Angel sighed as he sat at the bar, not really drinking the glass of whiskey he had ordered when he got home. Normally he didn't go for hard spirits such as this, he'd normally partake in a glass of wine or a cocktail now and again. But today was one of the days where he really felt like he needed a stiff drink. Vaggie looked like she was about to object, but Charlie just placed a hand on her girlfriend's arm and shook her head to indicate that was not a good idea.
Cherri had caringly wrapped an arm around her best friend's shoulders but didn't press if he was having problems at work. Some things she knew he had to deal with on his own, but that didn't mean they didn't worry her.
Much of the hotel had gone off to bed for the night leaving Husk to tend to the bar. Angel just quietly sat just gazing into the tumbler glass of rich amber liquid as though hoping an answer would appear in its depths.
"You know…" Husk grumbled somewhat sympathetically. "I don't envy you, kid. Running with Valentino like you are, I know enough about his reputation to know he's one tough customer." Angel's shoulders slumped tiredly.
"I just want all this to end," Angel said softly before taking a sip of the whisky letting the alcohol burn as it went down his throat. The older cat demon regarded the younger demon with what could be regarded as sympathy. He had died in a much later time than Angel had and had experienced much more of the world over his years of being alive. But he could understand the need to run from a problem you can never escape.
"I'm not one to judge…" Husk said as he put down the bar rag he had been cleaning a glass with. "But...you're not going to find the answer to your problems at the bottom of a glass of alcohol. I know, because I've tried that myself." Angel just rounded his shoulders he wasn't in the mood for a lecture from anyone right now. "Hey, I don't know what sort of things he's doing to you…" Husk responded. "And I don't want to know 'cause it's not my business. But I've been through and seen numerous shit shows myself. I've seen people try to earn a living through gambling and various other vices. And I've seen people come back from war, more messed up than when they left."
"You served?" Angel asked seeming to pick up on what the winged cat was suggesting. "During the war?"
"I'm not a vet or anything," Husk said. "But yeah I have some involvement in the government. And yeah, I've seen much of the shit people were put through during that time. Niffty was just a kid when she was in the internment camps, and you probably have horror stories of your own."
"Oh yeah," Angel gave a sarcastic hiss. "I just loved being forced to declare myself an enemy alien of a country I was born in. As if I didn't get enough shit grow'n up just cause Pops was from Naples."
"I gather when you say Naples, you aren't meaning Florida." Husk commented, earning a sour dark eye pointed in his direction. "Calmati, era uno scherzo. (Calm down, it was a joke.)
"Non l'ho trovato divertente (I didn't find it funny)" Angel answered back in Italian.
"Don't get me wrong," Husk stated. "I've seen a lot of shit done to people of all kinds. And I'll admit there were times I just wanted to give up, sit back with a bottle in my hand and just...watch the world as it burned. Even after WW2...I just wanted to give up on humanity altogether and just drink all my problems away. Unfortunately...all booze or drugs can do is just dull the pain...gives it a brief sense of relief...but it never really makes it go away." Angel sighed through his nose as he returned his gaze down into the glass of alcohol before him.
"So tell me…" Husk stated. He wasn't one for paternal advice and he didn't have any sort of fondness for the pornstar. But he did get the feeling there was some sort of unconscious need...a longing for a father's guidance that the younger demon seemed to require. "You have any family that you know of here in Hell?"
"Unfortunately..." Angel replied as he rubbed at his temples still looking into the glass of whiskey. "Most of my family members are here, but, I'm not on familial terms with 'em anymore. They're with the mob, so obviously they would have ended up in Hell..My father and brother in particular" Husk's brow quirked up at that unprompted statement but said nothing otherwise. Finishing the glass of whiskey, Angel reached into his coat for his purse to pay Husk for the drink. Only for the cat demon to place a hand on top of his.
"Don't get used to this…" Husk stated. "But this one's on the house." Angel raised an eye-brow at the Demon-cat. He was the sort of person who wouldn't let you near the bar until you've paid off your tab.
