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She didn’t recognise anything at home anymore. Everything was worn, crumbling and covered in ash. Some parts of the house such as lightshades and cupboards had giant holes as if they had lost a fight with a horrific fire. Ashes were so abundant that she raised her eyebrows to see even the faintest hint of colour among them, and as she walked, they crunched under her dainty female feet. All was cold as death, so much so that she shivered every now and again.
She explored every room, calling out for him. No answers came. It was so quiet, desolate, thick with despair, that she couldn’t even hear a whisper of wind. The only sounds were her footsteps and her own desperate voice.
“ Valentino! Where are you, baby? Valentino? “
Now it was dawning on her that he was gone. He had been taken by the fire. He was dead, so why was she even here? How could she be so stupid? Not remember?
“ Thea...? “
But suddenly, she heard a familiar voice was coming from right behind her. She whirled around and saw a tall shadow with glowing red eyes. It was shaped exactly like him, but no, it wasn’t him. She had a way of telling.
“ Val? “ she asked hopefully, walking meekly towards him, but he raised a hand and slapped her across the face. She was sent flying into a wall, not into his arms. She turned to him, absolutely shocked to her core.
“ don’t act like you fucking care now, slut! “ he hissed and spat, “ you left me here to die! You left me! “.
“ I-I didn’t! I swear! “ she gasped, tears running down, “ I had no idea- “.
But she was interrupted once more as he stomped towards her. His boot came down upon her chest and knocked her to the ground. He then slammed it down on her stomach, making her hack harshly in pain. It came down again and again and again until she was screaming, then he kicked her in the side and knocked her onto her front. He grabbed her rose red hair and forced her to face his angry eyes.
“ I can’t believe how unfaithful you are! “ he shouted in her face, “ the least you could’ve done was be there to save me, but where were you?!! Why?!! I burned to death here because you weren’t there! “.
“ baby, why are you- “
“ NO! SHUT UP! “
Another face slap before she grabbed her shirt collar and pulled her onto her back.
“ you fucking bitch! You treasonous mujer fatal! You disgusting cunt! I HATE YOU! I SHOULD NEVER HAVE KISSED A USED-UP STREET WHORE LIKE YOU! “
Bullets of saliva hit her face as he degraded her. Tears shot from her screwed-up eyes. Next thing, she was being held down by the four-armed creature and held down against the dirty, burnt floor; the upper two were holding her wrists and the lower two pressed down on her waist.
“ you can’t do shit except fuck, can you? “ he started to smile, “ perhaps you need reminding of your only purpose! Come on, Thea! GIMME A GOOD TIME! “.
She screamed as his fingers started to unhook her pants. “ NO! NO! VALENTINO, PLEASE STOP IT! VAL, PLEASE! “
———
Thea Moreno-Corazon snapped her eyes open before anything else could happen. She was back in that lightless bedroom, and fortunately, she wasn’t alone. Behind her was her husband of three years, Valentino, the overlord who controlled the movie industry, asleep with his back to her and his wings wrapped around himself self-protectively despite the thick sheet over their bodies.
It was a warm night in Pentagram City. Nobody was out at this time, not a creature stirring. Supposedly, sinners who had already died before needed rest too. She and Val always slept side by side, Thea wearing a beautiful silken pyjama number, dull periwinkle with long pants and sleeves, and Valentino just some black cotton pants. He never wore a shirt, being in Hell and all, but he had been advised by Thea not to wear just shorts or a thong like he usually did, knowing the things it did to her.
“ Thea? “
Thea turned back around, and this time, she did see Valentino. He was sat up, wings now draped over his shoulders.
“ hey “ he said softly, “ you okay, muñeca...? “.
She shook her head, “ n-n-nightmare… “.
His expression softened from confusion to concern, and he wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close. “ it's alright, baby. It was just that. Just a nightmare. “ he sighed, “ I'm here. I've got you... “. His wife pressed her head against his broad, bare chest, listening intently for the sound that always gave her comfort: his heartbeat. There it was, faint and steady but still there.
