Author's Note: Hey all, I'm raffling off a FREE 2k commission! Go check it out! /WhySoSeven/status/1305871581466562560
It was day twelve, and Angel Dust was falling apart. The withdrawal had only gotten worse, leaving him shaking and sweating in his bed during sleepless, seemingly endless nights. The hallucinations had stopped, thank fuck for that, but it looked as if that was the only break he would be catching. The little truce he had built with Husker had crumbled away, no doubt because of his own bad attitude, and he had been actively rejecting any attempts by Charlie to comfort him. He was a piece of shit who didn't deserve it, he knew that, and he especially didn't deserve it when he was acting like such a little bitch. He didn't want to be behaving this way, he didn't want to scream at Niffty every time she got caught under foot, he didn't want to smash glasses on Husker's bar and cuss him out when he was forced to order water instead of the strong drink he desperately needed, he didn't want to tell Charlie to stuff a cactus up her ass when she tried to help him, and yet here he was. A useless pile of trash, staying in bed because he couldn't function like a normal fuckin' person.
The only person he hadn't driven away was Alastor. After they had made it out of the elevator Alastor had refused to even be in the same room as him for a couple of days, but then out of nowhere he started following Angel Dust around like some kind of lost puppy. Clearly he was up to something, Angel Dust wasn't dumb enough to ever believe otherwise, but he couldn't figure out what the hell it was. What was his angle here? He'd been way too damn nice, Angel Dust didn't trust it for one second. Especially not considering all that information he let slip while they were trapped. What the fuck had he been thinking? Giving Alastor personal details was like giving a toddler a razor and hoping it went well. It was just a bad idea.
A gentle knock on his door caught his attention, making him glance up with a glare. If that was Charlie, he was gonna-
"Angel Dust? My dear it's well past noon. Are you planning on spending the day in bed?"
Oh, of course. Speak of the fucking devil.
He groaned and pulled his pillow over his head. "Holy shit, Alastor leave me the fuck alone."
The door opened with a soft creak, the sound of shoes clicking against the floor grating on Angel Dust's ears. Those God damn tap shoes. He swore he heard those things in his nightmares. "I'm sorry, Angel Dust, but we both know I can't do that. Charlie is getting worried for you, you know." He heard Alastor go over to the window and pull the curtains open, letting in an unwelcome flood of light that permeated the edges of Angel Dust's pillow. "Come on now, it's time to get up. I've brought you a coffee, if that helps you any."
Angel Dust peeked over the top of the pillow, giving Alstor a hard glare. Who did this clown think he was fooling? "Yeah, like I'm gonna fall for that shit. What's in there? Drugs? Booze? Aphrodisiacs?"
Alastor just smiled at him. The smile almost looked fond, but Angel Dust knew better. It was just another one of Alastor's tricks. "Cream and sugar, actually. That's how you prefer it, if I remember correctly."
"Oh, right, sure," Angel Dust said, rolling his eyes. He retreated back under his pillow, letting it muffle his voice. "Like I'm gonna fall for that. Nice try, chuckles, you're not getting me today."
He heard Alastor sigh, no doubt frustrated that Angel Dust had seen right through him. "If I were to spike your drink, you wouldn't be willingly taking substance, would you? That doesn't sound like giving up to me, our deal would still be intact."
Angel Dust stopped, peeking out once again to squint at him. As suspicious as he was, Alastor had a point there. And that coffee smelled really fucking good. Was that hazelnut? After a moment he groaned and sat up, snatching the coffee out of Alastor's hands. "Fine. I'll drink your coffee, but I swear to Lucifer if you spiked it I'll knock your ass into next week."
"Wouldn't dream of it," Alastor said. He folded his hands behind his back, watching Angel Dust expectantly as he took a sip. As much as he didn't want to admit it, this shit was good. There was definitely hazelnut and, if he had to guess, a little bit of cinnamon and cocoa powder. The whole mix was topped with a little bit of whipped cream and a chocolate drizzle, talk about a rare treat. He had to admit, it was delicious, but there was no way in hell he was telling Alastor that.
