A/N: This chapter goes between chapters 16 and 17. This is also the last chapter of this side-story, thank you for reading!

Husk stared at the bar counter in displeasure. He had just finished wiping down its shiny black surface, but once again there was a white hair in the middle of it, mocking him with its contrasting fucking colour.

All the fucking time now, no matter how carefully he brushed himself daily. ...Which he didn't, other than his face, but even haphazard brushing every few days should accomplish at least fucking something!

Not that this was anything new. No, his fucking house was always cat hairs galore, and Alastor's couch was a lost cause after decades of visiting him and sitting there with his hairy ass. But the fact that his bar counter refused to stay hairless for even a fucking minute was simply unacceptable.

He'd have to apply desperate measures.

He sighed at the very thought. He fucking hated it. It was time-consuming and required some serious fucking bendiness on his part and his old fucking back just wasn't meant for any of it. If only he could-

His thoughts came to a screeching halt and a grin appeared on his lips.

Oh, he actually could now! Yes, he fucking could. It was perfect.

He cackled to himself and turned around to lay a paw on the dingy radio he now kept on the shelf between some less used flavour bottles.

"Hey Al. Come down here when you've got the time. And by time, I mean a lot of it."

He didn't bother staying on stand-by, knowing Alastor heard him and would simply show up when it suited him. So, he got back to work cleaning up his bar. The floor was swept and the tufts of cat hair binned. Out went empty bottles. A few almost empty bottles were emptied into his throat to get them out of the way, too. Angel Dust was sent packing and told to come back tomorrow when the bar was fucking open again. A list of liquor he needed to purchase sometime soon was made. Shelves were wiped. Bottles were organized neatly. The floor was swept another fucking time.

And finally Alastor showed up.

"You have need of me?" he asked, and wrapped an arm around Husk's shoulders. Husk leaned against him, and his tail curled around Alastor's leg quite without conscious intent on his part. It had started doing that a few days after they became a couple and Husk saw no reason to do anything about it.

...It was still such a strange thought. Them being a couple. It had been almost two weeks now, and Husk was not fucking used to the concept. Granted, they hadn't really done much anything different from before so far, as they had concentrated on repairing their damaged relationship first and foremost. Alastor had given him a good morning kiss on his cheek yesterday and on the side of his ear this morning, but that was all the difference there was. Husk didn't want to push him, and those two occasions were a clear indicator that he had made the right decision for once; Alastor was warming up to the idea on his own and going at it at a pace that was comfortable for him. That mattered more than any impatience on Husk's part.

Well, there were more hugs, too, but that was quite honestly business as usual when compared to their time together pre-hotel. Husk could tell Alastor was itching to cuddle – which was no wonder, as it had been almost half a year since semi-regular cuddles, and that one cuddle after his confession wasn't enough to make up for that – but at the same time they were both stupidly hesitant to do it now that there was a new variable involved.

Husk was about to fix that.

"Yes", he answered, and reluctantly stepped out of the embrace. "I have a new job for you. Come on."

Alastor followed him obediently, and Husk could almost feel the curiosity radiating from him. Good. He led them to his room, which was frankly a mess of loose cat hair at this point. He continued to ignore it.

"Take off your coat, shoes, and gloves and sit on the bed", Husk said with no preamble, and there was immediately a record scratch sound behind him. Predictably enough. He quickly hid his amusement and turned to give Alastor a deadpan stare. Alastor's eyes were wide and his grin was frozen.

It was too fucking easy and Husk really had to fight with himself to refrain from laughing. He felt only slightly bad for messing with Alastor's head this soon after their changed status quo, but frankly this was likely the only time this shit would work, as eventually the asshole would get used to the idea and become truly comfortable with all of it. So, he had to take advantage of the newness while he could.

"I don't know what the hell you think is going to happen, but you can take your mind out of the fucking gutter", he drawled, and finally let a smirk slip. "I know we haven't yet had that… discussion on physical boundaries, as you put it, but I'm not an idiot. Try to have some fucking faith."

Alastor's shock turned into indignation. "My mind is not in-"

"Sure, sure. You tell yourself that", Husk interrupted, enjoying this way too much. "Now do as I said."

He left Alastor to his own devices and went into the bathroom connected to his room. He dropped his hat and bow tie on the edge of the sink, took a very specific black toiletry bag from the mirror cabinet, and returned to the bedroom. Alastor was sitting on the edge of the bed, without his coat, shoes, and gloves, and giving Husk a smile that promised revenge later. Eh, worth it.

