Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Vox never liked Alastor. NEVER.

Vox's very first encounter with Alastor took place during another one of those overlord meetings (he always felt like he was obligated to attend due to public image and his position as an overlord and because blah, blah, blah). Him and the other V's had come to the decision alternate their attendance for the meetings in shifts and fabricate excuses for one another once one person was there.

But the sheer idea of excuses seemed to worm their way into Velvette's head because next thing he knew, she always got the "flu" whenever it was her turn. Vox was pretty sure she hadn't even attended once over the course of the last two years because she very conveniently managed to get ill the exact day of her turn.

And Valentino was just always in a mood of some kind (whatever the mood was, it always managed to be horrific), so Vox had to take over for his turn often as well. Which left Vox to represent the V's a majority of the time.

It was irritating to keep up a friendly facade as is with the overlords but when the infamous (and pompous and shitty and smug and arrogant) radio demon showed up after excusing himself carelessly from the meetings for quite some time, keeping the facade afloat got even more difficult.

He could vaguely recall one of the overlords (he didn't bother to remember who) making some quip about the classical television vs radio rivalry in the real world when Alastor had managed to show up that day, but Vox just waved him away with an amicable laugh. Vox wasn't very concerned back then, hell, he hardly even cared when the radio demon showed up, to him, he was just another overlord to make an impression on.

Vox probably would laugh at his old perception of Alastor now, if it wasn't all so infuriating. 

Alastor had watched Vox approach with a wide smile plastered across his face. The exchange was polite, Vox extended a hand and Alastor shook it, claw-like fingers grazing over his, similar to Vox's. His voice was laced with static, similar to ones of a radio. Vox guessed he was admittedly charismatic... in that STUPID way. The memory was hazy but Vox was pretty sure he'd reminded Alastor of the radio and TV rivalry as well. A shiver ran down his spine as Alastor's red eyes fixed on him and while his smile remained, his gaze seemingly darkening.

Beyond that, Alastor had never displayed any emotions to Vox beyond amusement, all smiles constantly. It was both fascinating and frustrating to see because even Vox couldn't keep up his own facade for so long and did Alastor's face not fucking hurt from all that consistent grinning? And also, no matter what Vox said, or what route of tone he took, Alastor always somehow managed to remain the exact same in expression.

Vox didn't care. Why should he? He was just another overlord and every overlord had proven to be strange themselves as is, the only one he could slightly stand speaking to was Carmilla and even then she could be a complete bossy piece of work. Alastor wanted to be another extremely weird overlord amongst the rest? Fine, be his guest. Vox didn't want OR plan to see him beyond the meetings anyway.

Vox now was really beginning to envy his old perspective on Alastor. He missed the good old days where he didn't give a shit about the demon.

But of course, his days of "no shit giving" didn't last very long because one fateful day, Vox was traversing back to headquarters, slouched over and exhausted from the paparazzi he'd been bombarded with on his way back, a dark scarlet slipping over the sky, signifying nightfall. For some reason, there was such an uprising in paparazzi those days and when they came, they didn't come in swarms anymore. They came in army's.

Vox's phone rang, shaking his hand and he pulled it out of his pocket, staring down at the caller. It was Velvette, likely wondering where or what he'd been off to for the past three and a half hours... or calling him up because Valentino was bitching a fit... again. At the thought of that, Vox was tempted to not answer the call, but if he figured that if the call went off track, he could just chuck the phone away anyway.

And so he reluctantly answered the call.

"Velvette, hi." Vox started, trying not to sound as tired and uninterested as he felt.

"Yeah, hi- ugh!" There was the sound of some rummaging on the other side of the call, followed by frantic voices.

Vox wasn't surprised. It was always chaos on Velvette's floor, five models were always fired per day and if nobody made everything into a state of disarray, Velvette did it herself with all of her stern yelling.

Vox waited until she spoke again.

"Where are you?" Velvette snapped. "You were supposed to send the other half of my employees home! Now they're going to be stuck here the entire time unless- all of you get out! I don't care if you die, just go!"

"What? Velvette, why would I agree to that?" Vox asked, immediately exasperated. "Why would I be sending half of your employees home?"

"You agreed to it on Sunday!" Velvette argued. "I can't send them all myself!"

"Why do they all need to go home? Don't you force a majority of them to work during the night anyway?"

"Ugh, stop acting stupid!" Velvette demanded. "Just get down here and help me kick the rest of them out, now! All of you, out! This isn't supposed to be some shelter for you all to sleep in!"

More rummaging sounded from the other side, but this time it sounded like Velvette was hitting somebody. Vox rolled his eyes, a luxury he could never afford when he and Velvet were face to face.

"I have literally no idea what you're talking about and I'm not in the building." Vox huffed.

"What? Did you just say you're not in the building?" Velvette snorted, almost incredulously, like she thought he was joking.

Vox didn't see what was so hard to fathom about all of this. Why the hell would Velvette's employees all be sent home and why was it so difficult to believe that Vox would be out of the building?

"Yes?" Vox sighed. "I'm not in the building."

There was a small pause. Velvet hardly paused, because she was rarely speechless. Speechless didn't seem like the right word for the situation, Velvette just seemed more like she was processing his words.

"You like... you're like aware that we're having the extermination tonight right?"

Vox just blinked.

Was she joking? She didn't sound like she was joking but then again, Velvette had proven to not be against jokes countlessly. For all Vox knew, she could be smirking on the other side of the call. Now that he'd thought of it though... she had asked (more like demanded) he send some of her employees home that night (she had far too many to do it herself), so they didn't take refuge in their headquarters during the extermination... ugh, life had got to shitting him.

Oh, of FUCKING course something like that would happen to Vox. OF COURSE. How does one forget one of the most soul threatening days of the year? Maybe because in all fairness, everyday in hell is soul threatening.

"Fuck," was all Vox could conjure in response.

"Yeah, you are fucked. Can I take your floor when you die? I've been really looking to get another runway and-"

Vox hung up on her, gaze darting around immediately as he tucked his phone away again. He was mainly walking between alleyways, which were a hotspot for buying contraband but that day, the alleys were completely deserted. Of course they were, who wanted to die permanently? He felt stupid for forgetting. HOW COULD HE FORGET? Now Velvet was going to turn his room into a runway and fill her crying models with it.

Doors lined the alley way walls, but Vox knew better than to knock on them.

The most he could do was continue walking, but he knew that if he did that, he'd be practically begging for an angel to swoop in and murder him. The alleyways were decently shadowed but not shadowed enough and he was sure his screen illuminated himself further.

Hey, maybe he should just lay on the floor and wait to die. At least then he wouldn't have to deal with the shit the other two V's put him through. But Vox knew he was kidding himself and sighed, glancing around still. There he was, standing in the middle of an alley, unsure if the extermination already began, was about to or when it will, and if it already had, what should he do?

Looking back at it now, Vox found the laying down and waiting to die idea more appealing because what happened next, partially doomed him.

Vox felt his presence before hearing it, the air that thickened and the feeling of apprehension that slammed into him. He turned and there he was, Alastor watching him, arms folded behind his back, smile still across his face, it was beyond Vox how he'd managed to approach so quietly. He wondered if that smile ever came off when he was alone, he had a feeling that the answer was no.

"Aagh! The fuck!" Vox snapped, startled, staggering a few steps away.

He had assumed he was an angel at first, the rising tension in the air had made it hard for him to take it as anything else.

"Apologies for the scare!" Alastor laughed. "I just couldn't help but come say hello once I took notice of you here. Hello!"

"What are you doing out here?" Vox demanded, not at all in the mood for this, not enough to keep the facade going. "Don't you know that todays the day of the extermination?"

"Why, I was about to ask you the same thing." Alastor exclaimed. "What are you doing so far from your headquarters? Certainly you don't plan to face the exterminators. Do you?"

"No, I'm not stupid." Vox objected. "I just..."

"Forgot?"

"No! Who would be dumb enough to forget?" Vox snapped.

Him, apparently.

Alastor didn't seem very convinced, humming thoughtfully.

"Hm, well I assume it's a good thing you can travel through cameras then to get back... if there were cameras here anyway."

Vox gritted his teeth together. He couldn't help but be irritated considering the stakes.

"I suppose I should be off then, before we both get slaughtered, goodbye!" Alastor added quickly, before turning and beginning to head off in the other direction.

"What- hold on!" Vox demanded. "Where are you going?"

The radio demon turned to face Vox again, baring yellow teeth in a smile, tossing his (sceptre...?) from hand to hand

"To my studio, of course. I'd prefer to be in there rather than out here when the exterminators arrive."

Alastor turned and began to walk off again.

Vox decided at that moment he'd rather sacrifice his dignity than his life. But looking back on it, once again, Vox REALLY wished he just let himself die. 

"Hold on!" Vox repeated. "I- ugh, could I come with you?"

Alastor halted and Vox's words were followed by a slightly embarrassing pause. He half assumed that Alastor would laugh or just start walking again like he hadn't heard a word Vox had spoken, but instead he thankfully turned again and tilted his head.

"Why, of course!"

Vox sighed with relief, trailing forward and beginning to walk beside the radio demon. He felt static brush against his skin as he passed near him, a crispy humming emitting from Alastor as he led him down the alley.

He tried to convince himself that the situation could've been worse. That he could've just sat there and waited for an angel to come murder him and this was a better alternative... even as wretched as he felt to request another overlord for help.

"... How far away is your studio?" Vox asked, mainly to break his own tension.

"Not far." Alastor stated vaguely.

"Why are you letting me come with you?" Vox questioned, this time out of curiosity.

The other overlords didn't hate him (as far as he could tell), but this was hell. It wasn't very common for one to assist another.

"Why wouldn't I?" Alastor hummed.

"It's just strange to see the 'almighty radio demon' helping me." Vox quipped.

Alastor laughed.

"Well, it's the more polite action to take, isn't it? The more gentlemen thing to do."

Vox wasn't exactly sure why he said what he said. Maybe he was just testing Alastor's composure, maybe he was curious or maybe he was getting bored, but honestly, he had no idea why he spoke the next words he did.

"Oh yeah? And you are gentle?... In bed, I mean."

Vox looking back on it, wishes he combusted at this moment and died. Thinking about it makes him want to die. It's the type of moment Vox sits awake thinking about, the type that will randomly haunt him on a Monday evening continuously for the rest of his life.

Alastor's smile didn't falter, but his eye twitched and he said something Vox couldn't catch over the static rising up against it.

Vox at that moment was just bewildered. Both by Alastor's reaction and the fact that he'd said that. Hell, maybe Valentino was rubbing off on him. Hell, maybe Vox could've internally worded that better and ew, he'd prefer for Valentino not to be compared to him.

Alastor didn't even reply, just continued to walk ahead without comment. His smile never left him but Vox got the sense that he was disturbed. Was Vox that bad at flirting? Maybe he was a little rusty, but thats only because he hadn't dated since... since awhile. But clearly he wasn't that bad if Alastor had nothing to say about it... or maybe that meant he was really bad?

Whatever the case was. Who cared what Alastor thought, certainly not him. CERTAINLY NOT VOX AT ALL.

And Alastor's reaction to it totally wasn't making him more determined to get an actual reaction out of Alastor and wasn't drawing more of Vox's own attention towards him.

Not at all.

Totally wasn't.

Chapter Text

Vox would prefer not to admit it, but since the entire extermination "incident" he'd went through, he and Alastor... well they didn't become friends per say. More likely, they became two overlords who spoke to each other more than the other overlords during the meetings. Velvette referred to it as "work buddies" after discovering it but Vox preferred not to put a term on it. In total fairness though, he supposed she wasn't totally incorrect. 

He spoke to Alastor a lot over the meetings, and now that Alastor was beginning to somewhat attend more often, he talked back. Vox assumed the relationship would remain strictly professional, just casual politeness like he shared with the other overlords. But it was kind of difficult to remain professional when despite all of their billion differences they had one thing in common and that thing was having a lot of jabs to throw at the other overlords that had to verbalize through one another (because they sure as hell could never say it to the overlords faces).

Alastor was surprisingly snarky. It was strange to see because while being so, he still had a wide grin and spoke in a delighted tone and he always had an air of sophistication so you'd assume he wouldn't be the type to act as such. Apparently he was.

Vox eventually grew tired of asking Velvette to attend the meetings, because honestly he knew she'd just end up faking an illness and so he figured that there was no point in asking anyway, so too bad, he guessed he'd have to go himself every time then. It was too bad Velvette and Valentino were too uninterested in attending. TOO, TOO BAD. Vox figured he'd have to fill in for the V's all the time then. And the ONLY reason why was because Velvette kept faking sicknesses, so he HAD to give in, oh well.

He immediately regretted informing Velvette she no longer had to attend because Velvette (of course) took Vox's sacrifice to attend, the completely wrong way.

"It's because of your radio boyfriend, isn't it?" Velvette wondered, a smirk curling across her face. "You never wanted to attend before, but now you're all for it?"

Vox scoffed and crossed his arms, craning his screen away, out of her view, so he could roll his eyes.

"No, it's just because I don't feel like quarrelling with you every time they call a meeting in, besides I don't even to speak to Alastor outside of them." Vox objected.

