tfln overflow

[harderdaddy]

Comments

[papichulo]

Oh, double. Why didn't you say so?

[ valentino cuts him off, snaps the words at him with venom. he shoves the man hard, practically throwing him down on the floor in the space between him and angel, the carpet soaked with blood. val spins the knife in his hand with ease, and he takes a step toward him, crouches down, rests his lower elbows on his knees. ]

So what's that work out to? A hundred thousand? [ valentino laughs, shaking his head as he stands. he steps over a body, moving toward angel. ] Unfortunately, he's worth more than you could ever afford.

[ more specifically, angel is priceless to valentino. he earns him more money than he could ever dream of, so technically, he does come with some numerical value, but no one could truly own him the way valentino does. the amount of money it would take for valentino to hand him over is unfathomable.

val comes to stand next to angel. he lights a cigarette, cupping his bloodied hand around the end to shield the flame as he touches it to the end, and then blows out a cloud of smoke toward the ceiling. for a beat, he looks at the bull on the floor, then casts a glance at the wolf still cowering off to the side.

then, he looks at angel. ]

... Kill him.

[harderdaddy]

[The wolf whimpers looking away, and the bull makes a last dash attempt to flee, but even with his lower limbs Angel's a good shot, bringing him down without protest. Fucker deserves it, he reasons. It's no different from any other kill. He levels a glower at the wolf, as the bull's blood spreads across the floor and the others writhe in pain.]

Will you stop whining? No one's done shit to ya yet.

[His gaze turns hopefully to Val, both that he might cut his remaining arms free, and that he won't level too much of the blame for this fuck up on him. Plus side, he's got himself two new angelic weapons.]

Val?

yes he meant the bull haha

[papichulo]

[ watching as the bull collapses and wheezes through one last breath, valentino ashes his cigarette over the carpet and turns his attention back to angel again at the sound of his name being spoken. he spins the knife in his hand again, idly testing the weight and the feel of it in his palm, and then steps behind angel. val looks over his shoulder, meeting eyes with the wolf they've still yet to properly deal with, and carefully slices through through the ropes binding angel's arms. when he's freed all of them, he reaches and carefully takes the revolver from angel's hand, and offers him his cigarette instead.

stepping out from behind him, valentino positions himself back at his side, his gaze leveled with the wolf the entire time. truthfully, he wants to put a shiny little bullet in every single one of them, fucking off them for good - and he could. he's got five rounds left.

he tilts his head, glancing away from the wolf and down at one of the two men left wounded on the floor. with zero hesitation, he shoots the one angel shot in the groin in the head like it's nothing, right through his eye, leaving just the man with his kneecaps blown out, and the wolf. valentino sets a possessive hand against angel's lower back, and glances back and forth between the two remaining assailants. ]

Well. [ he puts his hand out, silently asking for his cigarette back, and speaks as if it's just the two of them in the room, and not like he's deciding someone's fate right in front of them. ] What would you like to do with them, baby? I'll let you decide.

^_^ haha good

[harderdaddy]

[The release of that tension feels so fucking good. Angel gives a sigh of relief, massaging his wrists to try and get the feeling back to them. He's tied so often at work you wouldn't think it would be an issue, but these hands didn't know what they were doing ad they'd left it far too long. Fucking amateurs. Pooled their money to fuck a real porn star and forgot they were still the same lonely fucks they started as.

The cigarette is happily exchanged and Angel take a long drag, letting it ground him at least until the next shot startles him, mind suddenly back where it needs to be. He hands the cigarette back again, and leans against the Overlord's legs like a loyal pet, too sore still to rise just yet.

He observes the remaining sinners with a frown.]

...Save the good bullets. They're hard to get.

[It's as kind as he cares to be in the moment, and it's true. Save the angelic shit for real threats. These losers can have their brains blown out like normal and think about what they've fucking done.]

[papichulo]

[ idly, valentino tucks the angelic knife away, sliding it into his waistband at his back, safe behind his wings with his other weapons. he's still got the sixshooter in one hand, cigarette burning in another as he waits for angel's final call. val pets another hand down the back of angel's head as leans against his legs for support, careful not to touch or upset the bleeding wound, and when angel decides to show the remaining fuckholes a little mercy, valentino cocks his head.

he takes a long pull from his cigarette, eyes shifting between the man on the floor and the wolf that's still shaking like a leaf. valentino's mouth twists a little in thought, and then he shrugs. ]

... You're not wrong.

