Chapter Text
“Well we are in absolute shit, aren't we?” Velvette’s voice rang out, startling Vox from his thoughts.
Nearby, Valentino peered up from counting, a whopping five bills spread across the table. “I'm going to have to start over, can you drip your angst elsewhere.”
“It's not my problem that you're a blind ass bitch.” Velvette snarked back. “Get some better glasses, old man.”
Vox stood abruptly, circling the table to stand between them. “Now now, let's not fight. We're a united front, it's best for our image!”
Val snorted. “Image? Please. Our image is what we make it. Velvette? Eat dicks.”
“Not my style, gramps. I'll leave that one to you.”
Vox found himself shoved backwards as Val leveled his handgun towards an unimpressed Velvette. “Do not fucking tempt me, bitch!”
“I'll be worried when you can aim.” Velvette sat back, ankles crossing as she propped her feet on the table. “Besides, we should be more worried about Vox's deer problem.”
Vox, who had been in the process of talking Valentino down, turned abruptly. “What. Happened.”
“Oh nothing much. I just thought you'd be more interested that your little radio boy is getting chummy with the guy in charge.” Velvette grinned, her smile widening as she finally tore herself away from her phone, flipping the screen around for Vox to see.
The image arguably wasn't all that interesting, Vox decided. It was a sinstagram post from one of Valentino's people, that pornstar Angeldust. In the photo he was leaned against the wrong side of the bar, arching suggestively up to the camera. An arm covered in dark black fur seemed to be pulling a bottle across the bar. Nothing strange, although Val probably would have something to say about his employee, he always did.
Vox looked up unamused to see Velvette roll her eyes and shake the screen at him once again.
Sighing he focused on the image again. When he looked away from Angel and towards the background, across the bar and into the plush new lobby of the hotel, he saw it. Alastor was standing, pressed to the wall with a short but immediately recognizable figure in front of him. The natural aura of noise around the radio demon distorted the image somewhat, but there was no mistaking the two people intimately pressed against each other.
Lucifer Morningstar, King of Hell himself, had a hand latched onto Alastor's tie, pulling his face downwards even as his cane pushed into his abdomen, forcing the taller demon to bend at an awkward angle. Vox couldn't see their faces thanks to the glitchy pixels, but it certainly didn't look like they were talking.
“WHA444T! IS TH1S SHIT!”
Velvette hummed, eyes twinkling as she pulled her phone back. “This is a you problem!” She stood, brushing her hair behind her shoulder, forcing Vox to stumble backwards to avoid falling over entirely. “You're the one that didn't want to get rid of the Radio Demon when you had the chance.” Pocketing her phone, Velvette pushed past Vox to leave the room. “If they are as…close as they seem, well. Let's hope for your sake they aren't.”
The door slammed shut, the gust of air following it knocking Val’s money to the floor.
“God fucking damn it!! I am going to KILL her!”
Vox shook himself out of his reverie long enough to catch Valentino's arm.
“I need you to keep an eye on things around here, my dear. I've got a hotel to visit.”
“Why are you so worried about who is fucking who anyway?”
Vox took a slow breath to keep himself from strangling his partner. “It isn't about who he's… fucking!” Vox clenched a fist, crushing the satin of Val's robe in his hand. “He was a menace alone, and just being in the pocket of the Princess of Hell has made it worse. You wanna think about him getting in with Lucifer himself? It could end us.”
“Please, the king never bothers with overlord business.”
“He's never needed to! He's never been involved because he doesn't want to be. He hasn't been asked to be! If his little brat or his new… Alastor asked him to involve himself; it wouldn't be pretty.”
Val pouted, sinking back into his plush armchair. “What, when I want to charge over there and shoot someone it's bad for business, but when you do it's fucking fine?”
“Val, baby. Image is kinda my thing.” Vox allowed his screen to flicker to their ratings, before quickly flashing back. Top of the pack, as usual.
Valentino squinted at him.
Adjusting his lapel with a huff, Vox clapped the moth demon on one fuzzy shoulder. “Besides. If the King of Hell is back on the board, maybe we should show him there are more interesting options available than whatever he's getting from that old timey piece of shit.”
Valentino lit up a cigarette, grin forming on his face. “Oh now you're speaking my language, mi amor.” Smoke wound through the air, clinging to anything it touched as it made its way towards Vox. “You think I could get Appledaddy in a guest role? That would really spice up the studio. Shit, I could staff the whole thing for free with the interest he'd bring.” Valentino popped up from his seat, pacing excitedly. “And the real deal too, not that slutty stand-in. Guy's not even the right height! Ha!”
Startling suddenly, Valentino swept his arms out, one hooking around Vox's shoulders briefly. “Think about it, ooh ooh working title! The Seed of Sin.” Valentino chuckled, his singular antenna quivering excitedly. “Just have an action cumshot as the promo. Oooh, no, no!! An apple covered in cum!” Valentino smiled, falling back against the boardroom table, having finally released his partner. “I'm so fucking good at this.”
Rubbing the heel of his hand against his screen, Vox took the opportunity to exit the room, quickly shutting the door on Valentino's ruminations.