....four days later...
As the tall, lithe demon spider walked down the street he quashed his broken hearted feelings deep down inside him and picked up pace wanting to get to his best friend's hideout as fast as possible. He caught his reflection in a window and checked his appearance, making sure that his make up was straight and fluffing his styled fringe fluff. He forced a grin pleased that his outward look didn't reveal how horrible he felt on the inside. It was late at night and although he knew this was a dangerous time to be moving around Hell he didn't care, he couldn't stay in that hotel another minute. All he had with him were the clothes on his back, what little cash he had and his Hellphone in his pocket. He had left Fat Nuggets behind. It killed him to do so but he knew the little piglet would be well looked after as he was well-liked by the Hazbin Hotel staff, nobody could resist his cute little face. He had even inexplicably won around the Radio Demon and Angel Dust had no idea how as he hadn't even managed that. The little guy would be fine. It was him that wasn't..
He recently fallen out with Husk. Big time..
This was hardly the first time they had argued but unlike the other times when they just kissed and made up the next day the following day came and his boyfriend was nowhere to be found. He had gone to ask the others and had the misfortune of overhearing Alastor say to Charlie that there had been a 'crisis' that Husk had to take care of at home so he wouldn't be back for a while.
This had made Angel immediately go back upstairs and shut himself in his suite feeling suddenly grief-stricken. His boyfriend had left without them patching things up. He was gone. The spider demon couldn't help but feel devastated by abandonment and it was this that had caused his heart to break and the tears had flowed forth. It had taken him a long time to summon the will to pull himself together and put on a facade of being fine during the rest of the day. None of the others suspected anything with the possible exception of Alastor as he had picked at the meal that the Radio Demon had placed in front of him, moving more around than he ate. Unable to face the others and continue lying to their faces about his emotional state he had messaged the only being down here he felt he could really trust and told her he was coming over..
Cherri Bomb.
Her 'crib' looked like some kind of abandoned bomb shelter, the kind of thing other demons wouldn't look twice at but Angel knew that was the point. It was covered in graffiti and was surrounded by rubble, some of it due to her testing out her own weaponry, some of it from various turf wars she had been involved with.
"Holy fuck, you look like crap.." Cherri's voice exclaimed when she opened the reinforced door and took in the sight of him, able to see through his facade since she knew him so well. "C'mon in. I got a butt-load of booze, let's get shit-faced.." The spider demon smirked a little at her words then yelped finding himself wrenched inside when she gripped him firmly. Since he was incredibly slim and light he catapulted forward like a rag-doll with the strength of her and she slammed the door shut behind them..
..................
"I figured ya'd be back late, assuming ya were gonna come back at all.." His voice had been low, angry and hurt. He was fed up with the secrets and paranoid by what other lies his boyfriend had told him other than hiding a Hellphone.
"Well, I'm back, aren't I? Isn't that what you wanted?" Husk had exhaled, his shoulders sagged and he looking both tired and fed up.
"I would rather know where ya were.." He had folded his arms, the rage was still simmering below his surface.
"How many times— I had business to take care of!" His boyfriend loudly proclaimed, his own frustration and anger coming out in his voice reflected in his yellow eyes. He had paced, those wings flapped once in an agitated manner.
"'And that's all I need t'know'.. Yeh, yeh.. Quit playin' the same record with me, it's gettin' fuckin' old." He had watched his boyfriend try to control his temper as his bubbled.
"Oh. You think I want to come back here and go through the same shit with you every fuckin' time I go out? 'Cause I don't!" Husk had rounded back onto him faster than he had ever seen the permanently inebriated cat demon move. He had jabbed an accusatory finger out at him, as if blaming him for this argument.
"Well, whoever they are I hope they were worth it.." He couldn't help but throw in the dig with a sneer.
"Excuse me? The hell are you implying?" A sudden flash of hurt and disbelief glimmered in Husk's eyes.
"What do you fuckin' think Husk!" He had added, relishing this purely because he was mad and not thinking rationally.
"You really think I'm havin' some kind of affair.." There was a flicker of derision in his boyfriend's voice, the scowl returning.
"What else am I supposed to think? You don't tell me shit!" He had turned away huffily now, not wanting to look at him in the face.
"Because I'm trying to keep safe! I don't want you mixed up in this.." He could feel the frustration returning.
"Yeh, that's likely.. Is it a woman?" A little sting had struck his heart at this question, he had feel a tear forming not wanting to picture his man in the arms of someone else, especially not a female. He felt he would die again inside.
"What! Being with you is like being with a woman! Why would I want another one?" The relief that filled his body was surprising even those Husk's tone was aggressive and offended at the very suggestion.
"A man then!" He had added in a louder tone, there was no pain this time, just an uncomfortable lump.
"No! There's nobody! Dammit, I don't need the third degree! I'm done with this fucking shit!"
....Angel sighed heavily as he slumped back onto Cherri's comfortable red couch after snorting a liner of cocaine. He had not snorted a drop since getting with Husk but the feeling of abandoned by his boyfriend and the crushing loneliness it had brought had caused him to relapse. Since losing the emotional stability of their relationship he felt like he was losing it in himself too.
"H-he just left after that.. I ain't seen him since." The pale pink spider said morosely, touching his forehead feeling awful about their fight, feeling fresh pain reliving it as he told his best friend about it.
"Yeh, I wouldn't wanna see you either Angie, your a real shitty boyfriend." The one-eyed girl with white skin and strawberry blonde hair stated matte of fairly.
"Hey!" Angel turned his head and glared at her.
