Demon with wings (a Hazbin Hotel and Helluva boss fanfic)

Part 16

Astrid gazed up at the door and took a deep breath, knocking.

"Come in..." a tired voice sighed from the other side.

Astrid pushed the door open and peeked in, there on the bed was Angel Dust. He was looking down at one set of arms that had small nicks covering them. Another set was rubbing his neck, where small bite marks were visible.

He gazed up at her and quickly jumped back. "Oh I'm sorry, I didn't realize I had any other clients..."

"No, no no, I'm not a client I'm here to help you." Astrid responded hurriedly.

She hesitantly stepped into his room and stood a small distance away from him, "I don't want to hurt you or get anything from you except maybe a few words."

He sighed with relief and slumped back down on his bed. Astrid snapped her fingers and pulled out a first aid kit.

"I'm Astrid. I got hired to help clean you up after some of your... nastier clients." She looked down at his arms.

Angel looked up at her, gesturing for her to sit next to him. "You actually want to help me?" he asked suspiciously.

Astrid sat down and opened the kit taking a disinfectant wipe out, "Don't worry, I'm not going to try getting free services or anything like that, I'm not really into that sort of activity." She explained, causing Angel to exhale with relief. Astrid looked around at the room, searching for something in particular. At last she found it, in the corner, just above the bathroom door. A camera. Valentino would no doubt be looking out at her to make sure she wasn't getting up to anything with his little star.

She calmly began wiping at Angels arms as they talked. "Why do you want to help me?" He asked, she thought quickly for an answer. Obviously because of the camera giving an honest answer would be difficult.

"I felt bad for you, I can't imagine what kind of things they do to you." She answered, which wasn't far from the truth.

"Yeah well it's been like this for a while." Angel sighed. "But hey, I get whatever I want from it as long as I put up with the sadistic freaks." He slumped down and it made Astrid realize he didn't actually want this life... he was trapped.

"So... how did you get into working for Valentino?" She asked, trying to gather information. She had cleaned up his arms and looked over the cuts now that they were more clear. They were small and not worth putting a band-aid over so she left them and moved to the bite marks on his shoulders and neck.

"I got around to hell and needed a job. I ran into Val and tried to seduce him, I didn't know who I was messin with but he went along with it and... well you can guess what happened. The next morning he offered me a job. Well me not wanting to be some low life on the street I accepted." His voice wobbled but he didn't cry, though it seemed as though he wanted to.

"What about you? You new here?" Angel asked, wincing as she pressed a new disinfectant wipe to a deep bite on his collarbone.

"Oh, no I've been here since the early 1930's I just... decided to move on from my old job." Astrid answered, grabbing bandages.

"Wow so you've been here longer than me, how old were you when you died?" He asked.

"Sixteen. I chose to be down here." Astrid responded, drawing away when he hissed in pain at the bandage touching his neck. "Sorry."

She finished cleaning up his bite marks. Angel Dust told her about his job, though nothing too graphic, he told her about how he died and she froze up when he asked how she died.

Astrid, with a snap made the first aid kit disappear, standing up to leave. "Bye Angel." She turned and put her hand on the door knob.

"Anthony." He heard from behind her.

"What?"

"My name is Anthony. I don't know, it seems weird for you to call me by my stage name and we aren't necessarily friends so Angie seems a bit weird too."

Astrid smiled, "alright, see you tomorrow Anthony."

****

Valentino was waiting for her in his office when she got to the ground floor.

"So... you two really hit it off didn't you." He smiled.

She nodded, "what he needed was some cleaning up and somebody to talk to."

"I don't buy your bullshit for a second." Valentino growled, stepping out from behind his desk closer to her. "'I'm not really into that sort of activity'" He mocked her earlier statement, "that's pathetic. There isn't a single person alive who doesn't feel the need to do that. It's what makes us human"

(Acephobic? I don't know the actual term but yeah Valentino is a bitch so)

"I should slap you where you stand, but," he pressed her up against the door, causing her to whimper in fear, "My little Angel seems to like you so I'm going to keep you around, expect to be monitored 24/7" he sneered, his breath smelling like wine as Astrid tried to pull away.

He let her go, smiling, and dismissed her. She rushed out the door in a hurry and went home.