Chapter Text
It had all started with Charlie announcing she wanted to throw a hotel wide sinsmas celebration. There were still weeks left until the actual holiday, but no one seemed even a little surprised that she was already trying to get them into the spirit. She expected everyone to take part, of course. Bonding exercise.
Uncharacteristically, Husk had made his own suggestion for his part. It might have been the first time he had willingly taken initiative in any of Charlie's plans. It wasn’t that Husk had ever been interested in christmas. Mulled wine however? Husk was interested in that and he was damn good at making it. At least he used to. He wasn’t sure if he could get everything he needed down here.
Charlie had been over the moon by Husk’s enthusiasm. Or what she called enthusiasm at least. She had promised she’d help him get whatever he needed. And she did. She really had found all the spices and a nice red wine for the base. She had gotten a little burner and a pot for him so he could keep it nice and hot right at the bar. Alastor had stocked the bar up with a set of mugs. All red with a cheesy reindeer and fir tree design that had made Charlie squeal in joy and everyone else roll their eyes.
Husk had thought that was the end of it and genuinely thanked her for it.
However, Charlie had taken that as confirmation that Husk wanted the bar to get a holiday makeover. She had gushed about doing her research and figuring out special human decorations to make the sinners feel more at home.
And that’s how he had gotten here. Standing next to Angel, Husk watched Charlie hang a mistletoe right in the middle over the counter of his bar. The duo stood a safe distance away staring openly at her effort. She was standing on top of bar stool with Vaggie behind her on the ground, apparently sharing Husk’s concern of her falling off. She didn’t look very amused with her girlfriend's antics.
Angel leaned down a little closer to Husk. “Are we sure she knows what it means?”
Husk shrugged. He really didn’t know. “She made it sound like she did her homework.”
“Why hang it on the bar then? Does she want ya to turn the place into a kissin’ booth?”
Husk groaned. He shouldn’t have said anything to begin with. He didn’t know what had gotten into him to volunteer like that. It sounded harmless to him in that moment, but he should’ve anticipated that nothing here went by without turning out just a little bit weird. Nothing ever ended where it should.
A garland and some twinkling lights later, Charlie was climbing off the stool. It was a surprise to all of them that she had done it without any accidents.
“What do you think?” She asked with her big, round, hopeful eyes.
It made Husk sigh. He didn’t know what to say, but before he could formulate a reaction, Angel gave her a thumbs up with a cheeky grin.
“I love it,” he announced, “and Husky just told me what a great idea he thinks it is, but ya know he gets embarrassed by givin’ compliments.”
Angel patted Husk’s shoulder to reinforce his point. Husk rolled his eyes, but no one seemed to care about that part of the interaction.
“Thank you so much, Angel!” Charlie teared up, clutching her hands over her heart. She looked straight at Husk. “Is that true? You like it?”
Husk cussed at Angel silently. There was no way Husk could tell her he hated it now. They had all turned him soft. Or maybe it was the christmas spirit creeping in between the cracks. Everything about this was a bad idea.
Husk finally nodded. “Looks great, kid.”
Great, just great.
Charlie made a high-pitched squeal that made Husk’s ears twitch.
“Great! There is so much else to do. We have to keep going.” She reached for Vaggie's hand to drag her away with her. Vaggie just let her.
The next few hours went by similarly with the girls running all over the lobby. At some point Angel and Niffty had joined them to help decorate. Husk made it to his usual spot behind the bar. He got busy with preparing the mulled wine. He wasn't sure how much time had passed when the girls went off to another floor to decorate and Angel flopped down on the center bar stool. He looked a little tired.
Husk silently slid a mug of mulled wine towards him. Angel wrapped his hand around the mug, warming them on it for a bit and inhaling the rich, spicy scent before tipping it towards his lips.
Angel hummed approvingly at the taste. “‘Kay now finish off the holiday special, baby.”
“What?”
Angel leaned his head into his palm, elbow propped up on the counter. Another hand made a little wave towards the air above his head.
“Charlie might not know. But ya know exactly what a mistletoe is.”