"Yeah, thanks, I guess," he grumbled, looking away.
"You're very welcome," Alastor said. He leaned to the side to make eye contact with Angel Dust, much to his annoyance. "Do you like it? I will admit, I added a few extra spices. I thought they would be a nice little experiment."
"We both know you an' 'nice' don't go together," Angel Dust huffed. He then paused, glancing at the cup before begrudgingly adding, "but, yeah, I guess it's pretty good. The hazelnut was a nice touch."
"I had a feeling it would be," Alastor said with a pleased grin. Why this asshole would care about whether or not Angel Dust liked his coffee was beyond him. Alastor straightened before going back over to the doorway, humming softly as he walked. He stopped just before exiting, glancing back at Angel Dust. "I believe Niffty has prepared a little treat for you, so I do suggest you hurry and come down to enjoy some. You wouldn't want to disappoint her."
"Yeah, sure, whatever," Angel Dust sighed. He watched as Alastor stepped out, closing the door behind him. What a fuckin' weirdo. He sipped on his coffee a moment longer, letting the warmth of the mug radiate through his fingers. He had to admit, this was making him feel slightly better. Sweets were definitely his go to comfort food, and fuck if he didn't need a little comfort right now. Granted, the source was a little questionable, but still.
Speaking of the source, he hated to admit it but Alastor was probably right. Whether or not he felt like shit, he needed to roll his sorry ass out of bed if he wanted to keep up this fragile illusion that he wasn't cracking under the pressure. He wasn't sure that anyone believed that anymore, not after the way he had been acting, but he had to at least pretend. It was kind of all he had at this point. With a heavy sigh he swung his legs over the side of the bed, every joint in his body screaming for him to lie back down. Fuck, why did withdrawal have to make everything hurt so damn much? On the list of things that weren't fair, that was pretty near the top. Life already sucked ass when you weren't on drugs, no one needed pain on top of it. Regardless, he didn't really have any other options. Not unless he wanted to wind up back at the studio, back at the mercy of the one person in hell that scared him the most. Alastor could act like a big bad all damn day, but he had nothing on Valentino.
He stood and stretched, wincing as his back cracked in several places. Fat Nuggets watched from his bed, snorting softly as Angel Dust changed into his usual day clothes. As badly as he wanted to stay in his pajamas, he knew that Alastor would probably use it against him somehow. Don't need to give off a "falling apart" vibe so soon after having such a massive breakdown in the elevator. He would be damned, well, more damned than he already was, if he was going to give Alastor the upper hand here. Once he was dressed he glanced in the mirror, looking himself over.
Well, if he didn't look like a fuckin' basket case disaster in heels.
As bad as it was, it would have to do. He was actually kind of curious as to what Niffty had made him, even if it was a little suspicious that Alastor was the one who had told him about it. He snagged his coffee before making his way to the kitchen, keeping his focus on not tripping over his own feet as he moved down the stairway. He could smell a hint of chocolate in the air, just enough to make his mouth water. Oh, fuck yes. Sweet treats were good, chocolate treats were better. He wasn't sure why she'd make him something so nice when he'd been such a dick to her for the past week, but fuck if he was going to look a gift horse in the mouth. Maybe this would be just the pick me up he needed to calm his ass down. That would definitely be nice, relaxing with his coffee and a bite of whatever that little hell raiser had whipped up. He stumbled into the kitchen, eyes immediately drawn to a mini loaf pan on the stove. Inside were little chocolate bread loaves with what looked like green colored white chocolate chips. He was practically drooling just looking at them, the smell making his stomach growl.
Niffty was standing on a little step ladder, doing the dishes when she noticed him walking in. She looked up, grinning at him. "Good morning, miss Angel Dust! Are you feeling any better?"
"Sure am now, toots. Those for takes?" He grabbed a plate and went over to the stove, picking one of the loaves out without waiting for an answer.
"They're for you!" She beamed. "Alastor asked me to make them for you."
