Chapter Text
Valentino woke up to silky drapes on his skin, faint gleams of light pouring from the window seal. Of course, it wasn't sunlight; he was in hell for the last nine years of his afterlife. Just the lights of neon signs and a never-ending red light beaming from somewhere. He blinked a couple of times, wondering where he was. He was in a client's house, not his shitty apartment nor his boss's, by the looks of it. The bed looked expensive, the sheets and pillows too, and looking around, he realized everything looked expensive in this penthouse.
Valentino was almost surprised that the mysterious client had left him in this penthouse alone. They usually kicked him out afterwards or left him on the sidewalk as he was too high to get home, probably what happened last night as well, because he couldn't recall a single thing that happened, which was a shame because he could really use a sugar daddy like this. Sulking, he looked around for his clothes and was surprised that he was wearing some fancy pajamas. He made a confused noise when he couldn't find his normal clothes next to the bed, but he could barely see anything. Everything was blurrier than usual. Sure, his eyesight was shitty, but he could at least make out what they were. Now, everything was a blob. Had the client poisoned him? It would be a bitch to regenerate his eyesight back to his less-shittier version of them.
He needed to get back to his boss. The transaction was probably made with him anyway- still, he sulked for the lack of a present from this high end client-and he just needed to get out of this penthouse now. Since he could barely see anything now, he dragged his hands on the wall for support. Still, he fell over a few times and debated just flying out of the window when he heard something break when he hit a counter. His eyesight would not let him fly well like this, so he decided against that and only hoped that the owner of the broken object would not show up soon.
His wings fluttered in delight when he found a doorknob, finally-he thought. Right before plummeting down the stairs, he couldn't see. Cursing rapidly in Spanish, Valentino tried to pull himself up again. Using the wall as a support, he looked around the first floor of the penthouse. It was brighter than the room upstairs; the wall he was leaning against had a poster. Looking closer, Valentino realized it was a poster of himself. Dressed up in fishnets and a pink coat, he was smiling in the photo, sexy, confident, and powerful. He definitely doesn't remember taking this photo, nor having his wings this perfect. He looked away glumly, thinking how deranged this client must have been to have an edited poster of a common whore like himself. He probably could make him his sugar daddy if he met him again.
Valentino was feeling around the really big room to find a way out when he felt his fur stand up. A surge of electricity appeared-what the hell?-behind him, causing him to turn around in shock. There stood a sinner he could barely see, his head-a TV?-glowing was a saving grace as Valentino could see that part of him clearly. Shit, this must have been his client, a TV-headed sinner that he couldn't remember shit for.
"Val, you missed two shootings. Let's stop admiring yourself and get to work now?"
The sinner spoke in a quiet manner, almost condescending, as if he were talking to a child. He wasn't even looking at him, just doing something in his hand. The sinner was speaking just so casually, like he knew Valentino, which he probably did, as he spent the night with him.
"Don't worry, papi, I'll be out of your sight just about now. Just lead me out, yeah?"
The sinner now looked up from whatever device was in his hands and eyed him eerily. It felt weird. Like he was looking for something, his gaze piercing into his, almost made Valentino look away.
"Lead you out where? Val, your latest film was a hit success. Don't you want to keep that up, hmm?"
Now Valentino was really confused. Whatever this TV-head was going on about made no sense to him. Was he planning on keeping him here? Did he buy him off his boss for some time? That never happened. He was firmly on his leash. He wasn't getting out anytime soon.
"I'm sure you'd love to keep me papi. But my papito would be very upset at that. I'll be back next time, yeah?"
Now the sinner looked at him closer, his screen lit up brighter, and Valentino was almost dazed at the light. It was so soothing, hypnotizing really.
"Val. What the fuck are you talking about? Where-who, what?"
The smaller sinner took his cheeks in both his hands, making him lean closer to his screen. Oh wow, the light was really fucking up his brain. It was like he had done this millions of times; his hands felt familiar, but that was impossible. He didn't remember this john doing things last night, let alone any time before that. He kept calling him Val. No one called him that; his name was Tino. His boss always called him Tino. His clients called him pretty names, but not Val. Who does this sinner think he is?
"I don't know how much you paid for last night, but papito doesn't do more than a night. Book another and we'll see. Just let me out now? But I'd love to come back to this gorgeous place, and see your pretty face again."
