Masquerade (Hide Your Face So The World Will Never Find You)
Characters: Angel Dust, Charlie
Warnings: panic attacks, mention of violence and abuse, abusive relationships
Ship(s): briefly mentioned Chaggie (charlie x vaggie), implied HuskerDust (angel dust x husker)
Set: S1 E4
Tags: soft, charlie/angel friendship, abuse, hurt/comfort, pre-huskerdust, established chaggie
Words: 1805
❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂~❂
Angel had known it would be a rough day from the moment he had woken up that morning. Val had already been giving him shit for the past week since he moved into the hotel and hearing the constant love bombing and death threats were starting to get tiring.
An emergency shoot was the last thing he needed on his plate.
Then, of course, there was Charlie.
There was something so utterly terrifying about seeing Charlie in Valentino's studio. The way she looked around so innocently clashed violently with the naked bodies walking around and the smell of cigars and booze.
Angel felt his body move almost as if on autopilot. He was shoving the demon pinning him to the bed and scrambling to grab his robe, Angel's eyes seeming stuck on Charlie.
All he knew was that he desperately needed to get to Charlie before Val did.
Angel snatched Charlie's wrist as soon as she was within reach, looking around in a blind panic.
"What in the ever-loving-fuck are you doing here?!"
"I am the Princess of Hell, Angel! And I will go where I please!" Charlie had said in a snooty royal accent. Angel, who normally loved her antics though he'd never show, could feel his eye twitch and his heart race as he tried to usher her out of the studio. "I'm here to get you some time off for the hotel. Now where's your boss?"
Of fucking course.
Angel took a shuddering breath, pulling Charlie back to where she entered from.
"You are going nowhere near Val--"
The thought of her this close to Valentino made Angel feel physically ill. He could throw up. Probably would later. He just needed to get Charlie out of there.
But then again, when has Angel ever gotten anything he wanted.
Val was as impatient as ever and soon locked eyes on the princess.
Angel's breathing picked up and he felt something sharp and angry claw through his rib cage. Fear was choking him so viscerally as Val swooped close and examined Charlie like he was checking her quality.
Angel winced, anger pricking inside as Val's tongue slithered along Charlie's arm in place of a greeting like a fucking normal person.
"I just wanted to come to aggressively kindly talk to you about Angel--" Charlie had started and Angel flailed, not even sure if he was breathing at this point. "Later! Of course. I wouldn't wanna stand in the way of your work!"
Angel froze as Valentino turned to face him, feeling ice drip into his veins at the rage simmering off of the overlord. No one was allowed to get in the way of Valentino's work, Angel knew he had killed for less.
But...Val didn't do anything. He just went back to directing.
Still, Angel didn't breathe.
And it only got worse and worse.
Charlie was just trying to be helpful and Angel knew that but she always got into things she had no business being a part of. She never should have been here, she never should have gotten on Val's radar.
Angel felt his lungs seize and he was forced to inhale, a wave of dizziness washing over him. Val's red glow was intimidating as he dissipated all the fire Charlie's clumsiness caused.
"Angel~ Can I see you in your dressing room for a moment?" Valentino was already walking towards Angel's room and Angel was hot on his heels, not even able to give Charlie a second glance.
Fear rippled through him as words spilled from his lips hoping to explain.
Of course, Valentino didn't want to hear his explanations. He just wanted another guarantee that Angel's body and soul were whole-heartedly his. It was a sickening gesture of something that should feel intimate.
Angel could hear his heart pounding in his ears as an electric buzzing flooded into his limbs making it hard to resist Valentino tossing him about, all he could think of was getting Charlie out of there.
"Look, V-Val, she just gets involved in everything. I-I'll tell her to leave! Just don't hurt her..."
Valentino acting violently in response wasn't out of the ordinary. Keep Charlie safe was running on repeat in his head. Angel knew how to get her out.
He grunted as he was tossed to the bed and his heart ached fiercely at her justified anger but Angel had to do what he could to keep her safe. He needed her to be safe
"You actually wanna help me? Get the fuck outta here right now...and let me finish my work."
Angel felt his aching heart crack as Charlie's eyes filled with tears. He stayed unempathetic to her. He couldn't risk faltering or it would put them both in danger.
When Charlie ran out the doors, sobbing, it took everything within Angel not to cry as well.
I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm so sorry Charlie
It wasn't until after arguing and making up with Husker that Angel remembered how he and Charlie left off. They had walked into the hotel talking and laughing after the whole fight outside the bar when he saw Charlie heading up the stairs
She had looked down and spotted him, eye contact freezing them both in place. Charlie was the one to break it first, looking away before giving them both a wave and turning back up the stairs.
