A silly Black Friday
Nov. 28th, 2025 08:45 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cornerofmadnessDidn't really shop unless you count the liquor store (I do). My friend MKF wanted to meet up at Tim Horton's in Athens. We tried to recapture the old Nano energy this year. No one showed up us two but that's okay. We're enough. We're planning to try again in Feb (though that might have to be Saturday afternoons or online). We actually spend more time talking than writing but ah well.
My throat and tooth still hurt. Fun times but I picked up a Skeletonwitch pizza in Athens and taunted my mother with it (I need to buy her one on my way home)
But here's the weird thing. As I left today my landlord's truck was out there with a trailer holding a washing machine...wait? You are putting machines IN our apartment. I DO NOT have one. Now I need to make another phone call. I REALLY need to get my shit together tomorrow and Sunday and clean up this place so I can get him in here.
Also Hazbin Hotel is now officially my most spendy fandom since the Buffyverse (which still wears the trading money for magic beans crown) It needs to have less cool merch.
And now on to the Fannish 50 friday recs. Look, I wrote a thing.
Title: Never Gonna Give You Up
Summary: Angel is gone. Husk disappears into a bottle and stays there until he swims to rock bottom. Determined not to leave Angel with his abusers, Husk sobers enough and proposes his plan to the rest of the hotel. They’ll help him. They may already have plans he was too drunk to notice. All Husk knows he’s never going to give Angel up and desert him.
Rating: teen
Notes: This is open ended (because I’m writing it for a weekly challenge) and certainly won’t be my last speculation on how the hotel crew get Angel back from the Vees.
Content warning – alcoholism and addiction references.
Written for Spikesgirl58’s six word challenge. The words were Faded, Odd, Coherent, Consign, Rise, & Dwell. Also written for the allbingo prompt of Love is putting someone else's needs before your own (a quote by Olaf in Frozen).
Also written for the lyrical titles bingo challenge for the prompt, a meme song. I chose the GOAT of meme songs Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. Ha, that’s right, I just Rickrolled my whole readership (wearing an Alastor grin right now, or at the very least, Rosie’s).
No, I'm never gonna give you up
No, I'm never gonna let you down
No, I'll never run around and hurt you
I'll never, ever desert you
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
The pain should have faded by now but it hadn’t. The ocean of booze hadn’t washed it away. It had taken Alastor yanking his chain to get Husk to drink a little less but it only lasted a brief bit of time before he sank into the bottle again. Every time he began to dwell on Angel, seeing the absolute agony and shame on his face as he begged Husk and Cherri to forget him playing on a loop, Husk put the bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.
He’d been horrible to Charlie when she tried to talk to him. He’d ignored Vaggi. He was too numb to even feel Cherri’s fist when she socked him. Finally, after getting kicked onto his back in a hallway so Niffty could clean the puddles of vomit and piss under him and her spraying him with lemon water to clean him up, Husk admitted he’d hit rock bottom. He had to rise out of the bottle and actually do something.
He'd dragged into his room, into the shower and then under the drying fans and lights before falling into his bed to sleep it off. Husk wasn’t even sure what time it was when he finally woke up, brushed his fangs vigorously and had a cigarette for breakfast.
I’m a sex worker whose lunch was three cigarettes.
Husk closed his eyes shut against the memory of that afternoon. Angel had been beautiful in that lounge. Every cock in the place had been up, Husk’s included. Husk had moved from overthinking his relationship with Angel to saying ‘fuck it, you are in love again after all this time. Tell the guy. Love him for all you’re worth.’
And just like that Angel was gone.
Wrapping his arms around himself, Husk leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the mirror. He’d been so right in the casino. Gin never lies or fucks you over. People do. He should consign Angel to the pile of people who had fucked him over.
Angel didn’t mean to. He didn’t have a choice.
That did nothing to comfort him. It all hurt so fucking much. Husk peeled himself off the glass and brushed his hair, slicked it back and looked at a man he hadn’t seen styled like this since he had been an overlord.
You still sort of are. Look at the power you dumped into stopping Vox’s weapon. Look at how you fought Valentino. You are more than a sad drunk at a bar and it’s time to start acting like it. The people in this hotel are all Angel has. If you don’t shape up, then he has nothing.
Husk actually dug a shirt out of the closet. He didn’t have many and this one was rumpled but would have to do. He walked downstairs, slow, each leaden footfall filling him with anxiety. How did he apologize for his behavior?
“Oh, as if you don’t have plenty of practice back when you were alive,” he muttered to himself. Fat Nuggets raced over to him at the foot of the stairs and Husk scooped the pig up. He nuzzled Husk who hoped Charlie or Cherri had fed the pig when he was too blackout drunk to do shit. The best he could do for Nuggets was to put one of Angel’s shirts in a pig bed so he could have his daddy with him and put the bed in his own room. More times than not, he’d wake up with Fat Nuggets sleeping with his head on Husk’s belly.
“I’m going to let you gobble all of my bar nuts,” he whispered to the pig. He had to take the best care of Fat Nuggets for when Angel came home.
When he walked into the lobby area, Niffty and Baxter were at the bar sharing what looked like a milkshake. He raised his eyebrows at the sight. He’d never seen the tiny former overlord so happy as she was with Baxter. At least Alastor was nowhere to be seen for the moment and the less Husk thought about the new Alastor the better. A rival news station to 666 News had run footage of the night of the party. The general consensus of the group was ‘yes, they did see a soul chain breaking.’ Husk’s money was on the moment Charlie had declared Vox more powerful than Alastor. He didn’t know what had been in Alastor’s contract but he knew it was null and void. He felt his owner grow stronger and whatever came next wouldn’t be good. He wasn’t sure why Alastor was back at the hotel but he trusted that far less than he would Angel even if Vox were still controlling him. And where the fuck was Vox? Vaggi should have jammed her spear into his head.
