[Angel gives a raspy bark of laughter, rolling all eight of his eyes.] Evidence's gonna beg to differ, sweetheart. Made about the stupidest choice anyone coulda made, gettin' anywhere near that guy.
[A pause, then, because he can hear Charlie's damn voice in his ear, hear her dumb little lessons and encouragements and exortations:] You ain't gotta listen, but you're gonna hear me -- he starts gettin' mad, starts throwin' stuff, you call me. Lemme deal with it. Don't try'n stop him, he'll just get pissed off. If it gets real bad, even if you ain't stopped bein' a bitch, I'll get over there.
Cause -- [Angel sighs, reaching up and pressing his thumb gently to the fresh bruises around his throat, wincing at the spark of pain.] Cause I've been there. When it's good. I remember. [There's a note of longing in Angel's voice, buried deep, somewhere tender and hidden -- Valentino hadn't just been his boss, back then. They'd been -- something. Special. Or so Angel had thought.]
Plus bein' not so much of an asshole's kinda my thing these days. You should try it sometime. Might like it. [Okay, Angel's still gotta Angel, even if he's turned over a new leaf.]
[It might seem like talking to a brick wall, with how reticent Velvet is. But What Angel's saying is important— it might not do much now, but Velvet will remember it, one day, when fear replaces all that anger.
For now all Angel gets is the sound of her frustration followed by silence— she's met the end of her patience, and doesn't want to hear more. Maybe hanging up, she figures, will get him to leave her be.
He doesn't get it, she tells herself, doesn't understand, a lie she has to repeat to herself to even try to believe it.]
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Date: 2024-03-29 01:49 am (UTC)[A pause, then, because he can hear Charlie's damn voice in his ear, hear her dumb little lessons and encouragements and exortations:] You ain't gotta listen, but you're gonna hear me -- he starts gettin' mad, starts throwin' stuff, you call me. Lemme deal with it. Don't try'n stop him, he'll just get pissed off. If it gets real bad, even if you ain't stopped bein' a bitch, I'll get over there.
no subject
Date: 2024-03-29 02:21 am (UTC)Why?
[What's his end of the deal? Where are the strings?]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-30 01:52 am (UTC)Plus bein' not so much of an asshole's kinda my thing these days. You should try it sometime. Might like it. [Okay, Angel's still gotta Angel, even if he's turned over a new leaf.]
no subject
Date: 2024-03-30 02:25 am (UTC)For now all Angel gets is the sound of her frustration followed by silence— she's met the end of her patience, and doesn't want to hear more. Maybe hanging up, she figures, will get him to leave her be.
He doesn't get it, she tells herself, doesn't understand, a lie she has to repeat to herself to even try to believe it.]