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Valentine's Day. Approximately three months after Vox lost practically everything. He sends nothing this year, it doesn't even cross his mind to, not after…well, all of that.
Instead he's laying on the couch, eyes staring at the ceiling and trying not to think about Alastor when he suddenly hears movement in the corner. Ha, he knew Val would come begging for him eventually. Couldn't look too pathetic and desperate though. “Not in the mood, Val.”
“That's too bad, should I leave then?”
“Alastor-!” He jumps off the couch, electricity crackling from his hands. “How the fuck did you get in here?”
“Those two aren't as good at surveillance as you. Is that really surprising?”
Vox frowns but doesn’t argue. Even with his new body he'd been more withdrawn. More prone to disappearing for days at a time. Who knew who was checking the cameras at this point. “The fuck do you want, Al? Come to get revenge? Gonna kill me? Go right ahead.” He holds his arms out and Alastor just laughs.
“Don't you know the date today? I didn't get my usual present.”
There's a pause before Vox starts practically choking on his laughter. “You- You really expected a gift this year- The fuck is wrong with you?”
“Vox, you've sent one for the last seventy odd years without a break.” He rolls his eyes and steps closer. “You expect me to believe you're over it now?”
“Yes? Yes?! I tried to permakill you, was that not the first clue?!” He's digging his claws into his palms and trying not to cry. “How fucking emotionally stunted can you be?”
Alastor is quiet for a moment. He’d believed that maybe Vox didn’t have a body yet, that maybe he didn’t have the…ability to send the usual gift. Once again he’s been surprised by the other. Not that he really believes Vox is over this. Or at least he’s going to make sure he’s not. “Vincent..”
“Don’t you dare. Don’t you fucking dare!”
“Come now, I brought you a present. Don’t be rude.”
Vox stares at him, like he’s not quite sure how to respond. Alastor hadn’t ever gotten him anything. He knows on some level he’s fucking with him, but…he’s going through some amount of effort to do it and that’s…romantic in its own way. He definitely didn’t just think that word. “...what is it?”
“I’m not sure I want to give it to you now,” Alastor says flippantly.
“Al.” It comes out as more of a whine than he intended, but Alastor seems pleased by the tone.
“Well, alright. If you’re going to beg.” Before Vox can argue with that a body is thrown at his feet. A headless body. His headless body.
“What the fuck?” It’s a half whisper and he kneels down to put a hand on his own arm. It feels…warm. He immediately removes the hand and feels a sickness deep in his stomach. “Why do you have this? Why is it still…” He trails off, unsure how he should phrase it.
“Fresh? I have my methods.”
“Do I really need to ask why again?”
Alastor laughs and walks over to sit on the couch, crossing his legs. “Dear, they’ve really been keeping you hidden away. I thought maybe you’d need it.” He pulls a cigarette out of a silver case and holds it out for Vox to light. He doesn’t. Alastor eventually tuts and pulls out his lighter. “Of course, I knew you’d regenerate eventually, but with that awful embarrassment you went through… Who was to know how long that might take?”
“Embarrassment? You piece of shit! Get out! Clearly I don’t need it!” Vox stands fully and kicks the body right in the side. The stupid, worthless, pathetic body that lost him everything. His screen glitches and he kicks it again, harder this time. Alastor just takes a long drag of his cigarette and makes no motion to leave.
“It really is almost impressive how quickly you’ve recovered.”
Vox kicks the body one more time before Alastor’s words register. “Impressive?”
“Almost.”
He scoffs and walks over to his liquor shelf to grab a bottle of rye, trying to ignore the body splayed in the middle of the floor. Vox takes a quick swig from the bottle as he moves to sit on the opposite end of the black leather couch. Hesitates a moment before holding the bottle out. Alastor takes it without comment, taking a long drink before handing it back.
“...why are you really here, Al?”
“Does there need to be a deeper reason?”
“Yes? Fucking- I don’t know.”
They sit in silence for a good ten minutes, passing the bottle and soon a second cigarette between them. Vox breaks the silence first. He always seems to break first. “I don’t have a heart to give you this year… I can’t just call someone up, those assholes are monitoring all my shit like I’m some grounded teenager.”
“And you’re letting them?”
“The fuck else am I gonna do? They’ve taken over the business.”
Alastor hums and puts out the cigarette, scooting closer so he can put a hand on Vox’s shoulder. “You could take it back.”
Vox’s eyes are staring at Alastor’s hand. He should call him a creep. Should shake him off. Instead he presses into it. “How am I supposed to do that?”
“You can stop drowning in self pity for starters.”
“What’s it even matter to you?”
Alastor removes his hand and takes the bottle again, shrugging before taking a drink. “I’ve put a lot of work into you, Vincent. It’s disappointing if you let it end here.”