"What? You know I'm right.." She added resting one hand against her head as she leaned on the back of her couch, her blood-shot eye narrowed in disapproval. "You went from one to one-hundred and just straight up accused him of fuckin' someone else without even considering that he could actually be telling the truth."
"Huh? You think he really was working." The pale pink spider blinked at her innocently.
"Yuh-huh! What's his job? His real job not the one he calls a 'charity job' at that hotel." She pressed pursing her lips, trying to make him see what she was talking about.
"I— I don't know.." The lithe spider blinked his odd sclera eyes in some disbelief. Wracking his brain trying to think why he wouldn't know this. "I never asked." He finally uttered softly, realisation slowly dawning on him.
"Exactly, you've no idea. I bet you don't even know what your sweetie's full name is.." In response to this Angel blinked shaking his head as he tried to think about this but realised that she was right. He only knew Husk by that or 'Husker'. He didn't even know if that was a real first name, surname or just a nickname he had picked up. Then the crashing realisation made him sit forward and sag.
"Oh fuck.. I am a shitty boyfriend.." He uttered, his eyes watering again and this prompted Cherri to scoot closer to him as he wiped his tears away demurely before they messed his make up.
"Hey. Hey, it's ok. He's obviously no saint either.." She reasoned reaching over and rubbing his back tenderly. "But you gotta admit, you fell hard and fast for this guy but rushed in, didn't take the time to really get to know him properly. Holy shit, this guy's your first love, isn't he?" She blinked her one red eye with white X as a pupil, looking at him plainly as if the reason for his mistakes was so obvious now.
"Yeh.. and I screwed it up, didn't I?" He muttered unable to bring his eyes to look her straight in the eye so he shut them, trembling a little at the very idea.
"Not necessarily but you gotta apologise and show him a little more trust Angie, even in a shit-hole like this real relationships don't work without trust. You just need to go back to that hotel and wait for your sweetie to come back and talk this out." She said matter of factly.
"I can't. He's not there. He's dealing with some kind of 'crisis' at home.." Angel sighed, waving two of his hands up in some frustration with his situation.
"Translation: There's a turf war going down in his area." Cherri reasoned and this made the tall slim spider blink shocked but unable to argue with her logic as it made perfect sense. Of course that's what was going on! Why hadn't he seen it before?
"Hey, yeh.." Angel suddenly brightened as an idea came to him. "Which means it will have made the news..." He snatched up the TV remote from her makeshift coffee table of cinderblocks and a large slab of indiscriminate stone resting on top. He flicked on the 666 News just in time for the newsreaders to begin.
"—And this is Tom Trench. Trouble in the central sector of Pentagram City erupted this morning between two crimelords that has resulted in an amber alert for gang warfare being raised. Citizens of the area have been advised to be on their guard and remain indoors after dark.." The blonde news anchor with the WW2 gas mask on covering his face was saying as the bold yellow side story scrolled forwards. At least it was until it broke off when whoever was running the teleprompter started bitching about their bitter custody battle with his 'bitch ex-wife' and how he didn't give a fuck about the baby because it would 'cramp his style' and she could 'throw it in a trash can' for all he cared..
"One of these crime bosses has been identified as Henorin Ragno, Don of the Spider Mafia of the neighbouring lower-east side known best for their street corner drug operations and hitman services. The other is the elusive Casino Demon, his name is unknown but the owner of Jackpot Hotel is known for more grandiose crimes from money laundering to being a weapons dealer specialising in supplying military grade tech. What has caused war to break out between these rival crime-lords remains to be deciphered.." Katie Killjoy's neck cracked as he turned her head back keeping track of the camera, a wide grin stretching her face.
"The most likely theory is that a deal went down and someone got stiffed. Wait, we have a Casino Demon?" Tom had turned to his co-anchor in surprise.
"Apparently so Tom." Katie's smile tightened.
"Damn, there's a demon for everything, isn't there?"
"There sure is, dumbass. Nobody has ever seen this demon's face but rumour has it he's a ruthless monster."
" Sounds like you two have something in common Katie, it takes a certain kinda demon to rob others blind." The second those last words left him the blonde demon in the tight red dress had snatched up her coffee, her red eyes glowing dangerously as she kept that false cheery smile.
"And a certain kinda demon to make someone blind." As she said this Katie pulled back his mask just enough to throw her scalding coffee in his face, snapping it back in place making the smaller male anchor cry out in pain and fall out his seat, writhing in agony. "Don't say what you don't have the balls to back up you limp dick bi—"
Angel quickly switched the channel not wanting to see where the rest of this was going.
"Wow, guess your sweetie must be involved with this Casino Demon.." Cherri spoke first pouring then both another slug of the Peach Snappz they had been working their way through.
"I guess so, any idea who that is?" The pale pink spider turned to his best friend. He buried the anxious feeling in his chest about the fact that his father's gang was involved. Finally, he understood why Husk had not told him anything, he didn't want him to panic and he wrestled with the idea of his boyfriend and his little brother coming face to face in some kind of shoot out..
"I fucking wish!! I would ask that guy for a damn rocket launcher so I could shoot these babies further!" Cherri giggled lifting up one of her unlit bombs with a skull face on it. "That would get the attention of the egg-lord.."
The next second there was a faint crashing noise that sounded like it was coming off from the distance making the best friends sit up straight and turn off the TV.
Again the smash noises sounded again.
"You don't think—?" Angel started confused.
"Oh I hope it is!!" Cherri exclaimed grinning and jumping up flashing him a look of wicked glee, "Ready to party slut?"
"Born ready bitch.." Angel grinned back.