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Chapter Text

Many decades ago...

“We would be unstoppable! Radio and Video,” said Vox, one of the growing overlords of hell.

He was practically beaming with excitement as he presented his proposal of teamwork to Alastor, the most powerful overlord. The two were a unique pair, embodying opposite technology and personalities, yet immediately connected the moment they met. It could have been because of their similar human pasts or their distinct, compelling personalities. Vox was enthralled with every aspect of Alastor: his smile, his sadistic laugh, the evil glint in his eye when slaughtering other overlords, but especially his confidence and intelligence. On the other hand, Alastor, surprised to have found friendship in Hell, admired Vox’s warm attitude and remarkable charisma, how Vox could make his own presence spark.

As Vox continued, he leaned closer and placed his hands on Alastor's shoulders, an act that had become more common over time. “You and I, we could rule Hell!” Alastor listened in silence without feeling disgusted or annoyed by the act, perhaps it was because he was in good spirits or the alcohol was getting to him, or maybe because it was Vox the touch didn’t bother him as much as it would have from anyone else.

Vox let go and stood straight again, “together. As partners!” He said, extending his hand still with a beaming and excited smile.

Alastor stared at him for a few moments and let out a soft laugh, one that made Vox stiffen. “Oh, you really do know how to make a proposal exciting, Vincent!” Alastor said, letting the TV demon's true name slip as he swirled his glass. It was a name Vox had only trusted Alastor with, his true identity. Hearing that, Vox relaxed slightly and sat back down, leaning on the booth's surface. He laughed too, yet shorter and more nervous, “Haha yeah you know me, so...” He looked away, slightly embarrassed and nervous, maybe it was finally letting out the words that made him realize the position he was in.
“So, is that a yes?” He said, looking back at Alastor expectedly, filled with nervousness yet hope.

Alastor smiled, of course he did, that's all he did, but this one was different from the ones he carried on a usual day. “Let's not get too eager, dear friend.” He said, which made Vox’s smile falter slightly, “Such a proposition needs time to think over after all.” Vox let out a shaky laugh “Of course, of course! Take all the time you need to think it over!” He said, but he looked down as his smile left. It wasn't a refusal, but it wasn't an acceptance either; he didn't know if he should feel satisfied or disappointed. He was so excited about the idea of working with Alastor, he had forgotten the chance of being rejected until that point.

Alastor noticed the shift in Vox and placed his staff under Vox's chin to raise his head. “Oh, don't be so upset now Vincent! The night’s still early, and we’re not getting any younger by mopping around!” With that, Vox’s eyes widened, yet the edges of his mouth lifted up into a smile once more. Alastor moved his staff back and raised his glass slightly in a cheering manner “Worry not, I will answer you soon, but for now, don't let it weigh over you.” Vox’s eyebrows frowned, but he smiled, giving Alastor the warm look he always gave. “I guess you're right. Well, we should still celebrate anyway. To us, the best overlords Hell has ever seen!” He took his own glass and clicked it with Alastor's as the two laughed.

...

Alastor sat in his radio tower, sitting in silence as he watched Pentagram City through the window. Many would be asleep at that point, but Hell never really slept, as many were still out and about. Alastor leaned back on his chair, his hand holding his beloved staff, although it wasn't the source of his powers, it greatly benefited them. He contemplated Vox’s deal from a few hours ago, though at first he did want to refuse for his own pride, he felt weirdly intrigued by the offer. Working alongside someone repulsed him, yet he hesitated when it came to Vox.

But why? He had never felt this way towards someone, let alone another sinner, yet he couldn't help but feel attached. This troubled him; to let someone in his life was something he had always pushed away for his own ego and safety. After all, the strongest were always above others, with no one by their side to weigh them down; that's what he's been aiming for since he was alive. But Vox wasn't someone who would weigh him down, would he? He saw potential and talent in the TV demon, sticking with him had definitely raised his reputation much higher as people not only saw him as a blood struck overlord, but a few had begun admiring Alastor outside of fear, all thanks to Vox's influence. And he had never asked Vox to do such things. It was all because Vox wanted others to view Alastor the same way he saw him, not just a frightening figure but an idolized one. Alastor had suspected Vox would have an ulterior motive, yet he never did, which made him appreciate Vox more than anyone else.

And it wasn't just Vox; he had begun to become close with others, too, such as Zestial, an overlord older than all, yet Alastor never thought of taking down. He knew he could; he was in a much more powerful position, yet he never did due to his own fondness for Zestial. He even stopped himself from killing a small, unknown overlord named Niffty some days ago due to him finding her quite interesting. Frustrated, he ran his hand through his hair; he was losing his touch…Was Hell, of all places, softening him after such time? It gave a sour taste in his mouth, yet he wasn't regretting any of the choices he had made as much as he wanted to.

If he said no to Vox, then there would be a small strain on their relationship, which was to be expected, but he couldn't see an outcome where they'd stop being friends. Perhaps a few awkward emotions, but that would be all. But if he said yes, then Vox could make Alastor more admired while Alastor could make Vox more feared. The two could complement each other while rising in power. As much as he liked being at the top of hell alone, he felt an unfamiliar warmth towards Vox. One that almost didn't completely hate the idea of sharing the spotlight. Maybe it would greatly benefit him even more in the future, and he knew a good opportunity when he saw one. He very much disliked modern technology, but Vox was different; he always was...

…

The next morning, or morning in hell's sense, Alastor knocked on the door of an elegant yet dangerous individual. It swung open to a delighted Rosie, “Alastor! What a lovely surprise!’’ she said, despite being the one to invite him over for some tea. “Rosie!’’ Alastor said just as cheerfully to match her energy, though it was simply to please her rather than being excited to see her. She linked her arm with his as she pulled him in “Come now, I have some delicious fingers and tea you must try! Oh, how happy I am to see you.’’ Alastor's shadow quickly appeared and closed the door behind them before returning to Alastor's side as the two sat down. Usually, the building would be filled with the residents of cannibal town visiting Rosie, but she had cleared them all out for her favorite soul.

While Rosie did own Alastor’s soul, she still treated him like a friend and enjoyed his presence. Alastor, on the other hand, couldn't help but feel mixed about her. The truth was, he did enjoy her presence, but no matter how great she was, he still resented the fact that she owned him. She also had the habit of teasing him for his quite unusual and comedic death, which pinched his ego, but he stayed quiet about it. As long as she held her end of the deal by ensuring he was the most powerful, he could manage to accept all the things that damaged his massive ego. The two chatted away for some time about the endless gossip of Hell, Alastor’s radio broadcast, the Morningstar couple and the new age of sinners and overlords.

“Oh, I was so relieved when you told me you had no intentions of killing Zestial! He's such a pleasant overlord, hard to find a sophisticated soul like him nowadays.’ She said, taking a sip of her drink. Hearing these words, Alastor grumbled a bit at the mention of his recent, more merciful acts, something he was still struggling to accept about himself. Her grin only deepened as she saw right through him ‘’Oh, don't trouble yourself! I think it's good to keep the few promising souls around, makes Hell just a bit more tolerable, don't you think? Besides, as long as you strike enough fear into everyone, I can soon-…’’ She stopped herself from continuing. Alastor was a secretive person, but she was far more mysterious, only letting the smallest details out. She hadn't even given Alastor any tasks yet, giving him free will, because she knew he would strike fear on his own, and soon it would hopefully reach heaven. Alastor noticed her cutting herself off but questioning it wouldn't lead to anything; he had tried
getting answers from her before to no avail.

“Oh, speaking of promising souls!’’ she said, changing the topic ‘’How's that Vox fellow doing? He has begun speaking to me more recently, seems like he wants to have good connections with all the overlords! Well, the ones you don't want to kill!” She said, laughing. “He even talks about you a couple of times!” hearing that Alastor paused from taking a bite of a finger. He tilted his head, intrigued ‘’Does he now?’’ ‘’Oh yes, he praised you to me to ' lower my guard ’ as if I don't already know what a sweetheart you can be. But when he discovered how close we were, he immediately wanted to learn more about you. I've never seen such eagerness and curiosity on such a fast rising overlord. Oh, wait, I have!” She could hardly stop herself from laughing. Alastor, on the other hand, had frozen immediately. He figured Vox would find other ways to learn more about him since Alastor hardly revealed much about himself, but from Rosie of all people was a bit alarming. At first, he was pissed off, thinking of shutting Vox up and making him mind his own business, but he let Rosie's other words sink in. He knew Vox was trying to get more people to appreciate Alastor more but to hear it from someone else, let it sink in more. His annoyance was mixed with appreciation and even gratitude.

Alastor let out a small laugh too, but only to match Rosie's energy, ‘’Ah, yes, he is quite the intriguing fellow. He even proposed the idea of teaming up together yesterday.’’ He said as he ate the finger he was holding, it wasn't as tasty as raw dead animal, but it was good enough. Rosie grinned and leaned forward slightly ‘’Oh, that's interesting indeed.’’ Alastor shook his head, aware of what she was thinking, ‘’Oh, but you know me, I work better alone.’’ ‘’Well sounds to me like you want to say yes.’’ Alastor's smile hardened ‘’Oh, does it?’’. Rosie leaned back on her chair, smiling teasingly ‘’Well, Al, if you wanted to say no, you would've made fun of him to me right now, and now I can tell you still haven't given him a response. Have you?’’ Alastor shifted in his seat and crossed his arms. “Well, no, I haven't. I do see potential in working with him, but....’’ He stopped himself, but Rosie continued for him ‘’But your egos too big?’’ She said, half joking, half serious, Alastor averted his eyes in annoyance ‘’I don't need him weighing me down, even if he has some potential.’’ ‘’Oh, Alastor, and just when I thought you were changing for the better!” She said, but her tone was teasing and light-hearted.

She stood up and walked to a nearby mirror to check her complexion while also keeping watch on Alastor. “You need to start realizing the strength in using people rather than just killing them. You don't even own any souls; you just consume them!” Alastor watched her from his seat, his shadow reappearing as it clutched its fist in annoyance. Why own any of those lowlifes when he can just massacre them? “You think I should say yes?” “Oh, I know you want to say yes, you know a good opportunity when you see it, and it's time you took one. You're right when you say he's filled with potential. Besides, it will greatly benefit both of us in the long term.’’ Alastor waved his shadow away before turning back to Rosie ‘’How so?’’. Rosie turned around and waved her hand dismissively ‘’Oh, you know not to question a lady! Now off you go, it's getting late, and we both have duties to do.” With that, Alastor got up and gave Rosie a small bow ‘’Thank you for having me over.’’ He said through fake sweetness. “Always a pleasure!’’ Rosie said cheerfully and gave Alastor a wave as he left. She looked at herself in the mirror. This will do wonders for her plan...

...

Vox stood on a sidewalk with his hands in his pockets. He had just gained another soul, a man named Ethan who seemed promising enough to work for Vox, but his mind was far from happy. Some bozo driving nearby, next to the sidewalk Vox was walking on, had attempted to splash Vox with some sewage water spilt on the road. Vox, of course, caught on immediately and retaliated by shooting one of the car’s wheels with a current to push the car into a nearby streetlight, crashing the driver before they could splash him.

It pissed him off; he knew it was hell, so scumbags were expected, but to him off all people? Sure, he looked like an average sinner, but he was so much more than that, he’ll show them, he’ll show them all what he's really capable of. His mind went back to the proposal he gave Alastor. He was so eager and hopeful, yet he could help but only think of outcomes where he was outright rejected. It made him upset, nervous and bitter all at the same time.

Suddenly, a nearby streetlight turned off, and Alastor spawned from the shadows, stepping out before the light returned. He looked at the crash as the driver’s dead body disappeared to regenerate, smiling amusingly. “Shame, if I were faster, I could’ve eaten him, Oh well!” Vox’s eyes widened seeing Alastor, then in a second, his mood went 180 as he beamed. “Alastor!” He said, approaching the deer demon.

“Vox, just the man I was looking for!” He said, leaning one hand on his staff, tilting his head. Vox smiled even more, hearing that and rubbed the back of his TV head “So about my offer-” “Yes, I shall join you.” “I know it came out of the blue, but if you really think about-....” Vox stopped himself and froze. He looked at Alastor's eyes widened, “What?” Alastor chuckled and stood up straight, spinning his staff and walking past Vox “Is it such a surprise? You gave some good points, and I see a promising future alongside you!” He stopped and turned his head back slightly, grinning, “Unless you want to change your mind?” He said testing Vox.

Vox stood there flabbergasted but quickly snapped out of his trance and shook his head eagerly, “No, no! I don't want to- I just!” He started shaking slightly and laughed ecstatically, “I can't believe-! You won't regret this, Alastor, I promise! We’re going to be on the top, just you wait, oh I have so many ideas!” He enthusiastically threw one arm over Alastor’s shoulder, leading him down the path. Alastor smiled deeply as Vox began blabbering about his ideas and the path to their successful future. It looks like he struck the right deal after all.

Chapter Text

It has been seventy years since that faithful day, the day Alastor had agreed to team up with Vox. And soon it didn't take long for the two to rise in Hell’s hierarchy together faster than anyone had ever seen before. With Vox’s passion to guide them and Alastor’s power to push them, the two were soon known as the most powerful in all of Hell after the Morningstar's, six other sins, and, secretly, Rosie.

On their own, they were known as the radio overlord and the TV overlord. But, together they were given the title of the “Media demons”, something they wore with honor, their radio and television networks reached other rings as well, which grew their influence and fame.
Vox had developed his own set of abilities and powers to almost match Alastor's power level. At the same time, Alastor was able to grow his famous radio broadcast without trouble, even if it was considered “outdated” technology, thanks to his making each program more interesting than the last.

But Vox’s influence grew even more significant as modern technology advanced, and he began working on projects outside television to expand the brand and gain even more control. He even founded a company called VoxTech, where sinners and even hellborn could find the best TVs, phones, radio sets, and more.

While their power and control grew, so did their personalities. Vox had learned to be more confident, demanding, and even sinister at times, a trait he had carried from his human life that played out much more prominently over the following years with his rise in influence. He began reaching for control over all of Pentagram City, which was aided by the disappearance of Lilith and the step down of Lucifer. This left no one in his path to be the main center of attention and “voice” as he liked to call it, for the pride ring.

Alastor’s rampage of fear striking and killing continued throughout the years as more and more began to fear him, just as he wanted, and with his partnership with Vox, he gained more power and skills outside of Rosie.
But speaking of Rosie without warning, she demanded that Alastor tone down his killing spree seven years ago, much to his annoyance, and he had no choice but to follow through.

When he was questioned why, Alastor gave the excuse that he was taking things easy, as he was already at the top of the chart in all the pride rings, and while the justification had worked for most people, it didn't work for Vox, who was taken aback by Alastor’s sudden, calmer decisions, but he said nothing.

They held control over the entertainment district together. And while most of it was filled with Vox's technology domain, a good part of it still had classical entertainment, much to Alastor's pleasure. In the center of the district was their headquarters, known as the Media Tower, a building which was split into modern and traditional entertainment. Such as one side displaying screens and videos of the newest Voxtech merchandise, while the other had Alastor's radio tower attached.

Speaking of the two, their relationship had grown over the following years as they became closer and closer. The feelings Vox had for Alastor only grew stronger after their partnership and during the time they spent together. It wasn't long before he realized those emotions were something more serious, and he began slipping his true feelings over time. He knew it was reckless to feel such a way, especially towards someone like Alastor, but he couldn't help it; he admired everything about Alastor, and unlike others whom he would've been jealous of and taken down, he found himself wanting to be with Alastor. To hold him, to date him.

And it wasn't just Vox; Alastor himself began seeing Vox in a new light.
Maybe it was his charm, or the way he adored Alastor, or maybe how he was the first person Alastor had met in a LONG time that didn't want to use him. Alastor was always prepared for people to see him as a tool or a use for personal gain, but somehow, Vox was different. He always surprised Alastor with his genuine feelings, but to be seen as an actual person in someone else's eyes was the most astonishing thing of all.

And as much as Alastor tried to refuse it at first, he began growing more fond of Vox, and then that fondness turned into admiration and, strangely enough, love.

It took him years to start developing these feelings and even more to try to push them away. Alastor scared himself with these new feelings; to care about someone, let alone want them in his life, gave him a sense of dread. He didn't want to be vulnerable with someone, even if he'd be happier. And it didn't help with the fact that Vox began being more open about wanting to start something new with their relationship. Alastor pushed away any thoughts of starting a relationship and even distanced himself from Vox in an attempt to lose his feelings until Vox snapped and demanded that Alastor give him a straight answer.

To Vox's shock and even more to Alastor's, instead of a rejection, Alastor forced himself to accept his own feelings.