"Hey, hey, hey, " Husk said defensively. "I'm only letting you have this one, cause you need it. Don't start getting crazy ideas and thinking I like you or anything 'cause I don't. Even if I did like you, I've lived enough years to be old enough to be your dad."
"Whatever…" Angel said flippantly as he got up, still leaving a couple of souls on the bar top anyway and heading for the stairs. "Well have a good night." Husk picked up the money and noticed that Angel had left a one and a five-dollar bill. The cat put the one in the till, but the five he set aside and he regarded with trepidation.
~His father and older brother are part of the mob…~ Husk thought to himself. ~And he's a spider...Could he...could he be related to Henroin?~
Angel could feel the familiar buzz of his phone announcing his schedule for the next day. Pulling it out of his jacket pocket he glanced it over before he put his phone away again. Breathing in, he let out an exhale, a tactic he often did to prepare himself for a performance.
"Angel…" glancing up he saw Charlie standing several feet away. She was dressed in a light dusty pink nightgown that traveled down to the ankles of her bare feet. She appeared so soft and demure in this state, it was so much different from the authoritative appearance her manager's attire gave off. She also didn't have her customary cheerful smile, but she did smile at him all the same."I never took the time to thank you."
"For?" Angel asked as she approached.
"For telling me and Vaggie about what's been going on," She said. Her bright cheerful eyes softened by concern. "That must have been really difficult... explaining years of pain to two people who are practically strangers."
"It was better you heard it from me…" Angel sighed, glancing away sadly as though all this was a secret shame that he didn't like to dwell on. "Then learnin' about it later when Val comes lookin'"
"But...nobody deserves to go through any of that..even in Hell," Charlie said lightly taking hold of the lapel of his Valentino jacket. The action wasn't hostile, but it did startle him enough to return his attention to her. Her eyes had turned tearful as they gazed up into his pinkish-red irises. "You certainly don't deserve any of that...you never did."
"How can you be so sure," Angel asked as he gently removed her hand from his lapel, and started away towards his room.
"I know you feel you're a sinner, Angel," Charlie said with conviction. "But when I see you I don't see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn't know where to turn."
"Is that why you felt I was suitable for redemption?" Angel paused and glanced behind him so the darker of his mismatched eyes regarded her. Not with anger or suspicion, but more questioningly."You never really answered the question I asked you in the car when we first met, 'Why me?'"
"Oh…" Charlie said, trying to come up with an answer. Because honestly, she didn't know how to explain it herself why she felt he was suitable to be the first test subject for redemption. "I knew from the moment I first saw you that there was something good in you, and I had a feeling you would listen." Angel's brow quirked slightly as though unsure of the blond girl's explanation, before turning and starting again towards his room.
"Wait," Charlie said, getting Angel to pause again this time he regarded her with his white eye. "I know you've been hurt by people in the past and it's hard for you to open yourself to others, I understand that. And I know I'm not someone you trust as a friend...at least not to the same extent as Cherri, and I'm aware I haven't gotten to know you as well as she has. But I'd like to be someone you can learn to trust as a friend, I've certainly come to think of you as one."
1982
"Wait…what are you... stop!" Angel protested as he felt himself being pinned against the wall. He didn't know where Valentino had brought him or why. He had just pulled him from the car into some office building, up an elevator, and into what looked like some cheesy penthouse suite. After closing and locking the door to a tacky-looking bedroom, the larger demon had sloughed off the red jacket he wore and hung it up on the coat rack. And then he had shoved him into the corner. One arm was pinned overhead against the wall by one of Valentino's while both of his lower arms were pinned by Val's second set. His only free arm was trying to push the other demon away from him.
"I paid good money for you," Valentino smirked as he took hold of Angel's chin. "You think I'm not gonna inspect and try out my new property. If I'm gonna make you into a star, I need to see what sort of fuck you can offer people."
