People grieved in different ways. Sometimes they cried, other times they lashed out in a fit of anger. They may do both of these things at the exact same time even depending on the person and the reason for their grief.

Volastor reacted just as expected...at least at first. However, as the days passed, Vol's behavior changed...for the worst. He didn't leave his room, not even to eat. He buried his head in the pillow, refusing to move an inch.

His desire to live was at an all-time low, the drive had since been drained out of him. He wanted nothing more than to bury himself in his pillow, hoping that perhaps it would smother him or that one day, he'd fall asleep and never wake up.

Anything was preferable to this torment of living day after day without those he cared about most. The fact he had to live with their copies didn't help matters. Their presence was a reminder of his mistake, one that would haunt him for the rest of his life. His foolishness caused him to lash out at the worst possible time, attacking those who had come to save him. And just when it looked like a happy ending was it, it was snatched away from them when he had been stabbed with a spear, causing both Alastor and Vox to erase themselves in order to save him…

For them to save him after all he had done to them...was an act Vol classified as 'beyond stupid'. He had felt genuine resentment towards them for daring to take themselves out of their lives, a part of him wondering if this was their way of 'punishing' him by killing themselves, knowing that they wouldn't be there for the fallout of their actions and leaving him with their counterparts. Counterparts who he felt distant and apathetic towards at best and hateful at worst.

All the thoughts and emotions spinning in his head. The pain had got to him and when he stormed off...he ended up lashing out at his room as to avoid hurting anyone like he had earlier. His room was so heavily damaged and unkempt that you probably wouldn't believe it used to be clean until that point.

Regardless, Vol didn't exactly care enough about said mess to do anything about it. He was far too depressed to care about anything at all, let alone the state of his living quarters. He couldn't even muster up the energy to get his own food(thank god his shadow puppet did that so he didn't have to).

Then again, he didn't take more than two bites of his food so it wasn't like that did matter anyway...

And to be blunt, he had forgotten how long it had been like this. It could've been days, maybe even a week at this point. Hell if he knew, he had lost track.

Guess time passed differently when you were grieving and when all your emotions had been poured out of you, all that was left was an empty shell….

All the tears he had went into his soaked pillow, hours of tears rolling down his face had left his eyes unable to produce anymore tears. He had exhausted his water-works and his ability to cry was nonexistent.

His anger and sadness had been used up and it felt like...he couldn't feel anything anymore. He was just so numb and the pain that used to ache his heart didn't make him flinch anymore.

His ear-tuft twitched when he heard the sound of the door being knocked on and hearing Velvet's voice on the other side,"Vol. I know you're in there. Please come out. It's been five days. You need to leave your room…"

Volastor rolled his eyes silently,"Leave me alone, Velvet. I'm not in the mood…"

"Vol, you've been in that room for days. It's not healthy. You can't stay in there all day…"

"Who says I can't?" Vol inquired, his tone unwavering,"You know damn well you can't stop me. Besides, it's not like I'm hurting anyone."

"Yeah, everyone but yourself. You know that you won't be able to get better if you keep secluding yourself from others. I know the situation is pretty bad, but we're all here for you Vol...well, at least most of us are…"

Vol scoffed,"As much as I appreciate the effort, I'd still prefer if you were to leave me be. I don't want to risk burdening anyone with my presence…"

"Vol, you're not a burden. There's no need to talk like that…"

"Easy for you to say, Velvet. You didn't try to kill your loved ones and have them kill themselves for your sake. You don't understand what I"m going through, so what right do you have to judge me?"

"You're right honestly," Velvet mumbled,"I don't really know what you're going through. You're hurting badly and I doubt anyone of us would truly be able to understand what's going inside that mind of yours even if we tried. But even without that type of understanding, I know what grief is like. Vox was my best friend and for a short period of time, my boyfriend and Alastor was too. I'm not sure if they joined in just to watch over us or if they were along for the ride, but they seemed genuinely happy with us before anything went sour. I don't know what they were thinking, but Al and Vox must've really loved you if they were willing to trade their existence for your's. They wanted you to be happy, Vol. And you're not going to be happy if you just lock yourself away all the time. This isn't what they wanted for you and you know it. Come on out, we need to set you back on track…"

Volastor forced himself off his bed, trudging towards the door. When he did open the door, Velvet was taken aback by his appearance. Vol's eyes were distant and hazy, as if his eyes were glazed over in some type of deep fog. His hair was messy and no longer held in a pony-tail while the rest of his hair fell over his eyes. His glasses were crooked and it was obvious he hadn't slept in days judging by the tired look in his eyes.

