Note: Certain characters will get more focus than others. This is why Sevi and Helsa will be pushed to the backseat until further notice. I have something for them? It just requires other characters to get their turn first.

BTW you are gonna hate Val even more by the end of this chap. Just warning you now.

Alastor sighed as he made his way through another day. It had been five days since he and Niffty last spoke to each other and he couldn't say that he was pleased.

Want to guess why? Because that meant it another day dealing with those Satan deemed as 'troublesome' and having to dirty his hands with the blood of others.

Normally there was a thrill to killing for Al, especially since the ones he had targeted in life were ones who had 'wronged' him first.

This job however, didn't grant him a choice in who he targeted. The ones Satan wanted dead were strangers to him. There was no connection and they may as well have been empty shells to him. Didn't help that he had no real choice in the matter, he couldn't choose who to go after.

He was the executioner, but he wasn't the judge or jury. He merely carried out the orders made, if Satan wanted someone dead, he'd make sure that they 'disappeared'. There was no connection and if anything, it was rather dull to him.

By now, Al had opted for a less bloody way of finishing off targets whenever given an assignment.

It was mostly to spare Niffty from having to clean up buckets full of blood off his clothes since he knew it was quite the pain to wash off. Had All been doing his own clothes he wouldn't have minded the blood but since he was blind, he didn't want to pass the burden to Niffty in having to constantly clean the stains out on a daily basis.

To do this, he usually kept his distance and made all of his attacks ranged. It wasn't quite his style as Al personally preferred being up close and personal to do a kill but it was a necessity in order to avoid getting an abundance of blood on his clothes.

Today was no different, Satan had sent him and Striker to finish off some 'traitors' who had gotten on Satan's last nerve. By now, it was more or less Al doing all the heavy lifting while Striker occasionally stepped in, usually to shoot some fleeing henchmen trying to get away.

"No matter how many times I see you mop the floor with people, I can help but be amazed. You must really got some talent, don't you, Kid?"

Al shrugged his shoulders before turning to 'face' him,"I suppose I do…"

"You alright kid? You're quieter than usual today, something happened?"

Al shook his head. He wasn't really all too acquainted with Striker even after working with him for over a month. The interactions he did have with Striker were brief. He simply didn't find Striker the type of person to get close with and the current situation he was in wasn't doing any favor for his social life.

"You want something don't you?" Striker asked, examining Al's facial expression,"Tell me, do you want to go out for a drink again? You look like you could use one."

Al nodded his head. He wasn't much of a drinker(that was Husk's addiction not his) and normally he'd decline but considering his circumstances a drink wouldn't hurt. It did give him a break from his bleak life that he was stuck living. Striker took him out every so often to get a drink when they weren't working…

When Striker led Al inside the bar, they took their seats and the waiter served them their orders. Al wasn't much of a drinker but even if he was, he wouldn't be able to see the menu anyway so he pretty much let Striker order his drink for him.

As they were drinking, Striker decided to start up a conversation again, clearly a bit drunk,"So Kid, no offense to you or anything but I felt like we just haven't gotten around to actually having a conversation. You ain't much for words and while I thought you'd warm up to me, it's been over a month and you're as distant as ever. Tell me, is it something about me that bugs you? Or is something else?"

"Something else…"

"Something like?"

"Just my circumstances…"

"Oh I see…" Striker mumbled as he took a sip on his beer,"Can't say I blame you. I take it that you're not a fan of working under someone are you?"

Al shook his head. The idea of having to take orders from someone powerful than him for a one-time deal was one thing but having to work under said person for extended periods of time was an entirely different ballpark. Didn't help he had none of his original powers and was stuck having to answer to the Lord of Wrath. He had no real control over his decisions anymore and had to abide by Satan's rule if he wanted to keep a roof over his head.

"Trust me, you're not the only one. Can't say I'm a fan of being under someone's hand. Though I suppose you have to get used to it at a certain point."

"How long have you been under his control?"

"Lost count. Been years, decades, maybe even centuries if I had to guess. Time loses meaning when you've been working under someone for so long…"

"You've been working under him for that long?" Al asked in disbelief. It only just dawned on him how long people may have lived in this world as Striker had been alive for centuries yet appeared to be middle-aged at best.

