Chapter Text
Vox had resolved to pull the sheets off of his bed and make something that resembled a nest to wrap the eggs in. He knew that this was more of a bird behaviour but he was determined to keep the eggs warm while he couldn’t wrap himself around them. Vox knew that Velvette would be coming by soon to give him breakfast and paperwork to do for the day, so he put the “nest” under his bed with the radio to keep them hidden.
Vox knew there was a large possibility that Velvette he had been expecting and that he wouldn’t be able to hide the eggs from her, and that maybe he shouldn’t hide the eggs from her…
But maybe he could hide them for a little bit, until he could be sure Velvette was a safe person for his eggs to be around. Although, why wouldn’t she have just taken him to get them removed, to abort them? If she would want them gone, why wouldn’t she have just told him and told him to get rid of them? Not like Vox would’ve wanted to get rid of them, or if he would’ve even believed Velvette if she had told him he was expecting.
Vox heard his bedroom door unlock and open, he turned his head to see Velvette walking in. The Doll Sinner held a tray in one hand and a folder of papers under her arm. She immediately noticed that Vox’s stomach had gone down in size. Vox could tell she noticed, as her eyes rested on his abdomen for an unsettling amount of time.
Fortunately, Velvette didn’t ask about that but… she did ask about the other obvious thing.
“Why have you stripped your bed?”
“Oh, I was just very hot last night,” Vox replied, trying to sound casual. “Couldn’t sleep under the sheets so I kicked them off.”
Velvette didn’t look very convinced, why would that have fooled her? The sheets were not crumpled on the bed, or on the floor at the foot of the bed. It was obviously a lie. Still, she must’ve pretended to believe him. “Alright, Vee,” she said. “You’re looking… better? Are you feeling better?”
“Yea, yea, I’m great.”
Velvette nodded, she handed Vox the tray and the folders. “Did… did something happen?”
Vox shook his head. “Nope! Nothing has happened! Nothing at all!”
His insistence must’ve made Velvette more suspicious because, of course, the more you insist, the more it appears like you’re hiding something. Vox watched her walk around the bed and into his bathroom. She wouldn’t find anything in there, as he had cleaned the blood that had spurted in the toilet and the bath when he had laid the eggs (Vox was still in a bit of pain over that but he would heal).
Velvette walked back out of the bathroom. “Alright,” she said, hands on her hips. “You don’t need anything?”
“Nope, everything is fine,” Vox replied.
The Social Media Overlord nodded. “Well, I got shit to do so I’ll see you later.”
And then Velvette left, leaving Vox alone.
Except, this time, she left his bedroom door unlocked. After weeks, Vox was finally allowed to leave his room.
This meant Vox could go back to the archives room, look over more things… get more information on Alastor. He could do that after he ate and went through the paperwork.
Velvette closed the door behind her. Her mind racing. Vox had suddenly shed a significant amount of the weight he gained because of his pregnancy. How? What had happened? Surely he couldn’t have given birth already? He was only about twenty-four weeks along… and where was the baby, if that was the case? Nothing had seemed out of place in the bathroom and surely, if there was a baby, it would be crying?
Unless Vox had lost the baby?
Velvette wasn’t sure about any of this. It was all so confusing. She’d have to come back and talk to Vox again, and maybe check out his room when he wasn’t there.
Wait. He was hiding something under his bed, wasn’t he? The baby was under the bed, wasn’t it?
Whether it was alive or dead, Velvette was going to find out.
. . .
Vox had gotten through the paperwork readily, as he was eager to step outside his room for the first time in six weeks. He still could not leave this floor of Vee Tower (before he had been perma-locked in his room, he had tried using the lift it had not worked for him), but he figured that it was better than nothing. Vox would hopefully be allowed into the rest of the tower again eventually.
The TV demon walked into the kitchen area to put the tray and plate in the sink, and to put the finished paperwork on the counter where Velvette could find it. He washed the tray and cup, putting them on the drying rack before leaving the kitchen and heading towards the archives room.