[ angel does have a point. it's not as if valentino doesn't have a little bit of an in with carmilla (maybe less so, after velvette's little... number), but even so, getting his hands on angelic weapons (at least through the proper channels) can sometimes be, more often than not, a logistical nightmare that he very rarely has the patience for.

valentino tucks the revolver away, and if it seems like he's found a little mercy of his own to spare, that's intentional. he smiles at the wolf, gold fang glinting among red, and ashes his cigarette again, right over the gaping hole in the man's head he just shot through. ]

Maybe next time - [ he starts, the words nearly a growl. valentino is quick with the draw, pulling moneyshot from behind him and shooting the last man on the floor, brain matter spreading over the already-soiled carpet. he levels the gun with the wolf. ] You'll remember not to FUCK with me.

[ another bullet, right between the eyes, dropping the wolf like dead weight, and then - silence. valentino lets it hang for a few moments. he finishes his cigarette, and then finally, he moves and crouches in front of angel, tucking his bloodied hand under his chin and turning his head to get a better look at him.

they should probably move out before anyone comes to rubberneck over all the noise - honestly, it's somewhat surprising that no one has already, but this place also seems shitty and seedy enough that a couple gunshots is probably common white noise around here - but valentino decides they can spare a few extra seconds.

it's hard to tell if he's angry - or more specifically, it's hard to tell if he's angry at angel, his expression carefully neutral as he looks him over. obviously he's angry, judging by all of the bloodshed, but he's oddly gentle as he tilts angel's head to one side, and then the other. when he does eventually say something, he's lost some of the grit in his tone, some of the biting venom. ]

... I'm rescheduling tomorrow's shoots.

[ it's as close to an apology as angel's going to get out of him, at least for the moment. valentino fucked up, at least to a certain extent. sure, he vetted these clients, had vox run multiple background checks, but whether they got the carmine weapons legally or otherwise, something like this shouldn't have slipped through. angelic weapons are no fucking joke, especially in the hands of regular fucking people. ]

[harderdaddy]

[The silence feels like it stretches out for a while, apart from the ringing tone in his ears from all those close shot. Angel relaxes a little, or at least lets of some of the tension he's been holding. It occurs to him belatedly the level of trust Val showed in kicking him the gun. Angel could have freed himself with a well placed shot if he'd wanted to. It hadn't even occurred to him.

When Val comes to look him over Angel averts his gaze, sure he's going to get reprimanded for getting himself into that mess in the first place, or at least for getting himself damaged. He blinks softly and properly looks at him once he speaks.]

...Thank you, Val.

[It's an all encompassing thank you. There's a whole lot to be thankful for in that moment.]

Are ya sure? Makeup can probably hide the worst of it...? I'm uh-....m'sorry I couldn' deal with 'em by myself.

[papichulo]

[ red eyes shift back and forth between angel's. valentino isn't exactly thrilled with his generosity being questioned - rescheduling shoots last minute is inconvenient, and in some cases, extremely costly. volunteering to strike angel's entire day from the schedule to compensate for this oversight on his end is magnanimous.

and so is choosing not to snap at angel for - any of this, really. valentino accepts his 'thanks' and decides to ignore the rest, angel's apology included. admittedly... angel handled this well, all things considered. valentino would never readily tell him as much, but reaching out to him was the correct move. keeping his third set of arms hidden, and therefore, unbound, was a smart one. there wasn't much else he could have done, with angelic weapons involved.

valentino wipes a little blood off of angel's cheek with a clean hand. ]

Don't question me, Angel. [ he doesn't sound too angry, at least. just - over this entire situation, now that it's been handled. he takes his hand away from angel's face, then offers it to him more properly, palm up. ] Get dressed. I'm taking you home.

[harderdaddy]

...Yes Val.

[Angel accepts the hand up, wincing faintly, eager to get in a shower and wash this day off of him. Stepping through the mess of his former captors, he find what he can salvage of his outfit, giving one of the bodies a stomp for good measure when he finds one his favourite shirts torn beyond repair. Shit was expensive.

But he's able to shrug on a jacket and pull on skirt fairly quickly, stooping to retrieve one of their wallets and help himself to their cash since they fucked his shit. Though he thinks better of it and offers it to Val instead as he returns to his side. It doesn't quite make up for the hassle, but it's something.]