"And you're on first name basis with him too? Wow, I was kind of doubtful you were the type to have a crush." Velvette mused, bringing her phone to her face, possibly to conceal the mischievous smile that was forming there.

Vox sighed in agitation. Velvette tended to taunt him often and typically he could just scoff and brush it off, but this time he felt somewhat exposed. Like Velvette had went for the throat and actually had managed to tear something back. It made it difficult not to indulge in her antics and deny it all when he felt so... called out. And his reactions just seemed to be entertaining her further.

Okay, MAYBE he didn't hate seeing Alastor. Maybe he slightly enjoyed it just the tiniest, most little and wee bit. But that didn't mean anything at all!

"I don't have a 'crush', Velvette." Vox huffed. "Weren't you going shopping today?"

"I was going to, but you told me you aren't coming this morning and everyone else bailed on me." Velvette said with a shrug, curling up against the couch and beginning her mindless scroll through her socials again.

"You could just go alone." Vox suggested in irritation.

"Ugh, that's no fun. Could you just come with me?" Velvette requested, finally glancing up from her device.

"Sorry Velvette, but I'm busy today." Vox replied dismissively, preparing to turn towards the door so he could make his escape.

Shopping with Velvette was a nightmare, she treated the employees like they were her own fashion designers and models. Whenever she entered a store filled with clothing articles that didn't meet her taste, she'd personally take hours to lecture each employee individually. It was exhausting and probably exactly why everyone bailed on her. 

"Oh come on Vox, don't be a fucking bore!" Velvette protested, swinging her leg over the other and tossing her phone to her side. "We'll only be out for two hours, tops!"

"I don't believe that," Vox grimaced, "thats what you said the last five times."

"If you come with me then I'll stop picking fun at you and the radio demon." Velvette offered.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

Vox should've known better. They'd been at it for eight hours, picked up two articles of clothing and only had alternated between three shops. Vox was seriously considering just smashing his screen in with one of the mannequins at that point.

Velvette showed no signs of stopping her spree whatsoever and Vox had a feeling that if he nudged her along now, she'd be the one shattering his screen and not him. Vox had no idea why she still even insisted on going on these shopping trips when she designed half of her own outfits herself herself anyway. 

He watched, irritated as Velvette began to rant, her agitation directed towards a random cashier who looked like she might burst into tears at any given moment. It looked like they'd be shopping for another five hours at that rate, because another tangent was starting again.

"I need some air." Vox stated.

Before Velvette could reply, he backed out of the shop and let the doors slip shut behind him. Velvette either just didn't care or was too busy to notice his absence, because she didn't bother calling him back to his relief.

He contemplated just leaving but decided that doing something like that would just piss Velvette off further and decided to reside at the shops wall, leaning against it with a bored sigh.

He stared ahead at the roads and sidewalks across the street. A cannibal demon had left its town and now was munching on some random raccoon-like demon but besides that, the roads were mainly empty and boring, for hell surprisingly enough.

Great. It was either stand outside and stare at nothing or stand inside and listen to Velvette chew out someone she just met. He didn't know why he'd agreed to this anymore.

As Vox glared onwards, suddenly a familiar feeling grazed his arm and it took him a few moments to register what such feeling was.

Static. Familiar static too, prickling up his arm. Vox immediately knew who's it was. 

He straightened himself off the wall, instinctively (and a LITTLE TOO eagerly than usual) beginning to look around. And across the sidewalk, walking aside the shadowed part of the sidewalk, with the grin he always wore, was Alastor.

And right beside him, almost completely concealed by the shadows, Vox recognized was Zestial.

Right, Zestial, another overlord. The eldest of the overlords, ancient as said. Alastor didn't seem to mind Zestial, he seemed to respect him more likely. Vox was pretty sure they walked to the meetings together SOMETIMES. He never suspected they actually hung out OUTSIDE of them though.

Vox struggled not to stare but for some reason couldn't manage to tear his eyes anyway, his mind whirling with questions.

Did they see each other behind the meetings often? Or was this by chance? Why did matter? WHY DID VOX CARE?

He felt electricity curl around his fingertips as he clenched his hands into subconscious fists, gritting his teeth and snapping his gaze away.

"Whats got you so riled up for?"

Velvette had emerged from the shop again, bag hanging from her finger. She followed Vox's previous track of gaze, her eyes lighting up with intrigue and amusement as she pieced together the situation.

"Vox, are you seriously jealous?" Velvette questioned, a small grin running over her face.

"What?! No!" Vox objected.

Was he? Vox was pretty sure he'd know if he were jealous...

Okay FINE and maybe he was just a little bit. But he didn't understand why he could be. Alastor was just an acquaintance to him. An acquaintance he thought about hourly, but who cares?

Maybe Velvette's shopping spree was finally driving him to insanity.

"You know, I don't understand what you find so appealing about him." Velvette quipped. "Honestly, he's kind of creepy."

Vox couldn't really deny that.

"And do you not ever feel scared of him?"

"Scared? No, not really." Vox stated.

He hardly had felt scared since entering hell. He highly doubted that was going to start again because of some other overlord.

"Mhm, are you sure about that? I mean, he's basically just one of the final forms of entertainment that we don't have on our team," Velvette reminded him, "and I'm pretty sure his show was pretty popular back in his days."

"... Are you saying that he's a threat to the V's?" Vox questioned.

Vox really hadn't thought of it that way. Hell, he hardly even thought beyond Alastor being based around radio. Velvette's words were the first time that he'd even figured that Alastor was another form of media entertainment the V's didn't possess.

"Not really, it just kind of seems like he's someone whose supposed to be in the V's but isn't." Velvette admitted, digging her phone out and beginning to causally scroll along it again. "Although, I guess without him on our team. Maybe he is a threat."

Vox didn't know what to say. Velvette and Valentino were pretty much recruited the moment they stepped into hell. Alastor, on the other hand, had already been around for decades, it felt strange to ask someone who'd been independent his entire existence in hell. Besides, Vox considering Alastor a V, or requesting him to be such had just simply never crossed his mind before.

But he supposed it wasn't a horrible idea. They wouldn't have the threat of another form of media overpowering them and it would allow him to spend more time with Alastor for PROFESSIONAL PURPOSES.  

"Are you saying that he should be a Vee then?" Vox questioned.

"Obviously, even if he is really creepy." Velvette pointed out. "His name doesn't start with a V though, so that should be a problem."

Vox didn't think that would really be his biggest problem.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

Carmilla retreated from the room, her daughters tailing after her, the other overlords clearing the room out in follow. Leaving only Vox and Alastor left at the table, conveniently enough.

Vox wasn't nervous, to say in the very least. He sincerely doubted the offer would be refused, what demon would possibly refuse such power? Then again, despite being unworried about the offer being cast aside, he still felt the strange feeling. Like something was fluttering in his stomach, like he was going to vomit, like he could vomit.

Alastor began to stand and Vox was quick to stand with him.

"Alastor, hi, again." Vox stated, letting an instinctively persuasive smile form. "I just meant to speak to you before you left."

"Well then I'm all ears." Alastor responded, turning to face Vox, still wearing his trademark grin.

Vox hesitated. For some reason. He never hesitated, something was seriously wrong with him. He turned to let out a few awkward coughs. He didn't know why he did that either. He didn't need to cough. Maybe Velvette's shopping spree from three weeks ago really did drive him insane.

Alastor seemed to be waiting patiently for Vox to finish... whatever he was doing and actually speak.

"Uh okay, so," he did a bunch of wordless vague hand gestures that even he didn't understand, "so, you know how you're the radio demon right?"

Dumb question. How would he not know that?

Alastor didn't respond, he just seemed more amused than before. Somehow him silently watching Vox and waiting for him to get to the point was more embarrassing than him actually saying anything at all.

Typically Vox was more composed than this... and ten times more charismatic. He prided himself on his ability to act as such, especially in front of paparazzi. But there he was, stammering to the point that his words were bordering incoherent.

"Yeah, right, you do know that, uhhhh. What was I saying? Oh right, so a few weeks or so ago I was out and I was talking to Velvette, you know Velvette, right? Right. Before I was talking to her, I did see you with Zestial though, that was interesting. I wasn't watching in a stalk-y way though, just... just a way. So we were - you aren't dating him, are you? I don't know why I'm asking that, it doesn't matter. But you aren't? Are you? Just out of curiosity."

Alastor just smiled and stared.

Vox wanted to die.

"Ugh, this is all beyond the point." Vox groaned. "What I'm trying to say is that, you're basically the only demon whom represents a media, who us V's have yet to include. And the three of us figured, we'd might as well invite you in, especially considering it will elevate power, on both ends."

Alastor opened his mouth to reply but Vox hurried to cut him off.

"Just before you answer, I have to ask you something. I..." Vox trailed off, not exactly sure where he was going with this himself. "I guess I've just been meaning to ask and I- I wasn't really sure how to word it, so here it goes..."

He hardly had any idea what he was doing himself. Before he knew it, words were flooding out again.

"This might sound like a stupid question, because it is one. But I've been thinking, about... about you, a lot lately and I was wondering if... uh, if you'd like to go out, with me, sometime?"

There was a beat of silence.

"No." Alastor replied, smile not faltering.

To the V's request or the date?

"... To which one?"

Alastor blinked each eye separately.

It took Vox a few moments to recognize what Alastor's silence was implying.

"To both?!" Vox realized.

He immediately felt embarrassed. If he had actual physical skin, he probably would flush, but he didn't. So he resorted to annoyance which quickly transferred into anger.

He didn't know how to deal with rejection, because he hardly received it. He was Vox, owner of Vox Tek. How could one possibly reject him without even the smallest touch of reluctance. The rejection burned and it burned deep.

"Wait, so you're rejecting me?!" Vox fumed.

Alastor suddenly seemed more interested in everything else in the room than with Vox. Humming to himself and glancing down at his non-existent watch.

"Why, would you look at the time! It appears I have some place to be... other than here! Right now!" Alastor exclaimed.

"What?" Vox scoffed.

"I should take my leave now, goodbye Vox."

Vox felt stunned, shocked speechless. Unable to call Alastor back and feeling far too abashed to request he stayed.

And so with that, Alastor left.

Leaving Vox to awkwardly stray behind. 

For the next seven years.

Chapter Text

For the first few months, Vox was just annoyed. Okay, maybe he admittedly had scared Alastor off, he could get that, but he didn't think he was bad enough to stray away from for more than a few months at most. A WHOLE YEAR was just excessive. And yet Alastor had mysteriously vanished from both the overlord meetings and other attendances, like he'd just been mysteriously wiped from existence, gone without a trace.

And Vox was pretty sure that it was all his fault. Likely, anyway.

Vox spared himself the embarrassment of searching for the radio demon for the first year, but once they'd hit the two year mark, he found himself getting SLIGHTLY worried. He began to assume (hopefully) that perhaps Alastor wasn't exactly missing, maybe he was just avoiding him more specifically. But then news began to be released, alongside articles, all questioning the disappearance of the infamous radio demon and so Vox was struck by the fact that Alastor had fully just disappeared.

He spent another additional two years assuming Alastor was dead, that an exterminator had finally got to him. He wasn't sure whether to grieve about it or to be angry, but Vox overall settled with unsure because he didn't want to jump to conclusions... and his hope was pretty much secretly lifting the idea of Alastor still avoiding him and not being completely dead yet.

... But Vox would be lying if the possibility of Alastor being dead wasn't still a thought over the years. Always lurking in the back of his mind, partially haunting him.

Eventually after six years, he decided to get over it. Accept that the radio demon was gone forever (and who cared? Certainly not Vox) and that he needed to just move on with his life and preferably not stay up every night not watching that stupid eighteen season long show about unrequited love.

The show really wasn't that bad but Velvette was beginning to see it on their watch history, and she was already suspicious as is that Vox's random ranting every night at the dinner table was evoked by a little more than annoyance. She'd already accused him of "grieving" the radio demon before.

Which was stupid, because none of them knew if Alastor was dead yet. Right? RIGHT? So obviously whether he was truly dead was inconclusive, therefore Vox wouldn't be grieving.

It was more of struggle than Vox originally would've guessed to attempt to forget the radio demon, like trying to tear a particular nasty leech from your skin. It was strange, because like Velvette said, he could've sworn he hadn't interacted with Alastor for longer than a year and yet there he was, struggling to forget him.

How could one demon possibly make that big of an imprint on his mind?

And so, after seven years, nearing a decade, Vox finally managed to somewhat forget. He'd only made a little chunk of progress, but that chunk was enough for him to only think about Alastor daily rather than hourly. Pathetic, but not as pathetic as Vox would prefer not to admit he was before.

He shoved any excess frustration right back into his work. Shovelling his irritation with Alastor right into his pile alongside the irritation with everyone else and ditching any sparks of thoughts that fizzed up and acknowledged the radio demon in ways beyond disdain.

And so, after seven years, Vox began to settle and come to terms finally with the probability of never seeing Alastor again. And he decided that he was FINE with that.

Then he saw him again.

