"THAT DAMN HOTEL"
(prologue)
•••
"That fucking whore!"
At the sound of the loud shatter that follows the loud vulgarity, you peer your head into the open doorway that leads to a hot pink bedroom. Your eyes settle on the source of the noise, his slender hands reaching out to swat a vase off of the dresser, shattering upon impact on the floor.
His crimson eyes dart toward you, and you're quick to adjust your posture, stepping hesitantly into the room. "What happened?" You ask, feeling yourself tense under his harsh gaze.
"Fucking Angel Dust happened!" He scoffs, throwing his cell phone across the room, letting it land safely on his plush mattress. "I made him, you know!? Who the hell does he think he is!? Ignoring my calls, skipping work!? I own him!"
You don't dare take your eyes off of him, keeping a keen eye on his flailing hands, ensuring that they are not yet directed at you. "Angel is blowing off work?" You ask, and the mere repentance of the words causes him to growl. "Ah- well- I just meant— if you'd like, I can fill in for him?"
The suggestion of you taking over Angel's role in his upcoming film makes him scoff out a cruel laugh. "You? Are you delusional? Angie is my best actor, a goddamn ATM for this studio." He steps forward, taking hold of your chin between his index finger and thumb, tilting your head back to force eye contact. "You're nothing compared to Angie, Y/N. You do that film, and we'll go fucking bankrupt. So, stick to the roles I give you, and know your place."
Your eyes dart to the side, landing on the mirror on the wall. It's true, of course, that Angel Dust's presence is unmatched, and it's near impossible to replace him. He is magnetic, drawing in viewers in like moths to flame. "I'm sorry, Valentino."
Valentino's eyes narrow and a sinister grin tugs at his lips. "There you go." He drops your chin and sighs, shedding his fur coat and letting it fall to the floor, looking around his ankles. "You might be stupid beyond belief," he begins, and you flinch a bit. "But at least you listen to me. It's so hard to find loyal work these days, am I right?"
There is no apparent opportunity for you to respond, because there's a crackling sound in the wall, a spark of electricity running through the wire of Valentino's hairdryer, and then there stands Vox, tall and proud beside you. Your eyes immediately fall to the ground, and you're pretty sure you'll never quite get used to the way he travels and appears so unexpectedly.
"I heard you had a tantrum." Vox says, his attention immediately zeroing in on Valentino, who is now dramatically draped across his bed. "What is it this time?"
"That fucking crackwhore of a man, Angel Dust." Valentino spits out venomously, sitting up reluctantly and looking up at Vox. "Who does he think he is? Ghosting me to go fuck that prissy princess?"
You raise your gaze to settle on Valentino again, your mind racing with confusion. As far as you were concerned, Angel Dust's preferences were solely men. You considered correcting him, but that would be a suicide mission, so instead, you keep your mouth shut.
"Angel is staying with the princess?" Vox asks, raising a quizzical brow.
"Yeah, that blonde bimbo opened some pathetic hotel." Valentino lifts himself onto his feet, grabbing a pack of cigarettes off of his bedside table. "Thinks she can "redeem" sinners. It's bullshit."
Against your better judgement, you speak up. "Redemption?" You ask, taking a hesitant step forward, closer to Valentino. You can feel both his and Vox's eyes on you, and it makes you second guess yourself. "Is that actually possible?"
Valentino looks disgusted to begin with, but then he grins smugly and lets out mock laughter. "You really don't have much in that pretty brain of yours, do you?" He quips, grabbing a fistful of your hair and pulling you toward him, his grin widening at the wince you make. "Of course it's not possible. What a stupid question. How about this: you keep your mouth shut unless I ask you to speak up. Hm?"
"Val, violent as always." Vox says, shutting his eyes and smiling arrogantly. He steps forward and takes you by the shoulder, pulling you back. "You're stressed. If you're so concerned about Angel Dust, why not send someone to fetch him? I'm sure Y/N wouldn't mind running an errand."
You perk up a bit, enticed by the idea of leaving the studio for a bit. The only times you really get to leave are when Valentino drags you along to whatever club he feels like hitting up every now and then. "I can go retrieve Angel, Valentino!"
"Cute, but no." Valentino argues without missing a beat. Your shoulders slump. "I'd really rather you don't go down to that disgusting ass hotel. Your slutty ass would probably fuck that radio demon," He trails off with a shiteating smirk.
Vox widens his eyes, the television screen that he calls a head starting to glitch out. "The radio demon is at that fucking hotel!? And that's not the first thing you told me!?" He shouts, stepping forward and grabbing Valentino's collar.
Valentino smiles and raises his hands in faux innocence. "I guess it didn't cross my mind."
You open your mouth to chip in. "I wouldn't—"
"What did we just talk about?" Valentino snaps, glaring at you. You back down, hiding your hands behind your back and clearing your throat. "Keep your dirty mouth shut when you're not being spoken to."
There's a deep sigh from Vox, and he drops Valentino. "We need to find out what he's up to. Now. If you don't want to send Y/N down, we'll send someone else to figure it out."
"Oh, and who better than Hell's most pathetic V pleaser?" Valentino licks his lips and reaches back for his phone.
———
"You are caught? Seriously!?" Vox scoffs, letting out a bewildered laugh, glaring at Sir Pentious's guilty face over the camera screen.
"It was an accident! Sir Pentious requesting immediate evacuation!" The serpent pleads, looking behind him at the furious faces of the Hazbin Hotel residents.
"If they don't kill you, you'd better fucking do it yourself." Vox then hangs up without another word, leaving Sir Pentious to fend for himself.
With no regard for the late night hour, Vox travels through the studio lights, stopping in Valentino's bedroom. Vox appears in the center of the room, a look of disgust falling over his face upon seeing the sleazy moth man's hand tangled in a random woman's hair beneath the blankets, Valentino's head leaning back against the headboard as he guides her obedient head.
"Playtime's over. Get out." Vox says with a smile, his hands politely resting behind his back. His eyes focus on the girl, who gasps and scrambles out of the sheets, grabbing her coat and rushing out of the room.
"Fuckin' asshole," Valentino snides, climbing out of his bed and pulling on his royal red robe. "What was so important that you interrupted?"
"Pentious was caught already. We're sending Y/N." He insists, cocking his head to the side. "They're loyal enough to get the job done, and if all else fails, they're a damn good actor. They're going to bring your slut back, and they're going to figure out Alastor's deal."
"You're really going to tell me what to do with my fuckin' whore to my face?" Valentino growls, moving closer and closer to Vox until the two are barely a breath apart. "And what if that bitch decides to stay there, huh? What if that stupid slut thinks they can—"
Vox's eye twitches. "They won't. They're too enamored by you to do anything idiotic."