[papichulo]

[ after helping angel to his feet and making sure he's steady enough to manage on his own, valentino doesn't bother with picking through the corpses. considering their asking price in exchange for having angel returned to him safely, and the fact that they had to pool their expenses to even afford a night with him, val figures they probably don't have anything of value between them.

he says nothing as angel pieces an outfit back together, moving to stand and lean by the motel room door, long legs crossed at the ankles, both sets of arms folded over his chest. his fingers drum idly against one arm, but otherwise, he doesn't rush angel. that frustrated little stomp earns a lopsided smirk from him though - he knows that must have felt good; maybe not as good as sinking a bullet in someone's skull, or ripping out someone's throat with his bare hands, but satisfying enough.

when angel returns to him, money in hand, valentino pushes away from the wall with his shoulders, and looks down at the bills being presented to him. just at a glance, he can tell it's not much. certainly not what these fuckers owe both him and angel, not even close, but money is still money. ]

... Keep it. [ another unspoken apology masked in "kindness". he waves one of his hands, pointedly not looking at angel. ] That shirt was your favorite, wasn't it.

[ don't think he didn't notice. valentino moves to open the door, and steps aside to let angel out first. ]

[harderdaddy]

[The bills get tucked away into his chest fluff before Val can change his mind, but there's a surprised pause at that acknowledgement and he nods.]

You picked it out for me. [Which...he'd forgotten about until seeing it wrecked. He doesn't want to examine if that's added to his frustration about losing it.

Stepping out the motel, Angel starts towards the car, stealing a small glance back at Val.]

Didn' know you remembered...

[papichulo]

I remember everything.

[ whether that's actually true or not is anyone's guess, but valentino remembers what's important. he remembers anything than can be used against him, or could be used against others. it's probably safe to assume he remembers every single little thing he's ever done for angel, every outfit and trinket he's gifted him, just in case he ever needs to remind angel just how much he's given him, how much he's done for him.

valentino steps out after angel, pulling the door closed behind him. housekeeping is likely to have one hell of morning once the bodies are discovered, if they're even discovered at all by the time half of them resurrect, but that's just not his problem. he follows after angel, keeping close behind, wings billowing a little big behind him.

at the car, valentino opens the back door for angel, and guides him inside with a hand on the back of his neck, ducking to follow him in afterward. ]

[harderdaddy]

[Angel laughs softly, clearly not taking him fully at his word, but he still seems touched. Or maybe he was just hit in the head harder than he fucking thought.

Climbing into the car, Angel fishes out some ice from the drink station and holds it to his head with a groan as he settles in. That's better.]

Were you in the middle of anythin' too important?

[papichulo]

[ valentino pulls the door closed behind himself with a little more force than necessary, adrenaline and annoyance still simmering a bit in his veins. he settles next to angel and allows him to rifle around in the bar without question, and then reaches and snags a small white hand towel typically there to sop up any accidental spills.

quietly, he begins to clean the blood off of his one hand, some of it halfway to dry already. his rings will have to be cleaned more thoroughly later. maybe just tossed out all together. it's not as if he can't afford to replace them. ]

Just... [ he begins, turning his hand over and pulling the rag between his fingers. valentino seems to be considering his words. ] A meeting.

[ seems a little bit late to be holding any kind of meeting that wasn't an immediate emergency, so the validity of this is possibly questionable. valentino is just as likely to be telling the truth as he could be lying. he could have been doing absolutely nothing. he could have been in some shitty overpriced bar in a dark corner with vox. none of it matters.

valentinp shrugs. ]

But it could have been an email.

[ which is to say, angel shouldn't worry about it, and despite the fact that he just ripped someone's entire throat out and permanently killed two people - he's not as angry as he could be about being pulled away from whatever it was he may or may not have been doing. fortunately for angel, murder is fun. ]

[harderdaddy]

[A meeting. He knows a least a few of the things that could be, but also knows better than to push if Val doesn't volunteer on his own. He chooses his words very carefully. He guesses it was Vox, but it's not like the other Vee can get any more angry at him over stealing Val's attention away than he is any other day.]

Mosta them could be. [He knows Val gets bored during meetings, and Angel's certainly found the few he's been forced to attention boring as well, excepting for when he's there for Val's entertainment.

Watching Val, Angel moves again, crouched on the floor of the car to delve back into the bar. Do they keep anything non-alcoholic in this thing? He manages to scrounge up a bottle of water, and turns- still on his knees- to motion for the cloth. Val saved his skin, the least Angel can do is help him clean up.]

