Proposal

Chapter 5

It had only been a few days, but that should have been more than long enough for Angel to forget about something as simple as a smile. And yet, here he was, spacing out on the corner, still wrapped up in the fuzzy feeling he'd gotten from seeing Husker smile. It had been a genuine smile too, not some forced or sarcastic one like he'd seen before. Completely relaxed, no ulterior motive, just... happy to have helped. Or, at least he hoped that's what made him happy and it wasn't the parts of the story where he'd gotten injured.

Sighing, Angel moved a bit further down the street to lean on a better lit section of wall. It was a slow night, not that he minded one bit. Of course Val had given him a quota to fill, but he'd already filled it hours ago when he'd gotten picked up by a party. Now, it was just waiting for the clock to strike time so he could go home. The moth's rules were simple; just because you make quota, doesn't mean you can't get more. So he waited, despite everything. Sucking in the smoke from his cigarette, he relished the familiar taste, the slight burn, and the way the chemicals eased the tension in his muscles ever so slightly for a second or two. A quick glance at the clock and he was itching to simply say "fuck it" and leave anyways. After all, by the time he reached the hotel it would be time for him to get off anyways, so why not? Of course, thinking about it was very different from being stupid enough to leave an hour early. Val would find out if he left. Val always did.

Looking around the street, Angel picked out various ways that Val could be watching him. The other girls down the street could be tattling. He could have hired someone to follow him and watch him from one of the parked cars. However, the most believable for Angel were the electronics. Security cameras, televisions, cell phones, anything with a screen and a shock in it. Valentino couldn't control any of that, he couldn't hack it either. He wasn't skilled in that area. His partner, Vox, on the other hand, controlled it all. Angel had heard him called the Cyber King, though he was widely known as a "media" Overlord. The man was cruel and manipulative, making him the perfect match for Val. The two used each other more than anybody else, and that wasn't a secret. Just the idea that sneaking back home could get him in trouble had him tamping down a shiver of fear. There was no way in Hell he was doing that.

The hour passed by slowly, and he merely watched as the other girls either got last minute clients, or made the mistake of leaving early. He only hoped Val was too distracted to care, for their sakes. Another look at the clock on his phone and he was tensing as the minutes ticked down. Three. Two. One. Only seconds left and he was slowly turning to face home, not making it too obvious. Zero. Too bad the sound of freedom wasn't an actual bell toll and was just his alarm going off as a reminder. A reminder that he didn't need, as he started off in the direction of home. Well... the club first, and then home, so that he could hand off his earnings to the book keeper. Val was rarely there to collect, especially this late at night, because he was usually off in one of the clubs for a show, or with Vox.

With how fast he rushed to the club, it was a wonder how he hadn't set fire to the streets behind him. Handing the cash to the book keeper, he watched as the woman wordlessly took the money and began counting it. Once she was done counting it by hand, which already took forever, she put it in a machine that counted it again, and began slowly sorting everything out by numeration. The whole process made Angel wish he could kill her, because he wouldn't have hesitated to do so in life for this. Once she was done, she double checked in the system what Val had said his quota was and nodded. "Alright, here's what you made." She handed him the small wad of cash and he didn't even hesitate to ensure it was correct. Unlike her, his recount took only seconds, but he paused to look at her after to make sure she knew she couldn't skimp him. Satisfied with the amount given, he turned and left the club without another word.

Angel swore the sun would be rising soon with how late it was, but that didn't matter. He could sleep with light out, or any other time of day, as long as he got any modicum of sleep to begin with. Reaching the hotel, he once again tried to enter as quietly as possible, but tonight the front doors squeaked loud enough the living could have heard them. "Holy fucking shit, what do these doors have in those hinges? The souls of the damned?" Mumbling the words, he quickly made his way toward the hallway, attempting to escape before the girls got downstairs.