Velvet tensed,"Vol...are you alright?"

"Just peachy," He replied flatly, not even trying to hide his apathy.

The doll demon frowned. Vol usually always had a neutral expression, but she could just sense the inner turmoil inside of him. While his overwhelming sadness and anger had subsided, it seemed that it had been replaced with cold indifference. The loving look in his eyes when he saw her was gone, as if he couldn't muster up the emotion to even put on a loving front anymore.

She then grabbed his hand,"Come on, Vol. Let's go and get you something to eat…"

Volastor allowed her to grab him but didn't squeeze back, merely letting her drag him around without a care in the world.

When Velvet sat him down and put some food in front of him, Vol merely stared at it blankly. There wasn't a trace of hunger in his eyes and he seemed bored just by looking at it. He didn't make a move to try and reach for it.

Velvet blinked,"You're gonna eat it right?"

"..."

"Aren't you hungry, babe? When was the last time you ate a proper meal?"

Vol shrugged his shoulders apathetically, he truthfully didn't remember or care enough to answer.

The doll demon cringed, this wasn't' going well. So far, Vol seemed to act more like an emotionless zombie than a living person. Even if his body and heart was moving, Volastor looked like he was dying inside, the dullness in his eyes becoming bleaker by the second.

"Come on, Vol. You gotta eat something," Velvet urged, trying to get Vol to eat, nudging the plate in his direction. Once again, Volastor didn't react and stared at the plate with no intention of attempting to make a move."Vol, come on. You gotta eat. Don't just stare at the plate, do something…"

Volastor looked down at the plate, somewhat tempted to pick up the fork. He was about to eat the food but put the fork down mid-way, as if he had lost his appetite in that very moment.

Velvet groaned,"Dammit! We were so close! Guess I'll have to try…" Velvet tried to make Vol eat by putting the food up to his mouth,"Alright Vol, let's try this again. Open wide!" She nudged at him,"Come on! Eat up!"

Vol didn't move.

"Ugh! What do I gotta do to make this more enticing for you! I made this for you and you still won't eat!" She then snapped her fingers,"Ooh! I know what to do! You're gonna love this! Come on, Vol, here comes the airplane!"

The fusion gave his girlfriend a harsh glare at her tone. The fact she was seriously using baby-talk in a time like this wasn't helping matters. Velvet continued to prod,"Aw come on, Vol! Why won't you take the air-plane!?"

Vol rolled his eyes, it felt like he was being belittled at this point. He then stood up and walked away, ignoring Velvet's cries for him to come back.

As Volastor was walking away, he wasn't watching where he was going and ended up crashing right into Vox, the overlord screaming in pain from impact. The impact of the collision had nearly caused Vox to be run over by Vol.

"Argh! Watch where you're going you asshole!" Vox hissed before noticing who he had run into,"Oh, it's you, Volastor. I almost forgot about your wretched existence. Too bad you just had to come around the bend. Worst part is that you're incapable of looking in front of you for two seconds else you would have seen me walking by! Either someone's clumsy or just stupid, but given who you are, I'd say its both, am I right?"

Volastor stared at him, his expression unchanged.

Vox narrowed his eyes,"Hey! Did you hear what I said to you? Why are you just staring at me like a crazy person? Say something! It's rude to just ignore someone after you bumped into them like a dumbass! Aren't you going to apologize!?"

Volastor didn't react, it was as if he wasn't there mentally. Even when he was looking at Vox, it was like he was seeing through him. Volastor then moved past Vox, the TV Demon's eye twitching before grabbing his shoulder, forcing him back.

"And just where do you think you're going, fuckface? I didn't hear a proper apology, let alone any acknowledgment of your fuckup! Say something to me you pathetic excuse of a fusion!"

Instead of responding to Vox,Vol forced Vox off of him without a moment of hesitation, not even looking him in the eye. He didn't even bother to rebuke his comments. He merely ignored him entirely, brushing him off without even batting his eyes.

Vox snarled,grabbing him by the collar,"Why you you little bitch! How dare you fucking ignore me after your carelessness nearly got me bulldozed! Pay attention to me you god-for-shaken abomination!"

Vol stared back at him with an unwavered gaze before saying,"I know what I am, Vox. You don't need to rub it in. But I would appreciate it if you got out of my way. As much as I'd love to punch you in the face,there's just something holding me back from annihilating you where you stand. Unfortunately, the person you remind me is dead,no thanks to my careless actions and what I'm left with is a lesser version of him whose very existence is an eternal reminder of my mistakes. Now if excuse me, Vox, I'll be going. My presence is clearly causing problems and the last thing I need is for you or Alastor to try and force your way into my lives. I made that mistake once, I refuse to do it again…So please, leave me be. I can't stand to look at you any-longer."