Vaggi and Charlie sat on the round couch, cuddling. Charlie had been ebullient ever since her mother had called. Was Lilith coming back? For Charlie’s sake, he hoped so because she was taking Angel’s defection hard.
Cherri was on the opposite arc of the couch pit, scribbling on paper. It was no doubt another letter to Pentious. Emily promised she would carry them for her. He didn’t know how long that would last. It seemed like a vulnerability because other demons might rebel, especially knowing Lucifer couldn’t do anything. Could Lilith? Charlie could and Husk hated that she might be forced to hurt people.
Shifting Fat Nuggets to one arm, Husk swept his top hat off his head, wishing he could disappear inside it and stay there. Well, he could disappear but eventually, he’d have to pop back out. He couldn’t find words to address them as much as he wanted to. God, he wanted a drink to steady his nerves but one drink lead to a dozen. Cherri slapped the couch next to her.
“If you don’t smell like piss and vomit, sit here,” she called merrily but the censure was there in her big eye.
Husk could hardly blame her for her bluntness. He’d been disgusting for days. “Maybe I should stand but I’m fine. I’m cleaned up.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even know you owned a shirt. Angie lamented your fashion sense.”
Husk let out a choked laugh. “I know. I…I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. I’d love to say I’ve not been myself but I’ve been more myself than usual.”
“Husk….” Charlie started and it sounded like she was ready to apologize for him.
He whipped up a hand. “I’m an alcoholic, Charlie. I was a functional one most of my life and afterlife. I’ve just been less functional right now.”
“No shit.” Cherri snorted.
“You sound coherent now,” Vaggi said.
“Because I can’t help Angel if I’m blacked out in a corner. And I don’t even have to ask if we think we should help him. I know we’re all on the same page.”
“I’m not,” Baxter called from the bar and Husk gave him the finger.
As Fat Nuggets started to squirm, Husk put him down. He ran to Cherri and jumped up on the couch with her. She stroked the pig’s back.
“Angel didn’t mean to betray the hotel.” Husk turned his hat in his hands before settling it back on his head.
“I know,” Charlie said. “And I want to bring him home, too. We’ve trying to think of ways that won’t make his situation worse.”
Husk sat down with Cherri as Baxter said, “He’s a VoxTek pawn. If Vox’s still around, he can control the porn star.”
Husk wanted to scream for Baxter to shut the fuck up. He didn’t know Angel really and obviously didn’t care but he might need the fish bastard. “Is Vox still around? Valentino is in charge. Who knows what that psycho did with Vox after he ripped off his head.”
That part of the footage that was aired was as shocking as what happened with Alastor. Husk knew how savage Valentino was from Angel’s stories but that had been next level. Worse, hell owed the psycho one for doing it. Katie Killjoy was certainly playing Val up as the hero Husk knew he wasn’t.
“But Valentino is the problem.” Vaggi said.
“Always has been,” Cherri grumbled.
“Husk, the last time I went to the studio to help Angel, it went badly.” Charlie frowned, hugging herself. Vaggi pulled her against her.
It had gone worse than Charlie knew. Angel made Husk swear not to tell her about the brutal bondage scene Valentino had made him do in retaliation.
“I know we can’t storm the Vee Towers again, not even with Baxter’s help. But we also know Angel can’t be controlled by Val outside of the studio. I wish he remembered that.” Husk sighed. “It’s an odd caveat to Angel’s contract but the kid was in the mob. He knows how to work a deal.”
“The mob….” Charlie trailed off.
“Right, you weren’t part of those therapy sessions.” Pretty much it was less therapy and more Angel and Husk drinking and talking but he wasn’t telling Charlie that. “Angel is being eaten alive by shame and guilt. I get that. I know what it’s like to be deeply ashamed of yourself which, no offense, Charlie, you probably don’t. Vaggi, maybe with how you didn’t tell us you were a fallen angel. Cherri, I don’t know why you got into drugs. Maybe shame was part of it. I don’t need to know. I just know I drink and Angel has always done drugs because of the shame. He was using less because he felt safe here but now Angel’s one safe place is gone.”
“He did feel safe here,” Cherri said.
“And Vox robbed him of it,” Husk spat, pulling a poker chip from his pocket. He rolled it between his fingers, charging it and wishing he could shove it into Vox’s mouth. “He can’t feel safe here. He has to be thinking you’ll hate him, Charlie. He’s afraid he’ll have to hurt us and, with Val holding his leash, he isn’t wrong. Angel would have crushed Cherri’s neck if I hadn’t stopped him. You have no idea how horrible it is to be unable to stop yourself. I’ve had to fight Alastor’s battles with him, no choice. I came to this hotel, no choice. It is the worst fucking feeling in all of hell. Angel went back to his abuser to spare us what happens if Valentino says boo to him.”
“I do know what that feels like,” Vaggi said, surprising him. “I didn’t get much choice in following Adam’s rules, doing what I was told, loving only those who were approved by him and trust me, it was him we were meant to be loving.” A veil fell across her face. “You’re right. It feels awful. And when I rebelled against an unfair order to slaughter a child…I fell. If Charlie hadn’t found me, who’s to say I wouldn’t have ended up a rock bottom addict too.”
Husk stared at her, surprised by her raw, honest answer. Charlie hugged Vaggi tighter.
“But what can we do that won’t make it worse?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know.” Cherri gathered Fat Nuggets to her chest and pressed a cheek against his head. “I’ve seen him three times and he’s in a bad way. Angel is…broken. He was barely conscious all three times and once he was with Valentino, high off his ass. I didn’t dare talk to him then. The two times I caught him alone, I tried to talk to him.”
Husk snapped his jaw shut realizing it had fallen open into a little O. Had she told him about this? He had a blurry recollection of it but probably he had been as barely conscious as Angel. He was fairly sure she had asked him to help kidnap Angel but he’d been too drunk to move and the one time he had been drunk enough to ride to the rescue, she’d be unconscious, slumped on the bar. What a platonic threesome he, Angel and Cherri made.
