There he was, face to face with his old pet. The light from Vox's screen gave off enough illumination that he could see Vark's beady eyes squinting at him, as if he was still not fully awake.
Needless to say when he locked eyes with him, the awkwardness became very apparent. Crses in both english and japanese flooded into his mind when their eyes met.
The awkwardness was so fucking unreal.
Could you imagine your pet was staring at you while you had another injured version of him behind your back, all while you stood there looking like a speechless dumbass? Well probably not, but that was certainly how Vox was feeling at the moment.
'Shit…' Vox cursed,'Why am I such a fucking dumbass!? I ran into Vark at the last fucking moment! Why was he sleeping here!? He has his own bed for god's sake and he just so happens to be sleeping near the elevator!? Just perfect!'
He took a step back and put his hands up,"H-Hey Vark, long time not see, huh buddy? Don't you recognize me?" He asked nervously, forcing a smile onto his face as to regain his composure.
Vark stared back at him and cocked his head to the side. It seemed like he was slowly taking in his presence before his beady eyes widened. Before Vox could do anything, he was suddenly tackled to the ground, letting out a startled grunt in return when he landed..
"AACK!" Vox growled when he was pummeled, Vark showering him with affectionate licks. Despite being a hammer-head shark, Vark was basically a giant dog. It was almost heartwarming…
And I say almost, because Vark is a shark that just so happened to be several hundred pounds and could easily crush your spine due to his body weight...
"F-Fuck..Vark...you're crushing my body...I-I can't breathe…"
Vark removed himself from Vox after hearing his plea, giving the TV Demon a chance to regain his breath. Vox heaved a sigh of relief,'Thank god he listened…'
He then looked back down at him and said,"Missed me, huh? Can't say I blame you.." He patted the shark on the head,"I don't know how long it's been or what I've missed, but I'm gonna assume it's been a while since you saw me last, am I right?"
Vark nodded his lead.
The TV Demon smiled weakly,'Can't say I'm surprised by that one. Though for a place that's been without me for a while, things have sure been quiet. Guess Val and Velvet aren't awake….'
Suddenly the light came on and Vox heard a familiar voice say,"Voxy, is that you?"
'Oh shit…' Vox cringed before reluctantly turning around, knowing damn well who was behind him.
As expected, it was Val. He was standing next to the light switch, wearing a fur bathrobe and slippers that resembled his normal attire with its heart symbol design. He had an bemused look on his face and seemed just as surprised as Vox was to see him.
Vox tensed, nervously smiling as he took a few steps back,"Uh...hey Val...Didn't see you there…."
Val didn't seem amused, narrowing his eyes as he cut to the chase,"Where the hell have you been, baby? You know it's been a while since I've seen your face…"
"Err…" Vox stammered, a bead of sweat trickling down his face(err screen). He didn't want to tell Val about the incident with Vol, not only because Val likely wouldn't believe him, but because even if he did, he'd probably try to make the situation worse."I got lost, Val…"
Yeah, terrible excuse, but Vox was pretty desperate…
Still, Val didn't seem like he was buying it,"Are you fucking serious? You got lost...That's your excuse? Fucking hell, Vox. Even Angel has better excuses than this…"
"What? It's true…" Vox replied. Technically it was, he was lost in a different timeline up until now. Though he most certainly wasn't going to tell Val that part for obvious reasons."I really did end up getting lost after the party…"
"How?"
Vox stumbled, trying to find a convenient excuse that would allow him to go around the bend. He wasn't certain if this would work, but he was hoping he could lie his way out.``You see, Alastor and I went down to Lucifer's basement to find the artifact. We managed to locate it but it teleported us super far away and we didn't know how to get back. We weren't anywhere near Pentagram City and we went our separate ways since Bambi didn't want to work together anymore. It took six months because we got teleported to a remote location and I couldn't contact anyone afterwards. It was a good thing I didn't need to eat, otherwise the journey back would've been impossible."
