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Husk met Angel in the hotel lobby with a suit jacket over his usual suspenders and freshly washed and combed fur. He looked sweet. He looked…. Like redemption.
Angel took him in - somewhat scruffy, somewhat stilted. He smelled a little like whiskey but more like good clean soap. He relaxed when he saw Angel, a lopsided grin spreading over his face.
"Hey there, legs," he said gruffly, a bit stiff. It made Angel smile. "I knew you cleaned up good but, damn, I'm gonna feel like a million bucks with you on my arm tonight." He extended a small bouquet of flowers, perhaps shy.
A vision of Val waltzed in before Angel could respond, smelling like cigarettes and sex. Angel froze, blinking.
"Hey Angie, sorry I'm late, I know, I know, it was half an hour ago, but I told Wex to send you a box of Earth Lillies while I was busy fucking some manners into Jett -- he’s had such an attitude lately!"
The shadow of Val threw off his silk lined blazer and checked his immaculate collar and gold chains as he dropped a kiss on Angel's head, tactile as if he was there in the flesh. Angel shivered. Val pulled back to look at him.
"You can't wear that, doll, you look like garbage! Don't tell me you don't have something better, I know who fills your wardrobe. Go and put on that silver thing that I like."
“You okay, Angel?” asked Husk, mere inches away from where Val seemed to be.
“Oh yeah!” He had to ignore Val. He wasn’t there. Focus on Husk. This would go away, he just had to ignore it. “Just cold.”
“You should grab a coat, it’s not too late,” said Husk, gesturing upstairs.
“I’ll keep you warm, baby,” said Val, speaking over Husk so Angel almost couldn’t understand him.
“Nah, I’ll be fine,” said Angel, brow furrowing. “Worst case scenario, I’ll borrow your jacket.” He attempted a flirtatious smile.
“Ah, that old trick,” Husk chuckled.
“You just wanna get me out of my clothes faster,” Val purred, pressing against him.
Angel wasn’t sure how long he could cope with them talking over one another. “Let’s go,” he said, taking Husk’s arm. “I need a drink.”
Husk practically blushed as Angel touched him. He was gentle and steady and good. Husk was good. Val was bad. Husk…. Was good.
Husk had covered his disappointment with Angel's non reaction to the flowers, and was instead eyeing him.
"You sure you’re okay, kid?" Husk pulled back to squint up into his eyes. Concerned. Attentive. Patient.
Meanwhile, Val's shade was vibrating with impatience. "Stupid slut," he snapped. "If you want to go out looking like trash don't let me stop you."
Val picked up the lillies and threw them at the wall with a crash. He flounced out the door without a glance over his shoulder. He knew that Angel was already following.
“I am, I promise,” Angel attempted a reassuring smile as they walked. “Just withdrawal or something probably, always gives you the shakes.”
“Sorry to hear that,” said Husk, holding the door for him. “I hope you feel good about your progress. I know we’re all proud of you.”
Val’s mirage laughed indulgently and kissed Angel as they passed the threshold. "I missed you Angelito," he cooed, drawing him into his arms and swaying. "Come on, the limo is waiting for us. And I have a little treeeeeat!" He held up a small bag of angel dust. "Let's do lines in the car, princess," he said, kissing him once more.
“Where do you wanna go?” asked Angel, abruptly, trying not to react to the kisses he could feel as clear as they were imagined.
"I was thinking we could go to Sardi's, if you like that kind of thing. You're certainly dressed for it. I was gonna suggest O'Havvenick's if you wanted something casual, but it’d feel wrong to bring a gorgeous guy like you there." He looked up at Angel nervously. "We might have to take the bus though. We can walk, if you'd rather, but it's pretty far. I asked Alastor if I could borrow his car, and he wouldn’t go for it." He scuffed his foot.
“Walking is great,” said Angel as Val laid out lines in front of him. “It’s not that far, and I could use the exercise.” He could feel the dust in his nose. “I’m not a fancy bitch, despite the outfit.”
“I wanna treat you right.” Husk and Val spoke in unison this time, the same words overlaid. Angel had to close his eyes for a second. He could feel Val’s breath on his face, the touch of his hands, his gold tipped nails. His voice caressed Angel and he could taste the smoke between them as Val’s hand ghosted over his cock. Angel tried to squeeze it out, shutting his eyes tight while they walked.
“Thanks,” Angel said faintly.
“You’re not feeling well” said Husk, stopping on the sidewalk. “I’m not making you go on this date, we can take a rain check if that’s what you’re worried about, but you’re not okay, and you can’t fool me, even if you weren’t doing a piss-poor job of trying.”
“No, no please,” said Angel, echoed by the feeling of Val’s hands around his throat, strangling him as he mocked. “No, no please.” “I want to do this, it just reminded me of something Val used to say, so it felt weird. Don’t baby me, I can take care of myself, I’m a grown man.”
