pewpewkachuuboo

[pewpewkachuuboo]

I’m not really comfortable with digital art yet but I’d like to get better - if anyone has any tips or tricks for procreate I am listening with big ass ears.

My biggest issues are line art, shadowing, and how tf do I do a background because what is this

[pewpewkachuuboo]

Hi. Someone who can art - do this better pls LOL

I’ve been watching XMen ‘97 and I was like ooooooh Remy has the kind of accent I wanted Alastor to have as a character whose background is Creole ….. and they both have sticks…..

And so I was like what if and this was born and I need someone to do it well LOL

ft gremlin Lucifer dressed as rogue because why not

[pewpewkachuuboo]

nowhere to go, nowhere to be

exoverlord!fem!reader x Lucifer

So you were an overlord that sold your soul to Alastor to save your twin brother? You’re an eternal slave who is forced back into hell after a hiatus to help Alastor…. run a hotel? Why is the King of Hell here?

—

I’m so sleepy- have a chapter piece. But chapter one is long because backstory *jazz hands *

I’ve never written a reader-centric fic before so bare with me during my learning curve LOL I’ve been reading a lot of them, but I’m trying to avoid the use of (y/n) because my dumbass brain always reads it as “yes no” and it takes me out of the narrative lmao

Decided to make the title after the Kenny Chesney song because it’s about those small pockets of time between reality where you feel free from recognizing that you have no control over what’s happening in your life that keep you from spiraling, and I think that fits the mood I’m going for.

Warnings: language, death, suicide, gore, mention of sexual assault

—

Chapter One: Wake Up Call

How long had you been swimming in the darkness of your personal pocket dimension that the Radio Demon, Alastor, had forced you into after you gave him your soul?

Who knows.

It had felt like centuries.

The dimension was just blackness - there was no ground, you were just eternally floating. It was a silent, weightless, and empty existence and your eyes had never fully adjusted to the dark so any hopes of scoping surroundings had been lost in the first few hours you had been placed there.

You spent the time you had to yourself after that reflecting on what had gotten you to that point.

You and your twin brother had been sold to an underground organization by your parents - you didn’t blame them, they could barely feed the two of you let alone themselves, now they at least had the money to survive themselves while you were out of sight and out of mind.

You had been trained to cater to the fancy of men - you read, cooked, learned how to play chess, and were taught the art of seduction according to your owner’s instructions. Your brother had been trained for seduction as well, but served in the organization as a hit man. Having such a small child be able to kill a man three times his size with his bare hands was an advantage the organization could not let go of.

Men in power seem to always have a weird attraction to children, so it made sense that the two of you would often go into these situations together. You recall once being covered in blood after a particularly violent sexual encounter, and your brother ripping the man limb from limb as effortlessly as a bird taking flight. He had held you the rest of the night, but you hardly slept as it was. You appreciated the care your brother had for you, but you would have preferred he cared more about his own safety.

When the two of you had reached the age of twenty-one, your brother had suggested the two of you run away to America and start a new life. How hard could it be? You had humored him, not realizing he was serious, and he was caught planning.

Your owner held your arm and made you watch and listen as he fed your brother to his pet white tigers. Even after your own death, his screams of pain and terror are still tattooed to your brain.

You had killed yourself less than a week later by slitting your throat.

When you woke up in hell, you had taken on the appearance of a grey rag-doll, stitched at the neck and joints, stitches also at the end of your lips to give you a permanent smile. Hell made sense to you - you had participated in nearly every major sin and you were positive that no person with blood on their hands would ever make it to heaven. Which meant your brother was in the realm as well.

You had searched endlessly for him for months before you had come across the V District. It was ugly, you decided, lit up by red and blue neon lights and buildings so high you couldn’t see the red sky or pentagram moon above you. That’s when you saw a poster of a man that looked eerily like the tigers that ate your brother, holding a pink and white spider against his chest, looking at each other with half-lidded eyes.

Was that him?

Only one way to find out, you decided. And you ended up at the V Tower eventually, waiting for an opportunity to waltz into the porn studio to see him up close.

You had somehow managed to follow inconspicuously behind some of the cleanup crew, and took the opportunity to look at your surroundings. Tacky was the only thing you could think to describe the decor. But that was typical of gross men - they never seemed to have good taste.

You heard a moan that was cut off by an angry “CUT” and looked around the corner to see the man you were so sure was your brother being pulled to the ground by the fur of his neck and being ruthlessly kicked by the tall moth man that spit on him and then pointed to the hall, “Get your shit together and then come back and fuck like you mean it.”

You follow behind him and clear your throat, scaring him into spinning around at you, “Is it really you?”

You now carefully, “I think so?”

He stands up straight, “How did I die?”

You point to his appearance and sigh, “I didn’t realize I’d have to see your reason for death after having to watch it happen in person.”

His face softened and he pulled you into a tight embrace, “How are you here? You shouldn’t be here.” He swallowed and pointed to the exit, “Leave but go to the club across the street - I’ll be done soon and I’ll come find you.”

You didn’t really want to leave him after what you witnessed, but you would never not take your brother seriously when he had that terrified look on his face. So you wait.

He approaches you with a fresh black eye and random stains littering his stark white fur. You frown at his appearance and he waves his hand, “I’m fine - how…. Why are you in hell?”

“Probably same reasons as you are-“

“You know what I mean.”

You tighten your grip on your glass of water, “I, uh, killed myself.”

His face softened at the admission, “But you were so young - you could have gotten out.”

“Not without you.” You look at him firmly, “You are all I had and it wasn’t worth being alive if we weren’t alive together.”

His lips thin into a straight line as he looks at the crowd in the club before leaning forward, “Listen, I am so happy to see you, but I sold my soul to Valentino - I can’t leave the tower without his permission.”

“So I’ll sell mine, too-“

“No.” His voice was sharp and his blue eyes flashed red in anger, “Absolutely not.”

“Then how do we get yours back?”

He sighed, “Valentino would have to either break the contract himself or trade my soul with another Overlord.”

“Overlord?”

Your brother went into a brief explanation about the hierarchy of hell, and you nodded with resolve, “So I need to become an Overlord and strike a deal so I can get your soul.”

He laughed, “I wish it were that easy-“

“Wait for me. I’ll do it.” You stand, unsure of where you’re going, but knowing you have to get your shit together and save your brother like you know he would have done for you, “I don’t know how long it’ll take, but I’ll do it.”

It took nearly 60 years for you to gain enough power and souls to be a respected Overlord in Hell.

And as you had the nerve to create a deal you knew Valentino couldn’t refuse, a red demon made his way into your office casually during an extermination with a grin so wide it was unnerving.

“Can I help you?”

“Can you?”

You frown, “I don’t like playing games.”

He tutted and leaned on the cane he carried that was the same color as the rest of his appearance, “No games, darling. I’m just curious how you think you can help me when you can’t even help your brother.”

You stood, seething in anger, “The fuck are you talking about?”

He hummed in interest and snapped his fingers to show you a scene of your brother being left behind by a client when being chased by exorcists. He tried to run away, too, but he was going to get caught if you didn’t do something, “Where is he?!”

“I can tell you - for a price.” The image disappeared and his smile felt more menacing than before.

You reach out to him, “You want my fucking soul for his location? I won’t make it there in time you son of a bitch-“

His eyes narrow and he holds his cane out to keep you from coming closer, “My, my. If you use that tone with me again, I’ll give you nothing and send you what’s left of your brother once I’m done feasting on what the exorcists leave behind.”

You back up a bit, startled by the angry static his voice bites back with, “Who are you?”

“Alastor! Pleasure to be meeting you! An absolute pleasure.” He held out his hand, “I will save your brother from the angels in exchange for your soul and all of the souls you currently own.”

“Keep him alive after and you have a deal.” You hold out your hand without hesitation.

Alastor hums, but grips your hand after consideration, green light surrounding the two of you. He snaps his fingers and shows you that your brother, confused, is in the confines of his room at V Tower - but he’s alive and safe. Alastor snaps his fingers again and the scene disappears, “He will not perish as long as your soul is mine.”

You scream in pain, reaching for your neck as neon green chains bind to you. He looks cheerful as he checks his nails, “Beautiful screams, darling. Would you be interested in radio?”

You can’t answer as tears fall down your face, your throat raw as you feel your power leave your body. He waits for a moment before clapping, “Oh! These souls are delicious. Thank you so much for your service. I think I’ll keep you around just in case I need someone charming to do a job for me. Would you like to say goodbye to your brother before your departure?”

You sob, but shake your head yes. With the snap of a finger, shadows engulf the two of you and deliver you to your brother’s dressing room.

He cries out your name and holds your shoulders before looking up at Alastor, “What did you do to her?!”

Alastor just looked at his claws, ears twitching, “Do hurry. I have places to be.”

You tug on the black tank top your brother wore and he looks down at you, “You’re safe now. I’m so sorry.”

“What have you done?!”

You smiled and nod, “It’s fine, I promise. You would have done it for me, too.”

Realization floods his expression, “I’ll get you out of this.”

“It’s okay. I’ll see you around.” You stand and walk shakily over to Alastor who waves his fingers in greeting.

“I’ll be seeing you if you’re in danger of death, friend. Hopefully not too soon!” He cackles as the shadows engulf you both again, and all you knew from that point on was darkness.

—

Until bright light flooded your vision. You covered your eyes in response and shrunk down, digging your knees into the back of your hands to keep the onslaught of sudden light from your eyes.

A familiar laugh fills your ears and you are on your feet in an instant, heels of your hands still digging into your eyes to avoid pain, “A-Alastor?” Your voice came out as a croak due to your lack of using it after all of these years and you slowly remove your hands, squinting until your eyes adjusted, your head pounding in pain. His red figure was the first thing you saw and you gasped in realization, “H-How long was I-?”

“Not now, dear. I’ll fill you in on all the fun goings on later. For now, welcome to your new job! Our lovely owner and Princess of Hell, Charlie Morningstar, has suggested we are in need of a Porter and Concierge! I told her I knew just the person for the job.”

You had flashbacks of intelligence training from when you were alive and swallowed, looking up at the tall woman beside Alastor who seemed to almost be sparkling. She moved forward, “Hi! I’m Charlie! This is my hotel to help rehabilitate sinners! We’ve had a lot more interest since the battle with the angels and so we need some more help and I would be THRILLED if you would help.” Her voice was sweet and almost sounded like a song.

You glance at Alastor behind her and he narrows his eyes as if to tell you to go with it or else, and so you bowed your head politely, “I’ll do my best.”

The squeal the girl let out felt like nails on a chalkboard against your ears, but she pulled you into a tight hug despite your height difference - why was everyone in hell seven feet tall and you managed to be a terrifying 5’6”? - and then held you out by your shoulders, “What’s your name? How long have you been here? Do we need to move your things into your room or did Alastor already magic it here?”

You wince, “Uh, people usually call me whatever they want…. I’ve been here a while, and I don’t really own anything.”

Charlie seemed equal parts sad and excited, “Do you not remember your name? And you really don’t own anything?”

“I, uh…” Alastor drapes an arm over your shoulder and pulls you away from Charlie’s embrace.

He looks down at you, “I think our friend is tired from travel. Maybe we should save introductions until tomorrow?”

Charlie grinned, clasping her hands together, “I’ll see you first thing in the morning to give you a tour! Thank you so much for your help!” She waves enthusiastically as Alastor pulls you along with him.

He sighs once she is out of sight, “We need to catch up, I’m afraid.” His gaze is now on you, “Why did you not give her your name?”

You swallow, “Because I was an Overlord before you put me in that black space - I don’t know what my name means around here anymore.”

He hums thoughtfully, “Smart. You are a clever thing, aren’t you?” He lets go of your shoulders and walks towards the door in front of you, “This is the door to your room. Let’s have a chat.”

You’re hesitant to follow him through the open door but blink up at the decor - it was soft monochromatic colors of grey and white, it was a color theme you had always been fond of, “I thought it would be red like the rest of the hotel.”

“Nonsense- I made the room to suit the taste of your previous office. Is it satisfactory?”

“Very.” You touch the plush blanket on the bed before glancing back to him, “Catch me up, then.”

He only gave you the details he thought you would need, but you stopped him after he was done detailing the fight with the angels, “How long was I in that place for?”

Alastor tapped his chin thoughtfully, “Does the number really matter?”

You roll your eyes assuming he was avoiding telling you, “Is my brother still okay?”

“Okay? Hardly.” He chuckled, “But he’s still alive and under the thumb of that moth if that’s what you’re asking.”