After dragging himself reluctantly to Valentino's quarters and listening to him ramble about bullshit, something about a hotel, Lucifer's daughter and Angel Dust, he finally managed to give Vox some information he cared about. The radio demon being back.

At first, Vox was just angry. Disbelieving and angry. Because first of all, couldn't that have been the first thing he decided to say? Second of all, why would Alastor spontaneously return after seven years? Third of all, if he had actually returned, Vox was only going to be angrier.

And there he was, through the security cameras, Vox could catch his freakishly wiped out face, the screen enveloped by static and blurred lines as he walked across. He knew Alastor couldn't be caught very well on camera and his face certainly couldn't be either, but something about seeing him back and still as eerie as ever just made Vox more livid than before.

Vox suddenly understood the saying "to be blinded by anger" because in a flurry of his own agitation, he did the next best thing he could come up with and sent a broadcast over hell... basically just saying the innocent TRUTHS about Alastor.

He knew it must've been a little excessive, but could he be blamed? That pompous asshole had disappeared for seven years, SEVEN YEARS, and there he was just turning up again like nothing had ever happened. With Princess Morningstar of all demons?!

He half expected Alastor not to reply to the broadcasting. To ignore him, like he'd been doing FOR THE LAST SEVEN YEARS. But he did.

... The experience was... humiliating to say in the very least. And slightly terrifying near the end. 

But it didn't make Vox any less angry. Not less angry enough not to send a spy to infiltrate the hotel.

Of course, in the end, their spy was overall useless and Vox's scheme ended up being caught (which was yet again, slightly terrifying) but he WASN'T planning to give up. Not after the internal turmoil he was put through for nearly a full decade.

It only made him angrier that he was never completely angry.

Relief was intertwined in his fury, relief that Alastor was still alive. And alongside that, was all of Vox's old feelings simultaneously slamming back into him like a rogue semi truck. Creating gaps between his anger to his frustration.

Alastor had returned and he couldn't even bring himself to be fully angry. It just made things ten times more infuriating.

And Vox didn't have a clue what he could do to fix it. Or to get rid of Alastor.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

"You know, me and Valentino were starting to think that you'd died." Velvette said, disdainfully brushing the scattered droplets of water that had managed to spray onto her skirt from Vox's flooring.

Vox didn't reply. He knew Velvette would come searching for him at some point, she was like the younger, needier sister he never had or wanted. She was bound to come looking for favours some time or another, or come demanding he stop another one of Valentino's tantrums.

"Lovely. Hello Velvette." Vox groaned in response, unable to muster any enthusiasm into his tone. 

"You know, it's been like a month since you've left your room. It's getting pathetic honestly." Velvette sighed, placing her hands on her hips and turning to glare at Vox. "Is there a reason beyond you being upset about the radio demon to be kept up in here?"

Nope.

"Uh, well Angelic Security is taking a lot of time." Vox offered.

Velvette rolled her eyes, hoisting herself up to sit on the edge of his desk. She flipped her hair back and crossed her arms, leaning backwards against one of the screens. She didn't seem very convinced.

"I thought you were 'getting over it', aka finally letting go of any feelings or grudges towards the radio demon," Velvette huffed, "but now that he's back, it's like you've just immediately gone back into your old habits. That stupid show you keep watching on our profile affects my recommendation page too, you know?"

"What? I have no idea what you're talking about, I've completely let him go." Vox objected.

Velvette dubiously raised her brows.

"Look, if you're not going to let him go naturally. You're going to need to do something about him to make yourself let go." Velvette suggested.

Vox didn't know what she was implying.

"Like kill him?"

"Ha! No. He'd kill you first." Velvette scoffed.

Her confidence in him was extremely uplifting.

"Then what else do you suggest I do?" Vox sighed.

Velvette rolled her eyes again, subconsciously removing her phone from her pocket again and staring down at it carelessly.

"I don't know, just anything to make you stop whining about him over dinner. Maybe you could just talk to him." Velvette suggested.

"Talk to him?" Vox echoed incredulously.

He did NOT want to talk to Alastor. And he highly doubted Alastor wanted to talk to him back if he hadn't spoken to him in seven years, and that was pretty much that. Besides, he hadn't even encountered Alastor personally since his return and still somehow managed to be humiliated by him twice already, who knows what would go down when Alastor actually interacted with him face to face?

"Yeah, he's helping that weird hotel, isn't he? Just go over there and ask to speak to him. Then you can rant to your hearts content, leave with the last word and you should be over it when you return."

"You really think that would work?" Vox huffed dubiously.

"Thats what I do with you and Valentino all the time. Sometimes it's better to just yell at people about how horrible they are to get over it." Velvette stated. "Even if it doesn't fix anything, it still takes your mind off of it enough."

Vox sighed, about to protest again, picking away at least eight flaws in Velvette's plan when suddenly an idea sparked in his head.

Alastor was just at that hotel and it wasn't like the hotel was particularly concealed away. Vox could head over there at any given time... and maybe if showing Alastor that he was in charge now through the broadcasts didn't work, then perhaps he could try such in person.

He lifted himself out of his chair, palms grazing over the claw marks embedded into his desk as he straightened himself up.

"You're right. I should go over to the hotel." Vox decided. "If taking out my anger is what it'll take to get my mind to stop thinking about him, then thats exactly what I'm going to do."

"Oh great, so you're going to talk to him?" Velvette lamented.

"No, I'm going to go fight him."

"... That is not at all what I was suggesting."

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

Vox had no idea how one could possibly decide to assist such a credulous hotel... especially one in which was so tacky.

He was too afraid to knock, standing (in an almost awkward manner) at the front door. The hotel was tall and seemed strongly structured enough (despite an area of the wall being clearly patched up to the side), but the fact that it was obnoxious shade of purple-ish red almost made Vox consider leaving entirely. And despite seeming to have a strong base, the hotel was built with so many junctures against the walls, so it looked like it may topple over and crush Vox at at given moment.

Considering Vox's luck, the probability of that happening didn't seem that slim to him.

He'd been standing for at least half an hour by that point. Internally going back and forth with what he should do.

He was here to fight. If Vox left now, he'd be heading back with shame plaguing him, which Vox had already experienced ENOUGH of over the years. Besides, Alastor underestimated him. He'd only grown stronger over the years he was away, who could say who would win or lose the fight?

And so, before he could change his mind again, he went forward and knocked.

The sound of footsteps clattering closer was instantaneous and Vox contemplated running off, but his legs felt practically rooted to the floor at that point.

The door slid open slightly with a creak and hands adorned in fingerless gloves wrapped around the door, pink eyes watching him suspiciously as the door was pried open further. Heavily lashed eyes narrowed and she swatted white locks aside as she stared at Vox in recognition.

"Hey. Aren't you that one guy Alastor was fighting?" The long-haired demoness inquired.

"And the owner of VoxTek and one of the richest demons in the pride ring but I guess that's not worth mentioning..." Vox muttered.

"I'm guessing you're not here to redeem yourself considering just a few weeks ago you sent someone to spy on us," she sighed, "so what are you here for?"

Vox regathered his confidence, then shoved the door open fully, brushing aside the demoness who scoffed in response.

The hotel was even tackier on the inside, the interior being a mesh of reds, violets and pinks. Vox had no idea what provoked Alastor to partner with such a horrendous place... and not him, but that was beyond the point.

"I'm here to battle the radio demon." Vox stated surely.

"Seriously?"

"Yes."

"Okay, well... just saying but I don't think theres another hell after this..."

"I'm not going to die." Vox scoffed.

"Ugh, well at least you'll die confident..."

Suddenly a door to Vox's left slid open and another demoness poked out. Vox immediately recognized her as the princess of hell, what was it? Charlotte Morningstar?

It was kind of difficult not to hear of her. She had a reputation among the pride ring for being unnervingly soft hearted, certainly not meeting the expectations many demons put across for her... Vox couldn't help but not feel threatened by her, despite understanding her power. The rumours of her were far too strong to muster such.

"Vaggie!" Princess Charlotte called over as she bounded over eagerly, taking the other demons hand. "Who's this?"

"He's that one guy who sent Sir Pentious." Vaggie sighed.

That one guy?

"Oh! Hello! Welcome to the Hazbin Hotel!" Charlotte cheered. "Are you here to redeem yourself?"

Vox could just vomit.

"Definitely not. I'm looking for Alastor." Vox informed her curtly. "Where is he?"

Princess Charlotte looked slightly upset but not surprised.

"You want to see Alastor... why?" Charlotte wondered, confusion overtaking her features next.

Why wouldn't anyone want to fight Alastor? Vox was honestly surprised no demon had attempted to do such before him.

"To fight him apparently," The demoness named Vaggie, added.

Vox wasn't sure whether to put the effort into being offended by her carelessness or not.

"Alastor! Someones here to fight you!" Vaggie yelled abruptly up the stairs.

Oh. Right NOW? Vox realized he totally wasn't prepared for this. Maybe he should've eased into it after the introductions, to mentally prepare himself. OF COURSE he'd practically threw himself into it after charging into the hotel.

He instinctively lifted a hand to fix his hair then realized he didn't even have any hair... why was he realizing that? He'd been dead for decades, his head had been a TV for decades. Why would he even feel the need to fix himself up anyway? Why was he slowly losing his composure with every passing moment? WHAT WAS WRONG WITH HIM?

Did he even know what he was going to say? Did he even need anything to say or would they be getting right into it? Vox guessed he could just improvise, but for some reason he always lost his improvisation abilities around Alastor. If only he could treat Alastor like he could treat the paparazzi...

"Um, Vox sir," Princess Charlotte laughed nervously, "I know that you seem pretty determined to fight him, but... but I really advise you to... notfighthim."

"Why."

"Because he's kind of... dangerous."

"He's really not that powerful, we're both overlords you know?" Vox protested.

"Oh! No! No! No!" Charlotte hurriedly waved her hands in a frantic 'no' gesture. "You're both powerful and all! Just, uh, he might be a... smidgen more powerful than you. And I don't want anyone to get hurt!"

Okay. So apparently nobody had any faith in Vox whatsoever.

But FINE. Vox just guessed that left more room for him to show them all.

"Alastor!" Vaggie yelled up again.

"You called?"

Alastor had appeared at the landing of the stairs, arms tucked behind his back, sceptre leaning against his fingers. Vox hardly had to time to process that Alastor was actually there before he started to descend the stairs.

And suddenly Vox felt like he might be choking. All the words previously ready to flood from his mouth, every preparation Vox had made, all those nights he stayed up until three in the morning, imagining what he would say halted. It felt like his words were being manhandled back down his throat.

Vox couldn't tear his eyes away from Alastor and his stupid trademark grin. He was hardly aware of the princess and her girlfriend, standing off to the side. It was like him and Alastor were the only two demons in the room... even though they CLEARLY weren't. (Were the demonesses mouth breathers? Because, hell, they were loud).

Seven years. And in the first time in seven years, Vox didn't even know what to say. He couldn't even bring himself to react.

He found himself subconsciously surveying every inch of Alastor and to both Vox's surprise and relief. He hadn't even changed over the years.

There was something reassuring about... despite not seeing the radio demon for quite some time, he hadn't completely changed, so perhaps Vox hadn't missed much... despite it feeling like he had.

It took maybe two minutes straight of flat out gazing into Alastor's eyes for Vox to realize that he was flat out gazing into Alastor's eyes and he drew his gaze away with a small cough.

"Ah, Vox, old friend. What can I do for you this delightful evening?" Alastor inquired.

Annnnd, now Vox was remembering what an asshole Alastor was.

Vox cleared his throat, mustering his voice up his throat again.

"I'm here to fight you." Vox informed him, doing a surprisingly well-done job at restraining himself from yelling at him.

"Oh, that's rather ambitious of you." Alastor mused.

Okay. NOW Vox was beginning to let at least some of the annoyance leak into his tone.

"Well you know me." Vox scoffed, not exactly sure what he was making a jab at.

Alastor just looked more amused.

Just as Vox was about to speak again, Vaggie tore between the two, spear in hand.

"If you guys are going to fight, could you do it outside of the hotel?" Vaggie asked, she worded it like a question, but her words sounded more like a command.

"Why, of course Vaggie." Alastor swung his spectre in a guiding arc towards the door. "After you Vox."

Vox didn't think destroying such a gaudy hotel in the process of battling would be that big of a loss but he reluctantly slipped outside of the door anyway. Alastor just a few steps behind.

Once they'd distanced themselves far enough away from the hotel, Vox turned to face him once more, but he found himself hesitating.

He'd come to battle... but for some reason, he had no idea what to do.

Vox had battled on multiple occasions, but never before with Alastor... and he'd never really been one to seek out fights either. Not when he had a company to run.

... So, did he like punch him?

"You can swing first." Alastor hummed.

For others, it might've seemed like a gentlemen action to offer, but for Vox, it just felt demeaning.

"I don't even know if I want to anymore." Vox sneered.

"I don't even understand why you'd want to even in the first place!" Princess Charlotte called from the steps.

Vaggie and the princess had stepped outside the door themselves, watching from the front of the hotel. Vaggie was seemingly on defensive mode, brandishing her spear, ready to intervene whenever necessary but Princess Charlotte just looked concerned.