Angel Dust froze, squinting at her. Now that was sketchy as fuck. "Oh, he did, did he?"
"Oh yes! He said you would like something sweet, and gave me the recipe!" She said. "He can be really nice sometimes!"
Angel Dust looked at the loaf. In this new light it looked almost sinister. Who knew what was in there? "Yeah, sure, nice. Say, Niffty, what's in these? Chocolate?"
Niffty nodded so enthusiastically it made Angel Dust dizzy just watching her. "Oh yes! Chocolate and, as a special treat, little mint chips!"
"Oh you have got ta be fuckin' kidding me!" Angel Dust threw the loaf down on the ground, watching it bounce a bit before breaking apart. Of course, of fucking course Alastor had figured out he was allergic to mint. He had gone pretty far before, but ruining food? That was low even for him.
Niffty shrieked, dropping to kneel by the now ruined loaf. "My baking!"
"Oh save it!" Angel Dust narrowed his eyes in a glare, baring his fangs. Close to Alastor as she was, he wouldn't be surprised if she were in on this little ploy to get him shipped out of the hotel. He wouldn't be surprised if they all were. There were only two ways Alastor would have gotten that information, and that was through either Charlie or Cherri Bomb. Out of the two, he knew Cherri wouldn't give it up. And if he could turn Charlie against him, he could sure as fuck turn Niffty. "You little fucks think you're so damn clever, well guess what? I'm not fallin' for it, I'm not eatin' your shitty cooking, and I'm sure as hell not gonna keep putting up with this!"
Tears welled up in Niffty's eye, spilling from both corners as she looked up at him. "Miss Angel Dust, what are you talking about?"
"You know damn well what I'm talking about!" He snapped. "And will ya knock it off with that 'miss' bullshit? It's not fuckin' cute anymore!"
"I-I don't know what you mean," she sobbed, scooping up the remnants of the loaf. "Why did you do this? Wh-what's wrong with my cooking?"
"You fuckin' know why, ya fuckin' pint sized pea brain!"
"What's going on in-" Alastor stopped when he stepped through the kitchen door, eyes glancing over the scene before him. "Oh, oh my. What happened?"
"Oh like you don't know," Angel Dust growled.
"I'm sure I don't," Alastor said. That fucking bastard, he had the nerve to look confused, concerned even. Talk about a load of bullshit. "Angel Dust, are you alright?"
"You know damn well I'm not!" Angel Dust screeched. He smacked the mini loaf pan onto the ground, earning himself a scream from Niffty as she scrambled to clean it up through her tears. "I know what you're up to, ya fuckin' psycho! You think you can get me ta give up this easy? A little fuckin' poison, turnin' them all against me, you think I can't handle that? Well think again!"
"Poison? Turning them against you? What in the world are you talking about?" Alastor's brows were knit together, his eyes trained on Angel Dust with a lost expression. He was a damn good actor, Angel Dust would give him that much, but he wasn't going to be fooled.
Angel Dust growled, feeling his fur begin to stand on end. "Oh like I'm fallin' for that shit! How fuckin' stupid do you think I am, huh? I don't know how the hell ya got Charlie ta tell ya I'm allergic ta mint, but I'm not eatin' it!"
Alastor's eyes widened. "You're allergic to mint?"
"Oh quit pretendin', we both know you already knew that!" Angel Dust stomped his foot, barely missing Niffty's little fingers. She pulled back with a gasp, making him feel the barest twinge of guilt. But, then again, maybe she shouldn't have been working with Alastor. "You know what? I don't have ta deal with this. I don't have ta deal with any of you assholes. I'm goin' back ta bed." With that he stormed out, leaving Alastor and Niffty to deal with their own shit.
"Angel Dust, hold on, I think there's been a misunder-" Angel Dust didn't wait to hear the end of Alastor's little speech, instead opting to slam the door in his face before making his way back up the stairs while tears stung his eyes. He wasn't sure what emotions he was feeling at that moment, there were way too many of them, but he knew what he needed to do. If he was going to wait this out, he was going to have to do it alone.