As a special treat, here is a chapter that robotman25 and myself collaborated on for this story. :) We were both inspired by the comic by 4rKrot on Twitter (X), who created the design of Valentino as a caterpillar.
Now, this part of the story takes place before Vox met Magic and left the V's Tower.
This chapter will be part 1 and part 2 will be posted at a later date. Enjoy! :)
Vaxal was created by robotman25 and he and I created Melosa together. For those wondering, 'melosa' means 'honeyed' in Spanish. Also, Vaxal's guitar was inspired by an artist who created Bonnie with a guitar shotgun. :)
Chapter 30
It was another glorious day at the V Tower with the four Vee's busy doing their own things. Vaxal currently was in the lounge area relaxing on one of the couches after shipping out an order for ten crates of ammo, revolvers, assault rifles, and shotguns. He was putting the finishing touches on his V guitar igniting a flame on his finger and started welding an angelic axe blade to where the headstock of the guitar used to be. He stopped what he was doing when he heard humming and it sounded almost happy. He looked up to see Valentino humming to himself as he walked on by.
Vaxal raised an eyebrow. "What's got you in such a good mood?" He asked curiously.
"Hmm?" Valentino hummed before smiling. "Oh nothing except I just scored myself a new contract! I'll have a new star soon!"
"A new contract, huh? Must've been a really good deal you scored to make you this cheerful. The last time I saw you this happy was when you scored that contract deal with Angel Dust."
"Ugh, don't remind me of that person!" Valentino said harshly before turning to where his robot helper was. "Kitty, get me a flipping drink! Now!"
The robot returned moments later with a glass of champagne, which Valentino grabbed and began drinking. "That slippery little spider somehow managed to escape my studio! And when I went to the princess' hotel to go find Angel Dust, I was met with Asmodeus for some reason and he burned up the stupid contract! I've got nothing on Angel Dust now!"
That last part caught Vaxal's attention and he blinked. "Hold on for a sec. Asmodeus himself just decided to show up at Princess Morningstar's hotel and helped to protect Angel?" He asked, finding that to be a shock, but it definitely explained Val's sour mood at the moment.
"Exactly! He decided to show up out of nowhere during my interrogating of the jerks on where Angel Dust was, snatched MY contract for Angel Dust and burned it up before my very eyes before leaving!" He now threw the empty champagne glass, to which Vaxal ducked to avoid it as it shattered on the floor near him, rolling his eyes as Val kept going on another tantrum. "The smug look on those losers' faces when the contract was burned up really made me mad!" He grabbed the TV and threw it at the glass wall, shattering the wall as the TV flew out of the tower. "I just want to go over there and teach them a lesson they won't forget! No one messes with Valentino and gets away with it!" He grabbed a chair and threw it aimlessly as well.
Vaxal, seeing the chair heading his way, blasted a stream of fire from his hand, burning the chair to ashes to avoid getting hit by it. "It is weird for Asmodeus to come here and help the princess though. Not to mention how Angel Dust escaped the Tower without any of us noticing it. The only way he could have escaped without anyone knowing and the security cameras not catching anything is because someone on the inside must have helped him escape," he said. "I highly doubt it was Velvette or Vox and it certainly wasn't me. The four of us made a deal with each other to not interfere when it comes to the contracts we have and our businesses when we first formed the Vees."
"Well, whatever happened or whoever helped that slippery spider escape, I'm going to make sure they pay, then find where Angel Dust went, make him pay and then drag his sorry behind back here because he owes me! I made him a star and he made me lots of money with the films I sold featuring him and this is the thanks I get!Not to mention-,"
"Alright, I'm stopping you right there, Val," Vaxal said, knowing exactly what the moth was about to say. "I don't need to know any of that stuff."
"Why?" Valentino smirked. "Doesn't Velvette-?"
