“Will you quit pacing? You’re making me dizzy.”

​

Vox griped as Valentino did yet another lap of his living room. Back in front of the window, behind the desk and the sofa, around the white deer rug that took up the centre of the room, and finally sweeping back to the window. Outside, the entirety of hell shook as thunder and lightning rattled the sky. Rain pounded against the roof of the building, creating a deafening drumming that even the impeccable soundproofing of the porn studio couldn’t drown out. Valentono twitched at every rumble of thunder, restlessly flitting around the room as his companions watched him uselessly. 

​

“I’m not pacing.”

 

The louse snapped, hands tightening around his cane. Vox rolled his eyes.

 

“Yeah, you are. Quit it. Your loverboy is fine. I couldn’t kill the fucker in the sixty years I tried, it’ll take more than a storm to take Bambi out.”

 

“Your doe is tough, Val. Don’t worry.” Velvet nodded, scrolling through her phone intently, leaning into Vox. “This signal is so patchy… Damn it. Vox!”

 

“Hold your horses, reception is bad.”

 

The TV demon closed his eyes and the wifi signal on his hat began to glow. Val’s phone started to ding as it connected to Vox’s personal wifi. The storm had knocked out the studio’s internet and not even the biggest wads of cash could get a repair team out there in weather like this. Luckily, being friends with hell’s number one technology mogul had perks.

Val snatched up his phone and scrolled through his notifications eagerly, hoping for news. Endless messages by actors and actresses saying they couldn’t come in today because of the weather. News blips, all about the storm raging on, and no one knowing when it would stop. They stretched on for seemingly forever, but none of them were what he wanted, needed really, to see. Velvet had taken the time to look up at him and gauge his reaction When he dug his teeth into his lip and closed his phone, she sighed.

 

“Have you called him?” She asked. Val nodded.

 

“Like, four times, it just rings out.”

 

Any other time, she might have teased him. Hell, she did when she got here and he was fretting like a mother hen. But that had been hours ago and fretting had long turned into legitimate worry. This wasn’t the time and wouldn’t fix anything. Val slumped into his desk chair, fiddling with his cane with the lower pair of hands while the upper pair crossed over his chest, fingers tapping on his arm. “I hate not knowing so much.”, he muttered to himself, but Velvet caught it anyway.

​

The subject of his distress was, of course, Alastor. His boyfriend was supposed to come to the studio after his work at the hotel was done today, He’d had one stop to make on the way over, and then he would come to Val’s penthouse to watch a movie with them. Alastor didn’t really understand the ‘picture shows’, as he called them, but it allowed the extroverted pimp to spend time with all his favorite demons with minimal Vox on Alastor violence. Finding a middle ground on genre had been a struggle, but eventually they’d found a cache of movies that were modern enough to satisfy Vox and Velvet, but didn’t confuse Alastor. Although some of the horror movies they watched had made him hungry.

​

They’d had Watership Down lined up for tonight. Alastor had read the book when he was alive and had seemed sceptical when he found out it had been adapted, but was at the very least open to the idea of watching it. A very different story to when Vox had insisted on The Matrix. Alastor hadn’t made it to the end of that one.

 

The deer demon had been as excited as he was capable of getting about a movie, so Val had started to get antsy when the ever punctual Radio Demon had been five minutes late. Figuring he was delayed by the rain, he had waited patiently as the other two arrived and prepared snacks for the members of the meeting that could actually eat (Vox huffed and grumbled about stupid screens). Five minutes turned to ten. Ten turned to thirty, which turned into an hour, which bled into four. The food got cold and the overlords got impatient as Alastor got later and later, all while the storm had raged outside, only growing in severity.

​

Val had rung the princess, apparently Alastor had left the Hotel on time.

​

Something had happened between then and now, and nobody knew what it was. Velvet and Vox kept telling him that it was probably just the storm. That he had found somewhere to camp and wait out the weather. Val’s mind still whirred with scenarios. Somethin bad must have happened, because what sort of storm could delay a creature that could teleport? Hell was a violent place and demons would use any excuse they thought they had to pick a fight, even one they didn’t stand a chance against.

​

It only took one lucky hit….

​

Valentino scrambled for his phone again. Ringing Alastor yet again and tapping his heel anxiously as it rang and rang and rang…

​

Damn it.

​

Val’s throat felt tight, he felt like he could hardly breathe. He stood up and started walking for the door. He needed a smoke and even his Arturo Fuentes weren’t gonna cut it today. His pipe was in his break room, along with what he would need to take his mind off his missing lover.

