Work Text:
Vox wasn't exactly sure of how some lowlife demons had been able to pull off a kidnapping of an Overlord as well as the three wolves standing in front of him had, but apparently the operation had been a success, if the chair he was sitting in and tightly chained to was anything to go by.
The TV demon was almost more impressed than pissed at how brave (or stupid...probably stupid) the trio had been to attack him like that, even though he was almost entirely sure that he had been drugged at some point and then brought away while unconsciuos, so there hadn't been an actual fight.
Yet.
Vox was slowly coming to his senses, but he was awake enough to see that he was in an abandoned building, which was dark (lit only by a few small lamps hanging from the ceiling) and smelled quite badly. His sensors annoyingly complied that it was mostly urine and maybe some fresh vomit -the place was probably one of the many hiding-points of some homeless demons, since they were the first to go on Extermination Day and they couldn't hide anywhere but in the streets or in crumbling buildings.
The demon's processors were having a hard time staying focused and functioning, going from accurately precise to numbly unresponsive way too fast to be normal. He tried shifting a little in the chair, to get more comfortable and act casual as he went over the many ERROR signs and red warnings apprearing on his screen, while his captors watched him carefully, on edge and ready to stop him from getting away, if and when he attempted to. The chains suddely started warming up and Vox hissed through gritted teeth when they pressed more tightly to his midriff.
“You can move all you want, Overlord”, one of the wolves said, taking a step towards Vox and lifting up a gun -a Holy gun- to his screen, “The chains won't let you go anywhere. 'S better if you just stay put”.
The TV demon cackled sinisterly at the way that peasant was talking to him, and his grin only grew when he saw the other two wolves cower away from his darkened eyes: “What a mighty little pup. What makes you think you can walk all over me as if it was nothing? Do you have the slightest idea of who I am?”
“Yes. That is why we have taken you after all”, the same demon as before replied, although the weapon in his hand was shaking slightly, alonside him. The wolf turned around and nodded to one of the other two -the smallest of the group- and he turned around with a start, sprinting away from there.
In the meantime, Vox was both intrigued by what exactly those demons were planning to do to him and bored at how cliché the whole situation was, in retrospect. It hadn't been the first time the TV demon had been trapped or chased down by people from lower levels in Hell's hierarchy, so he already suspected their next moves, but it had been a while, and he was a naturally insanely curious man.
Even though he was conflicted, he was mostly sure that his expectations were going to leave him disappointed in the end, so maybe getting it all over with was the best solution.
He wanted to summon some wires, collecting their electricity with his fingertips and preparing to escape from those damn chains. But as he attempted reaching for his powers, he realised he couldn't do anything, as a strange force was seemingly keeping them at bay somehow. The TV demon groaned in frustration as nothing seemend to respond to him, none of his installed programs, nor the current of the building or the charge of the phones the wolves had in their hands.
“What the fuck”, it didn't even sound like a question: at this point, Vox was furious.
“Like I said”, the same demon repeated, almost with a pitying look on his mug, “the chains are restraining both you and your powers from attempting to get away. They were especially designed for your kind.”
“Is that supposed to be an insult, you fucking mutt?! LET ME GO!”
“I already told you, asshole”, the wolf growled, perhaps regaining his attitude upon getting proof that the Overlord was really as helpless as he hoped the chains would have made him, “Stay. The fuck. Put.”
The TV demon snarled and instinctively struggled to get up from the chair. As a result, the restrictions keeping him there became hotter and hotter, basically toring through the fabric of his vest and trousers. This time, the demon couldn't help blocking some pained noises from escaping his mouth.
The second wolf demon grinned deviously and looked at his companion, who glanced at the Overlord with amused eyes, before nodding.
“A'ight, I'll send the message. Gonna tell Nyo to be ready for the ambush”, and he were off, closing the door of the room, probably to join the third wolf outside the building.
Vox opened his eyes after a few minutes, getting used to the almost unbearable warmth around him that was sure going to leave some nasty bruises behind, and huffed a breath -an interesting sight, considering the nature of his anatomy: “At least tell me what you are planning to do. It won't be fun to destroy you once I get out of these otherwise.”