“ do you wanna tell me what happened? “ he murmured into her ear.
She nodded and pulled away to face him, placing a hand on his shoulder. “ I-I dreamed that our house w-was all burnt and abandoned… And then… And then I saw… A shadow of you… H-He was so mad… And he said I abandoned you to die… “.
His expression fell. “ a shadow of me? “ he murmured, “ that’s all it was, Thea. A shadow, not me. That nightmare’s just trying to fuck with you. I would never blame you for shit like that, least of all the thing that killed me. “.
The ladybird clung tightly onto him like a teddy. “ do you… Care about my past? “ she meekly questioned.
“ well, yeah. “ he responded, “ your past is, like, a part of you, isn’t it? It makes you who you are, and I love all the things that make you- “ but he stopped when he saw Thea’s face change; now she looked horrified. “ why ask? “ he enquired curiously.
“ so you care that I was a… Used-up street whore? “
Valentino’s face churned with disgust. Doubtlessly, this shadow in her nightmare must’ve called her that to tear out her heart, to make her question her worth to him. It was true that in those olden days, Thea was a hooker, but she had been forced into the business by an abusive kidnapper and she thoroughly despised it all. They had spent their past lives together, so Valentino knew that well. While he did care about her past as he couldn’t begin to imagine what shit she went though in all those years, he also cared when others said vile things about her when they saw her with him. All that really mattered? The here and now, both of them together for eternity, even in the desolate, despair-heavy world of Hell.
“ don’t ever call yourself that again. “ he hissed.
Thea winced, tears building up and threatening to spill over her face. “ but I’m not wrong, am I? I’ve slept with so many men for years until I met you! Years! Why would you not care about that? Why would you want someone like me? “.
Valentino gently tucked a stray strand of blood red hair behind her ear, his touch as tender as his voice, " Thea, don’t start. No, I can never imagine what you've been through, but I don't care about your past because of those other men. I care because you needed my help. What matters to me is who you are now. “
He pulled the shorter woman in, their faces just a meter apart.
“ and who you are is mine. Who you are… Is beautiful~ “
His lips collided with hers, sweet as berries. Thea gave a vulnerable whimper and then… Then came the tears. Valentino leaned back against the soft headboard and allowed her to lie on his chest again, where she sniffed and hicced as quietly as she could so as to keep the other Vees in their respective chambers asleep and undisturbed. Valentino stroked her back slowly, a sensation she liked.
“ ssssh… Esta bien… “ he whispered warmly, “ I’m not going anywhere… “.
“ promise…? “ Thea sniffled, looking up at Valentino with garnet eyes twinkling with tears.
“ I promise with all of me, baby. “ Valentino hugged her waist with his second pair of arms, squeezing once gently before letting her roll back onto her patch of the bed. Laid on her back, Thea wiped the tears from her face, the eyes they were coming from pointed at the ceiling.
“ I don’t deserve you… “
She was right. She didn’t deserve such a rich, powerful, sexy man, one who actually cared about her in the slightest. She was a ran-though tramp. The man who poached her in life called her so, and he told her to just get used to it if she ever wanted to “ see her daddy again “, a promise empty as a church on weekdays. She never saw her father for the rest of her life, or her mother who died of heart complications. Those weren’t even her real parents. Her real parents were never there for as long as she could remember.
And as for that… That shadow of her husband, he was right about one thing: she could’ve been there to save him from the house fire that stole him from her. Maybe she should’ve been there. Maybe then they wouldn’t be here in literal Hell, where it smelled like scummy trash and they had to worry about psychos around every corner of the street and find new work with a egomaniacal clanker, a loudmouthed Leggy doll and an attention whore harpy.
“ babe? “ she heard Valentino coo, “ I said, “ why not? “. “.
She turned back to him and murmured, “ oh, nothing. “.