You sighed in relief and looked at your lap, “So what do I need to do exactly?”

“Your job, dear.” He grinned as you glared at him, “Porter and Concierge. You will be showing our guests to their room and helping with their things. You are also going to be taking care of the customer service of the side of my job because I detest it - that entails you making sure their basic needs are met and that you make their wants happen to the best of your ability.”

You sigh, “Am I stuck here at all times?”

“Heavens, no! You will be allowed time off as needed. But I do expect you to do your job and keep our deal quiet from the other hotel guests- you will not survive your time here if you overstep me.”

You swallow but nod in understanding, “Okay.”

“Oh! My mother was rather fond of those Raggedy Anne dolls before she passed and you-“ He held up your arm between two pinched fingers, “Look sewn up like one of them. Let’s say your name is Anne tomorrow, hmm?”

You pull your arm away and nod, “Fine.”

He stands up and motions to the bed, “Rest, dear. Charlie will have you up bright and early.”

“I’ve been resting for only you know how long. And I haven’t slept since I was alive.”

His grin widened and unseen limbs seemed to force you to lay down, “I don’t remember asking a question, Anne.” You swallow, his fingers moving to hold your throat as his eyes narrowed more sinisterly, “There will be no talking back when I’ve told you to do something. Understand?”

You nod helplessly and he lets go, already at the door when you look up, “Yes, Alastor.”

He waves and disappears into a portal of shadows and leaves you to stare up at your ceiling, wondering why the thought of death almost sounded relieving at this point.

—

Charlie practically ripped your door off of its hinges that morning. You had closed your eyes to feign sleep, but jumped straight up when your door opened.

Charlie grinned blindingly at you, “Good morning! Are you ready for a tour?”

You stand, “S-sure.”

She pauses before grabbing your hand, “Did you remember your name?”

“A-Anne.”

“Anne is such a cute name! It’s so nice to meet you! I’ll show you around and then the others are all supposed to meet us in the lobby to say hello in an hour!”

You get pulled along the height and width of the hotel, Charlie yapping on about memories and excitement for the future. She finally brought you to the grand staircase and led you down the stairs and to the lobby where Alastor was standing with a small group of people that mostly lit up when Charlie spoke and caught their attention.

She held up your hand by your wrist, “This is Anne! She’s going to be helping us.”

She looks at you and pulls you down the line, “You know Alastor, this is our bartender Husker-“ you recognize him as an Overlord and he narrows his eyes at you like he’s starting to recognize you too but only nods in greeting and drinks from a bottle of alcohol, “This is our first resident, Angel Dust-“ you recognize him too, but only from the posters you had seen when he was advertising with your brother…. Who was still alive. You perked up and waved friendly at the demon, hoping to make a connection to see how your brother was doing, “This is our maid, Nifty-“ she was so small and cute, but then she grinned and your smile dropped instantly because what the fuck is that thing, “This is my girlfriend, Vaggie-“ Vaggie seemed nice enough, you decided, and the purple tone of her skin appealed to your aesthetic sense, “aaaaand this is my dad, Lucifer, he’s our event coordinator!”

“Lucifer… Morningstar?” It had all clicked in that moment - Alastor had introduced Charlie as Charlie Morningstar, Princess of Hell. Well, fuck. You looked at the man, nearly eye height to yourself but he was a few inches taller than you were but it was nice to at least not have to crane your neck to look up at him.

He flashed a full toothed smirk at your reaction, “Yes, it’s me. The King of Hell. But you can call me Lucifer because here we are simply coworkers.” He grabbed your hand from Charlie and placed a kiss against your knuckles.

You pulled your hand away with more force than intended - you found physical contact with men extremely uncomfortable, especially when it was unexpected- and he frowned, hurt crossing his expression, “Sorry, I should have asked.”

You hold up your hands in a defensive gesture, “N-no, I’m just not used to being touched so much. I shouldn’t have tugged away so hard.”

You felt a familiar hand creep around your shoulders as Alastor bent at the waist to stare at Lucifer, “Oh, no! You’ve made our new friend uncomfortable!” He clicked his tongue to make a disappointed sound, “I thought the King of Hell would have better manners.”

Lucifer looked at Alastor with his red eyes flashing in anger, “She just said she doesn’t want to be touched so why are you touching her?”

He hums, “She’s an old friend of mine! I can touch without worry!”

You try to move out of the grip but his hand tightens, claws against your skin threatening to break and spill the blood pumping underneath.

Charlie sighs in frustration, “I really wish you two would stop fighting so much - it makes us look like we don’t have a united front, and that’s not good for what we’re trying to do…”

Alastor’s grip on you loosens and disappears as he creeps back into his previous spot, Lucifer just looks off to the side, still pissed but obviously also embarrassed. He clears his throat, “I won’t touch you without your permission from now on. Sorry.”

You tilt your head to the side, observing how white his skin was against the red apples of his cheeks. His facial expressions were childish and almost made you wonder what your own expressions looked like to others.

Charlie pulled you out of your thoughts with a clap, “Let’s play a get to know each other game!”

—

You watched with your mouth agape as Charlie led her gaggle of geese in what seemed to be a normal occurrence for them with how easily they agreed to it all. This one was called ‘Confess and Guess’ - someone came up with a question and everyone wrote their answer down and put it in a bowl, and then the person who gave the question had to say their answer and then guess who wrote which one as they pull from the bowl.

It was almost heartwarming to see the group of them bonding cutely over questions until you caught Alastor’s gaze - his eyes narrowed at you and you looked down at your lap apprehensively not realizing it was your turn to pick a question, “Uh…. I don’t know - your favorite memory?”

You pick at your fingers as you wait for them to answer, accidentally breaking the tip of your left middle finger off. You curse as it rolls and lands next to Angel Dust who picks the appendage up with a cringe, “That happen often?”

“O-only when I pick at them. Sorry, I’m just nervous.”

He hands it to you with a laugh, “No need ta apologize, toots.”

You nod in thanks and pull a needle from where a cluster of them sat at your right hip and carefully strung the digit back to your hand. You hold it out in front of you to make sure you didn’t attach it at an angle and you hear Lucifer laugh from across the circle. He grins at you, “You’re pretty fast with a needle - maybe you can help me with my overcoat! I tried to fix it with magic but it just doesn’t look right.”

You nod slowly, “I can see what I can do.”

The bowl is held under your nose and you look up at Charlie who grins expectantly, “Alright! Share your favorite memory first.”

Oh yeah, you forgot about having to participate with your own answer. You stare into the bowl before closing your eyes, “I remember… the first time I got to sleep in a bed. Well, a mattress pad, really-“ you laughed softly, eyes opening, “Right after ojciec and matka sold my brother and I, the organization gave us a room- our first one because we had lived in an alley before that- and there were two mattresses on the floor. I think we were so happy we cried.” You laugh at the memory, “We pushed the things together and slept under a blanket and I think it was the best sleep I’ve ever had.” Your heart ached at thinking about your brother, missing his presence more each second after having to watch him die.

“You were sold as a child?”

You startle at the question, but look at Charlie whose face has sunken, “Why would they-“

You laugh, eyes crinkling, “A lot of kids were at the time if they were healthy and lucky enough to have parents.” You start to pick at your fingers again, “We had it a lot easier than some - at least our owners fed and clothed us regularly and well.”

Angel Dust gave a slow whistle and laughed awkwardly, “Damn - owners, huh? Are you sure you aren’t hell born?”

Your finger breaks off again with a snap, but you grip it tightly in response, not having put it together yourself. Your life was never meant to be your own - your body and mind belonged to the men who owned you when you were alive, and now your soul and free will belonged to a man who owned you in hell. Your silence unnerved Angel Dust, “S-sorry, toots. I wasn’t thinkin- I just meant, ya know….”

You put the bowl onto the floor and stand, dusting off your skirt before laughing awkwardly, “I just need a minute, sorry.” You rush away before Alastor can make you stay and sit against your door, locking it this time so no one can come in.

The wood is cool against the back of your neck as you lean against the door, legs spread out on the floor. Well…. Fuck…

A delicate knock sounded behind you and you tensed, but let go as you heard Angel Dust quietly apologizing at the door, “I’m really sorry, I wasn’t tryin’ to upset you.”

You sigh and stand, cracking the door open, “It’s not you - I just don’t think I had ever put together that on my own and it surprised me. I’m not mad, I just need to think.”

His eyes looked away sadly, “If ya ever wanna talk, I’m here. I don’t own my soul neither - so I can kinda relate. Half relate, I guess.”

You smile in appreciation, “Thanks. I’ll be back down in a bit, I promise.”

He looks at you one last time, “Are ya sure ya wanna be alone right now?”

You hummed in consideration, but nodded, “Just for a bit, please.”

He nods and turns to leave and you shut and lock the door again, this time lying flat on the floor and staring up at the ceiling.

You weren’t sure how long you had been staring at nothing, but apparently it was too long because a grin appeared in your vision, Alastor leaning over you with narrowed eyes, “Are you done having your tantrum? It’s nearly dinner and Charlie is distraught thinking her game was a terrible idea.”

You frown, turning onto your side to face away from him, “I’m not used to this yet - I need some time to adjust.”

He appeared out of shadows laying in his side beside you, holding his head up with the hand resting on its elbow in front of him, “Adjust on your own time - our deal means that you appear and are here because I need you to perform a task. I could call upon another soul if you’d prefer and put you back-“

You scramble up, “No! Don’t send me back there, please?” You shook anxiously at the thought of nothing again, “I-I’m sorry, I’ll come back down. Do I need to help cook or-“

He appeared standing before you and rolled his eyes, grin still in place, “No - you need to correct your mistake and let Charlie know it was your error, not hers. Now.”

You nod in fear and rush to the door, unlocking it and rushing down - but you weren’t expecting to lose a foot on the way down the stairs. Because you hadn’t been paying attention and were rushing to find Charlie, you bent your ankle at an unnatural angle and the stitches tore, sending it flying towards the lounge. You stumbled forward down the stairs. Your head and shoulders made contact with the ground exactly twice before you felt weightless. Alastor had put you back, you assumed, panic welling in your stomach and spilling out as tears from your eyes as you sobbed.

“I-I’m sorry - I promised I’d ask for permission, but you were falling and… I’m so sorry.”

You blinked through your tears, staring up at Lucifer who had thought he had broken your boundaries again AND hurt you, “It’s not dark?”

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, “Let me put you down-“

You gripped onto him tighter, arms wrapped around his neck and your fingers digging into his shoulders, “I don’t want to go back…”

He frowned at the display, but kept his hold on you once he landed, “The overland? You can’t really go back there-“

“The dark…”

He could feel your tears soaking through his shirt and lifted a hand to pat your head in comfort despite not fully understanding your emotional outburst, “Okay. You don’t have to go back.”

You gasped and let go of him, grey eyes staring into his red ones, “Promise?”

He felt his pride flair at the desperate look in your face, “Promise.”

You seemed to blink out of whatever emotion you had been in and let go of him, “S-sorry, it’s been a tough day.”

He nodded in mock understanding- he really had no idea what the fuck just happened but if he could comfort someone and help Charlie at the same time, he was going to do it, “Dinner is almost ready, want to head to the dining room?”

“I-is Charlie there?”

“Yeah.”

You nod and he holds out your foot in his hand to you, “You dropped this earlier - do you need help or do you want to lean on me and put it back on when we get to a chair?”

You take your foot, “That’s so embarrassing, I’m so sorry. If you could just help me to the bar I can do it really quick and you can take me to Charlie so I can apologize.”

He smiled and lifted you with surprising ease, walking you over to the bar where he placed you carefully on a stool. You thanked him and lifted your leg onto the barstool beside you on top of your removed foot and sewed it up quickly. You frown, knowing you’ll have to be careful and reattach it later with a better thread, but this would work for now.

You stand, testing your weight on it, hop a few times and then look at Lucifer, “Where is the dining room?”

He holds out his elbow as an offer, raising his eyebrow in question. Was this guy just overly touchy? You stared at his arm until his face turned a little embarrassed like he was going to retract the offer, but you reached out in that moment, hooking your arm with his. His eyes widened, and he took a deep breath, but he seemingly decided to inwardly savor the moment and escorted you to a room down the hall from the lounge area where Charlie was happily setting a table for dinner.