"Vai a succhiare la fica di tua madre e muori, fottuto bastardo," (Go suck your mothers cunt and die you, fucking bastard) Angel snarled in Italian. Valentino only laughed in amusement.
"Yeah, they did warn me you'd be a feisty one," Valentino smirked. "Fortunately, I have ways of changing that. Now relax, Sugar, I'm gonna give you a good time...probably the best time you've ever had." Forcibly he pressed his mouth against Angel's, squeezing the smaller demon's jaw to have him open it enough to roughly force his tongue inside.
"Oh man...Angel Cakes. You taste delicious," Val said as he pressed himself against Angel's body. Removing his hand from Angel's face he reached down grabbing hold of one of Angel's legs and hooking it around his waist. "You feel that...you feel how hard you make me. I'm gonna have so much fun with you"
"No…" Angel groaned in discomfort as the larger demon started grinding his hardening manhood against him. Digging his sharp-clawed fingers into the larger demon's shoulder. The blue-skinned demon had moved to licking and sucking along Angel Dust's neck.
"Damn, Sweetheart." Valentino gave a groan of pleasure. "You smell like strawberries...I fucking love strawberries." Angel's head was resting against Val's shoulder now. His mismatched eyes burned with rage as he sank his fang-like teeth into the taller demon's shoulder.
"You son of a bitch!" The moth demon snarled as he moved away, backhanding Angel across the face hard enough to send him crashing to the floor. He breathed angrily as he clutched at the bleeding wounds. Examining it there were some puncture marks made in the silk vest he wore and the dress shirt beneath; blood staining into the fabric. Angel had clambered to a defensive kneeling position and was prepared to fight.
"You're just full of surprises ain't ya, Sugar," Valentino said. "I'm gonna make you regret...doing that." Valentino reached out to grab hold of the scrawnier demon but paused as his vision blurred and swam as a wave of weakness passed over him. "Wha...what did you do to me?"
"I'm a spider," Angel growled as he got to his feet. Wiping the back of his arm across his mouth before spitting some blood-tinged saliva on the floor. "Take a fuckin' guess!"
"You...you…" Valentino blinked. He wasn't dying...but he did feel himself starting to feel ill. The effeminate spider was rounding his way towards the door all the while his clawed fingers were bared ready to take on Valentino in a fight if he had to. Reaching the door, Angel had flicked the lock open and was out the door and racing for the elevator. Hurriedly he pressed the down button.
"Come on, come on…" Angel said frantically stabbing the button as though that would cause the elevator car to arrive faster. Glancing about for a stairwell, a fire escape, anything he could use to get out of here. All the while glancing at the door down the hall trying to see if his captor was going to come after him. The door to the elevator finally chimed, unfortunately, it was to be greeted with the screen-faced smirk of Vox before a hard punch was delivered to his solar plexus, and everything went dark.
He was groggy as he opened his eyes, he found himself sitting on a dank concrete floor locked in a darkened room. Though it should more appropriately be called a cell. The only things in the room were a queen size futon mattress, a couch, dresser, and a small table and chair. A curtainless shower and toilet stood in the corner of the room.
What really got Angel's attention however were the chains. Beside the futon, there were sets of shackles prepared for multi-limbed occupants. More chains and shackles hung against the walls of the ceiling. His jacket had been removed at some point when he had been out so the only clothing he currently had on were his thigh-high boots, short black skirt, and undergarments, each of his wrists pinned to the wall by wrist restraints. Val and his buddy must have figured out or found out how to get to the limbs that he was able to retract into his body.
In another corner of the room was the blinking red light of a camera, so if they didn't know if he was awake yet they would soon enough. The only entrance to the room was a magnetically sealed door and there weren't any windows which meant this place wherever it was could be underground. He had no idea how long he had been in here, it couldn't have been too long.
"Morning, Angel Cakes," Val's voice called over a speaker system. He still sounded woosy but then again depending on how much venom was delivered and who it was delivered to the effects could last from a few days to a little over a week. "How you liken' your new accommodations? You're in what I call "The Special Room", this room is for 'problematic whores'.
