Mad Dog - Husk x Reader (18+)

3. Cursed Be I

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It wasn't the first time Husk had awoken to find himself still slouched over the bar counter, a half-drunk bottle of whiskey in his fist. And it certainly wouldn't be the last. He groaned as he sat up, holding his throbbing head in his free hand and rubbing his tired eyes. He slipped off the barstool onto his feet and glanced at the clock on the wall. Almost five o'clock.

With another groan, he staggered upstairs to hide away in his room and finish the whiskey in his grip, but he stopped at the sound of a tiny gasp when he reached the third floor. He lifted his head, spotting a figure now standing frozen in the middle of the hallway.

He arched an eyebrow and rested a hand on his hip. "A little early for breakfast, don't you think?" he said softly.

(Y/N) tentatively looked him in the eye, her arms tightly drawn to her chest. "Oh, hi, Husk," she said quietly. "I wasn't going to the kitchen. I, um . . . I was going to see if Charlie was awake."

"I doubt even she's awake this early," he remarked. He moved closer, partly closing the gap between them, and folded his arms over his chest. In the low light he could see the smaller demon standing tensely in front of him, her back and shoulders slightly hunched forward. She was barefoot, clad in only an oversized nightshirt that stopped just above her knees, and her dampened hair led him to assume that she was freshly out of the shower.

"You alright?" he asked her after a moment.

(Y/N) nodded, staring down at the space between their feet. "I'm okay. I just. . ." She briefly gnawed on her bottom lip, a light shade of red dusting her cheeks. "I—I started my period this morning. . ."

"Oh," Husk responded with a curt nod. Then he stiffened, his eyes widening. "Oh."

"I-I'm sorry," she muttered, eyes abashedly glued to the floor. "I know it's not really your problem—it's just that it's the first time I've had one since I came down here, and I don't have anything to . . . I-I don't know what I. . ."

Her words died on her lips when Husk turned and started back down the stairs. "C'mon," he said in a somewhat paternal voice. (Y/N) followed him downstairs, tugging at the hem of her nightshirt to cover her cold thighs as they reached the lobby, and he led her to a small supply closet in the back corner of the lobby, opening the door and gesturing for (Y/N) to enter.

"I know I've seen that type of thing in here before," he said, nodding at the bottom shelf. "Should be somewhere next to the other bathroom stuff if we got any."

(Y/N) knelt down and scoured through a small wicker basket on the bottom shelf, letting out a sigh of relief when she found a surplus of sanitary pads and tampons. She clutched a handful of the products to her chest and pushed herself back to her feet, flashing Husk a grateful smile.

"Thank you, Husk," she said. "I owe you one."

A half-smile tugged at his lips, fading as quickly as it appeared. "Don't mention it," he said before shutting the door behind her and leading her back upstairs. They reached the second floor when Husk added with a smirk, "Then again, maybe you could do somethin' for me."

(Y/N) cut her eyes at him and replied skeptically, "And what would that be?"

He shrugged coyly. "I haven't decided yet," he teased, his smirk growing. "I think I'll save it for a rainy day."

"Why do I have a bad feeling about this?" she deadpanned.

He waved a hand in dismissal. "Ah, don't worry about it. Odds are I'll forget about this whole conversation by next week."