Lovers Once More - Radiostatic

Within These Walls

Two hours later, sunlight streamed in through the window as Alastor stirred, blinking his eyes open. His gaze softened as he looked over at the man beside him. Leaning over, he gently nudged Vox's shoulder. "Time to wake up, love."

Vox's eyes fluttered open, and a brief, uncharacteristic shyness crept into his expression at the unexpected pet name. "Did you just call me 'love'?" he asked, caught slightly off guard.

Alastor chuckled, an easy warmth in his voice. "Slip of the tongue," he said, though the endearing tone hinted otherwise. "But... did you mind?"

"Maybe not," Vox replied with a small smile, which widened as he stretched, his fingers brushing Alastor's hand. "In fact, I think I liked it."

A lazy morning felt right, so they opted for a warm bath instead of the usual rush of getting ready. The water was soothing, filled with a faint scent of lavender as they relaxed side-by-side, the quiet comfort making them feel almost weightless.

After a moment, Alastor looked over at him. "So... given recent events, I suppose we should discuss where this is going." His fingers played lightly on the surface of the water as he spoke. "What do you think? Are we doing this, for real?"

Vox raised an eyebrow, thinking over the question before he answered. "Yeah, I want this. I want you. But I think we should keep things... a little low-key, at least for now. Keep it just between us—and maybe a few people in the hotel," he added, remembering Angel's quick fingers with the phone. "No need to go public before we're a month in, yeah?"

Alastor nodded, understanding the wisdom in Vox's suggestion. "You're right. Neither of us needs the scrutiny. We'll be 'public' within these walls, but outside?" He shrugged. "Nothing changes. Just you and me, privately."

"Like the rules of *Fight Club*," Vox quipped with a smirk.

Alastor tilted his head, confused. "The rules of what now?"

Vox waved it off with a laugh. "Never mind, Al. Just... forget about it. Cultural reference."

"Hmm, one I'll need to look into," Alastor murmured, amusement sparkling in his eyes. He leaned back, his arm resting on the edge of the tub. "For now, though, I think I can live with that plan. A quiet start to... whatever we're becoming again."

"Sounds good to me." Vox settled back, letting the warmth of the water—and the calm of their decision—sink in.

Freshly dressed and side by side, Alastor and Vox made their way downstairs, a quiet but buzzing energy between them as they headed for the hotel's main lounge. They'd agreed on keeping things just between themselves and the hotel's staff, but even that would be a change.

Charlie spotted them first, her face lighting up with curiosity. "Hey! You two look... well, good!" she greeted, sensing something different about them.

"Gather everyone, if you would, Charlie," Alastor said with a smile, his usual commanding charm slipping in. "We've got some news to share."

It didn't take long for everyone to trickle into the room. Husk slouched at the bar, whiskey in hand, Niffty bounced around, cleaning specks of invisible dust off the counters, while Angel Dust strutted in with his signature sass, eyeing Alastor and Vox with a knowing smirk.

"Alright, alright, what's this about?" Husk asked with his usual gruffness, sipping from a glass of... something strong.

Charlie nodded at Alastor and Vox with an encouraging smile, and Vox took a step forward, clearing his throat. "So, we just thought it'd be fair to give you all a heads-up... Al and I are back together. Sort of a... re-relationship."