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Alastor and you had been together for a while. Having been friends before lovers had it’s perks, such as building that layer of trust and understanding with each other before moving onto something greater. You learned a lot about each other, some topics more difficult to manage than others, but overall you barely had any secrets from each other. If you did, it was for good reason and the other expected it. Still, ever curious you, still ended up sticking your nose into things even if you didn’t expressly mean to.
Alastor had headed down to the kitchen to grab himself another coffee, leaving you alone to languish up in his broadcasting room. You snooped a little bit through his drawers (if Alastor didn’t want you finding something in particular, you knew you wouldn’t ever find it), and across the desk, idly flipping through papers before setting them back exactly as he had them previously. As you were folding things back into order, a small square of paper fluttered out from the stack, and you bent to retrieve it, curiously flipping it over.
It was a photograph, black and white style of course, taken with an old camera like the one you had stashed away somewhere. It wasn’t a picture of himself though, like you would have thought. Though it was partially ripped, the familiar pinstriped suit and TV-headed figure in it was very recognizable to you. Was this Vox…?
“Ah, I thought you might find that old thing one of these days.”
You nearly jumped from your chair at Alastor’s arrival, setting down both mugs as he settled down. His expression was strained, but you felt brave enough to continue.
“It just came fluttering out… I didn’t think you’d ever gotten your picture taken. Well, before me, anyway...”
“Well…” He trailed off. “I suppose I didn’t think it important enough to bring it up. I have an old noggin’ after all. Always forgetting things.” He teased dismissively.
You leaned back in your chair, facing him. “What happened between you two?”
Alastor went quiet. Normally he’d answer straight out no or he might drag it on a bit if he was being playful. Today though, he was still and quiet, though you had reason to be since it was your mutual lazy day. Then he sighed.
“You truly wish to know?”
You nodded. “Please.”
He sighed again, shaking his head. “Vox had developed a bit of a… Fascination, with me during our initial friendship. He wanted to be more than mere business associates or even friends.” He grit his teeth. “I explained to him that I was not interested, and yet he still kept pushing the matter. One day, he continued his pestering to the point where I…”
You nodded softly. “You attacked him?” You knew how he could be, sometimes. If someone kept pushing him, Alastor lashed out since he was no longer in control of the situation. You had seen him do it before. Most of the time there wasn’t so much as a stray hair or scrap of clothing left of the antagonizer.
“Mhm. I almost beat him, but he fled when he realized that I had the upper hand… I left him in quite the state.” He seemed just a bit proud of that fact.
You actively frowned now. “So he made a pass at you repeatedly, didn’t take no for an answer, fled when you fought back, and since then you haven’t been talking?”
“Correct.” Alastor sipped his coffee. “Not in the traditional sense, mind you. Vox does fancy himself my rival.” He joked, shaking his head. “Ah, enough of this. We have a broadcast to attend to.” You knew what he was doing. That was his way of ending a conversation when it hit a little bit close. You weren’t going to push anymore, especially when you already got more out of him than you expected.
“Of course.” You nodded, lightly squeezing his hand in yours before your smile brightened. “Let’s get on with the show.”
It had been a few days since the talk with Alastor, and you had been thinking a lot about him and Vox. Now a lot of things started to make more sense to you. Vox seemed hateful and borderline manic in his obsession with Alastor, which seemed to you now a lot like how a spurned lover might act. Alastor, meanwhile, seemed completely indifferent to his attempts at getting back at him, which also made sense since Alastor was the ‘victim’ in this, though you would never let him hear you call him that. Al hated being victimized and pitied, though sometimes you could get away with it if you were careful…
Still, it made you wonder… Was Vox behaving this way out of unbridled hatred and rage, or was there a different motivator? Did he still have the same sentiments as Alastor did? You were VERY curious to see if he still had the photograph like Alastor did. Clearly, on some level, Alastor perhaps missed the friendship of a like-minded demon. Was Vox the same? Could it potentially be salvaged?
Well, there was only one way to find out for certain. And that was to check.
