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The clattering of dishes echoed around the apartment. After such a hearty meal, he stumbled about his home, closing windows and turning off lights, preparing to sleep soundly once more.
Stumbling into his already dark room, nearly toppling over from his shaggy carpet and just barely managing to catch himself on his rotting door frame, he blurrily stared into his room with a satisfied expression. His eyes lighting up at the visage of his king’s bed.
In all its glorious unmade messiness.
Slowly wobbling his way towards the enticing comfort, he let out a pleased sigh as he collapsed into the unchanged white sheets, hearing the springs beneath creak painfully loud as he bounced atop the old mattress.
Husk hadn’t felt so comfortable in such a long time, never felt so unburdened. Free from suffering, free from bullshit schemes, and free from dumbassery that amounts to nothing more than entertainment for an unappeasable maniac… He felt good.
Although, the humid heatwave that’s consumed his apartment left him in an endless sweltering mess, he was satisfied by the peace he had for the past few days.
He began his evening ritual of stretching his claws out and dragging them against his tattered sheets, tearing away at the fabrics while a great yawn escaped him. He then started patting down all over his sleeping arrangements, pushing and pulling against the soft bedding, appreciating the comfort he had. Being extremely happy that he still had a few days left away from Alastor and was even happier the bastard hadn’t broken their deal.
Of course, he knew the psycho wouldn’t break the deal. If there was one thing he’d give the red-eye sore credit for, it was his honourableness when it comes to keeping agreements.
Being able to do whatever he wanted without the worry of being summoned abruptly really felt great. It’s like he's been released from his leash!
A spring suddenly sprouted out on one end of the bed and brought the feline back to the reality that he wasn’t exactly living the high life in his peaceful space, which made the smug smirk his been sporting quiver slightly.
But he ignored the pointless annoyance, instead, he focused on getting comfortable.
Letting his head sink into fluffy white pillows, he felt complete bliss. Sprawling himself out, hearing small cracks come from his back and all over his body as he spread his wings and shook the feathers of any tightness they had, stretching out all the tension he built up from his lack of movement for days, and finally relaxed into his soft cushions.
This was the afterlife he hoped to have when he finally croaked. Just him embraced in pleasant blissfulness.
However, his ears were starting to twitch at the annoying sound that’s been bugging him since he came in. Opening an eye, he glanced towards his squeaky ceiling fan that’s been rotating slower than usual. Barely cooling him at this point…
But again, he ignored the minor inconvenience.
Turning over on the covers, he reached out for his nightstand, prodding around for something below that he had set down this morning— “ACK”, and nearly knocked it over —but thankfully catching it, and sighing out once more, he took one last swig from his morning and evening bottle of beer, set it back down, and settled in for the night.
Thinking about what he was going to do on his quiet day tomorrow while slowly losing conciseness.
Laying on his side after setting the bottle down, he let himself sink into the old withered-down mattress and positioned his wings carefully, so he didn’t crush them.
Soft snoring began to emanate from his sleeping form, and so, the feline now floated away into his dreams, alone in his dark room, protected by the peacefulness of his home…
…
But then.
As Husk began to sleep, the light shining into the room from the streetlamp outside started to shift. Shadows began to stretch and expand sporadically, and from within the darkness crawled out a shadowy figure with a manic silhouette and glowing blue eye sockets.
The shadow figure began to scan around the room, taking note of the sounds around it; like the clattering of dishes further into the apartment, the squeaky ceiling fan, and the soft snoring of the sleeping feline laying atop the bed.
A glowing, devilish grin grew across its features.
The dark form slithered closer to the bed, leaning close to Husk’s face to feel his calm, soft breath exhale against it. The malicious grin it wore grew, twiddling its fingers and moving even closer to the sleeping form, it paused at the feline's nose.
And blew an ice-cold breeze into the sensitive nostrils.
The silhouette giggled as the feline swatted furiously at his heart shaped sniffer, and hearing the snarls and whines he let out only made the shadow clutch its non-existent stomach helplessly as it couldn’t have been more pleased with the reaction.
But as the feline stopped the swatting, the shadow saw how he went right back to sleep. Not even bothered enough to fully awake from such a harsh attack on his sensitive nasal cavity.
Smiling happily, it skulked into the center of the room with a playful twirl and began to glow a bright green. Transforming into the small antlered, red-cladded, cheshire smiled radio monster known all over Hell.
Alastor.
Red eyes opened brightly, before the demon quickly lowered the intensity of the light he emitted; even lowering the frequencies of the stations he was connected to lessen the amount of static he let out, as to avoid any disruption that might impede his intentions there.