It seemed everyone had long life-spans but were still very much capable of dying in the right circumstances. And Striker seemed to have been working for Satan for quite a while if his dialogue was any indication.

"You seem surprised, kid. Guess you really are young aren't ya? People around here age slowly, it's just how things work. Assuming you live long enough to fend for yourself, you can live for years while still retaining your youth. Suppose it makes sense, you seem on the young side of the border anyway. Tell me, do you have any parents around these parts?"

Al paused, truth be told, his parents had long since passed on. He never knew his Father, from what his mother told him he died in a nasty car accident when he was young and his mother died when he was in his early to mid twenties.

His father's death never really impacted him, hard to mourn someone you never really met and while there were times Al wished he had seen his father in person, he ultimately put those thoughts aside as he got older.

His mother on the other hand…that one actually stung. It was the one thing he never fully recovered from and even after all these decades, she was one of the few people he genuinely missed in his life. He had gotten used to her not being there by now but that don't mean he hadn't missed her and yearned to see her again.

"Kid? Kid are you alright? You've been staring out into space for like a few minutes. Are you OK?"

"Yes. I'm fine," Al said as he snapped back into reality,"Just fine…"

"Glad you're still with me. Was worried you had completely zoned out on me. Anyhow, do you have any parents or what kind of kid?"

"I did…." He said before admitting,"They…died a while ago…"

"Oh sorry. Didn't mean to get too personal on you-"

"It's fine. I've gotten used to not having parents by now. It's hardly a big deal at this point. You're not hurting my feelings. Why do you ask?"

"Well, I just noticed you and your lady friend were by yourselves. Didn't seem like you had any family? Does she have any?"

"Not that I know of…" And to be frank, that was the truth. Niffty never really delved into conversations about her family life with Al.

As far as he knew, Niffty didn't have any relatives, at least none that she desired to speak about. He never bothered to ask, quite frankly because he didn't give a damn and second of all,there was never a need to ask before now.

"So does that mean she's single?"

Al narrowed his eyes at the direction the conversation had turned. This was NOT his favorite topic and while he couldn't see Striker he was quite sure he didn't need eyes to tell what the fucker was thinking about.

"No," He lied,"She's with me."

They most certainly weren't 'together' but Al figured Striker would stop trying to pursue the little darling if he feigned to have that sort of relationship with her.

"Oh really? How long have you been together?"

Al paused before stammering an answer. Normally he was an excellent liar but his confidence in lying about romance of all things was severely low.

"Not long. Just a few months.."

"You two taking it slow or what?"

"Slow…" Al mumbled before taking a sip of the drink he had been given. If he had to guess, Striker gave him the least alcoholic beverage on the menu. Certainly explained why he was still sober compared to Striker, who seemed less…focused than usual.

"Can't say I'm surprised. Guess you're lucky to have such a caring woman who is willing to accommodate your…condition. Most folks aren't too kind to those with disabilities so she must really be a keeper."

"Niffty is really special to me," He admitted,"She's quite a charmer and I care about her a lot…"

"Then it'd be such a shame to lose her then wouldn't it?"

Al narrowed his eyes, taking the statement as a threat,"Are you trying to imply you'd hurt her, Striker?"

"It's not me you have to worry about, kid. I wouldn't dare hurt the little lady, though Satan might try."

"How would you know?"

"Kid, you're not my first partner, you know that right? I've had another guy who worked alongside me. We were close…real close…Did everything together. Everything was fine and dandy…at least until he told me that he wanted to leave the job. Said he wanted to see the world and that the leash Satan was keeping us under wasn't cutting his dreams.I tried to tell him not to but he didn't listen and he told Satan he was gonna leave…"

Al made a face as his curiosity got the better of him, prompting him to ask,"And then what? What happened to him?"

"Honestly, I'm not too certain what Satan did to him in particular but when I reported back from my duties, Satan was…covered in blood and informed me that I needed a new partner. Let's just say from that moment on...I knew he wasn't coming back…"

"What was his name?"

"Blitzo. Met him performing some 'errands' for Satan. Apparently we were targeting the same person and we ended up bumping into each other along the way. Truthfully I was gonna kill him but when he demonstrated his skills, I offered to help him since he appeared to be a stand-alone assassin. We got to know each other for a while and we worked together for decades. We did everything together and I'm not gonna lie, I think I got too close to him and that was probably a big mistake looking back on him."

