playing cards right

7. love

Angel stood on the roof looking over pentagram city. He was finally free, but something was still bugging him.

The door to the roof opened behind him and husk stood beside him.

They just stood in silence. It wasn't bad silence, but one so loud they both didn't know what to say.

Husk took a deep breath. "What was it that asshole gave you?"

Angel reached into his fluff, pulled it out and handed it to him. Husk unwrapped it and saw a brown notebook before him. He opened the first page and was nothing but confused.

"It's just a bunch of dashes."

Angel looked up to the sky. "No it's not. It was a counter."

Husk looked at him. "Kill count?"

Angel shook his head. I started the notebook a year before I met val. It was how many days I was clean before him."

Husk stood there, his mouth agape and his mind full of questions he couldn't even ask. Angel continued.

"After I ended up in hell, I wanted to change. I never wanted to over dose again. So I went clean. I was nice to people, no matter how shitty they were, I even got a steady job. then he showed up, and well... Ya know the rest."

Husk looked at him and back at the notebook. "I... I-"

Angel looked at him with tears in his eyes. "I don't want to let charlie down. I wanna go clean again. But I don't know if I can." His voice started to break. "I don't know if I'll amount to anything. What if the only thing I'm good at is sucking dicks? I don't-"

Angel was crying by now. Husk wanted to kiss him. But he was scared. "I used to be clean too."

Angel stopped crying and looked up at him. "I was an acholic when I was alive, you know that. But that night... Someone slipped something into my drink and killed me. I never wanted to drink again after I got here. I was clean for six months and twenty three days. I keep asking myself why I started again, but I know the answer."

"What?" Angel said with tears in his eyes.

"Loretta." Husk said the name with pain in his voice. "She was my little sister and the reason I stopped drinking. When she died for good in one of the exterminations... I had no one to stop for."

Angel looked into his teary eyes. He was pained and sorrowful. He couldn't help but feel deep sympathy for him.

Husk took a deep breath. He looked into angels beautiful eyes. "But now I do."

Angel pulled him in and pressed his soft lips on his. When he let go he smiled for the first time since that night. "I love you, husk."

Husk hugged him. "I love you too."

They cried in each other's arms for a little while before going inside. They both went into angels room and stayed up all night playing with fat nuggets and watching voxflix. For the first time in both of their lives, they found true love.

(End)