Dimly lit red eyes scanned the environment around him, and he was immediately shocked to see the severity of the mess that spawned from just half a week of being alone. With papers littered everywhere, bottles all around the foot of the bed, and graphical magazines tossed carelessly.
Thinking back to what Niffty had been so concerned about, he supposed she may have not been exaggerating the necessity to clean up after Husk to avoid this kind of horrendous filth from festering. Husk really didn’t like to clean up after himself it seems…
But the moment his eyes hovered over the main goal sleeping on the bed, he felt all thoughts and concerns burn up in flames.
Much like before, he felt something intense wash him, already feeling overheated by the mere sight of him.
Slowly, he walked over the soft carpet, carefully dodging the trash littered everywhere like it was a minefield.
He observed the feline's fur twitch and tail sway while he slumbered, even his wings shivered graciously as if his body and instincts were reacting to the Overlord’s presence alone.
And all of these micro-movements were observed with tantalizing attention by Alastor's eyes.
Finally standing before the slumbering feline, his cheshire smile turned small. Lowering himself to the feline's level, he could now feel the exhales hit his face and was suddenly hit with a new feeling.
Which was very similar to the feeling of disgust. As he could now smell the unbrushed, beer breath heavy on the feline's tongue.
The smell was rancid, hot, and vile.
But he’s smelled worse.
The demon leaned closer to the feline’s sleeping face, watching his eyes twitch slightly and eyebrows crease…
It made the Overlord feel slightly shameful.
He wouldn’t deny it, he did feel a weight of guilt hover over him for even thinking about committing this egregious act.
Remembering the deal he made. Swearing to leave the feline out of any jobs or tasks the Overlord had, while also swearing not to be in any proximity...
And this… This act wouldn’t just break their deal but could destroy the fragile trust they had. Years together could be erased in a second, and here he was showing such little hesitation, even going further than he did last time.
It was terrible…
But he was desperate.
Despite distracting himself with slaughter after slaughter.
Take over after take over.
He couldn’t ease the hunger he had ever since Husk’s departure away from him. It felt strange to no longer have the feline within arm’s reach, to not even be allowed to speak with the gravel-throated plague of his mind!
He couldn’t resist.
He needs to at least be this close, to remind himself of the scent…
His skin was practically itching with desire, he was so close that his chilling breath fell on the feline and made the fur frizz up on instinct.
The only saving grace from this deplorable behavior is that Husk would never know of this. Technically, if the feline never knew of his unwelcomed visit, then the deal wouldn’t be broken.
He wouldn’t know.
He couldn’t know.
So, what he’s doing here should be perfectly fine!
This logic was perfectly sound in the Overlord's head.
So, he allowed his eyes to scan all over the sleeping form. But, instead of the normally lean fluffiness he was used to seeing, the state of the feline brought concern.
His brows creased at the filthiness of the fur, following dark greys that turned even darker from the amount of grime that’s formed from lack of wash. As he followed the grime to the white patches of fur on his chest, he noticed the outline and jagged edges of bone visible through the fur. Watching the feline’s ribs rise and fall with every breath, he cast his gaze to the face and only now noticed the lack of fat on his cheeks.
His poor demon looked starved half to death.
Alastor thought his seen the worst of it all, but taking an even closer look at the dirt in the fluff revealed small, red spots hidden away. Hesitantly bringing his hand to touch one of the red splodges, Husk abruptly jerked away from the slight contact, snuffing out right after.
“Is he injured?” The demon thought.
His mind began to race with concern; wondering how long he had been in this state, worrying about how he was going to help his demon without letting him know that he was being spied on…
But as a drop of sweat dripped from his forehead, he relented in his thoughts for solutions. The hot air of the room was starting to get to him, distracting him from the injured feline for a moment. He turned to the weakly spinning ceiling fan, feeling the warm breeze it sent only help waft the stench of the feline and the filth that the room was stuffed with. More sweat dripped down the Overlord's head, although, it might not have just been the heat causing him to break out into such a sweaty mess.
Staring at the sleeping form before him, he began to appreciate the rare sight of the peaceful expression adorning Husk’s face.
As much as he wanted to help, he knew he shouldn’t.
He made a deal, and Husk; for once, was all too excited to agree to it. If this is how the feline chooses to live, he should just stay out of it.
Only a few more days and he would be allowed to visit freely again. Then he could start getting Husk back up in health by any means necessary.
Bringing his hand over to the feline’s head, he gently patted the disgruntled, dirty, fuzzy face. A satisfying feeling washed over him and filled him with a sense of ease.
Until Husk turned over.
Now Alastor was staring at the feline's avian features flexing before him, along with the tail swaying lazily off the bed.
He guessed that might be a sign that he should leave. It was clear that Husk was finally in a deep sleep and would be extremely upset should he be awakened.