[papichulo]

[ surprisingly, angel's offhand comment makes valentino laugh. it's short, and it's quiet, low and mostly under his breath, but he chuckles as he works at polishing one of his rings on his fingers. it's true - half of the meetings valentino gets dragged into are boring as fuck. if he didn't find ways to keep himself entertained - bedazzling his weapons, doodling lewd-but-tasteful sketches in the corners of data sheets he hardly ever reads, taking selfies while vox rattles on about technology or whatever the fuck - he'd probably blow someone's brains out.

more often than not, an email containing a handful of relevant bullet points would accomplish the same thing, and waste less of everyone's time.

idly, valentino watches as angel rummages through the drink cabinet. he assumes he's looking for something to drink, maybe something harder than what's within easy reach, so val's somewhat surprised when he produces a bottle of water. when angel gestures for the cloth, valentino blinks at him once, and then leans to put it in his hand. ]

[harderdaddy]

[The laugh makes him grin, clearly what he was aiming for.

Wetting the cloth, Angel silently shifts closer, pushing Val's legs apart to fit in against the seat. He gently takes one of Val's hands from him and starts to wipe it clean with a quiet sort of devotion. He keeps his gaze on his work, reaching for the next hand before finally mumbling-]

You could've died...

[Next to impossible, but the chance was there, Valentino had literally put his life on the line for him, and clearly it's had an affect on Angel.]

[papichulo]

[ valentino spreads his knees easily to make room for angel to settle between them, though he briefly expects this move to be leading toward - something else. when angel takes his hand, val's only briefly disappointed, but it doesn't really linger. he can appreciate other forms of personal attention, too, and angel still looks pretty there on his knees regardless.

valentino's quiet as he watches angel work, feeling no need to fill or break the silence, the low hum of the car's engine and the gentle sound of liquor bottles and crystal glasses clinking against each other the only sound between them. when angel finishes cleaning his first hand and reaches for another, valentino examines his work and presents his next hand.

the sound of angel's voice draws his attention, valentino's gaze shifting to look at him. angel seems... upset, and this surprises him, at least a little bit. when valentino walked into that motel room, he was not concerned about dying. it never even crossed his mind, because he had every intention of making his point and then walking out of there with angel like nothing ever happened. even when he'd kicked that revolver across the floor toward angel, he hadn't feared for anything.

tilting his head, valentino reaches out with a clean hand and slots his fingers under angel's chin. he lifts his head slowly, gently, closing his fingers around the cloth swiping his palm for a moment just to make sure he has angel's attention. ]

And you could have killed me... [ valentino gave him the means to do it for a brief moment in that room. that much has not escaped him. by pointing this out, he's also acknowledging the possibility that he's given angel any reason to want to kill him. valentino is under no delusion that their relationship, whatever it may be, is perfect, but he also doesn't believe that he hasn't been good to angel too.

he lowers his voice a little more, red eyes shifting between angel's, thumb following the edge of his jaw. ] I trust you, Angel. ... Very much.

[ not enough to let him keep that revolver in his hand for more than a few seconds, as valentino had moved fairly quickly to disarm him after he'd done what he'd asked of him and killed he bull, but that's irrelevant.

after a beat, valentino tilts angel's face up a little more and leans down to kiss him, keeping close so his next words are practically murmured against his lips. ]

I love you.

[harderdaddy]

[Confused by his own feelings, Angel doesn't bother to hide the conflicted expression as Val lifts his chin up to meet his gaze. Angel could have killed him. Could have freed himself. There's frustration at himself for not doing it, for not even thinking of it. But he knows he couldn't bring himself to do it even if Val asked him to. He loves Valentino more than he hates him. And as much as he longs for that freedom, he doesn't want it that way. He just wants to be let go. Or does he?

Those three words have always been his weak spot. Maybe because they're not given out too easily, and Angel swallows this one up gratefully, eagerly pushing to return the kiss and show he's worthy of that love.]

I love you too, Daddy. [He echoes easily, though he doesn't parrot back that message of trust.]

[papichulo]

[ those three words are as genuine as they are weaponized, doled out in quieter moments when things are softer between them, and whispered against his throat like a collar being clasped when valentino feels like angel might be starting to drift too far from him. right now, it's an odd mixture of both. val does love him - even when angel pisses him the fuck off, he still loves him - but he can see the conflict written all over angel's face.

valentino meets angel's eagerness with his own, teasing his tongue at the seam of angel's lips. it is, actually, only a tease though, because he pulls back just a moment or two later. he leaves is hand under angel's chin and uses it to carefully turn his head, and with his other hand, he pries the wet cloth free of angel's grasp.

for a moment, valentino just looks at him, silent as his eyes look him over for the second time tonight. finally, he lifts the handtowel, and lightly, he starts to wipe away some of the blood that's spilled from his head wound. he may have cleared angel's schedule for tomorrow, but he still needs to properly asses the damage done to his most prized possession. ]

... Did they get you anywhere else?

