Work Text:
Vox grumbled as he made his way through the halls of the Vee Tower. This was dumb. He was being dumb. Why had he even decided to do this again? He was tired. He wanted to go to bed. Fuck his life.
He pushed open the doors to Velvette’s studio, barging in like he owned the place. Which, technically, he did. He watched Velvette’s models cower as his presence filled the room. He grinned.
“Hey, Vox.” Velvette said absentmindedly. She was sitting on a stool near the corner, scrolling on her phone while her models were busy getting dressed. Her legs weren’t even close to touching the floor. Usually she could change the outfits of her models with a snap of her fingers, but Vox would have to assume it’d been a slower day.
“Velvette.” He greeted, trying to raise his voice and sound cheerful, though his tone was strained. “Can I…talk to you in private?”
“The fuck you want, Vox? It’s the middle of the day.” She said, hopping off her stool and tucking her phone in her pocket.
“In another room, Vel.” He instilled with gritted teeth.
“Fine, fine! Jesus.” She started walking out the doors of the studio. Vox followed her. “You’re being a prick. Did you take your meds today?”
Vox hesitated for a moment too long. “...yes.”
“Sure, grandpa.”
The halls of the Vee Tower weren’t busy. This would be the only time he was thankful for something like that. Velvette leaned against the wall and crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow and allowing Vox to speak. He sucked in a breath.
“Okay. So. I was…um…just wondering if you could…um…”
“Spit it out, Vox. I don’t have all day.”
“Could you teach me how to dance?”
Velvette just stared at him.
“Please?” He tried.
“You want to learn how to dance? You?”
“Yes.”
Velvette burst out into laughter. “Oh my god, Vox!” She steadied herself against the wall. “You want to learn how to dance? Really? This isn’t some kind of prank?”
“Velvette, I will walk the fuck away.”
She attempted to catch her breath, tears pricking at the corners of her eyes. She stood up straight and screwed her face normally, though a few chuckles still escaped her. “Fine, I will. Tonight, though, I’m busy right now.”
“Thank you.” He let out a relieved sigh. “And, um, please don’t tell Val.”
Velvette raised an eyebrow, smirking. “Why not?”
“Just don’t.” He snapped.
“Fine, fine.” She pushed off of the wall and started strutting back to the doors of the studio. “I’ll see you tonight, Vox.” She called over her shoulder.
Vox stared at the door for a little longer after it shut. He rubbed aggressively at his cheeks. It would be fine. It would be worth the embarrassment.
God. What has his afterlife come to?
Later that night, Velvette found him laying back-down on the couch.
“Voooooox. You dead?”
Vox shot up, glaring at her. “Not yet.”
“Jesus. You’re such a Debbie Downer.” She rolled her eyes. “You wanted to learn how to dance, right? Stop being so stiff.”
He stood up from the couch, stretching out his legs. “Do you mean physically or emotionally?”
“Both.”
“Mmmm.” He shot out his hand for Velvette to take. “Just teach me already.”
“You’re lucky I’m not saying no, Vox. You have such an attitude sometimes.” She complained, but took his hand anyway. “I’ll be your dance partner for now. What dance do you wanna learn?”
“What dance?” He repeated.
“Y’know. Waltz, tango, salsa. What kind?”
“There are different types?”
Velvette stared in disbelief. “Oh my god. You are so white.”
“The fuck is that supposed to mean?!”
She laughed at his flare up in temper. “It just means I have a lot to teach you.”
~
“Step back, no, you’re not stepping back.”
“I’m trying!”
“Left, not right!”
Vox growled as he fumbled another step. “I wanted to learn how to lead a dance, not follow it.”
“You can learn to lead once you learn to follow. Now chop chop!”
He let go of Velvette’s hands and turned away from her, stomping his foot in frustration. He would never get this! He was doing this all for nothing! This wasn’t worth it. He should just give up. This was dumb. Not to mention he was supposed to be the man in the dance, not Velvette. He was supposed to lead, not her. This was blasphemous.
As if Velvette read his thoughts, she spoke again. “Vox, you need to drop your privileged fucking attitude. I’m leading the dance right now. When you’re dancing with Val you’re allowed to lead.”