“What we are planning to do is none of your business. Especially since you're not our target anyways.”
Vox quirked an eyebrow at that, but closed up his mouth before he could say anything else. If they weren't interested in...doing whatever they wanted to do to him, who they were trying to get to?
Was he some kind of bait? To whom? Vox almost laughed out loud at how idiotic his kidnappers had been.
He wasn't exactly Hell's most appreciated Overlord, he didn't have many 'friends', as one would call them even in a place like the Underworld, and even fewer acquaitances. The only two demons who seemed to give enough fucks for him to become a ransom were Velvet and--
“Rey”, came a voice from a walkie-talkie in the wolf's pocket, “Our spy confirms that Valentino got the message. Any moment now, he'll come here.”
Of fucking course.
Vox really did laugh out loud this time, almost doubling over in his chair (not much, in reality, but enough for the chains to constrict him even more): “You wanna get to Valentino? By using me? You must be more stupid than I thought.”
Not long before, the two Overlords had broken up. Again.
Their whole relationship was a constant getting together, then annoying the shit out of each other, making up with some mindblowing sex, then fighting more seriously over small things and finally one would leave the other, only for Vox to find a way to lure Val back into his arms with an expensive gift.
The TV demon was used to this by now, almost admitting to himself that he enjoyed this little game of cat-and-mouse he and the pimp had. But he also couldn't deny how hurt he felt whenever the other would get mad at him for the faintest of reasons, hitting him when he got the chance to do so, insulting him when he unconsciuosly made Val feel vulnerable and overly sensitive -which happened most days, most of the time, honestly.
Maybe the worst thing for Vox had been to actually develop genuine feelings for the moth over the last twenty years of their shilly-shallying, and thus suffering even more now from an unrequited 'love' he had not signed up for when deciding to fool around with Valentino in 1999 for the first time.
When acting out in public, they were overly affectionate and loved to remind people of how lucky they were for being with such a powerful partner. On the contrary, in private they were more reserved, not much so, but still enough to raise up some suspicions about the reality of their relationship. And even if Vox had thought, had hoped that Valentino was becoming more open about them also when they were away from prying eyes, when they didn't have to keep up the act, perhaps because the moth, too, was beginning to feel something, anything close to what Vox's metallic heart did for him, in the end the TV demon knew it was never going to be like that between them.
Especially not right now, when Valentino had broken his screen once again and Vox had had to change it entirely. The moth was still pissed at him after three weeks, and Vox really hadn't wanted to think about how he could get him back that time around. He was almost proud of himself for how composed he had managed to be during those days, almost not thinking about Val at all and having fun on his own for once in his afterlife.
And then he had been kidnapped. To be used as bait. For Val.
He felt he couldn't be blamed for the chuckles still leaving his lips at how ironic the situation was. The break up has been everywhere online, and they said they have a spy. How could they still believe that he's gonna bite?
The wolf growled at the condescending tone Vox had used and approached the Overlord with his gun raised, aiming it at his chest: “You may not be our target, but I can still kill you before you can even blink”, he lowered the weapon suddenly, shooting at Vox's right foot, which caused the other demon to howl as the strike in pain hit him again, “I don't much like being called stupid.”
Vox stayed as still as he could, letting the grey blood from his open wound soak his shoe and dirten the pavement. That was a Holy gun alright, Jesus Christ--
Still, the TV demon kept on mocking his kidnapper, although his expression glitched from smug to pained and his voice had a touch of static to it: “I don't know if you've been following the newsszz”, he started, “but me and Val broke upp. And we still haven't talked after weeks. You really think he's gonna zzsshow up here?”
The wolf's ears twitched irritatedly and he growled again, tossing the gun from one hand to the other. Vox would've laughed at the display, if he hadn't been worried about constricting the chains even more with the shaking of his shoulders.
“Besides”, he continued, “even if we were still together, he doeszszzn't go out personally for a job. He has, like, hundreds of goonszzz to send away to do his busineszzs, so he's not--”
“He's here”, the same voice from before interrupted, coming as a whisper in the walkie-talkie, but still loud enough to be understood. Vox scoffed at that and was ready to ask out loud which one of his bodyguards was there, when an agonizing scream could be heard from the speaker, followed by the horrible wet sound of blood and cut flesh.
