Chapter Text
Running a restaurant was expected to be stressful, Husk knew when he started out that it would be. But this week it was especially stressful with his cook hospitalized and Husk's only daughter off tending to him. Marie.
Staring down his long line of customers, he missed her presence immensely. While Husk still stood out like a sore thumb with his accent and mannerisms, Marie had taken to America like a duck to water. She was much better at this whole, 'customer service' thing than Husk could ever be.
"You want what?" Husk tried to ask as clearly as possible to the next customer.
Thank god it was a regular who just pointed at the item on the menu. Husk punched it in, raced to the back where his poor excuse of a cook replacement — Will, aka baker boy — was struggling to get everything plated. Husk ran some plates to their tables and then hurried to take the next batch of orders.
Husk really needed to hire more people. However in the midst of running his business, getting his and Marie's papers in order, trying to keep his daughter from proposing to anyone, he hadn't had time. Just the usual immigrant family concerns, except for that last one… that was probably a purely 'Husk' problem.
See, Marie, love her to death, she was a very… passionate young woman. Despite all the hardships they faced leaving their home country, she had an endless optimism for every little thing. Always dramatizing the moment, creating these elaborate fantasies in her head.
Husk remembered spitting his coffee the first time she announced she'd fallen in love with some sailor on the boat they'd been traveling to the new land. It was their last leg of the journey. She was ten. And the man she'd announced her love for was easily thirty.
Thinking something terrible must've happened, Husk confronted the sailor, using all the scary protective-dad powers that came with being a single dad to a darling little girl. Husk wasn't a tall man but he was a big one and had a deep voice that had people think twice before crossing him.
Husk remembered cornering the sailor, spitting expletives in a language he didn't understand, but the message got across.
The sailor had cowered, saying that he'd only given Marie an extra dessert at dinner time. He hadn't meant anything by it. He was much too old for her anyways.
Husk was skeptical of course but let the man go, not liking to resort to violence like that. He instead kept an extra close eye on Marie from then on. Husk would literally watch the sailor walk past them, barely even looking at them, and then Marie bouncing on her tippy toes, pulling Husk's sleeve claiming that had been the most romantic act she'd ever experienced. He listened as she came up with these elaborate tales of forbidden love and their desire for each other mounting over these weeks on this boat as they made way for a new land.
Husk had no idea where she got that from.
While Husk fell hard and fast for Marie's mother, Lydia, it hadn't been this… excessive. At least he didn't remember it that way.
There were poems and dates and stolen glances but only because Husk knew that Lydia was the one. He didn't do that with just anyone. The people he fell for were special.
Lydia was a beautiful young woman with her nose in those academy books. She saw the English taking over the world and rushed to learn it. Husk, never quite wanting to give up ancient history, studied the classics and learned Latin, Italian, French. Lydia always looked forward, Husk always looked back. And when she died, it was like Husk's future had collapsed before him. The only thing left was Marie… his beautiful daughter.
Husk was broken, but Marie… she continued to be his present. His now. His reason to push on.
And now the reason for his gray hairs over her inappropriate affections.
Marie never acted heartbroken whenever her ties with these men eventually were cut. They'd gotten off the port in New York City, America and the sailor hadn't. Husk wasn't entirely sure Marie noticed. The little girl too wide-eyed at the city laying before her and the newsies running around in 'dashing caps' — her words, definitely not Husk's.
The next announcements of 'love', Husk took with a grain of salt.
Marie took to America like a duck to water. She got the language quickly, able to speak and write elaborately about her feelings. Husk just knew Lydia would be envious of her daughter's talent.
The little schooling Husk could afford Marie did numbers for her intellect. She was the smartest little girl Husk knew. Much smarter than Husk in… most things. In love though? Not a chance.
He blamed the books. The ones she used to beg for from the shop when she was younger. And now used her tip money to buy the newest novel. It was only after that did things get really dramatic.
Charles, one of her peers in middle school that cut off all his hair so that Marie would stop writing poems about it. David, from freshman year, would run the other way if he saw Marie walk down the street. And poor Jean… as soon as he graduated High School he took the first train out of New York and hadn't been seen since.
And now her latest fancy was their dearest cook: Anthony.
Oh… Anthony.
Husk scribbled another order and raced off to tell the baker boy.