"Shut your flipping mouth, Val!" Vaxal yelled angrily. "That is none of your business, so zip it!" He took a moment to calm down and thankfully, Val dropped the subject. "We're getting sidetracked here. Why does this specific contract make you so happy anyways?"
"Take a look at this beauty," Val said, pulling out his phone to show a picture of a very beautiful, slender, and curvy woman with brown hair and green eyes wearing a plain purple cloak similar to Valentino's fishnet stockings and high heels.
Vaxal nodded. "Well, she's definitely got the body for your line of work."
"I know, right? This is a crown jewel of it all right here! I wonder how good she is? Hopefully as good as she looks in this photo, but if not, I can always show her the ropes." Valentino paused. "You know, with enough discipline and a lot of practice, I probably won't need Angel Dust anymore. This jewel can be my next new star! Though having her and Angel Dust doing a shoot together is not such a bad idea."
"So, where are you meeting her exactly?" The weapon specialist asked.
"Oh, I just have to meet up with her in an alleyway in downtown. She wants to meet privately and said if I give her the money there, then she'll sign the contract."
Vaxal could almost see the red flags going up. "Hold on Val, this woman that you've never met before wants to just meet up with you in person, in alleyway, all by yourself, and is just willing to work for you for cash just like that?" He asked, sensing something was extremely wrong.
"Yeah pretty much," the moth said. "Smooth sailing."
Vaxal sighed. "Alright, so either you're stupid right now or your just that much of a flipping fool to not see the red flags there," he said.
His associate scoffed. "Relax, Vaxal, I've handled girls like her all the time and get them to sign contracts to me and make them learn their place, besides," he paused as he pulled out a credit card. "I'm sure she'll be head over heels when she sees all the money on this card."
"What, you going to use your card to be her sugar honey or something?" The weapons specialist asked, still not thinking this was a good idea.
Another scoff came from Val. "No, of course not. I'm using Vox's credit card to be her sugar honey and get her to be my new star."
Vaxal rubbed his temples in annoyance. "You know he's going to be upset with you, right?" He asked, knowing better than to use Vox's money behind his back.
"Oh please, I can handle Voxy just fine if he gets mad at me, Vaxal," Valentino said confidently.
"You know what, as long as it's not my card your using, then do whatever the fudge you want. Just don't come crying back here like a crybaby saying you got scammed, idiot."
"Shut up, Vaxal!" The moth said rudely, brushing Vaxal's concerns aside before leaving, slamming the door shut on his way out.
Vaxal fell into thought. "Hmm, maybe I should go with him so he doesn't do something stupid...Nah, I'm sure he'll be fine, besides he's Vox's problem not mine," he said to himself before going back to working on his guitar and calling the workers on his phone to get another replacement wall window, TV, and chair. "Besides, he's a grown man. Why do I care what he does?"
Little did Vaxal know, his gut feeling about something being wrong would soon become a grave worry.
Meanwhile...
Valentino was in his limo heading towards the meeting spot as he puts on some of the best premium alluring perfume and had some of the finest drinks in the back seat hoping he can maybe sneak a quick preview in before they go back to the V Tower. He soon arrives at his destination and got out of the limo.
He walked up towards the driver. "Keep the limo running and don't you go anywhere, you hear me, I won't be long. You don't want to end up like the last guy, do you?" He asked.
The driver gulped. "Umm no, sir. I'll stay right until you come back from your meeting, Mister Valentino," he said.
The moth chuckled. "Good boy," he said before heading to the alley way, looking around for the lady in the photo until he heard a very pleasing, alluring voice speak.
"Well, look who it is," she said, her honeyed voice echoing slightly. "Valentino of the Vees and master film producer himself. You sure like to keep a lady waiting, don't you?"
Valentino chuckled at her sass. "Oh, my apologies for keeping you waiting, my dear. How rude of me. Why don't you come out so I can see you? A beautiful woman like you shouldn't hide in the shadows like that."