“Work? What is- The fuck is that supposed to mean?”
“Don’t play dumb. You didn’t become an Overlord all on your own.”
“Yes I did! Are you really trying to take credit for that shit?!”
Alastor scoots closer and Vox feels his throat tighten. “All those fights you used to get into when you first got here. All those fights you won. You really thought it was all you?”
Vox can feel himself overheating. He’s not sure if it’s Alastor’s closeness or the words themselves. “That’s… You’re making shit up again.”
“Am I?”
Vox grabs the bottle back and chugs. Tries to focus on the burn in his throat. Alastor puts a hand on the bottle and lowers it from his mouth. “Don’t get stupidly drunk, you still owe me a heart.”
“I already fucking told you I don’t have one.”
“You have one right there.” Alastor is pointing at the body on the floor and Vox glitches.
“I’m not- You can’t have my heart.”
“Why not? You know it’s mine anyway.”
Vox lets out a choked laugh. “You’re such a piece of shit. You know what? Fine. Take it. Eat the whole damn body, I don’t need it.” He’s about to take another drink but the bottle is plucked from his hands. “Sure, Al. Take my liquor too.”
There’s suddenly a hand on his thigh and Vox feels like his skin is on fire. “Aren’t you going to get it for me?”
“Get it?”
“The heart, dear. You aren’t going to make me cut it out myself, are you?”
His fans are out of control and he’s struggling to think of a proper response. “No… No I wouldn’t do that.” Fuck. He was never getting over this was he? He moves to put a hand on top of Alastor’s and the hand on his thigh is immediately pulled away. Of course.
“I’m waiting.”
“You dick.” It comes out as a half whine but Vox is immediately moving to kneel at his old body. He places a hand on his chest now and realizes with some horror that the heart is still beating. “How-”
“I told you, I have my ways.”
“Fuck.” Vox’s breathing is more shallow now. There’s not a good way to describe looking down at your own body and getting ready to cut it open. Alastor is staring at him, looking positively famished, and that’s all he needs to move forward. He digs his claw in to make an incision under his rib cage. He reaches under the sternum and pulls the heart out, bloody and somehow still beating in his hands. “Seriously, how?”
Alastor laughs, it’s tinged deep with hunger. “The power of love?”
“Oh, fuck off.” Vox is unsteady, walking over on his knees and holding the heart up to Alastor like an offering. The enormity of what he’s giving him isn’t lost on him, but really it was just a physical representation of everything he’d offered Alastor already. The other hadn’t been wrong when he’d claimed it was his and there was no point in trying to deny it anymore. Especially not after he’d almost killed everyone over him.
The difference now was that Alastor was actually accepting it. He actually wanted it. Vox had lost any hope of being able to step away, was giving the man something he’d never be able to take back, and Alastor knew it.
When Alastor leans down and licks it, the heart stutters in response. Vox feels like he might pass out.
“Fuck, Al-”
“Not just yet.”
Vox's antenna surge with electricity and the entire room goes dark for several seconds. “Careful, you're going to alert your little friends.”
Alastor decides to stop playing with his food and takes a bite directly from Vox's hands. Vox is looking at him like he’d do absolutely anything he asks and he feels a warmth building in his stomach that isn’t entirely unpleasant.
He immediately leans down to eat the rest, grabbing Vox's wrists and licking every last drop of blood from his claws. The taste is divine and Alastor wants more, desperately wants more of him. It’s sharp and sudden and he tries hopelessly to push the need back down somewhere he won’t have to think about it.
Vox, on the other hand, isn't trying to hide anything. He doesn’t care what Alastor's game is anymore, he just wants. Wants so deeply that he can feel it in his bones. When Alastor is done his hands fall down to the other's thighs and he can't help but notice the obvious bulge in front of his face. “You're hard- Shit, Al… I've never seen you hard before.”
Alastor lets off a burst of feedback at that. It doesn't turn Vox off in the slightest. “Was my heart that good, baby?” He’s getting some degree of confidence back, gripping Alastor’s thighs. Not only had the other wanted his heart but it had gotten him like this? Vox is practically panting now. “God, Al, you can have this one too if you want it.”
“Really?” He’s grabbing the side of Vox’s screen, forcing him to look up at him. “Will you cut that one out yourself too?”
“Anything. Just let me touch you first. Please?” His hands are already moving to Alastor’s belt. Vox pauses only for a second, expecting Alastor to stop him. When he doesn’t he wastes no time pulling out the other’s cock and just staring at it like it’s a holy relic. Alastor has to clear his throat to remind Vox to do something with it.
“Sorry, it’s just- I didn’t think I’d get this far.”