“I tried to get him to come back on his own. I told him how much Fat Nuggets needed him and he cried like a baby but he wouldn’t give in. I told him we were his friends but he said how could he know that? How could he tell if he was a friend or did Vox make him be a friend to get more info? I punched him.” Cherri let Fat Nuggets go with a derisive noise. “I’ve known him for nearly forty years. I was his fucking friend long before this hotel. I told him he has a choice, fuck Val and fuck his sold soul. I’d like to see Valentino strut in here and try to take him back. Me and you alone were enough to take him, Husk.”
“I know,” he said glumly, not wanting to bring an overlord turf war onto Charlie’s place of healing. The hotel would win but there would be a cost.
“I told Angel that he needs to come home because you love him, Husk and you need him here.”
Husk froze, shocked by Cherri’s words. The weight of Charlie and Vaggi’s gaze made his skin quiver. “You said what!?!”
“Please, are you going to pretend you’re not in love?” She reached over and pushed him. “You’re talking to the person who kept you from collapsing when Angel walked off. I saw how much you deflated when Angel told you to forget him. Not to mention all the little eye banging things you two have done since the hotel was rebuilt. Did you think none of us noticed you holding hands from time to time in the rebuild?”
“I…missed that,” Vaggi mused.
“Well, they were,” Cherri assured her.
“Like once,” Husk protested feebly, bowing his head. “But yeah. I know I told you when we first met, Charlie, that I had lost the ability to love a long time ago. That was a lie I tell myself. If I keep myself numb in a bottle, I’m fine but Angel jumped in after me. And now he’s gone. Worse, he’s convinced himself he’s not worth redemption. I wish to hell I never encouraged him to do that redemption thing on live TV. That was stupid. I was stupid for encouraging him. He was stupid for saying yes but of course, he didn’t, did he? Vox was right there making him do shit.”
“I don’t think him jumping in front of the train was Vox’s idea,” Vaggi offered. “Vox wanted to see this fail, not end up with ‘great, now I have to explain to Valentino how I set it up so his best star is now a mass of intermingled hamburger that’s going to take two months to respawn.’”
Husk made a soft sound, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Idiot. I have no idea what he thought he was trying to do. But you’re right, Vaggi. That’s what we need Angel to see. Not every single move of his was suspect. It didn’t serve Vox for him to get hurt. It would have cost him his best spy. Angel did that because he cares about me.” He thumped his chest. “The big idiot. And I don’t give a fuck about us being not safe around him. I want him home.”
“I tried to tell him that,” Cherri said. “He just sobbed uncontrollably when I mentioned you loved him and then took a hotshot and zoned out face down on the bar. Some of Val’s goons carted him out of the bar, cursing me when I tried to do the same. At least, I think they’re Val’s. I’ve seen them with him before, including Travis. Fuck knows what they did to Angel once they had him alone. I feel like kicking them all in the nuts the next time I see them just in case.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, some of it catching on them, snarling around them. “I never faced this before with Angie. I don’t know how to get through to him.”
“You have the best chance out of all of us,” Husk argued and she fixed him with her gaze. “I mean that. I wish it was me who didn’t, but it ain’t. You’re the one he knows he wasn’t mesmerized into caring about. You said it yourself; Angel doesn’t trust that what’s between me and him isn’t all a lie. Besides, Valentino thinks you’re not a threat to him.”
“He had to hijack Angie’s mind to stop me,” she reminded him.
He held up his big hands. “I remember but I’m betting Valentino has rewritten that in his head. He knows you and he knows you’ve never tried to take him on before, right? Here’s the thing I think everyone is forgetting, two things actually. Charlie can’t go down there. Valentino definitely doesn’t see you as a threat, princess, and if anyone is going to believe Vox about Lucifer’s inability to hurt someone, it’s Val. He knows you can’t call in big bad daddy.”
“Probably everyone believes that now,” Vaggi said grimly.
“I’ve been too drunk to pay attention. You have had the other news channels besides 666 News spinning that reveal, haven’t you?” Husk grimaced, seeing Charlie’s unhappy expression. “I hope the fuck you have.”
“Vaggi’s suggested it but with people coming here to the hotel, there’s been no time,” Charlie said.
“Make it,” Husk said, a growl in his throat. “Charlie! You and Lucifer can’t let this opportunity pass you by. Right now everyone thinks Vox deceived them and betrayed them. Get it out there that he was lying about Lucifer. Not everyone is going to be moved by Pentious talking to them from Heaven. They know the throne of Hell is barely defended. Someone will moved against it. I would have considered it when I was an overlord. Heaven is a step too far but, if I knew for sure I could take Lucifer’s throne, I might have tried.”
Husk hated to admit that. Vaggi gestured to him as if to say ‘see what I’ve been saying?’
He also hated he had to actual say this. Vaggi needed to be sterner with Charlie who was too naïve for her own good and that was him being generous. “You need to paint that admission as a lie, call the footage faked, what the fuck ever. You need hell to see Lucifer as our vicious overlord. Get some sinners to pretend Lucifer is messing them up. I’d volunteer myself for that footage.”
“Ooo, bad boy in action.” Niffty waved her arm frantically. “Me, me!”
“I’d do it too,” Cherri said.
Charlie nodded. “I’ll suggest it to Dad when he comes back.”
“Good. And Cherri, I was serious about you being the one to get through to Angel. Bring him to talk to me if you think it’s necessary, somewhere outside of the hotel and nowhere near Vee Tower. Because what I don’t think he understands is I’m not safe, with or without him here. I need Angel to understand that. Him staying with Valentino isn’t going to keep me safe. That fight where we basically humiliated the shit out of Val wasn’t the first time I’ve fought him in recent weeks. Me and Niffty took him and Velvette on for Alastor’s sake and I’ve fought him before. He might not remember that. It was a dark night and Alastor’s shadows were everywhere not to mention it was several years ago.” Husk ran a hand over his shirt buttons, surprised to feel them. He’d forgotten he’d actually dressed up. “Valentino knows I’m Angel’s friend. He probably suspects we’re lovers and even though we’re not, not yet, he’s never going to believe that.”
