Angel was forced to work overtime under Valentino's orders, after his absence for the last few days. But thanks to the contract he signed with Kara, Valentino couldn't touch Angel even if he tried. Kara's contract indicated that her protection came in the form of a body spell around Angel. Only Angel could allow anyone to touch him; but for someone like Valentino, if he tried to touch Angel without permission, the spell would kick in and put the ungrateful rat in pain, physical or mental. A little trick Kara had learned when dealing with unwanted and handsy guests at her club.
One night after Angel's shift in the porn studio, he stopped at Kara's club for a quiet night at the bar. Kara didn't seem to mind Angel coming in late; plus she had a guest room all set up for Angel for when he wanted to spend the night here. To his surprise, Alastor was there too, even though a karaoke club wasn't his scene. When Alastor saw Angel sitting at the bar table, he immediately turned to walk away. But Angel spotted him, "Hey little deer." he said in a seductive voice that made Alastor twitch. "Want to have some fun with me tonight?"
"You're really putting my patience on my limit, Angel," Alastor stated when he turned to face Angel.
Angel ignored Alastor's comment and then poured Alastor a glass of wine. "Now that I have your attention, I wanted to talk with you," Angel stated.
"Not happening." Alastor quickly said.
"How about this, if you drink with me and have a little conversation, I'm not gonna talk and mess with you again," Angel explained, holding out the glass of wine for Alastor.
Alastor was merely skeptical that Angel would keep his end of the deal. Angel called out Alastor for being afraid which made him glare at Angel. So he agreed to the deal and for safe measure, he grabbed the glass from Angel in case he spiked it with something. The two of them started talking and drinking, Alastor enjoyed talking to Angel for once. Two hours passed and three wine bottles later, the two of them were slowly getting drunk. And now another, two hours had gone by and the two of them had finished off six bottles. The effects of the alcohol were making their faces blush red.
Alastor found Angel an interesting person to talk to which was rare because he's not a social person. But like all good things that happen in Angel's life, they come to an end. A deal is a deal, he wasn't going to flirt with Alastor anymore. But it was fun getting to know Alastor a little better. "Can I say something?" Alastor asked.
"Of course!" Angel replied.
"I thought you wanted to make me drunk to make me do… you know… 'stuff', but I was wrong." Alastor stated.
Angel didn't seem to mind; most people see him as just a hoe, and they weren't wrong. He didn't realize that he had said all that to Alastor. He laughed it off saying that the alcohol was making him talk like an idiot. He stopped laughing when he saw Alastor's expression turn sour. "I'm sorry to make you uncomfortable. I'm going to keep the deal, so you don't worry about me anymore… I'm…."
"If you say 'sorry' again… I'm going to be pretty upset." Alastor said, cutting Angel off.
When Angel saw Alastor's face turn to rage, he flinched up. He didn't even notice the tears streaming down his face, the fear took over. He told Alastor that he was going upstairs to the guest room for the night and he'd see Alastor at the hotel in the morning. Angel had only taken a few steps when he felt Alastor grab his hand. The blush on Angel's face deepened; Alastor asked Angel if he wanted to continue their deal. Angel wanted to continue the deal; he liked getting closer to Alastor and if he needed to stay away to get that, then he was going to. But Alastor didn't want to stop talking with Angel.
Angel was taken aback by what Alastor had said. He turned to face Alastor, tears still falling from his face due to the alcohol and his own emotions. Their faces were just inches from each other, almost like Alastor was gonna kiss Angel. "I… I thought…" Angel stuttered.
"You thought what?" Alastor asked.
"I thought you were… angry," Angel spoke with a pin of sadness.
"Of course I am!" Alastor said, angrily but he softened up seeing Angel's face. "But not with you, dear. I'm angry at the people that talk shit about you. And they don't even know you! I'm sorry too. Because I had another thought about you… And I was wrong. You are so amazing Angel Dust, don't let people make you think otherwise."
Angel suddenly broke down then he put his head on Alastor's shoulder, crying. Alastor was taken aback; he hated being touched but seeing Angel all broken, he let this one slide. Alastor wrapped his arms around Angel, one hand on Angel's head and the other one rubbing his back. "Please don't cry. That doesn't suit your face, dear. Smile for me." Alastor spoke, softly.
Angel then buried his face in Alastor's chest, sobbing. Alastor stood there expecting Angel to do something to him but he didn't. He told Alastor that he wanted to stay like this for a little longer. "Now I can tell that you definitely are drunk Al," Angel muttered.
"Did you say something dear?" Alastor asked.