"What do you mean?"

"We…had a relationship together. We had intended to keep it a secret since Satan wasn't a fan of relationships between co-workers but I think someone must've caught on and spilled the beans to him. Before he offered Blitzo he had been rather…harsh towards us and I think Blitzo stating he wanted to leave was just the last straw," He muttered as he drank his entire drink, hiccuping slightly,"Worst part was that…he wanted me to come with him. Wanted us to start over and live together for the rest of our drawn out lives. It would've been so beautiful…too bad it was nothing but a pipe-dream thanks to that power-hungry bastard…"

Al flinched at Striker's tone, he had never heard the man be so emotional. Guess alcohol had a profound effect of bringing out the emotions that most would attempt to keep under wraps. You'd never know Striker was that resentful based on his demeanor and while he had seen the cracks of Striker's affable personality, he hadn't realized just how bitter and hateful Striker really was towards the man who was supposed to be his boss.

"So that was why you chose me? To replace your partner?"

"Yeah. Satan was getting on me to find someone else and he wasn't very patient. Didn't even give me the time to mourn. Fucker gave me a literal day or two before forcing me on missions. I did all of them by myself but at a certain point, Satan must've realized I wasn't at my best and demanded I find someone unless I wanted to suffer…"

Al tensed, Striker looked..tired, bitter and depressed. It was like he was looking at an entirely different person from the charismatic gunslinger he had been speaking to for over a month. He may not have been able to see his face but he could already imagine the destruction in his eyes and how miserable he was just by the sound of his cracking voice.

"S-So kid, if you want a piece of advice…I suggest keeping your head down because sooner or later…that bastard is going to put you to the test. Test how far your loyalty goes. Hook you in with promises and exploit you for the rest of your life until you outlive your usefulness. So prepare for the worst because I'll warn you now, it won't get any better from here. You may gain fortune, but you will lose those you care for sooner or later, because when it comes down to it, Satan views us all as entertaining tools, tools he can get rid of at the drop of a hat. You're just his latest victim, his latest piece of entertainment that he's yet to have wrung dry like the rest of us…"

Alastor remained quiet, he had a feeling there was something going on within the palace but he had no idea it was this deep. Though it did all make sense, Satan wasn't a fan of traitors and who's to say all the people he had been sent to kill weren't just trying to get away from him like Blitzo had been?

"Have you ever wanted to leave?"

"Several times, just never had the courage to step out, especially since Satan always had a tendency of…disposing of those who tried to leave him. He'll kill those close to you to keep you in line and if you keep pushing…you'll follow after. I've met loads of people in my life around this workforce…and I've outlived most of them. Never saw their bodies but I know if I don't see them for several weeks that it didn't end well for them. And if you don't get out of here kid…you'll end up just like me…"

Al cringed, he had no desire of sharing such a fate. Being stuck in central service until the day you died was far from his cup of tea, not helping that if he ever got on Satan's bad side that Niffty must just 'disappear' to satiate Satan's wrath.

Eventually, Striker had resorted to drinking heavily to the point he was more or less mumbling garbled nonsense that Alastor couldn't understand. It was all nonsensical rambling from then on and Al could eventually feel his heart rate slowing down as he collapsed on the table, having tuckered himself out from the excessive indulgence in alcohol.

He tapped Striker on the shoulder in an attempt to get him up. No response. He was out like a light…

Al made a face, he couldn't just leave him here. Wouldn't feel right…So he reached down and carried him over the shoulder and carried him out of the bar.

Regardless, Alastor's mind still focused on Striker's words. His lips had loosed over the wine and he doubted Striker would even remember the talk they had once he sobered up but he knew he would. He doubted he'd ever forget it and at that moment, Al had made up his mind…

He needed to get out here. He couldn't become like Striker and he swore that Hell would freeze over before he let Niffty end up like the countless other 'disloyal' henchmen who had tried to leave Satan's side.

Niffty needed to hear this when he got back, for her sake if anything…

Vox groaned, this week was off to the worst start imaginable and it sure as hell wasn't getting any better.