They didn't immediately start dating, but when they did, it felt right. As much as Alastor resented this warmer side of himself, he was indeed happier being with Vox. Vox, on the other hand, was more than delighted; he was over the moon and practically dancing with joy. Their dynamic remained the same, just with added affection and tenderness, although it wasn't perfect, and they weren't exempt from arguing from time to time, they were still overall happy. But Alastor still hadn't revealed the fact that he hadn't owned his own soul yet to Vox, it was something he could never share not even to his boyfriend.

Their relationship wasn't something to be announced, but it was well known for most demons, especially since Vox couldn't help but brag at times.
Things were going smoothly for them, but in places like Hell, nothing could stay good forever...

...

Alastor had taken Rosie's advice and began owning souls rather than consuming them. He decided that the only souls he would own directly would be overlords, as they were always his targets, and he wanted only other powerful souls by his side. This led him to strike his first deal with Niffty, the small overlord he had spared once before due to him becoming quite fond of her. As well as Husk, an overlord who appeared shortly after his deal with Vox, due to Alastor knowing Husk owned a lot of souls himself, which he could take for his own gain, he went for Husk next. By striking two deals with them, he managed to gain many souls just from the deals the two overlords already had.

Alastor was allowed to command Vox's employees however he pleased, and the same for Vox with Alastor's employees, except Niffty, who either stared in silence whenever seeing Vox or straight up tried to attack him for fun, which amused Alastor but annoyed Vox.

It was a usual day in the media tower, filled with employees working and running around. Alastor walked in through the main entrance, humming to himself as he walked towards the elevator. The employees around stiffened slightly when he was close, but continued working. Most of them still feared Alastor but learned to just keep their head down and carry on with their duties.

The sight always amused Alastor, and he said nothing; he was in a good mood to mess with them, but Vox had called him up, which gave him no time. Oh well, he could do so anytime anyway. He entered the elevator, which took him directly to the top floor, which was reserved for only the top and favorite employees, and as soon as he stepped out, he was met by Ethan, Vox's assistant.

"Uhm, Alastor Sir, Vox is calling for you." Alastor's smile deepened, and he tilted his head. He stared at Ethan for a moment, giving him a creepy stare, which confused and scared Ethan. Before he could say anything, Alastor just laughed at his own tease and continued walking, his shadow following behind, watching the employees walk around, scattered with work overload since the recent extermination had ended a few days ago.

Alastor entered the shared office of him and Vox, one where they usually held meetings and discussions, sometimes on their own, sometimes with other employees or even other overlords. Vox had convinced Alastor not to target overlords many years ago, with the idea that they could use and work with them, and Alastor agreed, which seemed to work out with Rosie telling him not to kill unless needed for seven years anyway.

Vox was sitting on his specially made chair, seemingly pissed off. He seemed to immediately cheer up when he saw Alastor. "Finally!" he said, standing up and immediately going to Alastor's side, wrapping an arm around the back of his waist. "You won't believe the idea I just got!" He said excitedly to Alastor, walking him to the nearby curtainwall. "After the extermination, I got a great idea." He said, gesturing to some blown-up and destroyed buildings that were the result of the recent extermination three days ago.

"Hear me out. Angelic security!"
He said, moving his hands as he said each word, trying to hype Alastor. Alastor raised one eyebrow and tilted his head. "Angelic security?" "Angle security! A way to protect people from the exterminations! Not only would we profit greatly, but people would basically worship us! Their ''heros''!" Alastor chuckled, amused by Vox's enthusiasm. "How charming, profiting off people's fears?" He said teasingly. Vox laughed and shook his head, "Me? No, never." Though he didn't care how obvious it was that he was lying.

"Im having Carmilla over for a meeting to set the whole thing up...Are you gonna stay for it this time?" He moved his hand from Alastor's waist to rub the back of his head. A small habit he never lost. Alastor shook his head. "Oh, I wish I could, but I promised Rosie I'd visit her for some tea later." Vox immediately frowned, hearing that "What?! Oh come! You just came back from visiting Zestial!" Alastor laughed, "Oh, it can't be helped. Besides, Im sure you can manage by yourself, you always do." Vox crossed his arms and mumbled some words about how he wanted Alastor to stay regardless.

Alastor's smirk shifted to a grin, and he moved his hand to lightly pull Vox's cheek. Well, the edge of his TV screen. "Jealousy is not a good look, dear. Fret not, I'll be back before you know it!" He said letting go, but Vox caught his hand. "Fine, but just be back soon, okay? You always spend extra long at Rosie's." He complained, holding Alastor's hand gently and kissing the palm of it. Alastor let out a small nod in agreement. "I promise."

...

"Absolutely not!" Alastor yelled as he stood up from the chair he was sitting in. His smile remained, but his eyes were filled with indignation at Rosie, who sat in her chair, relaxed. "Oh, Alastor, I'm afraid it's not up for discussion."

She had given Alastor the task of helping the daughter of the Morningstar's with her newly founded hotel. The hotel was designed for redeeming sinners and bringing out the best in people, something Alastor found foolish and laughable. Weirdly, Rosie had found out early and informed Alastor about it before the princess could even announce the Hotel.

Alastor rubbed his nose in annoyance. "Don't tell me you believe in whatever the princess has planned." Rosie smiled and took a sip of her tea. "No, but I believe in the princess herself. And you will too! Come on, Alastor, I haven't asked for anything too much recently! It's the least you can do for all the power I've given you! And besides, remember what I always say about good opportunities." She said cheerfully as she laughed.

Alastor stared at her in disbelief, and he shook his head before storming out. Rosie watched calmly from her chair. She knew he was going to do it; it's not like she gave him a choice. And as Alastor walked out and he gave her building a short glare before walking off.

As he walked down the path, he tried calming himself down, but he found it hard to. Why should he help such a senseless and naive cause? What would even be gained out of this? Perhaps the princess's trust, but was she really that useful? He walked out of cannibal town and was about to teleport through his shadows when he heard a commotion surrounding some TVs on display. He would've ignored it if it weren't for the princess herself being on the screens, what a coincidence.

Alastor joined the crowd watching the princess in an interview on Channel 666 news, which was, funnily enough, owned by Vox. Charlie was speaking, looking empathetic and hopeful, while Katie Killjoy was beside her, rolling her eyes. "Look, all of you have something good inside of you, deep down inside. I know you do." She then suddenly cheered up, "Maybe I'm not getting to all of you," she said before snapping her fingers as her assistant/bodyguards razzle and dazzle placed a piano ready to sing a song. Alastor tilted his head in curiosity as his smile widened. Even if he wasn't please maybe he could use this chance for his own gain and even have some fun out of it.

...

Half an hour had passed since that horrible interview. Charlie sat on the staircase of the hotel, basically sulking in regret and embarrassment as Vaggie continued to yell at Angel Dust. "Look, I said I'm sorry!" Angel yelled as he threw his arms up in defeat, although his voice wasn't genuine. "Sorry?! SORRY?! Oh, you're gonna be sorry when I-!" She was interrupted by a loud knock on the door, grabbing all of their attention.

Charlie lifted her head and stood up from the staircase to walk to the door. She placed a hand on Vaggie's shoulder, "Vaggie, really, it's okay," giving both her girlfriend and Angel an encouraging smile. Vaggie seemed to calm down, although she was still pissed, and Angel didn't say anything either, but he had a small flash of remorse before immediately turning around to find something to eat.

Charlie reassured herself up and opened the door. There stood Alastor the radio demon, his smile as sharp as ever. "Hel-" Charlie slammed the door shut and quickly opened it to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "-lo!" Alastor continued before Charlie slammed the door shut again. She stood there stunned, with her hand stuck on the door handle.

"Who was it?" Vaggie asked as she approached a frozen Charlie. "Uhh, the radio demon." "What?!" Vaggie instantly tensed up. "Don't let him in!" She immediately blurted out. Before Charlie could respond, another knock came from the door. And although Vaggie shook her head, Charlie opened it. Alastor had a calm smile, while Vaggie appalled stood behind Charlie, who tried to have a confident face.

"May I speak now?" Alastor said before Charlie nodded, "You may-" "Alastor, sweetheart, a pleasure to be meeting you! A real pleasure!" He yelled, letting himself in and grabbing Charlie's hand to give her a big shake, one that took her off guard as she fell a bit forward. Alastor let go and continued walking inside. "Excuse my sudden visit, but I saw your hilarious interview, and I couldn't resist dropping by. What a wonderful performance!" Angel Dust walked back in, holding an old popsicle he found before immediately dropping it in shock seeing Alastor.

"Why, I haven't been that entertained since the stock market crash of 1929! Haha! So many orphans." He said before Vaggie ran in front of him, throwing her arms up defensively to prevent Alastor from continuing to enter the hotel any further. "Stop right there you! I know your game, and you are not going to let you hurt anyone on my watch!" She said, summoning her spear and pointing it at Alastor. Alastor laughed, "If I wanted to hurt anyone here, I would've done so already." He said, tilting his head as his eyes darkened into dark shades of red and black resembling a radio handle as the atmosphere turned noxious.

He shook his head, returning to normal, and summoned his staff to slightly push away Vaggie's spear. "No, Im here to help!" Vaggie lowered her spear as Charlie came to her side, bewildered, "You want to what now?" "Help! Surely I'm speaking loud and clear?!" He said as his shadow appeared beside him, nodding to Alastor's question.

"Why?" Vaggie spoke up, placing her hands on her hips, not trusting Alastor. Alastor grin deepend. If only they knew. "Why does anyone do anything? Absolute boredom! I'm looking for ways to entertain myself and all my fans for my radio broadcast!" He said as he looked around the hotel. Charlie walked by him, "You don't think at all a sinner could be redeemed?" Alastor laughed, "Of course not! But this place is perfect for entertainment and laughs!" "But why help me if you don't believe in my cause?" Charlie spoke up, hearing that Alastor grit his teeth and turned around. "An investment! For my pleasure and your little dreams!" Charlie stopped walking and crossed her arms. "Right.." "Come now!" Alastor placed a hand behind her back to make her continue walking as he explored the hotel. "Yes indeed, I see big things our way!"

Vaggie slapped her hand on her forehead. "Of all sinners to come by, why'd it have to be him?!" Angel Dust stood next to her, picking up his dropped popsicle and grimacing at the sight of it being completely melted. "Well, look at the bright side! You've got two celebrities on your first day! Now everyone's gonna wanna come!" He said, laughing. Vaggie just glared at him, not appreciating his joke.

Vaggie walked up to Charlie and grabbed her hand, pulling her away from Alastor. "Charlie, we can't trust him! You know who and what he is. He can be trying to ruin everything we've worked towards for his own personal gain; there's no way a guy like him can be redeemed." She hissed and glared at Alastor while speaking, who was looking at a painting of the Morningstar family portrait.

Charlie intertwined he and Vaggies hands together "I know he's bad and doesn't want to change, but how can I turn someone away? I can't; it goes against everything this hotel stands for. Don't worry, Vaggie" She placed her free hand on Vaggies cheek "I can handle this, even if its the radio demon." She said confidently and walked back to Alastor before Vaggie could stop her.

"Listen here, Alastor!" She said louder than intended, and the radio demon's neck snapped backwards to listen to her, with his usual smile. "You...and everyone else may not believe in this hotel, but I do! I know there's a way to redeem sinners and prove there's good in everyone, so I'll really appreciate it if you do indeed want to help." She said, smiling enthusiastically.

Alastor chuckled and spun his staff into his other hand as he extended his hand, "So it's a deal?" as a flash of green light appeared, pushing wind all around. Vaggie pulled out her spear once again, and Angel dust stood up from the cushion he was sitting on. Charlie stared in shock before slapping his hand away, "Haha fuck noo..." she said, losing the confidence in her voice, but was still set on no deals.

Alastor seemed a bit taken aback but returned to his usual mood quickly. "Hm, fair enough!" He said as he walked to the middle of the hotel reception. Charlie let out a sigh of relief.

Alastor stared at the almost empty hotel. "Surely you have some staff besides just two?" he said, pointing his staff at Vaggie and Angel Dust. Angel shrugged, "im not a-" "This won't do! But no need, I just know who will love to work here!" Alastor said, spinning his staff and lightly tapping it on the ground as a small green spark appeared.

Suddenly, a small part of the hotel's walls began to shake as a bar spawned in. "A bar?!" Both Vaggie and Angel yelled, one in disgust and the other in thrill. Charlie's attention was towards the two new people who spawned next to Alastor. "Meet my good friends Husker and Niffty!"

"Oh, you've got to be fucking kidding me!" Husk yelled as he threw his hands on his head. On the other hand, Niffty's eye lit up at the sight of the hotel. "Wow! What a disgusting place! It's wonderful!" Alastor laughed and wrapped his arms around the two's necks, pulling them closer. "You two shall help this fine establishment!" Charlie bounced up, clapping her hands. "Really?"

Husk pushed himself off Alastor. "No way! There's no way im gonna-.." His voice trailed off as he began staring at the bar. He quickly flipped off Alastor and stormed off to the bar, where Angel was already sitting and drinking a glass he had poured himself. As Husk approached the bar, Angel playfully waved his empty glass at him, "Another drink, please, baby." He said, winking at Husk playfully, who just rolled his eyes in annoyance.

Vaggie ran up to Alastor, "Hey, wait! No bar, this place is supposed to discourage sin-"Hi!" Nifty interrupted her and yelled out loud. Vaggie stared at her, confused. "Uhm Hi-" "Oh my god!" Nifty interrupted her and ran past her to stab the bug from across the room. "You naughty little thing!" She giggled to herself while poking at the dead bug. She quickly got up and began sprinting around, dusting the cobwebs with glee.

"So what do you think?" Alastor said to Charlie, whose eyes were basically glittering. "It's amazing!" She yelled quickly, hugging Alastor before running to Vaggie excitedly. Vaggie shot Alastor a glare before sighing and smiling back at Charlie as they walked towards the others.

"And as for whenever I am not here.." His shadow appeared once more and gave Alastor a small bow before going to the rest of the group. His shadow would act as a replacement whenever Alastor himself wouldn't be in the hotel. Speaking of which, it was time for him to leave, which he was more than happy to do. He let Charlie know about his shadow filling in and gave his orders to both Husk and Niffty before his departure. And finally as a final act, he changed the name of the Hotel to a more fitting one.

...

Alastor sighed while in the Media Tower elevator. How tiresome, he cursed Rosie slightly for putting him up to help the hotel. While he did have some fun, he was overall not happy with the whole ordeal. It all seemed pointless to him, and he was glad to leave. He could, of course, get the information he missed from Niffty, Husk, and his shadow once he goes back, but he wanted to avoid thinking of the pesky hotel for now.

As the lift hit the top floor, he made his way down to his and Vox's shared room. As soon as he entered, he was met with a frustrated Vox, which wasn't unusual, but he could sense something different. "Al! My dear Alastor! There you are!" He said, but the enthusiasm in his voice was forced.

"You wanna tell me why one of my drones let me know you went to the stupid happy hotel?" He said as he approached Alastor, frowning. Alastor felt a tad annoyed; being watched from time to time was something he had to deal with when dating Vox. "Ah, I think you mean the Hazbin hotel. And as for why I was there, let's just say I'm lending a helping hand." Alastor corrected him, smiling as usual.

Vox scoffed, "Who gives a shit about that- why?!" "Oh, no need to worry, Vox. It's simply for my entertainment! And the entertainment I have been receiving! You should've seen them scattering around like idiots!" He laughed, but Vox didn't find it amusing. Alastor placed a hand on Vox's shoulder to calm him. "Oh, you know me, is it that strange that I'd mess with others from time to time?"

Vox's shoulders relaxed, but the frown on his face remained. Sometimes it felt like he didn't really know Alastor; he had a gut feeling that Alastor wasn't always telling him the truth. He crossed his arms. "You could've at least told me." "Oh, the idea just came to me when I saw the interview about it, that's all," Alastor said dismissively and walked past Vox, who felt uneasy about the whole thing but decided to let it go. For now, at least.

.

Alastor wasn't fond of sleeping. Sinners didn't need to sleep, but they would due to their own tiredness, but as usual, Alastor was the weird exception to it. Vox, however, preferred to sleep and even more so with Alastor by his side. So, although Alastor never really slept, he would lie down beside Vox just to help the TV overlord sleep. Alastor always lay straight like a mummy, while Vox would move around, hugging, kicking, and throwing every limb around.

Sometimes Alastor would leave when Vox would fall asleep, but most of the times he would remain in place. On the rarer chance, Alastor would cuddle back, but that was when he would be feeling extra affectionate.

Alastor lay deep in thought as Vox was deep in sleep beside him. It was so infuriating. Having to deal with Rosie and the hotel. He wanted to regret making the deal with Rosie when he was alive, but then again, he was too attached to his powers to even think about the idea of never having them. Still, he never stopped thinking of ways to be free from his deal. How freeing and delightful it would be, he could do whatever he wanted, when he wanted. Instead, he had to play as a stupid puppet for a never-ending game.

