Chapter Text
Angel Dust rolled over and threw a pillow at his alarm clock.
"Angel Dust! Get your lazy ass in here!" Valentino yelled from the next room.
"Angel Dust yawned. Coming Daddy~" he called. Val was in a bad mood, great.
Angel Dust arranged his bedhead into a style that was still messy, but in a sexy way.
"You called?" he said in a sultry voice as he walked through the doorway. He stopped in his tracks when he saw the over demon sitting across from Valentino. "You didn't tell me we were having company."
Valentino didn't look at him. "This is Husk, he owns the casino a view streets over. I lost a bet against him, so I've sold your soul to him to pay my debt."
Angel Dust felt the world fall out under him. "You...you sold my soul? To this guy!? I've never even met 'im! Don't I get a say in this?"
Valentino glared at Angel Dust. "No, you don't. You think I'm happy losing my top earner? Go pack your things!"
The demon on the opposite couch opened his mouth to say something, but Angel Dust stormed out of the room.
Angel Dust tried to fight the tears that welled up in his eyes as he packed. He realized he didn't actually have much that was his own; most of his possessions belonged to Valentino. Sure, some of them were gifts, but he didn't think Valentin would see it that way now that he didn't own Angel's soul anymore. There was a small glimmer of hope, maybe this Husk guy would be nicer? No, he doubted that. It was almost impossible to find someone with that much power who didn't abuse it. Valentino was...well, Valentino, but at least he was familiar. He was predictable. Now Angel Dust was going to have to learn to cope all over agin with whatever new tortures this new overlord had in store for him. Angel Dust managed to fill a small suitcase and figured that was enough. He put his pet pig, Fat Nuggets, in a purse. The pig snuck his small, round snout over the top of the bag.
"That's all you're taking?" Husk asked when Angel returned with the singular suitcase. He had expected a wardrobe the size of a warehouse.
"Got a problem with it?" Angel said icily.
Husk shrugged. "If that's all you want." He stood up from the couch. "Valentino has transferred your contract to me, so I have no more business here. If you're sure you have everything we can leave."
Angel swallowed the lump rising in his throat. "I'm sure."
Valentino, who had been trying his best to act aloof, stood up. "Would you mind if I had a word with him first? We've been together a long time."
Husk nodded. "Of course. I'll go wait by the door."
When Husk had gone, Valentino approached Angel Dust. He stood close so that Angel had to crane his neck to look at his face. He wasn't sure if he felt more angry at the moth for selling him, or sad that he was leaving. Sure, Valentino had been majorly abusive, but they had had some good times together, and he was all Angel Dust knew.
Valentino leaned in and whispered, "Don't worry, baby. I'll get you back." That wasn't exactly comforting, but Angel nodded.
Angel tried to walk behind Husk, drudging down the street as mopily as possible, but he couldn't stand walking so slowly. Husk had much shorter legs than Angel and he wasn't making as effort to walk particularly fast. Eventually Angel gave up being mopey and walked next to him.
"So, what are your plans for me?" he asked, hoping to probe some information that would help him prepare for his new situation.
"Dunno, I'll find somewhere to put you." Husk said casually.
"You mean you don't have a plan for me already? I'm famous, and you don't know what to do with me?"
Husk met his eyes with a deadpan expression. "Listen, I'm about as jazzed about this situation as you are. I run a casino, what the hell am I supposed to do with a porn star?"
Good point. "Then why did you take me?"
Husk shrugged, he did that a lot. "Valentino offered. He owed me a lot and according to his lawyer you were the most valuable thing he owned, so I took him up on the offer."
Husk stopped in front of the casino. "Welcome to your new home." He said without much pomp.
Angel Dust gazed up at the tall building. It was black and decorated with gold accents in a geometric art deco style. Large images of playing cards and poker chips adorned the blazing marquis.
Husk led him inside and Angel gawked at the crowded casino floor. There were rows of slot machines and a minefield of card tables. A large sign hanging above double doors read 'SHOWROOM'.
"You got shows here?" Angel Dust asked.
"Yep, helps draw people in. We offer a few free tokens with the purchase of a ticket to encourage folks who wouldn't otherwise to gamble a bit before or after the show."
That was smart, thought Angel Dust.
"What kinda shows? Strippers? Burlesque?" He was trying to figure out where he could fit in. He was an actor after all.
"Mostly singers, though we also do acrobatics--aerial silks and stuff like that, and sometimes jugglers and comedians."
"So nothin' spicy?"
Husk tilted his head in thought, "Sometimes the aerialists wear revealing outfits." There wasn't much point to 'spicy' shows. Husk didn't need sexual appeal to get people into his casino, gambling was seductive enough.
Husk led Angel to the elevator and pressed a button for the 11th floor. "You'll get a full tour tomorrow, but for now I'll show you your room so you can settle in."
He led Angel to a door that said 1111 and unlocked it. His 'room' was actually multiple rooms. There was a kitchenette, a living space, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Husk handed Angel Dust a key.
"Here's the key, try not to lose it. I recommend keeping your door locked for your own privacy. We don't experience theft often, but sometimes guests get too drunk and try to go into the wrong rooms."
"Do you have a key?" Angel Dust asked.
Husk furrowed his brow, confused. "I have a master key to all the doors in case of an emergency. Nobody else has access to this room, if that's what you're worried about."
Angel Dust tried to wrap his head around it. He had privacy? The only other person who could access his room was Husk and it sounded like he had no interest in doing that.
Husk turned to leave. "My apartment is the 13th floor, so if you need anything you know where to find me. The staff lounge is on the tenth floor, there's a kitchen there if you're hungry. Anything that doesn't get eaten by guests by the end of the day gets sent up there, but it is first come first serve." With that he closed the door and left Angel Dust alone.
Angel Dust exhaled a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Despite Husk showing no personal interest in him, Angel had still been half expecting him to be in Husk's room, or at least close by. He went into the bedroom and put his suitcase on he bed. He took Fat Nuggets out of his purse and let him run around. After unpacking his suitcase and checking the apartment for hidden cameras (he didn't find any), Angel Dust flopped onto the bed and stared at the ceiling, trying to process the morning's events. Despite having his entire life turned upside-down, it was still early in the day. Eventually, due to a mixture of hunger and boredom, he decided to leave his room and go exploring.