Vol then teleported away, Vox jumping back,"Shit..he's gone…"

Velvet then finally caught up with them, a disappointed look on her face,"Vox, why'd you do that!?"

"Do what? He ran into me! It's not my fault he's unable to handle being called out for his BS!' Vox hissed.

"Vox, you should be more compassionate, especially after all he's been through!"

"I don't give a damn! None of the shit he went through is my fault! Especially since his existence nearly cost me mine!" Vox growled,"That fucker kept me imprisoned in that stupid gem for months! MONTHS! And if it weren't for Lucifer, I'd probably still be trapped in there! Months of not being able to move, speak or do anything! It wouldn't have been so bad if I was completely unconscious, but I could HEAR the world around me passing by, as if I weren't even there! The worst part is I couldn't even make out a good portion of it, it just felt heavily distorted but I could tell the world was just moving on without me."

"That's not Vol's fault! He didn't ask to be created! And I doubt anyone was aware you guys were still in there, we all thought you were completely unconscious."

"Well you were wrong! Both Alastor and I could hear, it was the only thing we could do at that point. Do you know what that's like? Nobody can hear you scream, nobody can hear you cry! Nothing! And the world goes on without you, as if you were never there in the first place! And now when I finally gain my freedom, I'm suddenly guilt-tripped into making a promise to look after that man-child who can barely function without anyone peering over his shoulder! The fact you think he's dating material is just downright insane. He's basically a kid with the body of a thirty-year old man and you seriously think you should date him!? I know you're immature, Velvet, but come on, don't you have standards!?"

Velvet scowled,"I do have standards, that's why I'm with him! Vol may have...problems but so does literally everyone down here! He's probably one of the less awful people and he's really nice when you get to know him! Even if Vol is problematic, he's still better than Val."

"That's hardly saying anything, you act like that's an accomplishment."

"Says a lot more about your standards than mine…"

"Oh be quiet. You don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes I do! I know Vol is way better than Val and if you just gave him a chance you'd like him! All you have to do is get to know him and-"

"I don't want to know him and I don't get what you see in him,he's just an annoying man-child that my other self wanted me to babysit. The only difference is that most man-children aren't strong enough to tango with Lucifer, making him a threat to our safety if he lashes out. The fact I'm expected to be this guy's father figure is just lunacy, especially since he made it very clear he doesn't want Alastor or I being close to him."

"Maybe if you were nicer he'd be more accepting."

"Bullshit, he coldly dismissed Alastor and I when we even tried to be nice to him. He's about as accepting as a porcupine."

"He was grieving! Come on, cut him some slack! He needs time and he's still mourning. He needs time to cope!"

"Even if that's the case, why the hell do I have to be a part of it? Volastor clearly doesn't want Alastor or I in his life, especially since he responds coldly to the notion that we could possibly replace his 'fathers.' Even if we were completely nice to him, he'd probably still dismiss us."

"I at least want you to try! You need to learn to get along with Volastor! I know he's hard to be around, but you can't just call it quits! You and Alastor need to find some common ground with him!"

"The day I find common ground with that fusion is the day the sky falls," Vox retorted.

"UGH! I can't believe you! Why do you have to be so stone-hearted in a time like this!? Vol literally needs emotional support and you dismiss him at every opportunity! With the way this is turning out, I'm starting to wish my Vox was here!"

"Oh really? And what's so special about him? Because from what I saw of him, he was soft and naive. The fact he thought Alastor and I could fulfill their roles for them was just the pinnacle of delusion. They couldn't even bother to give us proper instructions on how to deal with him and his attitude. This is a responsibility neither of us were ready for and it was just unloaded onto our laps out of the blue. They knew that he'd respond negatively to our presence yet they couldn't even give us a hint on how to get rid of his hostile attitude? What a fucking joke."

Velvet clenched her fist,"That's still no excuse to be a dick! You could've at least tried to be nicer to him! All you've done since you got here is antagonize Vol over and over again! If it weren't for the fact Vol saw my Vox in you, he would've killed you! And now he's avoiding everyone! You didn't exactly help the situation!"