Just as he was getting angry all over again, Vox turned and threw his arm over Alastor, snapping Alastor out of his thoughts. Alastor lowered his eyes and tried to cool himself down. In time. In time, he will find a way to free himself. He moved closer to Vox and gave him a small kiss on the screen's forehead but remained in his still laying down position.

He'd win it all one way or another.

For now, he had to just wait.

Chapter Text

The next day had approached, Hell’s early risers began waking up and starting the day. Alastor stared up at the ceiling. As usual, he hadn't slept, but this time, instead of clearing his mind throughout the night as a form of rest, his mind was buzzing with different plans of freeing himself from his deal with Rosie. He felt like he was so close to figuring it out, yet some weird blockage stopped him.

He sat up and moved to the edge of the bed. He stared at the ground and ran his hand through his head. If he could stop smiling and begin frowning, this would be the moment for it. What was he missing? He was so close to the answer, yet he couldn't figure it out.

Suddenly, Vox’s arm wrapped around his waist from behind as the TV overlord’s screen flicked on. Vox sat up, rubbing his screen with his free hand to wake himself up. “Morning'’ he grumbled as he turned to see Alastor. “You alright?’’

Alastor's ears perked up, hearing Vox get up, and he turned around ‘’Yes, just thinking.’’ he said as he patted Vox's TV head and stood up. Vox's arm reached out to grab Alastor once more, but he stopped himself. He frowned slightly, then gave a supportive smile, "About what?’’ hoping Alastor would talk to him.

As Alastor stood up, he snapped his fingers to change into his usual attire in an instant ‘’Oh, nothing.’’ "Come on, you can tell me," Vox said, trying to sway Alastor into opening up. Alastor glanced at Vox for a short while, saying nothing to silently hint that he wasn’t going to talk about it much, to Vox's annoyance. Vox muttered a forced ‘’fine’’ and got up for himself on the other side of the bed.

With a flick of a hand, Vox summoned some holograms of screens where he could see his schedule and the latest news. He also checked on his public image status, something that greatly boosted and benefited his powers. But he also kept an eye on Alastor, hoping to see any slip in his attitude that could give him a clue to what his boyfriend was thinking.

It was always infuriating how closed off Alastor could be at times. Vox had always hoped this barrier would disappear once they started dating, and while it did slowly go away, there was always something Alastor kept to himself that left a distance between them.

The two were in silence for a short while, Vox staring at his screens while Alastor stared out a window. It was a small habit of his to watch Pentagram City; if it wasn't Hell, he might've appreciated the view more. Vox checked his schedule: a morning meeting with Carmilla Carmine, setting up the angelic security, reviewing the new hires, checking on shock.wave’s systems and another meeting this time with Velvette and Valentino.

Alastor summoned his staff and placed it on the ground, ready to teleport once again, but before he did, he noticed Vox’s long, unusual silence and glanced back. He knew why Vox was mad, but Alastor wouldn't dare open up. He couldn't let anyone know his soul didn't belong to him, not even someone as close as Vox. He didn't want to be seen as less worthy or weak; the thought of anyone, especially Vox, finding out gave him a great sense of dread and panic.

Well, there was the exception of Husk, but that was a pure drunk accident, and he knew how to keep Husk's mouth shut for good.

“You know I was thinking.’’ Alastor suddenly broke the silence ‘’It's been a while since we’ve gone out for drinks.’’ Vox heard that and turned around in surprise. “We should go at the end of the day.’’ Alastor continued ‘’Unless you're too busy, of course.’’ He said teasingly at the sight of Vox’s shocked face.

Vox stuttered for a moment and inhaled deeply to calm himself down. “Yeah, that sounds great,’’ he said, trying to mask his enthusiasm. Alastor chuckled ‘’Well then, I shall see you later.’’ ‘’Wait-,’’ but before Vox could stop Alastor, he had already disappeared into the shadows and was as good as gone.

Vox's hand was outstretched to where Alastor once was, but when he left, Vox moved the hand to run through his screen. “Fuck…’’ he mumbled to himself in annoyance. He was happy to spend time with Alastor, but he wanted to talk to him more before he left.

He thought for a moment; he was far too busy to spy on Alastor, and Alastor could always detect his presence anyway. He couldn't use any of his employees since Alastor knew them. He had to find someone to spy on the hotel and figure out why Alastor was interested in helping it, but who?

…

Alastor appeared once again at the entrance of the hotel. He glanced up and was pleased to see the hotel sign still read ‘Hazbin Hotel’. He knocked on the front door as Niffty opened it.

“Alastor!“ She yelled, hugging his lower waist. Alastor laughed and gave her a small part on her head. “My dear Niffty. How are things?“ as she began talking enthusiastically about the many bugs and messes she got to clean up, he walked in and looked around, pleased that she had indeed done a good job cleaning the place.

“Well done, Niffty! I knew you were the best demon for the job!“ he said, lowering his upper body slightly to face her. She laughed madly and waved her hands in joy at the compliment. Husk was at the bar, leaning on the counter. He raised his head and frowned, seeing Alastor. He was about to yell at him when Vaggie beat him to it.

“Alastor! There you are!” she ran up to him angrily, while Alastor’s shadow followed her behind, appearing to be laughing although no noise came out of it. Nifty ran off, most likely to find more bugs to kill, while Alastor tilted his head at a pissed off Vaggie. “Ah, Vagvie, good to see you!“

“It's VAGGIE. And can you get this THING off my back?!” she yelled, throwing her arms to gesture at Alastor's shadow. “It's been bugging me all day!“ Alastor laughed, “Oh, it's just making friends, isn't it? What this hotel is all about,” he said, purposely messing with her. She looked like she was about to explode, but Alastor’s shadow quickly ran through Alastor before slipping away to another part of the hotel to indeed leave Vaggie alone.

Alastor was able to absorb all the information he missed from his shadow when it manifested itself through him. It gave him short intel that it got from observing and spying; Charlie tried to get to know Husk and Niffty more. Vaggie gave some orders to both of them. Angel dust somewhat apologized for messing up Charlie’s interview, but the most interesting thing he got was a call Charlie had with her father. More interestingly, the aftermath of that phone call, it seemed she was distant from her dad and hesitated to reach out, yet seemed to still somewhat seek his approval. Alastor found that interesting; perhaps he could use this information to his own personal gain.

Speaking of Charlie, she came from the staircase holding Keekee, the embodiment of the hotel. Charlie's eyes lit up seeing Alastor, and she ran downstairs and gently let Keekee down. “Alastor! You're back!“ She chirped. “Why of course I am dear, I said I would help, didn't I?“

Vaggie crossed her arms. She still didn't completely trust Alastor, but they needed all the help they could get, and he had given them staff after all, so she tried to calm herself down. “What we need help with is recruiting sinners. All we have is Angel, and after the interview.“ Charlie cringed, remembering how badly it went. “We need to make the hotel more appealing, “ Vaggie finished.

Alastor thought for a moment, “Well, my radio broadcast is doing as well as usual, and I do need some more tales to broadcast. I suppose I can wind up a script to perform for this…delightful hotel!“

Vaggie raised an eyebrow. “Wouldn't a TV commercial be better-“ “That's great, Alastor!“ Charlie jumped up. Alastor's smile grew deeper as he fixed his bowtie. “Trust me, after people hear about this hotel through my spectacular broadcast, sinners will be killing each other just to stay here!“ Vaggie sighed but smiled, “Maybe not like that, but alright, we do need a break from our public image in television, and your broadcasts are popular, I have to admit.“ She loosened up; maybe things were going to be better.

.

“What the FUCK is this?!“ Vaggie yelled, crunching the script Alastor had written down in her fist. Alastor smiled, sitting on the couch opposite them. “Isn't it great?“
“Great?! You made the hotel sound like shit!“

Alastor's script had poked fun at the hotel by mentioning its lack of actual staff, its singular residence, and how it basically appealed to none of the residents of hell. “I was going for hilarious.“

Charlie placed a hand on Vaggie, which stopped her from yelling, but she was clearly still angry. “Alastor, I know you want to help, and we greatly appreciate you for that, but uhm the tone is just…off?“ “Off? He didn't even explain how the point of this hotel is to redeem sinners and save them from the extermination!“ Vaggie exclaimed, throwing her hands up.

“Maybe you should ditch the lame old radio shit and use the real celebrity!“ Angel dust suddenly declared as he raised his hand while lying on the third couch. “If we make a commercial with me in it, sinners will be knocking down the walls just to be here!“ he said, raising one leg and throwing his arms up in a pose.

Alastor let out a small, annoyed radio static, and his eyebrows lowered into a frown. “Radio is the best form of entertainment.“ Angel shook his finger. “My fans would beg to differ.“

Vaggie threw her face into her hands as she groaned, “We are not producing a script that mocks us or a porn video.“ Charlie was about to say something when her phone began to ring. She excused herself and went off to take the call in private. “Ugh, if only a sinner just came by already.“ Vaggie grumbled.

Then all of a sudden, a giant bang spread throughout the hotel as a large wreck was hit in one of the hotel's walls. Vaggie, Alastor, and Angel all got up to quickly go inspect it while Charlie peeked on the side, still on the phone call with her dad, just as surprised as the other three.

There are three that peeked out of the smashed wall and looked up to see a large airship. A voice came from the ship's speakers, “Come out and sshow yoursself, Alasstor!“ Sir Pentious yelled as he clutched his hand into a fist.

“What- what is this?!“ Vaggie exclaimed and gripped her own hair in frustration. Now they're getting attacks straight to their doorstep?! Angel stepped out of the smashed wall. “Hey, that's the guy fighting with Cherry all the time.“

Alastor quickly teleported towards the front of the hotel. “Who are you?“ he said, tilting his head in amusement. “Who am I?! I am the great Ssir Pentiouss! The greatesst inventor and villain hell hass ever sseen!“

“Well then, you'd think I'd heard of you!“ Alastor said, shrugging his arms. Nifty and Charlie had joined them from the hotel. “I attacked you lasst week, and we’ve gone into battle like twenty timess!“ Sir Pentious yelled.

Alastor shrugged, “Well, you must have been really bad this-“ Ssilence! Facce my wrath!“ Sir Pentious yelled, and he slammed his fist onto a button that began charging another attack. Alastor chuckled, but Vaggie wasn't having any of it. “Alastor!“ she yelled so he'd actually do something.

“Oh, alright, alright.“ Alastor waved his hand dismissively and summoned large tentacles that began stabbing through the airship and grabbing it. Sir Pentious yelled as he fell backwards, and his egg boys splattered around.

Alastor laughed maniacally as each attack became more vicious until Charlie spoke up. “Uhm, I think he's had enough.“ “Nah, he's got a bit more in him.“ Angel said jokingly.

The airship finally cracked and slammed into the ground with a disheveled Sir Pentious falling out of it. “Thiss isn't over yet..“ he said weakly before slamming his face into the ground in defeat. Alastor laughed once again while Niffty began poking his unconscious body with her needle.

Charlie was about to reach out for the lifeless sinner when she suddenly perked up and remembered something. She grabbed Vaggie's hands. “Vaggie, guess what! My dad said there's going to be a meeting with the head exorcist, and he asked me to go for him!“

Vaggie frowned slightly. “What, but the extermination just happened only four days ago. What could they possibly want already?“ “Don't you get it? Now I can talk to them about redeeming sinners and cancelling the exterminations!“ “Charlie, I don't think they'd-“

But before Vaggie could finish speaking, Charlie had already begun singing and running off enthusiastically. She reached out her hand and let out a deep exhale. She knew that they wouldn't listen to Charlie. She turned to look at the others. Alastor had summoned some workers to fix the wall while Angel was flirting with them. They really needed some proper guests…

...

Vox walked down into the basement of the media tower, where his office was filled with TV screens and a large desk. He sat down, having just finished a meeting with Carmilla Carmine to add her to his angelic security team. He picked up his coffee mug and took a sip before scrolling through his screens. Scrolling through his many cameras and drones, in his free time, he liked to spy on what people were doing, but this time he was only looking for one person.

He stopped at a drone that was near the stupid Hazbin hotel. He watched as a large airship was taken down by no one else but Alastor, just the man he was looking for. He stared if he wasn't pissed at Alastor, he'd be enjoying the sight. He watched the scenes play out as he leaned back in his seat, taking another sip.

He found it amusing how the snake-looking sinner who fell from the airship was unconscious at Alastor's feet, but that amusement turned into annoyance once he saw Charlie grab Alastor's arm to prevent him from finishing off the sinner. How dare that princess stop him, let alone touch him?

Then, suddenly, as the group was walking away, Alastor slowly turned towards the drone and let out a playful wink before destroying the drone with a spawned tentacle. Vox sat there in shock and hit his mug down on his table harshly. He should've seen that coming, but it still pissed him off. Thought that wink was somewhat cute.

He pushed his chair back and laid his arm over his forehead, muttering in irritation. As much as he admired Alastor's awareness, he still wished it weren't at the cost of his being able to keep tabs on the hotel. There had to be some way to keep an eye on the hotel without setting off his boyfriend. He thought long and hard before sitting straight up and throwing his hands to project a new screen.

He began chuckling, then hysterically laughing, “Let's see you try and foresee this baby!“ he said, looking at a profile of that snake sinner with a sharp smile.

…

Half an hour had passed. Vaggie was scribbling on a paper with Alastor leaning over watching. “Here, “ She said, holding up the paper proudly, “How's this for a script?“ She held it up so Alastor could see. He adjusted his monocle and took the paper. “Well, I wouldn't have written it this way, but it will have to do.“

Charlie slammed the front doors of the hotel open, looking frazzled and alarmed. “Charlie, you're back!“ Vaggie called out and ran towards her girlfriend, “How was it?“

Charlie stood there frozen in shock before throwing her hands up in her head in pure panic, “They're moving up the extermination date!“ she yelled.

.

A few hours later in the hotel, Charlie was scribbling on a whiteboard, trying to find any ideas to stop the exterminations and redeem sinners. The news of the earlier extermination hadn't been announced and was going to be announced the next day.

Alastor, Niffty, Husk, and Angel sat around the couches while Vaggie and Charlie were trying frantically to recruit more ideas. Charlie groaned, “What are we going to do?! We don't even have a guest to redeem in the first place!“

“Hey, what about me?“ Angel said, raising his hand to grab their attention. Vaggie crossed her arms. “You don't even believe in redemption, constantly make us look bad, and never try changing for the better.“ Vaggie said, counting all the reasons on her fingers, Angel rolled his eyes in return.

Charlie placed a hand on Vaggie's shoulder. “What she means, Angel, is we just need someone more uh enthusiastic for change!“ He crossed his arms and looked away, hearing that. Then suddenly there was a knock on the door. Charlie and Vaggie looked at each other before Charlie went to open it.

It was no other than Sir Pentious the snake who had tried attacking them earlier. “Hello-“ He began before being interrupted by Vaggie, who pointed her spear at him. “What are you doing here?!“ She yelled as he took a slide back, startled and threw his hands up in defeat, “Im not here to battle, I sswear! I uh heard thiss placce can help you change for the better?“ “Really?“ Vaggie said, raising an eyebrow, whilst Charlie's eyes lit up, “Really?!“ Sir Pentious nodded his head, “Really!“

Vaggie was surprised to hear that and lowered her spear while Charlie grabbed the serpent's hand and pulled him inside. “Welcome! You are going to love it here! This is our home of healing and redemption-“

“There's no way you believe this guy.“ Angel suddenly came and spoke up, “He tried to kill us literally six hours ago!“ “This place is all about second chances, and that includes everyone!“ Charlie said as she continued bringing Sir Pentious inside.

Sir Pentious looked around the hotel, a bit amazed by it, but he tried to focus on the task he was given. Vox, VOX of all people, had contacted him and asked him to stay in the hotel to learn about it and report on it. While also giving some information on what the radio demon was doing. He couldn't believe that the overlord he idolized had given him such an important task, and he didn't want to ruin the opportunity.

“This is Husk, our amazing bartender.“ Charlie said, gesturing to Husk, who seemed as grumpy as ever, and she moved her arm to Niffty as well, “And this is Niffty, our maid.“ Niffty squealed and ran up to them. She climbed Sir Pentious and grabbed him by the collar. “Hello, bad boy.“ Charlie quickly picked her up and pulled Niffty away.

She let Niffty go, and Alastor walked up to them. Sir Pentious immediately stiffened up. “And this is uh Alastor.“ Charlie continued, “You two have met already.“ “We did?“ Alastor said jokingly, tilting his head. Sir Pentious instantly got offended, “I attacked you just a few hourss ago!“ Alastor simply laughed, hearing that.

