"You've heard the news, haven't you?"
"Nope. What have they been saying about us?"
Husk drank the steaming hot mug of joe with an audible slurp, looking out of the lobby's window. It was early in the morning, the sun barely peaking out of the horizon of the ocean outside. "The whole city's pretty much against us. His ties extend even to the media."
"I should've expected it." Angel placed his legs up onto the table in a relaxed pose. "But, I think destroying the palace would've been a bad look for anyone anyways."
The two finished their respective breakfasts. The hotel had given the basics; eggs, cereal, bagels, and coffee. It wasn't bad for their total boarding costs.
As Husk emptied his mug, he spoke up. "Do we have a plan?"
"To be honest, I was going to ask you the same thing..." Angel threw his hands up, but his tone indicated he was joking. "Yeah, I think I've got something. But it's going to be pretty ballsy."
"We should probably discuss it with him. Speaking of... you two seem..."
Husk didn't finish the thought, not wanting to sound prying. It wasn't any of his business, and it'd be awkward to ask directly. But, it did interest him. Angel smiled, as if he knew exactly what he was trying to ask.
"It's been crazy these past days, huh?" Rising up from his seat, Angel stretched his arms, starting to walk away. "I'll go wake him up. He'll miss the food."
Leaving the lobby and heading to their hotel room, he unlocked the door. Looking at the caterpillar-like shape that was still present on the bed, he grinned, closing the door behind him, then slid beside Alastor. Face to face, he felt his smile widen even more, imagining how he'd react upon waking up.
"Wakey wakey, sleepy deer."
Alastor groaned, twisting in place, and to Angel's surprise, was pulled closer. His eyes were still closed. Clearly, he was deeply asleep, murmuring unintelligibly. Angel didn't object though, rather enjoying the feeling of being held by him. That grin was still on his face even during sleep. For a while, he just watched, seeing his chest rise up and down with that peaceful, satisfied look on his face.
He then remembered how he woke up this morning. How Alastor had nuzzled into his neck, and wrapped his arms around his waist. That soft breath upon his cheek, and faint nuzzling. It was heavenly... how he wished it was more than just coincidence.
"Mmm, fluff."
"...huh?"
Suddenly, Alastor's one hand made its way straight onto Angel's chest, making him blush. If that wasn't enough, the hand closed rather tightly, squeezing onto a breast. Eyes widening, Angel covered his mouth, almost moaning out loud. He muffled it into a breath, then looked behind him, making sure that Husk wasn't here to see this. He had closed the door of course, but he wanted to make sure. Indeed, no one was there... and Alastor had no restraint on grabbing the soft object more in his sleep, his smile seemingly widening.
"Soft pillow... regal, soft pillow..."
"Nnn... not a pillow, but... close enough..."
Angel was enjoying this a little too much, but hey, he wasn't the one who initiated it. Getting an idea, he took Alastor's other hand, placing it on his other breast. Surprisingly, this worked, the groping now doubling. Grinning to himself, he thought himself a genius, his upper hands moving over to Alastor's shoulders, and the lower ones sliding over his hips.
"Ohh, yeah... use these pillows, Al'..."
Angel couldn't help it; he didn't usually go this long without sex, and with all the stress he had been dealing with, this was what he needed. His eyes closing, he lost thought of all the risk and possibilities he was undertaking, too turned on to think straight.
"Angel."
At this, his heart jumped, and he let go of the other's hands. Opening his eyes, he saw what he feared most: the wide open, awake eyes of Alastor. In a jolt, he slipped off the bed with an audible thud, then scrambled up.
"Shit... uh..." There really was no way he could explain himself. It didn't help that his boner wasn't hiding itself well within his pants, though thankfully, it seemed to go unnoticed. In fact, Alastor seemed to be indifferent, not even a hint of anger or disgust. Angel's mouth was agape, feeling like something should be said.
"...let's forget that happened." Alastor rose up, stretching his arms out, he walked past, going to the bathroom. "Next time try asking."
"Uhh, yeah, let's forget... wait, what?"
The sound of running water answered, and Angel just stared at the open doorway. Had he heard him right?
"Did I miss breakfast?" Alastor called out, causing Angel to shake his head. He definitely misheard.