The woman stepped out from the shadows, letting out an alluring giggle. "Oh my, aren't you quite the charmer, Mister Valentino," she said. "The name is Melosa and I'm going to have so much fun working with you." She gracefully walked up to him, making sure to walk in a way that showed off her curves. "I have to say, I'm quite a fan of your work and have heard rumors of how you can give anyone such a good time."
"I don't just give that to any random pathetic desperate loser on these city streets, my dear. Only the best can have that privilege, but for you, Gorgeous, I think I can make an exception," Valentino replied.
Melosa smiled. "Ooh, I like it when a man takes charge and knows what he wants to do. No other guy has been worthy of my time or is capable of handling a woman like me and are just pathetic," she sighed longingly before giving him a hooded look. "But maybe a big, strong, and handsome man like you can handle me and give me what I desire?"
She rubbed a finger under his chin as Valentino's wings suddenly splayed out and a squeaking sound emerged from him, making her chuckle. "Oh, my," she said. "Seems like someone likes that idea and I love the outfit by the way."
Valentino snapped back to reality upon realizing his wings were on display and he was making the squeaking sound. He quickly collected himself, clearing his throat and pulling in his wings to form his cloak again. What just happened?! Get a hold of yourself, Valentino! You shouldn't be acting like this! Is she charming me or something because I shouldn't have reacted like that! Remember Valentino, you are the businessman looking for a star. You're supposed to entice her, not the other way around! Let's just cut to the chase before she thinks you're a flipping, spineless loser! Don't mess this up! He scolded himself internally before turning his attention back to Melosa, gently clearing his throat.
"Why thank you, baby doll. I must say you have quite the gift to rile me up like that. Very few have ever got me to act like that, so let's cut to the chase then, shall we?" He asked.
"Getting right down to business quick, hmm? That's quite appealing," she said, smiling and posing against the wall while looking at the moth being. "Keep talking. I'm listening."
Valentino pulled out Vox's credit card in one hand. "This card has all the money you can dream of and can get you whatever you want beyond your wildest dreams," he said, snapping his fingers to call up a contract and pen in his other two hands. "All you have to do is just sign right here, my dear, and this card is all yours. I promise you won't regret it." The moth being lit a cigarette to smoke, exhaling red heart-shaped smoke towards her to convince her.
Melosa smiled. "Well, before I sign and become your star, how about a drink?" She said, pulling out two bottles of Beelzejuice. "I think two bottles of Beelzejuice giving to me by Queen Bee herself should be enough to make tonight a wild and fun party after I sign," she said, batting her eyelashes at him.
Valentino felt his spine shiver at her words, but kept his composure. "Beelzejuice, huh?" He asked, putting away the contract and Vox's credit card before grabbing one of the bottles. "From Queen Bee herself? Now that's some good stuff right there." He smiled. "I've always wanted to meet her and do a shoot with her. Too bad I can't go meet her."
He then paused. "Wait, how are you able to get Beelzejuice from Queen Bee herself if-," he started to ask, but Melosa gently placed a finger over his mouth, gently shushing him.
"Shh, shh, don't think about that, big boy. Cause right now, I need a big strong man to take me to his place and take charge. Can you do that, handsome?" She said sweetly and alluringly.
His ego already tickled, her words just boosted it more as a big grin came to his face, thinking of all the things he wanted to show her back at the V Tower. "Oh, I can definitely do that for you, baby girl," he said, popping off the cap on the bottle and started drinking it, not seeing the malicious smile on Melosa's face right then and there.
One hour later, back at the V Tower...
"And done," Vaxal said with a sigh of relief. "About time I got this thing to work." He put the finishing touches on the V guitar while looked and functioned like a rifle too with an angelic axe blade at the end of the guitar. He checked his phone to see it had been over an hour since he had talked to Valentino. "Where is that dummy? It usually doesn't take him this long to get the contract. He probably ended up doing what he always does first, surprise, surprise," he said with an annoyed sigh this time.