Valentino doesn't really mean that. He doesn't want to see this stalkerish sinner who had an edited poster of him, though he must've paid a lot. He hoped he would get something from his boss this time other than his daily dose of drugs. He pulls away from his hands, standing up again. The other man stares at him in annoyance? Confusion? Anger? Then he zaps away, making Valentino's fur stand up from the electricity. He comes back before Valentino could even move a bit. This time, he hands him a really ugly pair of glasses, heart-shaped and tinted, not that bad, but he hated glasses, any type, really.
"Val, put these on and start making sense, or I'm going to electrocute you."
Valentino took the glasses but didn't put them on. He was used to threats. Any sort of violence, pain-he was used to it. Just not outside the bedroom when he has done nothing wrong, and certainly not from this nameless john. He crossed his upper arms and put his lower ones on his hips, still holding the ugly thing in his hand, nonetheless.
"Thank you for the gift papi. But like I said, I can't overstay my welcome here. Show me the way out, and you can zap yourself out of my presence! Okay?"
"Val, cut the bullshit. It's not funny."
The sinner's left eye was pulsing red now, his screen ever-so bright, and he sounded pissed. Though he also sounded desperate. Desperate at what? Valentino was so confused. Why was this sinner talking to him like he knew him, like he owned him instead? He felt an electric current around him. It wasn't fair! Valentino didn't do anything wrong-he could have last night, not that he would know-why was he being subjected to this threat?
"I'm not bullshitting you papi. I'd love to stay, really. It's just that my boss would throw a pissy fit if I'm not home."
"Who the fuck-what the fuck-are you talking about?"
"My boss? The fly demon that you paid?"
If the sinner hadn't paid his boss directly, that meant he was here without being on his payroll, which fucking sucked. He was going to be so mad, wondering if his favorite whore had run off, as if he could.
"The fly-you mean Rodriguez?"
So the demon knew who his boss was! He was playing dumb, or was a dumb bitch who was wasting his time and money. He was about to sweet-talk to the said demon when he felt his hand wrap around his wrist and gasped when the electric current ran through his body. It didn't hurt that badly, just enough to shut him up. The sinner was looking at him for something-probably his reaction. He could take a beating. Maybe that could be his excuse, getting electrocuted on the sidewalk. A good excuse could be sufficient for his boss today.
Valentino braced for another impact when the sinner took his face between his hands again. Getting his face shocked would be much worse. The sinner, however, didn't shock him; he only stared into his eyes in such close distance that it was almost intimate.
"Fuck."
The TV-headed sinner let go of him completely, whipped out the same device from his pants, and began tapping on it. Valentino wondered if he should run for it, but where? He backed away slowly, cursing his life once again as to why he was always stuck with the weirdest johns.
"Sit."
The smaller sinner pointed at the couch in front of them, and Valentino reluctantly sat down. If he wasn't getting out soon, he might as well enjoy his time before meeting his boss. He could barely relax, though, as the other was staring at him intensely every time he wasn't tapping on his device furiously. Valentino wondered what it was. The sinner was clearly in the technology field, maybe it was a new device? Not that he cared, he just wanted to get out of here.
Valentino was just about to relax in this uncomfortable silence when the door opened, which was so far from the couch and almost blended in with the walls, no wonder he couldn't find it. A small woman stepped inside, with the same-looking device in her hand and not even looking up from it.
"This better be good V, what do you mean, a hell-threatening emergency?"
The other sinner-'V'? What kind of name was that?-pointed his finger at Valentino. He blinked. He probably looked stupid, sitting on the couch like an obedient slut, which most of the time he was, but that wasn't the point. The small woman eyed him suspiciously.
"What did you do this time?"
She jabbed her fingers at him accusingly. Maybe this was his mistress? The TV-headed sinner was probably with this sinner; maybe he was having an existential crisis that he slept with a common whore. Maybe.
"Nice to meet you, dollface. Papi here refused to let me out, but now that you're here, I'm not needed anymore, right? I'll get going now."
He made a sly movement to get up, only for her to actually slap the side of his shoulder. What the fuck-he didn't do anything wrong! These sinners were really sadistic for just a couple of weirdos.
"What the fuck are you saying, Val? You-he, what's going on V?"