Sir Pentious wanted to say more, but he quickly remembered his mission and gave a sheepish smile “That'ss okay! Let uss end our battless for good!“ He said, extending his hand. Charlie looked up at Alastor with hope, who instead frowned slightly with his eyebrows. “Uh huh, Well it seems like I shall be taking my leave now.“

Before Charlie could stop him, he had already vanished, leaving his shadow behind, which smiled and leaned forward to inspect Sir Pentious and then wandered off. Sir Pentious turned around, and Charlie held his hands full of joy. “I'm so happy you're here! Welcome, new friend!“ “Friend?“ Surprising Pentious, he repeated in shock, he felt somewhat warm hearing that, but he tried to ignore it; he was here to spy on them after all.

And nothing would get in the way of that for sure!

…

Alastor walked into the bar, which was filled with 1900s decor and had relaxing jazz music playing. It wasn't the same bar that he and Vox used to meet, as unfortunately, that bar was destroyed in an extermination attack, but it was good enough.

Speaking of Vox, he scanned the room and saw Vox sitting in a booth. Vox atenas perked up as he sensed Alastor. He smiled as Alastor sat beside him. “I thought you would be late.“ “Me? Oh, never.“ Alastor replied, laying his staff against the booth table beside him. He could unsummon the staff, but he was weirdly attached to it, so sometimes he would keep it present even if he wasn't going to use it.

“How were your meetings?“ Alastor asked as he waved the bartender to get him a drink. "It was alright, Carmilla was easy to cooperate with as usual. Valentino and that new overlord Velvette are hard to comply with, but I do admit they have their talents."

The bartender placed two whiskeys in front of them and walked off, leaving the two in silence. "So uh, how's the hotel?" Vox said, trying to sound casual. Alastor stirred his drink and glanced at Vox. "It's a bit of a mess, but in an entertaining way. Nothing is silent or boring for too long."
Vox let out a small "mhm," trying to act like he didn't care. Alastor noticed and took a sip of his drink.

"Though I did manage to get some rather interesting intel." "Oh yeah?" "Yes, such as the fact that the next extermination has been moved to happen in six months." Vox almost spat out his drink. "What?!"

"Yes, it took us all by surprise, I'm sure they will be announcing it tomorrow." Vox stared at him in surprise and put his hand on his forehead. "That's interesting, alright. Tsk just when I thought the last one was bad enough."

He let out a small chuckle. "Speaking of the last extermination, you won't guess what one of my drones just picked up earlier." "Was it the one spying on me?" Alastor said playfully, and Vox's screen lit up, "What?! No, not that one- shut up!" Alastor laughed at Vox's frustrated expression.

"It caught a dead exorcist head." Vox finished, and Alastor froze when he heard that "You're kidding,". Vox smirked, feeling proud of managing to surprise Alastor. "No joke. Check this out!" He said, projecting the picture of the head on his screen. Alastor stared with his eyes widened.

Vox's screen went back to his usual face. "Impressive, right? And when we figure out how the exorcist died, it could open up a whole bunch of opportunities for us! Even fighting against heaven." "Impressive indeed, but we should keep our focus on hell; heaven will always have the upper hand." Alastor said, taking a sip of his drink, "Though I do wonder what dead angels taste like." Vox laughed, hearing that "Of course, that's one of the first things you think of."

Vox was in a much better mood than he was earlier; he almost felt bad that he sent a spy after Alastor. Almost.

Chapter Text

(Three days later)

The new extermination date has already been announced to the public by channel 666. Vox had also asked Alastor to refrain from declaring it as soon as he heard the news from Charlie, as he wanted his news channel to be the first to break the news. As much as it annoyed Alastor, he reluctantly agreed after Vox basically begged.

Alastor was in his radio tower after a splendid broadcast. He had talked about the recent extermination as well as the moved date and, of course, the Hazbin Hotel. He followed Vaggie's script, which he had to admit was pretty sufficient, but still, he couldn't help himself from editing it slightly to make it more appealing and amusing to himself.

He had good numbers in his radio broadcast, but he noticed it wasn't as high as before he stopped playing other sinners' screams, something he missed dearly. When Rosie had asked him to take a break and lower his killing sprees for seven years, it came at the cost of his beloved broadcast losing a few fans. He was told to go off air together, but he convinced Rosie to let him continue under the agreement that he would keep them simple and tame.

But now that those seven years were over, he was almost itching for someone to offend him so he could broadcast their screams just for the fun of it.

He stood up and stretched slightly. It was late, and Vox was probably waiting for him to return to their shared quarters. That was until he felt a sudden disturbance and a call from his shadow. How unusual, it is normally never called out for him.

Vox would have to wait; he had to go check on the hotel.

...

Alastor teleported to the reception of the hotel, where the sight bewildered him. Sir Pentious was crying while Charlie hugged and comforted him, Vaggie glaring at him, and Husk, who stood there with his usual unenthusiasm, but when he noticed Alastor, he tensed slightly.

Alastor's shadow was quietly standing close to Sir Pentious, glaring at him with a frown. As soon as it noticed Alastor, it quickly ran through him so Alastor could absorb all the information he had missed receiving from his shadow.

Somehow, the new snake guest was a spy sent by Vox, who wanted to pry information from the hotel and Alastor himself. He was only caught by Angel Dust for being sloppy and revealing a hidden camera he had placed.

Alastor felt a sense of rage and fury weld itself inside him. He should have known Vox would find some way to snoop on him, but it still angered him. Was the TV overlord so desperate to gain the secrets Alastor tried so hard to hide that he would go to such lengths? Of course, he would, and Alastor knew this; he should've expected this, but somehow it slipped right past him.

He was even more furious at himself for not putting two and two together sooner. Yes, he was disappointed in Vox but even more so in himself. How could he let his guard down? How did he not figure it out sooner? How had a whole three days passed by without Alastor noticing anything?! It was even more bothersome how he wasn't the one to discover such a reveal but some lowlife sinner instead.

Alastor's smile grew, and his neck snapped as his body grew. He walked towards Sir Pentious and grabbed him by the neck and pulled him out of a surprised Charlie's arms. "You little cretin." He said through his gritted teeth, "Give me one reason why I shouldn't broadcast your screams now." Sir Pentious froze in terror, "Uh.. I-"

"Alastor, no!" Both Vaggie and Charlie yelled together. Vaggie grabbed the bottom of Sir Pentious' body, trying to pull him free from Alastor's grip as Charlie wailed her arms around trying to stop Alastor. "Alastor, he said he's sorry! He's not going to try anything anymore!" Sir Pentious let out a shaky nod, "Yess I won't I promisse!" he said as he gave a sheepish smile.

Alastor narrowed his eyes in distrust, but at the sight of a frantic Charlie, he dropped Sir Pentious onto the ground and returned to his usual form. He rubbed his wrist, still filled with anger, but had calmed down for the most part. "I see..."

After a long, awkward silence, Charlie and Vaggie exchanged a glance and nodded in agreement as they both came to the same conclusion: Charlie would take Sir Pentious to his room, while Vaggie would talk to Alastor. Alastor noticed their body language and decided to go with it, wanting more answers from Vaggie.

As Charlie took Sir Pentious away, Vaggie walked closer to Alastor with her arms crossed. "So you had no idea about him either?" Alastor gripped his hands on the top of his staff and looked at Vaggie with discontent in his eyes. “No. I apologize for my partner’s attempt to spy on the hotel. Rest assured, it will not occur again," he said, as if trying to convince himself rather than Vaggie. He looked away once more, seeing Vaggie's expression reminded him of his failure to be aware of such risks.

Vaggie frowned. "He only managed to place one camera, and he seems mostly harmless, I guess. But why was Vox trying to spy on us? If he wanted whatever answers, why not just get them from you? I thought you guys were close." Alastor's neck snapped as he looked at her again. "His curiosity gets the better of him. But I can guarantee this shan't happen again; he will know better than to spy on me." "You mean us," Vaggie interjected. Alastor chuckled and patted her on the head, something she found revolting, and moved away from his hand. "Of course, us.".

Vaggie wanted to question him further, but stopped herself. It was clear he hadn't known Vox's intentions and didn't have anything else to say. She shot one more glare before going upstairs herself to check on Charlie and give Sir Pentious one final warning herself. Leaving just Alastor with Husk, who was watching all of this with a neutral face, though he did find the fact that Alastor of all people was tricked amusing.

"You still haven't told him, have you?" Husk suddenly spoke up, referring to the fact that Alastor didn't own his own soul. Husk knew from a drunken argument the two had had many years ago, but he didn't know who exactly owned Alastor.

It wasn't something he went out of his way to figure out, nor did he want to risk pissing off Alastor for good. But he had warned Alastor previously that he should be honest with Vox, especially after seeing firsthand how badly Vox's possessive and jealous side could be.

Alastor's eyes turned dark red and black and looked similar to a radio sign. "He doesn't have to know, nor will he ever." He turned backwards and tilted his head at Husk. "Do I stand corrected?" Husk rolled his eyes and looked away. "It's just- ugh, you won't be able to lie forever, you know? He's gonna find out one day, and when he does, you'll regret the fact you didn't tell him yourself."

Alastor's arm suddenly lunged forward and tightly grabbed Husk's chin to make him look at Alastor properly. "The only regret that's going to happen is if you don't learn to stay in your place." He said through his uneasy smile. Husk looked a bit frightened, but he stood his ground and let out a small nod.

Alastor let go and fixed his suit, while his shadow appeared to poke at Husk teasingly to mock him. Husk let out a gruff and walked off, leaving Alastor alone in the reception. Alastor stood in silence, his finger angrily tapping the top of his staff.

It was infuriating how difficult people could be. Oh, so that's how Vox wanted to play? Fine.

.

Alastor stood at the hotel's rooftop to once again watch Pentagram City. Many hours had passed since Sir Pentious was exposed as a spy and then actually registered as a guest.

Alastor felt almost disgusted by himself. Three days, three whole days of Vox's influence sneaking into the hotel. And he, of all people, missed it. Alastor knew what Vox was looking for: a slip in Alastor's secrets. Which is why he didn't want Vox to have anything to do with the hotel. If he found out Alastor didn't actually want to be there and was being forced to stay there, it would lead to catastrophe.

His shadow hadn't even been the one to figure it out, which he found even more infuriating. Though he blamed himself, his shadow only followed his commands, and since he found Sir Pentious neither a threat nor useful, the shadow had completely ignored the snake sinner.

Was he losing his touch? Was he becoming more defenseless? It was frustrating. His grip on the railing hardened to the point it cracked. According to the aftermath information his shadow did gather, Sir Pentious only managed to place one camera in the three days he was staying. It turns out he began actually liking the hotel and the other residents, which is why Charlie forgave him so fast.

Alastor didn't suspect such a stupid individual could have reported much to Vox, but no matter how little the information, it could still be used against him.

He thought of what Husk had said earlier. As much as he wished Husk would stay out of his business, he couldn't help but doubt himself. Was Husk right? ... No, of course he was not, Alastor had no reason to question himself, especially when he's gotten this far. It was far too late and risky. Who knows how anyone, let alone Vox, would think of him if they knew the truth?

Alastor stood on the rooftop a little bit longer until the hotel's opening hours started. With an annoyed sigh, he forced himself to enter the hotel once more. Niffty, Husk, and Angel were off on the side while Vaggie was scolding Sir Pentious for a new reason: the fact that he was moving all his weapons in now that he was a permanent guest.

"No more weapons, and you need to get rid of these things," Vaggie said as she pointed to Sir Pentious's egg boys, who were running around and helping deliver Sir Pentious's belongings. One of them tripped on an activation button for one of the bigger weapons and accidentally activated it, leading it to blast the same wall previously destroyed. "Ugh again?!" Vaggie yelled and put her hands on her hips, and scowled at Sir Pentious.

Alastor walked down, reaching the staircase. Charlie smiled warmly at him, while his face remained unchanged, smiling but not genuine. Sir Pentious fell on the ground and hugged his minions. "What?! Not my egg boyss, they do my evil bidding for me." "We can't trust you with them, and especially not with these." Vaggie continued as she pushed away the equipment.

Charlie sat on her knee to look at the snake sinner. "It's okay, Sir Pentious, it's just until everyone learns to trust each other! Which gives me some great ideas for today's exercises!" She said happily as she clapped her hands together. "Until then uh.." She looked around and noticed Alastor once again. "Alastor can watch them!"

"What now?" Alastor said, raising his eyebrows in surprise. "No!" Sir Pentious cried out, hugging the eggs even tighter, "He'll desstroy them!"
Alastor laughed, "I'd be delighted too!"

"No! No destroying!" Charlie interjected and quickly stood up. "Pentious, you must trust Alastor not to kill your eggs, and Alastor, you must trust Pentious not to...spy on you anymore!" She said confidently and crossed her arms. Vaggie shrugged, "That works out."

Alastor observed the eggs. "Well, I suppose I can take them with me on my outing. Come now, little egg things." "Sure thing, boss!" One of them called out, and they all followed him as he walked out.

Sir Pentous watched with tears in his eyes, and his hand stretched out, fearing for his precious eggs' safety. "Noww!" Charlie said, facing everyone and throwing her arms up, "Who's ready for some trust exercises!" And was met by silence from everyone in the group.

This was going to take some work.

...

Vox sat in his office, clearly pissed off. The coffee mug he was using was now smashed against a nearby wall. First, Alastor never returned, and now Sir Pentious wasn't responding. That stupid, useless idiot, did he get caught, or was he getting distracted once again? Not like he was actually worried about Sir Pentious's well-being, that total bafoon had given any useful intel, but he didn't want to lose his mole regardless.

He kept reloading his screen of the watch he had given Pentious, but nothing. His hands moved to the edge of the table, and he scratched the surface in anger. On top of all things, he had no idea where Alastor was. It wasn't too unusual for Alastor to now show up for many hours, but at the same time, his spy going offline gave him a sense of dread and worry that the concidenses were linked.

He wasn't sure, and he was close to snapping for awnsers as he impatiently tried reaching Sir Pentious once more. He needed awnsers, and he needed them now. Suddenly, a pop-up reminder he had set earlier came, an overlord meeting hosted by Carmilla Carmine. He sighed and leaned back in his chair. He wasn't in the mood...-he quickly stood up, remembering the fact that Alastor would be at the meeting.

Great! Now he doesn't have to wait in worry, he can get the awnsers right away. And as for whether or not Alastor found out, it wasn't something he could excuse his way out of. He hoped Alastor wouldn't be too mad, though; things always got challenging when he was. Nobody likes a partner being mad at them, especially one like Alastor; his rage could send people into a coma, which Vox found amazing towards anyone but himself.

He got up and snapped his fingers, instantly teleporting to Carmilla's residence, which he was able to do through a nearby camera. He looked around and tucked his coat's collar, noticing most overlords were present. Zeezi walked past Vox and entered the meeting room, shortly followed by Rosie and Maestro.

Vox was about to go inside the meeting room when he heard his name being called, "Hey Vox!" Velvette yelled as she approached him. She was a well-known newcomer overlord and even had some shared property in the entertainment district alongside her business associate, Valentino, under an agreement with Vox. While Vox's work relations were mostly with Alastor, he made sure to have good relationships with all the overlords, even creating some partnerships and deals with Velvette and Valentino, whom he had grown to appreciate over time.

The reason why Vox and Velvette get along pretty well is that they are both up to speed with the current trends and technologies. They also shared a lot of the same humour and interests. Valentino and Vox were also on good terms; Valentino's porn films were mostly placed in the entertainment district, which Vox approved of. But their association wasn't perfect.

Valentino took great offense when Vox refused to be a full-time business partners, and while that was a long time ago, the moth overlord still held some resentment. Not to mention, he and Alastor never got along, with Alastor finding his work repulsive and offending Valentino.

"Ah, Velvette, always a pleasure," Vox said, and Velvette took a selfie with him. "You know it is, babes." She said as they continued into the meeting room. As soon as Vox entered, he spotted Alastor sitting in one of the chairs, poking at his staff with Rosie sitting to his left. Vox immediately left Velvette and teleported to sit on the right side of Alastor, smirking at him. As soon as Alastor noticed Vox, however, he looked away, not wanting to even glance at the TV demon.

Vox froze slightly at that reaction. What was that?! How could he just look away and ignore him like that?! Shit, he must be really pissed off; it had to do with Sir Pentious, there was no other reason Vox could think of. He stared at Alastor for a bit longer until something else caught his eye, a weird little egg creature sitting beside Alastor's chair. Ew, what was that?

He looked back at Alastor, who was looking down and slightly to the left to avoid eye contact with Vox. It irked Vox, and he was about to say something until the sound of angelic armoury slowly crept into the room as Carmilla Carmine walked in with her daughters behind her.