[harderdaddy]

[There's a faint hiss, Angel edging back from the touch before stilling himself again. It's light enough that it doesn't hurt beyond that initial shock.]

Few kicks and slaps mostly. Nothin' serious. Fucked rougher than I woulda liked, and probably messed up this shoulder with the ropes.

[Angel assesses, pausing, holding one piece back, though Val's sure to figure it out.]

[papichulo]

[ valentino's still as angel flinches away, allowing him to adjust and settle before he touches him again. he slots his hand back under angel's chin, tilting his head down slightly, and then to one side, gently dabbing the damp towel around the open wound. from what he can tell, it's nothing too severe - but it's still more than angel showed up with, which is unacceptable. valentino doesn't feel a shred of remorse for killing every single person in that room.

that brief pause does not go unnoticed, but val lets the silence simmer for a moment as he works, red eyes narrow slits behind his glasses. he turns angel's head back to face him again once he's finished. his brows lift only slightly. ]

And? [ what else? ] Tell me, Angel.

[harderdaddy]

[Angel holds good and still as Val tends to him, and it's moments like this he tries to highlight to Cherri, but somehow it never comes off right. Or maybe it's just not enough to make up for the other stuff...

He avoids his gaze a beat long before lifting it back to meet Val's, knowing he's going to be pissed. He doesn't speak, but shifts back just enough that he can shift the one leg out to show his inner thigh. It looks almost like smeared writing, the sort they'd done in some films with lipstick. Only it's not lipstick, and the only knife brandished in Val's time there was the angelic one.]

...i tried to stop 'em-

[papichulo]

[ pissed is an understatement. valentino tilts his head slowly as angel stretches his leg out, and for a moment, it doesn't immediately register that what he's looking at isn't just some cheap lipstick. but a messy dollar store lipstain doesn't explain angel's averted gaze and his overall hesitance to mention it. valentino's brows pinch, and he reaches out with one hand to touch the inside of angel's knee, pushing his leg out just the tiniest bit more for a better look.

he should have done more. valentino should have taken that revolver and emptied that entire chamber into those fucks. the head wound was one thing - still unacceptable, but easily concealed, easily healed - but if valentino had known about this while any of those men were still alive, he might have gone fucking ballistic. just pure, blacked out rage.

val's jaw tenses, teeth clenched hard. one of his hands curls into a tight fist, claws biting into his own palm. he knows exactly how many weapons were in that room - the only people seemingly smart enough to keep theirs hidden until an opportunity presented itself were valentino and angel - and there was only one knife, as far as he could tell. the same one sitting against his lower back now, tucked away in his belt.

when he speaks, it's sharp, but his malevolence doesn't seem to be directed at angel specifically. ]

Get up. [ he takes his hand away from angel's knee - and then offers it to him. ] Come here. Now.

[harderdaddy]

[Blacked out rage is exactly the reason Angel kept it to himself, but realistically there was only ever so long he could do that, and this is going to fuck up filming, and cost fuck only knew how much, and-

Angel snaps from his spiraling thoughts, wincing apprehensively, but accepting the hand up. Even if Val's not mad at him, there aren't a lot of other outlets. But he's back up. Those short words leave little room to argue or disobey.]

...could write it into the next script?

[papichulo]

[ the last thing valentino wants to do is solidify and broadcast his oversight somewhere thousands of people will see it. sure, hair and makeup could probably do something to make it look less... realistic (which is a crazy thought, because the less realistic something seems, the harder it is to 'sell'), and sure, the majority of viewers probably wouldn't even look close enough to care, and no one would have any clue about val's involvement, but - that's not the point. featuring valentino's fuckup is out of the question.

he says nothing about it as he helps angel up, guiding him to sit sideways in his lap with one of his arms supporting angel's back. with another hand, he slides angel's legs open, just enough to get a view of his marked up thigh, and carefully begins to clean these wounds too. save for the tension trapped in the hinge of his jaw, his expression is carefully neutral, though he's anything but calm. ]