A Christmas Cocktail

Chapter 5

They'd watched Charlie and Vaggie rush out of the room not too long before, but he still felt as though it was taking a bit longer than it should for them to return. Pulling his phone out of his hiding place for it, a holster on his thigh hidden by the dress, Angel checked for any new messages. The only one was from Cherri, but it still made him smile. "Hey, I was just thinking and you know what Angie? Merry Christmas." Quickly sending a reply, he looked back up at Husker. The feline was idly wiping down the bar, but he was also watching him curiously.

"You waiting for something?" Angel snorted. Waiting for something? Why in Hell would he be waiting on a text from his brother about this party? It wasn't like he expected Arackniss to show up just because he'd invited him.

"Nah, just..." He held his phone up casually. "Got a text from Cherri is all. Gotta reply or she thinks somethin's goin' on and blows somethin' up." Husker lifted a brow.

"She blows up your phone? A bit of a worry wart, ain't she?" Pursing his lips, he tilted his head to the side.

"My phone, a building or two, it's all relative really." The look of confusion and slight concern that crossed the cat's features pulled a laugh from him immediately. "It's just who she is. She doesn't have to be worried to do any of that." Waving the thought off, he heard Husker huff out a sigh.

"If you say so." Leaning against the bar top, he watched the other man closely. After a few moments, the feline fought a smile before imitating him to meet his gaze. "What?"

"I was just thinkin'." Husker hummed.

"Just thinkin' while starin' at me like that? Do I even wanna know what about?" Angel thought for a second falsely.

"I was just tryin' to remember if I have any paper upstairs. Or if there might be any in Charlie's office, cause I'm sure she wouldn't mind us takin' some." The other man leaned back and crossed his arms to give Angel a questioning look.

"Some paper? Like... notebook paper?" He shook his head.

"Nah, more like construction paper... you know, in fun colors or something. Since it's Charlie, I'm sure we have some somewhere." As the cat stared at him, he could tell the sentiment was going over his head. It wasn't until roughly a minute had passed that Husker's ears twitched and the lightest blush crossed his cheeks, just barely visible over the fur.

Following the women through the halls and to a large ballroom hiding a bit deeper in the hotel, he couldn't help but look around and take in everything they passed. The light was dim and slightly tinted red, which went well with the red, well worn wall paper that surrounded them. The carpet beneath them showed its age with stains and grime, though it had clearly been cleaned as best as it could recently. He was sure that the only reason it wasn't spotless was it's age alone. A glance up at his lover confirmed what he was afraid of; Pentious had tensed back up at the idea of toughing out the night. Double checking that the girls weren't paying attention, he light brushed the backs of his fingers against the serpent's hand. When those rose colored eyes land on him, he gave the other man a soft smile. "It's gonna be okay." Mouthing the words was the best he could do to ensure that the girls didn't hear him, but they still made Pentious smile.

"I know." The other man returned his touch with one of his own just before they reached their destination. The princess stopped abruptly to spin around on her heel and clap her hands together.

"The party's in here! Don't be afraid to talk to anyone, I promise they won't bite." The look on Vaggie's face said otherwise, which made him a bit nervous. With that, though, the two women opened the french doors and led the way inside. The moment he stepped inside the room, his eyes darted around to take in everything, just in case. Strung up between pillars and along walls were full garlands with red and gold bows, small, glittering snowflakes had been hung throughout the room above them, and there was a massive tree off to one side that had been dressed to the nines. The sparkling red and gold ornaments, tinsel, and bells pulled the tree into the center, and at the very top was a lit star that stole the show. The twinkling of the lights made the room seem even brighter than it clearly was, since it had the same red tinted light as the rest of the hotel, just from grand chandeliers instead of sconces. It was easy pin pointing every entry and exit into the room, given their grandeur, and it made him feel a bit better knowing they were so easily accessible. The french doors they'd entered through were only one of three, but there were a second set at the far end of the room that led outside to a small courtyard he hadn't expected of the place. One last set of double doors sat in the middle of the right wall, but he couldn't work out where it could possibly lead to based on how little of the hotel's layout he knew.