Eat Shit Together - A Huskerdust Fic

8: Prison

AAAAA I'm so sorry this chapter is so late you guys, I've been super duper busy lately. Hopefully with the end of the year approaching, I'll be able to write and post more. Enjoy y'all :)
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Angel tossed and turned, groaning when cold metal hit his skin. After their little spat earlier, Val chained him down to his bed unless he was filming, which was getting more frequent and relentless. He’d taken his phone too, so he had no access to the outside world. The only way he could tell what time it was was by the position of the sun through the small, barred window near the top of the room. Right now, it had to be near midnight. Stars twinkled and pulsed in the tiny sliver of sky he could see and cold air rolled over him like a wave crashing into the beach. He shivered, pulling the thin bedding over his shaky body.

“Angel~” Valentino purred, slipping into his room without a knock. 

Why would he knock? He obviously didn’t care about Angel’s privacy. He owned the building. He owned Angel.

Before he could get any closer, his nose wrinkled. “What in the fresh hell is that?” He recoiled.

“Hm?” Angel croaked blearily.

“That smell!” Val began wandering the room, sniffing everything.

“I’on smell anythin’.”

The moth moved closer to him. “Oh my God,” he wretched, “it’s you.”

“Me?” Angel’s brow furrowed, leaning his head down to smell himself.

“Fuck, go take a shower,” Val reached into the breastpocket of his coat for a key, freeing Angel’s wrists and ankles. “I’ll get someone in here to wash those pungent bedsheets and freshen up the room. God, how can you live like this?”

Of course, even when he was captured, he still had to be insulted. It wasn’t his fault that he or his room had an apparent smell. He couldn’t do anything about it when he was chained up. He still had no idea what Val was talking about, but his best guess was that he smelled like cigarettes, weed, and sex. He kept smoking, even though Charlie had been begging him to stop to ‘save his soul.’ But he’d been doing good. He’d been clean of any other drug for a while.

But he didn’t think that would last long. He knew Valentino’s little game. And he’d unfortunately been playing it since the day he signed his soul away. He’d get young, promising, destitute demons hooked on coke and compliments, have them sign the stupid contract, and then treat them like slaves. He knew they’d want to run away, and even with the power over their souls, he needed to keep them coming back. That’s why he got his stars addicted - he’d promise whatever drug they could think of, free of charge, just as long as they kept working and kept saying, ‘yes, Valentino.’ 

Angel hated himself for falling for it. Hell, his stage name was Angel Dust. Lucifer, he hadn’t had it in so long. Maybe if he started using again, Val wouldn’t have to chain him to the bed. Maybe just a little hit wouldn’t hurt. Just a little…

No. He couldn’t. What would Charlie say?

…

What would Husk say?

Is this what he’d come to? Day dreaming about a man who didn’t want him just to stop himself from relapsing? Val was right. He was pathetic.

He trudged into the locker-room style showers, finding a hellhound costar of his showering by himself. Of course, not even when showering did they get any privacy. To make matters worse, the showers had been used for a scene earlier today and, despite being showers, they were probably the dirtiest thing he’d ever seen - his room down the hall included. “Hey.” The hellhound - Andre - muttered as he continued scrubbing his fur.

“Mm.” Angel grunted back, finding the least grubby bar of soap to wash himself with.

“Tough day?” Andre looked over at him.

“You know Val.” He replied drily. “Treatin’ us like slaves.”

“Yeah.” He heard as he turned to his shower head, trying to scrub away his sorrows. “Why’s he pissed at you?”

“Tried to move out.” At that, Andre sucked air through his clenched teeth.

“He doesn’t like that.” He shook his head.

“Yeah, no shit. Fucker chained me to my bed unless I ain’t filmin’.”

“You gotta think about it,” Andre told him, like he was his mother, “way he sees it, the more you get away, the less control he has over you. Plus, you’re at that rehab place. Makes him even more nervous.”

“It’s not rehab. Hell, our bartender is an alcoholic.”

“But when was the last time you took anything else?”

Angel didn’t respond, turning the question over in his mind like it would reveal the answer on the other side. “I dunno.” He said quietly, rinsing himself under the freezing water.

“Exactly.” For the first time, the hellhound turned to face him head on after turning his faucet off, and suddenly he knew why his stage name was Andre The Giant.

“I still smoke though. And vices is a sin. Believe me, ain’t nothing I do at that hotel is gonna get me into heaven.”

Andre shook his head playfully, a sly smile on his lips. “You gone soft, man.”

To hide the revelation, Angel shouted after him. “But you can make me hard again, daddy!”

But, as soon as he knew no one could see him anymore, he let his head fall against the wall. He didn't care how cold and disgusting it was, he just needed to wrap his head around what Andre had said.

He didn't even recognize himself anymore. Nevermind the daily beatings he received from Val, he was so different from who he was a few months ago. Had the hotel really changed him that much? Who was he?

He finished his shower before he could drown in his thoughts. He was fine. He would be fine... right?

"Psst!"

He shook his head. This stupid place was getting to be too much for him.

"Psst!"

Angel's eyebrows knitted together, looking around a bit. What the hell was making that noise?

"Over here, hehehe!" The small barred window near the top of the room shouted, immediately followed by a chorus of shushes.

He walked over, using his top arms to grab the bars and his secondary arms to hoist himself up by the ledge. "Holy shit!" He gasped as one giant eye blinked back at him. He fell to the ground with a groan, the shushing returning. He climbed back up, looking down to find a tower of demons with Niffty staring back at him from atop Husk's shoulders. "What the hell are you guys doin' here?" He whisper shouted.

"We're here to bail you out." Husk smirked up at him.