You let go of Lucifer, but squeeze his arm in thanks before walking over to Charlie and lightly tapping her shoulder. She jumps, eyes wide at you, “O-oh, Anne!” She looked down and clasped her hands together nervously, “I’m so sorry about the exercise- I didn’t realize-“

You put your hands on hers and she looks into your eyes instead of the floor in surprise, “No, I’m sorry. I was having a moment and wasn’t considering how it would affect you and the others. If I get in a feeling like that again, I’ll try to communicate to let you know what’s happening in my head. It isn’t your fault - I hadn’t realized-“ you stopped yourself when Alastor appeared across the room and sighed, “I guess I’m just not meant to be free, is all.”

Charlie frowned, “Are you under a soul contract?”

Alastor chose that moment to tap his cane against the ground, “What’s for dinner tonight?”

Charlie jumped, but didn’t let go of your hands, “We can talk later, okay?” She smiled and let go before bouncing to Alastor, “Vaggie said paella - she was really excited to share it with us and it smells so good!”

“You okay? You look nervous.”

You glance beside you at Lucifer, who sounds concerned, but has his focus completely on Alastor and Charlie. You smile slightly, “Yeah, thanks. Just been a while since I’ve been around people.”

He glanced over to you and raised an eyebrow, but doesn’t pry. Instead he looks to his daughter again, “Is Alastor someone I can trust my daughter with?”

You look over at the two and Alastor glances your way with narrowed eyes. You sigh, “I honestly have no idea.”

“I thought you two were old friends.”

“Friends is not a term I would use…” You glance at Lucifer, “But he saved my brother from extermination, so I owe him my life.”

Lucifer looks at you once again, eyebrows raised, “Your brother is in hell, too? Why aren’t you with him?”

“Because I owe Alastor, and my brother is in a soul contract that I can’t get him out of unless I have something worth trading - he’s not allowed to leave the home of his owner without permission per his contract, and he refused to let me meet his owner so I can’t do anything or be with him.”

“That’s so sad… who owns him?”

You shrug and decide that’s enough spilling your life story. You move down the table and sit at an open seat as people start to fill in from the hotel. Charlie wasn’t joking when she said the hotel had a lot of interest - this was many more people than you had imagined seeing at a project meant for rehabilitation.

Angel Dust takes the seat beside you carefully, “Do you mind me bein ya neighbor for dinner?”

You flash a small smile, “Not at all.”

He grinned and the two of you made small talk until dinner was served.

It was warm. You imagined if you had family dinners, this is what it would have sounded and felt like. You stayed mostly quiet during dinner, eating and enjoying the light banter around you. You looked around the table and found Lucifer’s gaze was on you. He waved his fingers and smiled and you snorted, but nodded in greeting.

Angel Dust elbowed you with his lower set of arms, “Are you flirtin with the big dick in charge?”

You choke on a piece of chicken at the comment and Angel Dust panics, patting your back roughly and apologizing profusely until you’re down to just coughs. You widen your eyes and stare at Angel Dust in disbelief, “I just met him- why would I be flirting?!”

He blinks,”I flirt with guys I don’t know all the time. It’s not that weird. Also, I was joking.”

You are too embarrassed to look for a reaction from anyone else and decide to just stare at your food until you’ve finished. You look up at Angel Dust once you’ve gained your courage back, “Thanks for earlier, by the way. I really did appreciate you making sure I was okay.”

He grinned again, “Of course!”

When dinner ended, the large group had shuffled to the lounge and were participating in jovial conversation and games at Charlie’s behest. You smile softly, leaning against a wall away from the crowd. You hadn’t ever imagined seeing such a wholesome image in Hell, not once had you seen this kind of joy and camaraderie in a group of people since your arrival. Maybe this really wasn’t so bad a situation even if you didn’t fully own your life.

“You look tired.”

You look to your side where Lucifer is leaning against the apple of his cane, eyes on the crowd with a wistful smile across his face. He was so expressive - you know you had thought about it earlier, but even in life you can’t remember knowing anyone that was so easy to read emotionally, “I am. I think I may go to bed early - I need to really hit the ground running tomorrow.”

He turns his head to you and holds out a hand, “It was nice to meet you today - if you ever need to talk, I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

You take the hand and shake it lightly, and he grins down at the connection, “I appreciate that. Sorry about my outburst earlier…. I don’t normally use new acquaintances as shoulders to cry on.”

He squeezed your hand in comfort and looked into your face with the same smile he was staring at the crowd at with, “It’s no big deal - consider it forgotten until you feel comfortable talking about it. Unless you don’t want me to forget, then consider it remembered? You know what? Consider it whatever you want.” He laughed nervously, eyes now avoiding yours.

You let out a laugh at his awkwardness and pull your hand out of his, “Thanks.” You stretch and sigh, “If anyone asks just let them know I’ll be out bright and early tomorrow.” You also needed to make sure all of your stitches were attached decently before you put your whole self into this job. It’d be awkward to lose an arm, ear, or toe while trying to help someone. You leave, not waiting for a response, but you can feel his gaze on you as you ascend the stairs to the hall where your room is - it made you almost feel safe.

You reached for your door and a familiar static played in your ears. You sighed and opened your door and looked up at Alastor, “Need to chat?”

“So perceptive!”

You motion to the door and let him walk in before entering and closing the door yourself.

He grins at you, “Just a few notes about your performance!”

“Sure.” You move to sit on your bed and start to remove the foot that had fallen off, digging through your pocket for a more industrial strength thread before taking to reattaching your foot more securely.

“First - you know that you cannot let people know that I own you.”

“Figured.”

“I also see that our King seems to be curious about you….”

You look up at him, confused, “What do you mean?”

“Just that he hasn’t attempted to be that cordial with anyone but his daughter and her girlfriend since moving into the hotel.” He looks at his nails, “I would like for you to take advantage of this fancy and get to know him better.”

You laugh flatly, “Why? So you can exploit some weakness that I find against him?”

“Precisely.” His chipper tone catches your attention again and he continues, “What? You gain a new friend and I gain some valuable information - it seems like a winning situation on both fronts.”

“I don’t have a choice, do I?”

“Nope!” He laughed with an amused joy and moved to sit beside you on the bed, “You are such a pleasant employee- keep this up and maybe I’ll help you get some time to spend with your brother.”

You drop your needle and look at Alastor with wide eyes, “Y-you can do that?”

“Do you doubt that I have the ability to?”

“No, I just…. Thank you! I’ll do my best.” You pick your needle up with shaking hands and finish the final stitch at your ankle, “Can it be soon? I…. I’d like to see him.”

Alastor hums in consideration, “Tell you what - I’ll arrange for a meeting once you bring me a factoid about our friend Lucifer that I find particularly interesting.”

“Interesting in what sense?”

“Something I can use, darling. Bring me things until you bring me something that makes me go ‘Oooh!’!” He stood and gave you a curt pat on the head, “Sleep well, pet! I can’t wait to hear what you bring me! Ooh! Let’s plan for a weekly tea!” He claps his hands in amusement, “A week from today, weekly, we will meet in my tower and have a chat of a nice cup of tea. See you then!”

And he was gone.

You sigh and flop onto your back on the bed. Your afterlife really was the same as your life. You were just a tool for information gathering, but this time you didn’t have your brother to comfort you after a particularly hard day. You rolled onto your side and curled your limbs against yourself as sleep overtook you - you hadn’t slept in so long, it was a welcome change.

[pewpewkachuuboo]

You can’t convince me that Angel Dust isn’t a kpop stan.

The way he would kill the nobody knows choreo in his bedroom scratches my brain in the best way possible.

[pewpewkachuuboo]

Hi - I’ve liked this song for a long time and I was like why not write a huskerdust thought dump with all the feelings this song gives me.

And so I present huskerdust with a whole lot of angst and also love 😭

Warnings: language, abuse, non-graphic sex

—

Husk knew who he was and he knew his place. He was a jester in Alastor’s court, meant only to entertain his malevolent king when the man felt he needed it.

So why did meeting this depressed, and painfully long spider have him questioning everything?

He hadn’t thought anything of it the first time the porn star had seductively inched his finger beneath his chin with a sultry, “Hey~”

Fake. He was so fake, and Husk hated that more than anything - at least Alastor treated him like the plaything he was and never lied to him about his intentions.

The cat pushed his advances away every time - not even bothering to quip back after a while because it just wasn’t worth it. He would just continue to play the bartender part chosen for him by his master and drink himself into a stupor when it was closed so he didn’t have to remember what feelings were like because being numb was better than being reminded he was just there because Alastor thought it was funny.

He may have ignored Angel Dust’s advances, but when the demon started opening up about how miserable he was at his job after being fed enough drinks, Husk started to look at him differently- why would he put on such a lewd facade when such an innocent persona slept beneath the heavy perfume and sexual advances?

He liked this version of him better - vulnerable and a little broken. When was the last time he let himself be vulnerable to another person?

Husk didn’t have to wait long for the answer. A few days later Angel Duet stalked in looking miserable and exhausted. Husk looked at the clock on the wall and read the 7 am carefully - had the demon slept at all?

“I need a drink. Something strong.”

“You look like shit.” Husk hadn’t meant to make the remark, but he rolled his eyes as he watched Angel switch personas like someone had pushed a button in him. He didn’t mean to call him fake but Husk was so fucking tired of everyone coming to him with their problems - and then Angel Dust being so obviously exhausted acting like nothing was wrong pushed him over the edge.

“Call me fake one more time, mother fucker. I dare you.”

The rage Angel Dust exuded had Husk’s stomach in a knot - he bit that down in favor of a smirk and a pointed claw against the white demon’s chest fluff, “Fake.”

He swallowed his guilt as the thin man stalked out of the hotel - he was here to man the bar, nothing more and nothing less until Alastor indicated otherwise. He didn’t have permission to feel empathy for others, so he was going to keep to himself.

He tuned out the rest of the ramblings until Vaggie insisted he go and drag the demon back - he was going to ignore her too, but Charlie looked at him with those eyes and he deflated. Charlie was a good person - she didn’t deserve to feel guilt over a situation where she was just trying to help, and yet she took the blame for all of it. Against his better judgement, he slumped out from behind the counter and mumbled under his breath as he walked out to find Angel Dust.

His intention at the bar was just to observe long enough to let the princess know that Angel Dust was fine, but he saw that shark demon attempt to drug Angel’s drink and all he could see was red. How dare this fuckhead take away someone’s right to choose what they want to do - Angel Dust was clearly having a good time and probably would have consented, but to drug him to take away that choice? Absolutely not.

The fight was a blur and he barely remembered anything outside of grabbing the spider’s arms roughly afterwards.

He forced Angel out of the bar, the taller man ripping himself away from Husk as soon as he had an opportunity. They argued mindlessly for too long before Angel pressed a nerve again, “Stop acting like you give a shit about me - you think after how you treated me, I’m gonna open up to you? Please.” He turned on his heel and proceeded to walk away.

“Maybe I’d treat you better if you were real and not some bullshit version of yourself always pushing my boundaries.” His mind was screaming at him to shut the fuck up but he couldn’t stop himself, “No one in that hotel gives a shit about who you are - how famous…. or hot - so you might as well just cut the act.”

“IT’S NOT AN ACT!” The tears that escaped from Angel Dust’s eyes stopped Husk in his tracks, his chest buzzing with guilt as the younger man continued, “it’s who I need to be- and this? This is my escape. Where I can forget about how much I hate…. Everything!”

Husk reached out unconsciously. Not an act, a shield. Not fake, a diversion.

“A place where I can get high and not think about how much it hurts. And maybe, if I can ruin myself enough in the process - if I end up broken - I won’t be his favorite toy anymore.” He collapsed to the ground, sobs echoing in his chest as he pulled his long limbs to himself in comfort, “And maybe he’ll let me go.”

Husk let himself feel the guilt this time. He wanted to apologize over and over until it came out like a prayer. He was broken and was just trying to keep going. That wasn’t fake, that was strength. A strength Husk hadn’t had in a long time. He sat on the concrete next to Angel Dust and drew in a shaky breath, attempting to get vulnerable like Angel Dust just had been, “I was an overlord once, you know.”

He kept his eyes on his claws, “When you’re down on your luck, you turn to anything to keep yourself afloat. Make deals that you can’t undo. I know what it’s like to regret the choices you make and know you can’t take them back.”

The noise Angel Dust made at the back of his throat confirmed Husk’s suspicions about the man having sold his soul to that Valentino, but he decided that moping wasn’t going to save either of them at this point. He flashed a sly grin and stood, “Your life fuckin’ sucks, huh?”

Angel Dust raised his head, eyebrows knitted together in confusion, “Wait what?”

“You’re a fucked up little whiny bitch-“

“Hey!”

“You’re a loser, just like me.”