The small sinner looked between Valentino and 'V', looking more confused by the second. The other sinner rubbed the side of his screen as if he were having a migraine. He sat down next to Valentino, looking at him with intense eyes and a bright screen. Valentino could really get used to having that light around him.
"Val, what's my name?"
"V."
Oh, a trick question? He clearly heard the smaller one call him that, and Valentino answered smugly as he was sure it was his name. Although his name gave an 'anonymous villain' feeling. "What the fuck"-the woman next to him whispered, only to have the TV head shush her, looking at Valentino more intensely, as if that were possible.
"What's her name?"
Now he was confused, for the millionth time this morning. How was he supposed to know, unless she was also his client last night, then he would really be in trouble.
"I'll call you however you want, gorgeous."
He bullshitted easily, only to find the other two exchange looks together as they went to the other side of the room. Shit, they were closer to the door than he was; no way to run out. Valentino kicked his legs back and forth, wondering how he was captured by this very weird couple. He searched for a clock, only giving up when he still couldn't see shit.
He listened to the other two speaking in whisper-shouts. Something about Val, Vox, Velvette, don't know, what the fuck-he could barely make out what they were saying, though he could understand some of them. They seemed frantic, almost desperate, and Valentino wanted nothing less than to get away from these freaks. He wondered when his eyesight would come back and looked at the ugly pair of glasses in his hand. When did his client even prepare this? Did he think that Valentino would like it? But his penthouse had very well-edited photos of him, so he really shouldn't be surprised at the weird gift.
The couple, now finished with their conversation, turned back to him. Valentino looked down at their feet, feeling intimidated.
"Val, let's go."
The TV-head called him, and Valentino grinned. Fucking finally! He just hoped his boss would understand that he was with a client last night and would spare him from a beating. If he had to perform tonight, doing it with bruises on his body wasn't fun.
"Wait, he can't go out like that, he has a reputation to hold up."
"What do you mean, wait? Something is fucked up in his brain, and the longer we wait, the more he's going to be fucked up. Let's go."
"Just get him dressed first. Actually, get his clothes from last week's party. I don't trust your sense of style to pick clothes."
Valentino saw the spark of light flicker from the TV-headed demon's screen, but watched as he sighed and zapped out. He came back holding a handful of clothes in his arms. Valentino looked at him. They looked too expensive, too fancy for Valentino. How did they have clothes that fit his arms and height? He didn't even know.
"Val, put these on."
He shrugged and took the clothes from the other demon. If he was going out, he might as well take his gifts. Valentino fluttered his wings when he was done. He looked good, the pants silky and smooth, the top fit perfectly on his body. The smaller woman eyed him, obviously pleased at his admiration. The other demon looked from his device in his hands and rolled his eyes.
"Put those glasses on."
Valentino put his lower hand on his hips. He wasn't going to be seen wearing glasses-no matter how he couldn't see shit.
"No."
The demon in front of him pulled him down, his left eye pulsing black rings. His hand on Valentino's waist and neck, he snarled, his claws sinking in enough to hurt.
"I don't f-xxx-fucking care what you are trying to pull. If you are faking this sh-xxx-it, I'll personally rip out your other antenna myself."
Valentino looked blindly at his screen, shrinking back a bit, eyes dazed.
"No? Then fucking co-xxx-operate and put them o-o-xxxon."
The demon was clearly pissed, and Valentino put on the glasses without another word. Huh, he could actually see better than he had ever been able to. He blinked a couple of times, getting a good look at the sinner in front of him. He was in a suit, pinstripes, and a little hat on the top of his head. The other sinner next to him looked bored at the whole situation, though she was clearly eyeing Valentino. She was short, with hair in a high ponytail, and was in a cute dress that Valentino had never seen before. She was clearly dressed better than the other sinner.
The TV-head pulled away, leading him out the door. Valentino followed obediently, looking wide-eyed around the building. When he landed on the first floor in a very fancy elevator, he squinted at the number of posters and advertisements. He was more surprised that the pictures had him in them, and they were everywhere. Little popsicle with his head, a poster saying VALENTINO with a lewd picture of him, he could recognize the other two sinners in a poster saying THE VEES.
"S, sir, your ride is outside."
"Great. Cancel all my scheduled events today. Did you make a private appointment?"
"Yes. I mean yes, sir."