"Oh, do you want the list?" Vox fumed.

"I do." Alastor chimed in.

Vox paused.

His internal list wasn't as long as he hoped.

"Okay, well there isn't a list. But the one thing you've done is pretty bad!" Vox snapped.

"And what is that one thing I've done?" Alastor wondered.

"Don't play dumb!" Vox argued. "You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"Do I?" Alastor mused.

Vox waited. Waited for him to laugh or suddenly say some shitty along the lines of "oh I remember now", but he didn't. Instead he just continued to stare at Vox, in an almost patient manner, like he was waiting for Vox to elaborate.

Vox stared back, but Alastor just raised his brows, smile only growing.

"Hold on, do you seriously not know what you did?" Vox realized.

"Well I cannot recall if I've managed to do anything to you personally..."

"OH MY GOD?! Did you seriously forget?!" Vox demanded.

Alastor didn't seem very fazed. Shrugging his shoulders and spinning his sceptre in a joyous arc.

"I don't know what there possibly is to be forgetting." Alastor added. "As far as I remembered, we were quite good friends, were we not?"

"Until you disappeared for seven whole years after I confessed to you!" Vox yelled.

Stupid Alastor. Always provoking a reaction out of him, when Vox couldn't even pull a reaction from Alastor.

He couldn't help but feel angry. Seven years, the thought of Alastor, haunting his every thought. And Alastor hardly even cared? OR REMEMBERED?

Alastor's expression hadn't even shifted from that smug grin of his. The only sign that he'd even heard Vox was his brows furrowing slightly. He was pretty sure Vaggie added something that sounded awkward from over by the door, but he didn't bother to try and catch it.

"I think you're terribly mistaken friend. I didn't leave for seven years because of that." Alastor eventually spoke up.

Vox would have to be pathetically stupid to believe that.

"Oh yeah?" Vox scoffed dubiously. "So you disappeared for seven whole years conveniently after I asked you out?"

"Well the 'ask-out' was admittedly a small push..." Alastor admitted. "But no, you weren't the reason why I left. In fact, I was planning to leave for quite some time beforehand."

Vox felt like he might short circuit.

"You asshole! And you didn't think the tell me that?!" Vox angrily snapped, his voice running with electricity. "I thought I was the reason why you disappeared for seven years! Do you know how wretched that made me feel? I thought I made you run off then an exterminator caught you or some shit! Why didn't you tell me?!"

"Unfortunately, you weren't my first priority when I returned Vox, you understand, right?"

No. Vox didn't understand.

"I- I... what the fuck, I'm leaving." Vox decided, too overwhelmed to muster anything beyond shock and infuriation.

"So no fight?" Princess Charlotte chimed in with relief.

"That's a relief, because I'm pretty sure Niffty is clogged in the toilet again Alastor. Could you go fix that?" Vaggie sighed.

"Right away!" Alastor called, because turning to face Vox once last time. "Any more things to say before I go?"

Vox decided he could fit in one last insult... Alastor would deserve it after all the shit he put him through.

"Yeah, have fun with your handsome face and your DUMB smile." Vox hissed.

Alastor just laughed slightly. And before he knew it, Alastor was being swept away, following the princess and her spear-wielding girlfriend back into the hotel.

It took Vox a few moments of standing there to realize that he never got the chance to storm away himself.

Or that he subconsciously and accidentally flirted with Alastor technically by slipping in the fact that he was handsome last moment.

"FUCK!" Vox snapped.

He kicked a potted plant down on his way out.

Chapter Text

Vox hardly went to bars. Mainly because they were where the lowest of the very low went (and Vox was NOT the lowest of the low) and they were always coated with grime and filled to the very brim with pathetic and lonely demons. The most he could manage was going to clubs with Velvette at times, but those were always decently high end, and the alcohol didn't taste like stale shit there. 

But no club was really nearby and Vox was already struggling to make an effort to lug himself fully back to headquarters, (and he felt like he may explode if he didn't drown himself in alcohol soon), so he just ducked into the first bar he saw.

And of course, the first thing he saw was a bunch of pitiful demons, suffocating their sorrows with obnoxious amounts of shots. A low jazz tune emitting quietly from a record player to the side, a demon with a bunch of irregular stripes banging his head repeatedly over his table. Vox contemplated doing the same as he dragged himself forward and slumped onto one of the bars stools.

"Just get me whatever will make me feel dead." Vox groaned towards the awaiting bartender.

The bartender seemed to know exactly what Vox needed and wordlessly swept away to fetch his drink, leaving Vox to his thoughts... again.

He felt so foolish. Of course Vox wasn't the entire reason why Alastor left, he was dumb to think Alastor would even give two shits about him, nevertheless spare him another thought. So him completely just vanishing because of him didn't make any sense whatsoever. Why he didn't think of that within the seven years of waiting was beyond Vox at that point.

Vox sighed, tugging out his phone from his pocket, hoping that distracting himself would be able to redirect at least some of his thoughts from Alastor.

Velvette had called him over eighteen times and had left him fifty unread messages.

At first, Vox was just puzzled, because surely he hadn't been gone for that long, not long enough for Velvette to worry. Then he glanced outside the window and realized that night had fallen. A deeper and much darker scarlet dusting over the sky, stars bearing down on the ring.

Vox was positive he hadn't been gone longer than an hour, and yet there he was, sitting in a random bar during what appeared to be the middle of the night. Had he seriously been wandering around mindlessly for six hours straight? Vox could probably believe it. When he was thinking about Alastor, he could do nothing for hours... which was kind of disturbing now that Vox was really acknowledging it, but he couldn't bring himself to care.

He called Velvette back, struggling to keep his head up as he stared miserably back into the screen, the reflection of himself sulking right back at him.

Vox was just looking into the eyes of a MISTAKE. A MISTAKE who could get anything but the thing he actually wanted.

And the worst part was knowing that Vox could get with anyone except for Alastor. Just last week he met this long legged demon chick that was named... what was it again? Sasha, Sarah... Sheila? Besides the point, Vox could serenade her just by LOOKING at her, but with Alastor? Then nooooooo apparently not.

He contemplated chucking his phone over the bars island so he didn't have to look at himself anymore. 

Vox really needed that fucking drink.

"Vox!" Velvette snapped.

He realized something in the midst of his self-loathing, Velvette had picked up the phone and now was glaring at him from the other side. Her hand was positioned on her hip and her eyes  narrowed into venomous slits. With a glare like that, he almost rethought deciding to face time.

Regularly, if Vox witnessed an expression like that, Vox would fear for his life, but instead he just groaned again and laid the front of his screen into his free palm.

"Velvette." Vox acknowledged, unable to muster much more.

"I thought you were dead!" Velvette huffed furiously. "I thought the radio demon skinned you or some shit! It's only when I called the hotel and they told me that you didn't even fight him and instead fled when I realized you were still very much alive, just too dumb to answer your calls. What's your phone for, Vox, huh? Who was going to plan your blasted funeral? Not me or Valentino, because we'd be too busy picking up your fucking slack!"

"I did not flee." Vox objected, still having the energy to be offended. "I just left."

Velvette sighed, a long an agitated sigh that made it evident that she was restraining the urge to scream or magically jump through the screen and throttle him.

"Ugh, Vox- would you have liked it if I spontaneously disappeared after vowing to fight one of the most powerful overlords?" Velvette questioned in frustration.

Vox knew the answer to that question already, but the difference between him and Velvette was that she didn't have a wretched crush on an all-powerful overlord who she couldn't tear out of her head. And also, Velvette wasn't stupid enough to commit to anything like that so it was difficult to imagine her in that type of scenario.

Vox absentmindedly picked up a stray spoon on the counter and twirled it around his fingers, wondering internally that if he jammed it into his head, that maybe he'd be able to scoop out at least some of the programming that plagued Vox to think so consistently about the radio demon.

Seemed like the best option for Vox at that point.

"So, how'd it go?" Velvette sighed.

From the tone lacing her voice, he already had the feeling that she knew exactly how it went.

"Horrible," Vox grumbled, letting the spoon clatter out of his fingertips, "I've never been more miserable in my entire life."

"Yeah? This beats the moment you died and went to hell?" Velvette snorted dubiously.

Vox wasn't in the mood to deal with Velvette's smart-ass remarks.

"Velvette? Am I bad at flirting?" Vox moped.

"Do you really wanna know the answer to that?"

"Ugh, I am, aren't I?" Vox huffed, letting his phone drop in front of him so he could hold his head in his palms, anguished.

"From the stories you've told me, you stink at flirting with Alastor, but with everyone else... with everyone else you're alright I guess." Velvette offered unhelpfully.

"Are you lying to me?"

There was a small pause.

"Okay you suck at flirting with everyone. Seriously Vox, you need to get out more. But in all fairness, your flirting with the radio demon sucks the most. It's a little embarrassing hearing your retellings sometimes. Maybe leave your room every once in a while instead of slouching at your computer and screens all day like a nerd." Velvette suggested... but honestly they sounded more like personal attacks rather than friendly suggestions.

Okay, rude. Vox had a job, he had to sit and stare at screens and his computer all day.

(Even if his job lately had consisted more of trying to watch the ragged hotel Alastor was at through a bunch of exclusive VoxTek security cameras in hopes of somehow catching him on camera than actually working, within the past week).

"If you're suddenly such an expert on flirting, then what do you suggest I do?" Vox huffed.

"Kiss his hand or something."

Vox rolled his eyes. Right, kiss his hand, like Vox hadn't already made a gigantic fool of himself as is.

"I was being sarcastic. Like I'd take advice from you again. I'm so done with your recommendations." Vox scoffed.

"Hey! My advice is good! You just always use it wrong! I said go talk to the radio demon, and you went to fight him!" Velvette objected. "You don't want to use my advice correctly or at all? Suit yourself, just get back to headquarters soon. Vark always starts bugging me to feed him when you're gone."

Vox sighed, glancing down at the phone, watching Velvette lean down to loftily push Vark off of her shoes and back into the water, snapping something that sounded more like she was ordering a dog around rather than a shark.

"Hey! SIT! Where even are you Vox?" Velvette demanded, peering closer to the camera, concealing Vox's view with her eye.

Vox blinked. Had he even looked at the bars name on the way in?

"I don't know." Vox admitted.

"Is that a bar? Are you at a bar? Shit, you really are upset about this, aren't you?" Velvette realized, the camera shook as a little as she grappled with Vark more in a wordless struggle.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Vox sighed. "I'm a failure."

"You're not a failure, you're just dramatic." Velvette huffed.

Vox didn't think he was being THAT dramatic. He spent the last seven years waiting for someone and concerning himself over something that apparently WASN'T TRUE, and then proceeding to realize that the radio demon never gave two solid shits about him in the first place to think about it that far, not to mention Vox never got the opportunity to even storm off first. Vox was so done, but he knew could take an eternity to rip Alastor from his mind so it would take ages for him to actually be completely done.

The bartender returned and dropped a shot in front of Vox, a weird red liquid that bubbled up a worrying amount of carbonation, poured into a smudged clear glass that clearly needed more runs through the dishwasher. It looked like a substance to make Vox dead, rather than make him feel dead.

But he downed it anyway. It tasted like copper and fermented cabbage, somehow carrying the texture of slime rather than water, slipping down Vox's throat, leaving a disgusting residue and the aftertaste of what only could be described as rotten cranberries behind.

Vox coughed in an attempt to hack the drink back up, immediately longing for water, the feeling of spice settling in the back of his mouth. 

"The hell- what was that?" Vox demanded.

"You said you wanted to feel dead." The bartender lamented back, running a cloth over the counter before disappearing into the back again.

Vox scoffed, dropping his face into his hands again, scraping claws over his screen, vaguely aware of Velvette scolding Vark from the other line.

"You said you wanted a drink that makes you feel dead? You're weird when you're not arrogant." Velvette acknowledged, looking bored again.

Velvette had the attention span of a fruit fly from all of her social media scrolling, it wasn't surprising to see her bored so easily.

Vox sighed, tempted to press the point further, but figured she was right. He needed to pull himself together. Hell, he was one the richest demons in the pride ring, the owner of VoxTek and the most attractive (but he wouldn't be saying that to Velvette's face) V. He couldn't be so worked up over some... random guy, even if the random guy happened to show up in Vox's dreams every night.

"You know what, Velvette? You're right. From now on, I'm completely over the radio demon." Vox decided.

"Uh-huh," Velvette muttered dubiously, "are you sure about that."

"Positive." Vox replied surely.

Wow, that felt great. In fact, after saying that, Vox felt better than ever. Like he could lift the bar, or kill everyone inside of it, or go to heaven and kill all of the angels there. Hell yeah! Vox felt better than ever! Exhilarated, to kind of a disturbing extent. Maybe he should get up and start pacing? No. Vox should get up and start RUNNING, he felt antsy just sitting around, liveliness slamming into him like a train.

"Uh Vox? Are you alright? You're kind of uh... twitching." Velvette advised him.

Vox glanced down and realized his fingers had began to move in abrupt patterns, violently shaking. He coughed again and extended his hand so he could grab his phone, lifting Velvette to eyes view again.

"What was in your drink?" Velvette wondered.

