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Angel couldn’t remember last time he had been this nervous before a proposition. Especially not one of the sexual kind. He was vibrating with a combination of glee and suspence. Like butterflies had mated and nested in his stomach, each fluttering more than the other.
Freshly showered and still damp, his fur was almost glistening and oh so soft, just how Husk liked it.
It was part of the arrangement. The shower, that is. Like a transition from his daily comeuppance to this nightly treat. Washing the regrets off of him and then getting what Husk deemed as what he deserved, which was exactly what Angel wanted, apparently.
He relished in the praise and the attention and the care Husk was willing to give him. It felt like indulgement, like tricking the system. Luckily, Husk was generous whereas Angel was insatiable.
Angel was a pusher, he always wanted more. More force, more blood, more tears. Wanted to escape his head and enter a reality where nothing could reach or touch him. And though the comedown of returning to his miserable body was regrettable, Husk never ceased to nurse him better. Kiss him better.
Husk delivered everything Angel asked for. He rarely said no to Angel's requests and never broke under the immense pressure that was Angel's libido. He hit, choked and cut him just the way Angel liked. At that point, Angel was too far gone in that otherworldly place he sought to notice anything at all.
Suffice to say, Angel had hit the jackpot with Husk. This made his surprise when Husk answered his very reasonable request with; “Absolutely not,” that much bigger.
He gaped, because what the hell?
“You’re saying no?” Angel asked in disbelief, crossing both sets of arms indignantly, looking down at Husk under his nonexistent nose.
Husk didn't cover under Angel scrutinizing gaze, but he looked just as shocked as Angel felt. “Am I saying no?” He spit. “Of course i am, are you out of your fucking mind? You really think that low of me?”
If there was one thing Angel had in spades, it was cheek and audacity, it probably filled the place where his shame and dignity should’ve been. Angel always knew how to use his best assets.
“Come on, whiskers,” Angel said with as much innocence as he could muster, meaning very little, fluttering his long lashes for good measure. “What's the worst that could happen, really?”
Husks left eye twitched. “Oh, I don't know? Maybe you’d fucking die midfuck?”
Like it was that simple.
“That's kinda the whole point here, daddy.” He hesitated, a little lost, “besides, I'll be back, right?”
Husk actually scoffed, “You say that like it makes this any better.”
"Doesn't it?”
See, Angel had just tried this trick with his wonderful boss days before, and though the main event was one of the most painful things he'd ever had the displeasure of experiencing, which was impressive, all things considered, the aftermath was something special. The sheer amount of time he'd gotten to fly between death and conscience had caught Angel completely off guard. It had consumed him, taken his mind off of everything else.
The distraction had made him sloppy. As a result, he'd paid the price.
He had the marks to prove it.
Despite all of this, he wanted it again, because who was he if not a glutton for punishment. And who could fault him, really?
Husk? Oh, please.
The most important detail of Angel’s plan was the part where Husk, as opposed to Val, would be there through it all. The agony, the relief and the downfall. Returning to a cold body alone and afraid was the worst part of Valentino's preferred snuff. He wanted, needed, to know what it was like to wake up in Husk’s arms.
“I really wanted this.”
He ignored the way his voice broke on the words that escaped him, desperate for too many things at once. Husk's approval above all else.
Husk, who much to Angels horror had distanced himself with a stiff stance that said; This was all a lie, I’m judging you for being a sick fuck and you deserve nothing that I’ve given you up to this point.
When Husk moved, he didn’t leave like Angel was sure he was about to, just took a very deep breath, walked oh so slowly to Angel's bed, and sat down on the pink sheets with a hmph. He sluped a bit, wings falling to the side in a cascade of beautiful feathers.
He looked sad. And oh, Angel hated how bad his chest ached at that thought.
Husk patted the place beside him, “Come and sit, Angel.”
Angel scowled from his place on the plush carpet, rubbed his hands together behind his back to hide his fidgeting.
His curiosity had always been more prominent than his stubbornness.