Angel Dust snarled, flipping him the bird with two of his hands, “Thanks, asshole. Is this supposed to make me feel better?”

Husk let out a laugh, “Listen, sometimes just admitting it can make you feel better.”

Angel rolled his eyes, but gave in after a while, “I sold my soul to a psychopathic freak.”

“Haven’t we all.”

A car parked across the street from the pair, the owner leaving their radio on as they entered the establishment. A soft tune was playing loud enough that the two of them could hear.

Husk reached out a hand, “Cmon, loser. I ruined your night, so let’s dance.”

Angel Dust hesitated, “ On a sidewalk in hell?”

“No time like the present.”

He carefully placed his hand on Husk’s and let himself be helped up. Husk gave a small bow before taking the spider’s waist and moving him around in a circle. It was awkward and stupid, but Angel Dust found himself smiling a little more every second.

“I’m a stupid, drugged up ho-“

“And you know what? I’m a depressed, drunk, gambling addict.”

Angel Dust and Husk had mutual grins as they continued the sloppy dance on the sidewalk in a word of their own. Husk dipped the taller man and they laughed until they heard a, “There they are! They’re fuckin dancing!”

Husk dragged Angel Dust to the other side of the parked car, both of them laughing breathlessly. Husk found himself staring for too long, he closed his mouth and looked over his shoulder as soon as he realized it, “Stay here - I’ll take care of this.”

He fought hard, trying to erase the image of the genuine smile that was plastered on Angel Dust’s face, trying to forget the soft tinkle of his laugh like bells ringing in his ears. The more he tried to forget the more he thought about it, and ended up getting caught by the smallest of the gang of sharks. This was it - he was going to die because he found a smile and a laugh attractive. Fuck.

A bullet shot straight into the middle of the shark’s head and he craned his neck to stare incredulously at Angel Dust who had brought a tommy gun out of nowhere, “I can take care of myself, sweetheart.”

Husk swallowed his arousal down as he heard the yells of the other gangsters behind him - he could admire how hot the spider was at any time after this if they survived, so he sidled up to the taller man’s side and grinned, “Let’s finish this, then.”

After the gang lay dead in a river of their own blood and organs, Husk took a deep breath and looked to Angel Dust, letting his eyes look the tall man up and down like it was the first time he had actually looked at him, “Can’t say I expected that from you.”

“I told you that you don’t know me. Sex ain’t the only thing I’m good at.” He winked at the cat, running his fingers through his blood stained fur.

“Yeah. This guy ain’t half bad.” He smiled and offered his arm, “Shall we head back?”

Angel Dust linked their arms together happily and they bantered back and forth the whole way back. It was effortless and fun, and Husk was fucking terrified. But maybe he could indulge and let someone in just this once- they were both on a leash after all, so maybe sharing that pain wouldn’t be so bad.

When they returned, Angel Dust thanked Charlie for caring and then he and Husk sat at the bar chatting over a glass of brandy until Angel Dust started to nod off. Husk called him out and the spider helped him clean up so they could both head to bed for the night.

—

They had been more open with one another after that night, but only after everyone else had gone to bed.

They whispered secret hopes and dreams over koniak, complained about being pets with tequila shots, and reminisced about being alive with a side of amaretto.

The more he got to know Angel Dust, the more his heart swelled when the man walked through the front doors from a shift at work, long legs distracting him from his menial chores though Husk would never admit that part out loud. He had began anticipating Angel’s arrival, a mixed drink ready for him moments before the spider would sidle in.

Sometimes Angel Dust would come in covered in bruises and stains, his eye makeup running, but he still gave Husk a genuine smile before sitting at the bar.

“Wanna talk about it?”

Angel Dust rested his chin in his hand, eyes glazing over, “Nah. Same shit, different day. Some are harder than others.”

Husk slid a fruity cocktail across the bar and nodded, respecting Angel Dust’s wish as he moved to start wiping out glasses.

The silence was comfortable and warm, Angel Dust watched Husk do his cleaning quietly, letting his fingers trail against the lip of his cocktail glass.

“Sometimes I feel like I deserve it - the pain.”

Husk bristled and turned quickly to make eye contact, “Angel-“

“I sold my soul to him, so I deserve this, right?”

Husk held his hand in a fist before leaning against the bar close to Angel, understanding the sentiment at least even if he thought Angel deserved the world handed to him in a box with a giant ribbon to keep it contained, “It feels like that most days, huh?”

“Yeah.” Angel looked down at his half empty glass, “Have you ever been in love?”

“Is that why you signed the contract?”

Angel Dust downed the rest of his drink and let out a sigh, pushing the glass to Husk to ask silently for another, “He was so kind to me until I signed that fuckin piece of paper. It was like a light switched as soon as he owned me and I started making movies for him.”

Husk obliged and poured him another mixed cocktail, pushing it to the spider’s dainty fingers, urging him to continue.

“I think it’s my fault he changed and I want to go back to when we were happy, ya know?”

Husk let out a sigh, “Do you want my opinion?”

Angel Dust looked up at him hopefully and Husk continued, “You can’t help when you fall in love with a liar - the man you fell in love with never existed.”

“So I’m hopeless?” Angel Dust sighed sadly, looking at the wood of the bar top carefully.

Husk let his paw lightly hold onto the spider’s arm, making Angel Dust look him in the eyes again. Husk smiled, “Maybe, but you’re not the first person to fall for fake sweet words and you won’t be the last.”

Angel smiled back softly, taking a sip from his new drink, “Thanks, Husk.”

There was another comfortable silence as Husk got back to his cleaning, but Angel interjected again, “You didn’t answer me, though. Have you ever been in love?”

Husk hummed thoughtfully, “I think so. Once. She loved my brother, though, and used me to get to him. I think I fell into a pattern of distrust after that. Love can really ruin a guy.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“Val says he’s the only one who will ever love me like I deserve.”

Husk turned around again and looked over the bruises with his mouth in a thin line, “If this is how he loves you, that isn’t love. You deserve to have a love that makes you happy, not one that makes you feel like a slave.”

Angel Dust looked down, a light pink dusting his cheeks, “Thanks, Husk.”

Husk smiled, “You don’t have to thank me for telling you the truth.”

When Husk turned around Angel Dust found his voice again, “You deserve that kind of love, too. Maybe more than anyone I know.”

Husk made a noise like he disagreed, but decided to humor the sentiment, “Maybe, but I think I’m happy enough to at least have one genuine friend that I don’t really need that kind of love right now.”

“Am I… are we friends?”

Husk looked over his shoulder at the surprised expression and laughed, “I mean, I’ve never told anyone else half of the things I’ve told you. And I trust you - I think that makes us friends.”

Angel Dust grinned, throwing the rest of the drink back, “Aight. I’m gonna take a shower - see you tomorrow, friend.”

“Good riddance- you smell like vomit and cum.”

Angel Dust laughed, “Yeah, yeah. If I made it into a perfume you know your ass would have it around to remind you of me.”

Husk chuckled as he heard Angel Dust’s footsteps ascend the stairs.

—

When Mimzy came to visit, Husk was on edge. The last time he had seen that bitch, she had “innocently” maimed a man’s wife - the man happened to be an extremely powerful overlord at the time, and Alastor tore the demon limb from limb.

But Lucifer, King of Hell, was here to visit his daughter today and Husk had an awful feeling about this.

He decided to try and talk Alastor into making her leave, but he had forgotten his place and his owner had to remind him just what he was: a pawn that needed to mind his business if he wanted to continue to live. He shouldn’t have spoken back to Alastor, he knows better, but irritation at being called a pet consumes him and the comment leaves his throat before he can comprehend what he’s just done, “Big talk from someone who’s also on a leash.”

The chain against his neck had him spiraling - he bristled and shook in fear as Alastor grew into his demon form and threatened him. He barely registered the words as the lights flickered, but squeaked out a soft “understood” that had Alastor leaving his presence behind.

Husk had eventually gained his footing again, eyes shaking and sweat sticking to his body and fur. His legs threatened to give out from under him as he tried to make his way back downstairs, but he barely made it five steps before he collapsed again, breathing heavily. His mind was a jumbled mess and he couldn’t catch his breath, breathing sharply and black clouds started entering his vision. He tried to calm himself down, but his claws were ripping at the fur at his chest as he tried to give himself some relief.

He barely heard his name being called, but jerked out of the hands as someone tried to hold onto him, he panted angrily, “Don’t fuckin touch me-“

“Husk- let me help you.”

He growled, facing the man whose face managed to calm him down but only in anger. Everything else was elevated and his eyes fluttered, threatening to close and not open back up.

Angel Dust removed Husk’s bow tie and pulled off his suspenders before bringing the cat demon into a tight embrace, “Five things you can see.”

Husk panted, his eyes opening and darting along the room, “Red…. Carpet…. Wall… Door… White.”

Angel Dust nodded, “Four things you can touch.”

Husk’s wheezed, his hands gripping at Angel Dust’s shoulders, “Fur, floor, clothes, hands.”

“You’re doin’ great, Husky. Three things you can hear?”

His breathing was labored but not as desperate and his vision was starting to clear, “Your voice, my voice, m-music.”

“Two things you can smell?”

“Perfume… it’s like cinnamon and cedar.”

“My favorite - one thing you can taste?”

“W-whiskey.”

Angel Dust was holding him, their knees were touching and his lower set of arms were keeping Husk close while the other set kept him held to his shoulder, softly petting the fur on the back of Husk’s neck. He felt grounded and safe in the embrace, but he knew if Alastor snapped his fingers that this moment would never happen again. He gripped onto Angel Dust harder at the thought, trying to press this memory into his skin. Angel Dust gave him a light pat, “Better?”

Husk finally had the strength to let go, but part of him was sad at the cold air that hit his fur at the separation, “Sorry-“

“You always help me, what kind of a friend would I be if I let you apologize for having a panic attack? I’m here to help. What do you need?”

Husk searched his eyes for far too long, trying to push down the foreign emotions threatening to spill from his tongue, “I need a drink.”

Angel Dust snorted and stood, extending an arm to help him up. He didn’t ask if Husk needed help walking when the demon accepted his hand to stand, he put his arms around Husk’s shoulders and made unrelated jokes as they made their way back down to the bar.

Husk had managed to throw back one shot of whiskey before the ground shook. Mimzy dove for the floor and Husk snorted because he fucking knew that bitch was going to bring trouble.

He avoided Alastor’s stare once everything calmed down, and the radio demon’s smile turned into a smirk as he sidled up to the bar, “No smart remarks, Husker?”

Husk swallowed before pouring a glass of rye for the man, “Wouldn’t dream of it, sir.”

Alastor practically purred as he downed the shot, “You’re such an obedient pet, Husker. I’m so glad you learn your lessons so quick.” He laced his fingers underneath his chin, his grin widening even more, “I’d hate to have to punish someone else next time you decide to test my boundaries.”

Husk snapped his eyes to meet Alastor’s finally, “What do you mean?”

Alastor chuckled, standing, “I don’t enjoy smashing bugs myself, but we have a friend who is an excellent exterminator. If we end up with a pest problem I may just have to ask our mutual friend to step in.”

“You would make Nifty do that?!”

Alastor hummed in amusement, “It seems like you have gotten attached to the hotel patrons, Husker. And it seems like the only way to emphasize my punishments is to punish others instead.”

“You’re sick-“

“Glad you noticed.” Alastor gave him a curt pat to the head, “Forget your place again and I will make good on this promise. Good night, Husker.”

He let himself down two bottles of whiskey once Alastor slipped into his shadows. He threw the third bottle against the wall after he chugged it with a grunt in frustration.

“Woah, kitty cat. You’re gonna hurt yourself.” Angel Dust’s voice hit his chest painfully - he almost wept as the demon stepped behind the bar to help clean up the pieces of glass. He looked up at Husk, pink eyes glowing in concern, “Need to talk about it?”

Maybe it was the liquor possessing him, but he leaned down and placed a soft kiss to Angel Dust’s temple, giving a shaky sigh before standing up straight and grabbing another bottle of whiskey from the shelf, “I’ll be fine. Just need some time.”

Angel Dust was frozen apart from the hand that touched the spot where Husk had kissed him, “R-right.” It took a while for him to stand and discard the broken pieces of glass, but once he did he cleared his throat, “I’ve helped you enough times that I can close this down - go get some rest.”

He looked at Husk who gave him a sad smile, “Are you sure?”

Angel Dust grinned, “I’ve got you - you’re not alone in this.”

Husk put his hand to his chest to slow the beating of his heart, “Thank you.” He turned and left to go upstairs to his room.

