#I'mma start posting my snippits here too

[unseelie-courtesan]

It's been a pretty good day at the hotel, all things considered. Charlie wanted to do another round of trust falls, positive that they'd all come up with new and deeper secrets as they grew closer together. And hey, she wasn't wrong, Nifty actually got caught this time! But one thing Angel couldn't help but notice was that after the trust falls, Husk had been acting a little more snarly than usual. He couldn't figure out why at first, it wasn't like he had shared anything personal enough to be a big deal, and he had been caught after grumbling out that he preferred the taste of cheap booze over the expensive stuff, but he was nursing his bottle more intently than usual all through the rest of the day, and even turned in early. That was when Angel noticed it properly. As Husk walked up the stairs, thinking he was out of sight, he went to rub at one of his shoulders, wincing in the process.

So maybe he slinked off to join him. Maybe he just happened to slide into Husk's room before the kitty cat could close the door, needing to let that long tail in behind him doesn't exactly mean he can slam it quick. Husk's gruff "What-?" turned into a falter when he saw Angel, only to turn into a groan as he walked over to the bed. "Listen, I'm not in the mood for your games tonight kid."

"They're only games 'cause you ain't said yes yet." It's automatic, a flirt, a tease. Not even instinct, it's a full on reflex, out of his mouth before he can think about it. Husk's scowl made Angel wince, but he pushed on regardless, holding out his hands in front of him in the universal gesture for surrender. "Besides, that ain't why I'm here. Honest. Just wanted to know what's going on, you doing okay?"

There's a moment where shock crosses that gruff face, and he covers it up quickly enough Angel almost thinks he imagined it, but after a beat or two Husk just gave a shrug as he grumbled that it wasn't anything to worry about, just his back acting up, and why wasn't there a decent fucking chiropractor here in hell? Angel couldn't help his grin as he listened to the complaining, all too aware that just a month ago he definitely wouldn't have gotten an honest answer out of Husk, and as soon as he got the chance he stepped in a little closer.

"Well, luckily for you, you've got the best set a' hands in hell right here to help you out with your little problem." One pair rested on Husk's shoulders as he spoke, the other taking those pawlike hands as he winked. "They don't call my fingers magic for nothing baby."

This time when he's glared at, it's easy to laugh it away. It took a little effort, a little coaxing, but eventually he managed to convince Husk to at least hear him out and go along with his idea. To lay down on his stomach, resting his head on his crossed arms as he let his wings relax out to the sides. It didn't take long at all before Angel was joining him, climbing onto the mattress and climbing onto those thighs.

With Angel straddling Husk's hips from behind, the jokes are just too easy, low hanging fruit, like any time Pentious opens his mouth, and he can ignore it easily. Instead he clapped both sets of hands together and rubbed them together for a few minutes, warming them up with the friction. When he finally got to work properly, the reaction was immediate.

One pair began up at Husk's shoulders, working the heels of his hands deep into the muscle tissue while the other pair began to explore, carefully, at the join where Husk's wings met his back. At first, all Angel got in response was Husk tensing up beneath him. Every muscle in his shoulders knotted up worse, and those wings went so stiff that he began to wonder if this was a bad idea after all. But as Angel worked, keeping his commentary to himself for a change, he slowly started to see the difference as bit by bit, Husk managed to make himself relax into the stead, firm pressure.

One thing that quickly became clear was that while Husk's posture was terrible, there was a reason for it. Those wings of his were heavy. He's slouching forwards at least as much to keep his balance every day as he is because of how he feels beat down by the world. There's knots so stiff and tense under his fingers that Angel is pretty sure they've been there since the guy was alive, and the extra set of complex joints right in the middle of the bastard muscles in his back certainly weren't helping matters. It's no wonder he hasn't seen Husk flying around anywhere, he's not sure how well he can actually move those wings.

Bit by bit, Angel worked on massaging out the stress. The pain. The tension. The noises Husker let out weren't quite moans, and there were more than a few hisses of pain here and there as Angel's deft fingers found an exceptionally stubborn knot of muscle and worked on it until the fibers loosened and it settled into place. But eventually, once Angel had worked his way down Husk's back past his wings, kneading ever closer to the base of his tail, he heard a new noise. Something he's never heard from Husk before.

He heard purring.

It's a low, raspy sound. Deep in the old man's chest, more sensation rumbling through his body than truly audible. It sounded like something Husk hasn't done in a long time, like he's almost forgotten about the concept. It's such a surprise that Angel very nearly blurted out a laugh, but instead he bit his lip as he grinned silently, still silently working his way down that knobbly spine.

He never thought he'd be on top of another guy, straddling their thighs, and not be jumping straight into fucking them. But maybe there's something to be said for a little gentle intimacy too.