The mattress dipped, and Husk's feathers tickled his bare abdomen. He stared stiffly forward, mouth tightening around a mean streak. Hurting Husk right now meant avoiding confronting this, whatever this was. It would be so much easier to just-
Husks paw on his thigh was so warm that Angel forgot to flinch, "I'm losing you. I need you to be present. Deep breaths.”
Angel nodded and gulped some air into his lungs, the need to be good so overwhelming he almost shook, like when he needed a fix.
Get yourself together, slut.
“Very good,” Husk said, because he always knew just what Angel needed. Somehow.
“Here's what's going to happen,” Husk said slowly. “You listening?”
Angel nodded.
“I'm not gonna kill you, no matter how much you beg me. And I won't hear it again, do you understand?”
Angel opened his mouth to argue, but Husk held a paw up that signalled silence, so he thought better of it.
“However, that doesn't mean I'm not willing to, uh, give you that pleasure. We have a deal, right?”
“…Yes.”
Husk waited, and Angel realised he was waiting for him to say more, so he did, words forming without much thought; “What did ya have in mind, then?”
“I thought I'd show you other ways to turn off that cluttered brain of yours,” Husk said. “Ways that won't hurt. At least not like that.”
“Ya know I don't do that vanilla bullshit, Husky.”
“Sometimes, it shocks me how little somebody this well versed in porn knows about sex.”
Angel frowned at Husk's little dig at his fragile ego, “Hey, asshole!”
Husk chuckled, lips twitching into a smirk, “sorry, baby.” He hid his amusement as he followed up with, “You really think I'd bring it up just because?”
“No, I-“
“You don't think I'm able to give you what you need?”
“Course i do, but-“
“Then please just trust me, baby.”
Angel felt his needs and his wants pulling in two completely contrasting directions. His need for Husk’s kindness in opposition to his want for flying. But that would always be there, in the pink smoke and a sultry voice. He could walk his ass out of the hotel and fly right now if he wanted to.
Husk's kindness, on the other hand, was a rare treasure.
Angel had been handed a fragile and precious piece of glass, was trying to protect it while being pushed around endlessly from all directions. He was so fucking tired of fearing tearing it apart.
Everybody always scrutinized his every move for imperfections, waited for him to mess up. He wouldn't give them the pleasure of seeing him lose this, too.
“Okay,” he said.
Husk gave his hand a squeeze, then; “I want you to lay down in a comfortable position, clothes off.”
Husk didn’t have to tell him twice. He pushed his soft jumper over his head, drew down his shorts and panties, and let them pool at the floor in a little bundle. Then, he fiddled with the zipper of his boots, eyes flickering to Husk.
Who nodded, so they came off, too.
When Angel laid back into the cushions, pushing himself further into the middle with his bare feet, he sought Husk’s eyes again, uncertain. “On my back?”
“On your side is best. But do whatever feels comfortable,” Husk said.
Heart hammering beneath his ribs, Angel turned to lay on his side, still facing Husk, studying him with furrowed brows. What the fuck did Husk mean by comfortable?
“Husk?”
“Angel?”
“This feels stupid.”
Husk chuckled, took off his suspenders and left his pants on the floor as he joined Angel on the bed. Angel’s mouth watered, because Husk was hard.
“Ya gonin’ ta fuck me anyway?”
Husk loomed over him. “No.”
“But. You're naked.”
“I need to feel your body completely without distractions if this is going to work.”
Well, didn't that sound promising?
“What’re ya gonna do?” Angel breathed.
Husk laid down behind him, dragged him closer by the waist. Fully, so their bodies were flush together. Like he wished to merge. Angel had the word red red red on his tongue until Husk tightened his grip.
“I’m going to cut off your airflow,” Husk told him. "You'll pass out a couple of times, until you come,” he snook his hand beneath Angel’s neck and around to his throat where he placed it. Just… held it there. Teasingly or reasuringly Angel couldn’t say.
The sheer size of it covered Angel’s entire throat. And Angel, somehow, felt small.