Val was forcing them to work with Asmodeus in order to track down those two troublemakers who had burned down his restaurant in exchange for money and special privileges to Ozzie's restaurant once he got it rebuilt.

He had tried to voice his complaints though like usual, his protests were ignored much to his dismay. In response, he had stormed off in order to avoid a confrontation and had been ignoring Valentino for a few days, preferring to be by himself and refused to help in the effort no matter how much Val argued with him.

By now, it was obvious he had been avoiding Val like the plague, refusing to sleep in the same bed as him and even eating at different times so that he and Val wouldn't encounter each other during breakfast. If Val was in one part of the house that Vox was in, he'd pretend he had something else to do and go somewhere else.

Velvet had tried to get him to talk with Val, but he was not in the mood to deal with Val's mood swings today.

'Stupid fucking rat bastard…' He thought bitterly to himself,'Fucker never listens to me…'

As he was walking down the hallway, Vox noticed there was a door further down the hallway that he hadn't noticed before. When he got there he saw a large lock placed in front of it, preventing access without a key.

"Looks like it needs a key…Only question is where could it be?" Vox thought about it for a second. He couldn't recall seeing any keys to the house in the areas he had been to and Val most certainly didn't have it.

Vox made a face as he tried to think of where it could be only for his foot to brush against the rug, feeling something metallic beneath. He flinched before reaching under the rug and pulling out a dusty old key.

"Oh…There it is…It's a little dusty but it should work…" He put the key inside and twisted it, the door creaking open freely once the lock had been undone.

He pulled out a candle before heading inside, carefully watching his step to avoid making any loud noises. As he walked inside,he noticed there was a set of candles and began to light them.

As he did, he quickly realized that the candles were for a shrine. There were dark red and black flowers that had long since wilted over time, a sense of despair and mourning still present in their wilted petals. There were personal items like perfume and jewelry placed around and in the center was a large portrait of a person he used to know all too well…

In the center was a portrait of a woman with dark brown skin and light blue eyes and black hair wearing a wedding dress with a set of white and red roses.

And beside her was…him…no, 'Vincent'. 'Vincent' was in the portrait wearing a dark blue suit with a white rose at the side. This portrait looked as though it had been painted long, long ago and it's colors had faded over time.

Not to mention it seemed that…'Vincent' was happy. In all the other portraits Vox had seen of his counterpart, he was frowning. Not a hint of a smile and the most expressive you could get out of him was a deep scowl.

He had wondered why…at least until he saw a journal that had been left out in the open. He picked it up and began to read it over.

Journal Entry #85

I finally did it. I finally proposed to Lenore the other day. After three failed proposals, I've finally gathered the confidence to propose to her properly. And she said 'yes'! This is the happiest day of my life! I've dreamed of this day for years and I've finally found my true love!

I can already see it now, the wedding, the celebration of our union, everything will be perfect! She'll love everything about this, this wedding has to be perfect for the both of us!

Already see the children. It's been my greatest dream to father a child and now I'll finally have a wife to help me take on the challenges of parenting! And then once our precious children grow up, we'll live out the rest of our lives together until we both die, together, hand in hand…

It'll be perfect…just me and her…forever.

'God..he sounded so excited…Better read the rest of it…'

Journal Entry #86

Lenore has…fallen sick. I don't know how this could've happened but it's been a few days since our wedding and she hasn't been feeling herself. She wasn't like this the other day..it's all so sudden.

I've hired a doctor to tend to her but there have been no improvements. None of the medicine we feed her has any result. She's unable to move from her bed and nothing we do seems to work.

I….I don't know what to do. It's all so sudden and I'm afraid to lose her this soon. I'm telling her to hang on and that we'll fix it. She just shakes her head and smiles at me but never responds to my claim…It's scaring me…

Journal Entry #87

Lenore has gotten worse. She doesn't eat. She doesn't do anything other than lay in bed. She's getting frail and she's lost a lot of weight. I've hired the best doctors in this country and yet NOTHING they do is enough. They claim they've never seen anything like this before and they say there is nothing they can do.