“He’ll try to fuck you up just to prove he can and definitely if he can make Angel watch,” Cherri filled in for him.
The angry cat noise Husk hated so much but couldn’t control rippled out of him. “Exactly. One way or the other Valentino is looking for me, maybe not too hard just now but he will. He will try to use me as an example to keep Angel in line. It’s only a matter of time and he knows exactly where to find me.”
“But what can we do to protect you?” Charlie looked at him wide-eyed. It hadn’t occurred to her that in fighting Valentino he and Cherri had made themselves targets for retaliation.
“You convince your dad to spin that story. Valentino will want to bring backup and having Lucifer’s full might around would deter someone. I might have to let it out there more openly that I’m Alastor’s man. That should give Valentino pause. Me and Niffty were fighting him and Velvette to a standstill and he’s not likely to have forgotten it. He will definitely fight dirty. I have no idea how many different ways he can get that knockout drug of Velvette’s out there. I could get taken unawares if he has a way to aerosolize it.”
“You had moves I had no idea you had. Val will definitely want you disabled first. Think Angel remembers that fight?” Cherri chucked his shoulder playfully.
“No. I don’t think he has any clear recollections of anything beyond leaving us. I was an overlord, Cherri, just like Niffty was. Our deals with Alastor are different but we’re his just the same even if we retained our powers and now…he’s no longer contracted to whoever it was that had his leash and do not tell him I said that. I’d like my soul to not be confetti.”
“Alastor wouldn’t-” Charlie let her protest die when all eyes turned on her.
“I don’t think anyone can predict what Alastor will do now that he’s free. And that’s where we all come in. We need to figure out what other ways there are to break a soul contract besides having some caveat in it. I don’t know because no one ever broke one of mine and I didn’t build in any outs for them. I don’t remember there being one in mine with Alastor.” Husk’s voice cracked. He took a breath, wet his lips, fought back the urge to drink and forged on. “Charlie, do you know?”
“I don’t. I…should know, shouldn’t I? You’d think the royalty would know.” She hunched up. “I will ask Dad but I’m not sure if he knows. But there has to be some way to do it.”
“If we can do that, then Angie could be free of Valentino and he could come home. He has to know that no one here will hold what happened against him,” Cherri said.
“But this could take a long time,” Charlie said. “if it were easy to break a contract, people would do it often. How long can we leave Angel with Valentino?”
“It’s already been too long. Valentino abuses him daily,” Cherri snarled. “If he could only see Val attacking us without him being here, maybe he’ll get it that it don’t matter, that he don’t have to suffer like he is.”
“He loves us and he’s putting our needs before his,” Husk said. “And we can make your scenario happen, Cherri. It shouldn’t be hard to provoke Valentino into attacking and that’s me putting Angel before my own needs.”
“Can that be plan B?” Charlie asked. “It might take a little time to learn about the soul contracts. I’m not saying don’t try to get Angel to come back on his own but don’t provoke Valentino just yet. Give me some time.”
“Some, but not much.” They had already lost so much time and that was on him being drunk and stupid for days.
“Are you sure about this, Husk?” Vaggi asked.
“Yes! I’m never going to give Angel up. We can’t desert him,” Husk replied. “And I’m sure finding out about breaking a contract is our best bet. I need one more thing from you, Charlie.”
She leaned forward, excited. “Anything. How can I help?”
“Help me stay sober,” he said, shocking everyone including himself. “I…I guess I’m asking this of all of you. Help me stay sober. I’m not going to be useful to you or Angel if I’m drunk off my ass.”
“There are medications that do that, make you sick as a dog. I can make some for you,” Baxter offered. Husk had forgotten he and Niffty were even over at the bar.
“Let’s call that plan C,” he said not trusting Baxter not to poison him for an experiment. “But not out of the running if I can’t control myself.”
“That’s the hardest part,” Cherri said. “Asking for help or that’s what I’m heard.”
So had he from the various drunks and addicts he’d worked with in life.
“Of course, Husk. We’ll help anyway we can,” Charlie assured him.
He sighed in relief. “Thank you. I know we’re all together on this. It’s not much of a plan but it’s better than where I was yesterday. So, I have to stay sober because Angel needs us. I need to be the overlord I was, the one who can plan and bring the firepower. I can’t do that drunk and I know I’ll need help with that. I need to be the best me I can be if Angel is going to have a chance.”
“He’ll be back, Husk,” Cherri said like she had been since it happened. He wished he had her faith. She rubbed his back between his wings and he leaned into her touch, wishing it were Angel’s.
“I know. We’ll ensure it,” he said with more confidence than he felt.
Angel was broken. He was being broken more every day. Husk was broken. He was being broken more every day. But he also had this plan and he had what Angel didn’t realize that he had too: friends who weren’t going to give up on him. It was going to be a series of hard days ahead of them but finally there was a light they could head for. Maybe they wouldn’t have to keep breaking. Maybe they could find all the pieces and put them back together again.
Husk only knew he’d do everything in his power to make this happen and if nothing else, stopping Vox proved he had all kinds of power left to him. He would bring all of that to save Angel. He deserved nothing less and the same could be said for Husk’s heart. The people in this room were a team that kept pulling off the impossible. They would do it again. He hung his heart on that thought. This rescue plan was a high stakes gamble and Husk was going all in.
Dancing In The Dark Hazbin Hotel
Careless Torchwood
Quietly Comforting FAKE
Unexpected Audience Torchwood
There And Gone Torchwood
🪨💥 The Murderbot Diaries
Let the Sorrow Go, Its Half the Battle Hazbin Hotel
Jin Ling's many uncles 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
First Steps Toward Freedom Teen Wolf
Drunken Confession Torchwood
My throat and tooth still hurt. Fun times but I picked up a Skeletonwitch pizza in Athens and taunted my mother with it (I need to buy her one on my way home)
But here's the weird thing. As I left today my landlord's truck was out there with a trailer holding a washing machine...wait? You are putting machines IN our apartment. I DO NOT have one. Now I need to make another phone call. I REALLY need to get my shit together tomorrow and Sunday and clean up this place so I can get him in here.
