HuskerDust Oneshots

After The High

It was after midnight at the Hazbin Hotel. Husk was wiping down the bar for the night, but he hadn't made his way to his room just yet. His eyes kept glancing back and forth at the door and the clock in the parlor. The time seemed to go by slower every time he looked. It had nearly reached one a.m. when the front door opened and Angel Dust came stumbling in, leaning against the door. Husk lifted his head from where he was resting it on the bar.
"Hey, you're back. What took you so...". Husk took one look at him and knew something was wrong. His pupils were heavily dilated, he could barely keep his bloodshot eyes open, his hair was a mess, and he was breathing heavily. There was no mistake, Angel was high.
From Angel's perspective, it was worse than it looked. The front door was the only thing holding him up at this point. His vision was so blurry, he could barely see two feet in front of him, his limbs all felt like lead, his heart was racing, his head was spinning, his body was overheated, he felt sick to his stomach, and he was so, so tired.
"Angel?" Husk called to him, but Angel didn't hear. In this state, every sound was distorted and distant, but all at once, it felt too loud. A whisper sounded like a scream. The soft buzzing of the lights was like TV static turned up to a hundred. Colors meshed together and pulled apart. The room went in and out of focus. It was all too much. The next thing Angel knew, the floor seemed to fall out from under him. He must've lost his balance and started to fall. Husk practically flew over the counter to catch the spider before his head hit the floor. He grabbed Angel's face, forcing him to look him in the eye as best he could.
"Angel. Angel, look at me. You're gonna be okay.", he told him firmly.
Angel could hear the words, but he couldn't tell who was saying them. His distorted, hallucinating vision didn't help either. He felt himself slowly being lifted up as his eyes finally closed.
When Angel woke up the next day, his eyes slowly adjusted to the familiar pink hue of his room. He touched his neck to realize his bowtie was missing. That's when he looked down at what he was wearing. He was in his comfortable purple sweater, his usual black shorts, and a pair of thigh high socks. Had he changed when he got to his room? He could only remember bits and pieces of the night. He saw himself bent over a toilet, throwing up. Something cold being pressed to his head and neck. Cold water gently running down his throat. A soft but deep voice talking to him.
He couldn't think too much about it because there was an awful ringing in his ears and all his muscles felt sore. He felt disgusting but his head finally felt clear, his heart was beating normally again, and his vision was no longer distorted. He groaned as he slowly sat up, and a familiar hand was pressed to his head. He looked up and was face to face with his sweet bartender boyfriend.
"Husk?", he hoarsely spoke. The cat looked down at him and smiled.
"Hey baby. How you feelin'?", he asked, sweeping the tangled mess of the spider's hair back from his face.
"Like shit. Everythin' after I left work is a blur and my head is killin' me"
"I figured. You were high when you came home. Wanna tell me what happened?"
"Val", Angel groaned. Husk rolled his eyes. Val always didn't know how to control himself when dosed Angel.
"Well, I can't say I'm surprised. I'm more impressed you made it home in one piece in that kind of state", Husk commented as he placed an ice pack on Angel's burning forehead. A sharp pain went through Angel's head when he felt the cold condensation, shaking loose a memory of the night before.

It was around two a.m. and Angel had just finished violently emptying out the remaining contents of his stomach, and was curled up in a ball on the bathroom floor, his entire body shuddering. Husk could feel Angel's body beginning to quickly overheat again and quickly pressed a cold cloth to the back of the spider's neck. He knew Angel hated the cold, but he had to sober him up somehow. He had to get Valentino's pheromones out of his system. As he switched placing the cloth on Angel's neck and face, he rubbed circles into his back. With his head laid against Husk's lap, Angel started to sob uncontrollably and profusely apologize.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm sorry I'm like this"
"Anthony, stop. It's okay. This ain't your fault. It's Val's. He did this to you. You have no reason to be sorry"

Angel suddenly got a pang of second hand embarrassment in his chest. He knew he could get emotional after the come-down of an intense high when he was alone, but he never meant to make Husk have to deal with him when he was like that.
"I'm sorry that I acted so... dramatic last night. I didn't mean to make you deal with all that", Angel apologized.
"It's alright, I didn't mind. Lots of people get emotional when they're high or drunk. I just didn't want something worse to happen to you.", Husk replied. A small smile found its way onto Angel's face. "Besides, you're always dramatic", Husk teased as he removed the ice pack, placed it on a cloth on the bedside table, and put his hand on Angel's neck.
"Well, looks like you've still got a fever. Why don't you go back to sleep? I'll let Charlie know you're not feeling too good". Husk stood up to leave Angel to rest until Angel grabbed his hand.
"Wait, Husk-" Angel called to him, his voice still hoarse and scratchy in his throat, causing him to go into a coughing fit. Husk quickly turned and gave Angel a few pats on the back to help him catch his breath. Angel's chest heaved and he groaned in pain as he inhaled. Husk grabbed the glass of water from the bedside table and handed it to Angel which he gratefully gulped down.
"Thanks", he choked out. His voice came out a strangled whisper.
"You're welcome. Were you gonna ask me to stay?" Husk asked. Angel nodded. Husk readjusted himself to lay down on the bed and gently brought Angel to lay his head down on his chest, lazily tracing patterns and shapes on Angel's back. The spider felt his eyelids grow heavy and let them close as he nuzzled into the cat. As Husk felt Angel's body relax and his breathing slow, he kissed his head and continued to rub his back. The memory of the chaotic night before flashed through his head as he stared up at the pink ceiling.

By the time he'd gotten Angel upstairs and into his room, the spider had bolted from his arms and straight to the bathroom to vomit his guts out. Husk hurried after him and just held Angel and rubbed his stomach while he emptied it. He was sweating, but his whole body shuddered like he was freezing. His mascara began to streak down his face with the sweat and involuntary tears that pricked his eyes from the intense vomiting. Husk grabbed a cloth and soaked it with cold water. Angel was burning up with a fast spreading fever. Husk knew he had to cool him down. He removed Angel's bowtie and pressed the towel on his neck and forehead.
Angel continued to throw up two more times in twenty minute intervals until nearly two in the morning, babbling incoherent nonsense in the process. When he finally stopped, he curled up into a ball on the floor and laid his head in Husk's lap. By now, he was in nothing but his thigh high socks and black shorts. Then Husk heard sniffling and choked whimpers.
"Anthony, are you cryin'?", he questioned.
"Yeah. I'm sorry, I'm tryin' to stop but... I can't", Angel whimpered.
"What's wrong, baby?", he asked softly.
"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry that this happened. I'm sorry I'm like this", Angel sobbed.
"Anthony, stop. It's okay. This ain't your fault. It's Val's. He did this to you. You have no reason to be sorry". Angel continued to sniffle and quietly sob for a few more minutes until he finally managed to get out another coherent sentence.
"I just wanna go to sleep", he whispered.
" Alright. Let's get you to bed then", Husk replied. He peeled Angel off the floor and sat him on the sink to wipe off his makeup. Once all the makeup was removed, Husk carried Angel to his bed, put his sweater on him, and laid him down to sleep. Angel fell asleep the second his head hit the pillow. Husk pulled out the chair at Angel's vanity and sat down, watching the spider's chest gently rise and fall and listened to the sound of his soft breathing fill the room.

Husk had spent the rest of the previous night monitoring his boyfriend just in case something were to happen and he'd willingly spend the day taking care of him if it meant keeping him as far out of Valentino's reach for as long as possible. He knew there was a chance of this incident repeating itself, but for Angel; for Anthony, Husk would do it all again.