They say…she is going to die. I demanded they help her but that she was too far gone…

I don't even bother going to sleep in my own bed. I just sat by her side and held her hand because there wasn't much else to do. I'm..I'm crying…It's pathetic but I can't help it…

Journal Entry #88

I lost her. I knew this day was coming but I had hoped she'd hold on a bit longer, that there would be some sort of miracle to save her, but I suppose happy endings are only a thing in fairy tales…

I don't know how this happened but the doctor's only now just told me that she had a naturally weak immune system and that this was a long time coming…

The funeral…was private. Neither of us had family and I only allowed a handful of friends to accompany me for the burial. One of my business partners, Valentino,offered to help bury her and I agreed. He told me that he'd help me adjust with the loss.

I lost her…my beloved Lenore…I've lost my Lenore…the only source of happiness in my life..I…I don't think I'll ever love the same way again.

The book ended at that and Vox already had a feeling what happened next and how that ended…

Vox felt something tear up in his eye for a moment as a familiar feeling of loss swelled up in his heart as he remembered his version of his wife while he was alive. They were supposed to be happy together…but then she got sick…even more sick than before.

You see, his wife had always…been ill. She was never a healthy individual and while Vox had attempted to try and fix this, the technology for her conditions simply didn't exist at the time. He tried to prolong the inevitable though nothing seemed to work and day by day she got weaker and frailer.

She was told at the hospital that she would die in a few days. Lenore knew her time was coming and Vox was aware of it as well.

Before she died however, she wanted to be married. So one on the last day of her life, Vox arranged a wedding and they did what every couple did at the wedding, they danced, drank, talked, kissed.

The works, though it all came to and end when Vox fell asleep with her and on the next day, he saw her lying there in bed, her body cold and her breath still…He knew it was gonna happen but that didn't make the pain go away and he recalled crying for hours and weeping at the funeral.

At the funeral…he stood alone there. He didn't want anyone there to see him cry while he wept for his wife…

Vox picked up a picture frame of his wife that sat at the shrine and placed it inside of his robe for safe-keeping. It may not have been 'his' wife but it was the only picture he had of her….

"Finally…I finally found you baby…" Val's voice cooed, snapping Vox out of his haze.

Vox turned around and saw Val behind him, the taller male slowly approaching him, immediately tensing up at his presence and backing away slightly,"Val…how did you-"

"You didn't lock the door behind you babe…" He mentioned nonchalantly,"Honestly baby, did you really think you could hide from me forever? You know that you can't run from me, especially not when we're under the same roof…"

Vox cursed, sweat trickling down his face the closer Val got. Val then noticed the shrine and scoffed,"Still mourning that wife of your's? God you're so dramatic, you should've gotten over her by now…"

"Easy for you to say…you never had a wife…"

"Vincent, I've been with you for far longer than you were with her yet you care more about that sickly and fragile pile of bones than you do about me. Are you that pathetic that you care more about that bitch than you do about me?"

Vox snapped,"Don't you dare insult her, you overgrown rat!" He could handle insults at himself but he'd be damned before letting Val insult his wife no matter the version.

"Who are you calling a rat?" Val hissed before shoving Vox to the side abruptly,"I can't believe you. You should be helping us, not wasting precious time in this stupid hidden room you built for yourself and that damn woman! This damn shrine is a waste of resources and it shouldn't be here!"

Val then began tossing the shrine apart, Vox screaming at him in response,"VAL! STOP!"

"Oh hush, it's just a fucking shrine. It ain't worth anything. It's all a waste of space, ALL OF IT IS!" He scoffed as he tore it apart. Vox watched in horror as Val tossed the portrait to the ground and began stomping on the picture, his jaw falling to the floor as he saw Val specially put his heel through where Lenore was in the portrait…"Ah there we go…much better…Feels great to see trash being treated as it should be…"

"How…how could you?"

"Because I can babe. You know how things roll down here, I wanted no trace of that bitch left and you didn't pull through, keeping this sentimental bullshit in my house! I'm merely doing what you should've done long ago, Vincent…." He replied as he removed the cigarette from his mouth,"Honestly I'm doing you a favor getting rid of those awful pictures. That whore always made the picture uglier…"

Vox clenched his teeth before acting on instinct, hitting Val in the face,"Don't you DARE CALL my WIFE a WHORE YOU FUCKING BASTARD!"

Vox had his Val so hard he knocked his glasses off of his face, shattering them in an instant.