​

“Where ya going?” Vox called, sounding… Almost concerned. “You’d better not be going out there. Blitzen will be fine, but if you go out there lookin’ for him, you’re just gonna get hurt.”

 

Val swallowed, flicking an antennae. 

 

“Relax. I’m just going to get my pipe. Don’t get your wires in a twist.”

 

Vox rolled his eyes, muttering something along the lines of ‘it was one time…’. 

 

“Fine, just don’t do anything stupid.”

 

Val nodded. Usually he would make a pass about not knowing Vox cared, but he wasn’t in the right space for that right now, too occupied by anxiety. He took the elevator down to the second floor, making his way over to where he’d left his drugs. 

 

It wasn’t often that Val indulged in something stronger than a cigar or two, but this was extreme circumstances. As he packed the white powder into the bowl of the pipe, he wandered over to the window, flicking his lighter absently. This was significantly closer to ground level and he could see the lower parts of the city beginning to gather water. The beginnings of a flood. God, that was gonna be hell to sort out later. Water damage to everything. But hell got frequent earthquakes, and every building in pentagram was built to withstand a great deal more than a few feet of water, so the building itself would be fine.

 

The sweet smell and white smoke that began wafting from the pipe curled around him like an old friend. Trying to ease the tension from his back and caress him, much like Alastor’s own shadow did for him. He took some smoke into his lungs and held it there, letting the high embrace him. A soft, floaty feeling took the jagged edge off his worry, leaving more of a dull pressure in his chest. 

 

Problem not solved, but it was better.

 

He continued to stare out the window. Letting the rain-blurred shapes of Pentagram City dissolve into something more abstract. It was sort of beautiful, in a way. Kind of-

 

A flash of lighting, accompanied by a mighty crash of thunder threw Val for a loop, and he took a few steps back. In the brief second before the darkness ate the light, he thought he saw a figure hunched in the growing water on the street. Some homeless imp who got caught out in the storm, most likely. It would probably drown, if it didn’t freeze, or get buffeted apart by the merciless winds of the lust district. 

 

These thoughts made something cold curl in Valentino’s gut, even though he couldn’t give two shits about the imp. 

 

Was it an imp?

 

He hadn’t gotten a very good look. Could those shapes have been horns? Or were they ears? The figure hadn’t looked too tall, but the rain had obscured anything he could have used for a scale reference. They had been collapsed. On their knees in the rising water, hunched over. Details had been hard to make out. He pressed up against the window, trying to get another look. He waited impatiently for the next bolt to light up the street. It couldn’t come fast enough, and by the time Val got another visual, the figure had keeled over into the water. It was even less distinct in the murk, but that was definitely a splash of red among the grey.

 

Panic pushed through the drugs and he turned tail and bolted towards the elevator. His heels clacked against the tile as he all but ran to the elevator. Down to the first floor and to the door, he flung the doors open with no regard for the howling winds outside. Water poured over his shoes, but he didn’t care in the slightest. There was almost three feet of water on the street, but it barely went up to Valentino’s knees. He was soaked in seconds, the rain drenching his coat and dragging the fur collar down. Valentino waded out to where he’d seen the shape, only to be met with emptiness and murky water. 

He leaned down, dragging his hands through the water, checking to see if there was anything under the water. His hand hit something along the bottom, and he grabbed it tightly, pulling it up. It was a plastic cutout of a succubus, something from one of his ads, with a red piece of grimy fabric tangled around it . else he could have seen. 

 

“Wha- wait, no…”

 

He was so sure… He kept rummaging in the water, could he have seen something else?  There was nothing there. Eventually he stood and just yelled into the storm.

 

“Baby?” He called into the rain. The wind carried his voice away fruitlessly, not that it could really be heard over the sound of the rain hitting the water. “Bambi? Al! Are you out here?” 

 

His eyes darted around, trying to catch a glimpse of red. His glasses were collecting water too fast to be any good, so he removed them, squinting through the rain.

 

“Alastor!”

 

He all but screamed it, desperate to be heard. Al was out here, he just knew it. Maybe hurt or in trouble… He was probably crying. You couldn’t tell. Water was pouring off him in rivlets, but he didn’t give a damn… Lightning flashed and he was blinded. He blinked frantically to clear it. He needed to see, needed to find him- 

 

Cold hands suddenly grabbed his shoulders and started pulling him back towards the studio. Val tried to pull away, trying to push forward. It must be Vox, come to drag him back inside. 