—

He had memorized Valentino’s face that night at the club for future reference and almost pounced on the mother fucker, but Angel could handle himself and Husk knew better than to get involved before he was needed. They had gone home, all of them exhausted, and Angel Dust had thanked him for not stepping in, “It made me feel like you trusted I could handle it myself.”

Husk sighed, “If he would have hit you one more time, I would have ripped the flesh off of his face.”

Angel Dust grinned at the thought, “My knight in shining armor.”

Husk snorted and looked up to watch as Angel Dust made his way up the stairs to go to bed. Husk knew Angel could handle himself, but what would Alastor have done to them both if he had found out Husk decided to pick a fight with an overlord with permission? He shuddered at the thought.

—

How could a person make him feel so full and so empty at the same time?

He watched as Angel Dust barked orders at Pentious and his eggs as they worked to fortify the hotel in preparation of the impending angel attack. His chest bloomed with warm feelings for the spider, but deep down he knew the more attached he got, the more it would hurt when Alastor ultimately pulled him into whatever situation happened to follow this current flight of fancy. He had tried desperately to avoid attachments and had never had trouble with it until this hotel. Everyone was so kind and warm, and Angel Dust was so…. different. Also warm and kind, but also beautiful and long and funny. Husk didn’t mean to stare, but Angel Dust had caught him and grinned, “Enjoying the view, Husky?”

Husk looked down, pretending he hadn’t been caught watching as Angel stretched his long arms to hold a piece of wood while Razzle and Dazzle happily head butted nails into it to keep the board up, “I was just waiting to see if your clumsy ass would fall off that chair you were standing on.”

“Me? Clumsy? I have impeccable balance - you should see me on a pole, I practically defy gravity.” He puffed up proudly and sent a wink at Husk before stretching, “Let’s take a break. We’ve been working since Charlie left hours ago and I’m starving.” He wrapped a long arm around Husk’s shoulders and pulled him towards the kitchen, “I make a mean spaghetti- give me fifteen minutes and you won’t regret it.”

Husk sat at the kitchen counter while Angel Dust made easy work of the kitchen. He looked over his shoulder as he finished the sauce, “If this doesn’t make you fall in love with me I don’t know what will.”

Love. Husk held his head in his hands and hummed, “How do you know if you’re in love?”

Angel Dust shrugged, “I dunno - it’s a feeling you get. Like when you think about someone and it makes your heart beat a little faster. And sometimes that person is all you can think about, and it’s annoying but you feel like if you don’t think about that person your brain won’t work.” Angel Dust plated some spaghetti for Husk and placed it in front of him with a wistful smile, “When you have a bad day and you see them, it’s like the bad day never happened because all you can think about is them.”

Husk watched his face carefully, “Is it only happy feelings?”

“No.” Angel Dust sighed, looking off to the side, “When they hurt, you hurt. Sometimes you feel bad about feeling that way and it hurts so bad it makes you want to disappear. And when they don’t want to tell you about what’s hurting them it feels like they don’t need you and you spiral thinking about why they wouldn’t trust you with their feelings.”

Husk placed a fork in the noodles and spun them around the metal, “Is it worth it?”

Angel Dust looked at him, a small smile on his face, “Maybe. Dunno.”

Husk let himself eat the spaghetti and grinned at Angel Dust after swallowing, “This is amazing.”

The spider beamed, moving to put more on plates for the rest of their friends that were working so hard to make the hotel safe, “Well? Are you in love with me?”

“Maybe. Dunno.”

Angel Dust turned around confused, but Husk was already turned around and washing his dish so he could help pass out lunch to the others. Husk held his hands out to take more plates to assist Angel Dust with giving out food and both acted like the conversation had never happened.

—

“So this may be your last night alive and you’re not out there snorting a line off some hunks abs?”

“Nah - you fucked one cannibal pool boy, you fucked em all.”

He couldn’t help the fond smile tugging at his lips, “I guess you really have changed.” He turned around to refill his stock and Angel Dust adjusted behind him.

“You know… Charlie told us to live tonight however we want. So pour me a fresh one and let’s get to livin!”

Husk chuckled and mixed together a drink for the man, pushing it to him once it was finished.

They stayed at the bar long after the rest of the hotel had gone to bed. Husk leaned forward, “You know, you could still probably find someone to mess with if you wanted to - it’s not too late.”

Angel Dust sighed, irritated, “I don’t want to.”

Husk held up his hands, “My bad. I just don’t want you to regret spending your last hours alive with me.”

Angel Dust slammed his hands on the bar top, “Why would I regret that?!”

Husk jumped at the genuine anger, hands slowly falling to his sides, “I-I just mean, I’m not the first person people think of when they think the world is going to end and they need to spend time with someone.”

Angel Dust rubbed his temple, “You’re so….” He looked Husk and sighed, “Look, I want to spend tonight with someone who means something to me.”

Husk looked down at his feet, “I don’t think we should-“

“No, no. I’m not asking you to have sex with me.” Angel Dust’s cheeks turned a soft pink, “I want to ask if you’ll hold me tonight. Just until I fall asleep, I won’t be mad if you leave me after - I just really think I need this kind of comfort tonight.”

The silence was thick. Husk was considering all of his options before something in him told him to just say fuck it, “Just until you fall asleep?”

Angel Dust perked up, “I-Is that okay?”

Husk hummed, “Let’s close this shit down and get it over with, then.”

The spider jumped to his feet and hurriedly helped clean up the mess from the last night alive party.

Husk followed Angel Dust to his bedroom, both of them silent until Angel opened the door and looked back at him, “Y-you don’t have to if you don’t-“

“I want to.” Husk smiled up at the taller man, “It’s just two friends sleeping in the same bed, right?”

“Yes.” Angel Dust swallowed and held his hands up, “Wait here for a sec.”

He disappeared behind his door and the sounds of rustling and movement could be heard. And then silence.

Angel Dust opened the door, breathing heavy, “Okay. Come on in.”

Husk stepped into the room and took in all of the pink, and Fat Nuggets sleepily stretching in the small cushion next to the bed. He smiled at the sight and then looked to Angel Dust who was standing around awkwardly. Husk sighed and took the spider’s hand, pulling him onto the soft pink sheets so that Husk was situated against the taller man’s back. He let his arm fall over the thin man’s waist and let himself take in a large breath of Angel Dust’s scent, his snout as close to the back of his neck as he could get without it being weird. He closed his eyes and let his wings rest behind him, breathing slowing. He was sure that the other man could hear the hard pounding in his chest if he listened close enough, but he was too enveloped in the moment to give a shit.

Angel Dust curled into himself, his back settling against the warmth of Husk’s chest as he got comfortable, “Thank you.”

“For what?” The whisper in his ear made Angel Dust shiver involuntarily.

“For…. Everything.” Angel Dust turned so their faces were inches from one another, “I don’t think I’d be happy if you weren’t here.”

Husk smiled and reached his claw up to move the white fluff from Angel Dust’s line of sight, their eyes searching one another’s carefully, “I think I’d be bored if you weren’t here.”

Angel Dust laughed softly, eyes shining, “Don’t die tomorrow and leave me here with Val and Alastor.”

Husk huffed out a laugh and pulled the taller man’s head to tuck it under his chin, “I would never leave you with them. Never.” He closed his eyes and purred softly. Angel Dust fell asleep faster than he had his entire existence- living or dead.

Angel Dust reached out when he woke up to paw at the empty bed beside him. He peeled his eyes open, disappointed before he noticed a small note left on the bedside table. Scribbled in awful handwriting that made Angel’s chest tighten were the words ‘don’t die and leave me alone’.

—

Alastor had gone missing for two weeks after the fight with Adam - Angel and Husk had held one another every day up to that point once everyone had made their way to their own bedrooms.

Husk was desperately and unequivocally in love with Angel Dust and it wrecked him to know that. He wasn’t good enough for him - Angel deserved a prince that would take him to a tower and pamper him for the rest of his life, not a drunk old man who fell in love after being shown affection. The two of them had shared the brushing of finger tips and jokes only they understood. Husk had even been brave enough to hold the spider’s hand at some point, but he was just being selfish.

He realized it the last night before Alastor had returned. They were in Angel’s bed again, Fat Nuggets happily on the pillow beside his head as Angel sat up, “Hey, Husk?”

Husk kept his eyes on Angel carefully, “What’s up?”

“Can I kiss you?”

Angel didn’t look at him when he asked, and Husk wrinkled his nose in confusion, sitting up and placing a hand on his shoulder, “Are you okay?”

Angel looked at him, face red in embarrassment, but eyes shining with determination, “Can I kiss you?”

Husk laughed breathlessly, “Why would you want to kiss me? You could kiss anyone in the world and you want to kiss an old drunk?”

Angel looked hurt, “You’re not just an old drunk, Husk.”

Husk looked away at the change in expression, “I think you’d regret it and I don’t want you to feel regret for a choice you make ever again.”

Angel reached out, holding Husk’s face up to stare into his eyes, both hands pulling his face closer, “I won’t.”

Husk was leaning closer as well, “You don’t know that.”

Husk could feel Angel’s breath on his face, eyes boring into one another’s.

“Neither do you.”

Just before their lips touched, Husk felt a pull on his neck and he jerked away, gasping and clawing at the green chains.

Angel Dust gasped in surprise and fell to the floor, hands hovering above Husk carefully, “Wh-what’s wrong?”

Husk coughed, the pressure finally releasing, “He’s back.” He looked up at Angel Dust sadly, reminded of his reality once again, “he’s never going to leave.”

Angel Dust frowned, hand reaching out to Husk carefully, “You mean Alastor? Are you hurt?”

Husk stood, pushing the man’s hand away, “S-sorry. I have to… we can’t…” He bit his bottom lip before leaving the room, Angel Dust left with a single hand extended on the floor as the door closed.

—

They didn’t spend much time together alone after Alastor came back - Husk avoided the sad stares and didn’t keep the bar open as late as he had in the recent past. He drank more to numb himself, Alastor’s voice echoing in the back of his mind about squashing spiders and being an obedient pet.

Charlie approached him carefully after a few days, hands pressing together nervously, “Hey, Husk?”

He grunted and looked her way in acknowledgment.

“A-Angel Dust hasn’t been home in two days…. Do you know where he might be?”

He bit the worry building in his throat back and stared at her blankly, “Why would I know where he is?”

“It’s just that you two are really good friends so I was hoping you would have an inkling-“

Alastor appeared beside her and hummed, “Good friends? Why, Husker! I’m so glad to see you reaching your social potential!”

Husk snorted and took a swig from the bottle in his hands, turning to get back to work.

“Alastor, have you seen Angel Dust recently?”

“Afraid not, my dear.”

“I’m really concerned- he hasn’t texted me back in days and he’s been so regressive lately - what if he’s hurt or….”

Alastor made a noise of interest, “Yes that is strange. Husker?”

“I just said I haven’t seen him.” He bared his teeth, almost growling.

Alastor’s smiled widened, eyes flashing dangerously, “Watch your tone.”

Charlie frowned, “it’s fine - I’ll go look for him when Vaggie gets back-“

“Nonsense, my dear!” Alastor gave her a pat on the head, eyes never leaving Husk, “Husker can take an afternoon off from the bar to find our spindly little friend.”

Husk was seething, “I don’t want to.”

Charlie looked hurt and Alastor snarled, “I didn’t ask.” Charlie looked at Alastor with wide eyes, “Alastor, what’re you-?”

Alastor laughed loudly, “Charlie, dear, Husker needs to make amends with his precious friend. It seems like they had fought and simply haven’t made up.” He tapped his cane on the ground, eyes narrowing as Charlie turned around, “Go make amends, Husker.”

The way he whispered out his name made Husk shake violently, the green collar that binded them together closing in on his throat tightly. He whimpered and stared at the two of them, anger pulsing from his core, “Why do you suddenly give a fuck what happens to him, huh? Weren’t you threatening not two months ago- mmmfff”

Husks lips clamped together and Alastor’s eyes shined dangerously, “I am choosing to repeat myself for a final time, Husker, do not forget your place. Go. Make. Amends.” He slammed his cane down again and Husk was swallowed into shadows, disappearing in an instant.

Charlie stared incredulously at the radio demon, “Wh-what did you do??”

Alastor grinned down at the girl, “I sent him to V Tower, of course! Best place to start searching for that sad little creature.”

“Alastor, he looked so angry and scared-“

“You’re imagining things, my dear.” He used his cane to lift her chin upwards to his gaze, “You’d be surprised what love can do to a person - makes them feral, really. They simply must make up and admit their feelings and all will be well.”