Yeah, very far-fetched but Vox was really desperate for an excuse that would allow him to slide past Val and this sounded a bit more believable than saying he just forgot where to go or anything like that. Not like that was saying much, but he was in a state of distress and weaving a story off the seat of his pants.
Valentino stared at him skeptically, trying to read his face. Vox did his best to remain poker-faced and after a moment of silence, Val rolled his eyes,"Typical. I figured it was something stupid. Can't say I'm too surprised, Vox. But where did you find the extra Shark?"
"I found him on the way," Vox said,"I kind of missed Vark so I named him after him. What about it?"
"I don't know, I just thought you could come up with something original. Especially now that there's two of them. Are you at least gonna name the shark something else because I can barely tell who is who."
Vox rolled his eyes,'Because they're the same shark you idiot…' He mumbled,"I don't really feel like it."
"So you're just going to have two sharks with the same name running around? You have to be a complete dumbass to not see how problematic that shark is bad enough and you have the nerve to bring another one in here. At this rate we'll have an entire aquarium in our hands because of your stupid fascination with sea creatures."
Vox scowled,"As long as I take care of them, this shouldn't concern you, Val. They're my pets, therefore my responsibility."
"Strange, the shark wasn't your responsibility while you were absent doing who knows what. The only reason that damn fish isn't dead yet is because Velvet took care of him while you were gone. I wanted her to throw him out but she wouldn't even let me since she insisted that you'd come back…"
"And I did!"
"After six fucking months," Val replied,"Literally nobody thought you'd come back after two. I'm impressed you're even alive. Still, now that you're back, I'll have you know you missed out on a ton of shit. You need to get right back to managing your tech because the paperwork has been through the goddamn roof since you were gone."
Vox groaned,"Val, that shit can wait! I need to do something!"
"Like what!?" Val shouted,"You just got back after your stupid teleportation mishap and you think you're going out? You need to do your fucking job! You have businesses to maintain, you can't just run off because you think you have shit to do! You need to do your JOB before you think of doing anything else!"
"But-"
"Not buts! Get your ass into that office and move it before I make you!"
Vox clenched his fist before sighing,"Fine. Have it your way, Val…Come on you two, let's get going..."
He turned his back and stormed into his office, slamming the door behind him. Val rolled his eyes,"Fucking annoying TV. That journey away from home must've made him more rebellious...Oh well, I'll sort that out later. I got bigger shit to worry about…"
Val then turned his back and went to go get some breakfast and prepare for the day.
The TV Demon groaned as he looked at the stacks of paperwork and missed calls. If Vox had to guess how many stacks there were, the lowest estimate was 100 and that was with some serious low-balling. Val wasn't kidding when he said he missed out on tons of shit because at this rate, he was literally DROWNING in a sea of documents. The Varks were literally playing with a ball together in the background, enjoying each other's company.
That didn't even mention the amount of texts he had on his phone. Val, Velvet and his business partners literally spammed his phone and only now did he notice. It was fucking overwhelming having 1000 texts in your messages at an alarming speed.
"UGH!" Vox hit his head against the desk,"Fucking amazing! Just what I needed! I get back home and this is what I have to deal with! Stacks on stacks of bloody documents! I may as well have stayed in the other timeline! As shitty as it was, I wouldn't have to deal with this amount of paperwork!"
Still, it wasn't like this paperwork was going to do itself…
As Vox was trying to manage his way through the first stack, he heard the door open and was taken off guard when Velvet hugged him out of nowhere,"Gah!"
"Vox! I missed you so much! Val told me what happened! You should've got to us sooner! We missed you! You really scared us back there! I was worried something really bad happened to you! We searched everywhere and we thought we really lost you! I'm so happy you're back!"
"Mmmph hmmph mpph…"
Velvet blanket,'Huh? What'd he just say?' She then looked down and noticed that she was more or less smothering Vox with her chest in her excitement to see him again."Oh..Whoops! Sorry about that, Vox! I didn't mean to put you that close to the goods."