 

“Let me go! He’s out here! Alastor!”

 

The hands on his shoulder forcibly turned him around and whacked him on the chest, reprimanding. Valentino looked down, and instead of Vox, he saw glowing blue eyes and mouth against a black silhouette. It was Alastor’s shadow.

 

“Al… What...  Where’s the rest of you? Is he around here? I can-”

 

The shadow growled at him silently, shaking it’s head and insistently pointed at the studio. Val’s lower left wrist was grabbed and he was towed back into the building. The shadow pulled him all the way to the elevator, all but pushing him inside.

 

“Alright, alright. I’m going.”

 

He was escorted via shadowy guard to the penthouse where Vox and Velvet watched them come in.

 

“What took you so lo- Holy fuck, you’re soaked!” Vox did a double take. “Did you go outside? You fucking dumbass!”

 

The shadow nodded along, although it looked somewhat loathe to agree with anything Vox said.

 

“I thought- I thought I saw…”

 

The adrenaline was fading from his system and Val was starting to shake. Cold and stress setting in. The shadow pawed at his hat and coat, trying to get the soaked garments off of him before disappearing into the bathroom and returning with towels. It wrapped a particularly fluffy pink one around Val’s shoulders.

 

“I thought I saw Alastor outside… He could still be out there- I…”

 

He was cut off by his phone ringing on the desk. The shadow perked up and excitedly bounded over to it, picking it up and presenting it to Valentino. It was an unknown number. Val didn’t make a habit of answering those, but the shadow kept pointing and gesturing at it, so he picked up the call.

 

“Hello?”

 

“He- -lo m- dear!” Crackly and riddled with static, a familiar voice came over the phone. “So-ry -ate!”

 

“Alastor!”

 

Val felt his knees go slightly weak at the sound of his lover’s voice. Almost all of his anxiety left him in an exhausting rush. Alastor continued chattering on the other end of the line

 

“-ound a phone boo- -ropped my he- -water- -ot worki- My da- -ing- wha- -re -uo do- -g -t -ere?”

 

The words broke up like a radio with bad signal. Val checked his phone, but he had full bars. Any connection he made should be strong, even in this weather. Proximity to Vox should guarantee it.

 

“Babe, you’re breaking up, I can’t hear you.”

 

There was a strain on Val’s voice. He needed so badly to hear Alastor’s voice. He didn’t understand-

 

“My abil- -radio wav- -nterference- -oor sign- Cann- -eport safe-”

 

That only made Val’s stomach tighten. Was Al out there somewhere with malfunctioning powers?

 

“Al, Alastor, baby, please tell me you’re somewhere safe…”

 

“No- -orry! I’m qui- -mfortable. The res- -icious.”

 

The shadow let out a silent snicer and made a show of licking its lips. Valentino sighed in relief. He was okay. The shadow saw this and took his hand. The cold pressure was a comforting weight.

 

“-ill see yo- -orm blows over- -hadow wit- -ou. Stay ind- -y love. -ust g- -ater.”

 

Valentino didn’t know for certain what he had said, but given how the shadow was making itself comfortable, curled up at his side, it seemed he had an additional companion until Alastor was able to come himself. Keeping the louse safely on the sofa and away from the storm outside. Valentino suddenly felt a bloom of warmth that vanished all the terror and chill of his stint outside.

 

Alastor was okay. He had sent his shadow to let him know.

 

He was safe.

 

“Okay... I love you. I’ll see you when the storm blows over.”

 

Valentino was reluctant to hang up, but he had no choice in the matter as it went to a dead tone. Presumably Alastor had hung up. The shadow curled around him in a cold and serpentine sort of hug. Pressing its forehead against Valentino’s and nuzzling into it. A silent comfort for both of them. Valentino remembered saying that he could feel, hear, and see everything his shadow could when it was like this. He reached up and cupped the shadow’s face.

 

“Be safe.” He said quietly.

 

The shadow nodded before it grinned at him and mischievously wriggled closer. Pressing up against him and sighing contentedly. Val smiled down at it fondly, finally daring to relax. He lay back against the couch and looked at Vox. 

 

“Still got that movie lined up?”

 

Vox looked like he was going to comment, but decided against it and looked towards the TV, the display coming to life unprompted. The shadow pressed into him a bit harder and Val wrapped a pair of arms around it.

He fell asleep halfway through the movie, but that was alright. He woke up with a blanket thrown over him and the shadow still content in his arms.

​

​

End of part 1