"Even if I didn't, what the hell do you expect me to do? Volastor's issues aren't something either I or Alastor could deal with. We are not equipped properly for this job and there is nothing we can do, especially while he's going out of his way to avoid us. As long as he's like this, no one will be able to get through to him. And honestly, it's probably better that way. Nobody wants to deal with a burden…"

Velvet growled before hitting him in the face.

"OW! What the fuck was that for!?" Vox shouted, giving the shorter overload a glare. She didn't hit him hard enough to crack his screen, but it was enough for him to feel pain.

"You know what that was for! You need to learn to show some respect! Vol has been through so much and I'm tired of you being a massive jerkass to him! It's not his fault you and Alastor got imprisoned and being resentful towards him solves nothing!" She snarled,"Dammit! This is useless. I don't even know why I'm talking to you. You're probably not even listening anyway. I need to go and try and find Vol again and until you're ready to help, I suggest you back away unless you want another hit. Got it?"

Vox didn't say anything, still in shock at the hit. Velvet then stormed off, leaving him alone in the hallway.

"Grrr...The fucking nerve of that woman. I can't believe she fucking hit me…At least she didn't crack my screen.

"Serves you right."

Vox scowled, turning around to see Alastor standing behind him, his shadow just behind his shoulder,"Ugh, how long have you been standing there, Bambi?"

"Long enough,"Alastor replied, the amused look on his face becoming obvious,"My shadow could hear the commotion and I came just in time for the show. Have to say, Velvet knows how to look intimidating when she wants to. And I'm glad to see she's capable of putting you back in your place."

"Shut the fuck up," The TV hissed,"I'm not in the mood for your pretentious bullshit."

"You calling anyone pretentious is hypocritical," Alastor mused,"Especially after what you said earlier. Even if you don't like the fusion, I do believe the hostility is rather unwarranted."

"Ha! Then clearly you have a short memory. Don't you remember being trapped in that gem? Not being able to move? The world just acted like we didn't exist for the longest time and when we finally gained our freedom, those fuckers tried to take it away from us. It was only when our counterparts agreed to kill themselves that we found ourselves in this situation. Now we're expected to care for someone who doesn't even want us around. We were massively unprepared for such a task and now we're expected to saddle a responsibility we don't even want."

"Actually, you're wrong," Alastor said,"We may not have meant it, but us touching that crystal was what brought Volastor into existence. He is technically our responsibility as we were the ones who originally created him. He is technically our 'child' so to speak, albeit less of a biological one and more of a mixture of our traits…"

"So what? Its not like we wanted to create him, it was a fucking accident. We only needed that gem so that we could win Lucifer's stupid treasure hunt and we got more than what we bargained for in return. Now we're stuck in an alternative timeline and Volastor views us with contempt because we're not his 'real parents'. Starting to wish we didn't make that stupid promise because now we're expected to be his guardians. Worst part is our other selves had us massively unprepared for such a task and we're expecting to clean up the mess they left behind."

"Well it's not like we can do anything about it. They made their choice and left us to pick up the pieces. Though they did at least warn us that Volastor wouldn't be as accepting, I do believe we're not prepared for this. Volastor will likely be trying to avoid us from now on, so we may have to change strategies if we want any type of success…"

"Good luck with that, he clearly doesn't care enough to pursue that type of relationship. I don't even get why you bother. We shouldn't have to shoulder this responsibility and Volastor is an adult, we shouldn't have to watch over him."

"We shouldn't, but considering the situation will be worse if we don't do something, I suggest changing that attitude of yours. It will only get worse if you continue to antagonize him. And when you are ready, you are welcome to join the effort, Vox. Because as long as you are like this, I doubt anything will ever change. Whether you take up this offer is up to you. We have plenty of time so if you do change your mind, we'll be waiting…"

Alastor then left the area, leaving Vox behind to ponder the situation. He stood there with a bewildered expression on his face before scoffing,"Whatever. I don't need to help out. They can handle this shit themselves. It's not my responsibility…"

Vox then left, grumbling curses to himself to ignore the small feeling of guilt in his heart.

Thanks for 6,910 views! Tell me what you all think below!

Mitsuru6: Explained in this chapter. They could basically hear but it was rather distorted and garbled gibberish. Regardless, Vox is still rather pissed he was trapped in that gem since he couldn't move or do anything.

Enigmus-288: I found Lucifer being a paranoid tyrant far more realistic honestly. Like given the land Hell is, I think Lucifer being paranoid of people overthrowing him is reasonable. He'd probably try to hide it from Charlie, but I imagine in the presence of others, at least when it comes to strong individuals who could pose a threat to him, he's a bit more...paranoid and let's it slip. And it also helped drive the plot so yeah.