"Nope. I came here to wake you up for that... before I..."
Alastor came out fully freshened, not even taking a minute and already sharp. His face remained neutral as he adjusted his bow tie.
"Right. Let's... go then." Smoothing his thumb over his fingers back and forth a moment, he held out a hand, his palm facing out.
Without even thinking of it, Angel took his hand, rising up from the bed. Blushing lightly, he avoided Alastor's eyes, though the latter was doing the same. Shadows enveloping them, they were at the lobby in an instant.
"I... wanted to get here as fast as possible so as to not miss anything." Alastor turned around after gently pulling his hand away. If he were being honest to himself, he could've asked Angel to just place a hand on his shoulder. But wouldn't that be just as awkward? Catching himself in these thoughts, he felt a chill run up his spine. He was overthinking it all. After all, Angel was practically making him grab his boobs. It probably pleased Angel. But, when were Angel's feelings ever relevant?
"Yeah, gotcha. Have... fun?" Angel scurried away as he mentally screamed, the last bit added in an attempt to form some closure, but instead making him look like a complete idiot. 'Why the fuck did I say that?! Shit!' Practically zooming to Husk, he sat down, still cringing.
Husk raised an eyebrow, placing down his mug after taking a gulp. "What the hell's with that look on your face?"
"Ahah... you probably don't want to know." Angel had to laugh at himself, but once again cringed as he heard the chair next to him move, and a plate of food clatter onto the table. Alastor hadn't taken long to get his food.
Husk looked at Angel make yet another weird face, looking to Alastor. As for the deer, he seemed uncharacteristically... observant. Or, was it nervousness? Rolling his eyes, the cat decided it was none of his business. Though, if his guess was right, he'd be somewhat surprised, even with the situation he had observed the two in this morning considered.
"So... what did you get?" Angel opened up and leaned onto an elbow.
"...a sandwich." Alastor lifted it with both hands, though not before placing a napkin across his lap.
"Ah... nice choice." This was about the worst small talk he could ever come up with. But it wasn't his fault; he never flirted in the traditional sense, and Alastor... well, he genuinely liked him. Now that was a first. And now, it looked like he had a chance of getting Alastor's attention too. It was all getting to his head. 'You're losing his attention, Angel! Think of something interesting!'
"So, are you two together now?" Husk asked, cutting into the conversation bluntly as he took the last bite of his bagel. Angel almost banged his fist into the table, shaking his head quickly.
"N... no! Haha, nice joke, Husk! The hell are you on about?" Angel was blushing really, really hard though.
On the other side, Alastor nearly choked, going for his glass of water to swallow down a rather large bite taken. "No! Dear Lucifer, no. We're... ahem, we're not together."
"Hmm... I see." Rising up, he took his plate and mug with him, having finished his meal. He smiled as he turned around, walking away. Angel was blushing. And Alastor was too.
There was a long pause as they watched Husk leave. Alastor began to eat his food, slowly, and didn't say a single word, his eyes glued to his plate. He felt so defensive, weird, and jittery. What Husk had asked was such a simple question. Why did it make him feel so... targeted?
Angel just looked off to another side, his cheek rested on his hand. There was no saving it now. Everything had gone as wrong as it could have gone. Glancing now and then, he watched Alastor's unreadable face. Usually, he'd at least have a hint of a smile. But there was nothing. 'Well... so much for possibility.'
"...I'd like to go down to the shooting range again later."
Angel nodded, finally looking at him directly again. Alastor was still looking only at his food. "Sounds good. Make sure to just remember what I taught you."
"I want you to come with me too. Later... we'll have lunch, then... you know." Alastor looked into Angel's eyes for a second, then away again, his hands now resting on his lap. He was shifting slightly as he waited for a response. But, it took while for Angel to say something, who seemed to be thinking really hard.
"Is... something wrong?"
"No, no! Yeah, I'll come with. I just thought you'd want to be alone. Especially with... everything that happened today so far." Angel nervously laughed. It really was a disaster. From making Alastor grab his chest, to the weird comment before breakfast, and Husk's accusation, it was all a recipe for failure.