Also Hazbin Hotel is now officially my most spendy fandom since the Buffyverse (which still wears the trading money for magic beans crown) It needs to have less cool merch.
And now on to the Fannish 50 friday recs. Look, I wrote a thing.
Title: Never Gonna Give You Up
Summary: Angel is gone. Husk disappears into a bottle and stays there until he swims to rock bottom. Determined not to leave Angel with his abusers, Husk sobers enough and proposes his plan to the rest of the hotel. They’ll help him. They may already have plans he was too drunk to notice. All Husk knows he’s never going to give Angel up and desert him.
Rating: teen
Notes: This is open ended (because I’m writing it for a weekly challenge) and certainly won’t be my last speculation on how the hotel crew get Angel back from the Vees.
Content warning – alcoholism and addiction references.
Written for Spikesgirl58’s six word challenge. The words were Faded, Odd, Coherent, Consign, Rise, & Dwell. Also written for the allbingo prompt of Love is putting someone else's needs before your own (a quote by Olaf in Frozen).
Also written for the lyrical titles bingo challenge for the prompt, a meme song. I chose the GOAT of meme songs Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley. Ha, that’s right, I just Rickrolled my whole readership (wearing an Alastor grin right now, or at the very least, Rosie’s).
No, I'm never gonna give you up
No, I'm never gonna let you down
No, I'll never run around and hurt you
I'll never, ever desert you
Never Gonna Give You Up by Rick Astley
The pain should have faded by now but it hadn’t. The ocean of booze hadn’t washed it away. It had taken Alastor yanking his chain to get Husk to drink a little less but it only lasted a brief bit of time before he sank into the bottle again. Every time he began to dwell on Angel, seeing the absolute agony and shame on his face as he begged Husk and Cherri to forget him playing on a loop, Husk put the bottle to his head and pulled the trigger.
He’d been horrible to Charlie when she tried to talk to him. He’d ignored Vaggi. He was too numb to even feel Cherri’s fist when she socked him. Finally, after getting kicked onto his back in a hallway so Niffty could clean the puddles of vomit and piss under him and her spraying him with lemon water to clean him up, Husk admitted he’d hit rock bottom. He had to rise out of the bottle and actually do something.
He'd dragged into his room, into the shower and then under the drying fans and lights before falling into his bed to sleep it off. Husk wasn’t even sure what time it was when he finally woke up, brushed his fangs vigorously and had a cigarette for breakfast.
I’m a sex worker whose lunch was three cigarettes.
Husk closed his eyes shut against the memory of that afternoon. Angel had been beautiful in that lounge. Every cock in the place had been up, Husk’s included. Husk had moved from overthinking his relationship with Angel to saying ‘fuck it, you are in love again after all this time. Tell the guy. Love him for all you’re worth.’
And just like that Angel was gone.
Wrapping his arms around himself, Husk leaned forward, pressing his forehead against the mirror. He’d been so right in the casino. Gin never lies or fucks you over. People do. He should consign Angel to the pile of people who had fucked him over.
Angel didn’t mean to. He didn’t have a choice.
That did nothing to comfort him. It all hurt so fucking much. Husk peeled himself off the glass and brushed his hair, slicked it back and looked at a man he hadn’t seen styled like this since he had been an overlord.
You still sort of are. Look at the power you dumped into stopping Vox’s weapon. Look at how you fought Valentino. You are more than a sad drunk at a bar and it’s time to start acting like it. The people in this hotel are all Angel has. If you don’t shape up, then he has nothing.
Husk actually dug a shirt out of the closet. He didn’t have many and this one was rumpled but would have to do. He walked downstairs, slow, each leaden footfall filling him with anxiety. How did he apologize for his behavior?
“Oh, as if you don’t have plenty of practice back when you were alive,” he muttered to himself. Fat Nuggets raced over to him at the foot of the stairs and Husk scooped the pig up. He nuzzled Husk who hoped Charlie or Cherri had fed the pig when he was too blackout drunk to do shit. The best he could do for Nuggets was to put one of Angel’s shirts in a pig bed so he could have his daddy with him and put the bed in his own room. More times than not, he’d wake up with Fat Nuggets sleeping with his head on Husk’s belly.
“I’m going to let you gobble all of my bar nuts,” he whispered to the pig. He had to take the best care of Fat Nuggets for when Angel came home.
When he walked into the lobby area, Niffty and Baxter were at the bar sharing what looked like a milkshake. He raised his eyebrows at the sight. He’d never seen the tiny former overlord so happy as she was with Baxter. At least Alastor was nowhere to be seen for the moment and the less Husk thought about the new Alastor the better. A rival news station to 666 News had run footage of the night of the party. The general consensus of the group was ‘yes, they did see a soul chain breaking.’ Husk’s money was on the moment Charlie had declared Vox more powerful than Alastor. He didn’t know what had been in Alastor’s contract but he knew it was null and void. He felt his owner grow stronger and whatever came next wouldn’t be good. He wasn’t sure why Alastor was back at the hotel but he trusted that far less than he would Angel even if Vox were still controlling him. And where the fuck was Vox? Vaggi should have jammed her spear into his head.
Vaggi and Charlie sat on the round couch, cuddling. Charlie had been ebullient ever since her mother had called. Was Lilith coming back? For Charlie’s sake, he hoped so because she was taking Angel’s defection hard.
Cherri was on the opposite arc of the couch pit, scribbling on paper. It was no doubt another letter to Pentious. Emily promised she would carry them for her. He didn’t know how long that would last. It seemed like a vulnerability because other demons might rebel, especially knowing Lucifer couldn’t do anything. Could Lilith? Charlie could and Husk hated that she might be forced to hurt people.