A eel sinner cowered at 'V', with glasses on and a clipboard in his hands. Valentino almost laughed at the pathetic display. He really would have if he weren't so confused. He followed the others out a small door, obviously the back door, as the other two weren't going to the very big glass door in front of them. They stepped into an alleyway. Valentino could see a car, a big limousine, standing at the end of the alley.
Before the other two could register what was happening, Valentino ran in the opposite direction, his wings spread when he leaped upwards. He flapped his wings, praying his damaged wings could at least get him out of this place. He could hear the yelling from the other two sinners below him, but he only flew harder, faster.
He was only in the air for a couple of minutes when he felt that something was off. He could barely realize whether he was flying upwards or downwards, or in any other direction. He felt like he was plummeting to the ground at the same time he was flying up. He felt dizzy; it was abnormal, even though his wings were probably damaged from his boss, and he didn't use them often, it had never felt like this. Valentino let out a small scream before his wings furled into himself and fell towards the ground. He expected a loud crash, followed by immense pain. Only to feel a surge of electricity around him, and a pair of hands catching him bridal style before landing softly.
Valentino blinked; his glasses were lost, probably smashed on the ground. He could barely make out the expression on his saviour, the TV-headed sinner. His saviour looked pissed, but he looked more concerned; he had the same desperate look on his face. What was he searching for? He heard the other sinner running up to them. He was just inside the alleyway, only to have flown a couple of steps away. What was going on?
"Vox, what the fuck is going on?"
"We need to get him to the hospital, now."
Valentino didn't try to get out of his grip, docile in his hold as he was dazed by the fact that he couldn't fly. He let himself be loaded into the car, wings covering him up. Valentino sat across from the other two; the limo looked nicer on the inside. It was one of those fancy ones he got to ride when he got to be the performative whore for an important night for some random high-classed sinner. Although he doesn't know why he was in one right now, and why they were taking him to the hospital. Probably because they fucked with his wings, he thought.
When the car was parked behind some shady building, Vox and the other sinner grabbed Valentino by both sets of arms, making him unable to get away this time, though he had no intention to go back to his boss as damaged merchandise. He stepped into the building expecting a dirty warehouse, but found a clean, sterile floor, probably where high-end sinners came to get their surgeries done without having the public know about it.
"Mister Vox! So good to have you again, as you, miss Velvette and mister Valentinio. What can I do for you today?"
Valentino didn't even register that he was being called; he was getting too overwhelmed by all the lights in the room. He could hear Vox and Velvette talking in hushed voices, but all he could do was blink up at the colorful lights. He blinked a couple of times until he got used to them. Then, the small crocodile doctor jumped up to his eye level, suddenly shining a brighter light in his eyes.
"Do excuse my invasion, mister Valentino."
Valentino could barely resist when he was strapped to a chair, checked in every corner of his body, and run through every machine in the room. At first, he tried to bite him, but he was quickly put in his place by flashes of light or some doses of medicine. He learned to give up, only hissing a bit when his antennas and wings were checked.
"Well, I have some questions for you, mister Valentino, please answer them honestly."
"Whatever."
"Please state your name and the date of today."
"Tino. And I don't fucking know."
"When did you fall in hell?"
"Only about a decade ago, it was the 1970s in earth time."
Vox and Velvette looked up from their hushed whispering and stared at him like he had a halo. What?
"Please wait until I've finished the interview-"
"What the fuck do you mean it's only been a decade?"
Vox jabbed his finger at Valentino's fur; his left eye was pulsing black lines, his voice was dangerously low, like Valentino had something unforgivable.
"Hmm, papi, that's when I died. I can't control that. Well, maybe I could have. Oh well."
"This better not be some bullshit you're pulling because I swear on your fucking life I'll fry the fuck out of you."
"I can't help that I died only twelve years ago!"
Valentino squeaked at the threat. The crocodile sinner coughed quietly.
"It seems all of mister Valentino's tests are normal. However, his memories since 1982 have completely disappeared. I don't know why-"
Vox's back suddenly sprouted some cords, wrapping the doctor with them while his eyes were pulsing harder than before.
"Wh-xx-at. Do you m-xxx-ean, you don't know?"
He screamed out, throwing the sinner across the room and smashing him against some machine. The sinner, now terrified, tried to explain, but it fell on deaf ears on Vox, as it was not an explanation of why Valentino had lost all his memories, nor his screaming while he was dying.