He bit down a whimper at the words and the touch alike, flushed all the way down the chest, under Husk’s palm. “It isn't gonna kill me?”
Husk kissed the freckles on his shoulder one by one and leaned in to whisper, “Not when i know what I’m doing.”
Well, alright then.
“Fuck,” he breathed. “Please get on with it, will ya?”
“Brat,” Husk growled playfully, pricking Angel's neck with his teeth. Angel moaned, the sting should have been a warning, but he treated it like a promise.
Then, more seriously; “You can struggle, but try to hold still, baby. It's okay to be uncomfortable, but you're safe.” Husk licked the little wound he’d just punctured, rough tounge mapping out Angel’s fur. “What do you do if you need a break?”
Angel's brain somehow got one of his hands to tap Husk’s shoulder 3 times.
“Good boy,” Husk praised him, stroking his chin enticingly, slowly, christ. “I’ll choke you for twenty seconds, then release the pressure for ten. Count if it's gonna help.”
And then, without giving Angel time to react to how fucking crazy this was, Husk began to press down on his windpipe.
Angel could feel him building the pressure, closing tighter and tighter, until Angel's face reddened and thrummed in discomfort. He gasped for air, which hurt, so he wanted to do it again, but-
Husk shushed him, and Angel's mouth clamped shut. “Good boy,” Husk said again, and Angel was happy he’d decided to listen.
He tried to count like Husk had told him to distract himself, to get his thoughts away from the heartburn, but he'd begun too late, so when he counted four, five, six-
His vision whitened out at the edges, small stars danced behind his fluttering eyelids. He was dizzy, sick, like when he was high, but even better. The warmth didn’t stay on the ground.
His body was screaming for him to push, to fight back. Instead, he closed his eyes fully and welcomed the fog like it was a long lost lover. Being killed was a rush of agony and arousal alike. Here, he could embrace it, slowly but surely, because he saw it coming. In return, he became pliant, almost weightless.
This was not flying, but floating in the air on a big fluffy cloud. Untouchable, unreachable, distant.
The world was a hazy blur when he returned to his body in little spasms. Everything seemed to mush together in a mishmash of colours. He didn't fall from the sky, just descended slowly but surely until his senses came back.
He heard Husk whisper, "You're so loved, and so precious, and so so good.”
He didn’t get the chance to say anything other than something close to Husk’s name before he was pulled under again, protest muddling into: This must be what drowning is like.
It felt like being pulled through the blankets of his bed. Like disappearing in smoke, or melting. It was overwhelming, so overwhelming that his brain gave up on trying to analyze the conflicting sensations of pain and pleasure and just… Stopped.
He was nothing.
Everytime he gained consciousness, his ears were filled with Husks' quiet mantra; loved, safe, precious, beautiful, protected.
You’re good enough, you don’t deserve this
He didn't have the energy to close his hands over his ears and block out the noise. Even If he’d wanted to. Besides, Husk had always been good at convincing him.
Brain free from the worst of the fog, he couldn't help but seek Husk's golden eyes. Husk stared back, he had gone from laying behind him to hovering directly above him. A tear fell, landing on Angel's chin, the impact spreading little droplets.
“One last time,” Husk whispered, leaning down to kiss Angel's slack mouth. “Ready?”
Angel could only blink, and before he knew it, the pressure resumed itself tenfold. Holy shit.
“I’m doing this because I love you,” Husk said.
Angel's eyes flung open as he grabbed Husk's hand with all four of his, squirming violently. He rasped and sputtered, clawing at Husk’s fur.
Husk just smiled sadly, ignored Angel’s useless protest. “I never want to hurt you, it makes me crazy, having to do it.”
He kissed Angel again, just a peck, making Angel's eyes well up, too.
“Come for me, Angel.”
Angel did. Very much. He came and came and came. The orgasm was unlike anything he'd ever felt. Angel's usual orgasms were like jumping down a waterfall, or like fireworks. This was like sinking his body into a lukewarm bath. Like paint mixing with water. It kept rolling off of him in deep pulses. Neverending and understated. He rolled with it, rocking in Husk’s embrace, whimpering his name over and over.