Vox separated himself from Velvet after an awkward pause. When he looked at her, he noticed Velvet wasn't wearing her traditional dress, instead walking around in her underwear, only wearing a lacy bra, panties and a pair of thigh high stockings..
"Velvet, what the fuck!?" Vox shouted, doing his best to avert his gaze and pretend that a half-naked woman wasn't in front of him.
"What? What's wrong?"
"Why aren't you wearing your clothes, Velvet!? You're not wearing anything!"
"This is what I got to sleep in, Vox! You just don't see it cuz I usually change before I get up!"
"And why didn't you!?"
"Because I wanted to see you, silly! When Val told me you came back, I had to see it for myself!" Velvet giggled,"Besides, I don't see what the big deal is! We're all over eighteen...or well, in my case, I died when I was eighteen! But I'm still legal and I've been dead for a while so it's not like it matters!"
Vox made a face, it wasn't like she was wrong but it didn't make it any less awkward.
'To think this is my first interaction with Velvet after six months in a gem...couldn't think of a more weird way to start out the day.' Vox then paused, he couldn't help but notice something off.
Maybe it was because he hadn't seen her in a while but he swore Velvet's chest wasn't that big last he remembered seeing her. Either his mind was playing tricks on him or her chest is larger than he remembered. He wondered how soft they were-
"Uh Vox, my eyes are here y'know?"
Vox mentally kicked himself, the shame flooding in like a tidal wave when he realized he got caught blatantly staring at her mounds like a massive pervert,'Shit! She was watching me the whole time! I'm going to look terrible now!'
Velvet noticed his embarrassment before smiling,"Hey, there's no need to be shy, Vox! There's nothing wrong with looking! Glad to know my charms have an effect on everyone, even if you're not immune!"
Vox rolled his eyes,"You're pushing it, Velvet…"
"Aw, don't be like that! You're still super grumpy despite all that time away! What gives!?"
"Oh I don't know, the mountains worth of paperwork may be dampening my mood just a bit," Vox retorted, motioning to the stack of papers on his desk,"Fucking hell, can no one manage shit without me? How did this much work accumulate? Do I have to watch over everything people do?"
"Well businesses don't run themselves and you missed out on a lot of stuff. You're kind of needed to conduct certain things and while people did their best to fill in for you, certain things had to be done by you. Most of the paperwork is related to deals and endorsements for your products and commercials."
"I figured as much," Vox grumbled,"Of course that's just what it had to be about. Just what I needed."
Velvet suddenly put her hand on his screen, much to his confused,"Uh, Velvet? What the fuck are you doing?"
"Check your temperature. You're acting really strange today. Are you sick? You don't sound like yourself."
"I'm acting like myself, Velvet. I'm just not happy that nothing got done while I was away," Vox replied, his mis-matched eyes weary and tired, forcing himself to smile,"I just have to get back into following a schedule. I haven't done anything for months, once I settle in, everything will go back to normal ..."
"I hope so, but still, you look like you've been through the wringer. Did something happen while you were lost?"
Vox shook his head,"Nothing important. I swear, I'm fine. I just need to catch up on my life and sort through all these papers and business deals."
"Are you sure?"
"The only way I'll know is if I get this shit done, Velvet. And as much as I enjoy your presence I believe it'd be best for you to take your leave. I won't be able to concentrate if you're prancing about. It'll be distracting."
"Are you only saying I'm distracting because I'm half-naked? There's nothing wrong with nudity, Vox!"
"It is in my presence. I can't concentrate if I have a young woman in her underwear waltzing around the office while I'm trying to conduct business deals."
"But I wanna help!" Velvet whined,"Lemme help, Vox!"
"How well do you plan on helping me conduct deals, Velvet? This isn't exactly your area of expertise…"
"Well if you let me, I could show myself on camera and help advertise your products! After all, most demons lose themselves when a sexy person puts themselves on the screen! All I gotta do is take off my clothes and people will come flocking over!"
