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The mirror lies. The reflection in it is undoubtedly his but it doesn’t show the whole truth. Angel smiles and his image smiles back, and between the song playing in his head and the drink he's holding he can almost pretend that he's fine.
Angel absentmindedly rubs his cheek, his shoulder, and winces. He is used to it, of course; even when it is not meant as aggression, Valentino’s touch isn’t exactly delicate. And when Angel gets on his nerves—oh, and he knows how to do that, he can’t help it really—the result is something like this.
Valentino slaps him, slams him against the wall.
“Remember your place, amorcito.”
”Fuck off, Val,” he says after Valentino is out of earshot. He doesn’t want another bruise.
See, the thing is that Angel does know his place. Whether he likes it or not is another matter, but he can’t help pushing Valentino’s buttons because… because it is when Val seems to notice him. Deep down Angel knows that he shouldn’t care for Valentino’s attention but who else could want him? And Angel hates to admit it, but he sometimes wishes his bond with Val was something more. Something like what Valentino has with Vox. There, he’s jealous, so what?
Remember your place.
Despite what they share, his place is not by Valentino’s side as his partner. No, that’s Vox. Even if he never sets foot in Valentino’s studio, even if he vanishes the second he catches sight of Angel watching them.
Maybe it is his imagination but Angel could swear that Vox’s dislike is rooted in jealousy. As far as he knows, Vox doesn’t care one way or the other about any of Valentino’s actors, slaves, whatever they are. But he has always shown a sort of animosity toward Angel that can only be explained if he is jealous too. Angel snorts at this. What reason could Vox have to be jealous of him? Angel doesn’t have anything that Vox could possibly want. Why would Vox want to be a toy for Valentino to play with and then toss aside? Vox has no right to be jealous, Angel is the one who tastes acid when he sees Vox and Valentino together. The worst part is that Valentino knows, he knows how Angel feels about him and Vox, and he’s not above using it against Angel.
Some days are better. Angel can pretend it doesn’t affect him, but just when he starts to believe this, Valentino shows up, showers him with praise, love bombs him, and Angel gives him anything he wants. Then the cycle starts again. Out of boredom or out of malice Valentino says something that makes Angel seethe, to the tune of, “You’re not Vox, Vox is not a whore.”
He should ignore it, he knows that Valentino can be cruel in more ways than one, but he falls right into it. Jealousy returns, Angel picks a fight with Val, Valentino leaves and Angel can hear him and Vox laughing, probably at him.
More or less like what just happened. Angel would punch the mirror but if he knows Val, he will make him pick up the glass shards with his teeth or something worse so he lowers his fist and screams internally when he hears his name.
”Angel! There you are, still moping like a little bitch?”
Angel would love to ignore him. Better yet, to talk back. He does stand up and stride toward the door with every intention to close it in Valentino’s smug face but Valentino grabs his wrists, spins him around and pins him against the wall. Not the wall. Angel shivers when another pair of arms wrap around his waist.
”What the fuck—?”
Valentino puts a finger to his lips. “No no, Angel, real quiet like. Show Vox that you know how to behave. I told him you are obedient and eager to please. That’s right. You will do as we say, won’t you? Of course you will.”