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“Together, Señor Sangreal and Dalia Decarabia have gathered considerable power in the Doomsday District over the last decade. They demand to be recognized as fellow Overlords, so-”
Vox barely listened as Carmine talked; he was looking at Alastor. He wasn’t alone in that; half the Overlords around the table were focusing on Carmine and the other half were staring at the deer. They were all thinking about it, Vox knew:
The Radio Demon is sleeping with the Devil.
The news had been everywhere the last two weeks. Every TV-channel, news-site, even the out-of-date newspapers had covered the story. It was discussed on every platform in Hell. After releasing all the images he’d collected, Vox had done his part to stoke the flame, and steer the story in the direction they’d wanted. It had been easy at first. People were quick to believe the worst of their fellow demons; after all, they were in Hell.
But then, three days ago, the king had hit back. Lucifer had confirmed the rumors, officially declared that he was indeed seeing the Radio Demon, and that very night, the two was out on their first official date. Now, the public was split in hundreds of fractions; one demon was condemning the relationship, another was making wild conspiracy-theories, while yet another was making scrapbooks of outfits for their possible wedding.
Alastor himself was seemingly completely engrossed in Carmine’s points about the possible additions to their ranks. In fact, he was way more interested than Vox had seen him be at a meeting before; the Radio Demon asked questions, came with suggestions, and was acting like there was nothing he wanted more than see the new blood join them. But he had to notice. Had to feel the stares, the questions hanging in the air.
How did it happen? And what will it mean for the rest of us?
The long absent king was taking an interest in his kingdom once more; a new player had appeared on the board, and he was powerful enough to cause trouble for the Overlords that had had free reign of the city in his absence. Vox knew some of his fellows around the table had tried to approach the king and get on his good side. Therian had visited the hotel, Mr. Metamorph had introduced himself ... since nothing had come of it, they’d tried to keep it secret, but Vox was dealing in information; he’d found out.
And then, seemingly out of nowhere, the Radio Demon had become part of the king’s inner circle. Not with deals and agreements, not as a colleague or an underling ... but as his lover.
‘My partner’, the king had called Alastor when he announced it. His business partner, as they worked together on that ridiculous hotel. His dancing partner, if the glitchy footage from the Lust Ring was to believed. His partner in ... everything. Vox had seen it; seen Alastor bend down to kiss the king, seen Lucifer put his arm around Alastor’s waist, seen Alastor smile true, real smiles for the devil.
They had closed the curtains on their bedroom window now.
Vox stared at Alastor.
What does he do to you? The thought of Lucifer undressing Alastor, seeing what no one else had seen, touching what no one else had touched. It was torture to think about. Alastor had willingly spread his legs for the devil, let the fallen angel take him to bed. What sort of sounds did he make when the king fucked him?
Vox could picture so clearly. The king’s hands smoothing over fur damp with sweat, leaving bitemarks and hickeys that would be hidden under a red suit. Alastor’s hair fanned out on the pillow, ears pinned back, gasping in pleasure; moaning, whimpering, whining like the damned whore he was after all!
Vox felt nails digging into his leg. When he looked down at Velvette beside him, she was glaring. She had insisted he’d not go alone to this meeting, worried he’d make a scene and embarrass them. It was ridiculous; he didn’t need a damn babysitter! Valentino might make a scene in public, act before thinking; Vox could control himself. The whole problem with Alastor had never been in the public’s eye anyway, he’d kept it locked away and hidden.
He’d had it under control.
Alright. Perhaps he’d overreacted a bit when he learned that the Radio Demon was back; going live to shit-talk him hadn’t been the best idea, especially when Alastor had hit back and caused a citywide black-out. But after that, he’d kept it under wraps, he’d just watched, gathered footage, possible blackmail, glitchy pictures he would stare at night after night ...
He’d had it under control. He’d made peace with how things had turned out, he’d accepted it, it had all been fine. He’d never have Alastor, and that was fine, because Alastor was ... unattainable. No one could have him. That thought had been a poor comfort, but still. Alastor would never belong to anyone. So, it was fine, fine, really. It had to be fine.
Until the devil had snatched him away. And Alastor had let him.
It had all crashed down. It meant Alastor was capable of loving, he was willing share a bed, he could say yes ... just not to Vox. Vox hadn’t been good enough, rich enough, powerful enough- Everyone was a whore for the right price, Valentino had said. It turned out Alastor wasn’t an exception, just that his price was so damn high only the devil himself could afford him.
“Vox,” Velvette hissed. “Stop your glitching.”
Fuck, he was getting too agitated. Some of the Overlords were looking at him instead of Carmine or Alastor now. Vox took a deep breath, and tried to relax into the chair.
“Sangreal has been speaking for both of them; explaining that they are a team, but two thirds of the souls belong to Decarabia alone.” Carmine looked at the Overlords around the table. “What are your thoughts?”
“We’re really doing this?” Therian asked.
“What?”
“We’re really sitting here talking about acknowledging new Overlords, while not acknowledging the damn power shift that will impact all of us?”
Carmine frowned. “What are you talking about?”
