Angel woke up with sore wrists. Sorer than they’d been last night. He rubbed them through the stained red bandages, hissing at the pain. He trudged into his bathroom, finding the roll of fresh ones sitting on the counter. Fat Nuggets noticed he was awake and head butted his leg softly, grunting and rolling onto his back for scritches. Angel sighed, smiling down at the pig, stroking his belly softly with his foot while he undid the cloth on his arms.
He gasped harshly as the cold morning air hit his wounds, holding the opposite hands over each arm in an attempt to keep them warm. He shivered, reaching a shaky hand over to the faucet to turn the hot water on. Just before he could though, a loud knock came from his bedroom door, scaring him.
“Angel!” He heard Husk call. He startled at the noise, hitting his head on the mirror as he tried to perk up.
“Mothafucka!” He shouted, rubbing his head as he pulled away. Fat Nuggets stirred at the commotion, squealing and circling Angel’s legs. “Come in!” He called.
It didn’t take long for Husk to appear in the doorway to the bathroom, narrowly avoiding stepping on Nugs. “Hey.” He gave the faintest smile, crossing his arms and leaning against the door jamb. “How ya holdin’ up?”
“Betta than last night.” Angel chuckled lightly, turning on the hot water. When it was warm enough, he stuck his arm under, whining at the pain.
“Here. I, uh.. gotcha somethin’.” Husk said, looking away as he held a plastic shopping bag out to Angel.
He took it from him, peering inside. “What’s this?” He wondered aloud, pulling a tube of gel out and tossing the bag in the trash.
“It’s analgesic gel.” Husk muttered to his shoes, kicking at imaginary rocks.
“Well, I do like anal.” Angel snickered.
“What? No!” Husk felt himself getting angry at the comment, stopping to take a deep breath. Not now. “Just- it has a drug in it that numbs pain. Thought you might want it.”
Angel stared down at the tube in his hand, a light blush starting to heat his face. When was the last time anyone had done something this nice for him? Did it even happen while he was alive? He felt tears prick his eyes, his nose beginning to sting as his heart ached. “Thank you.” He swallowed the lump in his throat.
“Yeah,” Husk nodded awkwardly. Then silence followed as Angel struggled, trying and failing to wrap new bandages around his arms. “Here.” The cat said, reaching for the roll. He took the gel too, tearing it open and smearing some on his fingers. “Can I?” He asked, watching for Angel’s nod to continue slathering it on his woulds.
“Fuck, that’s cold.” Angel squrimed, but stopped when a reassuring hand started rubbing up and down his opposite shoulder. “Can I ask ya somethin’?”
“Hmm?” Husk grunted, finishing wrapping Angel’s right arm and staring over again on the left.
“Why are ya bein’ so nice ta me?” He asked timidly. Husk’s expression didn’t change or falter at the question, neither did his movements. He finished with the bandages and set them on the counter, leaning on it next to them. He sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face.
“Look, I was a dick. You didn’t deserve none of what I said. Makin’ up for it, I guess.”
“How do you know what to do?”
“I uh… knew someone once. We had a lot of late nights like these.” Husk admitted, crossing his arms and speaking down at them.
“Were they nice?” Angel asked softly.
Husk nodded. “She was the best.” He smiled softly, thinking of her fondly.
“What happened?” Angel knew he had to be careful. He wouldn’t push Husk to share anything he wasn’t ready to - he was just curious.
Husk was silent a long moment. He opened his mouth a few times to start, but he couldn’t find any words. He’d never talked about her to anyone. Never even said it out loud before. Where would he start? There were so many great things about her, he wouldn’t even know where to begin. He sighed. “She-”
“Breakfast!” Alastor called through the door, knocking twice before his footsteps receded down the hallway.
Then they were back in silence before Husk pushed off the counter abruptly. “We should go down there.”
“Mhm.” Angel nodded, a bit disappointed. As they went through his room to the hall, he grabbed his gloves and hiked them high over the bandages, hoping no one else would see.
When they arrived, they found every seat at the table empty but two, right next to each other. They sat, their arms bumping and their thighs touching. They were entirely too close. But maybe Angel didn’t mind that. He wondered if Husk did.
When everyone finished eating (a meal full of ‘sorry’s and ‘oops’ for Angel and Husk), Charlie stood and led them the short way to the entertainment room. It was supposed to be warm and comfy, but the lone, small T.V. surrounded by couches made it feel liminal and claustrophobic. “Today,” she began excitedly, “we will be…” She paused for suspense. “Complimenting each other!” She gave excited jazz hands.
“Oh, joy!” Sir Pentious clapped. “I love recccceiving complimentsss!”
“Awesome!” Charlie cheered. “I’d like everyone to pair up and take turns giving each other compliments! Obviously, I would be way too good at this activity, so I’ll have to sit out so we have even numbers.”
Before Angel could even blink, Niffty started climbing Alastor and Sir Pentious was approaching Vaggie. He jumped when Husk cleared his throat beside him. “Jesus! Warn a guy before ya sneak up on him.”
Husk shrugged. “I like scarin’ people.”
“Guess we’re paired together.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Should I go first?”
“Sure.”
“Okay. I- uh- like your… shoes?” Angel guessed.
“No!” Charlie cried out, coming over to them. “You have to be sincere! Here,” she took both of their hands, joining them together. “Look in each others’ eyes, reach deep and find something you really like about him!”
“Uhm…” Angel trailed off, unsure of what to say. Then he realized just how soft Husk actually was. He look up, staring straight into his soul. “I like how soft you are. It’s comforting.”
“Perfect!” Charlie squealed, running off to manage the other groups.
“Your turn.” Angel smiled slyly.
Husk looked lost for a while, brow furrowed as he searched Angel’s eyes and face. Then, his own eyes widened as if something suddenly dawned on him. “Your eyes are beautiful.”
“Your smile’s contagious.”
“Your laugh is infectious.”
“You mix real good cocktails.”
"You got a great singin' voice."
Angel hadn't noticed it before, but they had subconsciously been getting closer to each other with each compliment. He guided Husk's hand to his waist, gazing up into his eyes with a new passion. "Your hands are really strong."
"Your lips look really soft.." Husk spoke softly, leaning in close.
"Care to find out, handsome?"
That was all the permission he needed. He leaned up, standing slightly on his toes and pressed his lips to Angel's lightly.
YOU ARE READING
Eat Shit Together - A Huskerdust Fic
FanfictionVal's been giving Angel a hard time recently, which means he's drinking more to forget his days... which means he's spending more and more time at the bar in the hotel. As Husk listens to Angel bitch and moan, he realizes something about himself...
