Part 23

Alex walked into the lobby of the building, looking up at the ceiling, the red lamps swaying back and forth. They cast red light on the gray floor as the fog twisted and warped. This didn't feel like hell. Nothing, so far, did.

He looked along the floor as he walked towards reception, running his fingertips along the wall. He listened to his footsteps. So this was what Angel saw and heard whenever he came here. This was the first thing that greeted him: these two dim lights on a darkened floor that showed nothing but an empty hall and his steps, his fingertips leaving tracks he couldn't see. He shivered. No wonder he turned out the way he did.

It was no wonder he took the drugs to break whatever this was, to leave his body and look at it like any other office job. He felt his stomach tight as he approached the desk and looked at the tall creature behind it.

Maybe he had taken what Angel had done too far. Angel was only trying to make him enjoy his company, to let him know how much he was desired. Even if it was weird, he needed to learn how to enjoy himself and be better at giving back. He would probably only get worse if this continued if he was pushed.

The receptionist finally raised a head of thin flesh and needle-like teeth, clicking against each other. "May I help you?"

"I'm..." The lizard shifted uncomfortably, glancing down the hallway. "...I'm...looking for Valentino. He knows I'm coming."

She stared at him for a moment, but then her phone rang. She didn't take her eyes off Alex as she lifted the receiver to her ear. "Yes, sir?" She looked him up and down. "Yes, sir." She nodded, "Right away, sir." She hung up the phone and folded her hands. "Second elevator. I'll buzz you up. Enjoy your shoot." Her mouth widened into what resembled a smile. "Cutie."

"Ehh...heh..." He chuckled nervously as the doors to his left opened, and Alex stepped inside, placing his hands behind his back and biting the inside of his cheek as the doors shut, and he felt the floor jerk and whatever was awaiting him getting closer.

He thought about all the times Angel took this elevator, feeling the same every time. Alex would have rather been anywhere than here. He ran his palms across the railing and looked out through the glass and out onto the city.

As the elevator slowed, the interior became darker, warmer, and more inviting. The scents of so many things lingered in the air. It wasn't just the smell of sex and smoke, the smell of empty glass bottles, and the spice of who knew what kinds of drugs, but something else—a heavy feeling that seemed to weigh down the walls and the very atmosphere around them.

What sort of monster lived in a cave like this? What sort of man could have existed to do this for fun? What kind of evil was required for such twisted ideals? He found out soon enough when he reached up to knock on the door to the studio, his confidence and strength leaving him in this oppressive, twisted world less than one foot away from his face.

The door opened, and a demonic face appeared, eyes narrowed with suspicion on his. Valentino himself answered the door, and Alex couldn't look away. He wanted to run. He wanted to scream and yell. He wanted to explode, but all he managed was a slight shudder in his fists as Valentino bent his long frame under the low frame of the door and came face to face with the boy who dared to challenge him, the insect who had been speaking with and touching Angel.

But then Alex blinked and allowed himself to really look at the creature before him. His hat, his coat...wings? His pink sunglasses. Then, the fear seemed to twist into something different as rage pulled at its corners. He knew EXACTLY what kind of monster, of man, of evil. It had a face now.

Valentino looked at the kid for a few seconds, and the young demon had no idea what to say. He was just frozen there, unable to speak. Finally, after all this, they stood in front of one another. And so, in his typical fashion, Alex said the only thing that came to mind: "You're taller than I thought you would be."

He paused, taken back a bit, a flicker of amusement coming to the side of his lip as his fang seemed to extend out. Then he began to laugh, which sounded genuine: " You're shorter." He kept his face close, unafraid, as Alex seemed to wince back slightly, "Come on in, cutie."

Valentino stood upright, pulled the door open for the boy, and waited. Alex swallowed and crossed that threshold into the studio space. This was a place he had never wanted to see. It wasn't even a thought or a concern; it felt impossible. So, how was he standing here? How could it have led to this? What a strange and cruel twist of fate. The demon's gaze stayed fixed on Alex as he slowly turned around the room with its large dark curtain. The backdrop was smooth, with no features or hints to the other side.

Alex took a few steps in and began to look around. He might as well if he was here. Oddly, Valentino didn't seem to mind, lighting a cigarette and watching the lizard as he stood by the door. Valentino was trying to figure that out the whole time. What was his game? Was he trying not to look nervous? Was he trying to act like he wasn't afraid, or was it really that the boy had accepted all this?

Valentino walked up to one of the cameras and flipped it on, the red light on top glowing as it activated. He turned it on Alex. "So you really did it? You really killed yourself to be down here?" He tilted his head slightly. Why?"