He snapped his head back toward her. “How the hell did you know I wanted to dance with Val?”
“Who else would you dance with?”
He seethed in silence for a long moment. Velvette put her hands on her hips and waited for an answer.
“...fuck you.”
“Alright. Keep going, white boy. You got this.”
“Stop calling me that.” He muttered, turning fully toward her and letting her take his hands again.
“It’s what you are.” She said with a shrug. “Only speaking the truth. What, would you prefer weather boy?”
“I hate both of them.”
“Good. I’ll make sure to call you both, weather boy. Now, left foot back.”
He let her guide him and tried his best to focus on the steps. This whole situation felt oddly humiliating. He wondered why he even asked Velvette in the first place. He could’ve looked up a tutorial online, or something.
He just wanted to make it perfect for Val.
The thought had been spontaneous. Val would probably find it hot if Vox danced with him, right? Maybe? He’d decided he would try to learn. It was kind of like an epiphany, except he’d like to think that real epiphanies were more enjoyable. Right now he just kind of wanted to crawl out of his skin.
Velvette’s voice made him recoil briefly in surprise. “That’s it! You did it!”
“Huh?” He blinked.
“You did the dance without messing up, dipshit.” She grinned, releasing his hand to pat him on the back.
“Oh.”
“Now you need to learn how to do a dip and how to lead.”
His face fell in disappointment. He groaned. “Oh, fuck my life.”
~
Vox bent slightly over the railing as he looked out into the distance. Music was playing distantly from inside the Vee Tower that was muffled, but could be heard relatively clearly. It wasn’t like the disco playing in the rest of the Entertainment District, it was slow and almost like ballroom music. Velvette had suggested it, so Vox went out of his way to change the music going over the loudspeakers.
He sighed. He wished he had a cigarette right now.
“Hey, Voxxie~” He heard a glass door slide and a seductive voice call out. “Vel said you were waiting for me?”
Vox turned to Val and smiled slightly. Val’s wings were draped messily over his body, not really covering up that much. The humid but cold night air made Val’s shoulders tremble visibly. It wasn’t like Vox had prettied himself up much, either. Velvette had told him to but he pointedly hadn’t listened to her. He was just wearing the shirt he always wore underneath his blazer.
“She would be correct.”
“Why are you waiting out here, you idiot?” Val strutted over and pinched the corner of Vox’s screen like one would pinch a cheek. “I thought the only place you were up for waiting for me was the bed.”
“You thought wrong, then.” He forced himself not to falter and to control his nerves. He reached up his hand to gently remove Val’s and hold it. “Because I have a little surprise for you.”
Val didn’t get the chance to answer, because Vox took both of his hands and stepped forward daringly. Val took an instinctive step back. Vox continued the steps of the dance, brow furrowed in concentration.
The initial surprise faded to understanding as Val followed him, lips curving up slightly. Vox dipped Val and held him there for a moment, looking deep into his eyes.
Val chuckled. “I was wondering why this music was playing earlier. Usually you’re much more…uptight with your music taste.”
“And what’s that supposed to mean?” He tried to sound offended, but his gleeful smile was ruining it. He turned the two of them slightly and repeated the steps.
“It means you listen to elevator music and obscure lo-fi.” Val’s hands gripped his tighter.
“And is that a bad thing?”
“Not necessarily. Just weird.”
Vox hummed in response, dipping him again. This time he held him for longer. Their eyes met and he felt his heart pound. He had wanted this whole scene to be romantic, right? He had intended it. But the setting sky of the Pride Ring and the soft, romantic music paired with the awfully amorous dance they were doing sent a shock of mild terror through his bones.
He quickly pulled him up before he would get too lost in his thoughts.
“I didn’t know you could dance like this, papi.” Val broke the set in stone dance by twirling Vox around. Vox spluttered and stumbled. Unorthodox, but he couldn’t do much to protest. It was Val, after all.
“Hmm. You underestimate me, then.” He said, a bit breathless and recovering.