You sat alone in your room that night, criss cross in a meditative position, eyes closed as you focused. You had told Husk and Angel of your plan, and they had wished you well despite the potential danger that could spring up, especially since if you were caught it would tarnish any good standing you had with Vox, but you planned on being careful. Alastor was out, and you had bargained with Lucifer and Charlie to keep him busy for as long as possible. He wouldn’t approve if he found out the true reason for your practices tonight, and you intended to keep him in the dark for as long as possible just in case.
You stood no chance of getting into Vee tower unnoticed. Physically, at least.
You closed your eyes, listening as the shadows whispered towards you and curled around you like mist, reaching out for the creatures that lurked there, both your own and the unbound ones, finding a small handful that were willing to do your bidding. Your shadow appeared in front of you, eyes narrowed and teeth bared as it leaned in. It wasn’t threatening. It was waiting.
“Go.”
The whispering reached a shrill pitch before it vanished, and you were off. Consciously, not physically, latching onto your shadow as it darted through the shadowy realm it called home alongside a small troop of other smaller creatures. It swirled through the streets, not a sound being left to reveal it’s passage, alongside buildings and through the walls themselves, before finally scaling the walls of the Vees complex. Everything sped past so quickly, and before you knew it you were inside Vox’s private office.
The place was notoriously neat, everything filed away and organized, a lot like Alastor’s office, actually. But that wasn’t a bad thing. You knew Alastor’s filing system, so you reckoned that Vox might be similar.
Search.
Inky shadows like a wave swept over the room, searching for your desired object should it be there. You felt like you were floating like this, like you were having an out-of-body experience, and it certainly was close to it. Your shadow moved on it’s own free will, searching through documents and files for anything that resembled a physical photograph. You didn’t have to look for long, as a shadow tendril came into view with a photo in it’s grip.
You’d recognize your boyfriend anywhere, and the edge of the photograph matched with the one Alastor had tucked away in his office. This was definitely it… And it proved your point. If Vox truly hated Alastor, you didn’t see any reason to keep any kind of memento of him. Even though this photo was mostly ripped, it still clearly held sentimental value to both of them.
Maybe there was hope after all.
You set the photo back where you had originally found it, making sure everything was tucked away as it had been, before your shadowy minions melded away and out as if they had never been there to begin with.
“Good afternoon, Vox.” You tucked your phone against your ear, thanks to a shadowy tendril, as you went about cleaning some of the dishes in the sink.
“Ah, hello there, Y/N. This is an unexpected call.” Vox chimed from the other end, seemingly busy with things as well. At least he was nice enough to take your call. Normally he was… You didn’t have much issue with him really. It was mainly Alastor he had beef with, and he did try involving you at first, but when he realized how pleasant you could be, he had mostly backed off on antagonizing you.
“Well I was actually hoping the two of us could schedule a meeting.” You hummed. “Just to talk, though I’d rather not get into detail over the phone. If you could pencil me in, I’d be grateful…”
“Well, that’s a bit unexpected, though I suppose I could humor you.” He chuckled. “Let me see what I can do for you…” He paused, and you listened as he likely looked through his screens for his schedule for the week. “Hm… Does later this week work for you? Friday?”
You hummed. “Mhm. That works well enough for me. What time?”
“I have an hour or so before lunch, so let’s say ten.”
“That works for me. I appreciate it.”
“Of course. Now, if there isn’t anything else, I’m booked solid for the rest of today.” He trailed off.
“Then I won’t keep you longer. I’ll see you then, Vox. Have a pleasant day.” You hummed before you ended the call and grinned.
Perfect. The pieces were falling into place well enough. Now you just needed to execute this the right way.
You used your shadows to appear in the lobby of the V’s tower, just a smidge before your appointment with Vox, punctual to a point. And so was Vox, apparently.
“Ah, Y/N, as punctual as your partner, I see.” Vox greeted politely.
“I try to be. I know how rare it is to get a moment of your time, after all.” You smiled. Gentle flattery never hurt anyone, especially Vox.