Honestly, Husk had no idea why Anthony stayed with them as long as he did. Well… that wasn't quite true. Husk had heard about what happened to the Oz. It was one of the only jobs listed on Anthony's resume when Husk had asked him if he wanted the job. The poor man thought that meant an interview and had scrawled out his previous jobs on a piece of paper. It was only 'bartender at the Oz' and 'can count' that was about all Husk needed to hire the man.
The Oz was the most prominent gay club in New York at the time. Husk may have 'accidentally' gone there a couple of times before the raid. For certain mingling nights. Whenever he could get some care for Marie organized.
Husk wasn't opposed to dating men or women, he and Lydia had discussed it before. Husk bringing up the ancient Greek and Romans take on homosexuality and Lydia laughing like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She hadn't cared. And Husk hadn't cared. He thought it might be nice to be in the company of like minded people. Then he found out how gay men in this country were treated.
Hearing the news of the raid, his heart ached. Seemed like some of the same social restrictions were present in this country as well. Not that it had affected much of Husk's life as he'd been entirely committed to his late wife, Lydia.
He shook memory of her from his head before he could get distracted. "You want what?" He growled at the next customer.
'It's 'what do you want' dad…' Marie's voice was in his head. 'people are going to think you're mean!' See, this is why he had Marie be the front facing person. Husk was terrible at this.
The woman across from him did scowl at the tone but recited her order.
Lydia would know what to do about Marie, Husk was sure. Unfortunately, complications in their daughter's birth had taken her from Husk and Marie too soon. But if there was one thing that was certain, Lydia would know what to do about their daughter's helpless crush on their gay cook.
First of all, Anthony was a victim of circumstance. At what he experienced at the Oz — Husk remembered seeing an image in the paper of the aftermath — the man was clearly traumatized. Husk could see it in the poor man's eyes. That glassy look. Anthony was so… distant. He cooked well, added a few Italian items to their menu, and until very recently, he was consistent.
But trauma must follow the man because the guy had been shot — if Marie's report was to be believed. Husk wondered if this was the price of being gay in America. Thank goodness he had no intention of exploring that side of himself with his hands full of providing a life for himself and Marie. It might have been a lonely existence, but fending Marie off of inappropriate potential suitors was a full time job — on top of the restaurant he was trying to run. Husk was getting a reprieve through her fascination with Anthony. Husk knew the cook would never indulge in the girl's fancies.
He was just about to call out to the baker boy to 'hurry up!' when the door burst open and in walked Husk's pride and joy.
"Papa!" Marie grinned, not paying any mind to the line of people at the register. Her cheeks were rosy and glowing, eyes bright with that beautiful sparkle. "I'm getting married!"
Husk dropped the plate he was holding. Glass shattering at his feet, causing a hush to fall over the restaurant. Only the sizzle of the grill could be heard as the Will fumbled around the kitchen.
"You're what?!"
Marie just smiled, shrugging off her scarf, delicately stepping over the spilled food and shards of glass to kiss her father on the cheek. She looked like this was the best day of her life. "Anthony proposed, and I said yes!"
"He- WHAT?!"
Anthony- their cook who's only other job on his resume was working at a gay bar, had proposed to his daughter? What the fuck!
Husk's eyes flashed dangerously around his restaurant, realizing he needed to close things down and deal with this. "Everyone OUT!"
A few customers jolted at the noise. Some regulars merely shrugged and took their food to go. They were used to this.
With a few glares and Husk marching to the front door to lock up, the rest of the customers fled as well.
Marie perched herself up on the counter, kicking her legs, biting her thumb but the corner of her mouth twitched up, "You're upset?"
"Upset-?" Husk whirled on her, knowing she always got a kick out of Husk going full papa-bear on people but he thought he wouldn't have to do it any more because he didn't think Anthony would ever propose to Marie. "Where is he?"
"Oh father don't-!"
"Marie!" Husk said sternly. "I'm not joking. Where is he?"
She bit her lip, playing with the hem of her cardigan. "Please, you mustn't hurt him."
Husk hated when she talked with weird words like 'mustn't' what sorta word was that? He shook his head, saying slowly, "I just want to talk to him." He thought for a moment of how to sell this to his eccentric daughter. "A man is meant to ask permission of the bride's father to marry her. That's all I'm upset about."
"Oh papa!" Marie's eyes welled with tears. "He was on his death bed, he was so injured, he physically couldn't come speak to you about it. I didn't even think-"
"Marie." Husk went to his daughter, taking her hands in his own. "Where is he?"
