself farther out on the bar, while Husk's tail twitched subconsciously. He wanted to reach over to hug Angel and tell him none of that was true, but considering he didn't recognize Husk to the point he was confessing his crush on, well, him, he didn't think that'd go over too well. "Nothing ever goes right fa me." He groaned. "I really like him, but I just keep ruinin' everythin'. He's neva gonna wanna talk ta me again at this rate."
Husk took in a deep breath, removing his hat momentarily to brush back his fur, more out of shock and nervousness than necessity. Throughout all his own worries, he'd never actually stopped to think that maybe Angel was experiencing the same thing as him. He'd been so stuck on assuming Angel didn't even really like him in the first place, the idea of him assuming Husk hated him came as something foreign. And frankly, he felt pretty stupid about that.
Shouldn't he have know Angel better by this point? While he was certainly confident, Angel had confided in Husk multiple times that he wasn't really all that. He was, in reality, just like Husk in terms of self esteem, except so much better at hiding it behind a persona. Not that Husk ever actually tried hiding it, with how pathetic he already came off as.
"Look kid, maybe I don't know either of ya... but I don't think this Husk guy hates ya. I think he cares about you too." Sniffling, Angel glanced up.
"Huh?"
"You're bein' too hard on yourself, I'm sayin'. Some people just suck at expressing themselves, it's not yer fault." Angel stayed silent, staring at him with eyes the size of saucers to the point it was kind of freaking Husk out. "Give him some time, he'll uh... he'll come around. I'm sure of it."
"Ya think so?"
"I know so." Husk leaned down, meeting Angel at his current eye level. "Now I think you should get to bed. Sleep on what I said, alright?"
"Sure, yeah... yeah." Stumbling out his seat at the bar, Angel started hesitantly towards the stairs of the hotel, glass of 'vodka' still in hand. Husk saw no reason to stop him, since he'd probably need it the next morning anyway.
Husk continued to watch Angel make his way back to his room until he was out of sight, and even then he couldn't help but linger his gaze for a few seconds longer. Sighing, he shook his head to unclog his thoughts, siamotainously searching for a bottle of anything with his free hand.
"Idiot." Husk swore as he popped the cork of the miscellaneous bottle, raising it to his lips with no time to spare. "I'm such an idiot."
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"You don't happen to have any aspirin hidden away back there, do ya?"
"Why, you lose yours?"
"More like used it all on my last hangover." Angel grunted as he came to a hard stop on the barstool in front of Husk, two of his hands busy rubbing his head to fend off the impending pain. "I neva got 'nuff of that shit ta keep up with me."
"Maybe you should cut back on the drinking, then." Shuffling around through one of the cabinets, Husk's claws wrapped around the bottle he was looking for.
"Ha! Only if ya do it with me."
"In that case, never fucking mind." While Angel struggled to open the bottle that'd been given to him, Husk took out the tallest glass he had to fill up with more water for Angel. "What were you doin' last night to get so hammered, anyway?" Adding a slice of lemon to it, because of course he had to, he returned back to his conversation with the arachnid. Angel paused midway through trying to use his teeth to pry the cap open to shrug.
"Gonna be real, I got no fuckin' idea. Remember I went out with Cherri fa the night, but that's 'bout it."
"You don't remember anything?"
"Nope." He paused, glancing up. "Why? I do somethin' embarrassing? I try an' fuck ya?"
"Is that what you consider embarrassing?” Angel rolled his eyes.
"I didn't mean it like that, but ya know how I get when I'm drunk."
"Horny?"
"Exactly." Finally able to remove the cap with a pop, Angel smirked in triumph. "It's like ya know everythin' about me, don't cha, Husky?" Shaking the bottle, he dropped a couple of the capsules into his open hand. "Gettin' me somethin' to drink, looking after my pig... what a charmer you are."
"Yer welcome for that, by the way. That little porker eats all my goddamn cherries every time he's here."
"Maybe you should cut back on buying so many cherries, then." Angel snarked back, something that was almost enough to actually make Husk laugh.
"I dunno. He's grown on me. Better than eating my other fruit, anyways."
"Right. Gotta keep some for me, huh?"
"Well, someone has to make you your fruity fucking drinks." Angel snorted, which quickly turned into a laugh. Despite Husk thinking what he said didn't seem particularly funny, Angel seemed to think it was, and frankly? Husk wasn't complaining. Yet another thing he wouldn't pry out of him no matter what you did, was how much he enjoyed Angel's laughter. It was always a bit loud, and sounded sort of like a hyena when he found something especially hilarious, and Husk wouldn't trade that for anything. He hadn't even realized he was staring until Angel managed to get his bearings enough to actually notice for himself.
"What?" Quickly turning away from him to hide his smile, he shrugged.
"Nothin'."