Chapter Text
Angel didn’t know how long he sat there on the floor of his former room in the tower and not the comfort of his room at the hotel. It could be hours or days. His ass was numb from the hard floor and his stomach rumbled, but he couldn’t get himself to move even an inch or shuffle to a more comfortable position. He felt like Vox scooped a part of him out and now he was somewhat removed from his mind and body. He was vaguely aware of the pain but was also very much numb to it.
He heard the door slam but couldn’t look up and honestly even if he could he didn’t want to. Someone was talking, probably Valentino, he went on and on, but the words didn’t register other than distant noise buzzing in and out of focus. Angel was pretty sure that Val would eventually get bored, beat him up and disappear again. This wasn’t the first time he was disassociated enough to be half outside his body and half aware enough to piss Val off.
Something slammed into him, knocking the wind out of his chest causing a physical reaction, but his mind was still full of cotton.
He hasn’t tried to ground himself back into his own body since he found out that he was being a pawn for Vox without even realizing it. After that it just kind of broke him in a way he didn’t know he could break. This was hell and rock bottom was never the ground floor. There was always a new level of low you could slam into. Valentino was talking and he tried to listen to what the fuck was going on, but it was harder than it should be. Maybe Vox broke his brain with hypnosis. It was hard to get himself to even think in his dissociative state, but the pressure on his body was slowly bringing him back to himself.
“-asexual... and.. fun.. Keep him... that little bacon I gave you. I know.. you happy.” Valentino buzzed on switching back and forth between angry and sweet tones that only he seemed to pull off. Before Angel could even process what happened, he heard the door slam, and the muttered words were gone.
Angel slowly realized that the weight that was dropped on him was still there. Pressure slowly and painfully bringing him back to his body. He glanced down and gasped as he recognized what or better, yet who was on him.
Red, red, and more red. Alastor, the Radio Demon, was on his lap with a band covering the permanent smile. Angel could tell how miserable the deer demon was especially with his permanent smile hidden. Alastor was shivering so hard he was practically vibrating, eyes shut tight, chest heaving in air, hair in tangles, and ears pinned down tightly to his head.
He hadn’t even given a second thought to Alastor being in the glass prison with him when he woke up at V tower. He was too miserable with his own problems to think about someone else. Honestly Alastor was a jerk, well a psychopathic torturing psycho to be specific, so other than occasional entertainment, Angel tried to avoid the overlord. He also had secondhand hate for him on principle because of his friendhsip with Husk.
Fuck.
“Asexual…” Angel mumbled vaguely remembering what Val said. His voice must have startled Alastor because he suddenly rolled off him and backed up into a corner pulling his limbs around him trying to scratch at his skin through what seemed to be protective mittens secured to his wrists. Alastor wanted to claw his skin off in a desperate need to feel something.
It was clear to Angel that Alastor was given a love potion. He has seen many demons take it in the porn industry; hell, even been forced down his own throat more than once by Val. What made most demons horny enough to jump and have sex with anything that moved did not work the same on asexual. Val hated it because they ended up canceling the shoot. It made them uncomfortable enough to try to crawl out of their own skin and gave them desperate need for pressure.
“Al. I helped a couple a people with this shit at work. Ya know. The potion. Ya need pressure or whateva.” He said awkwardly.
Alastor threw himself back hitting his back to the wall with all his power, making Angel wince in sympathy pain.
“Look I ain’t gonna touch ya without ya wan’ing ta. So, when you’re done hurtin’ yourself just com’mer kay.” He muttered. He didn’t have the energy to deal with someone else’s breakdown in the middle of his own. He also knew that Alastor would eat him with BBQ if he forced Alastor to do anything. Angel didn’t care to be tortured by another overlord, thank you very much.
Time went fast and slow as Angel started to disassociate again, staring blankly out the balcony. He ignored the shuffling, slamming and squirming coming from Alastor until it faded into background noise. He would normally care or sympathize, but he just doesn’t have it in him. Not right now.
Angel is pulled out of his haze when he felt pressure. He dragged his eyes slowly down until he saw Alastor was curled around pressing his forehead to Angel’s thigh. He honestly wasn’t even sure how long Alastor was there.
Angel slowly rested his hand on the head in his lap. The demon flinched but didn’t move away so he cautiously ran it through the tangled sweaty red hair that was curling at the ends. He heard radio feedback but got no protest so he undid the band around Al’s mouth.
“You’ll feel betta if I just hold ya.” He muttered
“Not happening.” Alastor snapped pushing his forehead further into Angels thigh and curling into himself even further.
They sat in silence for a few moments, but Angel’s thoughts started going back to dark places. “I can’t go back t’ the hotel. Vox… He hypnotized me. Used me against Charlie. I can’t trust myself...” He told Alastor looking down to see half open eyes, ears back but not pinned as tightly as they were when he first came in.
“Ridiculous.” Alastor said voice weaker than he tried to project. “Don’t let someone as pathetic as Vox make you feel like shit. What are you thinking of staying here instead of the fucking hotel. Your self-flagellation is unbecoming.”