"Welcome, hell's overlords. I've invited you here because you represent the controlling powers of our city. Together you all own millions of souls," she said, extending her hand. "Souls that are at risk with the new extermination date," she slammed her fist on the table. "We need to discuss what we can do to minimize the impact."

Carmilla continued with the data she had collected of all the casualties from the recent exterminations; most overlords were paying attention, while some, like Velvette, were half listening. As Carmilla spoke on about the ways they can reduce the loss of their people, Vox glanced back at Alastor, for a short second, the two made eye contact before Alastor looked away again.

Vox was bothered and was about to reach out for Alastor's shoulder to get his attention when Alastor suddenly spoke up. "You know Vox has discovered something amazing from the last extermination," he said loudly, bringing everyone's attention to him. Vox froze. What was Alastor talking about? He let out a small nervous laugh, "Uh, what are you talking about?"

Alastor leaned backwards in his chair. "Oh, no need to be humble, Vox! It was an extraordinary discovery indeed," he said, finally looking at Vox properly with a hint of disdain. "Tell us all about that dead exorcist's head you found and the plan you made to now fight them." Vox sat there, stunned for a few moments. Did he really just do that? Vox was planning on keeping the head a secret for a bit longer until he could figure out exactly how he could use the discovery to push people onto his side. Alastor knew that, so how could he ruin Vox's plans like that?!

Everyone in the room turned and looked at Vox, who quickly collected himself and let out a laugh. "Uh, yes, it's true, I managed to find an exorcist head after the extermination, and im looking forward to working with you all to discover how the head ended up the way it did." He said, trying to sound confident and control the conversation as he displayed a hologram of the dismembered head with his powers.

Everyone let out a gasp, except Carmilla, whose eyebrows furrowed at the sight of the head, something Alastor took note of. Velvette laughed and took a picture of the head. "No fucking way!" "With this," Vox continued as he stood up, trying to seem even more elevated, "We can properly defend ourselves and fight back!"

Everyone erupted into conversations, some agreeing, some arguing about the risks, and some staying silent. Vox remained standing but turned and glared at Alastor, who seemed pleased at the sight of Vox being caught off guard and unprepared; it was his own form of revenge.

.

An hour of discussion had passed, while most came to the agreement that fighting back might cause heaven to double their forces, they acknowledged the idea of defending themselves. One thing was for sure: they couldn't do much until they knew for sure how the exorcist died.

Velvette and Carmilla spent a good amount of time arguing, both sides refusing to go down, with Velvette eventually storming out.

The meeting came to an end, and Carmilla left shortly after Velvette, followed by her daughters and, weirdly, Zestial, who sensed something was wrong. Alastor had noticed and made Frank the egg minion with him follow them and report back.

Vox had managed to make Alastor's reveal seem like it was a part of his great plan to reveal the dead exorcist head, but he was still pissed. He stayed quiet until the two were down below the building, alone with just the other egg minions running around.

"You wanna tell me what the fuck that was?" Vox yelled at Alastor, who seemed calm but was actually just as angry. "What? I was just looking out for you, my dear." Looking at his fingers rather than Vox.

"No, you weren't, you know I was planning on revealing that on my own! What's your problem, huh?" "My problem?" Alastor snapped his neck to look at Vox. "Oh no, you're mistaken. The only problem here is your continuous insufferable need to keep watch on me constantly."

Vox took a step back, to his horror, it seemed like his suspicions were right and Sir Pentious was caught, that stupid useless...he's gonna go kill him himself the first chance he gets.

He struggled to find the right words to justify himself. "That- I- Whatever that idiot didn't even get any proper intel! Besides, I only did it because you won't be straight with me, you never are! Helping the stupid hotel because it's amusing? Don't try that bullshit on me! Why are you really there, huh?!"

Alastor's shoulders tensed, and he gripped his staff. He didn't say anything; he didn't think he had to. Why should he explain himself? Vox should know better than to question Alastor. Besides, he'd rather die for good than tell Vox the truth.

Being met with silence only fueled Vox's anger. "Oh, there you go again! Why don't you ever tell me things! Seventy years and you're still as closed off as ever!" He walked closer to Alastor. It anguished Vox, so many years of them knowing each other, then dating, and yet Alastor would still never properly talk to Vox or let down his walls.

"Maybe if you weren't so insufferable, I'd tell you such things!" Alastor yelled back through his angry grin.

This time, Vox was the one to go silent; he stared at Alastor, eyes widened. He was about to say something, but stopped himself and shook his head, exasperated, "Fine..Fine! Fuck you! If you're gonna act like a piece of shit, there's no point in reasoning with you!"

Alastor watched Vox teleport himself away. His hand ran through his head. Great, just great. Somehow, things were even worse; he was irritated and furious at Rosie, Vox, but mostly himself.

He wanted to blame all of this on Vox's spy attempt and the fact that Rosie owned him in the first place, but the words Husk said earlier dawdled on like a lingering pest. Was he really wrong not to tell Vox the truth?

Things were going well until now, so why were all these problems colliding suddenly at once now?

As he was lost in thought, he noticed the egg boy returning from the small mission Alastor had given him. He forced himself to put his mind off the current conflict and turned to Frank. "So what did you hear?" "T-the old guy uh w-w was like you're not yourself! Y-you were the one who killed the angel, and uh s-she was like whatever it takes-" "What was that last thing?" Alastor said, lowering himself to the egg minion. "She killed the angel."

Alastor stood straight again, and he glanced around. Good, no sinners nearby, "Interesting. Let's keep this between us, okay?" "You got it, boss!" Frank said happily. As much as Alastor wanted to leave these stupid egg creatures to rot, he had to take them back to the hotel. And he didn't want to go back to the media tower anytime soon.

.

Alastor walked into the hotel with the eggs trailing behind him. "Alastor!" Vaggie called out, actually smiling at him, "Good to see you actually didn't destroy them." She said, leaning on the staircase railing with Charlie next to her.

Alastor shrugged, "Well, yes, the little monsters were well behaved and quite useful." Sir Pentious perked up and left the bonding moment he was having with Husk, Niffty, and Angel Dust to run towards his eggs. "My eggss!" He cried, falling to the ground once more and hugging them.

Alastor walked off as Sir Pentious reunited with his precious minors. Charlie beamed and approached Alastor. "Alastor, you should've been here! We did some trust exercises, and while they were a bit uhm..bumpy at the start, they turned out for the better!"

Alastor almost flinched at the words trust, It was like the universe was taunting him. "Well, I'll sure be here to observe next time!" He said, lightly patting Charlie on the back and turning to leave. "It'd be nice if you actually participated in the activities too," Vaggie interjected.

Alastor ignored her and teleported away, leaving the cheerful group to themselves. Trust? Trust was for the weak, and he knew he could never fully trust anyone. Not even someone as dearest to him as Vox.

Chapter Text

(Many decades ago)

"And I promise if you work for me, not only will we rise in power, but your name will be known throughout hell! Just trust me with your souls. For a brighter, better future!" Vox said on the podium to the crowd watching.

It was a special day at Hell's top fighting arena; many overlords had sent their best souls into battle or fought themselves. It was a day full of action where sinners could showcase their guts and glory.

And if you were lucky enough to buy a spot in the intermission to sell a product, promote your business, or announce something special, a good chunk of hell was sure to listen.

Vox was fortunate enough to gain a spot in one of these intermissions, and although it cost him a fortune, he was sure he could recruit more souls this way. He was pleased to be met with applause and even some cheers from the crowd.

He knew most of them were sure to listen to hear his offer, and some might even take it, and as much as he wished his influence reached everyone, he knew some souls were too nonsensical to work for him.

Vox gave a polite wave as he walked off the stage, and after him, some hellborn was going to talk about their special product, then the fights would resume. Vox almost felt bad for the sucker; there was no way anyone could outdo his amazing speech.

He gave himself a pat on the back. He was already becoming well known in the overlord industry, and gaining a few more souls would definitely boost his ratings.

Vox had always yearned for power and status. He was at the top when he was alive, but just when he was going to win it all, he died. His death was almost comedic, which he hated; such a glorious soul like him should've been killed honorably, yet here he was in hell with a TV for a head to remind him of his failure.

He found that rising in power was both difficult and easier in hell. He couldn't kill anyone in the way that he did when he was alive, but he found that people were much more irrational after death, which was ironic, as you think they'd grow some actual brains after dying.

Foolishness made them easier to manipulate, and when he found out that he could have many souls work for him, be below him, and gain power, he knew he was destined to be an overlord.

He walked alongside the stadium. Phew, he could go for a drink after that dazzling speech. Then he could watch the upcoming and final battles; he was never into watching bloodshed and brutality unless it was killing his rivals, but observing such battles often made him aware of the few promising souls down in hell. Whether it was their intelligence or strength, he knew which few were worthy of scouting out.

He went to the nearby outdoor small bar attached to the side of the arena; hell always had a bar nearby, whether it was next to a mall, next to a flower bouquet, or even next to a bathroom. Which made sense, it was hard not to find someone drinking their problems away.

He leaned on the counter and winked at the bartender, a pretty snake-looking sinner. She giggled and blushed as she placed his drink in front of him.

He often flirted with the sinners, not because he truly found them attractive but because he liked the small rush of making someone fall to their feet at the sight of his charisma. He never scouted for love, even when he was alive, which was something he somewhat regretted. Maybe if he had spent less time chasing power, he could've met someone unique before his death, but then again, strength was everything.

And he had all the time in hell to find someone, but right now he wanted to focus on growing his rank.

He took a sip of his drink, leaning backwards on the counter, watching the nearby crowd. As he did, he heard two ladies talking nearby. Vox didn't mean to listen in, but the two were so loud from being drunk that it was hard not to take notice.

"And she said What are you going to do? Stab me? So then I did!" one of them yelled as she broke into hysterical laughing, followed by the other sinner. They were clearly drunk and had no awareness of the people around them, something Vox was infuriated by.

"I bet you could kill the next bozo in that ring bare-handed!" The other said, wiping her tears away. "I can't do that! Not in this outfit, besides, didn't you hear? The radio demon is going to fight today. There's no way I could go on there!" She said, throwing her hand in the air.

Vox almost dropped his drink hearing that. The radio demon THE radio demon?! The radio demon was known by almost everyone, an overlord so powerful and terrifying that he sent the most powerful sinners sobbing on their feet just at the sight of him.

He was known as being ruthless, cunning, and all with a smile on his face. He was also famous for his broadcast, which was entertaining for the most part, but also could publicize any sinner’s screams who dared to go against him, even the top overlords.

Vox knew this, well, who didn't, but he had been keeping tabs on the Radio demon for quite some time. Maybe it was because of his curiosity, fear, or fixation on the Radio overlord that he had been following most of his broadcasts for some time, well, all of them, and although he only knew the radio demon by voice and rumors, he was still fascinated and wanted to learn more.

The radio demons never went out of their way to hide themselves from the public, but Vox always had bad luck in missing the radio demons' appearances. Sometimes he would even go to spots he heard the radio demon was at to try and get a glimpse of him, whether that was a popular bar or a sinner named Mimzy’s studio.

No one even had a photograph, so all he knew was that the overlord had deer-like features and red attire from what he could gather about those who met him. The speakers let out a call that the intermission was over and the fights would resume.

If the radio demon was going to be fighting, Vox had to watch. He basically ran back to the ring, almost knocking a sinner down, and sat excitedly on a seat.

He sat filled with thrill as he watched the first fight take place. But that thrill left as he noticed neither fighters were an even overlords. Not just that, but their fight was tame, and the sinners were clearly wimpy.

He tried to encourage himself. Surely it was going to be the next one; he just had to be patient. Then the next one occurred, and to his dissatisfaction, it wasn't; it was between two overlords, yes, but neither was the radio demon.

And just when he hoped they were saving the best for last, he was met with disappointment at the sight of once again no radio demon in the final battle.

He felt angry with himself. Why would he believe two drunkards? And he felt all that anticipation for nothing. The sinners he saw were completely useless, and it wasn't like he could convince the two overlords. He was filled with bitterness for the remainder of the final battle, which he only stayed because Zestial, one of the top overlords, was fighting in it. Zestial made no battle boring, but Vox was too much in a bad mood to appreciate that.

After the final battle, which Zestial won, of course, Everyone stood up in cheers, some popping bottles of alcohol open in celebration. The owner of the ring came out to congratulate the winners and thank everyone for attending such a great event. Vox left the arena like most others. Now that the event was over, there wasn't much to do.

It was getting late, not that many in hell would go to bed early, but the air had shifted to a nicer cold breeze. Vox went to the closest bar he could find, this time an actual indoor bar filled with nice jazz music and proper decor. Again, bars were everywhere in hell, but this one was particularly nice, especially being close to the top battle arena.

Vox tried to place his mind on all the good events that happened in his day; the hard work to get his place on that stage was worth it. Definitely something worth properly drinking in celebration over, even if it was alone.

Vox sat at the booth, ready for the bartender to approach them after they were done dealing with another customer who was heavily drunk and was not only refusing to pay but also to leave. The sight of the sinner at their lowest, screaming while the bar owner and bartender yelled at them, sort of ruined the mood, and the sight revolted Vox.

Who cares if they were at their lowest? Couldn't they spare the shame for everyone else?

He stood up and was ready to find somewhere else to drink when the door opened and out came a peculiar-looking demon. One that was a resemblance of a deer and was mostly covered in red, with a well-fitted suit. One that had an eerie smile.

Vox froze up in his tracks; all the rumors he’s heard matched this sinner. No way. It couldn't be. But the way the air shifter and how the sinner carried such a dangerous atmosphere behind him. How could it not be?..

The two made eye contact for a short while until Alastor's attention was drawn away to the commotion with the drunk sinner. How utterly shameful, causing such trouble for everyone around them.

Alastor approached the chaos. The bartender seemed confused, while the bar owner froze in shock; the drunk sinner, still on the ground, was unaware of the threat behind him.

Alastor stood behind the drunkard and leaned over to make eye contact, his smile as wide as ever. "Excuse me, my good fellow. It seems your behavior is quite indecent; it's time for you to take off now, don't you think so?" Alastor was a respectable man; he always gave one last chance to those lower than him. Not because he cared, but he got a sense of pleasure watching the reckless choose the wrong answer.

"Fuck off, you stup-" Alastor didn't even give the man a chance to finish his sentence when he wrapped a shadow tentacle around his neck and threw him out. Another tentacle opened the door while he did so, not only to avoid harming the building, but also so the man could have a direct hit to the wall across the street. The tentacle closed the door once more, and he went and sat beside Vox as if nothing had happened.

The bar had gone silent now that the commotion was over, an uneasy, dreadful silence. Vox remained standing in shock; the sight bewildered him. The radio demon, someone he had been scouting for a while now, was sitting in front of him. His mind and heart were racing as it felt like time had stopped.

Alastor leaned on the booth, placing his staff beside him. He glanced at the bartender and owner and tilted his head. "Well, gentlemen, don't keep me waiting." Alastor lightly chuckled, seeing them flinch and scurry around, the bartender went to start the drinks while the owner ran off upstairs.

With a click of his fingers, the radio nearby continued to play nice jazzical music. Alastor hummed in appreciation, as much as he liked to make a show and get his hands dirty, nothing beats the enjoyment of fine music and a pleasant atmosphere.

His eyes flickered, and he turned his head to a TV sinner staring at him. "Can I help you?" he asked through his radio-filtered voice. He didn't sound annoyed by Vox's intense stare, just inquisitive.

Vox snapped back into reality and shook his head slightly in disbelief, trying to regain himself. "Sorry, I didn't mean to!" He threw his hands slightly up. As much as he was ecstatic to finally meet the radio demon, he couldn't help but feel a bit nervous. This was the sinner who went after overlords, which put Vox at some risk. "It's just…wow, you're the radio demon, aren't you?!"

"In the flesh, pleased to meet you, and who do I have the honor of speaking to?" Alastor said as the bartender placed his and Vox's drinks in front of them.

"Uh, Vox!" he said enthusiastically as he sat down, basically shaking with emotions, "It's just WOW, I’ve always wanted to meet you. You're really as scary as they say." Alastor chuckled, "If you thought that was frightening, you should see how I treat my actual targets."

Vox let out a shaky laugh, and Alastor noticed Vox's nerves; it was always amusing to see sinners cower in fear simply because of his presence. "I saw your speech earlier," Alastor said, taking a sip of his drink.

Vox stared at him in shock. "You did?" "Why yes, I stopped by to watch my good fellow Zestial in combat. And while waiting to do so, I took an interest in your speech, such passion and potential. Quite impressive indeed."

Vox had no idea how to react. He had known the radio demon carried such charm and manners as he noticed with his broadcasts, but he had never expected to receive such treatment. It made him more fascinated and intrigued by the overlord. His nervous expression curled up into a smile as he continued to stare on with delight.