She looked up at him with wide, watery hazel eyes so similar to Lydia's that Husk had to breathe through the pain of recognizing his late wife's traits in his daughter. "I took him to his apartment to rest. You mustn't be upset."
Again with the 'mustn't'. Husk hated that word. But he nodded, telling the baker boy to clean up and went to grab his coat. He had to talk to Anthony and ask what he thought he was doing proposing to his daughter.
The brisk New York air hit Husk in the face as he left the restaurant in the hands of his delusional daughter and the baker boy he'd emergency recruited. He knew where Anthony's apartment was. He'd opted to hand deliver his pay checks to his employees — as the mail system confused him.
Anthony lived in the basement of some apartment complex down the street. It could hardly be called an 'apartment'.
He stomped down the stairs to Anthony's front door. It always reminded him of a janitors closet down here, right next to the trash chute. It was really no place for a grown man to live. Still, said grown man had just proposed to his little girl and intended to marry her so of course Husk had to confront him.
"Anthony!" Husk yelled, banging on the door. "Open up!"
He didn't care if the man was injured. No one just proposes to Marie without talking to him first. What was Anthony thinking?! Why his daughter of all people?! Didn't Anthony swing the other way? Had Husk misunderstood some American custom?
"ANTHONY!"
There was a groan from the other side of the door and a thump. Then nothing.
Husk banged on the door so hard, the damn thing bent beneath his fist. For someone's sake, anyone could easily break into his cook's apartment! Why hadn't this been fixed yet?
On his next 'knock,' the door caved in. Husk hadn't intended to break it but it went down like a domino, the hinges falling to the floor. Husk stared in awe as it toppled over into Anthony's grim, dark apartment.
"Oops." Well… now that the door was gone, Husk peered inside for the man he'd been searching for.
He expected to find Anthony resting on a couch or holding a bowl of soup or something. Maybe resting as Marie had said he needed to. Instead, he saw a shivering mound on the floor and the sound of someone choking. Or gagging?
Husk stepped in, calling out softer, "Anthony?"
The body beneath the blankets seized and the sound of choking started again. Something was wrong. Something was truly wrong.
All anger and confusion of Marie's surprise engagement fled as Husk ran forward, tearing the blanket off of Anthony, seeing the poor man pale and shivering, covered in bandages, and- and foam dripping out of his mouth?
Husk cursed in his mother's language, turning the man on his side. Was this some sort of seizure or something?
"Papa?!" Marie's voice called out. "Papa, don't hurt him!"
"Marie!" Husk called out to her, a new fear in his heart as Anthony's body, although looking feverish, was ice cold. "Doctor! A doctor!"
Marie appeared in the doorway, a confused crinkle between her brow as she took in the sight. Her mouth dropped open, sharing in Husk's horror. Then she did the smart thing, turned, ran, and screamed her head off for a doctor.
Anthony was pretty sure he'd just left the hospital, but the beeping and the lights shining behind his eyelids reminded him of that sterile, hectic place.
Someone to his right was sobbing and someone to his left was poking him in the arm with a needle. Not to mention his body felt like it had just gotten run over by a train. It was an unpleasant experience.
"It's good you found him when you did, any longer and…" a stranger's voice spoke above Anthony.
"Oh don't say it." A more familiar, high pitched voice garbled back.
Marie. The girl from the restaurant. The one who had brought him to the hospital the first time. Had that been a weird dream? Thank god because he was fairly certain she'd proposed to him. And Anthony had maybe said yes? He couldn't recall. It was all hazy and dazed, like a dream. He'd definitely imagined it.
"If I had lost him, I don't know what I'd do with myself." Marie continued to sob at Anthony's bedside. "We'd only just gotten engaged, he's my betrothed-" A tiny shivery hand picked up Anthony's as he tried to wrap his mind around what Marie was saying.
They were betrothed?!
"It was to be a summer wedding." She continued to lament, sniffling as she squeezed Anthony's hand.
Wait so… Anthony had somehow gotten engaged and planned a summer wedding?! He didn't remember that.
"We were so excited-"
Anthony decidedly remembered not being excited to be engaged. He'd only done it because… well wasn't that what men were supposed to do? Marry women? Have a family? And well… Marie had asked. And Anthony had just barely survived his own sister's wedding, might as well get engaged while he was already off being the family disappointment. Not like his family cared for him any more.