Therian turned to glare at Alastor. “I’d say getting in bed with the king is quite the way to expand your power. Isn’t it, Radio Demon?”
Alastor just smiled his usual smile. “What are you trying to say, Therian?”
“You’re sitting there, pretending your influence and power aren’t doubled- no, tripled, now that you’ve wrapped the king around your little finger?” Therian sneered. “This is no longer a meeting of equals.”
“My private life has nothing to do with-”
Dearil leaned across the table. “You really expect us to believe that?”
Alastor huffed. “I figured anyone with a smidge of intelligence would see the truth, and not be led by vindictive propaganda and wild speculations.” He glanced at Vox. Their eyes met for just a moment, but the Radio Demon managed to pour enough anger into that look it was a wonder Vox didn’t short-circuit.
“The truth is that no one will come after you now that you’ve got the king at your beck and call. What are you planning to do with that power now, I wonder?” Therian said.
“I have never let Lucifer fight my battles for me. And I do not intend to start now.”
“No? Is that not why you got into bed with him?”
“Excuse me?”
“Never, in all the years you’ve been down here, have you ever been interested in romance. But once the most powerful man in Hell is within reach, suddenly you change your tune?” Dearil laughed. “Are we supposed to believe you’re sincere?”
“Nah, I believe him.” Zeezi grinned. “You looked awfully cute on your date. How was the Lust Ring treating you?”
Alastor seemed to weigh if this was another insult or not, before he answered: “... delightful.”
“Enough with the chit-chat.” Carmine cut in. “This is a business meeting, not a tea-party. So-”
“You know, being an Overlord used to mean something.” Dagon said, talking over her. “All of us, sinners who’s clawed their way up over the centuries. We’re supposed to do it with our own power, not by whoring ourselves out.”
For one moment, there was a complete, frozen silence in the room. Then it was suddenly filled with radio static. Several Overlords screamed; blood ran from Therian’s ears, and he wasn’t the only one. Alastor rose from his chair, ready lunge across the table at Dagon-
“SIT DOWN, BOTH OF YOU!” Carmine slammed her hands onto the table. Dagon sat back down. Alastor stayed upright until Rosie put a hand on his arm, and gently pulled him back into his seat.
“There will be no fighting here.” Carmine glared at both of them. “These meetings are supposed to be neutral ground.” Neither Alastor nor Dagon protested. They were in Carmine’s territory, after all. “Now, let’s get back to business.”
Zeezi leaned over the table, whispering loud enough that everyone could hear; “So, how big is the king’s dick?”
Alastor turned bright red, but didn’t reply. Carmine turned her glare on Zeezi.
The dinosaur laughed. “Okay, okay, just curious.”
The rest of the meeting ran relatively smoothly; that is to say, no one made any more attempts at killing each other. No one brought up the Radio Demon’s relationship to the devil again either. When the meeting ended, Alastor didn’t stay to talk with Rosie, as he so often did, instead, he walked out right after Dagon had left the table. As soon as the door closed behind him, the remaining Overlords began to whisper. Carmine rolled her eyes, but didn’t stop them, now that the meeting was concluded.
“-don’t know who he thinks he’s fooling-”
“-but the Radio Demon never seemed the type to-”
“Please, who wouldn’t suck the king’s dick to gain power!”
It looked like several of them followed the line of thinking Vox had laid out when he first released the footage. Even if hadn’t stopped the king from dating Alastor, at least the Radio Demon had lost some respect among his fellow Overlords. Too bad they’d closed the curtains on their bedroom window; if the drones had just gotten some more spicey footage, Alastor might have been so humiliated he’d never set foot in a meeting again.
But actually seeing them fucking ... Vox almost shuddered. The thought of Alastor naked and lost in the throes of pleasure might be appealing, it was the other participant he had an issue with.
It was supposed to be me.
Maybe he could edit it? Software was getting better and better these days, the new AI-technology the most recently dead kept going on about was interesting. But he’d have to actually get some footage first, so-
“The pictures were your work, wasn’t it, Vox?” Dearil had turned to him.
Vox recalled his thoughts from certain pornographic details, and grinned. “We deal with information, eyes and ears everywhere.”
“So, what do you think-”
The bang rattled the building. Vox hurried over to the window, only to see familiar shadows whip around, and Dagon trying to dodge them. Velvette stopped arguing with Rosie, but Vox disappeared into the electrical lines before she had a chance to follow him.
Outside, Alastor had apparently caught up with Dagon, and was trying his damnedest to make sure the other Overlord would never embarrass him again. Shadows weaved back and forth, colliding with Dagon’s slimy tentacles.
Vox materialized from the line, appearing among the rubble. He barely had time to see what was going on before something slammed into him, and everything went dark. He’d clashed with Alastor enough times to recognize the shadows. Electricity crackled around him; light could fight the darkness. The shadow dissolved enough that he could see what was happening; he had appeared right beside Alastor.
The Radio Demon shot him a surprised look, apparently not having realized a new person had entered the fight. The distraction cost him; Alastor was a second too slow to dodge the next attack, and then he was slammed into a building so hard several of the windows shattered.