“I can’t trust myself.” Angel whispered.
“Then... Let’s make a deal.” Alastor's wincing smile tightened and grew.
Angel snorted “Sorry toots, last deal I made with an overlord ruined my fucking life.”
“Radio waves overpower picture box’s waves. He wouldn’t be able to control you… Well in a way you were unaware of. He is fucking Valintino and I don’t know the specifics of that deal.” Alastor turned his head in interest watching Angel Dust like he was prey.
Angel looked down. Al was trying to make a deal despite his current condition. It was almost redeculus. “Oh? and what could I possibly hav’ta do for you? My specialties aren’t exactly for the sex-repulsed typa demons.”
Alastor let out a weak laugh “A payment for… this… you can help me and not… telling anyone about it.”
Angel rolled his eyes. Alastor really had a big ego.
“You…hold-" he growled and spoke through his teeth "Do this, if I request it, and don’t tell a fucking soul…” Alastor shifted closing his eyes then shifted again growling then pushing up to look at Angel his smile wide and eyes manic.
“I’ll keep the TV out of your head… You will probably have to pretend that he still has you, until I can break free from my deals and rip the wires out of his fucking body. But at least you will have free will… Well conscious will…” Alastor bargained.
Angel looked down. He would have already held Alastor out of his own free will. The bastard would probably break into hives if he used the word cuddle. He wasn’t going to tell anyone about it, well maybe Husk or some light teasing. Not that anyone would look down on Alastor or think he was weak, but Alastor was prideful. If the deal was to hold Alastor when requested the way he flinched away from touch was proof enough that he would only request it in dire circumstances.
This was a deal for Alastor. It was a way to save himself the shame of needing someone without a return. He was an overlord that worked tit-for-tat and quid pro quo not out of kindness. Angel broke that by just by letting him rest his forehead on his thigh.
Angel benefited the most from this deal. It would save him from Vox. Maybe he didn’t help Val, but it was the betrayal that broke him. He didn’t know if he was doing things out of his own will from the V’s and he needed some control. He had to make a deal which was also losing control.
Alastor started to shiver. He was sitting up, but just barely. In a way it was kind of cute and impressive how he was forcing himself to stay in control in the middle of being drugged where all demons that Angel knew became brainless.
“Fine. I will hold and comfort you when-” Alastor glared and Angel corrected himself “if you ever want or need me to. I won’t tell a soul bout this. You use your radio waves to keep Vox out of my head.” Angel stated making the rules clear and trying to check if there were any loopholes in his words. He wasn’t a master deals like Alastor.
Alastor held out a shaky hand still covered in a mitten and they shook. Green marks covered the room, and Angel felt the wave of power cross through him.
His eyes widened as the deal settled. Alastor was by far the strongest demon Angel ever encountered and he know a shit-ton of overlords. That power was something else. Nothing compared to it. Val was practically a weakling compared to the green power that overwhelmed them.
Alastor fell forward letting out a pitiful whine of static. Angel numbly pet his back. The hair on his body was still standing and his spine tingled from fear and the wave of power that ran through him. The power was something else. If he wasn’t afraid of Alastor before, he sure was now.
“How the hell are you stuck here…” Angel muttered. Alastor was clearly more powerful than the V’s.
Angel jumped when Alastor answered. He didn’t actually expect him to respond to his question. “Tactical loss to gain even more. Temporary discomfort.”
Alastor curled around him and Angel reached up petting around his ears. He smiled when it earned him a hum of static.
Their deal must have comforted Alastor because the background radio noises calmed down from high pitched whines and staticky screeches to a dull hum almost a tune. Comfortable now that it was a deal instead of an act of kindness or a debt to be held over his head.
“Want me t’ hold ya now?” Angel asked expecting to be ignored again so he was surprised when he felt the head under his fingertips nod. The Radio Demon agreed to be held by him.
When Alastor made no motion of moving Angel huffed, using his other two arms that weren’t petting the red tangles. He slowly brought them under the other demons’ armpits half thinking it was a trick and was going to be bit by those sharp teeth. There was no resistance other than a small flinch as Angel hauled him up onto his chest.
Alastor squirmed for a few moments trying to bury himself in Angel Dusts fur. His hands useless in the gloves found themselves on his chest and he curled his face into Angel’s neck letting out distressed radio noises.
Angel used all four of his hands. One wrapped around Alastor’s back, the other in his hair, and one on his thighs. Al's claws were probably best dulled for now. Angel saw demons shred their own skin from one of Val’s potions and did not want to see that again.
“Your very light.” Angel Dust commented because he really didn’t know how to stay quiet. He was always talking. Silence made him think and thinking made things hurt more than just the physical pain that he was used to.
Angel can disassociate or talk. One or the other. Since he was used to deep pressure techniques that Fat Nuggets did, as his therapy animal, to bring him back when he was finally safe, unfortunately Alastor, though much taller, weighed similar to Fat Nuggets and was pulling him out of his dissociative state which was making him think and he needed to stop that so he had to talk. But he didn’t know what to say to the Radio Demon since they had nothing in common. “I thought you would be much heavier. You’re tall. Well, shorter than me, but still tall-.”
