Husk let out chuckle, shaking his head and said, "Vegas was where home was for me physically. But you know what they say, 'home is where the heart is.' My heart, my home, was with a specific person, not the town in which we lived." Angel nodded slowly, thinking over his next question very carefully. Husk just watched, waiting for Angel to speak; what Angel said next nearly brought his heart to a complete stop. "So," Angel began, "Who was that person?"

Husk just stared at Angel for a second, his face totally blank as he searched his mind for a way to answer. Angel just waited, watching Husk's eyes dart between his lap, the menu in his hands, and Angel's face. "Husk," Angel said, "Look, if you're not comfortable talking about it, you can just… forget I asked. Didn't mean to put you on the spot like that; I was just curious."

Husk flashed Angel a grateful smile, letting out a sigh of relief and said with a nod, "Thanks, Angel. To be honest, I'm not really ready to open up about that yet. It's… a lot of shit, and… I'd prefer to let it lie right now."

Angel reached over and pushed Husk's menu down, forcing the cat to face him. Angel smiled and said gently, "Well, if you ever find yourself needing a porn star to talk to, I'm here for you." Husk's mouth curled up into a happy smile, the older man blinked back tears as he turned his hand up and took Angel's hand, caressing the top of Angel's hand with his thumb. Husk took a deep breath, letting out a heavy sigh as he said, "Thank you."

"Uh, am I interrupting something?" a voice asked. Husk and Angel looked up to see a short fish demon wearing a black waiter's uniform standing by their table. "Oh, um," Angel and Husk chuckled as they untangled their hands and leaned back in their seats, "No, you're good," Husk smiled.

"Oh, okay," the fish man hummed, "Well, my name is Yancy, I'll be your server for tonight. Are you ready to order, sirs?" The two exchanged looks, nodded and Angel said, "Sure, uh, we heard the Spaghetti Carbonara is good."

"Personally, I'm dying to try the Calzone," Husk purred. "Well, the thing is," Yancy hummed, "We're kind of out of the cheese used in the Calzones, so that dish isn't available right now."

"Please tell me you're joking." Husk begged. Yancy shook his head and said, "I wish I could, sir. The Calzone isn't available right now." "Goddamn it." Husk groaned. "Hey, maybe we could split a dish," Angel proposed, "These restaurants always give way more food than most people can eat on their own. And I love spaghetti."

"You wanna maybe split a dish of that Carbonara stuff?" Husk asked. "Sure," Angel nodded, "Sounds good to me." "Eccellente," Yancy said cheerfully as he jotted down their order, "Can I get you boys something to drink?" Husk turned to the drinks section of the menu and scanned the selection, holding up a finger and said, "Could you come back in like… five minutes?" Yancy smiled and nodded, saying, "Take your time, sir. I'll go and put in your order and check back in about five." Husk flashed Yancy a thumbs-up as he trotted off.

"So, you in an Americano kind of mood tonight, or you more of a Boulevardier kind of guy?" Angel asked. "Uh," Husk droned, "Honestly, I was going to ask what they have on tap, but they've got some really good cocktails here. Wonder if their Garibaldi is any good."

"Thought you weren't into fruity drinks." Angel said teasingly. "Normally, I'd take a straight whiskey over one of those froufrou tonics any day," Husk explained, "But, I feel it'd be rude not to at least try something a bit more… authentic. I've got to have at least one cocktail."

"Well, if you want authentic," Angel crooned, "Might I recommend the Averno Limonata." "Averno Limonata, huh?" Husk scanned the menu and found the drink Angel was talking about, "It's a bit pricy, but… oh my God, they have Aperitivo!"

"No kidding? Hell, yeah, now you're talking, Husky." Angel laughed, "Pretty sure it wouldn't be a true Italian restaurant without it," Husk chuffed, "Apparently for many Italians, it's considered tradition. Shit, it kind of became tradition for me at one point."

"Really?" Angel asked curiously, "Yep," Husk nodded, "I haven't had it in a long time, but I have a real soft spot for it. Brings back memories; really good memories." Husk hesitated for a second, looking up at Angel who was looking at him expectantly, "Lord knows," Husk began slowly, his ears falling down a little as he removed his hat and placed it in his lap, "My… wife… would never forgive me if I didn't have at least one."

"So, you figure out what you want?" The guys turned to see Yancy standing by their table, notepad in hand waiting to take their drink orders. "Yes, uh," Angel cut Husk off, snatching his menu and handing it along with his own to Yancy, saying, "We'll start off with some Aperitivo. One each, please." Yancy nodded, jotting down the order and taking the menus before running off.

"When were you going to tell me you were married?" Angel asked. Husk shook his head, "Not sure I was ever planning to tell anyone if I'm being honest." Angel took Husk's hands in his, smiling at Husk comfortingly as the old cat let out a sigh and said, "I'm sorry. I'm not trying to ruin the night for you, Angel. I really did want tonight to just be for you; having fun and just forgetting about all the bullshit. And instead I've been burdening you all night with mine."

"What? No way; I've been having a great time," Angel chuckled, "I've been having a lot of fun learning about you. There's a lot more to you, Husky, and I love that about you. So don't worry about me; I'm doing great. You, on the other hand… you could never be a burden to me, Husk. Alright? You understand, never."

Husk took Angel's two top hands and gently kissed the palms, resting his soft, furry face in them for a moment before looking up with a grateful smile. Angel smiled back and nodded, asking, "I'm assuming you're still not up to talking, though, huh?" Husk's smile shrunk a little and he looked down at the table, shaking his head. "Well, like I said, if you ever wanna talk, I'm here for you."

"Here we go," a voice called, "Two Aperitivo." Husk and Angel thanked the server as they sat their drinks down, snatching them up as the server left and lifted their glasses for a toast. "To us," Husk chuckled. Angel smiled and nodded, knocking his glass against Husk's as they cheered, "Salud."