Angel, Charlie, and Vaggie spent the next thirty minutes or so doing their best to help Husk get to a place where he felt comfortable so that he could ride out the rest of his flare-up without having to worry about anything else. Angel went to Husk's room and grabbed him a pair of clean boxers and his nightshirt just in case while Vaggie and Charlie went to look for a way to ease his pain. Charlie found a couple of heating pads in one of the utility closets and Vaggie filled up a bottle with fresh water, adding some ice cubes and a bendy straw so someone could more easily help him if he needed it to drink. She also set up what she'd need to brew some herbal tea; she figured that if it could help with period cramps, maybe it could help with Husk's pain. She offered to make him some, but Husk wasn't really up to eating or drinking anything besides water, so Vaggie got everything set up just in case he wanted to try it.
Charlie said she'd keep her phone nearby and the ringer volume on high so the guys could easily get ahold of her and Vaggie if they needed anything while Angel stayed with Husk. This made sense; considering Angel was the only guy available, Husk was naturally a bit more comfortable with having just Angel there. So, Angel kept his and Husk's phones close by so he could easily reach Charlie and Vaggie if they needed help.
Once back in his room, Angel rearranged a few things to make sure Husk wouldn't be able to trip on anything on his way to and from the bathroom, leaving the door open to make things easier. Since Angel was the only other guy around, he'd already offered to be the one to help Husk if he needed a hand getting to and from the toilet, knowing that it was the most comfortable option for everyone involved. Like Angel said, he'd pretty much seen it all, and Husk was willing to hold him to it and his promise not to peek if it meant he wouldn't have to resort to peeing in a jar.
Angel gently wrapped one of the heating pads around Husk's waist, setting the heat to just one notch past the 'medium' setting and helped Husk lay down on the bed, pulling the top sheet up to just past his waistline to give him some cover, leaving the comforter off so Husk wouldn't get too hot. "How's that feel, Husky?" Angel asked, rifling his fingers through Husk's hair. Husk let out a soft moan, taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly as he did his best to make his body relax and lean into the soothing warmth provided by the heating pad. It wasn't much, but it did seem to help, which was such a relief to both Husk and Angel.
Once Husk seemed like he'd gotten as comfortable as he was going to get, Angel climbed up on the bed and settled down next to him, being mindful of his wing as he scooted down about knee-deep under the covers and chuckled as Fat Nuggets came over to sit in his lap. The spider used his middle left hand to give Fat Nuggets a little scratch while he reached over with his right to continue gently rifling them through Husk's hair, softly scratching his scalp and earning a tired, but content sigh from the older man. Angel gasped as Fat Nuggets waddled over and settled down between Angel's hip and Husk's head, letting out a few cute snorts as he nuzzled Husk's shoulder before lying down.
Angel giggled endearingly at the sight, carefully and quietly grabbing Husk's phone and holding it up to get it into position. "Oh shit," Angel whispered as the camera's shutter went off, "I would've sworn that'd be off." "If that image… winds up… on any of those damn blog sites… or whatever the fuck they're calling it these days… your ass is grass," Husk moaned, "I… am not… joking, Angel."
"Relax, Husk," Angel sighed, "I'm not stupid, okay? I used your phone. Last thing I need is Val looking through my phone and thinking I've got a boytoy or a sidepiece or whatever." Husk let out a wheezy laugh, moaning as a sudden coughing fit cut it short, "Excuse me?" Husk heaved, "Boytoy? Sidepiece? Y-you wanna… you wanna attempt to rephrase that, Angel?" "Hey, his words, not mine. I told you, the guy's a complete psycho; he gets a major bug up his ass over any guy that I show even mild interest in. Well, you know… besides him," Angel explained, "The man's got serious attachment issues."
"M-more like control issues," Husk hacked, "What a fucking freak! I mean… is the guy a film director or a pimp?" "Both," Angel said bluntly, "If I ain't working a set, I'm working a street corner. And it ain't dope I'm hocking, neither." There was a long pause before Angel let out a heavy sigh and said, "I fucking hate it… almost as much as I hate him."