"Ah. Well... I've been feeling strange today too, it seems." He usually made it a point to look at someone in the eyes. It was respectful, and assumed confidence, and power. Up until this point, with any demon, it was really easy. But he couldn't bear to look at Angel. It felt wrong in a sense, and his face would just heat up.
"I think I might still be sick... though as you saw, my control over my magic has been returning bit by bit."
"Yep. Sounds good... speaking of, we need to talk about something important." Angel's tone shifted noticeably, and Alastor looked up, seeing his lips crease. "When we return."
Alastor paced in front of their room's window, looking out. He had listened to the two, thinking through every single detail and action they had laid out. He imagined, looking at the red sky, seeing it all play in motion.
"So... what do you think?" Husk asked with a cigar in his mouth. He had started smoking as soon as he and Angel had started to explain. He was feeling stressed just from telling.
Alastor paused, then looked at both at them carefully, as if he was waiting for a punchline. "It sounds insane."
"It is. But if you look at it all... what choice do we really have?" The smoother voice replied.
Alastor turned towards Angel and Husk now, shaking his head. "Well, from what it sounds like, both of you are going to kill yourselves for me!"
"Well... pretty sure that's what a bodyguard does, Al'." Angel sighed as he laid on a bed, a knee up so his hands could rest on it. "Honestly, I don't see a single way all of us get out of this alive. But if we run this play... you'll definitely live."
Husk could only agree, nodding as he puffed smoke into the air. "Yep. It is what it is."
"Don't..." Alastor jabbed a finger at him threateningly, remembering the letter he received. "...you dare say that. My magic has been returning. Maybe in these few days time, I'll be back to one hundred percent... and then I can handle this all by myself."
"Al', you literally teleported us into a dumpster after breakfast." Angel recalled from just about a half hour ago.
"...Angel. Positivity." Again, pacing, he tried to think harder. "There is a way. There has to be a way."
"Feel free to let us know if you do think of something. But just know... if you don't, it's fine." Husk looked at Angel, and they both shared the same look. They both knew. "Me and Angel knew things we're going to get messy."
"It is not fine, Husk." Stopping, Alastor turned towards the door. Opening it quickly, he barely paused.
"I'm going to get a breath of fresh air.." Not waiting, he started out, shaking his head to himself. "
"Al'! Hey, wait up!" Angel took off in a light jog.
Alastor slowed down, but didn't stop, letting Angel catch up. "There's a way, Angel. I know there is. I've always found a way."
"Yeah?" There was an almost mocking tone to his voice, but sadness was within his eyes.
"Yes. There is." Alastor stared Angel down, but the other didn't so much as lean back, looking intensely.
"Well... what if there isn't?" Angel folded his arms in front of his chest.
Alastor shook his head quickly. "You just need to give me time to think."
"You're wasting your time, Al'. Just go back to the room and-"
"I am NOT letting you die. Not Husk. Not Vaggie or Charlie either." Alastor nearly shouted, but stopped himself, not wanting to cause any disturbances to the neighboring rooms.
Angel was smiling, leaning against the wall behind him. "You're not letting us die. It's just how the cards fell."
Suddenly, Angel felt himself get pushed back. Alastor had pushed him, a hand around the spider's head to soften the impact. He was close, able to feel Alastor's breathing as deep red eyes stared into his very soul. But, he wasn't afraid. He knew why Alastor was acting this way. There was only one reason. Carefully, he moved his arms around him, pulling him into a hug.
At first, Angel felt his trembling. He expected him to break away. After all, Alastor had never accepted any form of physical contact from him. Not even a handshake. He was practically avoided like the plague. But, he didn't move. Slowly, his chest stopped heaving, and he kept still. His eyes, having stared into Angel's for probably the longest they had ever looked at each other, eventually closed. Standing upright and getting off from Angel, he held him. Again, his face was unreadable.
"I... I just..."
"Alastor." The word felt a little awkward. Angel never said his full name. But this time, it was important. As Alastor looked up, a hand gently cupped around his chin and cheek. Seeing the tears threatening to fall in those red eyes, he almost cried himself; but he had to be strong. "It'll be fine."
"How can you say that, Angel Dust? I've thrown away everything." Alastor moved away, his eyes closed. "Mon cher... I will find a way to fix all of this."