Lovers Once More - Radiostatic

Toxic

The penthouse windows of Valentino's lavish high-rise flickered with the shifting glow of neon lights from the city below. It was a visual spectacle to anyone looking up from the grungy streets of Hell—but inside, Vox's world was unraveling into chaos. His sleek, pixelated form glitched violently, distorted lines rippling across his body as he tried to maintain his composure.

"You really think you can talk to me like that?" Valentino's voice was a venomous hiss, sharp enough to slice through Vox's digital defenses. His tall, imposing frame cast an almost monstrous shadow, wings flaring out, dripping in arrogance. "You're nothing without me, doll."

Vox's screen glinted as he spun around to face Valentino. His usual cool, composed demeanor was shattered, cracks forming across his once-impenetrable exterior. "I'm done," Vox said, his voice modulating between static and fury. "This toxic shit—it ends now."

Valentino laughed, a deep, menacing sound that vibrated through the room. His claws flexed, and his crimson eyes burned with cruel delight. "Done? You think you can walk out on me? You're **mine**, Vox. Always have been."

The air around them buzzed with tension. Vox's display screens, usually projecting his slick, calculated persona, flashed erratically with static and distorted images of violence. He had endured Valentino's possessive, domineering ways for far too long, hiding behind his digital mask, pretending it didn't cut him deeper each time. But tonight? Tonight, it was too much.

"You don't own me!" Vox snarled, stepping closer, his mechanical form towering as pixelated rage flickered through him. "I've had enough of your control, your manipulation—your **violence**!"

Valentino's grin faded, his smile twisting into something far darker, more dangerous. His voice dropped, low and threatening. "Oh, but I do. And if you think you can just walk away from me, baby..." He took a step forward, claws outstretched. "Then maybe you need a reminder of who the real boss is around here."

Before Vox could respond, Valentino's fist collided with his chest, sending Vox crashing into the wall. The impact sent a surge of electricity sparking from his form, his screens glitching out in violent bursts. Valentino advanced, wings fluttering ominously as Vox struggled to right himself, digital sparks crackling in the air.

"You think you're so smart," Valentino sneered, crouching down as Vox tried to push himself back up. "Always thinking you're in control, but I built you up, I made you powerful—**and I can break you** just as easily."

Vox's circuits buzzed with anger and fear. He knew Valentino was dangerous, but the raw, unhinged rage in his eyes tonight was beyond anything he'd seen before. Valentino grabbed him by the collar, hoisting him up like he was nothing more than a broken piece of tech.

"I'm done playing your games, Val," Vox spat through static, his voice shaking with both fury and defiance. "I don't need you."

"Wrong." Valentino's voice was sharp, dripping with menace. He slammed Vox back against the wall, pinning him with one hand as his other clawed at his neck. "You **do** need me. No one else is gonna put up with your glitchy ass. No one else can handle you."

Vox's screen flickered wildly, his body glitching as Valentino's grip tightened around his throat. His breath hitched, struggling to process everything happening around him. This was beyond the usual fights, beyond Valentino's typical cruelty. This was the breaking point.

With a desperate burst of strength, Vox sent a surge of electricity through his body, the force of the jolt knocking Valentino back for a moment. It gave him just enough time to scramble to his feet, panting, eyes narrowing. "I'm not your puppet. Not anymore."

Valentino wiped the blood trickling from his mouth and growled. "You're going to regret this, doll."

"I already do."

Vox didn't wait for Valentino's next move. His form fizzled into a cloud of static, and in a flash of distorted data, he teleported out of the penthouse, leaving Valentino's enraged screams behind him. He reappeared on a dark, neon-lit rooftop, his body still sparking, glitching, barely holding together. His breaths came out in ragged bursts as he slumped against the edge, staring out at the sprawling cityscape of Hell below.

For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he was free.

But the hollow feeling in his chest remained, deeper than the wounds Valentino had left. In the quiet hum of the city, Vox felt his digital heart ache—ache for something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time. Memories flickered back to the surface, long-buried thoughts of someone who once understood him before it all went wrong.

**Alastor.**

He hadn't thought about the Radio Demon in ages—had tried not to. The two of them had been close once. Closer than he'd ever been with anyone. But their friendship, their connection, had burned out, twisted into rivalry over the years. Yet something about that bond still lingered, something undeniable.

Vox's screens flashed with an unsettling blend of nostalgia and bitterness. He pushed the thoughts away, focusing on the fact that he was finally free from Valentino's clutches. But deep down, the thought of Alastor stirred something inside him—something he hadn't felt in a long time.

And in the depths of Hell, sparks had a way of reigniting when least expected.