Charlie’s face melted into happiness, “They’re in love?!”

Alastor tapped the top of her head with his cane, “All part of the plan, my dear. Let Husker do the work. He just needed an extra hard push.” He placed his hands behind his back and began walking towards his radio tower, smile menacing as he imagined how to make Husk pay for his insubordination this time without making it obvious to the princess of hell.

—

Husk coughed and gasped on the steps of V Tower, he had been dropped from a high enough distance that he felt two of his ribs crack against the concrete. He stared up at the blinding neon lights of v tower and wiped the blood that had been dripping from his mouth with the back of his hand. He didn’t have a choice in the matter now, but the only thing that scared him more than Alastor was walking into this building and seeing the shit Angel Dust would talk about happening to him in real time.

He sucked in a painful breath. Would Angel Dust even want to see him after he had just left him like that and then ignored him for days?

Husk stared dumbly up at the posters of Angel Dust that littered the hall leading up to the porn studio. He took a deep breath before he quietly opened the studio doors, ears flat against his head as he snuck around the back of the room to avoid being seen before he had found Angel Dust.

A particularly loud moan came from the center of the room and Husk felt himself bristle when he realized it was Angel Dust. He was on the bed in the middle of the dimly lit studio, ropes holding his body up from all four of his wrists as he sat limply against blood-stained silken white sheets. He was covered in injuries and blood, his eyes were nearly swollen shut from being beaten, and Valentino was at his side, carefully watching the pained body as he smoked his cigarette, blowing the smoke into Angel’s face as his lips turned up into a smile.

“P-please…”

Valentino placed a finger beneath his chin, “What do you want, baby?”

Sobs wrecked his body as he tried to gasp out, “Please let me go. I’m so tired - I- I’ll never leave you again. I’m sorry.”

Valentino scowled and placed the lit end of the cigarette against Angel Dust’s neck, earning a scream of pain, “You’re done when I say you are, bitch.” He kicked Angel carelessly and sighed, “You can leave once you’ve gotten yourself down. I expect you bright eyed and ready to come back in on Monday, capiche amorcito?”

Angel Dust sobbed as Valentino exited the studio. He thought he was alone and so he just let all of his feelings out at once.

Husk made his way to Angel Dust and made quick work of the bindings, the spider gasping out in surprise and fear. His eyes would barely open. Husk hushed him and once the ropes had been undone, he grasped the tall man into a hug, one hand holding the back of his head and the other against his back, his ears flat against his head, “I’m sorry.” He repeated the words like a prayer as he felt Angel shake in his embrace from desperate sobs.

Angel Dust pushed him away once he had enough strength, his eyes barely able to crack open as he searched Husk’s face, “Why the fuck are you here?”

Husk looked down, “Charlie was worried.”

“Oh.” The disappointment was obvious and it hurt in Husk’s chest as he looked back up into those barely open eyes. Husk reached out, hand cradling his cheek carefully, and stared. Angel Dust’s bottom lip quivered and he looked away, “Val was right. He’s the only one that will ever love me.”

Husk grabbed his chin to force him to look into his eyes, “You really think that? What about Charlie and Vaggie? What about…” Husk swallowed, “What about me?”

Angel Dust snorted, “You don’t love me.” He looked at Husk defiantly, but Husk just looked crushed.

He backed away and sighed, “Angel Dust - I love you so much that it fucking terrifies me. I didn’t think I was capable of having those feelings, after everything I’ve been through, and here you came with your long fuckin legs and your pretty fuckin laugh and I can’t imagine a day going by that I never got to meet you.” Husk held a hand over his heart, “When we didn’t talk I missed you so much it fuckin hurt - Alastor had even threatened to hurt you at some point but the thought of being without you was so painful that I couldn’t take it.” He swallowed, “I’ve been drinking myself into a stupor every fuckin night because I’d rather be numb than live knowing that you go hurt because of me. I thought I was protecting you, but I was just hurting both of us. I don’t just love you, moron, I need you. I can’t breathe without you. I don’t want to keep living if you aren’t somewhere I can reach.”

Angel Dust was silent for a beat before he laughed, “Damn, Kitty, I don’t think I’ve ever heard you talk so much.” He weakly smiled, “Take me home before I change my mind.”

Husk picked up the man effortlessly and once they were outside, he stretched his wings and lifted them off into the air towards the hotel.

Angel held tightly onto Husk’s neck, his face buried in bluish fur, “Did you really mean all of that? That you need me?”

“Have I ever lied to you?” Husk let his eyes linger down to the lanky man in his arms, “I meant every fucking word.”

Angel tightened his grip, face and neck warm from embarrassment, “And you meant all of that even though I’m a broken whore?”

“Don’t you EVER say that about yourself again.”

Husk’s serious tone made Angel snap up to look at him, “Huh?”

He growled low in his throat, landing at the front of the hotel, not giving the man a single glance as he carried him through the threshold and up the stairs.

Charlie saw the state of Angel and cried out, but Alastor placed his cane in front of her to stop her advance, “They need to talk, princess. He’s here and he’s safe for now - you can see him in the morning.”

—

Husk brought the spider into his bedroom, shutting the door behind him with his foot as he continued to the bathroom, placing Angel Dust on the lid of his toilet before turning his attention to the large, clawfoot tub and turning on the water. He looked back at Angel once the water was at a satisfactory temperature and leaned onto his knees in front of him, between his legs, “You are NOT a whore.”

“Husk, people literally pay me for sex-“

“No. You are NOT a whore. And you may be broken, but I will do my damndest to glue you back together.” His eyes were serious and searching Angel Dust’s eyes for any doubt.

Angel didn’t respond because he didn’t know HOW to respond.

“Let me take care of you tonight.”

“….okay.”

Husk gave a small smile and moved the spider to the tub, helping him in carefully until he was mostly submerged. He took care to carefully wash the man, fingers running carefully through his fur and washing away all of the blood and other substances that had stained him over the past two days. The water had turned a coppery red color by the time he had finished. Husk helped Angel Dust out of the water and dried him off just as carefully as he had cleaned him.

Angel Dust finally had enough feeling in his legs that he could support himself while Husk lifted the drain of the tub to empty the water. He’d worry about cleaning the stains tomorrow.

He was so, so careful with Angel as he laid the man in his bed, afraid he’d break if he pushed or touched him with too much force. Angel Dust smiled up at him, feeling warm as Husk hovered over him.

Husk leaned back and took a deep breath, slowing his breathing down, “Are you comfortable sleeping here tonight? Or would you prefer your own room?”

Angel Dust curled his limbs closer to himself for warmth, “Are you okay with having me in your bed?”

“Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Because I’m dirty.”

Husk laughed softly, “You just took a bath-“

“No I mean… I’m used and I’ll never just be yours-“

Husk’s eyes lit up with anger and determination, “You are NOT a whore.”

“I didn’t say-“

Husk moved up and placed a kiss on his temple, eyes finding Angel’s to emphasize, “You are NOT a whore.”

Angel furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and opened his mouth to protest, but Husk placed a kiss against his eye lids and on his nose, “You are not a whore.”

Husk let his claws brush over Angel Dust’s cheeks before placing a soft kiss on his neck and shoulder, “You are not a whore.”

Angel Dust’s eyes started to water, “Why are you-?”

Husk held up Angel Dust’s hand and kissed the crook of his elbow gently, his wrist, his palm, and then each finger individually, “You are so beautiful and if it takes me the rest of our afterlives to glue your broken pieces back together so that you can see it too, I’ll do it.”

Angel Dust choked on his tears as Husk continued to litter his body with soft kisses- making sure to take extra time on every scar and fresh wound to prove a point. Once Husk felt satisfied, he leaned over the spider and looked him in the eyes, “You are not a whore and I will always put you back together when someone else tries to break you.”

Angel Dust was shaking from the sobs wracking his body, but he reached up and pulled Husk in for a real kiss, lips on lips and eyes closed as he tried to memorize the feeling of them.

Husk held Angel Dust’s hand as he carefully pulled away, “I’ll be right back.”

Angel panicked, worried if Husk left he’d never see him again, “Please, no. Please don’t leave me.”

Husk smiled warmly, “Do you trust me?”

Angel Dust hesitated, “More than anyone.”

“I’ll be right back.”

The spider was on edge the whole time Husk was gone, but he shot up in bed when he heard the door open. His fear melted as soon as he recognized Fat Nuggets oinking happily in Husk’s arms. Husk closed the door behind him and placed the pig onto his bed, the pink bundle of energy racing into Angel Dust’s arms. He held onto his pet tightly, crying softly, “I’m so sorry I left you here, Nuggs. I’m so sorry-“

“He forgives you.” Husk sat on the bed next to him and sighed, “He found his way in here while you were gone - go figure - I try to ignore everything and your pig decides to annoy me while you aren’t here.”

Angel Dust let himself lean onto Husk’s shoulder and take a deep, shaking breath, “I missed you.”

Husk smiled and moved to let Angel lay back on the bed, “Yeah. I missed you, too.” He held him tightly, Angel’s head tucked under Husk’s chin and Fat Nuggets between them both - they fell asleep like that.

And woke up like that.

Angel Dust started awake, reaching out to make sure he wasn’t alone and he was met with Husk hushing him and gently stroking the back of his head, “I’m here.”

Angel Dust let out a stuttered, relieved sigh as he settled back into the embrace, “Good.”

They spent most of the day like that, but the rumble of hunger that erupted from Angel Dust’s stomach had them both laughing. Husk pulled away, “Go get dressed. I’ll talk to Charlie and see if her dad can whip up some pancakes for you.”

He perked up at the sound of pancakes and nodded, “Yeah, okay.”

—

Angel Dust watched his hands nervously as he sat at the bar with Husk, “I have to go back to work tomorrow.”

Husk looked up at him from his mixer, “Would you like me to go with you?”

“NO!” Angel Dust held a hand over his mouth and looked away bashfully, “I just… Husky I like you so much but my deal-“

Husk gripped the hand covering Angel Dust’s mouth and smiled, pulling it down to the bar and squeezing it, “I know. It’s fine.” He let go and placed the drink in front of the spider, “I promise it’s fine.”

Angel Dust frowned, “Why would it be fine? No one wants to mess around with a used cock sleeve, right?”

Husk growled, holding Angel Dust’s chin so they were looking eye to eye, “Don’t start that shit again- you are so much more than a porn star, Angel Dust. I don’t give a shit about your job - none of them mean anything to you so why should they mean anything to me?”

He let go and Angel’s eyes trailed down to his cocktail, “Yeah. I don’t think I’ve ever had sex with someone where I like them and they like me.”

“Would you like to?”

Angel Dust turned bright red, eyes meeting Husk’s, “S-Sorry?”

Husk blinked, “Would you like to have sex with someone who has genuine and strong feelings for you?”

“I… are you fuckin around, Husk? Cus it isn’t funny.”

Husk smiled and reached for Angel Dust’s hand, “I am not joking- if it’s what you want, I want to give that to you.”

Angel Dust cleared his throat, “I have high expectations.”

Husk chuckled, “Drop them - I don’t have very good stamina. But… I’ll do my best.”

Angel Dust swallowed hard, but nodded, “Y-yeah. Okay.”

Husk let go of Angel’s hand, “Go on upstairs- I’ll find you after I close up shop.”

—

Angel Dust felt his heart beating so hard, he was sure it was going to come out of his chest. He had never been this nervous for sex in his life, but the way Husk entered the room and looked at him so warmly had his entire body buzzing like it was his first time.

Husk crawled onto the sheets carefully, hands reaching to hold Angel Dust’s face, “Let me know if anything hurts - I only want you to feel good tonight.” He waited for Angel Dust to nod in approval before he leaned forward to place their lips together.

Angel tried to move faster on instinct, but Husk pulled away and smiled, “What’s the hurry?”

“Sorry… habit.”

“Don’t apologize.” He leaned in again and left soft kisses along the side of the spider’s face, sighing contentedly as he pushed their lips together again. It wasn’t hungry - it was exploratory.

Fingers and claws touched skin gently and slowly like they were reading braille and committing it to memory. Husk peppered Angel Dust with warm, soft kisses on nearly every inch of his exposed body - like he was trying to bleach out the touches of anyone else with pure affection. And Angel Dust started to believe it was working.

He had never been so sensitive to someone’s touch, but he had also never been touched so gently before and with so much meaning.

Husk laced their digits together when it was time for penetration- his golden eyes searing into Angel’s pink ones, never losing eye contact during entry or in the slow movement of hips after.