He then heard the doors to the lounge swing open, thinking it was Val coming back, but it was instead Velvette who was on her phone right then and looking very miffed and talking to someone. "I don't give a bleeping crank if that will take all day and night to make! I want it done and I want it done perfectly! I had to deal with you and the other models' junk excuse of fashion designs for the past week and had to babysit you crybabies just to make sure you get it right! I deserve a break from all the disgusting and horrible abominations you lot showed me that you call style! So either you and the others get your butts back to work and correct the mistakes you made by the time I get back or you can kiss your modeling and fashion careers goodbye! Got it?!" She paused to hear the answer. "That's what I thought. Now get to it!"
She hung up the phone, letting out an annoyed and agitated sigh before noticing Vaxal sitting on the couch and he looked up at her. "Stressful day in the Fashion department?" He asked gently.
"You don't know the half of it," she said without heat, sighing before noticing the guitar gun. "Whatcha working on there? Is that supposed to be a guitar or a rifle?" She asked curiously.
"Both," he replied. "Just a personal project I work on in my free time, but that's not important right now."
He set the guitar off to the side. "Why don't you come on over, take a seat, and relax, Velvie?"
She smiled, once again reminded of why she fell in love with him. "You took the words right out of my mouth. After all the horrible and disgusting designs my models created and I had to correct each and every one of them, I really could use a break," she said, going over to the couch and sitting herself on Vaxal's lap, relaxing against him.
He smiled. "You know, when I said take a seat, I meant the couch, but this works too," he said.
"Oh, you did?" She said playfully. "My apologies for the misunderstanding, babe. You should have been more specific, but since I'm already sitting here, I might as well make myself comfortable." She looked up at him and batted her eyelashes innocently at him, knowing he loved it when she sat in his lap.
"You just wanted an excuse to sit on my lap," he said with a smile, wrapping his arms around her protectively.
Velvette wrapped her arms around Vaxal's neck, snuggling up against his chest, her voice lowering to an alluring purr. "Mmm, and who says I need an excuse to sit on your lap?" She asked. "I could come up with much more exciting reasons than that." She began walking two fingers up his chest to his face. "Maybe we can-"
Vox's yell interrupted her. "Valentino! Where the fudge are you?!" The television being yelled in anger.
A moment later, Vox stormed into the lounge area, fuming so much that electric sparks could be seen with how furious he was while looking for Valentino. Velvette groaned in annoyance at being interrupted. "Good grief, why are you screaming, Vox?" She asked in annoyance.
"Have either of you seen where the fudge Valentino is?!" Vox asked.
Velvette rolled her eyes. "No, I don't know where your little moth is. What did the crybaby do this time?" She asked.
"He stole my flipping credit card when I wasn't looking! I swear if he goes on another shopping spree for more stuff for his studio and wastes all MY money, I'm going to make him pay me back!" He calmed down after a moment before looking at the other two Vees. "Vaxal, what about you? Have you seen him?" He asked.
"Yeah," Vaxal said. "He left like an hour ago saying he was going to use your credit card to meet up with some woman that could replace Angel Dust. I said is sounded suspicious the way he worded it, but he brushed my words aside and just walked out."
Vox went red in the face. "WHY THEN DIDN'T YOU STOP HIM, YOU FLIPPING IDIOT?!" He yelled.
Vaxal rolled his eyes. "Because he's your problem and I don't feel like dealing with his monkey business today," he said simply.
"Honestly, I got to agree with Vaxal there. You really should put a collar and leash on him to keep him from doing stupid stuff all the time, V," Velvette said.
"What makes you think I have those just lying around for me to use, Velvette?" He growled before holding up a hand. "Actually, forget I asked that. Vaxal, please tell me you know where the fudge Val went?"
"He said somewhere downtown in an alleyway," Vaxal replied.
"There's multiple alleyways downtown! Which one did he go to?!"
"I don't flipping know! Does it look like I have a GPS tracker on me that tells me where he is 24/7? Actually, that sounds more like a you thing, Vox."