Vox looked down, peering into the empty shot glass. Then suddenly, his unease cleared up, replaced by abrupt relaxation.

"No idea, but I feel like really energetic for some reason? Like I'm sweating. Or I'm about to start sweating, it's really weird. Now I feel relaxed though, so it's okay. Hey Velvette, you know what? You can take my room, make it a runway, I don't care." Vox told her.

"... Uh, why?"

Vox sighed blissfully, phone dangling from his fingers as he leaned back against the stool, nearly toppling right over, struggling to right himself as he remembered that there wasn't a back support for the chair. 

"Because you're my best friend, y'know, I don't show it a lot but I really appreciate when you..." Vox trailed off, his words slurring together incoherently.

He tightened his grip on his phone so it didn't slip from his relaxing fingers and slumped down across the bars counter. All energy vanishing instantaneously, replaced with exhaustion and drowsiness.

"Vox, were you drugged or something?" Velvette demanded.

"He isn't drugged." The bartender protested, appearing from the back again, seizing Vox's wrist and turning the phone towards himself. "I gave him what he asked for, in an hour or a half he's going to feel dead. It'll wear off eventually, all of the side effects do, they're like mood swings."

The bartender released Vox's wrist again, disappearing right into the back... again, muttering something along the lines of "uneducated kids", which Vox was tempted to sit up and object to because he was sure he was older than that stupid bartender in human years, but all Vox could muster was an indignant groan.

"Okay, you know what? Vox, stay there and turn your location on. I'm coming to get you." Velvette ordered.

She ducked past the camera, likely gathering the keys before reappearing in the frame, her footsteps clattering and a small ding sounding, signifying the elevator rising.

As the drowsiness cleared, Vox lifted his phone to his face as he straightened again. In a hurry to speak before a new emotion hit him and he fell into a haze again.

"Hurry." Vox groaned, flicking the shot glass over disdainfully.

Surely the bartender knew better than to take his request seriously? Because apparently not. Who knew a drink like that even existed? And who would even willingly drink it, apart from Vox?

"You know Vox, you've really gotta start-." Velvette lifted her eyes to the camera again, but suddenly she paused.

Vox stared back at her, raising his brows and waiting for her to elaborate, but she didn't. Her brows furrowing, positioning both hands on her phone and lifting it closer to her eye.

Vox subconsciously brushed his suit down. He knew he didn't look that ideal, but did anyone else in the bar either? Besides, Vox had been wandering around for like, six hours straight, it wasn't like he could look any better, besides he'd seen Velvette look worse, she always looked like she'd been through an apocalypse whenever she simply woke up, she could NOT be judging him.

"Wait..." Velvette muttered.

"What?" Vox demanded.

Velvette lifted the phone back again, pursing her lips, brows raising as she made a clicking noise at the back of her throat. She had the expression of a hospital maiden who had to break the news of a dying relative written all over her face.

"What?!"

"Don't look behind you Vox but like, the radio demons right there." Velvette informed him.

"WHAT?!"

Vox whirled around, and there he was. Standing at the bars entrance, smiling over at Vox, lifting a hand to offer him a wave.

"I said don't look!" Velvette snapped.

Vox turned frantically back to his phone, digging claws into the casing.

"What do I do?!" Vox panicked.

"Stop yelling first of all, he can probably hear you."

She had a point there.

Vox clamped his mouth shut, casting another glance back over his shoulder. Alastor hadn't moved, still watching Vox patiently from afar.

"Okay now what?" Vox demanded, unsure what he could possibly do.

Did Alastor follow him? For six hours straight? Likely not. But why the hell was he even at the bar then?! And what for?!

"Now I'm going to hang up." Velvette stated.

"WHAT? Velvette, no! If he sees I'm on a call he won't approach." Vox hissed. "I can't talk to him in this state!"

"Or any state for that matter..."

"I'm serious. I just chugged whatever the fuck this emotion twister was, what if I suddenly get-?"

"I'll be there in fifteen minutes, calm down." Velvette interjected. "You have fifteen minutes to not to anything relatively embarrassing, just wait fifteen minutes. Give him the silent treatment or something. Okay? Okay. Kisses, see you in fifteen minutes, bye, mwa mwa mwa." 

And with that, Velvette curtly hung up, abandoning Vox and leaving him without an active excuse to not interact with Alastor. Vox scowled. Today was the day that Velvette decided to be against using her phone while driving? Just great.

He slammed his screen down on the counter before realizing that doing that wasn't exactly a good look on him and decidedly sat up again, trying to appear mindless as he fiddled with the empty shot glass, like he completely hadn't noticed Alastor's arrival in the slightest.

He knew Alastor was approaching because his humming was only growing closer and soon enough he slid himself over the stool besides Vox and leaned his sceptre against the bars counter, sliding in a small pivot to face Vox.

Vox didn't look at first, trying to keep his gaze extremely trained onto the shot glass below, waiting for Alastor to speak first. But to Vox's annoyance Alastor didn't, just continuing to pleasantly smile at Vox. Vox didn't try to acknowledge him, but at that point it was becoming painfully clear (if it wasn't already) that Vox was aware that Alastor was there, he was still trying his best to ignore him.

Vox was really starting to wonder at the three minute mark about how long he could really keep it going because this was beginning to make him feel extremely awkward. Alastor had hardly even twitched and some of Vox's earlier stubbornness was beginning to loosen with every passing wordless second because god, was Alastor planning to speak anytime soon? And the fact Vox knew that Alastor knew that Vox knew Alastor was there just made the situation feel even worse.

Giving the silent treatment really wasn't easy with Alastor. Because he outweighed Vox's level of comfort and patience by miles.

Eventually Vox got fed up with the wait.

"Alastor." Vox stated, turning to face him, fixing him with an irritated glare.

"Why, hello." Alastor immediately replied, smiling widening as he sat up in his chair.

"What do you want?" Vox demanded. "Come to gloat?"

"I don't think I'd gloat over things so ludicrous, no." Alastor mused. "I was being honest with you when I said you weren't the reason why I was gone for such an extended period of time. I just wished to clarify such."

Vox didn't know why he still had so much trouble believing that. And did he really travel all the way to the bar Vox was in for clarification?

"Then why'd you leave?" Vox huffed.

Alastor's smile tightened and he pointedly fell silent, his humming cutting off, gaze hardening. The tension rising thick around them.

Vox suddenly felt apprehension settle upon him... and he suddenly wasn't so sure if he wanted to know. Let Alastor go off with his fishy shit, who was Vox to care?

"Fine. Don't tell me, stay as mysterious and conceited as always." Vox snapped.

And suddenly Vox's emotions started to twist again. All sense of frustration being scooped out and replaced with a sense of deep sadness. Vox felt HURT that Alastor wouldn't tell him and hurt that no clarification at all was made when Alastor returned.

Like didn't they have some whole broadcast battle? They both performed entire fucking musical numbers, it could've been slipped in at some point! Could Alastor just like said something along the lines of "lalalala, oh and by the way Vox, you're NOT the reason why I left", it would've spared him A LOT of anguish.

Or BETTER YET, he could've just replied to Vox less vaguely in the first place when he asked him out instead of charging from the room and vanishing for nearly an entire decade.

"Are you alright, old friend?" Alastor questioned, watching Vox with mild amusement.

"Why wouldn't I be?" Vox shot back.

"You look like you may burst into tears at any given moment."

"And you look like... like..." Vox realized he couldn't risk indirectly complimenting Alastor again and decided to leave it at that.

"Right." Alastor hummed.

The next mood shifted more towards anger. At first Vox couldn't tell if that was his regular emotions coming back, or just another mood swing, but when the anger came up, it was confusing and Vox suddenly felt more conflicted than anything.

Vox sprang up from the chair, pointing an accusatory finger at Alastor's face.

"You know what?! I never even liked you in the first place! I-... I did for a few moments but then- THEN I looked at you and realized how ugly you were- well not externally ugly, internally ugly. That's not me calling you externally attractive either though. Who am I kidding? You knew what I meant. I think I have a fucking headache. You know what? Forget everything I just told you. Similar to how YOU FORGOT ABOUT ME FOR SEVEN ENTIRE YEARS."

Vox collapsed back into his chair as the emotions cooled off again, clutching the shot glass into a vice grip that caused it to shatter, scattering glass over the counter and drawing a glare from the bartender who charged out, only to retreat away again when Vox shot him a ferocious glare.

Alastor waited for Vox's breathing to slow before speaking again.

"I didn't forget about you," Alastor informed him, "I forget about a lot of demons, you can trust that. But I didn't forget about you."

Vox dropped any remaining glass fragments from his hands and straightened up in his seat, turning to face Alastor in slight disbelief. His voice sounded strangely sincere through the static, missing the trace of signature cheer that Vox had grown so accustomed to hearing.

Vox blinked at him for a few moments before briskly ripping his gaze away again, resisting the urge to stare at Alastor for a more extended period.

"Because I made such the impression on you?" Vox guessed with an agitated sigh, recalling all of the stupid things he'd spoken to the radio demon before.

Alastor laughed in seeming slight agreement of some kind.

"Well I suppose that was half the reason why you were so memorable to me." Alastor mused.

Vox couldn't really blame him. Then suddenly as Alastor's words registered, he realized something.

"Half the reason?"

"Hm?"

"You said that was half the reason? What was the other half?" Vox pressed.

Vox actually managed to stump the radio demon into silence. Alastor drifted off into quiet contemplation, watching Vox in an almost thoughtful manner as if he was trying to pry through his head and pull out a decent excuse... or like he was trying to discover what he meant himself.

Vox couldn't help but elongate how long he stared, drinking in Alastor's features. Suddenly he felt unable to tear his gaze away, grip on the counter tightening the longer he stared.

Had Alastor always been so attractive? Well, Vox knew he always had been, but right now it was affecting Vox to a strange degree.

He subconsciously glanced towards the shot glass again. Was flirtation an emotion? Because Vox really was feeling it and it was getting to an extensive degree.

Vox for some reason, really felt like he should act on it, his own instincts practically screeching at him to do something.

But WHAT?

Suddenly the idea of not embarrassing himself within fifteen minutes sounded more difficult than before.

"Vox? You look distressed again." Alastor told him, eyes scanning over him up and down.

Vox couldn't restrain a smirk from forming, leaning forward against his hand over the counter.

"Mm, well, I'd like to see you in distress sometime."

"What."

"What."

A small pause filled the air, accompanied by bewildered silence.

Fuck. Vox had did it again.

"Okay, I'm sorry, I should be going." Vox hurriedly added. "Velvette should be here soon, she's picking me up."

She better be anyway. Vox couldn't wait a moment longer to burst out the bars doors and flee. He straightened himself up and slid off of the stool, forcing himself to halt in front of Alastor.

"Ah, right. Well I presume I'll see you at any future overlord meetings." Alastor informed him.

He rose from his stool, leaving the sceptre against the counter for the time being as he extended a polite hand for Vox to shake.

It reminded Vox of his and Alastor's first encounter, the first gesture they shared being a handshake. Vox at first was a little confused, it wasn't like they were meeting again, weren't handshakes a greeting gesture?

But then he realized it supposedly was a wordless peace offering of some kind.

Kind of strange, Vox supposed. He never expected to be in such scenario with Alastor, but if thats what it would take for Vox to say farewell and be able to leave after what he just said, he'd take it.

Vox took Alastor's hand and shook it slightly, unable to keep his fingers from grazing over his gloves.

After a few seconds of that, Vox knew that he should release him. But it felt wrong, like he still hadn't accomplished the amount of set flirtation.

God, Vox hated that stupid drink.

And then the very last millisecond, as Alastor started to slip his fingers away, a last ditch decision, Vox hurriedly tightened his grip on Alastor's hand. Before leaning down and bringing the back of Alastor's hand to his lips.

WhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoingwhatamIdoing?

Vox ignored his inner turmoil, leaving his mouth against the back of Alastor's hand for quite some time.

Alastor didn't pull backwards, Vox could've sweared for a split second he flinched from likely confusion, but wasn't ripping his hand back, so Vox considered that somewhat of an accomplishment.

Vox knew doing such an action was stupid, especially in front of the other bar guests but for some reason, as he clutched Alastor's hand, trying his best for be gentle but still somewhat firm, he felt somewhat of an internal bliss settle over him.

Eventually, Vox loosened his grip for a few moments and then fully released it, stepping back quickly. He was tempted to not look at Alastor's expression but figured that if he didn't he'd lay awake every night, wondering what it was, so he did.

Alastor's smile shockingly hadn't faltered, although it had visibly loosened. His eyes conflicted and darting around the bar with a surprisingly amount of displayed emotion for Alastor. He retracted his hand as soon as it was released, but didn't brush Vox's kiss off over his lapels.

Vox couldn't gauge whether he hated it or not.

But he knew one thing was for sure. Vox REALLY had to go now.

"Okay UH, it was SUPER GREAT to see you and uh-!"

Vox whirled around and bolted from the bar.

Chapter Text

Breakfast with Velvette was unpleasant to say in the very least.

