Chapter Text
Having finished getting his screen repaired, Vox was watching another documentary about sharks. The tv demon had always loved the creatures, long before he died. Heh. He wasn't the only one who did..
“-ter!” The 15 year old looked up from his book to see what his little brother was saying. Lucas had his shark plushie in his arms, running around the living room and pretending that the toy was alive. “Hunter! Come play with me! Pleeeaaase?”
Hunter stood up with a dramatic sigh, grinning down at the 8 year old. Lucas had always been a little ball of energy, ever since he was a baby. As annoying as it could be at times, Hunter couldn't help but find that trait about his brother endearing. “What do you want me to do Luc?” “Play the fish! Vark wants to go hunting!” Hunter looked down at the toy, then back up at Lucas, a smirk forming on the teenager’s face.
For a rainy evening in 1942, Hunter couldn't think of a better pastime.
Vox snapped back into the present as Velvette flicked his screen. "Hello? Earth to Vox?! I asked what we were going to do for dinner! Wake up, damn it." The Tv star shook his head and refocused on the room at the mention of dinner, looking at the clock. "Patience Velvette; Val isn't even home yet." Vox did not want to piss Valentino off when the tv demon couldn't fight back; and he didn't trust himself to follow Valentino's restrictions if the moth wasn’t here.
The tv demon looked up at the clock again, sighing as his stomach growled. "Tch, the idiot is late? What a surprise.." Velvette grumbled in response. She then sat down on the other side of the couch, watching Vox out of the corner of her eye for a moment. "Have you eaten anything since breakfast, Vox? You sound like you're going to snap at the first person that speaks to you when Valentino gets home."
"Oh shut up." Vox grumbled, turning the documentary off and texting Valentino to see when he'll get here. No response. He had long since gotten used to the constant dull ache in his stomach, but he didn't appreciate Velvette reminding him why it was there.
"Yeah, yeah, grumpy ass.. Just don't bite my head off when you end up snapping." Velvette responded, glancing at Vox's phone, then back at him. "How long do you think it will be before he gets here? Two hours? Three? I swear, he's late so often that I think he does it on purpose." He’s probably f*cking another one of his wh*res.. "With Val? Who knows." Vox tuned her out, going back to his thoughts.
“Can I help you run your company someday?” The question took Hunter by surprise. He had been fascinated by television for as long as he could remember, and always dreamed of making it big as a TV star and starting his own tech company, even though he was still just a teenager. ‘V-tech’, he planned on calling it. Tv, screens, phones; all of it!
But he had a long way to go. Hunter had done his best to get good grades and work hard, since his parents always told him that hard work was the key to success. “Of course! When you’re all grown up, you can be my second-in-command; er, co-host!” Lucas smiled at that, sitting upright in bed. “I can’t wait to be able to come to the cinema again. Do you think Mom will let me go soon?”
Hunter sighed, giving the 10 year old a sympathetic look. “I hope so. The doctor says you should get better soon.” Lucas’s endless enthusiasm dwindled after he got sick, but he was still the happy little kid he had always been. Because it was contagious, the doctors advised his family to keep their distance, but Hunter was not about to be dissuaded from talking to his brother. As weird as it felt to wear the mask all the time, it was worth it to see Lucas’ joyful smile.