Alastor expected Vox to continue to fall back in fear; it was something he always met with and was constantly amusing, but instead, he was met with eyes filled with euphoria. "You're as amazing as they say! It's truly an honor to meet you, radio uh sir."

Vox wanted to smack himself. He usually carried himself with confidence and ease, yet here he was acting like a bumbling idiot meeting their idol. Which was somewhat true in this case.

Alastor’s smile widened, and he chuckled, taking another sip of his drink. "Oh, please, call me Alastor."

…

(present time)

Alastor was having tea with Rosie once again. She had called him over to catch up and have a talk, but really, she wanted updates on the hotel. Alastor had told her most details, excluding Vox’s spy attempt, as it was something Alastor was trying to overlook at the moment.

He was still mad at Vox, sure, but he didn't need Rosie to know or worse, join in. If she began to dislike Vox, who knows what unpleasant things could happen.

"Oh, that all sounds wonderful, my dear!" Rosie said, clapping her hands together as she smiled warmly, "And I tuned in to your recent broadcast. I must say, hearing you talk so highly of the hotel made me so very proud!" If Alastor wasn't sitting across from her chair, she would pinch his cheek teasingly.

"Oh yes, Vaggie wrote most of it. I must say she's quite proficient, although my script was far better." Alastor said plainly, as he wasn't interested in the conversation; rather, his mind was thinking of whether he should return to the media tower later. He wasn't in the mood to see Vox and start another argument, but it was his building aswell. He had every right to be there, no matter whether Vox threw another tantrum or not.

Rosie watched him for a short moment and leaned back on her chair, smiling teasingly, "It’s good to see you warming up to the hotel." Alastor froze in shock and disbelief; him warming up to anyone, especially the hotel, seemed ridiculous.

He shook his head. "Such absurdity, I only put up with them because of your request. I have no ounce of liking for any of those fools." Rosie contained her amusement and took a sip of her tea. "Oh, don't put that act up with me, Alastor! What do you really think of them?"

Alastor thought for a moment. While his shadow had taken up half of his work, he had still learned a lot about the others. Charlie's eagerness and devotion were quite admirable, he had to admit, but it came at a cost of her being quite naive at times. He couldn't care much for Angel, and he went back to ignoring Sir Pentious now that he was no longer a spy for Vox.

Husk was his second-favorite soul to own, and as much as he messed with him, he had a small appreciation for Husk even if he challenged Alastor's patience at times.

And of course Niffty was his favorite, not just the soul he owned but a sinner in general, even if she was a bit senseless at times. Alastor found her endearing and precious, something rare for him. Other than Vox, of course.

And as for Vaggie, while she did greatly annoy him at times, he had to admit she was very firm and clever, even capable of holding a fight on her own. But from his shadowy observations, it was clear she was hiding something. This kept her a bit distant from her own girlfriend.

Weird that somewhat reminded Alastor of his own situation...

"Well?" Rosie asked, tilting her head. Alastor cleared his throat. "I suppose they have their own potential and talents. Even if it's at the cost of them all being far too emotional."

He swung his staff and stood up. "Well, Rosie, my dear, it's time for me to take my leave now." Rosie placed down her teacup and stood up. "Alright, but please do come by earlier next time. You know how much I enjoy our chats."

Alastor held himself from rolling his eyes as she waved him off, and he stepped out. Many cannibals were walking around; a few even waved at Alastor. He walked out and looked at a large clock in the town; it was 4 pm. Officially making it 24 hours since he argued with Vox.

He felt something new and unwanted swell inside him. It wasn't the first time they had fought and taken some time apart, but this time felt different. He felt weirdly upset and even a tang of guilt, something he hadn't felt in years.

Or maybe he had, but it was finally unbottling itself. He had kept secrets from Vox for so long, but it wasn't working in his favor anymore. Which he never expected, and it was hitting him rather harshly.

Maybe it was the feeling that his fortunate days were over. Maybe he had the awnsers to his problems in plain sight, but he refused to acknowledge them.

He tried shaking away these thoughts; he's gotten so far. Why were things worsening for him now? It was all because of that stupid hotel, wasn't it? It was the reason things were slowly falling apart for him now.

But deep DEEP down, he knew he was blaming the hotel for his own sanity. Not like he'd ever admit it even to himself.

He stood in silence. He should go back to the hotel. He couldn't wander around forever...

Perhaps he missed Vox more than he realized.

...

Vox had a terrible day. Not only did his argument with Alastor continue to linger on, but it seemed that some of his channel 666 ratings had gone down. Things were too peaceful; they couldn't talk about the new extermination date forever, and worse, his angelic security progress had been delayed.

He was so angry that even feeding shock.wav wasn't cheering his mood, which proved just how enraged he was.

He sat in his chair with all the screens of the latest news, trying to find something to not only distract himself but also cause some good news reports. That idiotic team of writers, what good were they if they couldn't find anything happening in hell?

He couldn't help it, but his mind wandered back to Alastor. He was sure the two of them could get past Vox's spy and Alastor's provocation in the previous meeting, but that wasn't the source of his anger, though it did fuel it.

He was so mad at Alastor, he had always known Alastor had his own secrets, and he tried to respect them at first, but it had been so long since they had been together.

Why was he still keeping Vox at arm's length?!

It was outrageous and utterly vulgar. He had always opened up to Alastor; why could he do the same?! Was he that reclusive with a reason, or was Vox simply not good enough to know everything about Alastor even when in the privilege of being in a relationship with him?

He sank into his chair and stared at his feet, his mind emptied, which was somehow more frightening than hearing a million thoughts. He looked at his shaking hand, which soon curled into a fist and smashed a screen next to him.

He was done waiting; he was in suspense for his boyfriend to finally let down those secret walls all these years, and he was sick of it.

If Alastor wasn't going to give him answers, he'd seek them himself, even if that meant forcing them out.

He thought for a long moment until he gained a wonderful idea and stood up in excitement, moving his screens to display the Hazbin Hotel. If he wanted answers, he needed to get one to reveal the rest.

It was the perfect plan; he'd get some joy in revenge by ambushing Alastor when he least expected it, and he could get some great intel for his news broadcast.

He projected a call to his assistant, Ethan, on a separate screen, keeping his eyes locked on the image of the Hazbin Hotel with a sinister grin. "Uh, yes, sir?" Ethan answered as he adjusted his glasses.

"Cancel everything in my schedule tomorrow and get my top reporters ready. Tomorrow we take a well-needed visit to the shitbin hotel."

Chapter Text

Vaggie sat on one of the lobby's couches, sharpening her spear. It was the only thing left of her previous life, a life she had hidden away when she was an exorcist angel for Heaven's army. She had a lot of regrets about that life, with the harsh training she had been forced to experience, all the horrible things she had witnessed that she had to turn a blind eye to, and worst of all, the screams of those who were slaughtered.

While she wanted to leave that identity behind her, she still kept her spear. It protected her in her first days in hell, and a small part of her missed her old identity, but not what it stood for.

She never told Charlie the truth, and it ate her up at times. She knew Charlie, of all people, would understand and love her regardless, but confessing would be admitting how much of a terrible person she was.

Knowing how brutal heaven was, she somewhat suspected they wouldn't listen to Charlie, but she still believed in her girlfriend; she had managed to change Vaggie's point of view after all. But unfortunately, heaven was set on their attacks and was coming sooner and stronger.

Confessing to Charlie about her being a fallen angel could ruin everything that she finally had in life. A job where she can help others rather than hurt them, a home with new friends, and, of course, the best girlfriend she could ever ask for. She sighed and unsummoned her spear. For now, she had to focus on all the good she could do by helping the hotel and redeeming sinners.

Speaking of redemption, their progress with Sir Pentious and Angel dust had been going really well, and even Husk and Niffty had been improving themselves. It wasn't anything major, but she noticed how they interacted with each other more pleasantly and began to really grow as individuals.

She watched Angel and Husk talk at the bar, without Angel forcing flirts; the two seemed to really enjoy each other's company. It appeared that the time they spent last night had really improved their relationship.

Sir Pentious was much more tolerable when he didn't want to attack anyone, and even Niffty was decent at times. When she wasn't covered in rodent blood, of course.

Weirdly enough, she had even grown to become a bit more fond of Alastor’s shadow, even though it couldn't speak; it was really expressive through its actions. And although it seemed to enjoy messing with everyone, it really did its best to help around the hotel. It even began sticking with Vaggie the most as she took on most of the hotel's responsibilities, often helping her.

It was like her own helpful assistant, and she secretly liked it more than Alastor. She even saw it petting KeeKee once, but it ran away when it noticed her watching.

But of course, the radio demon himself was an unique individual. Vaggie still didn't trust him entirely, but she appreciated the help he gave, even if he was annoying about it.

Nothing ticked her off more than him telling her to smile more, even if he had no bad intentions.

Speaking of Alastor, she had noticed he was spending more time at the hotel, specifically a short time after Sir Pentious had been revealed to be a traitor. It wouldn't have been a problem if he weren't a ticking time bomb right now.

He was good at hiding it, but Vaggie could tell he was in a bad mood. She has no idea why he was upset, but she had a small feeling of why. Perhaps it was due to the TV overlord Vox's attempt to spy on them. But she couldn't be too sure, and she wasn't in an exact rush to find out.

The hotel was mostly quiet; besides Angel and Husk talking, there was no other sound. Sir Pentious was in his room, Niffty was cleaning, and Alastor's shadow was in the hallways. Alastor was somewhere in the hotel, but Vaggie didn't know exactly where, and Charlie was out on an errand.

They hadn't had any more guests, which was a problem that was starting to strain Charlie, who was desperate to prove sinners could be redeemed, but it was hard with only two guests, and so far their progress although working was slow. These things took time but it would be nice to redeem someone before the next extermination.

Sure, Alastor's broadcast spread the word, but unfortunately, it only drew a few of his fans to the hotel to see if he was there. No sinners had visited with the intentions of actually redeeming themselves.

As she was lost in thought, Charlie suddenly threw the front doors open and slammed them behind her as she panted in worry. The noise grabbed everyone's attention, and seeing the panic in her girlfriend's face, Vaggie quickly went up to her, followed by Alastor teleporting to them for the same reason. Was he in the foyer the entire time?

Charlie looked frazzled, but she stood straight and took a deep breath. "So uh, remember that segment I did with channel 666? Well, they're outside..." She said, fiddling with his fingers, but she grew a smile even if it was filled with nerves.

"What?!" Vaggie yelled and opened the door lightly to peek out. Sure enough, there was an entire camera crew and reporters, including the top reporters Katie Killjoy and Tom Trench.

Alastor froze when he heard that; there was no way he wouldn't. He wouldn't dare, but he peeked out with Vaggie, and sure enough, from afar, he could see Vox happily chatting on a phone call, surrounded by his crew. Alastor slammed the door shut. He took a deep inhale. Control yourself, Alastor. Don't get too worked up, you can take care of this. "No worries, I shall simply get rid of them." He said, summoning his staff.

For once, Vaggie agreed with Alastor, knowing that channel and how terrible they were with Charlie last time, there was no point in letting them in. But just when she was going to warn Alastor to do it humanely, Charlie spoke up.

"I think we should let them in!" Both Vaggie and Alastor quickly turned their heads towards Charlie. Alastor's smile stiffened. "What now?"

Vaggie shook her head and quickly held Charlie's shoulders. "Charlie, you know what they're like. They're just gonna want to make fun of the hotel again."

"I find it hard to believe they have any good intentions," Alastor added, glancing back at the door. Vaggie nodded in agreement. Charlie placed her hands on Vaggie's. "Guys, I know last time was a disaster, but come on! We could really use the exposure, and this time we can show them what the hotel really is about!" She said, removing Vaggie's hands and reaching to open the door.

Alastor suddenly slammed his hand on the door to stop her. "Charlie, my dear, for your and the hotel's best interest, do not let them in. Vox is clearly up to something."

Charlie shook her head and tried giving a reassuring smile. "Please trust me, not only will I win over their hearts, but more sinners will definitely want to stay! I can handle it! It wont be like last time!" She said though she was rather convincing herself over Alastor.

Alastor stared at her with contempt for a few seconds. As much as he respected her determination at times, it was bothersome right now; it was only going to cause him more issues. But left with no choice, he reluctantly moved away from the door, and as soon as she opened it, a lot of crew members rushed in, almost trampling over Charlie.

The camera crew immediately began setting up the lights and cameras while other employees started placing down supplies and chairs without even talking to Charlie, let alone getting permission.

Katie walked in and made an annoyed "tsk" when she noticed Charlie as she continued her way in to sit on one of the placed chairs as workers surrounded her to do her makeup. Followed by other reporters including Tom.

Vaggie and Charlie glanced at eachother while Husk and Angel approached them. "What is this set for? Are you guys finally filming a porno here? Ya could've asked me to join." Angel said jokingly as more of Vox's employees filled the room.

Vox himself entered, fixing his tie as he did so with a large grin, his eyebrows raised, seeing the hotel gang, especially Alastor, and he immediately walked up to them. "Oh, what a pleasure it is to finally meet you, princess!" He said, grabbing Charlie's hand and shaking it enthusiastically.

"I'm sure you've heard of me and Voxtech Industries, who are so pleased to be here in this motel of yours!" "Uhm, actually it's-" Vox ignored Charlie and moved to Alastor, who was silently seething, and threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Wow, what a fantastic establishment!" he yelled sarcastically "Gee, Al, why haven't you shown me around here earlier?!" Alastor's smile sharpened in irritation which Vox seemed please at.

"Or are you not the host?" "What are you doing here?" Alastor said bluntly, yet trying to be calm as he contained his rage.

Vox's smile seemed to widen as he noticed the distaste in Alastor's voice. "Oh, I couldn't give up such a chance to get the latest scoop for the finest news channel in hell. So tell me." He let go of Alastor and approached Charlie once more this time leaning closely, "What is this Hotel all about?"

One of his eyes had turned into its hypno version, not because he was trying to control anyone right now, but because his anger was slipping. What did this royal brat have with her stupid hotel to grab Alastor of all people's attention?

Charlie clapped her hands together and had a nervous smile. "This Hotel is a home for redemption and we've been uh..," her voice trailed off. How was she going to explain they hadn't redeemed anyone yet, let alone prove it was possible?

Alastor grabbed Vox's shoulder to pull him away from Charlie. "How about we start with a tour first? Or is that too complicated for you?" He said to Vox, who became pissed off even more hearing that.

Vox grits his teeth in a scowl, "Complicated?! If you want to talk about complicated, how about you-" He stopped himself, trying to regain his composure since other people were watching him now. His smile returned, "A tour's great! We'll start now, just give me a minute."

He moved away to his crew to urge them to hurry up, but as he did, he shot Alastor one more glare which turned into a smirk before turning his head.

Vaggie glanced at Charlie, "Are you sure this is a good idea? We can make them leave." Charlie shook her head, her enthusiastic smile remained, "It's no problem! I can handle it!" She said once more, showing how she again was convincing herself rather than who she was assuring, she walked off to talk to Vox once, and Vaggie reached out a hand to stop her, but gave up. Instead, she turned to Alastor.

She raised a finger at him with a scowl, "I don't care what beef you two have right now, but you better make sure he doesn't do anything to hurt the hotel or Charlie," she said before huffing off to check on the crew to make sure they weren't going to try anything.

Angel, sensing the tension, had walked off with the excuse to go call Pentious, leaving just Husk and Alastor. Husk glanced at Alastor, holding a bottle of booze that he was still drinking. "You and I both know he's up to something. You'd better have a plan."

Alastor gripped his staff and didn't look at Husk. "You keep to your job at the bar, I will handle Vox and whatever he plans with Charlie." He glanced at his shadow and nodded at it to signal that he would watch the camera crew so they wouldn't place any more hidden cameras.

Alastor was sure Vox was here to make Alastor mad, but he was sure the TV overlord had something else up his sleeve. He wouldn't hurt anyone physically on Alastor's watch, that was certain, but he was sure to mess with everyone just to get to Alastor.

Alastor looked at Vox, who was watching him intently. He shot Alastor another malicious smirk and turned his attention to Charlie, who was talking with Vaggie. Vox walked up to them and wrapped his arms around the two's shoulders, which Vaggie basically snarled at. "Ladies, let's get this show started, shall we?!"

Was that his plan? To go after them two, or was he just trying to cause mayhem? Husk noticed all this and turned to Alastor, "You think he's going to-" "He won't try anything on them, I'll make sure."

Alastor suspected Vox would go after those who didn't exactly know how to fight back against his tricks. Vox, on the other hand, had another trick up his sleeve; it was so hard not to turn to Alastor and laugh, he had no idea what was happening.