Val and Vox stared at each other, Vox's eyes wide in disbelief. He had never truly hit Val before and he was genuinely terrified after realizing what he had just done.

He cowered visibly,"V-Val I'm sorry…I didn't mean to…"

"Uh-huh..That's what they all are. What a shame, babe. I was hoping I didn't have to do this but you're leaving me no other choice…"

Before Vox could question this, he suddenly felt the chains of smoke from Val's cigarette smoke latch onto his limbs.

"Val! What are you doing!?"

"Putting you in your goddamn place, Vincent. You've been testing me and I'm done with attitude. I've had it with your refusals to help out and this is the final straw. It's time I put you in your place permanently…"

The room soon filled up with smoke and Vox struggled to breath, his vision becoming hazy. The toxins in Val's poisonous smoke was starting to fuck with his mind and Val's elemental powers were draining his cognitive abilities.

"Val, I'm sorry! I didn't mean it, please let me go! Please, Val…stop!"

"Please doesn't cut it anymore baby. I've been far too patient with you and it's time I put you in your goddamn place because I have KILLED people for doing a tenth of the shit you've pulled, Vincent and you've escaped punishment for far too long…"

"Val stop…you're scaring me….Augh!" Vox hissed when Val punched him in the face, his eye becoming swollen from the hit, sending him flying backwards.

"You should be…"

Vox cowered visibly as the effect's of Val's smoke slowly became taking it's hold and screamed,"HELP! SOMEONE SAVE ME!"

"No one can hear you babe…It's just you and me.." Val chuckled,"Come on, Vincent, don't try fighting it. You know you want to give in…You know you can't escape the inevitable…And by the end of this…you'll forget all about that woman. I'll be all you think about baby, and I'll make sure of it…"

Vox's eyes started to water as he began to ramble, his mind drifting away from him by the second,"Val please! I'll do whatever you want, just don't do this to me! Val please…I l-love you..please stop hurting me…I'm so sorry…"

"Oh that's sweet baby, but I still have to punish you," Val sneered mockingly,"Don't worry, Vincent, it'll all be over soon. Just relax sweetheart..it'll hurt more if you resist."

Vox was now convinced his mind was fucking with him because Val's voice was starting to sound soothing and a part of his body was making him give in despite his mind desperately trying to fight it…

It hurt as his mind was now starting to want to hear more of Val's voice and his thoughts became clouded with whispers begging, no, demanding he submitted and the idea was starting to sound more appealing the longer he was under the smoke's control.

It was a losing battle and he knew it despite his best effort and soon, Vox's fighting spirit crumbled.

Unable to fight back any longer, the last thing Vox could whisper out was,"Velvet...please...help...me...please..."

Vox's resistance slowly faded as his pleas and whimpers ceased, his head dropped downward.

"Vincent. Look at me."

Instantly, his head came up and he made eye contact with eyes glazed over and turned red before a lopsided smile crawled on his face, giggling as he was put under the influence of Val's toxic fumes.

"Ready to start cooperating, baby? Gonna do as I say?"

"Yes Val…anything for you…" He said in a dazed tone, his mind clearly detached from the rest of his body.

"Exactly what I wanted to hear," Val chuckled, realizing he had Vox under his total control, his mind only focused on pleasing him and his own leaned in to kiss Vox and was pleased when Vox allowed him to do so without moving away, showing no sign of resistance and going so far as to wrap his legs around his waist.

"V-Val…I..I love you…" Vox panted once separating from him, his breaths ragged and heavy."Please stay with me..."

"I will baby...I will.." He said before looking at Vox's face, the shorter male's face bruised as can be.

Still, he found the sight captivating, knowing he was the only one who could make him so vulnerable and having him under his total control, knowing that he couldn't move away even if he wanted to. And the best part was that beautiful lopsided smile of his, so punchable yet so appealing…

It felt so good to have control…

And he was going to relish in it. He gripped Vox's hips and began kissing him passionately and reeking of desire.

Thanks for 3,021 views, tell me what you think below! Ask questions if you want.

And yes, Val can control poison/gas before you ask. That's his element too...

Enigmus-288: Well to be fair, they really don't like working there. They just need money and a roof over their time will tell how long they stay.