Angel watched her go, chest suddenly full of an overwhelming ache.
"You gonna go talk to her?"
Angel blinked and saw Vaggie leaning against the bottom staircase column.
"Isn't checking on the princess your job as her girlfriend or some shit?" Angel tried to play it off, rubbing a hand across the bridge of his nose.
"Yeah, it is," Vaggie agreed. "But, I feel like you both could use a friend right now instead."
Angel stared at the ground, his hand flexing as Vaggie and Husk seemed to watch him. It didn't make him want to cringe and hide though. It didn't make him feel scared like he does with Val. He felt safe.
"I wouldn't go that far," Angel coughed, stepping up the first few steps. "I have to check on Fat Nuggets anyway. Might as well see if Her Majesty is okay. Raincheck on those drinks?"
Husk winked and headed to his bar, whistling with a little hop to his step which made Angel smile fondly.
He quickly shook himself out of it, ignoring Vaggie's knowing gaze, and walked very pointedly up to his bedroom first. Angel did actually have to check on his little piggy and grabbed a good amount of lettuce and some apple slices as well before scooping up Nuggets and heading to Charlie's room.
It was empty because of course it was empty.
Angel groaned and scratched Nuggets under his chin, walking up the stairs till he reached a dead-end hallway. It did, however, have a pull-down ladder from the ceiling that led to a little platform on the roof of the hotel. The ladder was already down which gave Angel hope that he had found Charlie.
He climbed the ladder and peeked his head up outside. Sure enough, Charlie was on the roof, watching the Pentagram as the sky's magenta started to turn to a dark plum color.
Fat Nuggets squealed happily as he saw Charlie and wiggled out of Angel's arms to run up to Charlie and give her a nuzzle.
Charlie jumped in surprise before cooing at Nuggets, giving his little head scritches. She turned and gave Angel a small, gentle smile as he climbed up and sat beside her on the roof, also watching the transition into Hell's Night.
"I'm sorry I made things hard for you at work today," Charlie spoke softly, almost like she was telling him a secret. "Something didn't feel right when you answered the phone. You didn't look like you wanted to go. I just...I wanted to make sure you were okay."
Angel stared at Charlie half in awe at her big heart and half in fond exasperation.
"Charlie," He started, sighing. "My mess with Val? That's my mess, okay? It's not ideal but I'm working it out. It won't be like this forever."
Charlie sighed and leaned her head against Angel's shoulder. He froze in place, eyes wide and panicked as he looked down at her. Vaggie wasn't here so he didn't know what to do. He bit his lip before slowly reaching down and patting Charlie's head.
Angel didn't know how long they sat there, himself running his fingers through her blonde hair and Charlie leaning against Angel, her soft breathing and at-ease body language, as they fed Nuggets his dinner, showed him how much she truly trusted him.
He smiled down at her, feeling truly accepted by someone for the first time in a long time and now twice in one night. Angel knew he didn't want to disappoint her and felt that he truly had something to work towards getting out of his deal.
"Come on, Char," Angel soothed, his arms helping her sit up while two others picked up Fat Nuggets and tucked him against his side. "Time for bed."
Charlie whined at him, nuzzling into Angel's fluffy chest causing him to chuckle and scoop her up with his available arms.
Carefully, with his precious cargo, Angel made his way down the ladder. Vaggie was waiting at the bottom with a fond, knowing look in her eyes.
"She got you too," Vaggie teased him as Angel gently transferred Charlie into her partner's loving arms.
"I don't know what you're talking about," Angel scoffed, not able to stop the soft look on his face as Charlie snuggled into Vaggie, continuing to sleep. "How does she care so much?"
"I wish I knew," Vaggie chuckled, starting to head to their bedroom. "But she has plenty of love to give. You're her best friend, Angel. Never be afraid to reach out to us for help."
"Us?"
Vaggie paused at their door, turning her head to look at him. "I trust you with her, Angel. You are my friend too. If you need help, I am here."
Angel felt the stinging of his eyes and quickly looked away. It has been such a long time since he's had someone to rely on. Something that wasn't a substance but a person who genuinely wanted to see his improvement.
Angel walked into his own room, collapsing onto the bed with Fat Nuggets beside him, his body aching from all the work and abuse Val put him through. He curled up, facing his dresser where a picture of him and Cherri was tucked in the mirror. The other side had a picture from Sir Pen's first day that Angel secretly snatched.
What could he say? He loved his little family.
This time, they love him too.
33 notes
·
View notes