“ come on, mariquita~! Enlighten daddy. Why don’t you think you deserve a man like me? “
“ I was… “ she stammered, not wanting to entertain this and worry her husband, “ I was being… Um… “.
“ you’re being modest right now. “ he snickered, reaching a finger out and swirling it on her cheek. She couldn’t hold a smile back as she pushed his hand away.
“ cause it’s time for bed! “
“ no, not yet~! “
And before Thea could ask him what he meant, Val pulled her in closer and wrapped his arms around her again. His mouth landed on the side of her neck and softly smooched.
“ just wanna make sure my wife’s safe and warm… “
Thea chuckled and pulled away, “ baby, don’t! “.
Growling with lust, Valentino made his fingers caress her sides under her shirt. She squeaked and bit her lip, but not in arousal.
“ n-n-no! Please, baby! You wouldn’t dare! “ she warned, trying to squirm away.
Seeing his wife cowering under his touch, even the gentlest scrapes against her pearly pink skin, only led Valentino on. With devilry and hunger in his eyes, he grazed his long golden nails up and down her sides, feather-light, testing and teasing. She chuckled between grinned teeth and pursed lips, and she wrapped her arms around herself. The other Vees were asleep and unaware at this time of night, and all of them had work tomorrow! Valentino, however, didn’t care. He loved to put his hands all over his wife, and he loved tickling her. With a swift and unexpected motion, he rolled atop her, pinning her down under his ass. His lower two hands unbuttoned her pyjama shirt and parted it to show her flat, silken stomach. Before Thea could get a word out, he then began to gently rake his fingers up and down it. With one hand, Thea blocked her mouth and squealed like a banshee in protest.
Giggling himself at this spectacle below him, Val swatted her hand off her mouth to hear those lovely notes she was singing against her will, and moved his upper two hands to her palms and pin her down, their fingers interlocking. Whenever she laughed hard enough, she made adorable if faint chittering sounds. Her belly was a terrible tickle area, just not as bad as her soles, and Valentino was a voyeur of beautiful bodies so he knew that. Why was Valentino doing this to her, and after she had just woken up in tears from that nasty nightmare?
“ nohohohoho, stahahahahap! Hahahahahaha! I can’t take- Hahahahaha! “
“ trust me, chuchita. I’m helping you out here. Aren't ya gonna thank me for it? “
“ nahahahahaha! “
Valentino snickered and shook his head as he continued his fun, tracing lazy, directionless patterns against the sensitive skin of her belly and occasionally teasing with gentle pinches and taps. He would also burrow his fingers into her underarms then drag down with a painful slowness back to her tummy and sides. Next, he stuck a finger in her belly button. Thea arched her back and lost all control of her volume.
“ IYAHAHAHAHAHA! NO, VAHAHAHAHAL! NOHOHOHOHOT THEHEHEHEHERE! HAHAHAHAHA! “ she whined, “ I HAHAHAHAHATE YOU! “.
Valentino laughed heartily at her failure to be nice and quiet tonight. “ whatever you tell yourself, mariquita. “ he cajoled, “ your body doesn’t see to hate me, though~! “.
“ GEHEHEHEHHET OHOHOHOHOFF! AHAHAHAHAHA! THAHAHAHAT TIHIHIHIHICKLES! “
" but you're so sexy like this~! " Val replied, honeyed.
“ VAHAHAHAHAL! STAHAHAHAHAP! PLEEHEEHEEHEASE NOHOHOHOT THERE! “
Valentino’s index finger squirmed like a worm in her little innie, no wall untouched. It was wonderfully fascinating how playing with such a little area could drive her this mental. It stirred up a few ideas in Valentino. He plucked out his finger and let up his tickling to let Thea recollect herself, but just when she did, he lowered his head down until his mouth hovered just above her belly button, then blew a soft and small raspberry.
“ EEHEEHEEHEEHEEP! “ the ladybird’s head snapped back and she screeched again like a kettle on crack. She hated being raspberried so much, she might’ve just pissed herself right then and there. She kicked her legs like a spoiled child, making the blanket brisket thunderously.