"Vaffanculo a te e ai tuoi antenati bastardi! (Fuck you and your bastard ancestors!)" Angel growled. Which only made Valentino laugh as though amused.
"Yeah, that is going to be one of the first things I'll be fixing with you," Valentino remarked. "I don't know what the fuck you are saying, but I know it's gotta be filthy. Get yourself comfortable...cause you're gonna be in there for a while."
How long had it been since he had been locked in this room? Days...a week...there wasn't any sort of way to tell time. His stomach gurgled in hunger…as a demon he couldn't die again...not unless the exorcists got him. But that didn't mean he didn't feel pain, or hunger, or other things that made him wonder if he was going to die a second time.
His throat was parched and his tongue felt dry and papery in his mouth. If Valentino came in to rape him he knew he wouldn't stand a chance, it's not like he could do much pinned to the wall as he was.
There was the sound of the locking mechanism opening. Valentino sauntered in his grin leering down the helpless spider before him. He just salivated at the delicious irony of it: a spider...a known predator in the insect kingdom was the prisoner of a creature that would have normally been its prey. There were some Spider Demons who had been known to have cannibalistic tendencies and devour other demons, but that, fortunately, wasn't the case with this one. That venom bite was only a defense tactic...if he truly was predatory his venom would certainly have been something more to worry about aside from being woozy and weak to the point of needing bed rest for a day.
Putting a bag of something on the table. The moth turned and approached his prisoner, gently cupping Angel's chin, though he took care to make sure his hand was nowhere in biting range.
"Now, you aren't planning on biting me again...are you sweet thing?" The moth leered down. He liked the listless glaze that had filmed over Angel's eyes, and dark rings around the spots under the boy's eyes due to lack of comfortable sleep. But he could still see a flame of defiance burning within the bright pink orbs…that was good...it still meant there was some fight left. Otherwise, he may as well be fucking the brains out of a lifeless doll which would make the money he spent on him worthless. Angel only let out a slight hiss and tucked his legs closer to his body.
"Don't be like that," Valentino cooed. "I'm not gonna hurt you...You've been locked up here for three days now, Sugar. I know you've gotta be starving. See that bag on the table...those are some nice pastries I got just for you...fresh from the bakery. But they come with a catch...you gotta let me try you out before I can let you have those. I do need to know what sort fuck you can offer before I can market you as a star performer. Now be a good boy..."
Valentino was on him instantly like before he was kissing, licking, and suckling at his neck. One hand grabbed hold of his chin to keep him from making any more attempts at trying to bite him. While Val's other hand combed through the fluff on the scrawnier demon's chest. The two lower arms had grabbed hold of Angel's hips pulling him forward causing the spider to start to let out a grunt of discomfort as he felt his spine and arm muscles protest as they felt themselves being stretched to an unnatural angle. The moth's red eyes glowed as he smiled a leering red grin. One hand reached under Angel's skirt and yanked down his undergarments and tossed them aside.
The feeling of a hot mouth and long slimy black tongue traced along his inner thighs was accompanied by the sound of a zipper being drawn.
"No...please," Angel started to protest. His voice was so dry his words only came out as a ragged whisper. Angel felt his skirt being pushed upwards as one leg was placed over Valentino's shoulder. "N..NO!" Angel tried to protest more forcefully. "Don't…"
"Don't what, Sugar," Valentino asked with an evil grin. "Don't do this?" Angel let out a strangled cry of pain as Valentino forcefully shoved himself inside him and began to thrust. "Damn...your ass is so tight. If I didn't know you've been fucked by guys before, I'd swear this would be your first time."
Angel felt tears spring to his eyes as he felt himself being raped by the larger demon. The thrusts were becoming harder, longer, more forceful until there was one final thrust that crescendoed with a hot explosion as Val came inside his body. He winced as he felt Val's dick being removed.
