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Standing there outside the motel room as Vox brainwashes Angel once again, Valentino stares off smoking his cigarette. Angel's screams are muffled but still escape through the door. He tries to think of literally anything else but his mind can only focus on how Vox has been treating him lately.
The way Vox quickly switches up on him the second Alastor says something. The way Vox had the nerve to ask him to be back stage for THEIR big performance...he doesn't even have the energy to sit there and mentally work through the casual racism. It's nothing like the Vox he first met...the Vox he fell in love with.
When they first met, Vox was obsessed with Valentino. He couldn't stop praising and adoring him. It inflated Val's ego but Vox also acknowledged his strengths and talent. For the first time in his life...Valentino finally felt seen. It was no wonder Vox swept him off his feet.
A loud dull thud snaps Valentino from his reminiscing, reminding him of why they are even there in the first place. The pit in his stomach only gets deeper as he thinks about what could be happening to Angel in there...his Angel.
Valentino tries not to think too much about how he treats his employees after they've signed with him. He sugars them up in the beginning and puts them on a pedestal long enough to lock them in. After that, all he cares about is profit.
He tried his best to keep that same model with Angel. Did he have to give him as much attention and praise as he ended up doing? No. But it was worth it for such a good star. Angel has done more than enough numbers to prove Valentino made a good choice to put that twink front and center.
Was Vox a bit jealous about just how much attention Val was giving Angel?...probably a little bit, but it spiced things up for them if anything! It ultimately turned into cash anyway so how mad can Mr. Capitalism himself be?
Another scream breaks through the chaos of Valentino's thoughts and causes Val to flinch. He steels himself, gripping his cane tightly. His heart is racing and his blood is boiling. He wants to go in and do something. Stop Vox and tell him to fuck off...but he can't bring himself to do it.
Angel used to be so trusting of Val. In the beginning, he was so ready and eager to be a star. There was a light in his eyes when Valentino told him all that he could look forward to. It had never been that easy convincing someone. The way that Angel used to look at Valentino flashes in his mind a moment, so full of hope...and something else that Val couldn't quite put his finger on at the time.
But now, standing outside as Vox wreaks havoc on Angel's brain, Valentino realizes what that look was. It was adoration. The kind that comes from feeling like you've found someone who understands you...someone you don't know how you have managed to live so long without.
It's as if Valentino is suddenly burdened with realizing just what he's been putting Angel through just because Vox has started to treat him similarly...although still nowhere near as badly.
Valentino was so comfortable in his position and so sure of himself that he didn't even care about anyone outside of Vox and Velvette. This was his family, his home. It made no sense to worry about the lives of the bugs around them. They were Overlord's after all. Even if he found some pets entertaining, they didn't mean more to him than The Vee's.
But now as Vox is showing just how comfortable he is cutting Valentino and Velvette out of the spotlight, it makes Val feel sick. Would the man he's dedicated so much time and emotional energy into really betray him like this? Toss him to the side like he was nothing?
...how many times has Angel thought the same thing about Val?
The intrusive thought sends a spike through Valentino's heart. His hand immediately goes to his chest as if he'd been shot. He feels so weak and helpless standing out here while Vox is doing GOD KNOWS WHAT to Angel Dust. His hands tremble but he does his best to pull himself together. This is just what's necessary for business. Who cares about some stupid addict trash anyway.
Taking deep breaths, Valentino managed to put his complicated emotions back into a box just before Vox finally comes out. He looks giddy as he straightens out his shirt collar. "He's all your's, Val." Vox joyously gets into his own limo to leave.
Valentino walks into the motel room, looking down at Angel knocked out on the floor in front of the vanity. Something about the way Vox left Angel makes Valentino's stomach turn for a moment. Val kneels to scoop Angel into his arms, subconsciously cradling his head to his chest.
Once Val gets Angel in the car, he lays him along the bench of the limo, making sure Angel's head is in his lap. He can barely bring himself to look away from the poor soul in his lap. He runs his fingers through Angel's hair, not concerned about waking him up. If anything, Valentino wants more than anything to prove to himself that it's over. Angel is here with him now and it's alright.
The guilt feels even heavier now that Angel is in front of him. Angel would have done anything Valentino asked of him back in the day, it never had to come to this...Angel really would have done anything for Val...
The realizations clouding Val's mind constrict around his heart like a viper. But they are soon silenced by a weak noise Angel makes in his sleep. It's like he's having a nightmare...Val can't blame him.
"It's ok, baby. I'm right here." Valentino says softly, gently rubbing his finger against Angel's cheek. Unexpectedly, that actually seems to help Angel relax. It stuns Val. He half expected Angel to flinch away or continue to stir, but he couldn't have predicted that. Even after everything Valentino has done, some part of Angel still finds safety in him.
The back of Valentino's eyes burn as tears threaten to swell within them. He once again takes a deep breath and steels himself. He had an agreement with Vox and now it's over. They just have to drop Angel off at the shithole hotel and then he can go home and handle his emotions there the only way he knows how...taking his anger out on his employees or going out to forget everything.
The limo jumps as they hit an unexpectedly bump in the road, causing Angel to actually open his eyes. Faint spirals still seem to be clouding his vision and judgement. "Val?" Hearing Angel's weak voice after everything is enough to have Valentino's heart bleeding.
"I'm here, Baby." He gently strokes Angel's hair. Angel's eyes close as he leans into Valentino's touch. For a moment it's like none of this had ever happened. They are exactly how they were when they first met.
"Can you stay with me tonight?" Angel asks softly. His hand gently takes one of Valentino's as he gets more comfortable.
Valentino swallows, the pit in his stomach only getting deeper. "Of course, Angie. Anything for you." He lies, a numb feeling fills his chest. He wishes it wasn't a lie. He wishes he could take Angel back to his penthouse with him and apologize for all the shit he's done. Wipe the slate clean and start over. Runaway and never look back.
But it's too late. Angel isn't going to be this dazed and forgiving forever. He'd just remember everything and resent Valentino even more for not changing sooner.
The limo soon pulls up to the hotel. Looking down at the sweet boy in his lap one last time, Val runs his fingers through Angel's hair. He leans down and gently kisses Angel's forehead before looking out and around for anyone who might see them. Luckily, that weird cat with wings seems to be walking home to the hotel just in time.
Valentino hesitates before reluctantly tossing Angel out the back door of the limo and speeding off. It kills him to have to do that after everything Angel has already suffered tonight, but hopefully he's back in the arms of someone who cares for him...as jealous as Valentino was that he couldn't be the one to do it...a small part of him felt better knowing someone would.