“Dear, I’m starting to get bored.”
Vox sparks, electricity traveling to his fingers as he quickly moves to jerk the other off. Alastor’s body immediately responds to the current and Vox looks panicked. “Fuck, I didn’t mean to-”
“Do that again.”
“What?”
“Vox.”
He immediately sends another jolt and the moan that comes out of Alastor almost makes him instantly cum in his pants. “God, you're beautiful, Al.”
Alastor just raises an eyebrow at him, hips moving up to match Vox's hand motions. He releases another jolt before immediately taking Alastor's cock in his mouth. Valentino had always praised the things he could do with his mouth and if the sounds escaping Alastor are anything to go by he'd probably agree with him.
He eventually pulls away and the burst of feedback he gets in response makes his stomach flip. “Shh. I got you, Al. Don't wanna finish before I get inside you, yeah?” Vox is finally pulling out his own dick with a shuddering sigh and Alastor balks.
“Dear, why is it bigger?”
“New body, new mods?”
“You're telling me you've been sitting around ignoring your own company, half suicidal, and you still gave yourself a bigger…” He gestures at him and lets out another laugh. “I suppose you do have more to compensate for.”
“You- God, fuck you. I should just leave you like this.”
“We both know you won't. How long have you wanted this, exactly?”
Vox wants to argue, instead he grabs a packet of lube from his back pocket.
“You were prepared?”
“I thought maybe Val would-”
Alastor grabs Vox's screen so hard that he lets out a yelp. “Don't you dare talk about him right now.”
“Why? You jealous?” Vox is shaking with how much he wants Alastor to be jealous. He pulls the other's pants down fully and pulls him towards him. “Don't worry, babe. You're the only one for me.”
“Get on with it,” Alastor practically growls. Vox lubes up his fingers so quickly he drops the packet on the floor. He ignores it and shoves two fingers in at once. Alastor shudders.
“Yeah, you like that? Fuck, you want me so bad don’t you?”
“Vox-” He's about to insult him, instead he releases a throaty moan when Vox shoves in a third finger. Honestly, he may as well not be prepping him at all at this point.
Vox grabs the packet of lube with his free hand and squeezes the rest of it on his cock. He pulls his fingers out of Alastor's ass as he moves off his knees, realizing now that Alastor half hanging off the couch likely wasn't going to work for actual sex.
“Shit, hold on.” He picks him up with his wires, stroking his own cock as he moves to drop him haphazardly on the bed. Alastor lets out a noise of protest but it's ignored as Vox immediately positions himself and shoves it in fully with no hesitation. A choked gasp escapes him, hands grabbing at Vox's jacket.
“Damn- Y-You- You feel so good-” Vox is thrusting unevenly, his whole body is shaking. His eyes move to Alastor's face and he forces himself to stop moving, unable to read the expression. “Are you- It's good, right? Tell me it's good?” He looks like he might cry and Alastor can't help but laugh.
“Do you- Do you really need a pep talk to get through this? You've always been such a needy thing.” His voice is more breathless than he'd like, but keeping it steady when he was this full doesn't seem possible, even for him.
“You're such a bitch.” Vox thrusts into him harshly and Alastor lets out another gasp. He gets a momentum going after that, his thrusts getting rougher when he realizes that's what Alastor responds to the most.
He releases another current of electricity into him when he feels himself getting close. He refuses to be the one to cum first, but the moan that comes out of Alastor's throat is the most goddamn perfect thing he's ever heard.
“Baby, cum for me.”
“You'll have to do better than that-” Alastor's voice is shaky despite his words and Vox is starting to think he really made it to heaven after all. He ups the voltage in the next shock and the sounds Alastor makes immediately send him over the edge. He releases several more shocks as he cums, one of them eventually strong enough to get Alastor climaxing as well. He can feel his release soaking through his shirt.
“Fuck Al, I love you. I love you so much.” Vox realizes with horror that he has started crying at some point, hands gripping Alastor’s shoulders. He'd be more embarrassed by the words themselves, but Alastor has already eaten his literal heart out of his hands. He leans in to finally kiss him and Alastor turns his head away.
“Get off me, Vox.”
“But-”
Alastor's eyes flash and Vox pulls out and unsteadily pulls up his pants. His eyes dart around the room while Alastor dresses, like he isn't sure what to do with himself. He only looks at him again when he hears the flick of a lighter. He watches him inhale the cigarette, sitting back on the couch, and of course he looks completely nonplussed. Like nothing had happened at all.
He silently moves to sit on the couch again too, grabbing the liquor bottle and taking a long drink. “Was it…” He clears his throat. “Y'know.”
Alastor rolls his eyes. If Vox wanted to hear him sing his praises he wasn’t going to get that. “I finished, didn't I?”