"I was right about you," Val said as he tucked himself back into his trousers and zipped himself up. "You give a fuck that people would pay good money for. You'll be using your body to make me very, very, rich." Angel's shoulders shook with humiliation at everything that had happened as he was repositioned so he was sitting against the wall again. And gasped as his face was seized in the grip of a black hand and yanked upward so he was looking directly into Valentino's glowing red eyes and leering grin.
"I like seeing you in tears, Angel Cakes, it makes you look so breakable." The smile turned into an angry frown as the hand holding Angel's chin grabbed a firm hold of the fur that served as Angel's hair and painfully yanked it. "Tears also make you look like the little bitch that you are. You don't cry when you are fucked! They don't pay for tears! You smile and enjoy it like a good little whore. Got it!"
Letting him go, the moth sauntered to the bag of pastries he pulled one out and made a show off eating it, giving groans of pleasure and delight. Grabbing the bag he started for the door again.
"And Angel..." Valentino said and teasingly waved the bag of pastries."Consider this your punishment for ruining my favorite shirt and vest." The door was closed and sealed again. That was day one of Angel Dust's life as a pornstar.
Angel gasped and hurriedly sat up in bed. His eyes frantically looked about him before he felt assured that he was safe in his room at the hotel. Letting a hand tiredly run across his face he looked out the window, the sight of the studio, the clubs, the drug dens.
To the eyes who enjoyed the pleasures of the city, it was a paradise of lights, sound, and color that never seemed to sleep. Angel still had a fondness for that world himself, hitting the clubs with Cherri and just enjoying the high life as good friends. But looking at all here...right now...it didn't seem so fun anymore. It was an alien world where he was imprisoned. Given the years and the highlight of hearing people cheer the name 'Angel Dust' in delight, he surmised that he had blinded and deafened himself to the truth...to the knowledge of what he was really doing. He couldn't deny or lie to himself about what he was going through...what was happening to him...what is happening to him and others. Maybe it was only bothering him now because he was actively trying to leave it.
Getting out of bed he walked to the window and gazed out at the jewel-like city lights. Charlie's words from earlier rang in his ears.
" Nobody deserves to go through any of that..even in Hell. You certainly don't deserve any of that...you never did. "
" I know you feel you're a sinner, Angel. But when I see you I don't see a sinful soul. I see...I see a good-hearted being who is lost and doesn't know where to turn. "
He supposed being what everyone else sees or believes to be the top of the world, they only see the grandeur. Being surrounded by others, the recognition, the fame. What people never saw...never understood, was how alone you really felt. You weren't a person, you were the idea of a person. All they saw was what you did...what you were known for...what they wanted from you.
For years he had been playing a role...a persona he showed the world. He had been playing this role so long couldn't remember what it was like to really be himself. Even Cherri had never really met the real him...she knew who he could be, and occasionally she had seen him when he was vulnerable. But she honestly had never seen his true self. Charlie, it seemed, was the first person to see past his persona.
"I know you've been hurt by people in the past and it's hard for you to open yourself to others, I understand that. And I know I'm not someone you trust as a friend...at least not to the same extent as Cherri, and I'm aware I haven't gotten to know you as well as she has. But I'd like to be someone you can learn to trust as a friend, I've certainly come to think of you as one."
It wasn't just that he had been hurt by others in the past. Throughout his entire existence, he was instructed to lead a life of secrecy. A life of distrust. It was all part of the Costa Nostra. His father had pressed him into becoming part of the family, to prove himself as a made man. He proved himself unreliable...he hadn't wanted to be part of that life. He was proud of his culture, and his family, but he wasn't proud of the life they led. He didn't want that kinda life and he didn't want Molly affected by it either. Even without the mob ties, it was bad enough being mocked, teased, looked down upon by those around him or worse seen as a criminal just for the culture he was born to.
Leaning against the window frame as the sky over the city lightened in the rising dawn. He closed his eyes as a single tear fell unnoticed from his dark eye and fell to be absorbed by carpet beneath his stockinged feet.