Pink & Black

Chapter Two: Black

Tsuka wasn't particularly happy when he got sent to Hell.

When he died, he just remembered feeling his body go numb, feeling everything in him stop working. His lungs, his heart, everything. To him, it felt like he was turned to stone, in a sense.

When he "regained consciousness", he found himself in a dark alleyway, in a town that seemed to be theming the colour red. It wasn't long until he discovered that he himself looked very different-

He was two feet taller at seven feet and two inches tall, but... he was covered in black, shiny, shaggy fur. He was a literal human wolf, with a muzzle and ears and tail.

He didn't know what it was yet, but he was a black hellhound- a rather skinny one at that. He found that his human characteristics carried over, as he still had a skinny and slightly feminine body from before he got his transition surgery.

Stumbling to his wolf-like legs, struggling to keep his balance with his new height, he took a deep breath, shakily stepping forward, but only succeeded in falling forward. However, he found himself on his hands when he fell, feeling like this form of walking was easier to go by for now.

He walked out into the streets on all fours, just merely looking like a black dog with really long legs. "Where the Hell am I..." He mumbled, looking around at all the different types of people. There were a couple other hellhounds like him, but they looked different.

He walked up to someone, and, after receiving strange looks for how he was standing, he leaned against a lamppost and stood up. "Um..." He began, "C-Can you tell me where I am?"

A burly looking horse-human looked at him. "You're in Hell, kid. You new here?"

Tsuka's heart sank. Well shit. He thought to himself.

But that was five years ago. He's grown accustomed to his new home, got a job at a hotel called the "Hazbin Hotel", and lives in an apartment that was once a motel. It's just a one-room one-bath apartment, but to Tsuka, it's home. It's cheap, affordable, but it's not the best at times. Every now and then the power will go out, or the water will stop working or get dirty, or the neighbours on the left will blast music and bang each other really late at night. Those were nights he had to go to work early, and it was never fun. Sometimes he would bang his fist on the wall to try and get them to shut up, but then they'd just be louder about it.

Tsuka has filed in multiple noise complaints, but they were all never answered.

He got used to it though, because he eventually bought a phone and some cheap wired earbuds. He would just put his music on and let the music help him fall asleep. That was really one of the few things he enjoyed down here in Hell.

Along his five years so far, he struggled. Financially, mentally, and emotionally... he didn't have any friends. So, he was mostly alone, but he at least had his music. And as long as he had his music, he was happy.

He also discovered a star called "Angel Dust". Curious, he looked them up. At first, he didn't like all of the various types of porn results, but after one of his coworkers told him that the films are pretty decent, he watched one. He didn't like... the porn part, but he loved the acting, the set-up, everything. He grew to love Angel Dust and his work. 

So, he grew to like Angel Dust over the years. Eventually, he found out the star would be performing at a local bar nearby. Tsuka was excited, to say the least. He would love to go see the actor in action, to see how he does it in person. Just one ticket was very expensive though, but Tsuka would slip half of his paycheck money into his savings.

And then, on the day he got paid, he bought a ticket at the last minute, because the performance was the day after his next paycheck. He raced home to get ready.

"What should I even wear...?" He mumbled, throwing clothes over his shoulder as he dug through his drawers. He found a wide necked white shirt that had ripped seams (it was a part of the shirt) and threw it on, thinking it would look nice. His left shoulder stuck out of the wide neck. He also put on one of his favourite chokers, which had a metal heart for a clasp at the centre. He also wore some light-toned ripped jeans and his black boots.

After getting dressed, he looked at the mess of clothes behind him, deciding he would clean up after he got back from the performance.

Little did he know, he would be getting a visitor later that night...

~ ~ ~

The line for the performance was ridiculously long, but Tsuka wasn't surprised. The thirty-two-year-old Hellhound had his patience, and his patience paid off. He talked with some of the people in the line to pass the time... not that everyone was particularly nice. He would talk to them about what the performances were like, as this was his first, and they mainly told him that there will be a lot of security. Another reason for that is because Angel Dust likes to interact with his crowd a lot, and sometimes, rarely, he brings people onto the stage.

As the line moved forward, Tsuka turned in his ticket and slowly went with the crowd into the building, letting security lead them. Tsuka was fairly early, so he could go closer to the stage. There were a lot of pink lights and people already dancing. Tsuka's ears drooped and he chuckled awkwardly. This wasn't really his thing, but he still somehow managed to become a fan of Angel Dust's. He didn't really care for the porn, he mainly just liked Angel in general. He realised that this building was a club, Angel being the main attraction.

He went over to the bartender and ordered a drink, sitting at one of the barstools and just watching everyone else while he waited for the show to start.

"How old are ya, kid?" The bartender suddenly asked, causing Tsuka to turn to him.

Tsuka set his drink down beside him. "Thirty-two," he answered. "Why?" He tilted his head a bit.

The bartender looked Tsuka up and down, taking in his appearance. "You seem pretty innocent to be at a place like this," He said, earning a sheepish smile from Tsuka. "What brings you?"

"Ah, just..." Tsuka scratched the back of his ear, ruffling out his hair a bit. "I really like Angel Dust and his acting, so I wanted to see him in-person."

The bartender's expression turned to mild surprise. "You're not here for the porn and the kinky dancers?"

Tsuka looked at him, slowly shaking his head. "No...?"

The bartender thought for a moment, grabbing a towel from underneath the counter and drying out a glass bottle. It was hard to see him in the dark lighting, but he seemed faintly familiar to Tsuka.

He had cat-like ears, and wings...

"Wait, Husk!" Tsuka said, sitting up. "I didn't know that was you!" Tsuka has seen him every now and then at the hotel, but they never really saw each other much because of the times Tsuka is at work.

Tsuka also knew Angel Dust practically lived at the hotel, but they've never met, because of, once again, the times he works, and because Tsuka works in different parts of the hotel. He works at the unkempt hotel rooms, since they don't have many visitors, the rooms always get dusty and have to be cleaned every once in a while.

Husk chuckled, putting away the cup. "Yep, I asked Angel if I could attend his performance and help out with the other bartenders. He should be out in about ten minutes."

Tsuka chuckled as well, taking another sip from his drink. "Well, I shouldn't be surprised. But it's nice to see you, we don't talk much." He took another swig of his drink before he set it down and added, "I had a feeling it was you, because no other drinks taste like yours."

Husk rolled his eyes, but there was a small smile on his face. "Thanks, kid."

Tsuka drank the rest of his drink and bid his farewell to Husk before returning to his spot near the stage. The lights were beginning to dim, and Tsuka knew that the performance was about to start. He looked up towards the stage, seeing that it has gotten dark. He could see the faint shadowy silhouette of someone on the pole, and his heart jumped in excitement.

Then, the lights shone, revealing Angel Dust himself positioned against the pole, his back to it and his arms wrapped around the pole behind him.

This was the start of a performance no story could ever perform.