That smile, that cute little smile, stretched across Alex's face as he picked up a crop from the ground and swung it through the air. "I had to answer that question last night, actually. It boiled down to 'a stupid move.' I didn't want Angel upset anymore. I got him in trouble with you because I called you fat. And I apologize for that. It honestly looks like you could use a few pounds."

Valentino said nothing but did adjust the lens just a little.

"Anyways..." Alex cleared his throat, "I had some time to think about everything on the way up, through your lovely reception area and your shockingly clean elevator. Did you know Angel didn't do anything? Not one bad thing to me, and I was scared that if I didn't fix everything I broke, I would break his heart, maybe even his soul."

He chuckled a little and tossed the crop on the couch. "I mean fuck me...I'm here because I'm tired of hearing him cry. In hell. In an overlord's workspace." Alex shook his head, "I...don't want to be the reason Angel feels pain."

"How very fucking noble of you, cutie. Almost responsible."The camera swung to the bed on set, and the lens was adjusted by a skilled and delicate hand. Valentino checked the shot again, reaching into his pocket to pull out a memory stick. He slipped it into the camera, the faint click as it secured, breaking a moment between them. Alex looked straight up at Valentino and smiled, "I think I'm going to be the one that kills you, Valentino. The one with the bigger smile I told you about."

Valentino remained silent momentarily before he leaned his head back with a laugh and sat down on the bed, his coat or wings fluttering a little. Then, his large wings stretched open as the demon's red pupils shrunk slightly. He folded his legs one across the other and shrugged, "No, you aren't."

Alex felt a smile creep up his face and turned to look out the large window towards the city. "Yeah, maybe that's a little ambitious of me."

The moth just made a tsk noise in agreement and seemed to enjoy Alex's commentary. Valentino could find enjoyment in that. Then the young demon turned to look towards the door, looking at the handle to leave.

They stared at one another, Valentino exhaling his held breath, the pink smoke coming from his nostrils and lashing out at Alex but only making it about one foot before dissipating. "Well...I suppose I should do my part to fight back, yeah?" Val nodded his head once in agreement and set his cigarette down on the edge of the bed, delicately balancing it off the edge of the mattress.

Alex removed his jacket and rolled up the sleeves of his shirt to the elbow, exposing the wrappings around his wrists and forearms. He shook them out, and Val stood up, cracking his knuckles. "Are you sure you want to do this, kid?" Alex shook his head. "Not really, but I hope it helps our relationship." Valentino withdrew his pistols. Foreplay is the key to a good relationship."

He cracked his neck and crouched, coiling his fingers like hooks, sharpened claws digging into his palm as a fire burned around his wrist. He held it up.

"Alright then. I'll be gentle, little lizard."

"I appreciate that, Val."

Valentino laughed, and it sounded genuine. "I've missed that spark; I've missed that cocky little smile you've been wearing. This...this is going to be fun~."

Alex raised his hands like he had trained to, his fingers relaxed, the cloth wrapped around his wrists glowing. He remembered everything Vaggie and Alastor had taught him. But above that, Alex could hear Angel's voice on the wind, echoing through his thoughts. And it was comforting to him in a place where there seemed to be none. He remembered them in the shower together, arms wrapped around one another, his bandages coiled around Angel's body, warming him, making him feel safe. He swore to himself that no matter what happened, he would do that at least one more time.

Alex was able to dodge the first shot by diving behind the couch, crawling quickly as three more bullets fired through it, and he scrambled to his feet, throwing his arm out at the overlord. The wrappings lashed out, surprisingly, but only managed to swat away the fifth bullet. Both of them were a little shocked it had worked.

Alex froze and turned his eyes back towards Valentino, who was grinning at him, and brought the gun up, aiming. The lizard dropped out of the way just in time, and the two blasts rocked through the couch and drove into the floor, one hitting a sound box. Valentino grimaced and released the mag from the pistol with his thumb, one of his secondary arms slapping in a new one. "Spry little tease, aren't you? You would have been great in a music video."

"Aha..." he puffed in between breathes, "you don't need to get all complacent on me yet." Alex swung out a wide swath that covered most of the room and knocked a few things off shelves as the wrapping curled and lashed at Valentino, who slid under it and fired again. Alex was thrown back against the wall hard, the wrapping swatting away the bullet, but the force carried through. "Aw...Come on. No more banter? Where are my insults now?"

