Part 33

Dragging a fingernail across his desk and digging it into the wood, Valentino stared into space as he took one drag off his cigarette after another: scratch, smoke, scratch, smoke. Good system.

'Stay tuned'

Valentino took another long pull off of his cigarette.

His mind would not stop buzzing after his conversation with Alastor, the threats he had made, and the promise that Alex would return and kill him. "Fucking lizard"

The overlord stamped out his cigarette in the ashtray, overflowing with butts, and grabbed another, lighting it with the pretty black lighter on his desk, "he's not a threat. He was barely a good fuck." Valentino smirked, and a faint hint of purple filled his gaze as he spoke the words. He thought about Alex and the fight he had put up, the struggle, his hands around the lizard's throat, "and he couldn't keep that tail from wiggling." He exhaled, "little slut."

It was enough to put a sickening grin on Valentino's face, chuckling under his breath. If nothing else, Alex was a good lay, and damn did Valentino wish he would've just learned how to roll over like a good whore so he wouldn't have had to have taken what the moth wanted from him.

'Stay tuned~'

He noticed his leg was shaking a little under his desk. Valentino finished his cigarette. He hadn't smoked it that fast, had he? He lit another one.

'What else do lizards eat?'

'Stay tuned~'

How long had he been sitting here?

"Fuck this." Valentino got to his feet and grabbed his lighter as he headed towards the door at the end of the studio, which headed further into the tower and not toward the elevator, pushing open the heavy wooden doors.

He felt oddly tense, not used to whatever this pressure in his chest was. He was unfamiliar with the sense of the cold pressure on the back of his head, the way his mind kept rolling Alastor's words over and over and over again, the notion he should have just killed the little faggot lizard when he had the chance.

He was so lost in thought that he almost didn't realize the door to Vox's office was in front of him, so he nearly walked into it. He knocked. No response. Rubbing the back of his head with the fluffy collar of his wings to stop the strange itching feeling, the moth-demon let himself into his partner's space. Vox stood at the window opposite the office, a drink in hand as he stared into the Pentagram.

Valentino noticed a few of Vox's monitors were broken and that glass from the screens on the wall was on his floor and desk. When Vox heard the footsteps of Valentino's heeled boots click onto the metal floor, his fist curled a little tighter around his glass. "I don't quite remember answering, Val."

Valentino moved closer but didn't close the space between them entirely. Vox wouldn't dare lay hands on him and was too tired to play games, so Valentino stopped and took Vox in with his gaze.

The static from the television demon never ceased to irritate his ears, though it also never ceased to calm him. It was strange.

"I need something."

Vox chuckled softly, swirling the contents of his glass and taking a small sip from the crystal, "well, then go out there and take it."

Valentino frowned slightly and finally found the courage to walk over to Vox's side and leaned on the thick metal framing that wrapped around the window, looking at Vox. The pimp sighed and looked out the window, "Ok, ok. I need help getting something."

That's what Vox had been waiting for, that little bit of begging, though it wasn't what he wanted. Vox looked towards him, moving the rim of his glass and draining its contents, not saying a single word. Valentino gave him an irritated look, his face flushing a deep purple, and he growled.

He sucked his tongue, rolled his eyes, grit his fangs, and looked out the window, his voice barely a whisper, "Please...?"

Vox could see the glare in Val's eyes and resisted laughing. Typically, his response was quick, but seeing his companion turn purple over asking, especially to Vox, satisfied the screen TV.

"What could you possibly need my help with that you can't get yourself, Val?" The larger of Vox's eyes glowed a little brighter, the sound of a studio audience ringing out with a loud 'ooOOOOoooo...' which caused the moth to grit his teeth visibly. "Please don't."

Vox stepped away from the window to refill his glass, needing to refresh his drink. " And what can I do for you on tonight's program, Val? Misinformation? A little slander? Outright threats?" He hummed with a smile and brought the bottle to his lips, swallowing a gulp and sighing. The taste was not half bad. "Those seem like they're on brand these days."

The Moth scowled at him and shifted his weight, straightening his coat, "a reward for a missing person."

It was vague enough of a comment that Valentino wouldn't outright name who he was looking for because if Vox said no or asked why, he'd rather keep what happened that morning to himself. Vox couldn't help but tease the moth: "Aww, what happened, Val? One of your little toys got overzealous and tried to run?" The sound of the studio audience echoed through the room, Val's fists clenching tightly. "Can't keep a leash on your things?"

