crowspace | For whitehairedprettyboy.

Entry tags:

For whitehairedprettyboy.

[He'd spent a month not visiting Valmont at all. Not kidnapping him, not barging into his home unannounced, nothing.

Unbeknownst to Valmont, that was a month of seriously uncharacteristic self-reflection. A month where he'd had the inklings of Actual Feelings being involved and decided to squash them by not seeing Valmont for a while.

It hadn't worked. The more he avoided Valmont, the more he wanted to see him, until finally, one night-]

Valmoooooont~

[-he gave in.

Now he announces himself by draping himself over Valmont's shoulder. They're alone in his bedroom, which Valmont is probably thankful for.]

Did you miss me?

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

But that's so cold! Unaffectionate! It won't do at all.

[...he's full of affection.]

My name is not unaffectionate.

[ He has the feeling that's not exactly how he'd meant to refute that assertion, but he's tired and it's close enough. ]

[Probably not at all, given the way Satanick's eyes light up.]

Oh, I'm glad~ You recognize my affections now ♥

[ Oh lord, that better not have somehow constituted an approval in Satanick's mind. ]

I recognize that you're attempting affection. As far as I can tell, that's all you've been doing, when you haven't been locking me in dungeons.

[ The last few words aren't so much said as winced. His wrists still hurt. ]

That's close enough! It's the thought that counts~

[So attempted affection is still affection.]

Funny how the only people who say that are the ones who can't produce actual results.

[ Whatever it is, he still isn't going to like it. ]

I've got all the time in the world to get it right. You just wait.

[ A strained sigh. Valmont knows he doesn't have any choice but to wait as long as Satanick wants - that's been made very, very clear to him by now - but that doesn't mean it's something he wants to think about or acknowledge in any way. So he stares resolutely at the table and says nothing. ]

[Soon enough, food literally appears at the table - plates and plates full of food, fancy dishes with exquisite presentation (even if some of the meats aren't quite identifiable as any Earth animal). There's also plenty of wine.]

Dig in~

[ You don't have to tell him twice. Actually, you don't even have to tell him once - Valmont's grabbed the nearest plate and begun tucking in before the second word is out of Satanick's mouth, manners be damned. He's starving.

It occurs to him eventually to consider that the food might be spiked with something, and for a moment he hesitates - but no, Satanick's probably got a hundred more direct ways to mess with his mind, what would he need drugs for? Besides, it's not like Valmont can very well turn down his only food source for the conceivable future, and anyway the food here really is incredible, if unidentifiable. He doesn't know if being subjected to a feast this extravagant after his confinement is some sort of carrot-and-stick mind game the demon's playing, or an actual effort to consider his needs, or if this is just what all of Satanick's meals are like. He doesn't know which option he likes least.

The wine doesn't go unnoticed, either. If he's going to forget this night (is it still night? He can never tell in this world) ever happened, alcohol seems like a decent place to start. And continue. And keep continuing. He doesn't question how the bottle hasn't run out yet, because apparently one of the infinite sodding perks of being a demon/devil/whatever-term-applies-here is supernaturally efficient food service. It's unfair, is what it is.

Unfair. The word echoes as he stares into his whateverth glass of wine. None of this is fair. The food, the furniture, the fanciness - this is the kind of luxury Valmont's always believed he deserves to live in, and now he is, and it doesn't mean anything because he doesn't have any damn power, he's at the whim of the second-worst demon in existence and he'll never be rich again and he doesn't deserve - ]

...damn it...

[ The glare he's been directing at his drink shifts, blurrily, to Satanick, and one hand steadies Valmont against the table as he shakily gets to his feet. ]

You shouldn't drink so much, it's bad for you.

[Satanick is nothing if not concerned for Valmont's health, of course. He reaches out to steady Valmont with one of his shadow arms.]

Shall I take you to bed? ...Actually bed, you should get some sleep.

Oh, shut up!

[ It comes out louder than he'd meant, but Valmont really can't bring himself to give two hangs about volume control right now. He makes to bat the shadow arm away, an I-can-stand-on-my-own gesture that loses some effect when he misses his target completely. ]

Don't pretend you actually care about my well-being! Don't you dare, not after what you've done to me, you - you -

[ Visions of handcuffs swim into his mind, and he hesitates. Even a few sheets to the wind, Valmont's aware that he could find himself back in that dungeon at any time, and he really doesn't want to give Satanick an excuse to do it. The sentence ends in a wordless growl, and for the moment, he doesn't move. ]

Of course I care about your well-being, Valmont dear~

[Satanick tries to scoop Valmont up. He's going to princess carry him and Valmont has very little say about this.]