They were both gasping in whispers, Angel Dust feeling spent but unable to look away from Husk’s gaze.

Husk released one of Angel Dust’s hands hand placed his own paw on the face below him. He leaned in and whispered , “I love you” against Angel Dust’s lips and the white demon whined, reaching release almost instantly after, the sounds being swallowed by another gentle kiss from Husk as he moved only slightly faster to reach his own release.

He breathed heavily over Angel, using their still intertwined hands to hold himself up as his other hand brushed the fur from Angel Dust’s eyes, “You okay?”

Angel Dust squeezed their hands together and smiled, laughing breathlessly, “Yeah, I’m okay. You okay?”

Husk looked mesmerized as he stared down at him, “Better than okay.”

They stayed like that for a while, breaths mixing together and eyes searching the other’s until Husk finally moved, cleaning up Angel Dust’s body with a baby wipe from the dresser, “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

“No.” Angel Dust moved his head so he could watch as Husk moved to clean himself, “Not at all.”

Husk smiled warmly, “Good.”

He thew the wipes to the other side of the room and flopped onto the pillow beside Angel Dust, just looking at him and drinking in the image of him looking so comfortable and blown out after having what Husk assumed was extremely vanilla sex for the man.

But Angel Dust looked at him, eyes shining, “Hey, Husk?”

“Hmm?” They adjusted so that they were cuddled close, arms tangled together in a mess and foreheads touching.

“I love you, too.”

[pewpewkachuuboo]

So I had a thought about what if Lucifer is full of shit and is actually the one Alastor made a deal with because Alastor is the big bad because isn’t Luci chilling with the Overlords during extermination in the pilot? Like…. There’s no way he doesn’t know Alastor at all.

So I wrote how I thought their original meeting went - if y’all like the idea I would love to write how the interactions during the season would look if this were the case. That could be fun, actually - I may do that regardless.

I don’t really think I believe it, but I do love the idea that Alastor is in debt to Lucifer and the deal was protecting Charlie’s dream which means he can’t actually do harm to those that don’t deserve it period.

—-

The throne room of hell was vast and empty. The room consisted of a pair of large ornate doors that led to a red-carpeted walkway straight to the throne of hell that sat upon eight large steps that represented the eight rings of hell.

Lucifer sat comfortably on his throne, leaning against his staff as Alastor considered his options.

“So… I will be all powerful after a seven year sabbatical.”

“You will have access to powers beyond your means after I send you to train with my brother for the seven years that it takes for completion - on the condition that when you return, you protect my daughter and her dreams at all cost.”

Alastor chuckled deeply, his voice crackling in interest, “I will not sacrifice myself for another person - especially not blue blood scum. I think I can find how to conjure power on my own, thank you.”

Lucifer’s eyes glowed red in irritation. He stood from his red throne and slammed down his staff. The sound echoed as golden chains restrained Alastor from leaving as he had intended, “I seem to recall that it was you, radio demon, that came to me seeking power. Not the other way around.”

Alastor gave a light sigh, “No need for the restraints, sir, let’s come to another agreement.”

Lucifer did not move to remove the chains, “You’re much more charming in this position- maybe I should put you on your knees and make you beg for that power you crave instead.”

With a tut of his tongue Alastor retorted carefully, “I want power. I will agree to do whatever it takes when I return to see that your daughters hopes and dreams are not crushed. I will protect her but I will not die for her.”

Lucifer hummed thoughtfully at the offer and snapped his fingers to release Alastor from the golden chains before reaching out a hand, “You also cannot let her know of this deal or that we know one another at all.”

Alastor stood still for a moment before finally nodding and closing the distance between them, his hand slipping into the king’s, “Deal.”

Lucifer flashed his devilish grin, a golden glow and dark shadows blending into each other around them, “Good luck and I’ll see you in seven years.”

With that the light and shadows engulfed Alastor and when the colors faded, the radio demon was nowhere to be found.

Lucifer chuckled, “He should have been more careful with his wording - I thought he’d make it harder than that.” He clicked his tongue before sitting back atop his throne, eyes darkening as his wife entered.

Lilith looked calm, “It’s done?”

“Yes. What is Charlie going to say when she figures out that you decided to go to heaven to live and left behind a radio demon to protect her but don’t intend to say goodbye yourself?”

Lilith smiled sadly, “She won’t because you love her too much to tell her and break her heart. Adam promised the exorcists would leave you and Charlie without harm no matter what comes.”

“Just the exorcists?” Lucifer snorted, the grip on his staff tightening, “If Adam kills your daughter himself what do you intend to do?”

Lilith shook her head, “I don’t have time for what ifs, Luci.”

Lucifer spit on the ground at his feet angrily, voice coming out in a harsh and gravely whisper, “You have lost the right to call me by nicknames or pet names. Get out. If I ever see you again, I’ll kill you myself.”

With a sigh, Lilith left the room leaving Lucifer on his own once more.

Lucifer took in a ragged breath, tears falling down his cheeks as he sobbed in loss - they had separated years ago because Lilith had left him to wallow in his misery and instead of being understanding, she took his daughter and left to take charge of hell on her own because he wasn’t motivated or loved like she was.

Something about this moment felt more final, however, and so he allowed himself to transport to his working quarters so he could mourn the loss of his family a final time before distracting himself fully. Charlie, after growing up with her mother, was never close to him despite how desperately he craved that relationship, and she hardly reached out at this point in her life so she clearly didn’t need him - so when Lilith approached him explaining the deal she had made with Adam and asking him to seek out the most powerful overlord to make a deal with him so that Charlie would be protected he hesitated, but ultimately was able to manipulate word of mouth to convince Alastor to seek him out for more power. Sinners were always hungry for more power.

And so Lucifer kept to himself, willing his phone to ring with Charlie’s profile picture so he could try to mend their relationship. He missed her desperately, but felt in the depths of his heart that any attempts he made to reach out first would lead to rejection from the only person he had left.

He wouldn’t survive if Charlie rejected him like the rest of heaven and hell had.

[pewpewkachuuboo]

People reacted really well to radioapple, so here’s another few short short drabbles of those two with some huskerdust sprinkled in because they’re so good it hurts my heart- I really appreciate the likes and reblogs 😭 I wanted to just have some slice of life style interactions because I love the idea of them being besties at least end game (every spicy scorpio needs their charismatic libra bestie - idc what their signs actually are this is my headcannon and I will not be swayed).

Working on a few long form works with actual plot lmao - I want to get a few chapters in before I post because I don’t like the idea of not posting weekly updates to long form. I’m having so much fun, ya’ll. I really needed a creative outlet 😭 I missed writing so much.

—

-Alastor discovers romance novels-

Angel Dust was draped across one of the sofas in the hotel lobby with a book open in his top set of hands while petting a sleeping Fat Nuggets with his bottom set, the pink pig curled up at his abdomen.

The lanky man’s fingers were quick to turn the pages as his eyes scanned the pages, his tongue sticking out slightly from concentration.

(Husk was watching thoughtlessly, a wistful smile on his face as he rested his cheek in one paw while the other wiped in lazy circles around the bar counter, but he would never admit the lopsided smile was for the spider if he even realized he was doing it at any point.)

“Why, Angel, I had no idea you were literate.”

Alastor’s static voice broke Angel Dust out of his trance - he jumped higher than intended, scaring Fat Nuggets who ran to the bar for shelter (Husk panicked at the voice, but his demeanor went back to his usual disinterested face after Fat Nuggets dove for his feet). Angel Dust’s face had a soft pink tint, “Are ya kiddin? I can read. I’m dumb but I ain’t stupid.”

Alastor tutted, “That makes no sense, dear.” Angel opened his mouth to retort but Alastor cocked his head to the side at an unsettling angle as he interrupted the attempt making Angel bite his tongue instead, “What are we indulging in? Hemingway, perhaps? Maybe some James Joyce?”

“Who?” Angel Dust didn’t miss a beat, smiling slightly when he saw Alastor’s eye twitch, “I don’t read that old timey shit - this is…” he paused before telling him the author, a grin spreading devilishly across his face, “This is one of ta best novels to come out in years according to the reviews.” He motioned to the pile spread out beside him, “If you like ta read you’re more than welcome ta borrow one.”

Alastor made a noise in consideration before picking up one of the books with two of his fingers like he was afraid to get bitten, “I would hate to discourage you picking up good habits, and I do miss a harrowing tale.”

Angel Dust crossed his long legs, “Oh, they’re harrowing alright.”

Alastor raised an eye brow in suspicion, but moved to hold the book regularly, “Well, then, don’t mind if I do indulge in some entertainment. Thank you, Angel Dust.”

Alastor disappeared into his shadows and Angel Dust grinned at Husk, “Wanna bet on reactions when he gets to the steamy parts?”

Husk’s mouth quirked in another half smile as he sighed out a laugh, “I do love to gamble.”

A few hours later, Angel Dusk had moved to the bar and was laughing at one of Husk’s stories from when he was alive before he received a sharp thump to the back of his head as Alastor appeared and had slapped the spider demon with the borrowed book. Angel growled, rubbing the place of impact, “What the fuck-“

“You just tricked me into reading some very inappropriate content.” Alastor mused, laying the book on the bar top, “Never do that again if you know what’s good for you.”

Angel huffed, handing Husker a crisp twenty as Alastor turned on his foot to leave, “Whateva, you probably liked it.”

“Ha Ha Ha - no.”

Angel Dust stuck his tongue out at Husk who was grinning from his win, but they both turned just in time to see Alastor pick up another book from the pile before disappearing again.

The spider looked back at Husk, eyebrows raised, “Wait, gimme the $20 back - I told you aces usually love smut if it’s a book, watching and reading are different than doin and I FUCKIN WON.”

Husk growled lowly, handing him the bill back before fishing another twenty from his tip jar and handing it over, “Fuck, I hate when you’re right.”

Angel Dust laughed evilly and made an effort to just leave his novels around the hotel to see if any would get picked up - and they usually did.

—

-Lucifer tries to lead one of Charlie’s lessons-

Lucifer looked over the hotel patrons one by one before taking in a deep breath and letting it out, “Today we are going to talk about and learn about unconscious bias and random acts of kindness.”

He tried not to linger on Alastor’s form for longer than needed because that fucking smile made his blood boil and he had promised Charlie that he would take this seriously and her sparkling, expectant glare was putting more pressure on him than he had thought it would and he HAD to get this right or Charlie would never ask him to help again (probably).

“Unconscious bias is when you make assumptions about someone you don’t know without realizing based on things that you learned as you’ve been a conscious being. For example, most men here in hell probably assume that women are only capable in traditional wife roles and will treat women as less powerful or threatening as a result.” He pointed the apple at the tip of his cane in the direction of the women in the room, “All of our lovely ladies are obviously very powerful and would not adhere to that stereotype, but when someone assumes they are weak because they are women, we call that an unconscious bias because it happens without that person realizing.” He cleared his throat, “Does anyone have another example?”

Angel Dust raised his hand and then tapped his chin thoughtfully when Lucifer motioned for him to share, “Well, people think I’m a woman cus I have tits. Is that right?”

Lucifer’s eye twitched, “Well… kind of, not quite.” He hummed thoughtfully, “When people think of you, they think of your career in adult films, right?”

“Ya.”

“Okay, Husk, what is something that you assumed about Angel Dust because of that career that he’s proved you wrong in getting to know him?”

Husk’s jaw went slack and his cheeks turned a soft pink, “M-me?”

“Yes- the two of you seem to be good friends, so I assume you have an example.”

Angel Dust smirked, “C’mon, Kitty Cat - tell me what you’ve learned about me.”

Husk sighed and stayed quiet for a moment before clearing his throat, “I had assumed that because he’s an actor that he was fake, but what I perceived as fake was a shield and he’s actually one of the most genuinely kind people I’ve ever met.”

Alastor cocked his head at this and Angel Dust was silent -face unreadable. Both were making him increasingly uncomfortable so he stuttered out a, “H-he’s still annoying as hell, though.”

Lucifer clapped his hands together, “Amazing! That’s a great example!” He looked to Charlie and Vaggie as Charlie excitedly waved her hands in the air chanting me next several times before Lucifer motioned for his daughter to share.

“I made assumptions about Vaggie when we met! I assumed she was a demon because we met in an alley and then I assumed that Adam would help us because angels are supposed to be good but he was an asshole!” She ranted and chirped excitedly for a few more moments, and once she had finished she grinned up at him, “Do you have unconscious bias?”

Lucifer nodded his head thoughtfully, “Everyone has unconscious bias.”