"Why in the world to you think I would do something like that?" Vox asked.
"Cause you always cry and moan about him doing something stupid that could ruin our perfect image," the weapons specialist said. "Honestly thought you would have done it by now," he said as an afterthought.
"Do I look like I have to time to put a GPS chip in-?"
Velvette had enough. "Oh for flipping sake, Vox! If you're so blazing worried about your precious credit card, then how about you go and start looking for him instead of whining here like a little crybaby!" She snapped.
Vox took a deep breath. "You know what? Fine, I will, but you two are helping me look for him!" He said.
"Yeah, I would love to help you with that Vox, but I'm really snug and comfortable here on my boyfriends lap right now and don't feel like moving," she snarked, leaning against Vaxal to prove her point.
"Vel, I'm at my wits end right now. Can you not start this right now?!" Vox asked in annoyance.
Vaxal decided to end this. "Look, Vox, take a chill pill, alright. I'll just use one of the VoxTek Voyer Scopes to see where he is from here, alright?" He offered, hoping it would placate his fellow associate.
"You know what, that's fine. As long as I don't have to deal with Velvette's attitude, I'll take it. If you find Val, call me and let me know where he is, Vaxal, so I can go over there and smack the daylights out of him for being a flipping dummy," he said as he left the room, slamming the door shut.
Velvette sighed. "About time he left. Nice call on using the Voyer Scopes, babe. I really didn't feel like moving; your lap is really comfy," she said.
"Honestly, I just didn't want to go with Vox and listen to him and Val yelling at each other for the next hour," Vaxal said honestly.
"Fair point. I forget how blunt and straight forward you can be sometimes, but honestly that's one of the many things I love about you: a guy who has a backbone and isn't afraid to speak his mind no matter who it is. I'm surprised you lasted this long dating me without me biting your head off," she said joking and teasingly.
Vaxal chuckled and smirked. "Well maybe I'm just that flipping lucky or your just losing your vicious edge, babe. Or maybe my little Velvie likes to be a sweet loving softie with me," he said teasingly.
She blushed and hid her face in his chest. "Shut up, you jerk," she said without heat. "Okay, fine. I like expressing this side of me, but only to you and no one else. Promise to keep this just between us, okay?"
"Hey, you know me better than anyone. I would never embarrass you," he said, giving her a loving kiss on the lips. "But I promise this will stay between you and me, Velvie." he then pulled out his phone and activated the Voyer Scope, opening up the app on his phone. "Now, let's see where that moth went to."
"I hope we find him soon," Velvette said. "I want to go have dinner with you."
"I'll take you to your favorite place to eat after we locate Val," he promised her.
Meanwhile...
Vox stormmed down the streets of downtown, searching every alleyway for Valentino only to find nothing. He was at his limit and fuming as he was so furious that light bulbs around him starting to blow up and electrical devices around him started shorting out and getting fried.
Seeing how furious Vox was, everyone on the street instantly moved out of his way or hid cause the last thing they needed was getting in the way of the furious television being.
"Where the fudge is he?! It can be that hard to miss a tall creep like Val! I have so much work to do today and here I am playing find the dummy!" He continued muttering to himself about tearing off Val's antenna and shoving them down his throat and doing worse if his credit card was maxed out when he call a call on his screen head and he answered it. "What?!" He barked.
"Hey, I found Valentino," Vaxal's voice said.
"What? Where?!" Vox asked, relief filling him that the search was over. "Where is he?!"
"From your current location, keep heading forwards and make a left and you should see Val's limo parked on the street."
As Vox stormed down the sidewalk following Vaxal's instructions, he swore to himself that he could hear Velvette laughing in the background. "What's Velvette laughing about, Vaxal? If I had to take a guess, she's laughing at me wandering around the city like an idiot trying to find another idiot?"
Vaxal chuckled. "Well, that's half of the reason. The other half is...well, let's just say you're in for a big, or should I say, small surprise, Vox."