“ AHAHAHAHAHAHA! PLEEHEEHEASE DON’T DO THIHIHIHIHIS! I’LL DOHOHOHO ANYTHIHIHIHING! “
“ promise to never, and I mean NEVER talk about yourself like that again? “
“ OKAY, OKAY! “ cried Thea, “ I’M NOHOHOHOT A WHOHOHOHORE! I’M NOHOHOHOT! HIHIHIHAHAHAHAHA! “.
“ good girl. Just a few more bites of this tasty li’l tummy and I’ll stop. “
“ WHAHAHAHAHAT?!! “ she cried, exasperated and horrified.
Then came a trail of gentle but persistent raspberries along her upper abdomen from Valentino, clearly having too much fun with this. Thea’s poor belly bounced rapidly under his supple mulberry lips and she squeezed Valentino’s hands in desperation.
“ PLEASE! PLEASE, MIHIHIHI TODOHOHOHO! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I LOVE YOHOHOHOHOU! “ Thea was screaming bloody murder now, “ I’M NOHOHOHOHOT A WHOHOHOHORE ANYMOHOHOHORE! I’M NOHOHOT WOHOHOHORTHLEHEHEHEHESS! “.
He finally pulled back again to let his girl catch her breath. He grabbed her open pyjama shirt and tenderly and slowly buttoned it back up.
“ now, if I ever catch you calling yourself such vile things again, “ he frowned, “ we’ll be doing this again for an hour, and I’ll be going for those sexy little feet of yours too. “.
Thea’s heart plummeted at the mention of it. “ no… You monster…! “ she whispered.
With a nasty look that meant business, Valentino rolled off of her and shuffled back under the blanket. She followed before allowing him to embrace her.
“ but I meant what I said, Thea. It pisses me off when I hear you talk about yourself like that. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t wanna be a whore, and you’re never a whore to me or any such bullshit. “ he sighed and pressed a soft kiss on Thea’s head.
“ you’re right, Val. I’m sorry… “
“ no, you don't have to be sorry. Just don’t put yourself down. It breaks my heart to hear you say those things, even if you heard them from a nightmare or… Him. “
Thea winced at the implications of that man, then nodded in understanding.
“ see? If I saw you as a mere whore or some used product, I would never have fallen for you. I would never have married you, and certainly not even in Hell here. When I said my vows to you, I poured my entire heart and soul into my voice. Could you feel it? “
She smiled widely at her husband, “ y-yes! “.
“ so never doubt how much I love you, okay? “
“ I love you too, mi todo… “ and with a yawn, she lay her head on his plump pecs. Her eyes flickered, and then…
———
The next day, the couple were strutting around the V-tower when they passed by Vox Whittman.
“ you two. “ he huffed, “ I couldn’t get any sleep last night because of your hysterics. “.
Thea’s eyes bulged. “ w-what hysterics? “ she played dumb.
“ don’t lie to me, Thea. You were screaming like crazy for some reason in the dead of night. What? Were you having some horrific nightmare or something? “
“ something of the sort. “ Valentino casually chimed in, “ and I was just comforting her like a good man should do! “.
Vox looked at him blankly, then walked off on his own way, a million questions buzzing in his head. As she watched him go, Thea suddenly felt ten possessive fingers close around her shoulders and another ten more around her belly.
“ n-no! Not in public! “
“ relax, amorcita! No more tickling! “ Val chuckled, “ just reminding you who you belong to! “
His lower arms snaked around her waist, and he picked her up with the ease of a stuffed dolly and spun her around once. Thea giggled with bliss and when her feet settled on the ground, she grabbed onto Val’s shoulders in turn and puckered up. They kissed one another intently.
Indeed, Thea Moreno and Valentino Corazon were both so devoted to each other that it seemed they were born to be one, even in the deepest, darkest pits of the underworld. They could find love anywhere with each other, and they hoped that it would stay that way for all eternity…