Another demon -probably the other wolf- shouted something and the two demons still inside the room listened to his steps as he ran away, only to fall right next to the speaker and scream much like the other demon had done. What followed was also very similar to the other's fate, and Vox could see the remaining wolf getting paler and plaler as each second passed.
Then someone took the walkie-talkie, cackling right next to the microphone: “I'm comin', Voxxy~”, and the TV demon couldn't believe his own sound receptors.
No way.
The wolf snapped out of the frozen state he was in and got ready to face his opponent with his gun and a courage many would've envied. Vox almost did too...almost.
The sound of approaching steps, accompanied by the clicking of heels on the metallic pavement of the building filled the silence and Vox braced himself at least as much as the wolf did.
The door opened, more light coming through. A single silouette stood there, as still as a statue, with bright red eyes and an equally bright grin. The demon made a deep humming sound and Vox felt his heart throb: he'd recognise that rumble of throat anywhere.
“I believe you have something of mine”, Valentino started, taking a step towards the center of the room, where the wolf was still keeping the gun pointed at Vox's midriff, with an unstable grip.
“And now”, he grew in size, eyes widening, teeth sharpening, antennae flicking around wildly, “I'd like it back.”
_________________________________
“Oh my God, what the fuck did you do?!”, Velvet exclaimed upon seeing the state both of his best friends were in.
Valentino was a mess, his coat almost completely falling off of his shoulders, with a hat-less head and a black eye.
Vox was standing awkwardly on one foot, keeping the other lifted, and his suit was completely ruined: underneath, she could see some purple-looking bruises, but she was too astonished to ask anything else.
“What makes you think we've done anything at all, babydoll?”, Vox asked innocently, although his voice sounded strained even to him. Valentino stayed silent, and the TV demon secretly prayed that his friend wasn't as angry as he thought he was.
“Cut the shit, Vox. Seriously, what happened?”, she insisted, growing more worried as none of them answered right away.
“I know it doesn't look like it”, Vox said, looking somewhere behind her, with the smallest of smiles, “but it's a pretty fucking story. Very funny. We'll tell you about it tomorrow, promise.”
“Yeah, sure, whatever”, Valentino mumbled and started walking towards his bedroom, distantly hearing Velvet whine something about 'unfairness' and 'terrible friends'. Vox simply laughed and rubbed her head, which caused Velvet to giggle at first, then punch him lightly in the arm. The other demon returned the gesture, although he found himself sighing in exhaustion
Velvet saw the change in Vox's behaviour, following his gaze and finally realizing the issue behind his frown: “Okay, I don't know where exactly you've been in the last weeks and frankly it's none of my business, but did you and Val...talk about...?”
Vox, as if snapped back to reality, was caught off guard by the concerned tone in which the other demon had tried to ask the question. He felt his heart's rate quicken and he lowered his eyes to avoid looking into Velvet's: “Not exactly.”
The fight back in the building had gone smoothly for most of the time, except when the wolf had fired his last bullet and grazed Val's side, but other than that it had been easy enough to finish off the lower-class demon.
Vox then had realised that he was still stuck in those weird chains and that Valentino had killed all those who knew how to get him out of them, probably. That had lead to a small, yet awkward argument, during which the moth had tried to get the other out of the chair, before the TV demon had fallen over and almost smacking his screen to the ground, to which Val had actually giggled. And Vox would've been mad at him if he hadn't missed the moth's laughter so much that he felt his insides boil and turn to mush and mix up and build up again in weird shapes -suspiciously resembling small fluttering butterflies- inside his belly. So much for 'not thinking about him for three weeks'...
Still, they hadn't actually talked, since Val's mood had done a one-eighty when they had exited the building and made their way back to the Studios. Vox didn't know what had happened -maybe he was hurt, but he sure as Hell wasn't going to ask him about it- and he wasn't exactly thrilled at the prospect of more shouting that night.