Climbing to his feet, Alex dove over a table and leaped forward with the bindings, forcing the tall demon to move away with a quick grace he hadn't seen in many others. That seemed to make him almost like a predator, and the lizard hissed out a long breath through his teeth. He fired twice more, but Alex grabbed a chair and sent it at him, one bullet hitting the leg, and it flew into his chest, the tall demon holding an arm out in front of him, taking most of the damage. "Mmmmhm~ that was a pretty good throw, kid. Your reflexes are pretty good."

He looked around the room and surveyed the damage done to the set. One camera was knocked over the floor, and the couch had holes that had been shot in it. Products had been knocked over, and narcotics were on the carpet. This was costing him money.

A soft, smooth feeling ran across Alex's neck, and the boy tried to claw it, the warmth seeming to grip the skin. Alex gasped and reached his arms up to his own throat, grasping and pulling on the thick, smoky tendril as it grew thicker and became harder to grab. It felt like a pair of hands trying to wrap around his neck and choke the life from him. "Ghk...kk...hhhhhha..." The young demon dropped to his knees as the camera rolled back with him and knocked over onto its side.

He could hear the chuckling of the Moth as his wings retracted and wrapped around his body again, his hands holstering his weapons. This was over for him.

Taking his cigarette still balanced on the bed back into his lips, Valentino strode up to the boy, his expensive shoes muffled under the carpet. "You were good, kid, but you played way too defensively." He took a long pull off the cigarette and straddled Alex, grabbing him by the collar of the shirt to lift him up and punch him in the nose.

When he drew his hand away, he laughed a bit, wiping his knuckles off and leaving a dark splatter of blue on the young demon's forehead. Alex coughed, eyes narrow, vision and senses blurry and scrambled, and he looked at Valentino, his teeth showing a dark color. He was punched again. Then again. His lip split and a tooth was knocked loose, and it fell out of his mouth. Blood was dripping from his nose and teeth. Then he was let go, hitting the ground once more.

"Hey hey...be careful there. Don't...don't pass out. I can't have that." Valentino reached into his front breast pocket and removed a small white bag. "I have just the thing for you. Don't you worry, baby." The demon dipped his hand into the white powder and curled his fist around it, pressing one hand to Alex's nose and the other to his mouth.

Due to the smoke, Alex couldn't breathe, and the hand at his mouth wouldn't let him breathe. But if he drew from his nose...

Alex kicked and squirmed, pinned under the demon. "You're gonna do it eventually, cutie. Might as well get it over with." The squirming began to slow; he couldn't hold his breath forever. His natural instinct was to breathe, and Alex started to draw the heavy drug into his nasal cavity. He could feel a sting like glass scraping up the insides of his nostril. "Good boy~" The voice echoed in his head as a fistful of the drug was forced inside, and his eyes squeezed tight as it went up to his brain. His lungs sucked the drug inside, it hit hard and fast, flooding his head as the cocaine sent him higher than he had ever been before and his back arched. Valentino laughed. "We have a live one! Good boy!"

"AaAAAAAAUUUH! Aaa...Aaa...a...ahhhhg..." His body fell back, and he coughed, breathing heavily. Alex was far from this world, a child looking down on the cosmos, the moon rising over the ocean of stars, he watched the supernova, and watched them dim into something peaceful, calm. There were no words to describe it, and a moment later, he found himself lost in the sea and watching the sunrise over the deep abyss. It wasn't cocaine, but it was something.

Alex couldn't move, but his eyes were open, and his heart was thundering in his chest. A full sensory overload was happening, but everything was just fine and beautiful. When Alex saw Valentino the demon had turned into a beautiful purple butterfly and the sight took his breath away, it was the most wonderful thing he had ever seen in his entire life and he couldn't tear his eyes off it. He wanted to touch it, wanted to hold it. Wanted to play with it. He was a kid again without worry, a million miles from sin.

He stood up, his shirt too big for him, like he was wearing his dad's shirt after a bath. He giggled, tripping over his large shoes as he ran after the butterfly. It fluttered on top of a log, and Alex began to climb up after it, high on the side of a hilltop. But Alex was determined to catch it.

The ledges he needed to climb were higher than he could reach, and he struggled to get any higher. Still, it was the most amazing sensation in the world. Climbing was fun. His shoes kept slipping. And every time he reached out to the ledge, the butterfly fluttered a little higher until finally, he had climbed to the top of the hill, watching the butterfly on the log.

He sat there on his heels, knees in the soft grass, a warm breeze running over his skin and the sun hot. He pulled the oversized shirt from his body and fell back into the grass before rolling onto his stomach. The butterfly fluttered momentarily and flipped through the air as it was carried by the breeze, landing delicately on his shoulder. He turned to look at it with a smile. "Hello, little butterfly. You have very pretty wings."