“Yeah… Yeah.” Maybe Vox had just needed that last drink. He puts the bottle back down and scoots closer, so his leg is pressed against Alastor’s. “Al, you looked so good…”
“Do you really need to continue with this? You've had me, Vox. Give it a rest.” Alastor is bristling and Vox just presses closer, grabbing the cigarette. They sit in silence for another several minutes before Vox speaks again.
“...You were lying before, right?”
“About?”
“Helping me win those fights back then? I don't remember you ever being there.”
Alastor looks down at their legs, still pressed together. He considers moving. Doesn't. “People don't pay very much attention to their shadows.”
“Oh.”
Vox hands the cigarette back before his hands eventually move to start unbuttoning his shirt.
“What are you doing?”
He has that look of neverending devotion on his face again and Alastor forces himself to swallow. “I promised you this heart too.”
Alastor’s eyes are suddenly wild. “I thought that was just to get me into bed.”
“Like you said before, it's yours anyway. Any version.”
There's an unexpected hunger in Alastor's chest that's throwing him off balance. He puts out his cigarette and places a hand on top of the others to stop him. He realizes vaguely that he may want it too much, that if he doesn't distance himself he won't be any better off than Vox is. “Not…not this year.”
“Why not?”
“There's still an entire body to eat. It won't stay fresh now that the heart is gone.”
“Right…” His eyes fall back to the body on the floor. “Let me just-” Vox is sliding to his knees again, kneeling at the body and cutting a piece of flesh from the side, just under the gills. He carries it back to Alastor almost as reverently as he had the heart. Alastor’s breath hitches and he realizes he’s still in danger of being the vulnerable one here. It was time to put Vox in his place again. Perhaps a little more gently this time.
“I want to see you eat some first.”
“...What?”
“Serving yourself to me on a platter isn’t anything new, dear. Why don’t you show me you’ll really do anything for me?” Alastor laughs and props his chin on his hands.
Vox looks down, looks up. Self cannibalism was fucked up even by Alastor's standards. Not to mention he'd already gotten off. There was no incentive for this, unless- “Only if you let me kiss you,” he blurts out, entire face lighting up.
And Alastor can't help but laugh again at that. Harshly. All that and Vox was still begging for a kiss of all things. “You pathetic little thing. Fine.”
Vox immediately takes a bite, no hesitation. Alastor could call him whatever he wanted because he was getting everything he wanted today. No matter what embarrassing and degrading thing he had to engage in. What did it matter when he'd been ready to kill himself three months ago? Hell, more accurately, when he'd been ready to kill himself that morning.
And well, Alastor was still at a disadvantage here, because his breath is still stuck in his throat. “How's it taste?” He finally gets out, voice raspy.
“Bitter.” Vox looks sick as he holds the piece of flesh out for him and Alastor takes it wholly in his mouth. He isn't wrong, it is much more bitter than other sinner meat he's had, likely because of Vox's less biological parts. He still finds himself craving more. Wonders vaguely if Vox's heart has given him some kind of infection.
Then Vox is suddenly standing over him, hands on his shoulders. “...yes, dear?”
“The kiss.” He wastes no time leaning down and pressing his lips to Alastor's. It can only be described as strange. Fuzzy in a way that Alastor really should have expected but hadn't thought much about. He tries to pull back when he thinks Vox is done, but of course he should have known it wasn't going to be a quick peck. He's already forcing his tongue in because Vox never failed to take as much as he possibly could from a situation. Alastor bites down on it when Vox slides down onto his lap.
“Shit- What the hell was that for?!”
“I said you could kiss me, not try to get me into bed again.”
“That was just kissing! Fuck, I think my tongue is bleeding.”
Vox is about to push himself off Alastor's lap, but the mention of blood has perked his interest enough that he holds Vox in place. “Fine. You can kiss me again.”
And he doesn’t need to be told twice, lips already back on him. Maddeningly he keeps his tongue to himself this time. Alastor makes an annoyed noise and eventually slides his own tongue in so he can actually lap at the blood. The sound Vox makes is lewder than anything he'd made in bed and immediately makes Alastor pull away.
“Don't stop,” he whines, hands fisting Alastor's shirt.
“We aren't doing all of that again. I still have a body to eat.”
“And I'll carve it up for you and feed it to you piece by piece just…keep kissing me for a little bit.” Vox has that disarming look in his eyes again and he feels completely pinned by it with his face so close. “Kiss me and tell me you love me?”
Alastor’s heart is hammering in his chest. He knows Vox can feel it, the fact that he expects him to put words to it is typical. “I don't,” he says carefully.
“Say it anyway?”
“No.” Alastor kisses him again instead.