It was fine. He felt satisfied.
He got what he came for. A brief moment of enjoyment and closure.
He should leave and let Husk sleep…
…
Although, giving a proper farewell head pat would be a nice ending to this little adventure…
Alastor quietly slipped into the shadows beneath the bed and spawned on the other side to see the sleepy face of the feline again.
Gently laying his weight onto the bed, leaning a knee against the plush cushions, and placing his palm against Husk’s forehead, he began to stroke slowly against the matted fur; an overjoyed expression growing on his face.
"SNORT…"
The twitching of the eyes and mouth of the feline made the demon pause his caressing. Watching the tail swat at the bedding, the shifting of his body and wings creaking as they stretched slightly, made the deer realize how much he was tempting fate.
Deciding to not be too greedy, and not ruin his chances of doing this again, he slowly pulled away—
“Fuckin’!...—SNORT…”
Husk suddenly grabbed hold of Alastor, claws digging into the crimson fabric.
Being too fearful to pull away and risk waking up the feline, Alastor submitted to the weight and was brought down into the damp covers.
Husk continued to dig his claws into the coat and pulled the Overlord onto the bed violently, landing in the center of the mattress; causing new springs to spring out of the covers from the intense movement.
Terrified crimson eyes stared perilously as Husk climbed up his body. Claws continuing to dig and shred apart his coat, arms wrapping around his slender frame, and managing to end up on top of the deer, Alastor’s fears only increased with each passing second.
Observing Husk raise his head up and drop himself onto the deer’s chest, thankfully, revealed the feline’s slumbering expression was still present.
Husk had done what so many in Hell had attempted to do for years.
Subdue ‘The Radio Demon’… and in his sleep at that.
As impressive as the entire scene must’ve looked, however, Alastor was having trouble figuring out what to do. Simply disappearing out of the feline's grip seemed to be too drastic a move, the cuddle bug would no doubt notice the sudden shift.
The Overlord didn’t know what was about to happen either but feeling the feline’s claws dig into his back and sides, he tensed as the two of them were brought impossibly closer to each other. Then, both furry legs wrapped around one of Alastor’s the best they could, while the feather-tipped tail twirled around his ankles.
Alastor was forced to bite down on his tongue to prevent screeching out. The overwhelming feeling all over his body was making his skin crawl and heat up unbearably.
He thought that this was what he wanted, what he craved, but he really didn’t know how much more he could take.
But when he felt something wet and fuzzy bump under his chin, he felt his focus turn to the demon cuddling him.
Husk had now settled. Body stilled, and breathing returned to its slow, calm state.
He looked to be sound asleep and even more comfortable than before, which made the Overlord's heart nearly shatter completely in overwhelming joy…
But now there was a dilemma.
He didn’t dare move an inch. Knowing that any movement would upset the feline and possibly alert him to his presence.
The idea of using magic to get out of the situation felt compelling, but the fear that Husk would not only sniff out his scent but figure out that something happened while he was asleep made Alastor regret the actions that brought him here in the first place.
The trust he built up with Husk was going to be destroyed should he make the wrong move in this predicament.
Now being this close to the feline, the smell of alcohol was stronger, not just from his breath but his fur reeked of it, as if he dunked himself in a barrel of booze; moist and warm. And the fur pressing against his chin felt disgustingly sticky with sweat and lack of washing. All this only made the Overlord’s skin crawl even more, and feel the heat of his clothing slowly grow as Husk's body heat only added to the rising temperatures.
...
Yet, he slowly, and carefully brought his hands around the feline, arms stretching across the feline's bulky frame, and plunged his nose into the damp fur and inhaled deeply, letting the scent swirl around in his head.
Panting heavily as his eyes rolled, the strange hunger his been feeling felt abated, quenched, and a new feeling began to blossom inside him. His heart beat erratically as he tightened his hold on Husk.
But the feline started to shift suddenly, concerning the deer for a moment, until he witnessed the slumbering form nuzzle himself further into his chest which nearly broke the demons psyche because of how adorable he looked. The creaking of his wing however, brought a lot more concern as it began to rise and fall over the two of them, covering each of their bodies like a blanket. A strange sensation raked through the deer’s body, the whole scene managed to shake the demon, make his heart palpitate, he never thought he'd be able to experience such a joyous moment.