"You'll need to scoot further into the bed", Husk said, and waited until Alastor did so before sitting across from him and putting the bag between them. "Alright. Now as my freshly promoted… uh… what the fuck am I supposed to call you anyway?"

Alastor tilted his head at him. "I haven't the foggiest what you're even talking about."

Husk gestured between the two of them. "Us. I would normally call you my lover, but that's wildly inaccurate under our circumstances. And boyfriend sounds fucking juvenile. Damned significant other? Like fucking hell I'm going with that."

Alastor hummed in thought. "Sheik?"

Husk guffawed. "The fucking whippersnappers these days won't even know what that means."

…

They exchanged a look, and identical mischievous smiles rose to both of their lips.

"Sheik it is", Husk said, and Alastor laughed. "Now as I was saying, as my freshly promoted sheik, you're fucking hereby tasked with making sure I won't shed so much fur all over the fucking place."

He opened the bag and took out two brushes and a small cloth bag. Alastor was paying very close attention, and it was honestly fucking adorable and so sweet that Husk felt like his heart was about to burst.

"So here's how it works", he said after clearing his throat. He picked up the brush with sharp looking metallic bristles. "This torture device looking fucker is the main weapon. It gets the loose hair out really damn well. Now this nicer looking one exists because the previous fucker leaves my fur filled with static electricity and that's un-fucking-bearable. This one has nice natural bristles that undo that bullshit. And this bag is for stashing the clumps of loose fur. You can't get them to un-cling from your fucking fingers with a plastic bag, so cloth it is. Any questions?"

Alastor picked up the metallic brush and touched the bristles curiously. "One. How much of you am I supposed to brush?"

Husk smirked, and poked at Alastor's crossed feet. "Straighten these."

Once Alastor did so, Husk draped himself over his lap, laying on his back with his wings splayed open in order to not block his sides with them. He grinned up at Alastor. "All of me except for my face, crotch, and wings. You better get started because this takes fucking forever."

Alastor eyes traveled the length of Husk's body, and despite knowing it was simply him assessing the work ahead of him, oh fuck did it make Husk's stomach flip something fierce. This was more or less the reason he hadn't saddled Alastor with this job before now.

But now he had nothing to worry about. If Alastor's eyes or touch or the intimacy of the activity made him feel things, it was acceptable. He was allowed to enjoy the attention. It was okay.

The thought alone made him smile fondly and close his eyes in contentment. He tilted his head back as an invitation, and after a moment Alastor took it and started gently brushing his jaw and neck. A bit too gently, even. It was damn precious.

"That's not gonna cut it, Al", Husk instructed after the first tentative strokes. "You need to get the fur at the fucking roots. Don't you ever brush your own ears and tail?"

The brushing paused, and then resumed with surer, deeper strokes. That was more fucking like it. "Yes, but they don't require much attention. I simply make them look presentable."

Husk hummed. Yeah, he supposed that a deer wouldn't shed as much as a cat. That, and having only ears and a small tail to work with would be so much fucking easier anyway.

...Damn, he really wanted to see that tail again. But all in good time. Alastor would make it visible when he damn well pleased, and Husk would wait patiently for that day. Boundaries were being pushed enough as it was, and he didn't want to make Alastor regret the choice of agreeing to this whole thing.

In the meanwhile, he enjoyed his brushing. He started purring softly, until eventually the static electricity became an annoyance. "Hey. Switch brushes."

Alastor did as asked, and yes, Husk liked the soft brush much better than the other one. He resumed the purring and stretched a little in pure enjoyment.

It took a few more prompts from Husk until Alastor learned when to switch brushes based on his natural cues, such as the purring going quieter, but once he learned the ropes he started chattering away while he worked.

Husk had missed moments like this so fucking much.

He lost the track of time. All he cared about was Alastor's steady brushing and his endless chatter and his presence and the fact that Husk was up to his ear tufts in love with this motherfucker. The feeling filled every fiber of his body and soul, so when it was time for him to turn around to get his back done, he took a moment to sit up, drop a kiss on Alastor's pointy nose, and only then laid down on his stomach.

Alastor's baffled expression at the action was the cherry on top.