"What in the world is that supposed to mean?" Vox asked in confusion, only to have Vaxal hang up. "Are you flipping kidding me, Vaxal? Ugh, fine. The sooner I get to making Val pay and getting my card back, the sooner I can get back to work."
As he went around the corner, he saw Val's limo parked on the street. He headed over and looked through the window to see Valentino wasn't there. He walked up to the driver's seat and, seeing the driver was asleep, he snapped his fingers sharply, knowing the driver would hear the sound.
The driver woke up at once and upon seeing Vox standing there and glaring, the driver lowered the window. "M-Mister Vox, what are you-?"
He didn't get to finish as Vox grabbed him by the collar. "Shut up and answer me this one simple question. Where. Is. VALENTINO?" Vox growled.
The driver gulped, shaking in fear as he pointed down the alleyway. "D-Down there, in t-that s-specific alleyway. He said he was meeting someone, b-but didn't tell me who. T-That's all I know, I swear! Please don't hurt me, Mister Vox!"
Deeming the driver to be telling the truth, Vox rolled his eyes and let the driver go. "Stay put," he said firmly. If Val was unconscious, there was no way he was carrying the moth all the way back to the tower on foot.
The television being walked into the alleyway, only to see it was empty and devoid of life. "Val, where are you?" He called out. "If you come out now, I'll only lightly smack you upside the head."
Hearing no one, Vox took a step and tripped over something. Looking down and seeing it was an empty glass bottle, he saw the label on it and picked it up. "Beelzejuice?" He asked himself, seeing a little was left over as it dripped onto the ground. Vox immediately noticed the liquid was a different color and it had a weird smell to it. "That's definitely not Beelzejuice," he said in realization, now starting to get a bit worried.
He then heard a squeaking noise and recognized it instantly. "Val?" He called out, hearing the squeaking coming from behind the dumpster. He moved towards it and looked, but saw nothing until he looked down at his feet and his eyes went wide while his jaw dropped. "Oh, you've got to be flipping kidding me right now," he groaned.
On the ground next to him, biting his dress shoe, was a small red caterpillar with white fur around the neck, a lavender head, big red eyes, and sharp teeth that are being used to bite his dress shoe which did nothing but leave teeth marks. Vox picked up the small caterpillar as it made angry squeaking noises about being picked up.
"Please, for the love of tech, tell me you're just a normal flipping caterpillar I can squish and not Val as a flipping caterpillar," Vox said to himself as he took a closer look to see the caterpillar has four legs, red heart shapes on the body and fur, cerise colored sharp teeth, and has the same antennas as Valentino. "Oh, for flipping sake, Val! What the flip did you get yourself into this time, you flipping moron!" Vox yelled.
The only response he got was angry squeaks. "Hello? Can you say anything or understand me? Don't tell me you're an actual baby caterpillar!?" Vox said in desperation.
But the angry squeaks continued and Vox groaned in frustration. "Great, just great. Now I know why Velvette and Vaxal were laughing on the phone," the television being said in exasperation before looking around. "And my credit card is gone too. That's just flipping fantastic!" He glared at Val, who was glaring daggers at him. He glared back and poked the caterpillar's side. "When we get back to the Tower and find a way to get you back to normal, you owe me all that money that you lost that was on my card, you hear me?!" He said angrily.
The only response he got was the caterpillar biting his finger and Vox's anger only increased as his eye started twitching. He headed back to the limo and got in. "Back to the V Tower. Now," he said to the driver firmly.
The driver didn't ask any questions as Vox began thinking of different ways to make Val pay once he was back to normal.
For now, Vox decided the first thing he'd do when he got back was ask Velvette and Vaxal for help figuring out who in the world turned Valentino into a caterpillar.
Keep your eyes peeled for part 2 coming soon. :)
Please leave robotman25 and myself a review, but no flames!
GoldGuardian2418