And as a result, he couldn't stop himself from releasing the cry his been holding in:
“H̵̤͉͇̱̻̭̒̀̓̃☆̴̬̗̘̘͖͙̂i̵͙̼̯͆̂̈̈̅̂̕B̶̛̗͈͔͉͔͈̖̃̑̈́́͠c̷̞̹̯̗͙̯͐̌̇̒͊͗ẃ̴̦̗̍̽͜ͅ9̶͈̉̌̕h̶̳̯̪͚̲̄̽͜Ṗ̸̱͈͘$̶̡̤͓͇̟̒̀*̷̺̳͚̟̎̊!̶̗̜̈́͑̀͗͗̆͝♡̷̨͎͂̔̀͒̆Ų̶̢̀̈͋̓̂̅͒!”
He froze.
Hesitant to move an inch.
Husk's claws splayed across his back and gently stroked along its expanse, all while he continued to softly snore away, still deep in his slumber.
Husk was a much heavier sleeper than he thought he was.
His brief commotion brought back his original worries, reminding him that he shouldn’t be here. He shouldn’t be doing this. Everything he started learning about these feelings inside him told him that this very situation, is not something he should be in.
…
But he couldn’t deny how happy he felt. Feeling the rise and fall of Husk’s chest against his, feeling the strong hold on him tighten…
He knew that this… THIS is what he really wanted.
What he needed.
So, Alastor, in his slightly euphoric state, brought his arms higher to wrap around the feline’s broad chest; just under his wings, and shoved his sweaty face into the moist fuzzy top of Husk’s head. Inhaling deeply and nearly passing out from the strange feeling the scent filled him with.
But then a familiar sound rang against the deer’s ears, a soft vibration rattling against his body, and at that moment, he felt like he could burst into holy flames and die happy.
Hearing Husk purr was rarer than seeing a Hell-Orca surface out of the blood sea, and he was finally, actually able to feel it! Tightening his hold on the feline only increased the pleasant feeling of the vibrations and helped the deer to settle.
He snuggled closer, sinking into the mattress and embracing Husk's uncomfortable warmth.
Putting on white noise to fill the room, and slowly, the Overlord found himself falling asleep with fervency.
Now holding onto Husk comfortably, feeling his heartbeat against his, and the purring soothe him into his own deep, dark slumber.
…
Viscous squawking and screeches from starving pigeons could be heard outside, along with the yelling of denizens and the stray gunshot in the distance.
These were the sounds that normally beckoned the start of a new day for Husk.
But, this time, the feline remained asleep.
The morning light bleeded into his room, shining over his and Alastor’s sleeping bodies that were still holding on to each other tightly. Husk’s wing was still wrapped around the Overlord’s form, and somehow, he managed to get his legs completely entangled with the deer’s, yet, neither of the two seemed bothered. Both continued to slumber, even as the sweat between them grew so substantially that a massive puddle soaked the mattress, making a sickening squelching sound with every move.
But Alastor suddenly jolted upright, pulling Husk up with him as the holds never faltered. A low static emanated from him. A strong, uncontrollable urge pulsed through his body, eyes snapping open and flashing red like warning lights.
Feeling himself fully awaken, electricity coursed through his veins, he couldn’t stop himself from shouting out:
“G̸͍̠̟̭̬̲̊̈͑̅̑Ŏ̶̩̘͑͗̕͝Ơ̷͉̫̺̬̹̾̄D MORNING PENTAGRAM! IT IS A PLEASANT 152°F, AND IT WILL ONLY RISE FROM HERE ON OUT!”
This abrupt announcement was shouted directly into Husk’s poor sensitive ears and caused the feline to wake up screaming in pain.
“MOTHERFUCKER!!!”
Unfortunately, Husk’s scream made Alastor’s reflexes kick in, and so he pushed the feline away with incredible force, sending him out of the room and crashing into a wall.
With wide eyes and a gaping maw, shock is all the demon felt. Shock and fear.
He quickly came to his senses and knew he had to escape quickly before Husk saw him. Taking advantage of the brief moment of silence, he swiftly disappeared into the shadows.
Leaving Husk alone in his rudely awakened state.
…
Husk whipped his head up and glared at his bed. Expecting to see someone but only felt paranoid instead.
Then the radio beside his bed turned on, now hearing the radio host blaring out loudly:
“W̷e̷l̷l̶ ̸i̷t̸ seems that the South side of the city is facing a massive riot that's b̴l̵e̶e̶d̷i̸n̸g̵ ̴into the center of Satan’s Apples. OH! Whatever shall we do in these v̶i̸o̸l̷ent times~ heh̸e̷h̷e̵h̷e̴…”
Husk scoffed at the radio. Clambering over the bed to turn to turn it down since he didn’t have to put up with the damn thing for once.
Scratching at his head as he still felt shaken by the volume of the radio, and confused by how he ended up outside his room…
But the familiar scent hitting his nose told him exactly what the cause of his rude awakening really was.
“You… YOU SON-OF-A—”