You should know I haven't done anything all that terrible to you! Comparatively, anyway. Hmmmm, is that why you don't love me? Because you don't understand how good I treat you?

[Will it help if Satanick shows him all the tortures he visits upon his other toys? Because he will.]

Let me down, I can walk - !

[ What would have been a longer series of protests is thankfully interrupted by a bout of queasiness. The sudden motion of being picked up turns out not to agree with Valmont's stomach right now, and he has to take a minute to breathe before it's safe to continue. ]

Do you call locking someone in a dungeon for hours without food or water "treating them well"? Because I call it being a bloody lunatic, but what would I know!

[ Incidentally, it may be interesting to note that he hasn't actually started struggling this time. He'd planned to, but he's also incredibly tired, and after the night he's had, being held for a while doesn't seem... completely objectionable. ]

[Nope, not letting him down. Going to start walking off with him, in fact.]

Valmont, dear, darling.

You haven't seen what I do to everyone else.

[Valmont genuinely does get off lighter than most people Satanick takes notice of.]

Lemme... down.

[ Note the complete lack of resistance that would normally accompany such a demand. ]

That doesn't make it better - everyone? Everyone who?

[ Does he want to know? He feels like he maybe might not want to know, from where this seems to be going. ]

Everyone else I play with! Did you think you were the only one?

[...He did, didn't he. That's hilarious, and Satanick can't help but laugh as he continues to carry Valmont around.]

You mean - there are more people you treat like this?

[ It hasn't actually occurred to Valmont that he might not be the only one - not just because he doesn't usually think about anyone but himself, although he doesn't, but also because terrible situations like this tend to be the sorts of things that only happen to him. Of course he knows Satanick sleeps with other people, that's laughably obvious, but the torture...? How many other poor sods are being put through that, possibly right now?

Valmont feels a sudden stab of... something. A person with more experience at emotions might describe it as sympathy. Whatever it is, he doesn't like it. ]

Oh no, don't worry, you're the only one I love~

But I do torture other people, yes. Much, much worse than the things I do to you! Would you like to see?

[He'll gladly show Valmont all the horrible things he escaped from on account of how much Satanick likes him.

That's reassuring, right? All the things Satanick could have done to him but didn't? That'll definitely make Valmont appreciate their relationship more.]

No! God no, I don't want to see!

[ That sympathy, or whatever it was, only extends so far. He's perfectly fine not knowing what he's missing, thanks. He has enough nightmares already. ]

And none of this is making me feel any better towards you. For the record.

Why not?

[A genuine, almost innocent question.

He really doesn't know why that doesn't help. It shows Valmont is special to him, doesn't it?]

Why not? Because -

[ He flounders momentarily, having trouble finding the words for something that ought to be monumentally obvious. What he really should say is something like because knowing you do much worse things to other people, and the only thing stopping you making our time together even more hellish than it is already is some sort of bizarre infatuation with me, doesn't exactly do much to put me at ease around you, but all that ends up coming out is: ]

- because you're insane, and I'm tired!

[ If he hadn't been awake for so many hours on end, or consumed quite so much alcohol in a short space of time, he might have been able to give a more satisfactory answer. But that's really what it boils down to. And he's tired. ]

Oh, that makes sense!

[Well, at least Satanick seems to have understood the gist-]

We can see them in the morning, in that case.

[-or not.]

But first, you should sleep off all that wine.

[ Ughhh. Valmont groans, but he's out of words to argue. His head rests against whichever part of Satanick is nearest, nestling just a little even as he tries to pretend it isn't. It's unfairly comfortable.

Maybe if he just... closes his eyes for a minute. ]

[By this point, Valmont will probably recognize Satanick's bedroom when they come to it. The bed is ridiculously comfortable - has to be, with how often it gets used - and Satanick gently deposits Valmont onto it.]

Should I tuck you in?

For whitehairedprettyboy.

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

no subject

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)

(no subject)