When Vox reached the room of ungodly amounts of paper, he decided to start at the end this time, seeing if he could find any information regarding his and Alastor’s most recent relationship status. He would be able to go through the rest of the papers after, to get the middle of their story. Vox had the beginning, he wanted the end, even though the information he had found indicated an end.
But Alastor’s appearance at Vee Tower, threatening Valentino, five months ago made him think otherwise.
Their “suspected breakup” seventy years ago couldn’t be the end.
What he found first wasn’t about him and Alastor, just about Alastor.
2024
Radio Demon Returns after Seven Year Absence, a New Patron of the Hazbin Hotel!
Wait… what? Alastor was associated with the princess’ stupid hotel of redemption? How did Vox not remember him? He had literally been attacking the hotel’s image last year, he had been in the hotel on his conquest to slander it. How did he not remember his former friend being there?
Perhaps it was a typo or an attention-bragging headline? And the truth was more… lowkey. Like maybe Alastor was staying at the hotel and not a patron?
But a quick read over the summary made it clear.
Alastor, the infamous Radio Demon, has reappeared after an unexplained seven year absence! He has now put his resources into helping Princess Charlotte “Charlie” Morningstar run her “Happy Hotel” to redeem Sinners. Is this a downgrade for the feared Overlord? Is he going soft?
Vox stared. Something was wrong. Very wrong. Why did he not remember Alastor? How did he not remember Alastor? He couldn’t ask Velvette or Valentino, they had stuck to their “Alastor is an obsessed and dangerous fan” story, and who knows what sort of reaction would come from them if he confronted them with evidence of their lies.
There was maybe only one demon he could ask, and Vox was loath to. He fucking hated Angel Dust so much but that damn Spider Sinner was maybe his only chance at getting any sort of explanation…
On his way back to his room, Vox grabbed some extra sheets to redress his bed, as he had no intention of leaving his eggs without their “nest”, even if they would be with him in the bed when he was sleeping. The “nest” could stay under his bed for when it was needed.
Vox returned to his room, redressing his bed first before kneeling down and reaching under the bed to retrieve his eggs to check on them. He gave each of the eggs a kiss. Vox had to quickly put the eggs back in their “nest” and stand up, as he heard the door opening.
“H-Hey, Vel,” Vox tried to remain calm as he turned around. He couldn’t let her know about the eggs yet. “I left the finished paperwork in the kitchen.”
“I saw,” Velvette replied. “You wanna have dinner with me and Val tonight?”
“Is Val gonna keep his fucking mouth shut about my body?”
Velvette rolled her eyes and waved her hand dismissively. “I talked to him but I make no promises, I just think we should try to put this behind us, and go back to how everything was before,” she said.
“Easier said than done, you two basically threw me away.”
“You were ready to destroy us all over-” Velvette appeared to pause very briefly before finishing her sentence. “Charlie and the Seraphim.”
Vox didn’t question the slight pause, he had been there… and yea, he was trying to kill the princess and that angel. T̶h̶r̶e̶e̶ Two-for-one. He was sure nobody else had been there. He didn’t remember anyone else being there.
“Okay, okay, fuck, I get it!” Vox sighed. “I’m awful and I got crazy with power, you’ve both made it very clear that you’re mad about it, and it was wrong for me to do that. I am sorry, alright? It’s been almost a year, how long are you going to fucking punish me for this?”
“You were gone for almost seven of those months, and this isn’t ‘punishing’,this is reasonable retribution.”
“Ugh, fuck, we’ve had this conversation before- Wait,” Vox paused, “what do you mean gone?”
Velvette’s face changed to a slight panic before turning back to normal. “Gone as in not conscious.”
Vox rolled his eyes. “Being out of commission was not my fault. It’s not anybody’s fucking fault that that happened, don’t fucking blame me for a situation that we couldn’t help!”
Then Velvette almost looked guilty? Maybe? Vox wasn’t sure.
The Doll Sinner sighed. “Whatever, are you coming to dinner or not?” she asked.
Vox’s face scrunched. “Yes, I’m coming,” he replied, defeated.
Maybe an attempted return to normalcy could make him feel better, less lost.
Something was wrong but… Vox could pretend for a night that it wasn’t.