But Marie's family… Fuck. Husk was gonna be pissed. His cook hooking up with his one and only daughter?
Shit… and Anthony had just gotten this job like a couple months ago! If Husk didn't kill him then he was most definitely fired. He'd be out on the streets again. He was already behind on rent. The eviction notices littered his floor.
As Anthony gathered his strength to come back to Marie and convince her to not tell her father about their engagement until he had a bit of savings, his apparent fiancée continued to lament about their future plans Anthony had never discussed.
"-if father disapproved we were to run to the country. The only thing we need is our true love for each other-"
"Um, I don't-" there was the doctor again. Anthony's eyes fluttered open and the doctor's gaze flicked down, looking relieved. "Look, he's awake!"
Marie gasped, attention now drawn to the man in the cot.
"I'll leave you two love birds to… whatever." And the doctor fled, curtain swishing behind him.
"Oh Anthony! You're okay!" Marie was suddenly in his face and Anthony was seized with terror that she might try and kiss him. He did not want that. He'd kissed enough girls to know that wasn't his thing. So then why did he get engaged to one? Stupid, stupid Anthony. "I was worried sick!"
Anthony's breath wheezed out of his chest in relief as Marie decidedly did not kiss him and backed off to give him some much needed space. He still felt like he'd just been punched in the gut.
"I told my father about the engagement!"
Fuck.
"And he went off to find you only to see you in some sort of… I don't know… seizure?" Marie's face twisted the closest expression she could probably get to fury. "Those damn doctors. They must've given you something nasty last time we were here."
Anthony's hand came up to grasp back at Marie, "Y-you told… Husk?" he rasped.
Marie bit her lip, wide wet eyes blinking at him as she nodded. "He'll- he'll come around." she squeezed his hand knowingly. "I'll make sure of it."
Oh double fuck.
As if summoned by Anthony's worst fears, the curtain swung to the side as Husk strode in, calling out to Marie, waving a clipboard, and speaking in a foreign language Anthony hadn't picked up on.
Immediately Marie was on her feet, standing squarely between Husk and Anthony, hands on her hips. "I won't let you near him!"
Husk looked nonplussed at his daughter, then over her shoulder to make eye contact with him. He cleared his throat then back at Marie he said, "I dragged the boy here. I'm paying his bills. I'm not gonna hurt him. Now tell me what this means." He pointed at the clipboard.
Marie deflated, looking almost disappointed at the lack of fight in her father. She went over to translate the forms.
Anthony, on the other hand, was not thrilled that Husk was now here and he was laid out defenseless. He wished he had his gun or a knife or something so he didn't feel so damn helpless. He did not have a good track record with fathers, and a pissed off one was a dangerous one. He'd seen how his own father reacted to boys that his sister dated, and Marie was Husk's only child. If this hospital didn't kill him, Husk most definitely would. Fuck. Why had Anthony said yes to that proposal again?
The father and daughter conversed, pointing at the clipboard until it was just Husk taking Marie by the shoulder and speaking to her softer in an earnest voice.
Anthony lied, he had picked up a few things on Husk's language. It was Polish? Maybe? Anyway, Anthony figured they were talking about the restaurant based on a few words he recognized.
Marie looked conflicted after Husk had asked her a question. She turned back to Anthony, then to her father, said something. Husk nodded. And then Marie nodded.
She returned to his bedside taking up Anthony's hand and said, "I must tend to the restaurant. My father will finish the paper work here but he's promised not to hurt you. I won't be long."
Anthony opened his mouth to respond, to beg for her to stay but all that came out was a cough.
Marie smiled sadly at him and then bounded away like a woman set on a mission, leaving Husk alone in her wake.
Husk wasn't a tall man but he had an aura about him that was intimidating… and hot as fuck.
While it was probably just Anthony's daddy issues resurfacing, the thing was, Husk had deep dark eyes that peered into Anthony's soul. For a man of such few words, he truly had the richest most beautiful voice. Anthony didn't need to know the language he was speaking to relish in the music of it. Still… scary as shit to be on his bad side.
As usual, Husk said nothing. But he stepped forward, dragging a chair over to Anthony's bedside.
The only sound was the beeping, Anthony's wheezing, and the feet of the chair on the linoleum floor.
Fear etched itself in Anthony's soul as he watched Husk sit down, confidence sitting well on his shoulders.
Oh Anthony was so fucked.