“I don’t wanna go on a date with someone whose withdrawal is so bad he looks like he shouldn’t be out of bed. You look sick to your stomach.”
“You look like shit Angie, what’s wrong? I thought you loved being choked. Don’t tell me you weren’t into it last night while you were practically cumming on your own face.”
Angel shook his head vehemently, though he wasn’t sure who he was shaking it at. Both, probably. “A drink will settle me. Don’t be a shit, Husk, just leave me be!”
“Are you fucking fighting with me right now?” they spoke in unison again and Angel cringed. “I’m sorry, Angel, I didn’t mean - fuck. I didn’t mean to yell.” The same words from two mouths, and for a moment, Angel couldn’t even see Husk anymore for how clearly Val shone through.
“Let’s go,” said Angel, stubbornly. “You yelled, so I get to decide. We’re going.” How many times had he pulled that card before?
Husk nodded, cowed. “Fine.”
Val pulled him closer and kissed his neck, crooning “that’s my little firecracker. Whatever you want, minx.”
“I’m glad you’re able to be away from him,” offered Husk, looking at Angel out of the corner of his eye.
“You can’t stay away from me, bitch, I know you.”
“Yeah, it’s been really good for my salvation and shit,” said Angel weakly.
“And good for you, right?”
“I know what’s good for you.”
“Right.”
They made it to the restaurant in relative silence between Angel and Husk, as Val prattled on, dancing circles around them as they walked.
Husk held the door again, and Angel smiled apologetically at him even as Val took his hand and led him through it. Not reacting to Val’s touches and motions was the hardest part. Walking at his own pace while Val pulled him ahead took a lot of concentration.
“Table for two?” Angel said as the host greeted them.
“Actually, I have a reservation,” said Husk, a little proud.
“They know me here, they always keep a table,” Val said smugly, passing the host a bill as they breezed past.
Angel blinked at the table. It was wrong. There was a bucket of ice holding a bottle of champagne, and a setting of candles and roses a second ago. He blinked again. Oh. Of course. This was a normal table.
He smiled dimly as they were seated, and took Husk’s hands across the table. “I’m sorry.” A warm, genuine smile now. “Can we start over?”
“Sorry about what? It’s all forgotten, baby,” Val kissed his hands and rubbed his foot along his leg under the table.
“I’d like that,” Husk smiled back, as the two exhaled.
“How was your day?”
“Boring,” shrugged Husk. “Niffty’s orchestra rehearsal took up most of the bar for most of the day.”
“It’s an orchestra now?”
“Too many for a band.”
“Can’t she rehearse somewhere else?”
“She makes me mix little drinks for them on breaks.”
“Makes you?” cackled Angel. “How does she make you?”
“I think it’s funny.” Husk admitted. “Ezekial likes the 2003 scotch, but Tomford prefers the 1997 vintage.”
For a moment, a precious minute, Val had faded away.
Val cut back in. “Ugh, my day was TERRIBLE. Jekyll ordered me the nineteen NINETY-seven vintage, not the nineteen THIRTY-seven! Can you believe? ME? NINETEN NINETY-SEVEN? It’s so hard to find good help these days, I may have to kill him again…”
Angel sighed, forgetting to laugh at Husk’s explanation.
“Angel?”
“Sorry, I was sighing over how stupid that was,” he amended. “That’s really fucking cute.”
“Yeah, well, Niff has always been a character.”
“How long have you known her?”
“We’ve known each other for so long Angie, don’t you think I know you better than that? Darling, I know you better than YOU do!”
“Huh, hard to say. A couple of decades? Alastor had her before me.”
“Oh yeah,” said Angel, struggling to hear. “How is Al, anyway? You’ve both been pretty ominous about it. Is he psycho or what?”
“I’m not a psycho, baby, I wouldn’t do that to you!” Val put his head on Angel’s shoulder. “You’re overreacting.”
“Nah, that’s not light enough for a first date,” said Husk, looking down.
“Light? You’ve heard all my shit, kitty. Spill.”
“Really, I’d rather not. Maybe back at the hotel,” he said, nodding as the waiter came for their orders.
“You don’t need to know, doll, Voxxy and I are ancient history! Don’t worry your pretty little head about it. Why waste our precious time together talking about that old square?”
“And for you?” Angel was startled out of his reverie by the server.
“Oh! Um, I’ll have what he’s having,” he said quickly.
“Don’t you want a drink?” Husk looked at him skeptically.
“You’re not drinking?” Angel tried to hide his dismay.
“No, but you go ahead.”
“Um…. okay… I’ll just have vodka. Neat.”
“Well?”
“Top shelf,” interjected Val, and Angel couldn’t have said what he responded himself.
“How was your day?” asked Husk, as the waiter left. “Bad, I assume?”