Velvette, unfazed by all this, turned to Valentino, looking up from her device in her hands.
"You really don't remember today is at least 50 years after you landed in hell?"
Valentino shook his head. What the fuck? Why would they think he would lie about something like that? He feels the same as the night before, dancing as a whore, but somehow people in front of him felt different to him.
Vox, now calm, stepped over the dead sinner and reached out his hand to Valentino.
"Let's go home."
"You can be more powerful than some sleazy fly; he's not even an overlord."
"Sorry, cariño, can't take your offer, though you have been fantastic for me."
Valentino blew smoke into the open air of the balcony, the TV-headed sinner shook his head again, as if he couldn't believe this.
"I'm giving you the opportunity of a lifetime. Why not come with me? You can have whatever you want, anything."
"Pretty enticing, yes, but I would have to have the guts to end the contract with my boss. Which is not happening."
The TV-headed sinner tsked, fixed his tie, and leaned away from the balcony. He walked out, not looking back.
Valentino looked out the window of the limousine, trying to look unfazed by the quick glances from Velvette and the glaring stare from Vox. He looked pissed, like he was still angry at the doctor for telling him that Valentino had lost all his memory over the last fifty years, or he was angry at Valentino for losing it. His antennas twitched as he narrowed his eyes, looking out the windows, blurry thanks to his shitty eyesight. He always had bad eyesight, but not this bad. He wished he still had the glasses he smashed when he tried to escape a few hours ago, but he didn't. He could make out some posters and billboards of himself on the streets, powerful and beautiful like the one on the tower. His associates were also with him, or on other billboards.
Arriving back at the tower, Vox made everyone leave (he must be very powerful indeed, because everyone left in a few seconds without question, and it was kind of hot in Valentino's opinion), and they went up to the highest room again. They entered the room where they had left that morning, Velvette sitting down on the fancy couch and Vox on the other side.
"Velvette, any news?"
"No, any rumors have been silenced for Val being Val again. Had Angel Dust been the cause of the problem at the studio, and was unable to film for a week, but had his unpublished films pushed up to this week."
"Good. Now, Val. Don't fucking bullshit me, tell me what you remember."
Vox's left eye was pulsing, looking up at Valentino. Valentino crossed his arms.
"I already told you, my boss owns me and will fucking kill me if I am late. Is he dead? Anyway, he has owned my soul for the last nine years, and I am his pretty plaything."
"You killed him after eight years. That's what you told me. Or was that a lie, V?"
"No, that's what happened."
Vox looked at him with the same desperate look he gave that morning. Valentino didn't understand. He didn't have power. How could he have broken the contract and killed his owner? Apparently, last year, no, fifty years ago as well, he aged phenomenally.
"Well, tell me about myself! What films do I produce? Am I famous?"
Velvette and Vox exchanged glances, Vox nodded his go-ahead, and Velvette explained how he was an overlord, a film overload who produced porns (which was on phones now, technologies got so much better, it was what Velvette and Vox had), he and Vox and Velvette were 'the Vees', he owned a lot of souls.
Valentino burst out laughing when she finished, overwhelmed by all the information and how observant it was. He was an overlord? A bottom-feeding slut-Tino? Unbelievable.
"Fuck. That's a good story, doll. What kind of joke are you trying to pull here?"
"Fuck you, Val. You're fucking brain is fried from getting high and fucked, it's not my fault, don't fucking start accusing me."
"Val, just stay in the tower for a couple of days. Your memories will probably come back after a couple of hours or days."
"And you two are dating, yes?"
Velvette made a gagging sound at Valentino's remark. Vox rolled his eyes and said something about him being fucking horny and wanting people to fuck all the time.
"I don't go for dicks, asshole."
"That's because you haven't had any good ones, dear."
Velvette flipped him off, telling him off about how he was just the same as before, as she stormed out of the room. Vox checked his 'phone', leaning back against the couch.
"And what about us?"
"What about 'us'?"
"Are we together?"
Vox's screen flashed a shade of cyan, blushing and refusing to meet his eyes. He flexed his arms, standing up to meet Valentino's eyes.
"That's not very important now, is it, Val? Now get that pretty head of yours fixed and come back to me quickly, yeah?"
In a flicker of lightning, he disappeared through the camera.
Oh, they were definitely fucking.