Complicated and Sad \\ RADIOSILENCE

[22] - Radio Killed...

📻 ┃⤷ Alastor's POV

-Early 2000's-

Alastor sat at the bar counter, his ears perked as he listened to Vox ramble on and on about his business ideas, new deals, company plans, and more. He occasionally took a sip of his whiskey, but he kept his eyes on his friend, interested despite his lack of knowledge in the topic. He had no idea what half of the technology Vox mentioned was, but hearing his friend so excited and passionate about something filled Alastor with a warm feeling as he listened.

Every time Vox ran out of things to say, Alastor would ask a question- whether it be something as simple as "how does a 'computer' work" or something more complex, like "how would this plan benefit VoxTech?" Alastor only asked so he could continue listening to Vox's voice, focusing more on the sounds than his words.

But eventually, when both ran out of things to say, they finished their drinks. They sat there, waiting for the bartender to turn around, then they grabbed their coats, rushing out of the bar and laughing as they ran outside. The warmth in Alastor's chest grew as Vox leaned against him, their arms around each other as they laughed and began walking back to their apartment.

"Shit," Vox managed between giggles. "It's so easy to get away."

"I don't even know why we run," Alastor said, his laughter finally calming down. "It's not like we'd be yelled at. No demon would even consider messing with us."

"Hell yeah!" Vox cheered, laughing once again. It was clear that he was a little drunker than he'd let on.

Alastor's smile grew as he listened to the other's laughter, supporting his weight as they continued down the sidewalk. It was dark outside except for the street lights and displays in the shops they walked by. The area was empty, the only sounds being their laughter and the occasional car that sped by.

"We need to start doing this more often," Alastor said after Vox's laughter once again died down. "Gosh, I forgot how much fun this could be."

"Seriously," Vox agreed, standing up straighter as they walked, a large grin still displayed on his screen. "It's not as fun at home."

Alastor nodded in agreement, though Vox couldn't see, and looked ahead as they continued down the cracked sidewalk. After a few long moments, they passed one of the shops Vox had set up for his company, and Vox suddenly stopped.

"Oh, Al," Vox said, pulling away from Alastor and moving to stand in front of him. "There's something I've been meaning to ask."

Alastor had stopped when Vox did, not thinking too much about it. Vox always had questions. "Shoot," Alastor said, crossing his arms behind his back.

"Well..." Vox began, sounding a bit hesitant at first. "I was thinking. I know you say you work alone, but we're really close and you've helped me with this so much, so I think it's only fair if you get something out of it too."

Alastor listened, a small feeling of dread beginning to form in his gut. He was about to speak, but Vox continued before he could get a word in.

"Would you like to join me?" Vox asked, holding his hand out to Alastor. "As my business partner, I mean."

Alastor looked down at Vox's hand, that dread only growing. He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to upset Vox or hurt him, but Vox knew that Alastor only worked alone. Alone. He stayed silent for a few moments, then spoke in a quieter voice. "Vox, I-"

"I'm sorry," Vox suddenly blurted, pulling his hand back. "This was stupid, I shouldn't of asked, I know you work alone-"

"What? No." Alastor blurted, his voice a bit harsher than he meant to from his slight frustration.

"No?" Vox looked up at Alastor, and their eyes met. "I mean- I figured you'd turn it down, but you didn't need to be rude about it."

"Vox, I didn't mean to sound that way," Alastor shot back, still frustrated- now mostly at himself for how he sounded. He froze when the irritation on Vox's face turned into anger.

"Of course you didn't," Vox muttered, crossing his arms. "You never do, do you?"

"Vox, you're drunk," Alastor said, stepping forward and reaching out his hand. "Come on, we can talk about this later."

"Don't touch me," Vox spat, pushing Alastor's hand away. "Forget it. You don't need to tell me twice."

As Vox turned to begin walking away again, Alastor stood in place, feeling a bit of anger bubbling under his confusion. He couldn't tell if the alcohol was making Vox more irritable, or if the other truly felt that Alastor was being rude about this.

"Wait!" Alastor called after Vox, running to catch up to him. "Slow down, Vox. You took it the wrong way-"

"Just shut up!" Vox shouted, spinning around to face Alastor, causing him to stop in his tracks. "It's fine! I don't care if you don't want to work with me!"

"What is your problem?" Alastor asked, his voice more demanding than he meant it to be. "This is just a misunderstanding, you're drunk, we can clear this up tomorrow-"

"When is it not a misunderstanding?" Vox interrupted, his voice harsh as he took a step closer to Alastor. "I'm sick of you always saying that I take things the wrong way, or make assumptions, or whatever else it is you say! Why can't you just admit that sometimes you're a straight up jerk about things?"

"And you aren't?!" Alastor shot back, his anger growing with his voice. His arms dropped to his sides, his hands in tight fists, his cane appearing in his hand in an almost instinctive action. "I admit that I can be harsh sometimes, but you're the same way!"

"At least I'm not that way all the time!" Vox shouted, taking a step closer, right in front of Alastor now.

"Back up," Alastor warned, his grip on his cane tightening.

"I can't believe you, Al," Vox muttered, his voice dropping as he stood right where he was. "I knew you were like this, but why couldn't you be better with me? I'm your fucking friend. Are you just this incapable of being nice to anyone who cares about you?"

Alastor stood frozen, glaring right back at Vox. He knew Vox was just talking out of his ass from the alcohol, but those words hurt. He stood still, thinking this over, then he let out a sigh and turned. "Whatever," He muttered, beginning to walk away. He wasn't going to continue arguing with Vox while he was so out of it.

"Don't walk away!" Vox shouted after Alastor, his voice growing angrier.

Alastor ignored Vox, his ears twitching as he continued walking away, his grip on his cane tight. Suddenly, he felt a tight grip on his arm pulling him back. His heart practically stopped, and in a moment of both surprise and defensiveness, he turned and the hand holding his cane shot towards where he had been grabbed, instinctively moving to defend himself.

He only froze when he heard the almost sickening sound of glass shattering, and the scream that came right after.

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▪ Word Count: 1177
▪ Date: December 23rd, 2024
▪ Credits: Universe + characters belong to Vivziepop. Fanfic story by me (promised.stars)
▪ Reminder: Nothing that happens in this story is canon to the Hazbin Hotel plot/lore. Ideas + events that happen are based off theories