Shifting Fat Nuggets to one arm, Husk swept his top hat off his head, wishing he could disappear inside it and stay there. Well, he could disappear but eventually, he’d have to pop back out. He couldn’t find words to address them as much as he wanted to. God, he wanted a drink to steady his nerves but one drink lead to a dozen. Cherri slapped the couch next to her.
“If you don’t smell like piss and vomit, sit here,” she called merrily but the censure was there in her big eye.
Husk could hardly blame her for her bluntness. He’d been disgusting for days. “Maybe I should stand but I’m fine. I’m cleaned up.”
“Yeah, I didn’t even know you owned a shirt. Angie lamented your fashion sense.”
Husk let out a choked laugh. “I know. I…I just wanted to apologize for my behavior. I’d love to say I’ve not been myself but I’ve been more myself than usual.”
“Husk….” Charlie started and it sounded like she was ready to apologize for him.
He whipped up a hand. “I’m an alcoholic, Charlie. I was a functional one most of my life and afterlife. I’ve just been less functional right now.”
“No shit.” Cherri snorted.
“You sound coherent now,” Vaggi said.
“Because I can’t help Angel if I’m blacked out in a corner. And I don’t even have to ask if we think we should help him. I know we’re all on the same page.”
“I’m not,” Baxter called from the bar and Husk gave him the finger.
As Fat Nuggets started to squirm, Husk put him down. He ran to Cherri and jumped up on the couch with her. She stroked the pig’s back.
“Angel didn’t mean to betray the hotel.” Husk turned his hat in his hands before settling it back on his head.
“I know,” Charlie said. “And I want to bring him home, too. We’ve trying to think of ways that won’t make his situation worse.”
Husk sat down with Cherri as Baxter said, “He’s a VoxTek pawn. If Vox’s still around, he can control the porn star.”
Husk wanted to scream for Baxter to shut the fuck up. He didn’t know Angel really and obviously didn’t care but he might need the fish bastard. “Is Vox still around? Valentino is in charge. Who knows what that psycho did with Vox after he ripped off his head.”
That part of the footage that was aired was as shocking as what happened with Alastor. Husk knew how savage Valentino was from Angel’s stories but that had been next level. Worse, hell owed the psycho one for doing it. Katie Killjoy was certainly playing Val up as the hero Husk knew he wasn’t.
“But Valentino is the problem.” Vaggi said.
“Always has been,” Cherri grumbled.
“Husk, the last time I went to the studio to help Angel, it went badly.” Charlie frowned, hugging herself. Vaggi pulled her against her.
It had gone worse than Charlie knew. Angel made Husk swear not to tell her about the brutal bondage scene Valentino had made him do in retaliation.
“I know we can’t storm the Vee Towers again, not even with Baxter’s help. But we also know Angel can’t be controlled by Val outside of the studio. I wish he remembered that.” Husk sighed. “It’s an odd caveat to Angel’s contract but the kid was in the mob. He knows how to work a deal.”
“The mob….” Charlie trailed off.
“Right, you weren’t part of those therapy sessions.” Pretty much it was less therapy and more Angel and Husk drinking and talking but he wasn’t telling Charlie that. “Angel is being eaten alive by shame and guilt. I get that. I know what it’s like to be deeply ashamed of yourself which, no offense, Charlie, you probably don’t. Vaggi, maybe with how you didn’t tell us you were a fallen angel. Cherri, I don’t know why you got into drugs. Maybe shame was part of it. I don’t need to know. I just know I drink and Angel has always done drugs because of the shame. He was using less because he felt safe here but now Angel’s one safe place is gone.”
“He did feel safe here,” Cherri said.
“And Vox robbed him of it,” Husk spat, pulling a poker chip from his pocket. He rolled it between his fingers, charging it and wishing he could shove it into Vox’s mouth. “He can’t feel safe here. He has to be thinking you’ll hate him, Charlie. He’s afraid he’ll have to hurt us and, with Val holding his leash, he isn’t wrong. Angel would have crushed Cherri’s neck if I hadn’t stopped him. You have no idea how horrible it is to be unable to stop yourself. I’ve had to fight Alastor’s battles with him, no choice. I came to this hotel, no choice. It is the worst fucking feeling in all of hell. Angel went back to his abuser to spare us what happens if Valentino says boo to him.”
“I do know what that feels like,” Vaggi said, surprising him. “I didn’t get much choice in following Adam’s rules, doing what I was told, loving only those who were approved by him and trust me, it was him we were meant to be loving.” A veil fell across her face. “You’re right. It feels awful. And when I rebelled against an unfair order to slaughter a child…I fell. If Charlie hadn’t found me, who’s to say I wouldn’t have ended up a rock bottom addict too.”
Husk stared at her, surprised by her raw, honest answer. Charlie hugged Vaggi tighter.
“But what can we do that won’t make it worse?” Charlie asked.
“I don’t know.” Cherri gathered Fat Nuggets to her chest and pressed a cheek against his head. “I’ve seen him three times and he’s in a bad way. Angel is…broken. He was barely conscious all three times and once he was with Valentino, high off his ass. I didn’t dare talk to him then. The two times I caught him alone, I tried to talk to him.”
Husk snapped his jaw shut realizing it had fallen open into a little O. Had she told him about this? He had a blurry recollection of it but probably he had been as barely conscious as Angel. He was fairly sure she had asked him to help kidnap Angel but he’d been too drunk to move and the one time he had been drunk enough to ride to the rescue, she’d be unconscious, slumped on the bar. What a platonic threesome he, Angel and Cherri made.
“I tried to get him to come back on his own. I told him how much Fat Nuggets needed him and he cried like a baby but he wouldn’t give in. I told him we were his friends but he said how could he know that? How could he tell if he was a friend or did Vox make him be a friend to get more info? I punched him.” Cherri let Fat Nuggets go with a derisive noise. “I’ve known him for nearly forty years. I was his fucking friend long before this hotel. I told him he has a choice, fuck Val and fuck his sold soul. I’d like to see Valentino strut in here and try to take him back. Me and you alone were enough to take him, Husk.”