“Oh”, he heard Velvet mutter, “I was kind of hoping you would've made up and made out already.”
“Yeah, no, I don't know if that's gonna be that easy this time, babes. It was a real bitch to get the screen replaced and he knows how I can't stand to do that more than necessary.”
“You should get a screen protector.”
“The last screen had a screen protector”, and with that, Velvet stayed silent. Vox rubbed the back of his neck and whimpered at how stiff his whole body was due to the wounds still throbbing and getting hotter by the minute. He needed to hit the hay as soon as possible, and forget about the whole thing.
He started making his way towards his spare room at the Studios, when Velvet spoke again: “You know, he's been real' worried about ya.”
At that, the TV demon stopped and hesitantly glanced to the side, signaling to Velvet that he was listening. She continued on: “Kept on asking me if I had heard from ya, since ya didn't answer him and only occasionally replied ta me. But when you completely disappeared for, like, two days, maybe three, he became even more antsy.”
Vox turned back to face the hallway in front of him, breathing in and out shakingly. He didn't know if he wanted to hear about how Valentino had been without him, but he didn't have the heart to snap at the female demon. He was sick of fighting.
“Nearly sent all of his best spies to look for ya, moving like a distressed housewife with her husband lost at sea all over the Studios. I think I've never seen him more desperate.”
At that, Vox scoffed and made the first step away from her: “Yeah, right--”
“You know he cares about you”, Velvet stated firmly, and Vox faced her for the first time during her speech, “He wouldn't have put up with you so much if he didn't like you a bit. As he does with me. He's...complicated, I know. He's dramatic, a real bitch when he wants to be, and cruel. But you see him too when it's the three of us alone: he becomes almost an entirely different person. Still flawed, very flawed. But he's trying his best.”
Vox lowered his gaze, shoulders slumping down slightly: “It's not always great with him, you know?”
“I have eyes, I see how he treats you sometimes. But he does that to me too when he's pissed. It's just how Val is, and we're the right people to deal with him. We are used to his quick mood-swings by now, and besides, ee can handle an asshole just fine, can't we?”
Vox smirked, feeling a kind of weight being lift up from his chest: “Hell yeah we can.”
Velvet beamed and clapped her hands quietly. When Vox waved her goodbye, she added up one last question: “Just...talk with him, okay? I'm tired of seeing you two pine for each other and mope around. It's not a cool look on you, sweetie, let me tell you.”
Vox rolled his eyes playfully, but still nodded: “I'll try.”
_________________________________
Inside his suite, Valentino was sitting on his bed, slunched down and resting his higher elbows of his knees, while his lower ones were crossed loosely around his waist. He had removed his ruined coat and heart-shaped glasses, but still had his boots, fish-nets and bodysuit on, feeling restless, yet tired and frustrated.
He sighed and let his head fall down. Shoulda seen it comin', those bastars gave me a warnin' after all...
The wolves he had killed without hesitance just an hour before were part of a pack he knew well, the same family from which one of his newest bitches of months ago came from. The small pup had been a good enough purchase, and the clients who had requested her had been overall satisfied with her services. Because of that, he had set her up with one of his usual patrons, who had a little too much fun with her.
Long story short, she was found dead the following morning. His brothers had then publicily threatened Valentino to get revenge on her behalf, after having found the killer and gotten rid of him in little to no time. But it had been almost five months since the whole ordeal had gone off, and since there had been no avenger coming at his door to make him pay yet, the pimp had simply forgotten about it. At least until that night, when an unknown number had sent him a picture of an unconsciuos Vox tied up in a chair uncomfortably and a message with instructions on what he had to do for the TV demon's sake.
Needless to say, Valentino hadn't been very happy about it. He thought that a few of his workers had heard his glass-breaking roar from two Districts away. His secretary had almost died again of a heart attack when he had stormed out of his office and stomped to his car with crazy eyes.
How dare those insignificant fleas take what was his? How dare they keep Vox in such a state and away from him for who knows how long?
His rampage once at the building, to him, had been completely understandable. He still didn't know how those bastards had been able to get the information they needed about Vox from him, but he sure as Hell was going to make everyone who had participated in that silly little stunt pay.