The television demon turned to look at his companion and stumbled backward as Valentino's gloved fist collided with the large red eye of Vox's screen. Glass shattered, the metallic frame of his face buckled, and Vox fell to one knee, hand pressed to his broken face.

"I'M NOT FUCKING AROUND, VOX!"

Valentino stood over him and grabbed his collar, lifting him to his feet. Glass scattered beneath him as the demon struggled to focus. Val could feel his nails digging in against the thin, electronic mesh of wires and tubing under Vox's skin that gave the demon its life.

The screen was distorted. There was a twist of broken cells and running color on one side, and black lines ran vertically along his face. Vox could only look at him through one other smaller eye.

"NO. More." Valentino growled in a deep and vicious voice, his eyes burning into Vox's with intense fury. The other Overlord forced a smirk onto his face. The audience gave one low warning buzz, and the laughter returned, warped, and slowed down.

"F~fiiiiine, V-V" pop "Vaaal. I'll heeeeelp you." The hand around the demon's neck squeezed tight; Valentino growled louder than the overlord's television and broadcast signals. Vox's legs had to remain steady for the both of them. "Vaaaal, baby. Shhhh-" a spark and the hand released him, the more prominent moth stepping back a bit, huffing and snorting, the light behind the sunglasses showing Vox was still being eyed, "i'll-i'll- WILL take c-c-c-care of it." He coughed a few times and wheezed, "j-juuuuUUUuust send me the details-details and I-" his voice became more warped than usual for a moment, "WILL HANNNNNdle it."

Valentino straightened his coat and headed for the door. With the snap of his fingers, he slammed the doors behind him, leaving Vox alone. A light tapping along the metal floor followed the sound of the doors closing with a gentle, metallic echo.

With a hiss of pain and a soft spark, Vox stumbled over to his desk with some difficulty and wiped the dark, greasy, and synthetic fluid that was bleeding out from where his large eye was broken onto the sleeve of his jacket and looking at it. "F-f-f-fine Alastor..." he gripped his clawed hand tightly, anger radiating through the demon, "we will-Wil-HAHAHAHA-WILL-will do it your-your way."

Vox could sense the grin as he pressed a button on his intercom: " Bring me an-n-new screen..." The line was silent for a long moment, "F-five minutes ago!"

The button lit up, and a shaky voice came through the speakers: " Yes, master. Right away, sir." Vox hissed again as the electrical connections throbbed in his body. He clenched his fists as he waited for his crew to bring him a new face, slowly unplugging the unnecessary wires from his neck and the back of his head.

'I'M GOING TO KILL THAT MONSTER!' Alex's scream rolled around inside of his head.

Another cable unplugged, and Vox lost green in his vision. Another cable, and he lost yellow.

'Think of the empire he would leave behind, the foundation already set.' Alastor's words replaced them. Vox sighed and turned to look at himself on the reflective surface of one of his screens, looking at his broken face.

'How...many...screens...'

Fine. We will do it your way.

The door to his office burst open, and several of his robot attendants came inside carrying an oversized computer monitor. They all hesitated slightly as Vox lifted a clawed finger to the small mechanical men, "Get the r-rR-rest of these plugs out-out-out. Give me back my fa-fa-fa- fucKi-ng face!"

They scrambled, a handful of wires coming loose with an angry static. The final cable yanked from Vox's neck was enough to take what vision remained of the eyes of the demon as the broken screen was removed from his neck and his body slumped down in his chair. Vox was not defenseless; his consciousness was all around that room, and he could leap from screen to screen, but his underlings quickly attached the new one to his neck. They frantically reattached the cables that brought the overlord's face back onto the screen, his red eyes burning with power and hate. He glanced at them all.

"I'm on in 15. Get ready for a hell-wide broadcast. We have NEWS, people!~"

"Yesss, Master!"

The crew rushed off down the hall towards the studio space to prepare as Vox got up from his desk and returned to the bar cart to pick up the drink he had left before Val punched him, lifting it to his 'lips.' He hesitated, picking a shard of glass, his previous face, out of it. "Oh, Valentino...you didn't even bother to tell me about the weaponry." He shook his head and took his phone out of his pocket. He had received the information about the boy he was looking for.

On his screen was a picture of Alex on his stomach, a figure on top of him as he was fucked from behind. Vox knew that body was Val when they had previously engaged. He scrolled through the email again, but there were no details about the angelic weapons.

He thought about Val and Alastor, and he sipped his drink. He didn't want to help Alastor, and he didn't want to help Valentino.

"Fuck it." Sip, "we do it my way."