“I know,” he said glumly, not wanting to bring an overlord turf war onto Charlie’s place of healing. The hotel would win but there would be a cost.
“I told Angel that he needs to come home because you love him, Husk and you need him here.”
Husk froze, shocked by Cherri’s words. The weight of Charlie and Vaggi’s gaze made his skin quiver. “You said what!?!”
“Please, are you going to pretend you’re not in love?” She reached over and pushed him. “You’re talking to the person who kept you from collapsing when Angel walked off. I saw how much you deflated when Angel told you to forget him. Not to mention all the little eye banging things you two have done since the hotel was rebuilt. Did you think none of us noticed you holding hands from time to time in the rebuild?”
“I…missed that,” Vaggi mused.
“Well, they were,” Cherri assured her.
“Like once,” Husk protested feebly, bowing his head. “But yeah. I know I told you when we first met, Charlie, that I had lost the ability to love a long time ago. That was a lie I tell myself. If I keep myself numb in a bottle, I’m fine but Angel jumped in after me. And now he’s gone. Worse, he’s convinced himself he’s not worth redemption. I wish to hell I never encouraged him to do that redemption thing on live TV. That was stupid. I was stupid for encouraging him. He was stupid for saying yes but of course, he didn’t, did he? Vox was right there making him do shit.”
“I don’t think him jumping in front of the train was Vox’s idea,” Vaggi offered. “Vox wanted to see this fail, not end up with ‘great, now I have to explain to Valentino how I set it up so his best star is now a mass of intermingled hamburger that’s going to take two months to respawn.’”
Husk made a soft sound, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Idiot. I have no idea what he thought he was trying to do. But you’re right, Vaggi. That’s what we need Angel to see. Not every single move of his was suspect. It didn’t serve Vox for him to get hurt. It would have cost him his best spy. Angel did that because he cares about me.” He thumped his chest. “The big idiot. And I don’t give a fuck about us being not safe around him. I want him home.”
“I tried to tell him that,” Cherri said. “He just sobbed uncontrollably when I mentioned you loved him and then took a hotshot and zoned out face down on the bar. Some of Val’s goons carted him out of the bar, cursing me when I tried to do the same. At least, I think they’re Val’s. I’ve seen them with him before, including Travis. Fuck knows what they did to Angel once they had him alone. I feel like kicking them all in the nuts the next time I see them just in case.”
She ran her fingers through her hair, some of it catching on them, snarling around them. “I never faced this before with Angie. I don’t know how to get through to him.”
“You have the best chance out of all of us,” Husk argued and she fixed him with her gaze. “I mean that. I wish it was me who didn’t, but it ain’t. You’re the one he knows he wasn’t mesmerized into caring about. You said it yourself; Angel doesn’t trust that what’s between me and him isn’t all a lie. Besides, Valentino thinks you’re not a threat to him.”
“He had to hijack Angie’s mind to stop me,” she reminded him.
He held up his big hands. “I remember but I’m betting Valentino has rewritten that in his head. He knows you and he knows you’ve never tried to take him on before, right? Here’s the thing I think everyone is forgetting, two things actually. Charlie can’t go down there. Valentino definitely doesn’t see you as a threat, princess, and if anyone is going to believe Vox about Lucifer’s inability to hurt someone, it’s Val. He knows you can’t call in big bad daddy.”
“Probably everyone believes that now,” Vaggi said grimly.
“I’ve been too drunk to pay attention. You have had the other news channels besides 666 News spinning that reveal, haven’t you?” Husk grimaced, seeing Charlie’s unhappy expression. “I hope the fuck you have.”
“Vaggi’s suggested it but with people coming here to the hotel, there’s been no time,” Charlie said.
“Make it,” Husk said, a growl in his throat. “Charlie! You and Lucifer can’t let this opportunity pass you by. Right now everyone thinks Vox deceived them and betrayed them. Get it out there that he was lying about Lucifer. Not everyone is going to be moved by Pentious talking to them from Heaven. They know the throne of Hell is barely defended. Someone will moved against it. I would have considered it when I was an overlord. Heaven is a step too far but, if I knew for sure I could take Lucifer’s throne, I might have tried.”
Husk hated to admit that. Vaggi gestured to him as if to say ‘see what I’ve been saying?’
He also hated he had to actual say this. Vaggi needed to be sterner with Charlie who was too naïve for her own good and that was him being generous. “You need to paint that admission as a lie, call the footage faked, what the fuck ever. You need hell to see Lucifer as our vicious overlord. Get some sinners to pretend Lucifer is messing them up. I’d volunteer myself for that footage.”
“Ooo, bad boy in action.” Niffty waved her arm frantically. “Me, me!”
“I’d do it too,” Cherri said.
Charlie nodded. “I’ll suggest it to Dad when he comes back.”
“Good. And Cherri, I was serious about you being the one to get through to Angel. Bring him to talk to me if you think it’s necessary, somewhere outside of the hotel and nowhere near Vee Tower. Because what I don’t think he understands is I’m not safe, with or without him here. I need Angel to understand that. Him staying with Valentino isn’t going to keep me safe. That fight where we basically humiliated the shit out of Val wasn’t the first time I’ve fought him in recent weeks. Me and Niffty took him and Velvette on for Alastor’s sake and I’ve fought him before. He might not remember that. It was a dark night and Alastor’s shadows were everywhere not to mention it was several years ago.” Husk ran a hand over his shirt buttons, surprised to feel them. He’d forgotten he’d actually dressed up. “Valentino knows I’m Angel’s friend. He probably suspects we’re lovers and even though we’re not, not yet, he’s never going to believe that.”
“He’ll try to fuck you up just to prove he can and definitely if he can make Angel watch,” Cherri filled in for him.