Valentino snarled and glared at the wall in front of him, but was brought back to the present by the sound of his door being opened. He turned to see Vox enter the room, uninvited, looking as disheveled as he did before they both went their merry way.
Vox saw the other on the bed, small drops of blood adorning his suit and staining his neck. He felt himself swoon at the sight, but willed his body to get a grip on itself before he did something stupid. He had come there to talk to Valentino, and he was not leaving the room until he had done so, damnit!
But first, he needed to ease the tension that had been created in the room upon his entrance: “So, uh...”
Valentino lifted up his gaze and met the other's: Vox realised he looked tired and, strangely enough, scared. As in the 'Freeze-Flight-Fight' kind of thing, except he had never looked more stiff than in that moment. And not in the fun way.
Vox was at a loss of words for a second, getting lost in those pupil-less eyes, before blurting out: “You came.”
Valentino blinked and frowned lightly, lips pressed tightly against one another. Vox, despite the odds, started sweating profusely.
The moth was still silent when Vox glanced at his side and mimicked whistling nonchalantedly: apparently, that did the trick.
“ 'Ya came'? What the fuck does that even mean?!”, Valentino boomed, standing from his crunched up position to face the other Overlord better, “Is this seriously how ya're gonna start? After weeks of un-answered calls and ignored messages? Is that it?!”
Vox scoffed and raised his voice a tad: “If you had another ice-breaker, you could've gone for it. You let me choose, and I chose to ask ya that. I didn't have anything else to say.”
Well, that's not true. And it was also the wrong thing to add at the end, as Valentino stood up and practically growled: “I don't know, maybe a 'Thank ya Val, I'm glad ya saved me', or maybe 'Now that we're all safe and sound or whateva, things can go back to normal, right?', or 'I'm sorry I ignored ya for three weeks, please forgive me. I'll let ya punish me for just as long, since I've been so bad'.”
“That last one is unrealistic and you know it.”
“You're a simp and a sub, get used to that.”
The two Overlords stared at each other for a few moments, before Vox huffed a frustrated breath: “Listen. It's not that I don't wanna talk. I just don't know how to start.”
Valentino humphed and sat back on the bed, scowling. Vox, although still a little pissed off, found the sight endearing for some reason: “Okay, okay. Thank you for saving me back there, I--”, he stopped for a second, before continuing with uneasiness, “I appreciated it- you. I appreciated you coming there in person to get me back. It was...nice of you.”
The moth opened one eye to look at Vox and smirked when he saw the other almost cower away at his own vulnerability: “Of course, baby~”
He then saw how the other stood and hurriedly patted a spot next to him on the bed. Vox reluctantly agreed to sit down next to Val and almost jumped when the other slithered one of his many hands into his.
“Uhm--”
“Are you hurt?”, Valentino asked, tone firm and demanding, sending a shiver down Vox's spine. I refuse to accept that he's right. I'm not a fucking sub.
“I mean, he shot me in the foot and those chains burned me a lot. But I've been worse, and by tomorrow I'll probably be already healed...maybe the foot's gonna take longer. I'll live.”
Valentino's grip on Vox's hand tightened and the pimp took in a quick breath, as if he wanted to say something heated, before stopping and stating: “Good. I'm glad we got rid of those pests. Wouldn't wanna give them a chance to get to ya again.”
“I can handle myself just fine, you don't need to babysit me”, the TV demon grunted with a frown. Valentino simply chuckled and took the hand holding Vox's to his mouth, gently kissing it. Vox desperately attempted to stop his programs from reacting to that with a blush, or worse, heart-shaped eyes, but still a soft turquoise hue settled on his 'cheeks'. Okay, maybe I am a little of a sub.
“Vox”, Valentino began, voice serious and extremely soft for him, “when we stopped talkin' after the breakup, I was mad. And it took me some time to realise why: I thought I was angry with ya and how ya were ignorin' me, or maybe I was still pissed for the sodas--”
“Oh my fucking God, I swear--”
“--but then I realised that I”, he cringed at his own words, “was feeling guilty. And that the anger was directed at me.”