“No, it was fine–”
“You were so good out there amorcito, the camera ate you up. All eyes were on you, no one was getting anything done. I would fire them if I wasn’t doing the same.” A memory this time. Angel shuddered, wondering when the last time he heard that had been.
“It was weird. Being clean. Not being at the studio. No one to kill. Wasn’t really sure what to do with myself.”
“Shoulda come and hung out with the orchestra. Don’t you play clarinet or something?”
“Trumpet for redemption,” said Angel. “You remembered.”
“Of course I did, baby, you’re so talented.” Val was crowding him now, caging him in with his arms, next to him in the booth. There was booze on his breath and lust in his mouth.
“Barely,” laughed Husk. “I got “wind instrument.””
“Hey, that’s not nothing. It’s better than–”
“Don’t be silly mi vida, of course I remembered. Daddy’s just had a little too much.”
“Val?”
“What?!” Angel jumped about a mile.
“Better than Valentino. Was that the end of your sentence?”
“Oh!” Angel laughed and it was almost a sob. “Yeah, I guess, it probably was.”
“I never forget anything cariño, I have the figure of a moth and the brains of an elephant.”
“Do you wanna talk about it?”
“No, no, I– It’s fine.”
The server arrived with their food and Angel hoped he was saved but Husk didn’t drop it when they left.
“You’re thinking about him.”
“What? No I’m not!”
“I was thinking about you all day, querido. I missed you so much. Were you thinking about me?”
“It’s normal, we’re on a date, of course you’re thinking about him. I should have realized when you mentioned it earlier.”
“It’s not normal, and I’m not thinking about you!”
Angel froze. Husk stared at him. A moment passed. Husk gestured with his hand.
“I’m not.” Angel almost burst into tears, half pleading.
“You said-”
“I didn’t say anything!”
“Hey, hey, it’s okay. Just don’t lie to me. I can’t do this if you lie to me.”
“I’m not lying,” he whispered.
“I can’t do this if you lie to yourself.”
“Then leave!” Angel’s face was flushed, distraught.
“I’m not leaving you like this–”
“Just– just gimme a minute, okay?”
Angel stood up abruptly and half ran to the restroom. He didn’t hear what Husk said. Maybe he left. The only thing he heard was:
“Don’t walk away from me!” Val hissed, trying not to alert the other patrons. “Angel, get back here. Angel, what the fuck. Angel. Angel!”
Val’s spirit followed Angel to the restroom, where Angel gripped the sink and splashed cold water on his face and wrists. Angel shook his head silently and tried not to look like a fucking junkie or some shit as Val appeared behind him, caging him in with his arms.
“You don’t get to pull that shit out there, pull that shit on me. You fucking embarrassed me, baby. How are you gonna make it up to me, huh?”
Angel hung his head and didn’t respond for a long time, shivering, and trying to avoid both their gazes in the mirror as a sinner with elephantine traits washed his hands, looking at him quizzically.
“I know exactly how.” The figment of Val’s hands grasped his hips and Angel gasped at the contact, dismayed by how real the sensation was. He watched the other patron out of the corner of his eye until he left, and finally leaned into the touch. “That’s right,” Val purred in his ear, moving one of his hands to grip the outline of Angel’s cock. Angel arched back into him, forgetting for a moment what an idiot he was being.
“All you need is me.”
“I need you,” breathed Angel, barely a whisper.
“Hey, uh, I came to check on you,” Husk interrupted his reverie, entering.“You’ve been gone a while, and you kind of…. You know.”
Angel grabbed him and kissed him square on the mouth. Val responded eagerly, pulling him in. Husk was stiff under the kiss and pushed him away.
“I need you,” Angel whined, clinging to the front of his shirt.
“Are you high?” Husk snapped. “I thought you were supposed to be clean.” Even Val recoiled at the vitriol.
“No!” Tears sprang to Angel’s eyes. “What, would I have to be high to think you’d wanna kiss me?”
“Don’t talk to me like that papito,” Val mumbled in his ear.
“Come on,” Husk didn’t meet his eyes. “You know that’s not true.”
“You know what bad whores get.”
“Then do it!” Angel’s voice cracked.
“I don’t want our first kiss to be in a restaurant bathro-” Angel grabbed him and kissed him again, hard. Husk broke away before Val could even react. “Will you STOP doing that?”
“There! We had our first kiss, and our second and they WERE in restaurant bathrooms, so stop being precious about it!” Val wrapped protectively around Angel, warm smoke clinging to his fur.
“What is wrong with you?”
“I’m not some dainty princess, I’m a fucking whore! I want you to bend me over that sink and rail me in the ass! Why do you have to make everything so hard?” Val’s hands were all over him, and Angel was buzzing from the rejection and need and it was all wrong, all so wrong.
