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"Hey, Husk ..."
"Yeah, Angel?"
"We've been together a while now ..."
"I've noticed." The cat demon kissed the spider demon on the nose and readjusted the wing he had draped over the two of them.
"I was thinking, maybe we could tell each other our real names?"
Husk pulled away, just a little, not to reject the idea, but to get a better look at Angel and a better gauge on what he was feeling.
Angel was mostly relaxed. His lower set of hands were fidgeting together a bit, but asking anything about a sinner's life was a pretty big deal down in Hell, and volunteering that information was potentially an even bigger deal.
"Sure," Husk agreed. "Now you've got me curious."
"Ooh, that's dangerous, kitty-kitty." Angel took advantage of the distance to get his top hands up between them and scritch at the fur along Husk's jaw. "My name ... Before I changed it to Angel Dust, my name was Anthony."
"Anthony," repeated Husk. "... Possibly weird question: did you change it to Angel Dust to keep the same first initial?"
"Nah. I just thought it was funny. You know," he gestured vaguely around them, "irony or something, calling myself 'Angel' when I was in Hell."
"Did you ever shorten it to Tony?"
Anthony snorted. "Depended who was around. I was Italian. There were like five other 'Tony's, 'Anthony's, or 'Antonio's in any given room."
"Anthony," Husk said again, slowly. "It's nice."
"Your turn, baby," teased Anthony. "Tell me what name I ought to be screaming in bed."
Husk's ears turned back. "I don't think anyone in the hotel is gonna be comfortable with that."
"... You weren't a 'Charlie', were you?"
"No. My last name was Charles, but my parents weren't the types to saddle a kid with 'Charlie Charles'. My first name ..." He stopped, and cleared his throat. "To be clear, I'm okay with you knowing this, but I don't actually want you to call me this. My name, when I was alive, was Alastor."
Anthony's jaw dropped.
"You and Smiles have the same first name?"
"No," Husk snarled. "Or, well, maybe. I guess that could be how I caught his attention. He usually went after older Overlords." He shook his head. "He took my name along with everything else when I lost my soul. He started using it afterwards to taunt me. Even got Mimzy to call him that, when she's one of the only souls who could say differently."
"Damn."
Neither of them said anything for a while. Then Anthony got a mischievous smile.
"Hey ... The walls here ain't all that soundproof, you know? If your boss were to start hearing me moan what he's been telling people is his name ... think we could get him to give it back, to make me stop?"
That was a terrible plan, but Husk still had to smile back. "He's not a safe guy to blackmail. Probably I'd disappear and we'd never see each other again. It's a nice dream, though ... Anthony."