She was fixing him with a sharp glare, spoon intertwined between her fingers, spinning around her nails, brandishing it as one would with a knife. Vox had a feeling she was considering plunging it into his face and shattering his screen at any given moment for whatever reason, so he made a point to sit himself all the way across the table from her.

Which just proved to make things worse considering their dining table extended across the entire room so she just was glowering from the other side of the room like she might charge at any given moment.

Vox scoffed at her in slight bewilderment when she didn't elaborate on her clear agitation. He'd experienced situations like such before; where Velvette was glaring at him and Vox had no fucking idea what he'd done wrong, but typically she'd do a better job of explaining why she was pissed instead of just glaring at him.

Where the fuck was Vox supposed to take this if he didn't even know what was wrong?

When Velvette didn't show any sign of looking away, Vox very pointedly avoided eye contact himself in hopes that would also tear her gaze away. But she presented him with zero signs of backing down and continued.

It almost reminded Vox of the staring match he shared with Alastor the previous night... only with someone who looked like they might tear his face off.

Oh yeah. The previous night. Vox had sworn to himself that he'd never even think of it again, but holy shit, it was difficult. Especially considering the sole fact that it was so stupidly embarrassing.

Unfortunately for Vox, he couldn't forget anything, even if he tried. His memories automatically stored itself in his head whenever and was always ready to be replayed, whether inside of his head, over his screen, or over all of his rooms screens. It was exhausting, but something always felt wrong about manually deleting his own memories, so Vox never bothered... even as tempting as it was.

He heard Velvette sigh expectantly across the table but Vox decided it was likely for the best if he just ignored her. Velvette was always pissy in the mornings.

But something about her pissy-ness that day seemed unusually strong. Was it about the previous night?

Vox could recall stumbling a few feet across the sidewalk before Velvette arrived and clambering into the car. He also could pinpoint retelling what happened, but Velvette was practically wordless the entire way back and no anger was expressed in the slightest. So how she was taking his story was pretty unknown to him.

After ten more minutes of tense silence, Vox caved.

Fine. If she wasn't going to talk. Vox would.

"What." Vox sighed.

"You're sulking," Velvette snapped, "stop it."

Vox scoffed, immediately incredulous. Defensiveness ramming into him simultaneously. The wretched concoction Vox had consumed yesterday was had slipped away thankfully after Vox slept it off, but exhaustion still kept his emotions running in circles.

And his continuous recalling of the night before made him feel like he may combust at any given moment as is.

Vox kissed his fucking hand?! Velvette had to shove that advice into his head?! Could he really not have come up with anything better at that moment than listening to more of Velvette's bullshit?

Fucking hell, Vox was more likely to be the death of himself, not Alastor.

"Me? I'm not the one sulking here!" Vox protested. "You're the one sitting there all moody."

Velvette rolled her eyes, combing her nails through her bedhead, frizzed hair popping out at all angles.

"Look at yourself Vox, have you even changed since yesterday? I can't believe you're moping over a victory." Velvette huffed.

Alright, fine, maybe Vox hadn't changed since the previous day. He'd flopped down on his bed in a fit on pure anguish and was a little too busy wishing he were dead and crying himself to sleep to clear up enough time change. Besides, Vox would hardly consider what happened a victory.

"A victory?" Vox echoed dubiously. "Do I need to retell the story to you? Should we hook up my head to our theatre room so you can watch your stupid suggestion occur on the big screen?"

"Okay, my suggestion was not stupid, Vox." Velvette objected. "It worked better than what you've been doing."

"You don't know that! You weren't even there!" Vox protested.

There was a small pause between them. Filled with the clinking of spoons against porcelain and an indignant huff drawn from Velvette before she finally spoke again.

"Fine. Let's go down into the theatre room then," Velvette suggested, already beginning to rise from the chair, "so I can see it personally."

"What? Why? Isn't telling you it enough?" Vox demanded in exasperation.

Telling Velvette the situation was humiliating enough, he didn't need her seeing it for herself through Vox's eyes on a gigantic screen.

Vox wasn't going to live it down as is, Velvette being there to pester him about it would make it a million times worse.

"Just let me see it," Velvette insisted, coming around the table to flick Vox between his eyes, "then after, I have an idea."

"An idea?" Vox scoffed.

Suddenly Velvette's hands hooked onto the chair and Vox abruptly felt the chairs front legs lift as Velvette started to drag him backwards by the seat.

"Yep. But I want to see what happened first before we get to that, so get your ass up and out of this chair and let's go." Velvette snapped.

Vox resistantly lashed out and gripped onto the table but Velvette reached forward and began to pry his claws off before yanking him backwards by the seat again. 

"And what if I don't?" Vox threatened.

"Then I'll drag the chair the entire way."

Vox sincerely doubted that, turning to glare disbelievingly at Velvette as she continued to drag the chair backwards and towards the elevator.

He dug his shoes into the floor below in an attempt to resist being dragged away any further, but Velvette kept yanking him away, Vox's shoes and the chair legs scraping against marble, eliciting an infernal squeaking noise.

Vox grimaced in annoyance but Velvette didn't let up and continued to lug him away by the chair, hitting the elevator keys and waiting for it to the rise, grasping onto the chair like it was a wheelchair that lacked wheels.

Vox eventually just rolled his eyes and leaned back against the chair, mildly amused but mostly just irritated.

Velvette could try and stay as stubborn as she wanted but Vox doubted she'd be able to yank him all the way through the elevator, across their private theatre and up the theatres steps.

Even as persistent as she was, Velvette wasn't strong enough for all of that.

Vox couldn't hold back a smug smirk from forming.

Good luck Velvette. He knew they wouldn't be getting very far.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

"How the fuck is this even possible?!" Vox snapped.

"I said I'd drag the chair the entire way, so thats what I did." Velvette retorted.

"Yeah? But how?!"

Vox hadn't even lifted himself from the chair and Velvette had managed to wrangle him across their entire theatre room, through rooms full of employees (that were far too accustomed to their shit to question or stare much), and was now yanking him up the theatre rooms steps towards the projector room.

It certainly hadn't been a quick process but the fact that it was a process in the first place for someone as small as Velvette was surprising enough.

Once Velvette had dragged him all the way up the stairs and tucked him away into the projector room, she shoved him at the desk the projector was set upon and wordlessly gestured to it with exhausted hands, struggling to catch her breath.

Okay. He supposed that was all kind of impressive. But despite her efforts, he still remained on the chair, arms crossed in silent refusal.

"I'm not plugging into that." Vox snapped, nodding towards the projector. "I don't know why this so important to you."

"Because this company isn't going to function if you're slouched over at your computer everyday sulking because you can't flirt with that radio freak for shit." Velvette objected, leaning down and beginning to separate the projectors cords.

"I don't see how rewatching my failure is going to make me want to sulk less..." Vox grumbled.

"Ugh, for someone so smart, you can be so stupid sometimes. I want to watch it so I can help you actually nail a date down with the radio demon." Velvette snapped.

Vox sat there for quite some as he registered her words, watching her rummage through the mounds of tangled cords and cables below in annoyance.

Velvette had always been aware of his little... predicament with Alastor. But she rarely spoke of it apart from a few snarks here and there over the years (maybe with some additional eye rolls whenever he spoke about him). She'd never shown any interest in actually helping him regarding it.

"You want to help me nail a date down with someone you don't even like?" Vox clarified, slightly startled. "Why?"

Velvette managed to tear a cord free, turning towards the projector with an agitated huff.

"Because I don't want the V's to collapse because you're too busy being miserable about the radio demon, that's why." Velvette scoffed curtly.

Her words sounded surprisingly... planned. Which was strange for Velvette, who always had the quickest (and most hurtful) comebacks known to mankind just formulating at the back of her hand the moment something was said. Why she had that excuse present and planned was just weird for her.

Unless...

"Ohhh I get it. You're helping because you want me to be happy." Vox was unable to resist the triumphant smirk beginning to cross over his face.

"Shut up," Velvette scoffed, "I couldn't care less who you go out with. I just don't want this company to fall into shambles because you're too busy acting like a-"

"No, no, right. I'm sure thats why you're helping me." Vox quipped, grinning.

For the first time in weeks, Vox didn't feel totally horrible anymore. Despite Velvette's extremely obvious denial. He couldn't help but feel partially pleased.

That was until Velvette aggressively shoved a plug into the back of his head without warning.

"Ow! Fuck! Velvette! That hurt!" Vox protested, extending an arm backwards in an attempt to tear the cord back out only for Velvette to swat his hands away.

"Suck it up, would ya? Anyone would think you're a toddler with that attitude of yours. Now start playing the memory."

"No, I already said-"

"I can wait here all day Vox."

On a regular occasion, Vox might disbelieve that. But after she just dragged him by a wheel-less chair across an entire floor, he figured she actually be telling the truth and may actually wait there... all day.

Hell, fine, Vox supposed he had nothing else to lose.

...And Vox would be lying if he said he wasn't curious with how Velvette intended to help him.

So reluctantly Vox leaned back against the chair and began to play the memory.

He couldn't bring himself to watch, so he resorted to picking at his claws while he waited. He was thankful that the memory wasn't any longer than twenty minutes, but not thankful enough to look up at the screen and endure it again.

Velvette on the other hand, leaned against the desk and peered through the projectors room window, drinking it all in to Vox's internal anguish.

He wrapped it up as soon as he'd bolted from the bar, snatching the cables and tearing them out of his head again before turning to stare at Velvette indignantly.

"Happy?"

"Not really. I almost feel bad for you. But I feel more ashamed honestly. That was pathetic." Velvette stated.

Vox slumped in his chair, ducking his head down gloomily.

"See? Your advice did suck. And I made a fool of myself, again."

"Stop being a baby," Velvette ordered, smacking Vox in the face to grab his attention (a hit that hurt more than Vox would prefer to admit), "it was going fine until you sped out of there."

Vox honestly thought that running out of there was the best thing he'd done in that entire situation.

"It was not going fine!" Vox objected, sitting up so he could glare over incredulously at Velvette.

"It was! Did you even see his face? He was thinking about things!"

"Yeah thinking about how fucking stupid I am." Vox snapped. "Do you think he could even tell that I was kissing his hand? I mean, it's not like I have lips so-."

"Vox. Do you honestly think you'll get over the radio demon naturally?" Velvette demanded. "Be honest."

Vox really didn't need that much time to ponder the question.

But he needed a little bit of time to actually admit it...

"... No."

"Ugh, fine then." Velvette huffed.

She took ahold of Vox's chair, beginning to yank it out the projector room, pulling him back towards the theatres stairs.

"Where are we going?" Vox groaned.

"I already told you, I'm going to help you, so you won't be a miserable fuck for the rest of your life."

"Okay. Well you don't have to drag the chair anymore." Vox scoffed. "I'll get up."

"You're slower on foot honestly."

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

"I don't think this is going to work Velvette..." Vox muttered.

For someone who was so sure that her plans always worked, they always seemed to sound (and feel) awfully stupid. And that was only more painfully clear as Vox registered the fact that he was standing in front of that wretched hotel again, feeling as is his eyes might melt off if he he stared at the obnoxious mashes of reds and pinks for any longer.

Back at the tower, Velvette had managed to talk him into (or rather, physically force him into), connecting his phone through its cords in the back of his head, before tucking the phone away as inconspicuously as they could manage, into his sweater vest.

Then, Velvette called him. Which allowed for her to speak to him, like an extremely judgmental voice clouding in the the back of his head. With the phone connected to him, her voice could only be transferred over to Vox under the exception that she could hear anything Vox was hearing as well.

Whay was most worrisome to Vox, was if it happening to unplug, it would reveal Velvette's blabbermouth to everyone.

Velvette just demanded he remained careful then. And pretty much dropped him off at the hotel from there, promising him that she'd guide him over the call.

Vox wasn't very happy with the plan but understanding his other one was just never interacting with Alastor again, he figured it was pretty much a lose-lose situation anyway.

"It's either this or wallow in misery for the rest of your life, your pick." Velvette snapped.

Vox almost jumped at the sound of her voice stirring in the back of his head.

"I pick the wallow in misery option honestly." Vox admitted. "It would be better than whatever the fuck I'm doing right now."

"Just knock, would you? We don't have all day. In case you've forgotten, we both still have a company to run."

Vox begrudgingly realized that she was right and before he could change his mind, he extended an arm and knocked on the hotel door.

It couldn't have been more than ten seconds later when the door pried open and Vox was suddenly standing face to face with the radio demon, finding himself resisting the urge to break into a sprint and bolt back down the road.

Of course it had to be Alastor who answered the door, especially when Vox wasn't mentally prepped. Not the demon princess? Or her... how many other residents did she have? Vox would have to guess zero, but sinners were all weird, who knew how many volunteered?

To Vox's dismay, Alastor stepped right outside of the door, adjusting his monocle before folding his arms behind his back again.

"Ah, Vox!" Alastor exclaimed. "What can I do for you today? Are you planning on giving redemption a chance?"

Great. Now Vox was beginning to remember how irritating he could be.

"Ha, ha. Very funny. But no." Vox snapped back.

He found himself brushing past Alastor, knocking into his shoulder crudely on the way inside, charging into the hotel to be met with an onslaught of more reds and deep pinks.