Angel gasped and jumped a little when he felt something brush his leg; he turned and saw Husk's hand laying just above his knee. The old man was looking up at him with a tender expression, a few tears trickling down his cheeks; Angel's heart melted when he saw the pure empathy in Husk's eyes. Angel gently placed his middle right hand over Husk's, lightly stroking the top of it with his thumb, his heart breaking as he saw Husk shiver from pain caused by the contact. Still, Husk didn't try to move away, he just laid there and sighed, trying to suppress a pained moan that threatened to bubble up from his throat.
Angel didn't move away, either, figuring if Husk wasn't moving away, than he shouldn't either. He just stopped stroking Husk's hand with his thumb, opting to just let his hand rest on top of Husk's. Husk didn't say anything more, he just turned his head back to the position he had it earlier, took a deep breath, and let it out slowly as he let his eyes flutter shut. He was in too much pain at that point to be able to fall asleep, but it felt nice to close his eyes and let himself try to rest.
They just stayed like that for a while, enjoying the quiet as Husk let his eyes and his aching body rest. Before long, Husk had Angel help him turn onto his stomach and turn the heating pad down to low; he also asked Angel to loosen it a bit because the fabric was starting to irritate his skin and fur. Afterwards, Husk was able to settle back down, though it was obvious that he was still in a great deal of pain. Angel could see the agony on Husk's face as it rose and fell, coming and going in waves and phases. Sometimes the pain would come in the form of quick stabbing pains that caused certain muscles or muscle groups to spasm. Other times, the pain would come in waves that would quickly peak before taking several minutes to finally ease up.
Angel gingerly repositioned the heating pad so that it wasn't wrapped so tight around Husk, opting to just lay it across the small of his back, adjusting the heat setting slightly so that Husk would still be able to feel the warmth without the pad having to be pressed against his body. As Angel watched Husk's face twitch and twist in pain, doing his best to comfort him through it, he wasn't sure which was worse, but he knew he couldn't afford to dwell on it.
As Husk finally started to take deep, even breaths again, Angel let out a deep breath, scooting down further under the covers and turning on his side to face Husk. The chimera shivered a little as Angel's hand reached out and touched his shoulder, moving up slowly until he could reach his ear and gave it a gentle scratch. A small smile stretched across Husk's face as his eyes fluttered open for a moment, looking at Angel with appreciation before letting them close softly and letting out a soft purr.
Angel looked at Husk with a smile, feeling butterflies as Husk leaned into his touch. It had been several long hours since Husk's flare-up started, and it probably was going to be several more before it began to subside. And so long as his taskmaster of a boss didn't call him away, Angel would stay with Husk, helping him and offering him whatever comfort he could.
Fat Nuggets let out a soft snort, lifting his head as the door creaked open and the girls peeked their heads inside. Charlie and Vaggie exchanged a glance and looked on at the scene with a smile, sighing with relief as Husk seemed to have fallen asleep. Charlie waved to Angel as the spider turned and spotted them, holding up her phone and giving a thumbs up. Angel returned the gesture, nodding understandingly and giving a wink. Charlie let out a soft giggle, waving good-by before leaving. Vaggie smiled, giving a small nod and a wave before following Charlie's lead and left, closing the door softly behind her.
"Hmm? Someone at the door?" Husk groaned, twitching his ears as his eyes blinked open for half a second, "Thought I heard something." Angel let out a soft chuckle, shaking his head and said, "Nah. It's nothing, Husky." Husk shivered as a quick stabbing pain rippled up the length of his legs and back, letting out an agonized moan as the pain finally eased up a little. Angel just stayed close, gingerly running his fingers through Husk's hair and making soft hushing sounds to sooth the distressed sinner.
"Just close your eyes and rest," Angel whispered, "It's okay. You're gonna be okay. I'm here for you now, we all are." Husk shivered as Angel carefully sidled up next to him, rubbing his back with his one hand as the other continued to gently caress and scratch his head, ears and neck. "You're okay, Husky. You're gonna be okay."