💎𝟥𝒱𝓈 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇💎

Route 1~ Valentino

The drive to the clothing store was oddly relaxing. It may have just been the alcohol speaking or the scent of cigarettes that reminded me of home, but I felt calm. I could practically fall asleep in this state. At least, until Velvet started barking orders at Vox.

"Come on Voxy! Just smile for the goddamn camera!" she hissed, clearly ticked off by him. Vox simply finished off his drink and growled, "For the last time: STOP calling me that wretched nickname. It's horrid." Velvet let out an eery laugh before shouting, "OVER MY DEAD BODY VOXY!" I rubbed my temples. Sometimes the two of them were a bit much. Val clearly noticed how I felt as he grabbed both Vox and Vel, Vox by his collar and Vel by her pigtail. 

"Shut. Up. Now. You're lucky I'm not in a bad mood, otherwise, I'd have to get another limo simply because the amount of blood wasn't cleanable," he said softly but dangerously. Vel pouted and Vox simply stared at the limo's floor. Val let go and reached for his drink. Vox quickly scooted away, gritting his teeth while Vel fixed her pigtail and went back to playing on her phone as if no harm was done.

I looked over at Valentino. We locked eyes and he smiled, raising his drink. Was it a hint of kindness beneath his glasses or was it just me? I turned back to Vox and Vel and decided it was probably just my imagination. 

The limo stopped and we all climbed out. Velvet squealed with delight and shouted, "EEEEEEE! Val, this is one of my favorite stores in Hell! Thank you!~" Valentino accepted her light hug before she dashed inside. Vox simply sighed in annoyance before following Velvet inside. Val nudged me forward and huffed, "You gonna make me wait here all day?" I shook my head, clearly embarrassed. I then trailed after Vox and entered the bright store with clothes of all kinds scattered around.

I beamed as I rushed over to my f/c shoes but then was distracted by a jacket that was just my style. I gasped softly as I took it off the hanger. Val came behind me and chuckled. "You look a little excited there, y/n. I assume you like shopping?" Before I could answer, the clerk behind us gave a shout of laughter before mocking, "Valentino? And that piece of shit? Ha! Never thought you'd adopt a pet as horrid as THEM. Satan help you!"

Val dropped his smile and glared down at the clerk. He seethed, "Y/k is NOT and never will be a pet to me. They're just as lovely as my two contract souls. Well, maybe even better. And your soul is far beyond tainted you whore. In fact, I might as well do us the honor." I tilted my head, confused.

Contract souls? What are those? And what exactly is the honor?

Val gave an absolutely menacing grin before pulling out a small golden pistol. He clicked the gun just as the clerk gasped in realization. Then, there was a loud BANG as Val shot a bullet directly between the clerk's eyes. For a few seconds, there was silence. Vox broke the silence as he shouted from the back of the store, "Does that mean we're going shoplifting now?"

Val tucked his gun back into his coat pocket and ignored Vox's question, although the answer was very clear. He leaned down to look at me and smiled warmly despite just killing someone. "Tell me y/n, what do you like to wear?" he asked. I felt my face growing hot as I stared into his eyes. "Cat got your tongue?" he teased. "Very well then, I guess I'll make the decision myself."

I shifted my legs, trying to regain my composure. "Vel!" Valentino shouted. Velvet came bouncing over with an assortment of clothing piled in her arms. "Whatsup Val?" she asked, her eyes sparkling. Val raised a brow and said, "Y/n apparently doesn't know what they like to wear. So would you be a doll and fetch something that would look exquisite on them?" Vel gasped in delight, immediately dropping her pile of clothes. She looked carefully at me before running off, pulling things off of hangers and racks. Val pulled out a cigarette and lit it, taking a long drag. Pink smoke billowed out forming a heart in the air. Its smell was enticing and sweet, wonderful, and tainted with sugar and poison. Vox walked up, a pair of pants draped over his shoulder, raising a brow at my face. I was staring at the smoke, internally begging for a pack of cigs like that.

Before I could ask about them, Velvet arrived with a stack of brightly colored clothing and a huge smile on her face. Val inspected the pile and hummed with approval. "They'll look... gorgeous in these. Thank you, Vel." 

I turned to Val as he held up extremely revealing clothes to my body. He nodded and took another drag of his cigarette. Eventually, we all headed out with our stolen clothing and piled into the limo. I squeezed into the limo past stacks of clothes and managed to make my way to a seat. Val sat next to me, and I jumped when he placed a clawed hand on my waist.

"Val, I-" I started to protest but Val simply handed me his cigarette. Its smell was too intoxicating to resist. It tasted like fruit, sweet, sweet fruit. I sighed and blew out the lovely pink smoke. 

"Doesn't it just make you feel wonderful, y/n?" Val asked as he looked down at me. I looked up and nodded. He laughed and ruffled my hair before snatching it out of my hands. 

"Hey!" I said with a pout. Val chuckled again as I whined, "Come on, please don't take it away!" Val shook his head with amusement and replied, "I'll give you one when we get back to the studio. But only if you're not a bitch about it like Vox is." Vox sent a withering glare toward Val while Vel only giggled. "I'm not-"

"What, a bitch, Voxy?" Vel said through giggles. Vox clenched his fists and slunk down in his seat. Val laughed and ruffled my hair some more as the two others started bickering again. As I leaned against Val's warm coat and began to become surrounded by the pink smoke, I hoped and wondered... would Val ever warm up to me?