High Stakes
Fandom: Hazbin Hotel
Ship: Husk/Angel
Word Count: 1,393
Warnings: None
Husk looked up from wiping down the bar as the doors swung open. He recognized the footsteps immediately. The stride belied their owner’s confident and purposeful movements. Angel’s eyes glowed lightly as he emerged from the dark entranceway and made for the bar. He had that slow, sad way of moving that Husk recognized.
“Long night?” Husk offered.
“Ugh, I don’t even wanna talk about it.”
He avoided eye contact as he planted himself on a stool, his first set of hands lighting up a cigarette as the others worked his tie loose. Husk grunted his acknowledgement as he pulled out Angel’s favorite booze. But Angel put a hand out to stop him from opening it.
“Not tonight,” he sighed, smoke seeping from between sharp teeth.
Husk put it away, his concern betrayed only for a moment in the way his ears pricked up, his eyes becoming only the slightest bit more alert. Angel’s eyes turned from him again, his fingers scratching across the grain of the bar as he sat back before balling into a fist at his knee.
Sometimes being a bartender meant leaving the patron alone. But Angel wasn’t just some random asshole. He knew what kind of bullshit usually preceded this mood. And he knew where Angel’s thoughts would lead him. He wasn’t about to let them fester.
Husk drew Angel’s attention as a card hit the elbow he had propped on the bar. The rest of the hand followed, each card arriving in silence. He sighed and gathered them up. Husk was a sweetheart when he wanted to be. He managed a sad little smile at his efforts.
“What’re the stakes tonight?”
“Me.”
Angel’s cigarette fell from his fingers and hit the bar. Another hand grabbed it up and snubbed it out before it could do any damage.
“What?”
“You heard me,” Husk snapped. “You want me so damn bad, you gotta win me.”
“Wait. Like. I get to sleep with ya?”
Angel gave him the cutest goddamn grin in his arsenal, eyes big and shining with hope. Well, Husk had gotten what he wanted. Now he had a whole game of poker to decide if he’d give Angel what he wanted.
“It’s what you want, isn’t it? Fuck, if I know why.”
Angel practically squeaked as he held his cards up to his face. But then they fell again along with his enthusiasm.
“Wait, yer not just fuckin’ with me are ya?”
“Not unless you win.”
Husk gave Angel a smug, satisfied look.
“Proud of that one, are ya?” Angel shot back with a smirk. “What if you win?”
Husk hadn’t thought about that. Wasn’t like this was a well conceived plan or anything. What he wanted most was for Angel to stop working for that bastard Val. But he wasn’t fucking stupid. Situations like that weren’t simple. Demanding Angel just up and quit could be dangerous.
“Didn’t think of one cause you knew I’d beat ya?” Angel urged.
“Nothin’ I can ask you to do, anyway.”
Angel’s grin faded as their eyes met. He knew what Husk wanted. He wanted it too. But it wasn’t possible. He couldn’t do it.
“He’d kill me.”
Husk looked away first. Dammit he hadn’t meant to bring this subject back up.
“Yeah, I know, kid.” What else could he say? “How about you just owe me one instead.”
Angel laughed.
“Yer gonna pull the unnamed favor on a mobster?”
“Hey, my ass is on the line here! Take it or leave it!”
“Oh, I’ll take it,” Angel assured him.
The game went on into the night. As usual they were both cheating and they both knew it. Angel might have picked up some of his tricks, but he didn’t execute them nearly as well. The outcome remained his to decide. If only he could make up his damn mind.
Angel gave a little cry of triumph as he won a hand, feet kicking against the bar in his excitement. Husk growled and shuffled the deck, making sure the next hand would be in his favor.
“What’d ya want my old ass for so bad anyway?” he demanded as he dealt the next hand.
Angel had an innocent look as he answered.
“You’re cute.”
Husk made a sound of disgust.
“Right. I’m a freak.”
“A cute freak.”
Angel still had that innocent, almost simple smile. Husk studied his cards, trying to ignore the tightness in his throat. He hated it when Angel talked about him like that. Nothin cute about being a fuckin monster.
“Besides, you’re safe.”
That caught him off guard.
“What?”
“You care about me.” Angel bit his lip and avoided looking at him as he took a couple of cards. “You wouldn’t hurt me. Sometimes I have these dreams…”
Angel shook his head.
“Now I’m makin’ it weird.”
“Weirder than betting your own fuckin body in a poker game?”
Husk took a few cards himself, silently cursing that Angel’d thrown him off and he’d missed the ones he’d intended to get. Angel smiled dreamily at him, but Husk kept his eyes on his cards. Not that he could really see them at this point. Felt like a fuckin panic attack coming on.
“Sometimes I dream you soar down from the sky and rip Val up like some kinda maniac.”
“Hell, kid, I’ve had that one.”
“And then you and me, we just stay here at this hotel. You, me, and Nuggs. A fucked up dysfunctional little demon family. Ain’t that a riot?”
Husk called it and spread out his hand, all the air sucked out of his chest. The way Angel talked about him made him feel sick inside. He couldn’t be all the things Angel wanted him to be. He couldn’t be his fuckin knight in shining armor. He couldn’t even manage his own god damn emotions when it came to the guy.
“I won,” Angel gasped before exclaiming in glee. “Oh my god! I won!”
Their hands finally came into focus as Angel’s celebration brought him out of his own failings. Well, at least there was something he could do for him.
“Lucky hand,” he excused. “But a win’s a win.”
Angel’s face could barely contain his grin as he hopped off the stool, practically bouncing.
“Oh, Husk. You don’t gotta.”
What, and break the kid’s heart?
“A bet’s a bet.”
Angel was around the bar before he knew it, taking his hands in a pair of his own. The other two cupped his face and turned it up. He still glowed with excitement, but a softness shone in his eyes.
“Are you sure? I don’t wanna hurt ya, Husky.”
He wasn’t. Not really. He still hated this fuckin body. He hated any attention being brought to it, much less ...this. But if he could trust anyone with this train wreck, it was Angel. A paw rose to grasp Angel’s wrist, pulling one of his hands away enough for Husk to turn his face into the palm and sigh.
“You won’t hurt me.”
Angel could die right there. How could he be so damn cute?
“All right,” Husk cleared his throat and pulled back. “Everything’s your call, kid.”
One of his hands still held Husk’s and he swung it softly.
“Tomorrow? Can we have a date?”
“That wasn’t part of the deal,” Husk started to object. But damn that face of his. “But you’re in charge. No clubs.”
Angel nodded.
“Can I have a goodnight kiss?”
“Yeah, all right.”
Husk felt himself detaching from his body even as he agreed. Angel did his best to bring him back. The bottom set of hands pawed at his arms as the main hands took his face again. This forced him to look into his eyes.
From the look there, Husk expected some kind of prolonged, erotically charged kiss and braced himself. But Angel just pressed his lips softly against Husk’s and released him, a warm, satisfied smile aimed down at him.
“Goodnight.”
“Yeah.”
It was all Husk could manage, but it didn’t seem to bother Angel. A hand slid down his arm as he moved away and kept a hold on his hand as long as he could before the distance between them returned it to Husk’s side.
Once Angel had disappeared, Husk turned to the bottle as was his natural instinct. What the fuck was he thinking?