Alastor slid the door shut behind Vox before turning to face him, looking mildly amused as he gazed at Vox before beginning to trail after him.

"What are you doing?" Velvette snapped in his head.

Vox turned away from Alastor, angling his head downwards in hopes that Alastor wouldn't be able to pick up on his words.

"Alright, I'm in." Vox reported.

"Vox, you're trying to ask the radio demon out, not assassinate him. And you went inside?"

"Yeah? What's so wrong with that?" Vox asked defensively.

"You can't just barge into places Vox, thats rude, remember? Does your basic etiquette just fade away whenever you interact with the radio demon? Besides, you just trapped yourself. Now if he rejects you, you're going to have to make a beeline for the door... or you could just not run. But you seem dead set on running constantly, so I figured it was probably for the best if you asked outside." Velvette informed him, her words intertwined with a series of evident scoffs.

Fuck. She had a point there.

Vox glanced nervously at the still staring Alastor before whirling back around again. He supposed the barging in was another issue... an issue Vox would prefer to resist delving into.

Over the years, Vox had managed to tug himself into a system of trying to automatically hate Alastor to try and sustain himself. And once Alastor had returned the system had slightly... resurfaced, just the tiniest bit.

He'd managed to integrate himself into the habit of treating Alastor rudely out of pure instinct at that point.

"Okay well, its too late now. I'm already inside so what do I do?" Vox demanded.

"Ask him out obviously." Velvette ordered.

"What. Now?"

"No, tomorrow." Velvette snapped sarcastically, "Yes now! You're in the hotel now, aren't you? Pop the question."

"What?! No Velvette I can't do that!" Vox objected, gripping the phones cord, tempting to just rip it clean from his head so he wouldn't have to listen to Velvette's wretched suggestions anymore.

But that would leave him completely advice-less and Vox didn't really need that.

"Why not?"

"People don't just ask, okay? They slide into the question!" Vox argued.

"Then slide into the question?"

"I don't know what I can use as my slider-!"

"Vox, are you alright over there?" Alastor questioned, amusement agitatingly evident in his tone.

Vox nearly jumped out of his skin. Swivelling around immediately to face Alastor. For whatever reason, Vox had completely managed to forget that he was there.

"Fuck. YES." Vox said, a little louder than he intended to.

"Okay..." Alastor mused.

Vox whirled back around, tilting his head down again, lowering his voice.

"So do I say something sexual?" Vox questioned.

"To the radio demon? No. Have you ever interacted with him before? He seems like he'd rather perish than ever engage in something sexual in his life."

Oh.

Well he'd supposed there'd always been some speculation about it but Vox, understanding the internet, always struggled to believe guesses and rumours unless proof was shoved directly into his face.

Well, fine, whatever. Vox guessed that made more room for cuddling in bed then.

"Well I didn't know that! People don't tell me shit!"

"Use your eyes! Fucking hell, Vox. Why are you even still talking to me? Aren't you like right in front of him? Go sit down with him before he starts to see you as weird as you fucking are."

Okay, well that one was admittedly hurtful.

Vox struggled to not visibly roll his eyes as he turned back to Alastor who was still wordlessly watching.

Vox realized how stupid he must've appeared. Slouched over, muttering (more likely yelling) to himself. Probably wasn't a good look to send the man he was about to ask out... again.

"Sorry uhhh, just fixing some things in my... sensors. It requires me to talk to myself sometimes." Vox fibbed, fumbling with his claws.

"Right." Alastor quipped, clearly unconvinced, but continuing to play along anyway. "So if you're not here for redemption, then what is it you're here for?"

Vox blinked. He wasn't expecting their interaction to go like this.

Vox had expected a lot more laughing from Alastor... mainly taunting him about what had occurred yesterday and maybe more violence. Vox would initiate the violence of course, but maybe if Vox went for the neck with a few radio snarks, maybe he'd be able to draw some fight out of Alastor as well.

His initial irritation with Velvette suddenly dissipated as relief flooded through Vox at the realization that Alastor wasn't mentioning the previous night.

He'd spent the entire morning and the entire driveway there, fretting about it, both internally and aloud. To see Alastor not even addressing it... well, Vox could collapse with relief.

Vox had considered collapsing or combusting a lot lately...

Vox's relief was immediately followed by another round of irritation when he realized that... Alastor... wasn't mentioning the previous night?

At first Vox was confused by the sudden run of irritation, then it began clear...

Like what? All that fucking effort shoved into that one singular gesture to go completely unmentioned... or unremembered?

Vox sure hoped it wasn't unremembered. Because he was already sure that Alastor had the shittiest memory in the world after avoiding him for seven years straight then never coming back to the conclusion of Vox maybe just maybe, thinking he'd been ditched.

"Uh? You know what I'm here for." Vox snapped back.

"To fight me? Or to say you're going to fight me and run off... again?" Alastor guessed.

"No!" Vox objected.

"Vox. Be nice." Velvette hissed.

Vox thought he was already being considerably nice for his level of anger... but fumingly sucked it up and continued in a quieter tone.

"Are you going to like mention- mention the thing?"

"The thing?"

"The thing that happened last night!"

Holy shit. Did Alastor have to act so clueless all of the time?

"Vox, I might stop listening if you don't start being fucking specific, I can't even see what is going on and I'm getting embarrassed." Velvette added.

Vox really didn't need her input.

"I thought you were supposed to be my support here Velvette..." Vox huffed.

"I said I'd help you, not support you."

"THOSE ARE THE SAME FUCKING THINGS!"

When Velvette didn't reply, Vox figured it was best if he didn't indulge in a further argument and gritted his teeth together. Clutching his hands in agitated fists, he pivoted to face Alastor again, speaking his next words carefully.

"Yesterday..." Vox huffed. "I kissed your hand before running out."

"Oh. Yes, I recall that." Alastor hummed.

Oh. Okay. And that was that, Vox supposed.

Alastor didn't immediately resort to picking fun at Vox so he considered that a partial win and continued.

"So- do you remember seven years back when-?"

"You don't have to jog all of his memory." Velvette scoffed.

"I'm taking it slow!" Vox snapped.

"Just do it, just ask him out!"

"Velvette I just- uh," Vox turned back to Alastor, "hold on. More sensor stuff."

"Yeah?" Alastor mused.

Vox whipped his head back down to speak to Velvette again.

"How do I go about this?" Vox muttered. "Do I bring up how I asked him out seven years ago and he never really... got back to me on it?"

"Oh, no. He definitely got back to you on that Vox. Him ditching you for nearly an entire decade was answer enough. Don't bring up your past rejection, that won't make him any more willing to take your present one."

"He didn't leave just because of me. Remember?" Vox protested.

"Just ask him out already, say something romantic."

"Um..."

Vox hesitantly turned back to face Alastor.

"You look nice today?" Vox offered.

Alastor blinked back.

"Hell no, Vox, stop." Velvette commanded. "You need to say something better."

Vox dipped his head back down again.

"Like what?"

"Like... describe how long you've been in love for him for, then improvise a poem maybe. Old fashioned dudes like poems."

"Don't do that." Alastor advised.

"Yeah I'm not doing that, Velvette you-."

Hold on, could Alastor hear Velvette?!

Vox paused, turning to face Alastor again in immediate bewilderment, raising a subconscious hands to graze over the cords connecting his phone to his head, only to realize that it had disconnected.

Likely when Vox was swinging his head back and forth between speaking to Velvette and Alastor.

Vox wasn't sure how much more humiliation he could endure.

"Holy shit." Vox groaned, slapping a palm over his face. "How much did you hear?"

"I could already take away that you were talking to someone beforehand, it was only maybe a minute ago when I could actually start hearing both sides." Alastor informed him.

"I told you." Velvette snapped.

Told him what? That he probably looked stupid talking to himself? Vox didn't need to hear her say that to understand it was true. Thanks Velvette.

"Quiet." Vox shot back.

Vox looked over at Alastor again.

"Not to you!" Vox clarified urgently. "To Velvette she- ugh..."

He almost couldn't bear to look Alastor in the eyes, dipping his head down low, stumbling immediately back into his pit of self loathing.

Why did he even still fucking try?

He glanced back towards Alastor, expecting a look of amusement and judgement to be glazing over his eyes and stuck clearly all over his smile. But Alastor's expression was hard to read.

He was still wearing that dumb grin of course, but his eyes looked strangely... hesitant?

Hell, Vox didn't know. But at that point, he wasn't sure if he wanted to stay any longer to find out.

"Look I'm sorry, I'll go now." Vox sighed, already beginning to edge towards the door.

Velvette had fallen silent but Vox could tell she hadn't hung up yet, still hearing her shuffle in the back of his mind, likely too invested in Vox's own pathetic misery to close off the call.

Just as Vox reached the door, Alastor spoke.

"I'd be willing..." Alastor started, a touch of reluctance in his tone, "... as long as I can pick where."

Vox paused at the doorway, claw-tips grazing over the handle as he turned to peer back at Alastor, his mind shifting into a state of immediate denial.

"Willing to... go out with me?" Vox specified.

Alastor placed both hands on his sceptre and nodded.

"Wait. Really?" Vox asked, unable to squash the bubbling excitement beginning to devour him. "Like, really, really?"

No. Vox had to stay calm. He didn't need his hopes to be squandered when Alastor would burst into laughter and say 'just kidding!'. But Vox was unable to resist the joy creeping over every inch of him, flooding over his monitor.

Thankfully, Alastor didn't start laughing.

"Yes."

"FUCK YEAH!"

Vox pumped his fist excitedly into the air, faintly aware of Velvette commanding him to calm down so he didn't shut off the power over the pentagram again in his haze of excitement.

VOX HAD DONE IT. It had only taken seven years of suffering and sixteen seasons of that wretched show! BUT VOX HAD DONE IT! YES!!!

"Is it set in stone that you choose where to go?" Vox wondered.

For a split second there, Vox couldn't sworn Alastor's grin grew ten times more geninue.

"Take the win, Vox." Velvette snapped.

"See, I told you my flirting skills were impeccable." Vox told her smugly.

"What flirting skills?"

Chapter Text

Charlie was more ecstatic for the date than Alastor was sure he'd ever be.

He did suppose she was technically the one who set him up for it in the first place. She also was the one who suggested he go to the bar in the first place, something about "mending relationships". But Alastor was the one who'd agreed to the overall date admittedly, so the princess of hell being unfathomably giddy was inevitable.

He still wasn't very sure himself why he'd agreed. Alastor did suppose Vox was mildly entertaining, in that strange pathetic way most of his admirers were. But Vox's pitiable displays were fuelled by more of that nonsensical rivalry Alastor wasn't even aware they had until a mere few weeks ago.

Perhaps thats why Alastor himself had accepted, because Vox was entertaining in a differing way... there was some vague interesting underlying purpose to it that Alastor couldn't quite pinpoint. Something strange, something Alastor had never felt before.

Oh well! Alastor supposed he'd never know! With the deal Charlie was making of it, he knew he'd never be participating in another trivial date again.

"I'm so excited you're putting yourself out there more, Alastor!" Charlie cheered. "I'm happy you decided to give Vox a chance too! Oh- if you ever wanted to, after your date, you could bring him back to the hotel!"

Ha, ha! Alastor certainly would not.

"Splendid idea!" Alastor agreed nevertheless.

It was always best to agree with what others said, so he could simply refute it later by not doing it. Always gave him time to conjure a proper excuse.

Vaggie and Husk were more dubious about the date, but Niffty (similar to Charlie but in her much more fanatical manner) couldn't be more enthused. And Alastor hadn't dared to inform Angel Dust yet because he was certain it would be followed up with rounds of insufferable sex inquiries.

Which was half the reason why Alastor was so hasty to get it all over with. So the news of it didn't hit Angel Dust's ears.

"Okay, okay! I know I'm holding you here now! Just know that I am super proud of you!" Charlie gushed. "You know, letting yourself love others is one of the biggest steps to redemption!"

Hm. Now Alastor definitely wanted to get it all over with.

Charlie's consistent talks of redemption were unavoidable but still managed to be vaguely confounding whenever they were directed towards Alastor and not just to him.

"I see." Alastor hummed. "Well! I should be off then!"

"Right! Good luck Alastor! Have fun!" Charlie cheered.

Alastor spared her a wider smile as his shadows wrapped around him and he melted back into the darkness.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

"Would you quit pacing already?" Velvette groaned.

"I don't think you've quite grasped the urgency of this situation yet, Velvette." Vox protested, not halting his continuous walk around the room.

He paused to circle around the couch Velvette was lounging on, arms splayed out in the air, her phone lazily gripped between her fingers as she scrolled.

"Maybe I have, maybe I just don't care."

"Uh you should. This is the most important thing thats ever happened to me in my life." Vox pointed out, halting at a mirror to subconsciously survey his appearance.

"Really? Not the billion dollar company you run being implemented?" Velvette huffed.

"Not in comparison to this."

"Uh-huh."

"Don't judge me! You're the one who set the date up in the first place!" Vox protested.

"I didn't set it up. I mildly participated in the initiating of it." Velvette corrected him, still browsing through her phone as she spoke, boredom layering her tone.