“I love when you’re crazy, baby.”
“I’m not crazy.”
“I didn’t say anything.”
“Well you’re not kissing me, are you?”
“That’s not gonna solve-”
Angel was pretty sure he was going to die on the spot if Husk didn’t fuck him. Something- something wrong was pounding through his veins, as something vital retreated from his system and he felt dizzy. He felt as though he couldn’t see quite right.
So he turned on his heel and ran.
“Angel, wait! Angel! Angel!”
He ran like the fucking wind. Away away away, leaving even Val’s shadow behind, he ran half blind until he found himself at the tower.
His old ID still worked and he didn’t question it, tearing through the building, searching the penthouse and the studio and the offices and finally found him in the editing room.
“Angel?” Val’s voice contained only mild surprise as he looked up from his work.
Angel froze in his boots. Seeing him again…. He had forgotten.
Val’s shade really was a pale imitation to the flesh before him. So tall, even when sitting down, Angel could feel he would be dwarfed. Magnificent, opulent fur and wings like raiment fell effortlessly from him, his antenna swaying gracefully when he rose. His markings disappeared invitingly under his clothes, followed by the glints of tantalizing gold. And his eyes…. They glowed. Physically. Angel forgot how they glowed.
He smiled the smile of a lazy predator as Angel stared at him, petrified. A predator who knew its kill was made. “You finally figured out there isn’t anything better than me.”
Tears started flowing again and Angel gave a gasping sob.
“I know baby.” Val took him in his arms and it was heaven. Angel knew he had asked for it. Husk’s paw had been in his hand and he had slid another up Val’s leg in the same breath.
His moans were hot as Angel parted his thighs, letting Val strip him easily. He jumped up against the wall for Val to pin him as he sank deep in Angel’s cunt. Angel melted for him - the peace and euphoria that consumed him as Val penetrated him must be what heaven was - couldn’t be better than that.
Angel wept through his cries of pleasure, anguish and ecstasy on a knife’s edge. Val’s groans came guttural, his rasping voice mocking.
“You think that little hotel can redeem you? You can’t be cleansed, tonto araña.” He bent Angel over and shifted his cock to his ass, reaching around to grope his cock.
Angel whimpered in pleasure. “Oh god–”
“I’m the only god who’ll hear your cries. You think that old fool in the sky will want a mariquita who only screams his name when he’s getting railed in the ass like the filthy soul he is?”
“N-no,” Angel stammered. “Val, I want, fuck, I want, please-”
“¿Quieres drogas, putito?” Val’s smile was sinister as he pulled out and left Angel to slump against the wall, retrieving a bag of the powder and pouring a careful line across his dick. “Crawl to me, babycakes,” he grinned like the cat who got the cream. “Ven aca.”
Angel did, without question. He came to Val, tongue out and flat to receive his cock, waiting for permission to snort the drugs. Val smiled and took him by the back of the head, guiding his nose to the line.
“No one will want you after this,” he murmured as Angel inhaled it, the bright tingling of the powder mixing with Val’s tangy musk. “Let’s hope your precious heaven can’t see you snorting lines off your pimp’s dick like the trashy slut you are. You can’t get clean after that.”
“Not the first time,” Angel muttered, looking up at him with dazed, blown out eyes.
“So you already knew. What were you doing, amorcito, if you knew there was no hope for you?” Val’s cock was in his mouth now, and Angel flagellated himself with it, thrusting his throat towards pain again and again for sanctity. It would have been so easy for Val to throw him away, yet he never did. He wanted him, he always wanted him.
“I don’t know,” he admitted, and he didn’t. Thinking he could find something outside of Val, something he wanted more, even if it was heaven? Val’s cock gave him absolution, and even as it condemned him, it showed that he was worth enough to damn. Maybe that was the part he was supposed to be trying to save.
“I am your redemption,” Val continued, pushing Angel onto his back and lowering himself over him. Angel laid like a sacrifice to be devoured by his unholy god, the purest offering he had ever been. The holiest he could be was the moment before Val defiled him, and each time he did it was like being born anew. Each time he was desecrated proved there was something good left to ruin. His destruction was an exaltation.
Val thrust into him, claiming his body and for a moment they balanced, in perfect union, and perhaps this was what it was to commune with god. A oneness. A benediction. Angel was never anything but what Val wanted him to be. In Val’s eyes he was always good.
He held Val as he fucked him, murmured prayers falling unbidden from his lips - praise, pleas, and gratitude. He never felt more himself than when he was being fucked by Val. It was like he was made for this. He saw white as he came, and glimpsed the face of god.
But that face was his Valentino, pumping him full of cum, and leaving him warm and spent. He didn’t leave, didn’t even pull out, simply stayed with him. “You’re lucky I still want you, cariño,” he whispered affectionately. “Your god sure doesn’t.”