The angry cat noise Husk hated so much but couldn’t control rippled out of him. “Exactly. One way or the other Valentino is looking for me, maybe not too hard just now but he will. He will try to use me as an example to keep Angel in line. It’s only a matter of time and he knows exactly where to find me.”
“But what can we do to protect you?” Charlie looked at him wide-eyed. It hadn’t occurred to her that in fighting Valentino he and Cherri had made themselves targets for retaliation.
“You convince your dad to spin that story. Valentino will want to bring backup and having Lucifer’s full might around would deter someone. I might have to let it out there more openly that I’m Alastor’s man. That should give Valentino pause. Me and Niffty were fighting him and Velvette to a standstill and he’s not likely to have forgotten it. He will definitely fight dirty. I have no idea how many different ways he can get that knockout drug of Velvette’s out there. I could get taken unawares if he has a way to aerosolize it.”
“You had moves I had no idea you had. Val will definitely want you disabled first. Think Angel remembers that fight?” Cherri chucked his shoulder playfully.
“No. I don’t think he has any clear recollections of anything beyond leaving us. I was an overlord, Cherri, just like Niffty was. Our deals with Alastor are different but we’re his just the same even if we retained our powers and now…he’s no longer contracted to whoever it was that had his leash and do not tell him I said that. I’d like my soul to not be confetti.”
“Alastor wouldn’t-” Charlie let her protest die when all eyes turned on her.
“I don’t think anyone can predict what Alastor will do now that he’s free. And that’s where we all come in. We need to figure out what other ways there are to break a soul contract besides having some caveat in it. I don’t know because no one ever broke one of mine and I didn’t build in any outs for them. I don’t remember there being one in mine with Alastor.” Husk’s voice cracked. He took a breath, wet his lips, fought back the urge to drink and forged on. “Charlie, do you know?”
“I don’t. I…should know, shouldn’t I? You’d think the royalty would know.” She hunched up. “I will ask Dad but I’m not sure if he knows. But there has to be some way to do it.”
“If we can do that, then Angie could be free of Valentino and he could come home. He has to know that no one here will hold what happened against him,” Cherri said.
“But this could take a long time,” Charlie said. “if it were easy to break a contract, people would do it often. How long can we leave Angel with Valentino?”
“It’s already been too long. Valentino abuses him daily,” Cherri snarled. “If he could only see Val attacking us without him being here, maybe he’ll get it that it don’t matter, that he don’t have to suffer like he is.”
“He loves us and he’s putting our needs before his,” Husk said. “And we can make your scenario happen, Cherri. It shouldn’t be hard to provoke Valentino into attacking and that’s me putting Angel before my own needs.”
“Can that be plan B?” Charlie asked. “It might take a little time to learn about the soul contracts. I’m not saying don’t try to get Angel to come back on his own but don’t provoke Valentino just yet. Give me some time.”
“Some, but not much.” They had already lost so much time and that was on him being drunk and stupid for days.
“Are you sure about this, Husk?” Vaggi asked.
“Yes! I’m never going to give Angel up. We can’t desert him,” Husk replied. “And I’m sure finding out about breaking a contract is our best bet. I need one more thing from you, Charlie.”
She leaned forward, excited. “Anything. How can I help?”
“Help me stay sober,” he said, shocking everyone including himself. “I…I guess I’m asking this of all of you. Help me stay sober. I’m not going to be useful to you or Angel if I’m drunk off my ass.”
“There are medications that do that, make you sick as a dog. I can make some for you,” Baxter offered. Husk had forgotten he and Niffty were even over at the bar.
“Let’s call that plan C,” he said not trusting Baxter not to poison him for an experiment. “But not out of the running if I can’t control myself.”
“That’s the hardest part,” Cherri said. “Asking for help or that’s what I’m heard.”
So had he from the various drunks and addicts he’d worked with in life.
“Of course, Husk. We’ll help anyway we can,” Charlie assured him.
He sighed in relief. “Thank you. I know we’re all together on this. It’s not much of a plan but it’s better than where I was yesterday. So, I have to stay sober because Angel needs us. I need to be the overlord I was, the one who can plan and bring the firepower. I can’t do that drunk and I know I’ll need help with that. I need to be the best me I can be if Angel is going to have a chance.”
“He’ll be back, Husk,” Cherri said like she had been since it happened. He wished he had her faith. She rubbed his back between his wings and he leaned into her touch, wishing it were Angel’s.
“I know. We’ll ensure it,” he said with more confidence than he felt.
Angel was broken. He was being broken more every day. Husk was broken. He was being broken more every day. But he also had this plan and he had what Angel didn’t realize that he had too: friends who weren’t going to give up on him. It was going to be a series of hard days ahead of them but finally there was a light they could head for. Maybe they wouldn’t have to keep breaking. Maybe they could find all the pieces and put them back together again.
Husk only knew he’d do everything in his power to make this happen and if nothing else, stopping Vox proved he had all kinds of power left to him. He would bring all of that to save Angel. He deserved nothing less and the same could be said for Husk’s heart. The people in this room were a team that kept pulling off the impossible. They would do it again. He hung his heart on that thought. This rescue plan was a high stakes gamble and Husk was going all in.
Dancing In The Dark Hazbin Hotel
Careless Torchwood
Quietly Comforting FAKE
Unexpected Audience Torchwood
There And Gone Torchwood
🪨💥 The Murderbot Diaries
Let the Sorrow Go, Its Half the Battle Hazbin Hotel
Jin Ling's many uncles 陈情令 | The Untamed (TV)魔道祖师 - 墨香铜臭 | Módào Zǔshī - Mòxiāng Tóngxiù
First Steps Toward Freedom Teen Wolf
Drunken Confession Torchwood
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Date: 2025-11-29 02:49 pm (UTC)I'm glad you got to meet up, even though you did more talking than writing. *g*
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Date: 2025-11-29 04:11 pm (UTC)me too. She's one of my non work friends and it's so nice NOT to talk about work while out