Husk wanted to protest, but what came out didn’t sound like protest at all: “You actually want me to kiss you?”
“Fuck, Husk. Y'know, most of the time I think you're really smart, but sometimes ya are the biggest idiot I've ever met.” Angel had sat back up again and swiped his bangs out of his face dramatically with the hand that had just been gesturing towards the mistletoe. “I've been tryin’ to get ya to kiss me from the moment I laid eyes on ya. So if this doesn’t work I truly am out of ideas.”
There wasn’t anything forming in Husk’s brain that seemed like an appropriate reaction. He tried deflecting just a little: “Did you ask her to hang it here?”
Angel shook his head. “Just a lucky coincidence.”
Husk believed that. Angel had seemed genuinely surprised by Charlie earlier. Husk felt dizzy. Maybe the mulled wine was already arriving in his brain. Or maybe he couldn’t wrap his head around, how truly baffled Angel had looked that Husk had asked for confirmation.
“Okay,” Husk finally said. So soft, that he cringed at himself. He could’ve at least sounded confident about it.
“Okay, what?” Angel almost sounded out of breath.
“Okay, I'll kiss you.”
Angel blinked at him a couple of times. “Cool.”
“Cool?” Husk couldn’t stop the grin growing on his face, but he could at least keep himself from laughing out loud. “After all that, that's your reaction? Cool?”
Angel was blushing bright pink - cheeks and chest almost matching his markings. “I didn't actually think that would work.”
“Oh, so you weren’t serious? Getting cold feet?”
Husk picked up a rag to swipe it over a nonexistent spill on the counter trying to come off nonchalant. Which he really was the opposite of but he did have decades to work on his poker face. Angel tensed a little further. It felt nice to be on this side of the teasing for once. Angel could take a little taste of his own game.
“That's not…” Angel trailed off. “You're insufferable,” he groaned.
Husk looked up to grin at Angel. “That's usually my line.”
“You're lucky, you’re cute,” Angel grumbled.
Before Husk could complain about being called cute, Angel had leaned over the counter and reached for one of Husk’s suspenders. Husk’s cheeks started burning in embarrassment at the startled noise he had heard himself make. He was just giving Angel more reasons to call him cute, which was colossally counterproductive.
Angel pulled him forward and Husk couldn’t - or rather wouldn’t ever want to - do anything but let him. It was all suddenly happening at once and way too fast for Husk to keep up.
It shouldn’t have been a surprise to Husk how soft Angel’s lips were. Everything about Angel was soft. And even with their lips closed tightly like this, it tasted a little like cinnamon and clove and wine.
Just like that it was over again.
Husk wouldn’t pretend that he had never thought about kissing Angel, but in his mind it had never been like this. It had always been a little messy and desperate. Something that broke through the surface after ages of building up. Something they just physically couldn’t stop from happening. In his mind it had always come crashing down on them. Inevitable and chaotic.
This has been short and sweet and innocent. And, oh god, so much better than he could’ve ever imagined.
Silence washed over them. Not awkward, just overwhelmed.
Angel finally let go of Husk’s suspender. Husk hadn't even noticed him holding on for so long. He slowly leaned back, taking his mug with him. The smile on Angel’s face did weird things to Husk’s heart.
“Gotta go back to helpin’ the girls. They need someone tall.”
Husk grinned back at Angel. “Cool.”
Angel laughed, with his wide toothy grin and his head tilted back just a little. The way that made Husk feel like he was getting blinded by the sun. Involuntarily Husk’s feathers puffed up. Right now, Husk was nothing short of invincible.
Husk was on the last few sips off his own mug when Angel appeared in front of him again.
Angel put his mug down with a thud. “I need a refill.”
Husk filled both their mugs back up. Their hands brushed when Angel took it back and that was a kind of touch that happened all the time between them but now Husk felt the tingle shoot up his entire arm.
“Ya forgot somethin’,” Angel told him, while he leaned in.
This time Husk didn’t need to be told what that meant. This time, he also leaned in and their lips met halfway with just a bit too much force. Both a little too eager. It made Angel smile into the kiss and Husk swore to burn that feeling into his memory forever.
