💎𝟥𝒱𝓈 𝓍 𝑅𝑒𝒶𝒹𝑒𝓇💎

Route 11~ Valentino

As the limo drove through the bloodied streets of hell, Val was furiously taking drags from his cigarette.

"What the fuck do I do?" he grumbled, accidentally crushing the cigarette in his claws. He then turned to me and his eyes softened. "What do you want me to do, mon amor?" he asked, grazing his thumb across my cheek.

I flushed as he pulled away. He was asking me what I wanted to do? That was unlike him. He was someone who took action and knew what he wanted.

"Well, let's not kill him," I finally said. Val's eyes widened in curiosity. "Really, Y/N?" he asked, raising a brow. There was no anger in his voice towards me. "You're letting him get away with it?"

I bit my lip. I wanted Val to change and maybe be a tad less violent. Maybe this could help him. I looked into his eyes and said, "Isn't his soul yours?"

Val nodded slowly, most likely unsure where this was going. I took a breath and continued, "You have millions of souls, don't you?" Val nodded again, furrowing his brow.

I let the silence fill the air. I wanted him to say it. To suggest it. To be better.

"If I..." he paused. "If I were to let him go, do you think that would be enough?" Sparks went off in my chest. The mighty Valentino was willing to cut a contract for me. I felt like the luckiest demon in hell. He was truly changing.

"I will not hurt him, I promise, my love," he said, pulling me closer. I felt his wings wrap around me, warm and safe. "I'll let him go. I'll..." Val tensed up and finished, "I'll forgive him."

I looked up at him. I could almost cry. Before he could say anything, I planted a fierce kiss on his lips, which he gratefully returned. "I would move any mountain and fight any war for you, Y/N," he purred onto my lips. I hummed back, his wings fluttering around me.

The rest of the limo ride consisted of lots of kissing, embracing, and touching. But before I could truly have my fun, the limo screeched to a halt. I fell back at the sudden stop and Val let out a tiny laugh. He gently pushed me off of him and let his wings fold back into his luxurious red coat.

"The drive should've been longer," I whined, wanting to rip his coat off. "Well we're going to deal with Angel right now. We're not going to wait another second my love," he said, adjusting his glasses.

He opened the limo door and a gust of smoky wind smacked into us. I coughed as Val offered an arm for me to step out.

We were at The Hazbin Hotel. The princess' crazy experiment. "Wait for us, alright?" Val said to the driver. He wasn't shouting. He was almost... kinder.

He squeezed my hand as we took steps to the front entrance. "Be calm," I whispered as he rapped on the front door. I knew he was most likely new to the whole 'forgiveness' thing. Taking it slow would be the best possible thing.

He gave me one last peck on the cheek before the door swung open. The princess stood eye level with me, but had to look up at Val. Her eyes widened and she suddenly started to blubber, "Oh! Valentino! Great to see you again! Sorry about the mishap at your studio, but I'm glad to see you! And who is this with you?"

"I'm Y/N," I said, flashing a smile and extending a hand to shake. Charlie gladly accepted and returned the warm smile. "Don't tell me you two are here to stay? Are you, are you?" she squealed, her eyes sparkling at us.

"Sadly no," Val said. "I'm here to speak to Angel." Charlie pursed her lips and slowly said, "I don't think so." I blinked at Charlie. Huh?

"Listen," Val said, rubbing his temples. I could practically feel the frustration radiating off of him. "Your Majesty, this is very important, and if you see us as a threat, you can certainly kick us out." Charlie raised a brow and chirped, "You're just here to talk?" I nodded. She hesitantly opened the door and gestured for us to come in.

Val hunched under the doorframe as he squeezed my hand again. I gave him a reassuring look as we stepped into the lobby of the hotel.

Not surprisingly, there was red everywhere, save for the bar. On the couch sat Angel and a tiny ball of energy with a needle, stabbing at bugs on the floor.

"Angel," Val said gently. His voice strained. Angel whirled towards us and his eyes widened. Despite him being fluffy white, his face seemed to pale.

"Val! What a surprise!" he rambled, shooting up from the couch like a rocket. He backed up from us and said, "You coulda called! I'm not ready for a visit!"

Val winced as Angel shrunk away in fear. He wrung his hands and stepped forward. Charlie narrowed her eyes at him from beside me.

"Angel, please, calm down," Val said, taking a step back. Angel's face was filled with fear, pale as a ghost. A flare of anger shot through my veins as I remembered what he tried to pull. But seeing Val alive and well calmed the flame inside of me. Val held up his hands and snapped, a piece of glowing parchment appearing from seemingly nowhere. It was the contract.

"I know you paid Rini," he said calmly. Charlie rushed to Angel's side as he sunk to the floor, frozen in place. Val then turned to Charlie and asked, "Your Majesty? If you could burn the contract with your hellfire?"

Both Charlie and Angel audibly gasped, their eyes widening. I walked up next to Val. He was tense. And looked afraid. "What?" Angel said, standing back up. "What kinda prank are ya pullin, Val?" Val let out a breath and said softly, "I'm letting you go. I've known you weren't happy for quite a while. But you made me money. So now I'm letting you go. No tricks."

Angel paused before barking out a laugh. "This is bullshit. No way in Hell are you actually serious." Charlie walked over and examined the contract. "Uh, I'd take this offer Angel. You don't have to be chained to him and the company anymore!" Charlie said, her face lighting up.

Angel stopped laughing and his smile slowly faded. "This is real?" he asked. I nudged Val and he said, "I'm letting you go. No terms and conditions." I could've sworn Angel was starting to tear up, but before I could confirm, Charlie snapped her fingers and the golden contract fizzled and burned until it was nothing but ash.

The small girl stabbing the bugs rushed over to the ash, cursing as she swept it up. Something then changed in Angel. Besides the onslaught of tears rushing down his cheek, he seemed confident and lighter. "So I guess you're fired," Val chuckled awkwardly, fiddling with his claws. Charlie embraced Angel as he continued to sob out a muffled, "I'm.. free..."

"We should go," I whispered to Val. He looked down at me and gave me a toothy grin, his eyes bright and sparkling. He leaned down and kissed me before scooping me up and heading towards the door. He turned back to see Angel wiping his tears and smiling at Charlie, and then turned back towards me.

"You were right, mon amor," he purred as he nuzzled his face in my neck. He ducked under the archway and closed the door behind us. "Right about what?" I asked, giggling as he pressed kisses all over my face.

"If I killed him, I would never feel this free."

Freedom. As we headed towards the limo, that word rang like a bell in my head. Locked in a nightmare in hell, Val was my only freedom. And perhaps that was the one thing we needed.