Husk clicked the pen once, looked up at Anthony and said. "Spell your name."
Anthony coughed again, spluttering out the letters of his name as Husk wrote them down.
"Boy or girl?" Husk asked.
"Boy?" Anthony asked back, wondering what Husk was getting at. He watched the man click the 'male' box on the form.
Husk nodded. "You have how many years?"
Ah shit. This sounded like how Nonna used to try and speak English to him when he was a child. The weird questions. This was about age, Anthony was pretty sure, "Thirty."
Husk's lips twitched down. He didn't write anything down. He stared into Anthony's eyes and said in a level voice. "Marie has eighteen."
Triple fuck. Anthony gulped, blood racing from his face. He hadn't known. He honestly hadn't cared. He wasn't attracted to any woman but fuck he'd accepted a proposal from an eighteen year old girl? What was wrong with him?!
Husk set the clip board to the side. Jaw set in a firm line. Those dark eyes burning into Anthony. "Before me, you worked at the Oz."
Anthony nodded mutely, shame and guilt flooding him at the memory of that place. His short stint after getting disowned working at the only place he felt a sense of community. The most prominent gay bar in New York City at the time. It wasn't around nowadays. Anthony's old family made sure of that. They'd shot the place up, burned it to the ground. And it was all Anthony's fault.
"You like girl or boy?" Husk asked, face unchanging except for a faint redness on his cheeks. The expression stayed the same. "Or both?"
Flame raced to Anthony's face at the directness of the question. He knew better than to admit his preferences aloud. That's what got him in so much trouble to begin with. If only he'd been able to keep his dick in his pants and heart in his chest he might've still been welcome to his sister's wedding.
He wasn't going to answer. And that was probably an answer in and of itself.
Husk nodded as if he had answered. As if he knew already. "It is tough… I understand-"
"I don't like Marie like that." Anthony blurted, "She's sweet and all but…"
Husk said nothing but just stared at him.
"She asked! And I said 'yes'." Anthony wheezed, terror shaking his limbs. He hated pissing people off. It was just so damn easy! He always tried to do the right thing and always somehow ended up cocking it up. He just wished Husk would kick him already, or fire him, or leave him to rot away in this hospital. It's what he deserved. She was eighteen?! "I'm sorry."
Husk sighed heavily. "Believe or no, you are not the first."
What…
Husk's posture deflated and suddenly he looked much older. Dragging a palm over his face, bags beneath his eyes accentuated, the lines in his face deepening. Husk couldn't be much older than forty based on how the man ran around the restaurant but sometimes… Anthony could spy the mysterious trials the man had faced. But most of the time the man kept it well hidden.
"She… does this." Husk said with a wave of his hand. "A lot."
"She proposes to men?!"
Husk shook his head. "Falls in love. She has… a lot of love to give. Those books… gave her ideas."
Anthony remembered Marie with books. Always one at the counter. Some trashy romance novel of sorts. He hadn't paid much mind to it, too focused on the food he was cooking but he vaguely remembered them.
"I thought you like boy. So you would not… indulge."
Anthony's face burned red at the accusation, wishing Husk would keep his voice down. They were in a hospital goddammit. What if someone heard?
"But no. You are worse." Husk's lips quirked up in the corners but it was anything but amusement. It was… disappointment. "You gave false hope. Now, we fix."
They were going to fix it? "How?"
"There is baker boy, her age, good man." Husk started, looking over Anthony's face. "We gently guide her away from you. Use those books to build their story. Have her choose the correct choice."
A pang shot through Anthony's chest at being decidedly not the 'correct' choice. He never was. Never was worth sticking around for. Not by his own family. Not by his lovers. But he did understand what Husk was getting at. Anthony and Marie were not meant to be. Anthony was gay and old. Marie was young and naïve and had her nose stuck in romance novels. That was all. Anthony could help Husk set his daughter up with a more appropriate choice. Afterwards, he'd most likely be kicked to the curb, but that was alright. Just kicking that stone down the road. He'd kick the bucket sooner or later. Might as well right this one wrong before he went.
"Okay." Anthony nodded, finding his eyes tearing up. He blinked away the tears, knowing they were not becoming of a man.
"Good talk." Husk stood, grabbing the clip board. He started off then turned. "Oh, and you stay with me. Your house… not good." Husk smiled then waved down the nearest doctor with the clipboard, leaving Anthony in stunned silence.
What the fuck had he gotten himself into?!