Vox walked off to the side next to Ethan, his assistant, as Tom and Katie approached Charlie. Charlie smiled nervously, "Uh, Katie about last time-" "Don't." Katie interrupted and threw her hand up to interrupt Charlie. "You are so lucky Vox took interest in your bratty hotel. If it were up to me, I'd shove one of these fucking cameras up you-"

"And we're rolling!" Ethan yelled as the cameras began rolling. "Welcome once again, our wonderful viewers!" Katie yelled, turning her attention to the camera and snapping a wide smile. "Today we're having an exclusive tour at the one and only Hazbin Hotel!"

"We're joined today by Charlie Morningstar and uh.." her voice trailed off as she looked at Vaggie who refused to leave Charlie's side. "Vaggie." She said, crossing her arms. "Vergie!" Katie continued looking at the camera.

Vox crossed his arms and smiled, looking at the reporter. As long as she carried out the task he had given her, he didn't care what happened.

Husk was about to say something to Alastor, who ignored him and appeared beside Vox. The two silently glared at eachother for a short while as Tom Trench spoke to the camera.

"What are you up to?" "Me up to something? It's like you don't even trust me, Alastor." Vox said teasingly, Alastor frowned with his eyes and looked away. Vox leaned forward to try to recatch Alastor's gaze. "Come on, Al im doing you a favor! Im helping out with this hotel for you!"

Alastor ignored him, and Vox stood up straight again. "Whatever, don't tell me anything, you never do." With that, he turned and walked off. Alastor kept his gaze away. If he looked at Vox, he would feel that unwelcome guilt start to grow, which he was trying to suppress with anger.

Vox didn't care, things were going according to his plan, not only did he have the nice bonus of getting a good story for his network, but he was going to get answers about Alastor.

In a way Alastor never saw coming...
.

The tour was going somewhat into chaos, but as Charlie tried talking about redemption, Katie and the Vox's crew seemed more interested in finding every single thing wrong with the hotel, which Vaggie, Charlie, and even Alastor managed to subdue for the most part.

Charlie was too passionate, which wasn't what the film crew wanted, but Alastor threatened them into not ruining anything, which they partly listened to. After all he was still somewhat their boss.

Vox, weirdly enough, had no interest in the filming itself; rather, he kept throwing shade at Alastor as the tension between the two grew. They were both waiting for the other to slip up, and the whole filming process was met with everyone awkwardly shifting around each other, except Katie, who kept her angry attitude with her contrasting smile. If she wasn't going for that bonus she would've taken a sick day instead of being at this crappy hotel.

Soon the tour moved upstairs as they were told to showcase the hotel's rooms, which was met with even more chaos as Sir Pentious weaponry and devices were scattered everywhere.

Which turned for the worse as one of the cameramen tripped onto a machine belonging to Sir Pentious, which fired and destroyed a nearby wall.

Katie walked to the smashed wall. "See here, folks! This is what will happen if you stay here! Your brain will get blown out!" Charlie spoke up and flew her arms around, trying to hide the demolished wall. "No, no, no! This was just a mistake! Which is what we learn from here!"

"Please, the only mistake is what you're trying to do here with this tacky hotel!" Katie laughed. Charlie was starting to get fed up. "It's not a mistake! Anyone can be helped and redeemed!" "Yeah, and how many sinners have you redeemed so far?"

As the two started to argue, Vox took a step back, which Alastor immediately noticed. "Going somewhere?" He said, turning to Vox, Vox laughed and shook his head, "Of course not." But from the back of his hand, he signaled Ethan, who was downstairs, to start something.

Ethan began preparing everyone to get into positions. Vox interrupted Charlie and Katie's bickering, "Ladies, ladies, I believe we've seen enough of the hotel for now. How about we get to interviews now? Im sure the viewers would love to hear what every staff and guest has to say."

Katie scoffed and walked off to take a smoke break. Charlie nodded, but she seemed to lose her spirit slightly. So far, the tour wasn't going as well as she hoped, and she had almost gotten into another fight with Katie Killjoy. She was just relieved they weren't on live.

Alastor tilted his head. The way Vox was smiling at Charlie was she perhaps indeed his target for his scheme? That would explain why he was so unusually warm yet blunt to her. He knew Vox disliked the Morningstar family and even more so the fact that Alastor was now associating with them. Perhaps he should spy on her interview, for her safety and his.

.

Soon, everyone was separated with a reporter in a hotel room to get peace and quiet for everyone's interview. Vox sat in the bar with an excuse that he wanted a drink and made one of his employees work the bar since Husk was included in the interviews as well, much to his annoyance.

Once they started, Alastor, who refused to take part, had shifted into his shadow form. One of the better aspects of the hotel was its dim lighting. Sure, Alastor could fix it, but thanks to it, he could enter his shadow form easily and spy on every room.

But even someone as powerful as Alastor had his limitations to be able to keep watch on only one person, whom he chose to be Charlie. It made sense as Vox had been targeting her all day, and there was surely nothing useful Vox could gain from the others.

His shadow was continuing to watch the rest of the staff in the hotel's lobby, making sure no one would place any hidden cameras. His shadow also kept watch on Vox, who stayed still, sitting in the bar.

As Alastor watched secretly in the corner of the room, where Charlie was being interviewed, who was luckily not Katie, he noticed there was an extra camera. Weird, when he had checked earlier the other rooms did not have that. His suspicious grew as Charlie was being given more attention.

That's when a small, unexpected fire began in the lobby. It was almost comedic how it started: a Voxtech employee once again tripped this time over some faulty wires while holding drinks, and it caused the fire.

It was absurd how obviously staged it was, and Alastor's shadow in the lobby was able to take it out quite quickly with the help of Razzle and Dazzle.

But as fast as the fire was taken out, so was Vox disappearing from sitting in the bar.

Alastor's shadow alerted Alastor to Vox's disappearance, and he signaled it to remain watch on the Voxtech employees. Oh, Vox, he could be so predictable at times. Alastor noticed the second camera had suddenly turned on. And how the interviewer was suddenly asking Charlie direct and even hostile questions as if they were commanded to do so.

Oh, Alastor was pleased with himself for being able to notice, sure, Vox had been slipping past Alastor these past few days, but now Alastor was able to predict Vox's move and realize what the TV overlord was going to do.

But that's where he was wrong.

So very wrong.

Because Vox wasn't actually spying on Charlie, that camera had a timer set to turn on when the fire started to mislead Alastor. Who Vox figured would spy on Charlie's interview. After all he made sure to make it seem like Charlie was his target all day.

Because Vox knew he couldn't get the answers he needed from Charlie, what did that stupid princess know about Alastor? No one knew Alastor better than he did, no one he used to believe except that stupid cat ex-overlord.

Vox had always noticed throughout their years in the media tower that Husk and Alastor's relationship was strange indeed. Husk feared Alastor yet made his hate extremely clear.

That wasn't the extraordinary detail, but what was how Alastor seemed to sometimes snap at Husk in a way with no other. His anger towards Husk was always pulled aside to be kept behind closed doors. How Vox was never allowed to witness such outbursts despite being allowed to witness those of others who worked for Alastor.

And when Vox would question Alastor, his inquiries were pushed aside as Alastor claimed it was nothing and he simply wanted to talk to Husk privately.

And he would've believed Alastor if it wasn't for one time.

One time, after a nasty argument between Alastor and Vox, Vox had stormed off to a private bar in the media tower to drink off. One where Husk was also drunkenly at. And the two began to bicker as Vox took out his anger on Husk.

Then Husk said it, those stupid words. Those stupid words that Vox had ignored at the time, but began working back into his brain when he started to realize how much Alastor was truly hiding from him.

"If you knew what he kept from you, you wouldn't run your mouth so much."

Vox had always assumed it was just a drunken remark, but if Husk did know something, Vox was going to figure it out. And if he didn't, at least he could put those worries aside. And if it meant baiting Alastor to focus on Charlie instead, then so be it.

Husk sat in the empty hotel room. Where was his interviewer? Not that he was eager to be questioned on a hotel he couldn't really care about but it was a bit strange. Damn it, he should've brought another bottle with him if he was just going to lie around and wait.

That's when a small current appeared on the ground, and Vox appeared. "Husk! So sorry for the wait," he said, sitting down in the room's chair across from Husk with a nasty smile.

Husk sat up straight and raised an eyebrow. "You're interviewing me?" Vox laughed and nodded and leaned back in his chair, placing one leg over the other. "So tell me, why has Alastor put you up in this hotel?"

Husk shrugged, "He just asked me to help around, that's all." He noticed the way Vox was staring intently at him, and he scoffed, "Listen, whatever couple's dispute you two have going on, it has nothing to do with me. So why don't you-"

Vox suddenly without warning teleported to him to grab his jaw harshly, pulling Husk up from the bed. "That's where you're wrong. So tell me." He said, tightening his grip. Husk struggled, and his face was filled with astonishment and worry.

"What do you know about Alastor's secrets?" Husk moved his hands up in an attempt to free himself, but was stopped by Vox summoning wires to hold them down.

"I don't know shit, man! Now let me go!" Husk yelled, trying to free himself, but Vox was persistent. One of Vox's eyes turned into its hypnotic form, and Husk's heart dropped when he realized what was going to happen.

"Fuck! AL-" But he was shocked through Vox's powers before he could yell out for Alastor. "Don't you dare." Vox's head turned into a full hypnotic screen as he leaned closer to Husk, who then tried closing his eyes, only to be shocked again.

"He'll kill me if I tell you, asshole!" Husk yelled, but hearing that, Vox tightened his grip even more. "So you do know something?" He said while his screen remained set on the hypnotizing.

Vox wanted to tear the room down, to his displeasure, it seemed Husk did know more than him, but it wasn't the time for that.

He needed answers.

"Now let me ask you this one more time. What secrets is Alastor hiding?"

Chapter Text

Vox's screen was set to hypnotic mode, and he refused to stop. Oh, how he hated Husk at that moment. It was disgusting. How could this stupid fallen overlord know a secret of Alastor that Vox didn't know? No, how DARE he know more about Alastor than Vox?

It destroyed and enraged Vox. And he wanted to destroy him for that. If Husk's soul didn't belong to Alastor, he would take great pleasure in making sure he perished for good.

Husk was putting up a fight, trying his best to resist Vox's control, but it was clear the hypnosis was taking effect, even if it was slow. Still, he held himself from yelling or physically fighting back; Vox would just shock him again. For now, he had to focus on keeping his mind straight and trying to withstand the hypnotism as much as possible.

"Is-...Is this really how you want to learn about Alastor's secrets? By forcing them out of me?!" Husk yelled. Vox's grip tightened once more. It hurt like hell, but Husk had to keep going.

The only advantage Husk had was the fact that he had never been hypnotized before, which slowed the process. Alastor forbade Vox to touch Husk and Niffty, as he had a small favoritism towards them, even if it wasn't shown in the most kind ways at times.

Husk continued hoping to destroy Vox's spirit just a little so he could transform into his top hat form and free himself. "He won't ever trust you again if you do this...He'll hate you-"

Vox's screen glitched for a moment, and the rage inside him plugged up his mind; he projected more screens of hypnosis around him with his powers. "Shut up, you fucking piece of shit!"

Husk's eyebrows scrunched, damnit, he tried, he really did, but resisting this much force against the second strongest sinner in all of hell was impossible, no matter how much he endeavored.

He was weakened and alone; he couldn't even move his hands up or close his eyes due to Vox's wires. He tried yelling for Alastor with his mind in a last attempt that the radio demon would somehow read his mind and become aware, but of course, that was impossible.

"Tell me what he's hiding!"

Husk couldn't take it any longer, he'd have to hope Alastor would understand it wasnt his fault. Deep down, he knew he somewhat would, but he couldn't help but feel dread.

He started losing the small consciousness he had to resist as the hypnosis was finally taking effect. Slowly starting to forget everything except what he was being demanded for.

"His..soul." Husk finally muttered. It was quiet, but Vox heard him.

"What?" Vox's screen returned to his usual face for a split second as he had a surprised expression. Finally, this is what he's been waiting for for so long. He quickly fixed his screen back to the hypnosis.

Although he shook his head slightly, trying to stop himself from being controlled, Husk's eyes were stuck on the projections.

Husk's ears dropped down. "It's not-" but just as he was about to continue, the door slightly opened, but it projected a loud screech, which snapped Vox's head once more into his usual face as he quickly turned towards the door.

Damnit, he knew he locked the door, but it seemed this stupid hotel didn't have anything working! How could a door not only be so loud but also have a broken lock? How could he oversee that?!

Angel Dust had quietly snuck his head in to see if Husk was done with his interview, wanting to continue their earlier chats, but the second he saw what was actually going on with Husk being held by his throat, he slammed the door fully open. "Hey, what the fuck is going on here?!"

That was it, that was the opportunity Husk needed. With Vox turning away his attention and hearing Angel's yell snapped him back into his senses, he perked his ears back up, ready to free himself.

The second Vox's grip loosened, even just a little, Husk transformed into a top hat with a mouth on the top. Vox threw his attention back to Husk. no No NO NO NO.

He moved his hands down, trying to grab and stop Husk, as he realized what was going to happen. He'd seen Husk fight once before, and to his horror, he knew what was going to happen.

Husk's mouth shot up tiny fire dices, and quickly as they appeared, they caused explosions, shaking the room and throwing Vox backwards as he tried to maintain his stance, but to no avail.

The explosion not only made an immense racket, but it also shook the already fragile room. Grabbing everyone close by’s attention, including those who were in the rooms next door, who were also taking interviews.

Husk returned to his usual form. He staggered on the ground, blinking frantically, trying to regain his thoughts and senses. His head was spinning, and his heartbeat was beating crazy fast as his body was in a state of panic.

Angel had fallen backwards from the blast, not injured, just pushed back. He rubbed his head and looked up to see Husk, and instantly worried. He was about to go up and run to Husk until Vox, who was slammed against the other wall, stood back up.

Vox staggered forward; his rage had increased, but he also gained a sense of fear. Shit, it was supposed to go smoothly without anyone catching on. He didn't know if he was madder at Angel for walking in or Husk for causing the blast.

Vox's arm received a nasty cut as blood dripped down, not that he cared, and all his extra screens were wiped out. He clutched his fist and gritted his teeth. He was furious and insulted, but just when he was going to strike at Husk, a familiar chill entered the room, and shadows began to appear in front of Husk.

The second Alastor heard the blast, he teleported to investigate what was happening. The sight he received wasn't just unusual, it was alarming. Not only was Husk shaking on the ground behind him, but Vox was basically panting with rage while being injured.

He placed his staff on the ground in front of Husk in an almost shielding kind of way. “What is going on here?!” he said, keeping his gaze on Vox, who looked like he was going to burst any second. He worried about the wound, but something told him he needed answers before he attended to it.

Husk held his breath; he had been a second away from exposing Alastor's secret, and he didn't know if he was going to die for that. It wasn't until Alastor looked down at him that he snapped back into his senses. “The bastard hypnotized me!”

Vox stiffened after being exposed, and Alastor turned back to him. “Now, why would you do such a thing?” Vox stayed quiet; his mind was mixed between astonishment and confusion. What did Husk mean when he mentioned Alastor’s soul? How was that a part of his big secret?

Vox stayed silent until Alastor spoke again, “Vox?” Hearing that, Vox snapped. Everything from his body to his head was filled with rage. “I only did it because you won't stop keeping shit from me!” he yelled and approached Alastor.

“Tell me what he meant! Tell me what’s going on with your soul!” he grabbed Alastor’s shoulders, a much harsher grip than he had ever given.

Alastor froze when he heard that, no, he didn't, he wouldn't dare. His smile widened not because he was happy; he was far from it, but because. He was furious and maybe even a bit frightened.

Alastor glanced back at Husk, who froze when he saw the way Alastor looked at him. At that moment, he pushed aside the fact that Husk was hypnotized. All he saw in his eyes was a filthy, rotten traitor, one who had ruined Alastor’s serenity.

Alastor looked back at Vox, who was still fuming with rage and anticipation, longing for the answers. His grip on Alastor had only tightened when Alastor had drawn his attention away to Husk.

Alastor knew he had to figure out a way out of this, some excuse or cheap justification. It was also taking him every inch of his body not to lash back at Vox for once again going behind his back. But he couldn't afford to make Vox more angry than he already was. Not right now.

Alastor put up a hand. “Not here. We’ll talk about it in the tower.” Vox’s grip tightened once more, and the two glared at each other for what seemed like forever until Vox let go and took a step back.

“Fine. Fine!” he yelled, throwing his arms up and storming out of the room. He wanted to kick Angel on his way out, who was still at the doorway watching all this with Vaggie and Charlie behind him, all of them watching. How long had they been there? Both Vox and Alastor were too caught up in their mess to notice they had also joined.