Husk. Husk. Husk.
_____________________________
He must have fallen asleep, because when he opened his eyes again, he felt completely disoriented. And he was clean, too.
His body ached, throat especially. He touched the fully formed bruises, felt where Husk had choked him, and relished in the dull pain that spread under his fingertips. A raspy, deep moan escaped his dry lips.
“You’re awake,” Husk said, he was closer than Angel first expected, right behind him in the bed.
Angel turned to him.
He was devastatingly handsome in the darkness. Was handsome, period. Naked and soft and so so sweet. Angel was so fucking fucked.
Did he care?
“I am,” Angel said, stretching his legs and snuggling closer. Husk's arm came around his shoulder to rest on his bare stomach. When he laid his chin on Husk's chest, listening for and finding that rhythmic pulse, he smiled. He felt so… content.
Husk pet his hair, just a brush of clawtips. He hesitated a bit, then; “How are you feeling?”
Angel couldn't hold in a delighted giggle, tangling his long legs with Husk’s short stubby ones.
“Fantastic,” he said honestly. “I feel… new?”
Cleansed? Reborn?
Husk smiled down at him, a low but unmistakable purr vibrating under Angel's chin.
“I’m happy you liked it.”
“That’s an understatement,” Angel said. “Why’ve ya been holdin’ out on me?”
"I did't know if it would work like topside, honestly. And I wasn't sure it was what you wanted, either.”
Angel thought about that a bit. “It probably wasn't," he said. “It didn't feel like dyin’, wasn't as, uh..”
“Intense?”
"Yeah. Not like flyin’ either, because I was mostly there, but not really?” Angel sighed dreamily, “It was incredible."
Husk gave him a squeeze. Like he understood.
Huh.
“So,” Angel purred, driving a finger down Husk’s chest to his lower stomach, fiddled with his boxers. “When can we try it again?”
He was just teasing. Mostly.
“You’re unbelievable.”
“Maybe. But ya love me,” he hummed, all cool, like it didn't make his head so very confused.
Like he deserved it.
“You know it, baby.”
______________________________
Husk's paws were so delicious, running over his fur like that.
Angel was on his stomach, head in the cushions, but contrary to popular belief, he wasn’t getting fucked.
Who would've seen that coming? Not Angel, that's for damn sure.
No, Husk was giving him that goshdarned massage that he had threatened him with since this game started. The one Angel had feared like death itself. It felt a little silly, looking back. It was just a massage.
It's okay not to like gentle touch, baby.
And though Angel still couldn't help his tense shoulders and tight muscles, it wasn't that bad. Besides, any activity that included Husk's hands were Angel's favorites. Brownie points if it was Husk’s hands on Angel's body.
He was so exposed like this, but not in the way he usually was. Stripped bare and up for grabs. Instead, it was as if his chest was being probed open with lube, like Husk was pulling out all of those things he thought but couldn't say. Gently. Angel liked it.
Angel turned his head to cool down his burning cheek on the bedsheet. He said, "Husk?"
Husk's hands stopped, smoothed over his shoulders and down his arms in a comforting gesture, creating goosebumps in its wake. Angel, in turn, shivered.
“Yes, baby?”
“I'm sorry I make ya hurt me.”
Pause. “I know,” Husk said, then; “Me too.”
Angel dried his eyes in the sheets. He hadn't really cried. They weren't actual tears. Fuck.
“It's just. I don't know if I can function without it”
“Without the pain or without me inflicting it?”
“I-“ it was Angel's turn to pause. “I don't know.”
“If you'd be up to it,” Husk's voice was so quiet. “We could do this, sometimes, instead?”
Angel opened and closed his mouth several times. A fish out of water, because being vulnerable wasn't his element. It wasn’t Husk’s either, but he tried for Angel’s sake.
“I think I'd like that.”
And Angel didn't even have to turn his head to know how big Husk's smile was, could practically hear it when Husk said; “It's a deal, then.”