He seemed to take it to heart, and the smile was a bit less practiced. “It’s nice to see that some people can acknowledge that.” He hummed, gesturing for you to follow. “Shall we?”
You nodded, and the two of you walked side by side as he escorted you up towards one of the meeting rooms.
“So, I hope Valentino hasn’t been too much of a handful for you.” You offered up.
“Oh, he was at first, but he seems to have found a new favorite. She’s a remarkable dancer.” He snorted. “As long as she keeps him distracted and out of trouble, it doesn’t matter to me.”
“Ah, well that’s good I suppose.” You agreed.
“It is a relief. Now.” He opened the door for you, and you both headed inside to take seats at the large table. “What is this meeting about, Y/N? Pleasantries are one thing, but a meeting means you have something in mind.”
“You’re not wrong.” You folded your hands. “I wanted to talk to you about you and Alastor.”
The meeting had gone… Much better than you expected. Vox was a stubborn man, about as stubborn as Alasor, and much more prone to angered outbursts, which happened at several times throughout, but you held your own. You weren’t there to argue or fight, merely to talk, and talk you did. It was a very lengthy discussion, and Vox really didn’t like what you implied at points, but he did listen, and even acknowledged some of the points you made. You didn’t know if the discussion would bear fruit, but you had faith he would at least think about what you said. All you needed to do was plant a seed of thought in his head, and you had managed that.
Now all you needed to do was wait and see if he actually listened to you.
“My darling.”
You flicked your eyes up from where they had been buried in your book, up at your darling partner. “Yes, my deer?”
Alastor sat besides you on the couch, head tilted in a curious yet knowing manner.
“Vox has been… Rather bearable lately.” He commented.
“Oh? Well, that’s certainly a change of pace.” You hummed.
Alastor watched you for a moment, regarding you with curious eyes. “I don’t know what you did or said… But I appreciate it.”
Alastor was a clever man. With you having shown more interest in his past partnership and friendship with Vox, and suddenly the overlord having mellowed out (he didn’t really, they still traded barbs and fought, but it was less malicious than before, and the stalking had certainly cut back), he knew it had to be your doing.
You chuckled. “I just had a friendly chat with him… Although, I’m not the only one to thank. Apparently he’s spent most of his current focus on his new love interest. She’s quite the handful from what I hear.”
He chuckled. “Perhaps I should extend a thank you to her as well.” He teased, and settled back against the couch with you.
“I doubt you'll be able to catch up with her to properly thank her. Apparently she's even giving Vox a run for his money.” You chuckled, finally looking up completely from your book as you leaned against him and cast it off to the side. “But enough about those two… How are you feeling about this? I know part of you is going to miss the antagonism that comes with riling him up, but it's not going to be as toxic as before…”
He hummed, thoughtful, as he reached an arm around you to pull you tighter against his side. “You do have a point. I do enjoy the little fights we have back and forth but even those have become a bit tedious. Still, I'll enjoy the knowledge that he's no longer stalking my every move and obsessing over me. Some consider it flattery but I consider it highly annoying and inappropriate.”
You nodded, letting your head rest gently on your lover's shoulder. “No one enjoys being stalked. Really that was one of the main reasons why him and I had a little chat…” You closed your eyes. “Do you think things will eventually end up going back to how they used to be between the two of you?”
Alastor lightly ran his fingers through your hair, untangling any snarls, lost in thought for a few moments. “I haven't the faintest idea… Things might progressed to that but it will take an awfully long time. Wounds as deep as that don't heal overnight…”
You chuckled. “Lucky for us that we happen to live a very long time.”
Alastor nodded, leaning on you a smidge. “Very fortunate indeed. That means I get to spend that much more time with my darling… Especially thanking her for a truly unexpected event.”
You snorted, craning your head up to look at him. “Feel free to sing my praises later tonight on your show. I'll allow that.” You teased.
Alastor looked amused, lightly tilting your chin just a bit with his fingers, ensuring you wouldn't pull away.
“Oh how very kind of you, my dear.” He hummed, leaning in to close the distance between your lips.