“You sure you didn’t force Vel to teach you?” Val took the lead on the dance. Vox’s hands tightened and he refused to move his feet back. Val kicked lightly at his shoes. His resolve crumbled. He sighed and followed Val.
“...I didn’t force her.”
“Hah! So you admit it.” Val grinned loosely, turning and dipping Vox over the railing. “You went through so much trouble for little old me~ I’m flattered.”
He snorted. “Well, you should be. I put a lot of effort into thi—”
He was rendered silenced by a sudden kiss pressed to his lips. Vox hesitated briefly before kissing Val back, opening his mouth. Val pulled him up and held him close as their lips moved, though the curve of his back was still pressed against the railing.
Val pulled away, grin returning. “Thank you, Vox. It was very nice of you.”
“Y–you’re welcome.” He stuttered, still breathless.
Val pressed another chaste kiss to his lips. He felt dizzy.
“Velvette taught you pretty well, for a white boy. I’ll need to tell her. She deserves some praise for this. She made you into a gentleman.”
“I wasn’t before?”
Val reached down and fixed his bow tie. “More of a gentleman.” He corrected.
Oh. He felt like such a hopeless romantic right now.
“Well, it’s only what someone…um..gentlemanly would do. Which I am. Gentlemanly. Everyone should learn how to dance to appease their…” He tried to choose his wording carefully. “...business partners.”
Val’s smile faltered and he rolled his eyes. Vox immediately knew he had fucked something up, but he wasn’t sure what. Val smiled again after, though, so it was probably okay.
“Sure, babe. You’re just lucky I didn’t think of it first. I would’ve rocked your world.” He poked him where his nose would be if he had one.
You’ve already rocked my world. He didn’t say.
“Well, I probably would’ve sucked at even letting you do it if you tried it before tonight.” He admitted.
Val hummed thoughtfully. “Yeah. Probably.”
“Oh, thank you for your encouraging words.” Vox responded sarcastically.
Val giggled. Vox relished the sound.
“I’m just teasing, love. You need to get a little better at taking teasing, I think. We’ve known each other for more than twenty years and you’re still as horrible at it since the day we met.”
“Just admit you like getting a rise out of me.”
“Oooh, how could you think so little of me?” Val whined dramatically, and then smiled again. “But you’re right. That’s the only reason I tease, after all.”
“Hmmm. I’ve learned to live with it.”
“You love it.” Val leaned in to kiss him again. Vox met his lips almost eagerly.
When they pulled away, the two of them grinned lopsidedly at each other, though Vox could see the love looking back at him in Val’s eyes.
He did love it. A lot.
~
“Soooo, how’d it go?” Velvette asked, propped up on the couch and kicking her legs. Val had gone inside earlier and was already asleep. Vox had just stepped back in from the balcony. He was planning on joining Val in bed later.
“It went fine.” He downplayed.
“You didn’t fuck up?”
“Well, no, actually.” Vox stepped over to the side and took off his shirt shamelessly, hanging it over the back of the couch. Velvette looked away in mild disgust, but she didn’t voice it.
“I don’t believe it.”
“Well, he did take the lead after a minute, but I don’t know if that qualifies as a fuck up.”
“Wow. You’re such a bottom, even when you dance.” Velvette grinned.
“How do you know I’m a bottom?”
“I can tell. It’s practically written on your forehead.”
Vox grumbled. He picked up his shirt and threw it at her. Velvette let out a surprised squeak, and then scowled at him, throwing the shirt back. He laughed as he caught it, and then put it back on the couch.
“Thank you, Vel, for helping me.” He said, genuinely, voice warm.
Velvette blinked in surprise, but then smiled. “You’re welcome, Vox. Anything for you and your boyfriend. Unless it’s a sex thing.”
Vox chuckled softly. The urge to protest against the label was momentarily forgotten. He felt warm. He felt happy. It wasn’t often he felt like that. He wouldn’t ruin it by letting his temper get the best of him.
He watched Velvette stand and then disappear into another room. He wondered briefly if she had left the conversation completely before she returned and threw a pill bottle at his face. He fumbled with it and it clattered to the floor.
“Now fucking take your meds, shitface.”