In no time, Angel was off again to decorate and Husk left alone with his pot of steaming mulled wine. It all seemed unreal. Husk briefly considered if the wine had made him drunk enough already to start hallucinating. For a moment that sounded like the more plausible explanation. More plausible than that he and Angel were exchanging kisses like that.
But Husk knew that this whole thing was a little too strange to be a product of his own imagination. Kissing was apparently a thing he and Angel did now. Simple as that. And kind of life changing.
Angel reappeared in front of the bar for his second refill. Again, after Husk had handed him the mug back, full of steaming hot liquid, Angel leaned expectantly over the bar towards Husk. He leaned in without hesitation, pressing his lips to Angel’s like it was the only logical thing to do. Maybe it was. Who could blame Husk for humoring Angel?
It, however, didn’t stop Husk from making a comment. “Legs, it's getting ridiculous.”
Angel huffed in disagreement but didn’t pull away. “I’m gonna take full advantage of that thing now.”
“Don’t think you’re overdoing it a little?” Husk raised an eyebrow at him. He had tried to sound at least mildly annoyed but there really was no bite to his voice at all.
“I think if ya were actually that bothered by it ya’d tell me.” Angel tapped Husk’s nose with one of his index fingers. Husk glared at him but it apparently wasn’t very impressive. Angel just giggled. “Grinnin’ way too much for me to believe ya don’t like it.”
Husk grumbled unintelligible protest. Of course he liked it. Husk just had a grumpy bastard image to upkeep. He had liked this better when he had been the one getting under Angel’s skin, not the other way around.
Angel cupped his chin and pulled Husk into yet another kiss. Husk, again, let him do without any resistance. Husk wasn’t into being manhandled. Or at least he had firmly believed that but he had to admit he was immensely enjoying Angel taking charge like that.
It had to be the mulled wine taking his brain over, because this wasn’t one of the innocent, quick kisses they had exchanged earlied. Their lips were moving against each other until suddenly their tongues were involved. Husk couldn’t remember who started that but that person was clearly the smarter one out of the two.
Husk’s heart was beating so hard, the blood rushed in his ears. Something was buzzing around in his stomach.
The whole thing was over abruptly when they heard Charlie yell for Angel from the hallway.
When they parted, Angel looked a little disheveled, eyes glossed over, cheeks a dark pink, and Husk could only imagine he must look about the same.
Angel pointed awkwardly towards the general direction Charlie's voice had come from. “I'm gonna go.”
Husk nodded. He didn’t trust his voice yet.
The last time Angel sauntered over to the bar for the night, he looked thoroughly exhausted. Decorating took a toll on him.
Angel didn’t sit down, he leaned against the counter and watched Husk put the mug away. Husk leaned in first this time.
Angel wriggled his chest fluff at Husk, seductive grin on his pretty face. “Come on, give daddy his good night kiss.”
Husk flinched back. “Oh fuck you, Angel. Way to ruin a good thing.”
“Ha, wrong!” Angel grinned triumphantly. “Way to make ya admit that ya liked it.”
Husk blinked at him. His face started to burn. He felt caught. “Not what I said.” Admittedly one of his worse attempt at defending himself.
Angel shrugged. He was still grinning. “Ya called it a ‘good thing’. You’re not gettin’ outta this one, whiskers.”
“Fine,” Husk shot back, clearly unhappy about having to admit defeat.
“I'm just too clever for ya.”
That was the second time today that Angel had called him dumb. Husk thought the kissing must have turned both of them a little more stupid. Because Angel's triumph had distracted him enough that he already turned away.
Husk watched him take a first step, a second, a third. Hips swaying in a way that showed he knew someone was watching. And Husk did enjoy the view for just a few more steps, before he spoke up.
“You still want that kiss, baby?”
Angel turned on the spot. Almost tripping over his own feet while he rushed back towards the bar. The sight filled Husk with pride. Angel was adorably eager and it made Husk feel much more at ease with all the butterflies in his own stomach.
"Yes, I do!”