Instead, Vox walked straight past them and went to the lobby, where his film crew was. Ethan, holding a clipboard, turned to him. “Uh, sir, what's going on?” “Pack everything up, we’re done here.” Vox snapped at him.

Ethan adjusted his glasses and raised his eyebrows in surprise. “What? But we don't have enough footage-” “I said we’re done here! Get out!” Surprised, Ethan nodded and began instructing the crew to pack up; no one dared disobey or mention the fact that Vox was bleeding.

Alastor remained still, staring at the wall in front of him. A million angry yet dreadful thoughts flooded his head. How could things spiral so fast? How could he not foresee this? Of course, Vox would find other ways to drive Alastor's secrets out, but he didn't dare think he'd go after Husk.

For once, Alastor didn't know if he could control the situation, but he had to try.

Husk stood up behind him, rubbing his neck, still sore from Vox grabbing him. Any logical person would run away from Alastor in the state he was in, but Husk couldn't. Even though he really wanted to.

“I didn't mean to-” he spoke up, trying to justify himself, but Alastor ignored him. He slammed his staff down once more, this time to hint to Husk to be quiet. He wanted to unleash his rage on Husk, but he held himself; he had bigger problems right now.

He stormed out completely ignoring Vaggie, who tried speaking up to demand awnsers of what just happened and looked at Vox in the lobby, who was still fuming. Vox turned around and spotted Alastor, his face filled with bitterness, before he teleported away, leaving just a few electrical sparks.

Alastor stood still once again, his grip tightening on his staff. “Alastor?” Charlie suddenly spoke up behind him, clearly worried. Alastor clenched his teeth at the sound of her voice; it was all hers and her stupid hotel's fault that he was now in this predicament.

But it wasn't, and he knew that; he was just too prideful to accept that. For now, he had to deal with his raging partner. And before Charlie could say anything else, he teleported away into the shadows.

.

Alastor teleported to his and Vox's shared room in the media tower. He did so quietly, yet Vox, who was waiting for him immediately, perked up and turned around to face Alastor.

He glared at Alastor for a short period, his face filled with anger, astonishment, and a hint of pain. Neither of them said anything, waiting for the other to start speaking first.

“So what's going on with your soul?” Vox spoke up. The only answers he got from Husk were the mention of Alastor’s soul before he was caught.

Alastor scowled with his smile intact as he looked away slightly, trying to think of any excuse that he usually was good at, but here he was at a dead end for ideas. Vox only got angrier seeing Alastor look away. Why couldn't he just be honest for once?!

“Hey, look at me,” Vox said with an unfamiliar, cold, and aggressive tone. He said, approaching Alastor closely and reaching his hands to grab him by the shoulders to make him look back at him, but Alastor took a step back, which stopped Vox dead in his tracks.

“It's nothing…” Alastor hated himself at that moment, for not being able to use his usual tricks, for not being able to think of an excuse out of this, for not being able to even look at Vox.

Worst of all, he hated how, of all the poorest moments to happen, his guilt was eating up inside of him now. It always lingered around him, building up even though he tried his best to ignore it. Guilt means weakness, and that was the last thing he ever needed, especially now when he needed his strength to guide him out of this predicament.

"Nothing? Oh, if it's nothing, why don't you just tell me, huh?! Why don't you ever just talk to me? What are you so afraid of?!" "I am not afraid." Alastor snapped back, finally looking back at Vox.

"It's simply none of your business, that's all." Alastor threw his hand up, waving it dismissively, hearing that Vox felt a tang of pain he had never felt. Not even when fighting those once stronger than him, not even when he was once injured during the first-ever extermination.

This pain was new and raw, and worst of all, it was from someone he loved so dearly.

"None of my business? NONE OF MY BUSINESS?!" Vox screamed, and his hands curled into claw-like shapes, fingers spread tight with anger.

"Are you forgetting who I am, what we are?! Seventy years! Seventy years of us knowing each other, being together, yet you still won't tell me fucking shit!"

Alastor's ears slightly lowered due to the loudness of Vox's voice; at this point, even heaven would be able to hear his shrieks.

"But you tell that worthless fucking furry over me!" "I never intended to tell him anything; it was a mere mistake," Alastor spoke up. He sighed and placed a hand on Vox's shoulder, trying to calm him down.

"Vox, dear, you don't have to know every little detail about me-" "No, I do!" Vox yelled, grabbing Alastor's hand rather harshly. Vox's face shifted to a pained look with a hint of anger. The sight actually hit Alastor harder than expected.

It was worsened by the fact that he was the cause of this.

Vox grit his teeth and moved his other hand to grab Alastor's arm, trying to keep him in place as he was afraid Alastor would disappear. "Is it so hard for you to just open up and trust me?!" He spat out as his grip became shaky and his voice slightly trembled.

For once, Alastor didn't have a backup plan or a sudden spectacular idea to get him out of this situation. For the first time in a long time, he was lost, and he wasn't sure what to do.

Telling Vox the trust would mean admitting the fact that Alastor wasn't truly the one in control. How could he admit that all he had was thanks to Rosie? How his power isn't really his?

He hated it all; he hated how he never owned his own soul, he hated how the one pulling all strings was never really him, and he hated the way Vox was looking at him at that moment.

Alastor despised any emotions that made him vulnerable, and he hated how he was beginning to soften up to those around him. If it weren't for his own weaknesses, he wouldn't be in this spot right now.

And perhaps he was afraid admitting the truth would make Vox value him less, respect him less...

Love him less.

The room was left with no sound from either of them, besides the sounds of the windows being hit by light rain that had unexpectedly occurred. The weather in hell was always strange and random.

Being met with silence made Vox's anger return much more severely this time; all the emotions of desperation, concern, sorrow, and rage came crashing into his head, and he began losing control of himself. He was shaking so much, yet his grip didn't loosen.

"Goddamnit, just talk to me!" He yelled, and without realizing, due to his blind rage, his hands began manifesting electrical bolts, and before either of them could realize, he had shocked Alastor.

Alastor's ears perked all the way up, and his shoulders scrunched up; he pulled himself away from Vox's grasp as he threw his arm forward to shoot a large shadow tentacle to shove Vox off him.

The shove was much harsher than intended, but Alastor had never been at the end of Vox's aggression. Sure, they fought from time to time, but it had never gotten physical until now.

Vox staggered back, his face filled with worry, with his hands raised in a placating gesture. "Fuck! Are you oka-" "You have some nerve." Alastor interrupted him and summoned his staff, swirling it.

Alastor would do anything, even instigating a fight with his most beloved, to protect his own pride.

"If it's a fight you want, then a fight is what you shall receive." "Shit- I didn't mean to hurt you!" "As if your weak little abilities could actually hurt me," Alastor said mockingly as he tilted his head.

Hearing that hurt more than the throw. Vox clenched his fists, trying to keep what little sanity he had intact. It wasn't until Alastor spoke up once again that he finally snapped.

"Whattt? Afraid of losing?"

"OH FUCK YOU!"

Vox shot a large electrical bolt forward, which Alastor dodged by lowering his upper body before Vox took that opportunity to teleport closer, as he drove Alastor back with a brutal shove, smashing them into the wall.

One hand pressed on Alastor's chest, and the other raised ready to strike Alastor with his claw-like hands until Alastor's shadows appeared behind Vox and wrapped around the TV demon's neck.

Vox gasped for air as the shadow tentacles tightened. Alastor mimicked his own motion and grew out his hand into a much sharper and larger version as he struck Vox forward, throwing him back.

Alastor's eyes darkened and resembled a radio symbol while Vox's left eye shifted into its hypnosis mode.

The shadow tentacles around Vox's neck moved to wrap around his body as it began smashing him up and down towards the floor. Alastor let out a small chuckle at the sight. If he weren't so enraged, he would've been enjoying the chance to fight again.

But he was far from happy; he didn't enjoy doing this to Vox, but he was too stubborn to accept that he should just be honest rather than try to battle.

Vox yelled out, and he raised his hand, trying to find any trace of electricity nearby to which he could teleport. But before he could, the tentacles moved from shoving him to the ground to throwing him to a nearby wall as he fell.

Alastor appeared in front of him, and seeing the sight of Vox with his screen turned off and staggered on the ground made him feel a pit of bitterness and remorse. For a moment, he forgot they were in battle and reached out a hand to Vox.

That was until Vox's screen suddenly turned back on, and he grabbed Alastor's hand to give the deer demon another shock, much harsher as it was intentional this time.

Alastor tried to pull his hand free, but to no avail, as Vox used his other hand to shoot a large electric blast into Alastor, which caused the deer overlord to be thrown all the way across the room into the nearby curtain wall, which smashed the window.

As the glass shattered around him and the rain suddenly surrounded him, Alastor summoned a shadow tentacle to grab onto the satellite sticking out from the roof nearby and hurled himself up onto the rooftop. While he did so, he summoned his shadow from the hotel to appear behind Vox and throw him out as well.

Vox teleported mid-air to the nearby satellite, as well as standing on the top of it panting, while Alastor stood on the rooftop, glaring back up at him.

Vox stood there, arm gripping the satellite until he erupted into a cold, lifeless laughter. "You're truly pathetic! You'd rather lose to me in a fight than just tell me the truth?!"

Alastor smiled, teeth clenched hard with anger. "Oh, I have no intentions of losing." He snapped his fingers, summoning small voodoo creatures around Vox.

Vox scowled and struggled to get them off, not only because there were so many of them and he was on a small platform, but because the rain made it extra slippery to stand.

Alastor laughed at his small struggle, which was interrupted by the thunder of the rain.

Vox flinched at the rain but suddenly gained an idea, summoning large wires around him. He threw the small puppets off him and jumped down towards Alastor.

Alastor summoned his own shadow tentacles and began dueling it out with Vox. The damage around the top of the media tower began worsening as Vox's electricity blasts and Alastor's large shadow spikes began breaking almost everything around them.

The rain made the fight more sloppy, more emotional, as the two were both fighting for the sake of their relationship for different reasons. While thinking, the other was trying to spoil it.

"I didn't mean to hurt you, I just wanted answers!" Vox threw a nasty slice on Alastor's shoulder

"Answers you don't deserve?" Alastor said without thinking, cracking a small part of Vox's screen with a strike.

Hearing that, Vox stopped for a moment, and he stood there frozen with a hurt expression, not from his screen getting a crack but from what Alastor said.

Alastor was about to use his stillness to deliver another blow until he saw Vox's face, and he stopped as well, finally registering what he said. He felt a pang of regret, added to the guilt he felt seeing Vox like that. He should've taken back what he said he wanted to; he didn't believe those words, but his pride held him back.

Then he saw it, the tears on Vox's screen. It wasn't from those words alone, it was from everything they were fighting about, but those words seemed to be the breaking point that poured out all the despair Vox was holding back.

The tears weren't physical; they were a part of the screen's projection, but they were real.

Alastor's form became less demonic as he returned to his usual self. He wasn't going to fight anymore, not like this. He held his hands out, hesitant but reassuring. "Vincent-"

But before he could continue, another large thunder roared, which seemed to snap Vox back into his senses, as this was what his plan was waiting for, he turned and threw his hand upwards, controlling the satellite and using his powers to manifest the lightning summoned from the sky to enter towards the satellite then into his palms and blast Alastor with all its force.

The electrical blast was unlike any other Vox had conjured up. Using the sky as his weapon, he managed to go beyond his own abilities.

Alastor was thrown deep into the rooftop's flooring, blood oozing from chest like a large crack. His back was deep into the rubble, and he had to free his arm from the broken floor just to hold his own wound in an attempt to stop the rush of blood.

His shadow nearby seemed sad, an expression Alastor couldn't even make as it slowly disappeared, only being able to return once Alastor's health had recovered.

Vox appeared beside Alastor, his hands shaking and his face unrecognizable. He threw his hands towards Alastor, and for a moment, Alastor thought he was going to reach for his neck and finish him off.

But he didn't; instead, he wrapped his arms around Alastor in a tight embrace, but not too close that it could give Alastor any discomfort. His voice suddenly croaked out as the rest of his digital tears began flooding out in a messy breakdown.

Hearing such hurtful noises, Alastor used what remaining strength he had left to look up at Vox. If he wasn't the strongest sinner in all of hell, he would've been killed from that strike. Not forever since it wasn't angelic but still slaughtered.

Vox's voice croaked out, "I didn't mean- I-.....im sorry." He said with a shaky breath, looking at Alastor's wound rather than his face.

Alastor managed to gather the energy to try to sit up; he never liked being down for too long. "I don't deserve your compassion." But Vox refused to let him sit up, and he didn't want to struggle against it, not like he could anyway.

They sat like that on the rooftop in a small, uneasy silence as the rain continued to pour down on them. Neither of them couldn't reach the other's gaze.

Alastor's lip trembled under a small bite. As if he was trying to stop himself from doing something he'd greatly regret and feared for so many years.

But at this point, he couldn't see how things could get better if he continued to lie.

"My soul..." Alastor spoke up, and Vox immediately tensed, hearing those words. "Doesn't belong to me."

Hearing those Vox's brain went back into the turmoil he was feeling all day, but not fueled by anger, rather by distress. From all the theories he had before and after getting information from Husk, this was never one of them.

He moved back slightly to look at Alastor, his arms moving towards his shoulders. "What?! Who- when how?!" He began slamming all his words together in a messy haze, trying to grasp what he had just learned.

Alastor's pain creased his brows and lingered in his eyes while his smile was small. Despite the fact that the fight was over, he was still in a state of panic and worry.

Vox moved one of his handsawal from Alastor and ran a hand over the top of his head in disbelief. He had so many questions, but instead of asking them all in one go, he looked at Alastor with anticipation.

Alastor almost looked away again, but his and Vox's gaze were stuck to each other. He didn't want to tell Vox anything else, but he had to, even if it meant Vox would forever look down on him.

At that point, it would've been easier for Alastor to focus on his bleeding wound, but with a heavy sigh, he finally let it out, "Rosie...she's been owning my soul since I came to hell."

A million more questions entered Vox's head. Rosie of all people?! Sure, she was the mysterious type, but he had never thought her and Alastor's relationship was anything more than friends.

But with every new question in his head came a painful, angry sting in his heart. He shook his head slowly, "How could you not tell me this. What else have you been lying about?" He began blabbering out all his fears and concerns.

"What has everything we've been doing because she put you up to it?!" Vox said his voice was starting to grow louder with every word.

Alastor's ears perked up, and he looked up at Vox. His eyes looked heavy with pain. "Of course not, you know that, Vincent!" "Do I because it looks like I don't know anything about you?!"

Alastor shook his head and managed to stand up, although he struggled, and his arm remained wrapped around his injury. Vox didn't even stop him and stood up for himself, his lip trembling.

Alastor let out a small, shaky breath. "Everything I've done with you was all from me, I promise."

"I don't believe you."

Alastor never heard Vox speak in such a way to him; this tone was reserved for those Vox truly hated. And at that moment alone, that's how Vox felt towards Alastor.

Vox looked away with a sharp crease cut between his brows. "I need to think. I just can't-...I can't be fucking near you right now." He said, although it broke him enormously to say that, being near Alastor would just increase the misery he felt.

Alastor had never felt such a nasty combination of pain, shame, and sorrow swell inside of him. It was a nasty experience, one which reminded him why he always hated being vulnerable.

He wanted to say something, but he couldn't; he didn't know what to say that could fix anything. All his greatest fears were coming to life, and he could only watch idly as they happened.

Vox turned around with his head slanted down, but he still looked back at Alastor once more. "Go treat your wound at the infirmary deck, don't go waiting for it to heal on its own like you always do."

Those words were Alastor's own snapping moment. Despite the pain and suffering he had caused Vox, he still managed to care for Alastor despite all that.

It disgusted Alastor how he even cared about him, let alone look at him?!

He had to get out of there before he broke down. Before Vox could see even more how pitiful he was.

"Okay.." He let out a small nod before disappearing into the shadows.

Vox stood there staring at where Alastor once remained as he clutched his fist before losing the energy to do so. "Fuck..."

.

Alastor had teleported into his radio tower; the top of it had been damaged from his and Vox's battle, not that he cared or noticed.

Alastor stood frozen before he threw his staff in anger, something he cherished, now tossed against the floor.

He threw his upper body onto the recording booth as his claws dug into the set.

Despite what Vox had said, Alastor refused to let anyone see him like this, even if it meant having his entire upper torso spilt with blood as it also dripped on the floor.

He felt useless, he felt weak, he felt like dying, not from his wound but from all the pain he felt inside.

Everything he worked so hard to keep safe was gone; he was alone with all his worst fears catalyzed into a few hours. And no matter how hard he tried, he could only focus on his own faults in all of this.

That's the stupid effect love had even on someone like Alastor.

He had never felt so futile. So sore. So heartbroken.