“It’s my punishment” Alastor snapped cutting off his ramblings.
Angel couldn’t help but laugh “What? Being skinny?”
Alastor let out a growl, forcing his forehead deeper between Angel’s shoulder and neck.
“Prey. I look like a fucking prey animal. Light and easy prey.”
Angel hummed looking down, “You’re a lot of things toots, but easy ain’t one of them.” he teased thinking of all the times he flirted with the red demon and got instantly rejected. Knowing that Alastor was asexual made him feel a bit better deep down.
Alastor squirmed again letting his radio make a staticky whine. Angel patted his back.
It wasn't exactly silent with Alastor’s radio feedback, but it wasn't enough to get him to not think about Vox. His skin prickled and his breath stuttered almost breaking down into tears again. He couldn’t do this. He couldn’t feel that again it was just too much. He needed a distraction and there were no drugs in this room. He looked down then sat up with an idea. Taking care of Alastor was distracting enough, but he had to move.
“Give me a sec, I got an idea.” He stood up wincing at the shriek of radio noise as Alastor locked his arms around his neck and his ankles at his lower back. He really was absurdly light. Angel tried to gently place him on the floor, but the radio demon was not having it. Angel took his time to forcefully prying the demon off.
“Just a few secon’s I swear.” He reassured the demon who was very much not listening to him. Alastor’s radio whines shot up in range and decibel.
“Calm down ya big baby. Just grabbing a weighted blanket.” He muttered halfway under his bed trying to find the right bin that had his blankets and avoid the sex toy box that would surely send Alastor into a killing spree.
He grabbed the right box, peaking inside just in case, then went over to the floor. He thought of just bringing Alastor to the bed but figured there were a little too many cooties on that filthy mattress. Honestly, he didn’t want to remember the V's right now, so the floor was.
Angel threw a few blankets and pillows onto the floor sitting down in the middle of his impromptu nest and arranged everything haphazardly.
Alastor was clawing at his neck and the gloves left angry red marks.
Angel saw Alastor for the first time taking him in. Alastor was in a large white button down open at the top showing his collarbones. The shirt was long enough to reach his thighs but was riding up as he squirmed around the floor and the cuffs went well past Allaster’s fingertips. His eyes shot up when he noticed something else and smiled wickedly.
Angel Dust was hit with an alarming thought that Alastor was a prey animal. He logically knew it but seeing him like this was different. Despite the smile that looked more like a grimace. His ears were soft and fluffy. He was lithe and skinny for the amount Angel knew he ate. His wrists looked like he could wrap one hand around both, they were so thin. Despite Alastor’s enormous power, that Angel knew he was packing, drugged up, he looked like an easy target. A victim. Easy pretty prey. Angel didn't even think it was possible to look at the Radio Demon without feeling at least a hint of terror. He was terrifying, usually, but it was how he acted and projected his power. Physically he wasn't intimidating at all.
Angel’s mind flashed to Husk for a moment thinking about how he could do something. Hurt Alastor as a token of his love. His stomach dropped instantly when Alastor reached out for him. It was so shaky and reluctant. Angel wasn’t like the demons in hell who wanted to inflict pain on others because they were in pain. He had a heart, and unfortunately in hell it was one of the worst things to have.
Angel projected his movements as he reached out for Alastor. Despite knowing he was going to be touched and their deal firmly in place the radio noise screeched and Alastor flinched away from the touch.
Most people who had the love potion threw themselves at any warm body, but Alastor, despite needing it still flinched away instinctively. It was heartbreaking to see someone so traumatized that they flinched away from the one thing that would give them relief.
Angel sat frozen arms outreached letting Alastor collect himself and reach out first. Once Alastor nodded at him, Angel pulled him up onto his chest and threw the weighted blanket over them.
Alastor finally relaxed letting out a deep breath rubbing his cheek against Angel’s chest in a show of instinct. Angel just patted and rubbed his back humming a song. He couldn’t stand the silence.
“You have a tail.” Angel pointed out trying to hold back the tease and smile when he thought about the cute little fluff.
“I do not!” Alastor yelled.
Angel used his lower hand under the blanket to slither up the shirt and gave the little thing a squeeze.
Alastor screeched and kicked his hooves but didn’t push him off.
Angel took advantage and pet the little tale that quivered in his hand a few more times before releasing it. He pulled the shirt down back over his thighs and gave his bum a few pats.
“Don’t lie, brat.” He teased, then yelped as sharp teeth bit into his shoulder.
“Okay! Okay!” he yelled pushing the back of Al's head forward to release the locked jaw and brought his other hand up to his lower back.
“Scarry demon. We won't talk about the cute tail!” he relented.
Alastor let out a huff and licked the blood from his teeth which was disgusting.
Angel still unable to keep his mouth shut, started singing. He wasn’t sure why that song was what came to mind, but he lightly rocked the slightly smaller demon in his arms. They would both get out of there soon. He knew it.