"That's the exact same thing."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is!"

"You know what, why don't you just leave already? Your dates going to start in like ten minutes." Velvette reminded him.

Vox sighed under the realization that she was right. He couldn't stall himself for any longer... as extremely tempting as it was.

"Okay fine, how do I look?" Vox questioned, pivoting in a small circle to face Velvette.

She raised her brows at him, looking unimpressed.

"Like you always do... Because you're literally wearing... what you always do."

"Yeah? So how do I look?"

"Is that outfit the only thing you have in your wardrobe?" Velvette pressed.

"NO!" Vox lied, offended by Velvette's mistrust in his closet.

"Okay, well, you look... fine. I guess. But you'd look even better if you weren't spazzing out, quit shaking." Velvette ordered, before looking back to her phone. "Then leave, I don't think I can handle you being in this room for any longer."

"I'm going." Vox huffed, rolling his eyes and pivoting to face the camera pinned to the corner of the room.

Alastor had managed to be very mildly vague about the location of said date. Vox wasn't even sure if Alastor would even be able to deliver it (considering his insistent refusal on using phones), but on Thursday a letter had been delivered to his tower. The location of sending addressed as the Hazbin Hotel with a series of coordinates scrawled over the paper.

Velvette had verbally suspected that Alastor was just going to murder him in a mysterious abandoned shack or something, but when they voogled it, the location was revealed to be somewhere along the main square in Cannibal Town... which Vox wasn't sure was worse or better.

Nevertheless, they sent one of their drones to the coordinates so Vox could teleport through the cameras when it was time... and apparently, it was time.

Vox nervously slicked imaginary hair back and inhaled air that he didn't really need before grasping the electricity of the cameras and pulling himself forward.

And suddenly Vox was upon cobblestone. A joyous jazz tune drifting over the town that Vox had found himself in. Various cannibal demons passed by, a few glanced over with their sharp toothed grins splitting their face when Vox appeared, but immediately looked away.

Which Vox was ultimately pretty relieved about because he kind of suspected all of the Cannibal Town civilians to simultaneously leap on him and start devouring him as soon as he arrived (Velvette had scoffed when Vox had reiterated that concern back to her but Vox really didn't think it was that invalid of a worry).

Vox also assumed the town would be more of a bloodbath. Guts smeared over the buildings, cannibals rushing each other and tearing the meat from each others bones, entrails flying around... but it seemed surprisingly... pleasant? Certainly not Vox's taste but he could see how Alastor would like it, it was almost like he travelled back in time but everyone's a vicious man-eating demon, so it likely was right up the radio demons alley.

"Speaking" of the radio demon, Vox couldn't spot him at first, that was until Vox turned around to see him standing right behind him.

Vox lurched backwards, startled.

"Where did you come from?!"

"I've been standing here for three minutes now." Alastor replied.

Three minutes? Vox checked his watch. The date started in seven more minutes.

"You're early." Vox pointed out.

"It's always good to be!" Alastor exclaimed. "... And so are you. I suppose I was just earlier."

Fuck. Alastor was still somehow outdoing him, but this time in chivalry.

FINE. Two of them could play that game.

"So where are we going?" Vox questioned.

"To a restaurant." Alastor informed him vaguely, before promptly turning around and walking away.

Vox rolled his eyes again. Only Vox could do that- that thing people did where they walked ahead and just expected the others to keep up. But Vox followed after him anyway, quickening his pace so he could walk side by side with the radio demon.

After five minutes of traversing through the town, Alastor eventually came to a halt at a building.

Vox stared at it for a few moments. It was a one story building, the roof rimmed red, a few umbrellas sprung up outside. It looked decently fancy but in that strangely old-fashioned, family-owned business way. It looked like a place Vox would've ate at before he died, or before he became rich and started to go to all of these sleek, five story, modernized restaurants that sold shark meat (which Vox was too horrified to eat, because whenever he looked at it, he envisioned Vark).

As Alastor started towards the front door, Vox remembered that he was supposed to be outdoing Alastor in chivalry further, so he took the door and abruptly flung it open, holding it open unceremoniously for Alastor.

A few demons inside of the restaurants craned their heads around to stare, startled by the noise, but they looked away pretty quickly again. Thankfully the cannibal demons seemed to have a knack for minding their own business.

Alastor stared at him for a few moments with mild amusement before ducking inside of the building, Vox heading inside after him. More jazz music wafting through the air.

After being guided to a booth, Vox sat opposite of Alastor, staring down at the menus set with suppressed disdain. Everything mainly consisted of demon guts and gore which didn't quite meet Vox's list of acquired tastes. But he ordered something anyway, just so he wouldn't have to watch Alastor eat awkwardly.

After five minutes of straight silence, it occurred to Vox that Alastor wasn't planning to speak to him anytime soon, so Vox decided to be the chivalrous one and strike up conversation.

Days earlier, Velvette had taken it to herself to teach Vox on what he should and shouldn't say over the date. Vox had pretty much ignored all of it, but sitting there now, Vox was beginning to realize he should've probably spared a little bit of attention to the scolding.

All he could really remember was Velvette advising him to try and be nice. Which seemed like an impossible task because for fucks sake, it was the radio demon sitting in front of him, the demon Vox spent hours in the shower conjuring insults for.

But he figured he might as well try.

"So... hows that shitty hotel of yours going?"

Yikes.

"Minus the 'shitty'." Vox hurriedly corrected himself.

"It's not my hotel." Alastor reminded him. "I just provide some minor assistance to it."

"I still don't get the point of it." Vox admitted, falling back against the booths chair with a huff.

"Me neither. But it is certainly entertaining."

"Entertaining?" Vox echoed, unable to restrain a scoff.

He still found it slightly disbelieving that Alastor decided to work at some run-down redemption hotel rather than with the V's but whatever...

"Certainly more entertaining than whatever plays on those unsavoury picture boxes of yours!" Alastor hummed.

Vox barely had registered that he was lunging across the table until was halfway through doing it. Seizing Alastor by the lapels and throwing a bunch of clumsy punches at him. It was likely the first fight in Hell that Vox hadn't used his abilities in, which likely just made the attack all the more pathetic to Vox's dismay.

Side plates slid over the table and smashed against the ground, utensils cluttering after the glass as Vox knocked the tablecloth aside.

He managed to find Alastor's wrists in the midst of his one-sided brawl and practically dragged him off of the booth, slamming him unceremoniously against the wall and holding him there. Claws digging against Alastor's sleeves as he managed a glare through his attacking haze.

Vox was slightly startled by his own actions somehow. He'd been insulted in far worse ways by Alastor before... but something about THAT time just seemed far too personal for comfort.

Vox wasn't just being attacked himself in that damned insult. His company was too. The company Alastor ever so insistently refused to stand beside. It always made Vox bitter thinking about it, but it clearly being mentioned by Alastor himself was his breaking point considering he had the radio demon pinned up against the wall at that moment.

Vox half-expected Alastor to tear Vox's face off (because Vox knew he really could and would), but he didn't seem that fazed by the attack, not even hitting him back. Vox only loosened his grip when he heard Alastor faintly laughing and realized that the entire restaurant had fallen quiet.

Cannibal demons from every table were watching the scene, some were gawking but most of them just looked curious. They only looked away when Vox glared at them in turn, before swivelling back around to face Alastor.

It took him a split second to really digest how close he was to Alastor. That he'd probably envisioned this exact scene in a million (I need to go to sleep but let me fantasize really quick) scenarios before.

Vox blinked for a few moments, struggling for breath as he stared at Alastor, momentarily mesmerized.

The fantasies usually differed in place, cause and genre... but they always certainly ended in one thing.

Vox began to subconsciously lean in.

This gesture was interrupted when Alastor freed his left wrist with ease and promptly smacked Vox away by the front of his screen.

Vox jumped, his mind snapping back into place. The realization of what he was just doing managing to catch up with him, causing him to frantically scramble back. Releasing Alastor fully and coughing hastily to himself in terrified embarrassment.

FUCK. Vox could practically feel Velvette hitting him over the back of his head with her phonewhile screaming; "in the middle of a restaurant Vox?!"

Most of the cannibal demons had already looked away, but it did nothing to ease the embarrassment Vox felt as he watched Alastor brush himself off, re-approaching the booth and settling back down in his seat like nothing had happened at all.

When Vox didn't follow, Alastor shook his head in amusement and snapped his fingers. The tablecloth shifting back over the table fully and the utensils returning to the table alongside it. The plates popping atop of it again in a small burst of green.

"Are you returning to the table anytime soon, Vox?" Alastor called over once Vox remained rooted to the same place on the restaurants floor for an additional three minutes.

Vox had half the mind to just run from the restaurant. Or better yet, burst into the kitchen and chuck himself into one of the air fryers or ovens until he became a bunch of recycled TV putty. But he numbly managed to drag himself back over to the table instead, far too abashed to muster words.

"Well, that was quite the reaction, wasn't it, Vox?" Alastor wondered.

From the grin crossing over Alastor's face, Vox suspected he already knew the answer and he slouched back in his seat, glowering.

"Don't pout now, it was certainly entertaining and thats all that matters." Alastor's smile widened and his head tilted forward slightly as he picked at his claws.

"Entertaining for you, maybe." Vox grumbled.

Alastor's movements suddenly paused, his smile straining slightly. Claw-tips freezing as Alastor's eyes flitted over to Vox briefly before he returned to his normal demeanour. The shift was so subtle, so quick, Vox nearly missed it.

"Ah well, I doubt anyone here will spare much mind to it." Alastor said simply. "The lovely demons of cannibal town are all very reserved. They're quite used to theatrics so they just ignore them."

Vox squinted at Alastor, having a difficult time believing what he was seeing... and hearing. Was the radio demon reassuring him?

Nah. Vox had to be overthinking it.

Suddenly Alastor rose from his seat, collecting his spectre from its leaning position against the table and gesturing for Vox to rise with him.

"Let's go on a walk, shall we?"

"Didn't we just order?" Vox questioned.

"You weren't going to eat any of that food anyway." Alastor mused.

And suddenly, Alastor had slipped out the door again.

Once again, doing that dumb thing Vox hated where he just expected Vox to catch up.

Vox followed him anyway... again.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

The town had become mostly deserted as the sky slipped into a deep maroon, signifying nightfall in Hell.

Alastor walked briskly so Vox had to continuously remind himself to quicken his pace so he didn't stray behind. It was during those fateful moments when Vox walked alongside him when he realized that Alastor liked to talk. A lot.

Vox knew he should have suspected such, radio show and all (a radio show in which he'd rewatched thirty nine entire consecutive times), but still it was strange to witness Alastor actually holding some resemblance of a conversation with him. Especially sense whenever Vox spoke to him before, he'd usually ignore him or give him another amused grin.

Vox supposed that was maybe because Vox was usually just insulting him whenever he spoke to him before but that was BEYOND the point.

Vox didn't know how long they talked for, circling around the town, over and over again, but he knew it must've been awhile because the sky was only growing darker.

At first, Vox half expected himself to slip up the entire conversation and cause Alastor to flee and hide away for seven years again, but over the hours he began to grow surprisingly relaxed... SOMEHOW. Relaxed around the radio demon?  Velvette really must've slipped some calming drug in his coffee or something before leaving, that was the only probable reason for Vox's ease.

Him and Alastor also shared an unnerving amount of things in common (beyond Velvette pointing out the fact that they wore the same suits, both had sharp teeth, claws and WHATEVER). The only thing Vox found himself strongly despising was the fact that Alastor was a cat person because CATS? The monstrous Satan's spawn that plagued peoples lives and knocked shit over?

When he voiced these concerns to Alastor, he just had stared at Vox like he was stupid and continued talking. That was when Vox figured that Velvette and Alastor would certainly get along... they both shared those "shut up" looks they kept on sending Vox.

Of course, all things must come to an end and eventually Alastor halted at a bench and pivoted to face Vox with a widened smile.

"Well! I must be leaving now!" Alastor declared. "The hotel occupants must be expecting me!"

Vox tried not to drop to his knees and beg him to stay.

"Oh RIGHT! I should probably also leave now... VoxTek stuff... y'know." Vox agreed reluctantly, pretty sure he hadn't done a lick of VoxTek work in weeks now.

"Hmm... right." Alastor hummed.

Just as Alastor turned to leave, he suddenly stopped right in his tracks. Turning around yet again and advancing on Vox again.

Before Vox could react, Alastor seized his arm, tugging him closer almost experimentally and leaning forward to whisper to him.

"I'll be anticipating our next encounter, Vox." Alastor rasped, leaning forward further and lifting his arm so he could run a claw over Vox's screen.

The effect on Vox and his poor circuits was immediate and as all of Pentagram city blacked out, Alastor walked away with only the sound of eerie laughter in his wake.

𓆩ꨄ︎𓆪

Alastor hummed a joyous tune as he set off through the newfound darkness of Pentragram City, only pausing at a trashcan to fiddle with the device clinging to his furred deer ear.

"See? I had it handled, smaller Vee." Alastor reminded her delightfully.

Velvette just scoffed through the earpiece as Alastor deposited it into the trash can and slipped away.