"Nah." Angel murmured.
They stayed like that for a little bit until Angel stopped crying. When he did, he pulled off a little smile for Alastor, it made Alastor's heart skip a beat. Without thinking, Alastor put a hand on Angel's face and asked him if they could pretend that their deal never happened. He wanted to get to know Angel more. Angel didn't seem to mind forgetting their deal which pleased Alastor. The two were so lost in each other's eyes that they didn't notice how much time had gone by. It wasn't until Angel had asked Alastor to put his hand down that they snapped out of it. But before Alastor had to leave, he cupped Angel's face and then kissed him on the forehead.
Alastor then left the club and a very flustered Angel Dust. Angel bumbled up the stairs then he went into the guest room and crashed onto the bed. By the next morning, Angel woke up with one nasty hangover. He found aspirin pills, a glass of water, and a note on the bedside table. 'Figured you might need these after your lovely night with Alastor.' from Kara. Angel chuckled at the note then he swallowed the pills and water. He then walked out of the club and headed back to the hotel. He spotted Alastor sitting at the hotel bar, talking to Husker. When Angel went over to talk to him, the two just stared at each other.
"Ok, you two need to talk or something?" Husker asked.
But before either one of them could speak, Husker just walked away from the bar leaving them alone with each other. "I'm too old for this shit," Husker muttered under his breath.
Angel freaked out being alone with Alastor; he was hoping that Alastor hadn't remembered their night at the club. He tried to walk away but Alastor put his hand on Angel's shoulder and asked if they could talk. Angel reluctantly agreed to talk with Alastor then he sat down on one of the bar chairs. "I'm sorry. I was scared that you would be angry at me… about last night. And I thought that you wouldn't remember. I don't know." Angel confessed.
"Well, I'm not angry so don't worry." Alastor stated, "Like I said last night, it was fun."
Angel smiled hearing what Alastor had said. "So, you remember the kiss?! Right?! Right?!" Angel asked with excitement.
Alastor looked at Angel nervously then he just laughed it off. "Please, Angel. Don't make me laugh! You probably were so drunk that you dreamed that!" Alastor said. He clearly remembered the kiss.
Angel looked annoyed, he knew that it wasn't a dream. He was still happy that Alastor remembered most of their night. He then worked up the courage and asked Alastor if he wanted to talk again tonight but this time in the hotel. Alastor wasn't against the idea and he was more than happy to talk with Angel again tonight. It seemed like everything was coming up golden for Angel, or so he thought. While Angel was with Kara working at her club, he suddenly got a text from Valentino. The text said that he wanted Angel to come to the studio, now. Angel tried to make an excuse for Val but he wasn't having it. He texted Angel to come to the studio or else.
Angel didn't have much of a choice, so he told Kara that he was going back to the hotel early to chat with Alastor. She bought the lie then Angel texted Val that he was coming. He also made sure to text Husker that he would hang out with Cherri and tell Alastor that they'd talk another night. Valentino texted Angel that he was sending a car over and if he didn't arrive in the car, he would be furious. As he walked down the street, the car that Val had pulled up beside him. He got into the car then the car drove to the studio. Angel was on high alert the whole way, not knowing what Val wanted to talk to him about.
Valentino was waiting for Angel in his office. Angel walked out of the car and then headed into the studio and up to Valentino's office. Angel knocked on the door then he heard Val's voice telling him to come in. "So, Angel Cakes, direct to the point. Why didn't you pick up the phone in the night? And today? I need a good explanation." Valentino asked sickeningly.
Angel had forgotten that Valentino was gonna call him last night while he hung out with Alastor. He tried to come up with an excuse but Valentino instantly knew that Angel was lying. Angel tried to speak again but Val shouted at him to be silent. Angel's expression turned to horrifying when Valentino mentioned that they lost a client which meant that Angel would pay the price. He begged Val to reconsider his punishment but Val sneered at Angel then he grabbed Angel's face to shut him up. His sneer turned into a wicked smile as he pulled out his cigarette then blew pink smoke in Angel's face.
"If you keep talking, I'm going to kill you. You want that?" Valentino stated with an evil smirk. "This is your punishment. If you resist, they are going to continue, one day non-stop with the worst clients." He then leaned closer to Angel's ear and whispered, "Good luck, Anthony."
With that, he shoved Angel towards some of his thirstier and sickening clients who were in his office then he locked the doors to his office so no one could disturb them. One of the clients yanked off Angel's coat while another pinned his arms behind his back so he couldn't fight back. Another one began to strip Angel's clothes off. "Val, Daddy, please!" Angel shouted but Valentino just stood there, watching.