Dagon did not go in for another hit that surely would have landed. Perhaps he was thinking of what the devil might do if his pet deer got too badly injured. Instead, the tentacles dissolved into slime, and the demon disappeared. Alastor moved to get out of the mess of glass and rubble he’d found himself in. Without really thinking, Vox held out a hand. The Radio Demon glared at him, and Vox quickly pulled his hand back.
“W̴͉̕͜hǎ̶͓͝t do yo̵͆u ẘ̸ant̵̿̽?” Alastor spat.
“Uh-” Vox hadn’t really thought at all. He hadn’t planned to get involved in the fight, just to watch. It was strange to see Alastor so angry. When they’d fought, Alastor had been mocking, not taking him seriously. Whenever he’d noticed one of Vox’s many cameras, he’d grin and shake his head before destroying it, if he did at all. Now, just like in the meeting, the anger burned; Alastor’s smile was still there, but his eyes were dark, his voice crackling with static.
“Any more p̴̽la̵̬̒ns up your sleeve?” Alastor got to his feet. “Isn’t it enough that you’ve br̴͗o̴ã̶dca̵st my priva̶te life for all of Hell to see?”
“You should have been a more discreet, then.” Vox said.
“Oh?” Alastor stared at him. “Oh, so it’s my fault you’ve been s̵̊talking me? Gathering pictures like some obsě̶s̵̊sive freak? Did I make you and your damn gang push all those stories and make up lí̶̪es?”
“You could have taken out the drones.” It was true, wasn’t it? Alastor could have tried harder, could have destroyed every one of them. But he hadn’t taken them seriously, hadn’t taken Vox seriously.
“Those drones were just like you. No real threat, just pa̴͊th̵e̶tic little things that short-circuit and fails when it’s too much for them-”
“You were rubbing it in my face! The devil had his hands all over you, and you- you let him!”
Alastor blinked. “... let him?”
“You never let anyone touch you like that!”
“What I do with Lucifer is n̵̉̇o̴n̶̔e of your business!”
“You – you ought to thank me!” Vox screamed. “I forced his hand; he made it official! You’re not a dirty little secret anymore!”
“I was në̶́̚ve̴̓r-”
“Why all the hiding if you weren’t ashamed? If he wasn’t ashamed?! You’re just a rebound!”
For just a moment, Alastor’s ears twitched. The smile faltered, and there was a glimpse of hurt in the red eyes; then it was gone again under the usual mask. So, there was a chink in the Radio Demon’s armor. Vox kept pushing: “His marriage lasted centuries, you’ve known him for, what, a year? The moment she returns, he’ll go back to her. If he told you he’s moved on, he’s a liar.”
“Because yo̴u can’t move on?” Alastor sneered.
Vox opened his mouth to deny it, but the words wouldn’t come; the Radio Demon would see through them. He hadn’t moved on, not really. He’d thought the seven years of absence would heal the wound, but the moment Alastor returned, he brought back all the complicated feelings again. He wanted to go back; to the days when they were friends, when the smiles were real. He wanted, so badly, to kiss him, touch him, taste him, fuck him till he screamed.
He wanted to tear the damn deer apart and watch him bleed out on the street.
“You are pathetic.” Alastor said. “I told you no. It was no back then; it is still no now.”
“We could have ruled the Pride Ring together. I would have given you everything you wanted, I- I still can-” Vox reached out, trying to take Alastor’s hand, but the Radio Demon moved away.
“Do you think you’re endearing yourself to me? Do you think this disgusting smear-campaign would make me come running to you? How delusional are you?”
“WHY!? Why him and not me!?” He lunged forward, grabbing Alastor’s wrist before he could get away.
“Do̵̎n̶’t to̴u̶̐͐c̴h me̶̚!” Sharp teeth dug into Vox’s arm; blood spilled out onto the street.
Vox screamed and released his grip on Alastor, but the Radio Demon just sank his teeth deeper, tearing at the flesh. Cabels snapped, screws hit the ground, and with a sickening crack, the bone splintered. Vox sank to his knees, panting as he cradled the bleeding arm stump.
“What the fuck is going on!?” Velvette came running towards them.
Alastor gagged as he spat out the arm, as if Vox left some foul taste in his mouth. “You know, one of Lucifer’s good points, is that he actually understands what the word ‘no’ means.” He tossed the bloodied stump on the ground. “Goodbye!”
“You- ahg – fuck you, Alastor!”
“Vox, calm your cables!” Velvette kneeled beside him, peeling back what remained of his sleeve. “Fucking hell. Can’t take my eyes of you for five minutes, can I?” She grimaced and picked up the arm-stump with two fingers. “We can stitch it back on. Or get you a new one. Let’s get out of here before Carmine sends someone after us; we’re still in her territory, and she doesn’t like people fighting here.”
Velvette pulled Vox up from the ground, and reluctantly let him lean on her. Blood got smeared onto her jacket, and she cursed. Vox barely heard what she was saying; he watched as Alastor walked away. The Radio Demon turned around a corner, and then he was out of view.