Vox's eyes lit up in surprise, and Valentino scoffed, if only to hide the fact that he was extremely embarassed: “Shut up, I'm not done!”
“I'm literally staying quiet right now, prick.”
Val grunted and Vox relished in the blush settling on his sharp features: “As I was saying, I wanted to talk to ya. But ya wouldn't answer me, so I got Velvet to help me a little, evn if she wasn't that usefull at all.”
Vox snickered and imagined how outraged the female demon would be if she had heard Val talk shit about her: “I was mad too. But at you. You were a real piece of shit.”
“But you love that about me, dontcha Voxxy?”, Valentino purred, getting into Vox's personal space, to which the TV demon snorted and pushed him away. Valentino scoffed indignantely, but his eyes were shining.
“You're such a drama queen”, and this time Val smirked a little at the nickname.
“Brat.”
“Roach.”
“Oh, no you didn't”, and they started smacking each other, at first lightly, then more and more vigorously, but still with the enthousiasm of the small children they actually were. They found themselves laying on the enormous bed, Valentino standing proudly over Vox, and the TV demon's breath hitched when he saw how the other was looking at him. Valentino lowered himself down, and seductively kissed the other's neck, where meat met metal.
“Mine”, Valentino whispered and Vox gulped at the intensity of his deep voice.
Scratch that, I'm the subbest sub to have ever subbed.
“What I was trying to say before we got...sidetracked”, he licked his lips and grinned at the blush appearing on Vox's screen, “is that I'm sorry. For the screen, for even before that.”
Vox wanted to look unimpressed: it hadn't been the first time Vox had heard Val apologize for something, especially to him. However, this time he sounded strangely more sincere than usual, and he was hating himself for how easily he was actually willing to forgive the moth after his talk with Velvet. Maybe her words had had much more of an effect on him than he would've thought and his mind was simply playing tricks, making him think of how small Val looked, even while hovering him, and how adoringly he was looking at him.
“Yes, I know, how surprising: Valentino saying he's sorry about something. Well, I am.”
“That's not going to change everything”, and now he was left with an almost pouting and deeply disappointed Valentino. Normally, if he had been one of Val's whores, he would've already gotten the moth's special treatment for nasty prats who didn't do what he told them to. Even when Vox had his moments of slight rebellion, he would get a warning, or a hand tightening around his wrist.
But this time, Valentino simply sighed and got off of the TV demon, standing up and leaving an incredolous Vox still laying there, mouth slightly open in disbelief: “Hold on, Val--”
The moth turned towards him and for the first time, Vox would've said that he looked genuinely hurt, almost pleading to be forgiven. Maybe he had expected the TV demon to get over the fight more quickly after he had saved him, but Vox wasn't going to give in that easily, even if he desperately wanted to. He was going to make him wait, maybe torture him a bit as some kind of payback, and finally getting back together as before.
If he could manage to resist Valentino's charm that long.
“It won't change everyhing”, Vox repeated, standing up too and carefully making his way towards the moth, “but it's a start. A very nice one.”
This time, it was the TV demon who took the pimp's hand and kissed it gently, not missing out on how the other's neck fluff puffed out immediately after: “It won't be perfect, but this is Hell, so who really gives a shit? Just...let's not get over ourselves for the time being, and soon enough things will go back to normal. Do we have a deal?”
Vox released Val's hand and extended it, as if they formally needed to seal their arrangement. Valentino simply looked at the other, knowing full well that things were never going to be the same again, that they had become too much invested in each other to pretend they didn't care anymore. He never would've admitted it to himself, but Valentino was scared of the feelings he had for hi partner that he didn't fully understand yet. After all, he was a pimp and it was the Underworld. People didn't fall in love in Hell, right?
But as he saw the hope shining in Vox's eyes, the way his mouth was curling up slightly upwards in a tiny grin, he found that he wouldn't have minded proving all the doubters right and making something mushy like love happen even down there.
He gently took the TV demon's hand, as if to shake it, then pulled the other towards him as he lowered himself, breathing out softly his response before kissing him silly.
“Deal.”