The next day at the hotel, Kara had returned from her date night with Cherri. She found Alastor asleep on the couch in the lobby but she didn't find Angel. She shook Alastor awake which worked, and then she asked Alastor if Angel was here in the hotel. Alastro looked at Kara with a confused look on his face. "He wasn't at the hotel. We were supposed to talk last night but he didn't show up. He told Husker that he was with Cherri." Alastor explained.
Now it was Kara's turn to be confused, "That's impossible. Cherri was with me last night on a date." she stated.
Kara tried to call Angel but it went straight to voicemail. Even Charlie was worried about Angel so she, Kara, and Vaggie decided to go out and search for him in the city's center. Kara asked Alastor if he would help but Alastor laughed it off and refused to help. "If they die? For me, that would be the entertainment that I was searching for in the first place. That's why I'm here." Alastor stated.
"Oh for fuck sake. I know you care about Angel! And don't you try to deny it? Please, Al." Kara begged.
But Alastor just turned around and walked up to his room. Vaggie told Charlie and Kara that they'll find Angel, without Alastor's help. As they left, Alastor was up in his room, Kara's words rattling around in his head. He secretly ordered his shadow to go and search for Angel in every corner of Pentagram City. Alastor clutches his chest feeling something that he has never felt before. He thought that if he had found Angel then the feeling would just go away. But he didn't want anyone to know that he was looking for Angel. Little did he know, that feeling was going to multiply even when he found Angel.
Back at the porn studio in Valentino's office, Val asked his "special" clients if they were done with Angel yet. They were all set and they kept his face intact, but the rest of Angel's body suffered. His back was laced with stinging lashing from Val's favorite whip, the Bitch Beater. Bruises and cigarette burns littered all over his arms along with grip marks from some of the clients. His neck had traces of bite marks from a few clients. Even his chest was littered with scratches. And his legs looked like he just had sex with five different guys with none of them stopping. This was different from Angel's normal run, this time, he felt dirty.
Angel suddenly felt someone touch him again and he instantly froze like a deer in headlights. "Sh, sh, shh. Angel, it's me." Valentino whispered in his ear, wrapping his coat around him. "Don't worry, they are not going to do anything else. I don't want to hurt you this way ever again. But it was your fault."
Angel didn't listen to the rest of what Valentino was telling him, he was still in shock from his so-called punishment. When he was sure that Valentino was done talking, he told Val that he understood his punishment. This pleased Valentino which made him like when Angel was very obedient to him. He dismissed Angel but not before telling him not to mess up again. As Angel walked down the streets, he had a feeling like someone was watching him. He pulled out his gun and then turned around, but there was no one there. Except for Alastor's shadow who was well hidden and pleased that he had found Angel.
All the pain from last night hit Angel hard; he burst into fits of laughter but it lacked all warmth. His thoughts swirled around him wondering why he had made that stupid deal with Valentino. Angel's laughter turned into sobs moments later.
I know I may come off quiet, I may come off shy
But I feel like talking, feel like dancing when I see this guy
What's practical? What's logical?
What the hell, who cares?
All I know is I'm so happy when you're dancing there
I'm a slave for you
I cannot hold it, I cannot control it
I'm a slave for you
I won't deny it, I'm not tryna hide it
"I can't do this anymore! I'm tired of all this shit! I just want to disappear!" Angel shouted.
Suddenly, he felt the ground below his feet swallow him. He thought that this was the end of his life and he was going to accept it. He let go of the gun that was in his hand and then closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He felt his body falling and falling until he heard someone calling his name. When he opened his eyes, he saw that it was Alastor, holding him in his arms bridal style. "Hello dear!" Alastor said with a chipper smile. "Kara and Charlie told me to search for you! I'm glad I finally found you…"
Alastor was cut off when he looked at Angel's face, he was on the verge of tears. Angel started to cry again and this time, onto Alastor's shoulder. Alastor tried to ask what was wrong but Angel didn't say anything but an agonizing cry mixed with pain and sadness. Alastor quickly took Angel up to his room. Alastor didn't hesitate to put Angel on the bed. Then he removed Angel's coat, revealing his battered and damaged body. Angel begged Alastor not to tell this to anybody as he drifted in and out of consciousness. Alastor tried to ask Angel about his wounds but it was too painful and shattering for Angel to talk about.
Alastor just couldn't understand it; why was he helping Angel? Why did he feel relaxed when he found him? Why he was angry for not knowing what happened to Angel?