It fluttered a little, raising and falling in response as he tilted his head. He didn't know what to do when he saw the small thing there. It was so nice and bright.

Valentino smiled down at the lizard, his claws gently stroking his cheek as he positioned himself above him, straddling the boy on his stomach, his arms pinned above his head. "Sweet little boy." He kissed him, the lizard moaning into his mouth and his hands curling against the sheets of the bed. Valentino couldn't help but moan when he tasted that tongue. "Fuck...I can see why Angel likes you."

His knee came up between Alex's legs, and Alex rubbed his leg against the fabric between them. He wanted it so much, the softest and sweetest sensation that filled his body. Nothing in the entire world compared to this moment, and Alex wanted nothing more than to cling to the demon in whatever world the drugs had put him in.

Using his knees, Valentino opened the lizard's legs a little wider and ran his length against the cheeks of his scaled ass and up along one side of his tail. "You broke a lot of my things, cutie. These things are expensive in this business. So now you're gonna help me replace them. Aren't you?" He grabbed hold of Alex's hair and pulled his head back. Alex's mouth parted, and a single word came from his lips.

"...Yes~"

"Why is that?"

"...I. want you happy, b-butterfly~."

The grin was from ear to ear, and he turned Alex's head to the camera. "Lights..." The light shifted from the red glow to something softer, more natural. The light was white. Alex turned to look at Valentino, and then a warm touch went up his spine. Alex tensed, his head being turned forward towards the camera. "Lock up..." Click. Valentino slid one hand from Alex's hair and raised it slightly, the camera adjusting. "And...action." The five remaining cameras all whirled to life, their lights blinking red as they began recording, each turning and focusing on Valentino and Alex, the first shot being Alex's expression as Valentino entered him.

"Ffff...u...UH!" Alex's eyes rolled, and he couldn't hide the reaction of Valentino being inside of him, the pleasure that ripped through the young demon's body. But Valentino's attention was completely elsewhere, looking into the camera, smiling wide into it. This would more than makeup for the cost of the damages.

"You want him to be happy, yeah?" Val growled low and put his claw to Alex's mouth, his first finger caressing Alex's lip before shoving inside. Alex eagerly responded by licking and sucking it as Valentino gripped him hard and pressed his body weight down on him, bottoming out. He began to laugh, looking at the wrappings lying motionless around his wrists. "Divine armaments. Hahaha!"

Alex moaned deeply against the digit, Valentino's second hand wrapped around his neck and holding it there. He moaned against it. It was impossible to do anything about it, and even if it didn't feel as bad as Valentino may have intended, Alex didn't want it and knew he wasn't willing. But somehow, it seemed like the drugs had stripped him of his consent and inhibitions. The lizard tried to put the fight back, but everything was foggy.

Even if he were conscious, Alex had no strength to fight, every one of Valentino's thrusts crushing his tiny frame. "Mom...d-dad..." he gripped the sheets tighter, moaning loudly, his head falling to the blanket. The moth chuckled, pulling the boy's hips back to his, "Keep calling out for them, baby. It will look great on film." Valentino began to speed up, grinning devilishly into the lens. He could watch this film and relive this night over and over again. This could make him a small fortune if marketed correctly.

He kissed along the scales of Alex's back, whispering to him. "You're so warm, Alex." And Valentino continued the assault, slamming into Alex at a quicker pace, drawing close with each push of the boy's plump backside. Closer. Closer. He gasped, his thrusting becoming erratic.

The scream he gave off was drowned out as Valentino pushed his head down into the blankets, feeling a burning release inside his body as Valentino held himself firmly inside the lizard.

Alex didn't know how long it had passed, eventually closing his eyes tightly and waiting. But there came a time when Valentino was sitting on the end of the bed, lighting a fresh cigarette and stretching his arms. "You did good, kid. The camera loves you..." he took a long drag from the cigarette, "you can go now." He stood up, tapping the ash onto the ground. "Waste of my morning..."

Alex's arms shook as he finally lifted himself to his feet. Alex was wobbly as he used the sheets to cover his body, his mouth open in awe as he pulled himself to the doorway, picking up his clothes as he limped to the elevator. "Oh, and Alex?"

The boy stopped as his fingers slid into the crack of the door. Alex slowly turned back, "y-y-yes..."

"I could have killed you today, and I chose not to. That would upset Angel, and I know how much you hate it when he is upset. So what do we say?"

"T...thank you, Mr. Valentino."

The overlord hummed contently and waved a hand at the lizard as the elevator doors closed. The tears finally spilled forth, the soundproof doors making the sound nothing more than a distant rumble.