"You're doing good, and you're more than halfway done", Husk said, and folded his arms to rest his head on them. "Tell me when to move my wings out of the way. I don't want to whack you in the face or something by moving them unexpectedly."

Alastor chuckled, and resumed the brushing. "That would be a lot more unpleasant than that unexpected kiss, yes. You know, Husker, you're more relaxed and… hmm, more openly receptive to my touch than you've ever been. Did confessing your feelings really make that much of a difference?"

Husk's heart skipped a beat. Was it really that obvious? Also, the fact that Alastor was talking about the confession that easily made something within him unwind; he had been a little afraid that Alastor would feel awkward about it, despite playing along for now.

"It did", Husk answered once he had his shit back together. Time to be truthful, since Alastor asked. "I was always a little self-conscious about enjoying your touch before. It felt a little like I was using you since you didn't know, which I realize is utter bullshit because you're the cuddly bastard here. And I didn't want to get too into it and let anything slip. ...Feelings are complicated bullshit."

Alastor laughed, and patted the top of Husk's head with his free hand. "I wouldn't know! Thank you for attempting to explain. Now, on a different note, am I expected to maintain your wings as well?"

Husk raised an eyebrow at the abrupt subject change. Perhaps he had been a bit hasty in assuming that Alastor didn't feel at least a little awkward. That something within him wound a bit tighter again, but he made the conscious decision to not worry too much about it for now. Alastor most likely just needed time to work things out, and this conversation was a step forward.

They had all the time in the world.

"Not right now, but in the future, yes", Husk answered, and shifted said wings as Alastor nudged at one. "That'll actually be even more of a relief for me than this, as getting at my back is damn difficult even with my fucking cat flexibility. At least with a brush I can just reach blindly behind my back and get something done right regardless. With the stupid fucking wings I need to be a lot more careful. Thankfully that'll be your problem from now on."

Alastor laughed, and ran a hand down the closest wing. Husk shuddered at the touch. He didn't let people touch his wings very often, Alastor previously included, so they were a bit sensitive to caressing. He could see them getting a lot more attention in the near future now that Alastor knew he was allowed to touch, and he was both looking forward to it and somewhat wary.

"That's something to look forward to", Alastor said cheerfully, and started humming while continuing the brushing. Husk smiled and closed his eyes, joining the choir with his purrs.

For the next… however long a chunk of time there was only humming, purring, and brushing. Just Alastor and Husk. It was perfect.

Husk was mildly disappointed when the last few inches of his tail before the feathery tip were dealt with and Alastor put the brushes back into the toiletry bag, set it down on the nightstand, and dropped the fur-filled cloth bag on the floor next to the bed. But all good things had to come to an end, and this good thing had lasted for a long while. He had no right to complain.

"You should move now", Alastor said, and nudged Husk's side. Well, there it was. His official cue.

Husk stretched and sat up, blinking sleepily. Damn, getting pampered like that apparently made him ready to drop. He would call it an early night once he saw Alastor off.

Alastor stretched his legs, which were probably numb after how long Husk had been lying on them. He noticed that Alastor was absolutely covered in his loose fur, which was funny and strangely cute. Alastor looked at said fur coating as well, but to Husk's surprise elected to do nothing about it. Instead he turned to smile at Husk.

"Lay back down where you are", he said, and pointed at the bed.

Husk blinked. Wait, what the fuck? Not that he was gonna complain about not having to get up, but… Actually, what the hell. He didn't particularly care about the reasons. He laid down on his back, stretched again, and folded his wings to his sides.

To his absolute surprise and causing his heart to jump into overdrive, Alastor laid down next to him and snuggled up to his side, wrapping an arm around his waist and and laying his head on his chest.

Husk had never in a million years expected this. His face felt hot and his stomach squirmed and his heart kept attempting a prison escape from behind his ribs while simultaneously swelling like crazy.

He loved every second of it.

"You're required to pet my ears as a payment for my services", Alastor said, and Husk could hear the amusement in his voice. "I will not be here all night, so you better get started."

...He was not going to say no to that. Ever.

The last thing Husk remembered before falling asleep much, much later was the feeling of Alastor's soft ear against his palm pad, the warmth of his body against his side and on his chest, and the sound of Alastor's slow breathing as the much beloved jackass had fallen asleep on him, despite his earlier words.

A/N: Because google isn't very helpful with this 20s slang word: sheik means more or less a (hot) boyfriend ;)