Charlie made an ‘O’ with her mouth before she scanned the room and pointed at Alastor, “What unconscious bias did you have against Alastor?”

Lucifer’s eye twitched in irritation, looking to the radio demon whose eyes narrowed in curiosity. After a few minutes Lucifer sighed, “I assumed he was a psychopath with ill intentions. I still think he’s insane, but… he has protected you all and I think that means he doesn’t have the illest of intentions.”

Alastor’s grin widened, “Why, thank you sir! I’m tickled to know you care to notice.”

Charlie’s eyes sparkled as she clasped her hands together, “Wow! This is so great!”

Lucifer moved his neck to pop it from the uncomfortable feelings he just had to experience. Complimenting Alastor was exhausting. “Now, random acts of kindness. This is when you want to thank someone or see someone that needs help, you go out of your way to assist them. It doesn’t have to be life saving - for example, to thank you all for coming today I have brought you all a….” He reached into his coat and threw yellow objects at the group with a grin, “rubber duck!!”

He let them pick up the ducks before he continued, “These are important to me, and all of you are also important to me and so I am giving you a gift to reflect that. Another example would be giving a beggar some change, buying food for someone who can’t afford it themselves, or even just listening when you see someone get emotional that seems like they need company.” He popped his knuckles, “Your assignment is to go and perform a random act of kindness and report back with what you did, why, and how it made you feel.” He lifted his arms and created a wind to blow the material of his coat behind him as well as open the front doors to the hotel dramatically, “Go! Randomly be kind! I’ll be waiting!”

The first to return after being released was Alastor. He held out a bag to Lucifer, who looked at the offering with high suspicion, “I have brought you a gift to show your importance in the hotel.”

“Is it poisoned?”

Alastor chuckled, “No, sir, this is a genuine gift.”

Still suspicious of the radio demon, Lucifer carefully held the bag at a distance. Once free of the bag, Alastor bowed at his waist, hand on his chest, “I have some other matters to attend to, so a bid you adieu for now. Have a swell afternoon, your highness.”

Once the shadow disappeared, Lucifer carefully opened the bag with the tips of his fingers. He was surprised, however, that the item in the bag was a weirdly large rubber duck that had been colored to look like an imp. Lucifer narrowed his eyes and took the duck out, not sure if he should be thankful or wonder if it being an imp implied that he was less than Alastor. But it was cute….

He studied the red duck for a moment before smiling, moving to take it to his tower to place with the rest of the collection.

—

-radioapple does coffee-

The cafe the two sat in was quaint and silent, aside from the bustle of the barista as the small imp moved to clean the counters spotlessly while there was a lull in customers. The walls were a soft purple, and large white daisies decorated the walls randomly while the floor was occupied by black tables and chairs for patrons to sit in.

Lucifer had his legs crossed and eyes closed as he lifted his cup of coffee to his lips with a grace that only someone of royal lineage could hold.

Alastor was sitting opposite the king of hell, humming as he tipped his own cup to his lips.

The silence that hung between them was comfortable for once, not angry or awkward like it was normally at the hotel.

Lucifer opened his eyes slowly to look up at Alastor’s permanently perfect smile, flashing one of his own, “If I had known you were a tea and coffee connoisseur we may have gotten along sooner.”

Alastor chuckled, “Sir, if that’s all it would have taken I would have brought it up as soon as you had stepped into our lowly hotel.”

The shorter male made an amused sound at the thought, “What ifs aside, we probably would have gotten over it eventually. I will say, I’m still not sure of your true intentions with my daughter and her friends, but I do approve of you keeping them safe and also of us doing this weekly - I’ve never had a coffee friend before.”

Alastor raised an eyebrow, “Friend, sir?”

Lucifer shrugged and took another sip of his coffee, letting the silence settle over them again.

Alastor’s voice box crackled before he made a new suggestion, “A dear friend of mine is the leader of Cannibal Town - they have a rather tasty and aesthetic cafe out there, we should make that the destination for next week.”

Lucifer’s eyes brightened, “Ah, Rosie? I haven’t seen her since the extermination before last - and it’s been centuries since I’ve been to Cannibal Town. It would be nice to say hello again! Let’s make that the plan, then.”

The two sat in comfortable silence as they enjoyed decent company and good coffee.

[pewpewkachuuboo]

Another little drabble- this time radioapple. Again the only warning is language. I think I do better leaning into angst or comedy, not in the middle, so I’ll have to work on that lmao

——

Lucifer couldn’t remember the last time he felt this kind of happiness. The warmth made his limbs buzz as he smiled wistfully, watching from the top of the main staircase as Charlie spoke her piece to the current residents of her hotel. He was so damn proud of her. His baby girl, all grown up and changing the once inevitable outcome for these wayward sinners.

His eyes drooped thoughtfully, letting his sharp chin rest on the backs of his clasped hands as he leaned against the railing. She was so much like her mother - strong and passionate - and he was thankful that Charlie hadn’t taken after him as much. Depressed and hopeless? He could never forgive himself if Charlie had grown up to be anything like him.

“She has your charm, your highness.”

Something about the static of the radio demon’s voice was always so unsettling. Lucifer lifted his head, lips curled into a snarl at the interruption of his inner musings, “Charm? Hardly - she owes that to Lilith.”

Alastor tutted, turning his head to look at Lucifer with that Cheshire smile plastered on his face as always, “Nonsense, good sir. She rouses the attention of the hotel patrons with the same hopelessly dreamy look that you had on your face as you watched her perform.”

Lucifer waved his hand dismissively, standing up straight as he began to move past Alastor towards the hall that led to their bedrooms, “Nah - I have no dreams. Not anymore.”

Alastor made an amused sound before turning on his foot to follow the small king of hell, “Dear sir, do you not dream to make Charlie’s dreams come true?”

The blonde made a quick glance over his shoulder at the red man, “No - Charlie doesn’t need me to do that for her.” Alastor was creepy, he decided. Tall, thin, and unexpectable - he reminded Lucifer of the boogeyman stories that he would occasionally hear when he visited the surface world.

Alastor moved to walk in tandem with Lucifer - though one step for him was the equivalent of three for the shorter man, “I don’t mean to be rude, your highness, but you’re not here to simply watch and not contribute to dear Charlie’s cause.”

Lucifer stopped, tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm after crossing them, “Did you need something? I don’t remember becoming your buddy.”

Alastor stopped and turned to face Lucifer, his own fingers drumming against the cool metal of his microphone staff, “Need? Heavens no, sir.” His permanent grin seemed to widen, “If we are not “buddies” then what would you call us, hmm?”

Lucifer mused at the comment, considering his options, “Well, what would you call two father figures who can’t stand each others company?” It pained him to admit it out loud, but he knew that Alastor looked over and protected his daughter and he wasn’t going to discount that just because he couldn’t stand the radio demon.

“Ah, I do love a riddle.” He tapped his lips thoughtfully with a thin finger, “It almost sounds like a poorly written romance novel.”

Lucifer laughed until he fully comprehended the words just spoken, “Sorry, what?” He stuttered a bit, already red cheeks darkening, “Could you repeat that?”

The static in Alastor’s laugh made his fingers tingle, “Our favorite spider keeps leaving his sinful novels laying around - the enemies to lovers seems to be painfully common. I jest, of course, I would sooner join up with the Vees than I would become your lover.” He wiped his monocle off on his dress shirt before looking at Lucifer, eyes narrowing, “Disappointed, sir?”

“N-no, I just- and you-“ the shorter man choked on his words, unable to form a coherent string of words until Alastor laughed again and he managed a, “Fuck off” before resuming his walk to his room - more brisk this time than previously.

Alastor’s grin widened as he watched Lucifer walk down the hall, his laugh echoing off the walls as he took pleasure in the confused torture in the king’s walk, “See you at dinner, your majesty.”

[pewpewkachuuboo]

before I go to bed for the night, I would love some prompts so I can dust off my story telling.

I want to do an ABC slice of life series for Hazbin

so how that will work is you’d pick a letter and give me one word to go off of to write a prompt for. For example I did my drabble about a cigarette so the person requesting would have sent a message like “C is for Cigarettes! Huskerdust pls!”

This series will not have any x reader prompts, but I am open to x reader prompts in general

Cross posting to ao3 eventually

Master list to come if and once I get a request lol

I would love anything you can think of in my messages in general - I love a challenge so don’t be too scared to throw something my way! I will do my best not to go ooc 🫡

ps when I see y/n I always verbalize it as yes no and I need to know I’m not the only one lmao

[pewpewkachuuboo]

A little huskerdust drabble because I haven’t written in a looooooong time and this show makes me want to jump back in.

Only warning is language!

—

Angel Dust looked tired. His white fur was disheveled and matted in some places, the eyeliner he had worked so hard to make perfect and even that morning was smudged and runny, and his favorite pink jacket that was currently hanging on his shoulders as he walked onto the balcony of the hotel was tattered at the bottom and covered in different kinds of unidentifiable stains.

The rails of the balcony overlooking the promenade leading up to Hazbin Hotel were surprisingly and welcomingly cooling against Angel Dust’s forearms as he leaned against them. His top hands were haphazardly trying to work a bright pink zippo lighter while the other two hands and arms he had extended moved to bring his jacket more snugly against his shoulders to avoid the chill of the wind. An unlit cigarette sat between his lips as uncharacteristically as the strange chill that seemed to be lingering in the air of Pentagram City.

After a few more clicks of the lighter, Angel furrowed his eyebrows and cursed under his breath before throwing the useless item on the ground and taking the cigarette from his mouth, “Fuggin’ bullshit, man. I just need a smoke.”

He stared at the thinly rolled cigarette between his fingers for a moment before twirling it in irritation, “I can’t get one fuggin’ thing ta go my way - of fuggin’ course this motha fucka won’t light ta give me SOMETHING.”

“Does your accent get thicker when you get irritated?”

The gravely voice that Husker spoke with made Angel shiver, something he attempted to hide with a dramatic drop of his chin and an exasperated sigh, “What fuggin’ accent? I ain’t got no accent.”

Husker’s chuckle was just as deep as his speaking voice and Angel wished like hell it didn’t make his toes curl like that when he heard it - especially not right now. One of his favorite pass times was to fuck with Husk, and usually he’d try to come onto the demon to get a rise out of him, but he was too irritated and impatient to bother with him in this moment, “Ya need sumthin? Cus I’m not really in the mood ta play today, kitty cat.”

Husker’s paw lifted the discarded zippo from earlier into Angel’s peripheral vision and lit it with ease, his eyebrows raised in concern, “I figured when you didn’t stop at the bar that today was rougher than usual.”

Angel’s first instinct boiled with anger in his stomach - how dare this lighter just work out of nowhere for Husker and how dare Husker try to sound so casual in this moment - but he let the feeling simmer in favor of lighting his cigarette before taking a long drag and releasing the inhaled smoke with a deep sigh, “Ya looked busy with tall, dark, and creepy and I wasn’t going to sit down and listen to ya get bossed around after being around Valentino all fuggin’ day.”

Husker leaned against the railing beside Angel, his black fur tussling in the wind as he looked thoughtfully at the front gate to the hotel, “That bad, huh?”

Angel snorted before taking another drag from the cigarette.

“Can I help, somehow?” Angel Dust peered over to be met with those glowing, golden eyes of his that made Angel’s stomach tie itself in knots when he recognized the pure concern.

But he couldn’t let someone be nice to him because he didn’t deserve it, “Ya can fuck off.” He looked away after uttering the words coldly, trying to avoid feeling guilty for pushing someone away again.

He could feel the heat of Husk’s paw hesitating over his hand for a fleeting moment and then Husk cleared his throat, “No sexy requests? That’s not like you.”

Angel grunted in irritation, moving his hand to his head to rub his temple, “Ya not bein cute, Husk. Get lost.”

The silence hung between them heavily like a thick cloud of smoke. After a few beats, Husk held up his paws in defeat, “Alright, alright. But if you need a drink later, Alastor is gone for the night on errands and so I can keep it open a little bit later just for you if you’d like.”

Angel took another drag of his cigarette and waited in silence until he heard Husk make his way to the door, “Gimme a few hours - I need ta clean up.” He flicked the cigarette over the balcony and turned on his foot to follow Husk back inside.

Husk gave a lop sided smile, his fangs showing slightly, “I’ll have your drink ready.”

Angel waited for Husk to walk ahead of him to let a small smile creep onto his face, “Keep that energy up and I’ll tip you extra good tonight.”

Husk let out that laugh that made Angel’s limbs vibrate and walked away.

Maybe this day could end better than it started, at least.