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Valentino wasn’t dumb. And in that retrospect, Vox wasn’t smart. Val could see it in Vox’s screen before the TV demon had a chance to hide it. The screen flickering, the constant small zaps of electricity shooting from his palms, even one of his antennas were crooked. Vox would never allow that, even to private eyes. One thing was absolutely clear:
Vox was tired.
“Darling… how much longer are you planning on working?” Val fumed at his boyfriend, who was hunched over multiple TV screens in the office room. Vox’s posture was always a dead giveaway as well, as he really only gave it up in his most tired moments.
“I just… I need to make sure that the scheduling is perfect.” Vox mumbled in return, shifting his eyes back to the TV screens as he worked. A moment passed, static whirring in the background as Vox continued shuffling the programs around.
“You have the scheduling confirmed three weeks ahead already, Voxxy… I think you should take a break.” Val’s sultry voice never failed to grab Vox’s attention. It was soothing, and it filled the TV demon’s chest with flutters every time he spoke. Responding with a breathy chuckle, Vox turned around to face the lovely moth.
And of course, he was fucking hot.
How does this moth demon do it?! Standing in the doorway of this simple office in a simple bathrobe, he looked like a marble statue of perfection and hotness. Is hotness even a word??? Words were hard whenever Val’s presence was nearby, and that was absolutely fine with him. Feeling his fans beginning to whirr, Vox nodded meekly.
“I-I know… but I just want to make sure. You remember when the scheduling got all fucked up…? I have a reputation to uphold…” He mumbled in response, shuffling through some settings to turn the fan noise down. Vox loved his lover, and the moth had seen him in an uncountable number of poses that would make any imp blush. Yet, there was just such an innocent embarrassment of getting flustered over him. Besides, this was not the time to fluster over the moth. There was so much work to do, the scheduling was just barely com-
“Vox.”
Val’s voice echoed through the room, sending a shiver through the TV demon as he sat there. Val never used that voice unless he was about to get upset, and it was extra loud this time. Never a good sign.
“...w-well… I-I… I just need to finish a few… things…” Vox mumbled in response, fidgeting with his claws as he did. Val sighed.
“Come here darling.” Vox’s eyes widened slightly.
The static whirring in the background was the only noise that could be heard as they looked at each other, having a slight staredown as they did. Val’s fierce, bright eyes always seemed to have the upper hand in these long moments. They glistened in the light of the Starry Pentagram like two beautiful screens, and Vox eventually found himself right in front of Valentino.
His fans whirred louder and louder.
“Darling, you are going to take a break. I can see how long you’ve been working.” Val lamented.
“Y-Yeah, I could use one… just… let me finish this…” Vox responded. His screen brightness started to lower.
“No. You are done working.” Val’s voice remained firm. Soothing.
“...I only h-have… “ Vox’s voice died off. His heart became heavier. He couldn’t cry again. He couldn’t tell this moth that his sleep has once again begun scaring him so bad that he couldn’t sleep anymore, wouldn’t sleep anymore.
And yet, he knew that Val knew.
Val always seemed to know. He always knew when Vox needed a screen repair when the tiniest crack formed, always knew when Vox’s fans needed tuning, and he even knew when Vox needed a restart from time to time.
And yet, this was always the hardest part.
“...p-please… I can’t…” Vox whispered to the moth. His body began to tremble, barely able to hold it together for much longer. God dammit, he was an overlord!! A ruler of the electronics and assembly corners of Pentagram City everywhere!! He wasn’t supposed to have any mental breakdowns!
And that’s when Val kneeled down, and pulled his trembling boyfriend into a hug.
Valentino knew about the sleep terrors. One night, at the Abaddon Bar, Vox drunkenly confessed this to the moth. Confessed that at times, his past demons came back. Confessed that, sometimes, he would go weeks without sleeping, running on just barely two percent until he crashed.
Valentino knew. And it broke his heart to see his adorable TV boy like this. Val wasn’t the best boyfriend at times, sure, but he still cared for him. His four arms wrapped around Vox’s slender body, pulling him close to the moth as one hand began rubbing the TV man’s back.
And in the hug, surrounded by dimly lit television screens, Vox began to sob.
It was quiet at first. The sniffling and shuttered breaths under hushed tones. Val simply waited, however. Waited for it all to come out. The moth couldn’t even begin to understand what true horrors tormented this badass TV demon that he fell in love with, but he didn’t have to. He just simply waited for Vox to cry, hugging him close to him,
Vox sobbed for a long time. His legs gave out a while ago, and he was only held up by Valentino’s lower arms. Val kissed the screen gently as he held his boyfriend close to him, quietly comforting his trembling boyfriend as they sobbed in his arms. His heart ached for this TV boy.
“...I don’t… want… to sleep…” Vox bawled, burying his screen into Val’s body. He couldn’t do it again. He felt so alone in these nightmarish memories of his past life, buried in the darkness and terror of his subconcious.
Valentino just listened to the sobbing, waiting silently as it slowly died back down. Quietly and gently, he grabbed Vox by the waist and picked him up. Holding his TV boy in his arms, he simply nodded and slowly turned to the bedroom.
“Shhh… it’s ok, hun.” Val’s voice pierced through Vox’s despair and tears, looking up to the moth in response. His face was messy, and slightly glitchy, but he looked so desperate for company. Val walked them both to the dim bedroom just across the hallway as Vox slowly composed himself again, fixing his brightness back to a normal level as he nodded.
“...please… don’t… leave me.” Vox whispered, voice cracked and dry from his sobbing. His plea was pathetic, desperate, but Vox knew it was ok. He knew that he was safe in the company of his lover. He felt safe.
Val slowly lowered the TV man to the bed, making sure to place him down gently as his other arms began removing the suit and shoes. Vox had lamented in the past how uncomfortable is it sleeping in a suit (especially one with shoulder pads bigger than his hand), and Val could imagine.
Besides, Voxxy was more adorable in his sleep pants with little TV’s on them~.
“Of course, darling~. You know I’m not leaving you at all tonight.” Val reassured his timid boyfriend, making sure that each pillow was nice and fluffy before patting the spot. Vox nodded, and crawled up to the spot. He was decked out in just his striped sleep pants with little TV’s on them. Val bought them as a joke at first for Hellmas a year ago, and Vox had absolutely loved them.
Of course, Vox bought some with flowers on them for Valentino the very next day. So they could match~.
Vox curled up against his pillow, looking up to the moth expectantly as he cozied up to the pillows and blankets around him. Val shook his head playfully at Vox’s silent begging, before laying down next to him on the same pillow. Their heads were mere inches away from touching, and eventually, Val closed in with a small kiss.
“No playing tonight, darling~. You are going to sleep.” Val giggled in response to Vox’s eager grin. A small whine emitted from the TV demon, who pouted in response.
“Not fair.” Vox huffed, crossing his arms under the covers.
“Shh, Voxxy. We can make up for it tomorrow. Now go to sleep.” Val responded, giving the flatscreen another kiss before pulling his small frame closer to him. Vox’s body finally stopped trembling, leaning against the moth peacefully as he felt himself drifiting between sleep and Val’s comforting gaze. His screen began to flicker, eyes closing and opening as Val held him gently. Just as Vox was about to fade to a sleep unknown, he heard his boyfriend speak once more:
“I love you, Voxxy.”
Vox slept peacefully that night.