"Velvet, that isn't what I'm trying to advertise! I get you're trying to be helpful, but my main shit is about technological advancements, not about sex appeal! Hell has enough of that type of advertising, I don't need my company turning into sex galore. Val already has that covered anyway."
"Aw, you don't gotta be so mean! I was just trying to be helpful!" She pouted, hands placed on her hips.
"Your help isn't needed, Velvet.I have a lot on my mind and I have to deal with all the stuff I missed out on before I get too far ahead of myself."
"Fine, suit yourself!" She giggled playfully, nudging the TV Demon,"Just know that once you get some of your work done to join me and Val for the party!"
"The party?" Vox asked, raising an eyebrow,"What party?"
"You're welcome back party, Vox! You've been gone for six months and Val and I arranged a party at a club for us to celebrate your return! It's gonna be the bomb, you gotta come once you have time! There's gonna be drinks, hot people and drugs! All the vices that make this place awesome!"
Vox tensed,"Do I have to go?"
"Of course you do! It's YOUR welcome back party, Vox! You've been gone for long and the only way to properly celebrate the occasion is to funk out! You should be excited! You don't look too happy though, it's kind of freaking me out…"
He nodded,"I'm fine, Velvet. I just need to focus on my work. I'll join your little party one I get everything done…"
"Okie dokie! If you say so! See ya, Vox!" The demoness took her leave, turning her back as she left the office.
The moment she was gone, Vox slumped back in his seat, his head falling in his hands, the weight of the situation crashing down on him,"Oh my god. I missed out on six months and THIS is what I return to. Course nobody could function without me and leave me with all this work. The worst part is...everyone has returned to normal. Val is still his bitchy self and Velvet is...Velvet. It's like the moment I returned, they went back to their old selves within the span of an hour. It doesn't seem like much has changed in this place. Everything seems to function relatively the same…"
Despite this, Vox couldn't help but feel right. The world had gone on without him and even when he returned, it felt like he never left. Nothing major changed and yet, it felt very, very wrong…
He wondered what was wrong. This was how he had lived his life before and it hadn't bothered him, but now...it was like something was telling him that this was wrong. This may have been his old life, but it wasn't the life he wanted anymore.
He didn't know what was wrong with him, but maybe something internally changed, just enough to make him think that this wasn't what he wanted anymore. To go back to the overlord lifestyle and live his life the way he had for decades.
But he couldn't. Not with this feeling in his chest. Something within him prevented him from accepting this destiny, to do what he always did without a care in the world. It may have had something to do with that last minute prayer he did back on the plane, a call for help from a being he believed had long since given up on him.
He didn't know what God was thinking of transporting him back to his native timeline, but clearly he must've wanted him to right the wrongs back home.
He didn't usually believe in the whole 'God is testing you' shtick, but he figured that this was God's way of seeing if he was genuine by putting him back home, to see if he'd slide back into his old ways and go about his life or try and make a change...
He narrowed his eyes,"If this is some so-called opportunity to make things right, then I guess I'd be a fool not to take it. I should probably hold off on acting immediately, at least not while Val and Velvet are here. If I try anything they'll get suspicious. They don't know that I changed and they won't understand. I fucked up real hard in the other timeline, but maybe if I set shit straight here, maybe I can find a way to go back and make up for Volastor when I get the chance. I don't have the means of getting myself back, but maybe someone else can help me when I get the chance…"
Vox directed his gaze at the paperwork with a sigh,"But first, I better at least sort these things out. Shit has been falling apart without my supervision. I gotta do something about all the things I've missed...maybe I can start from there. I'm not big on the idea of 'repentance' for my sins, but if this is the only way I can set things right, I suppose starting from the beginning would suffice…"
He wasn't quite sure how to go about this, but Vox was going to be damned(again) if he didn't at least give it a try. This was the one thing he hadn't considered, may as well see where the light at the end of the tunnel showed.
Thanks for the 7,136 views! Tell me what you think below! Also before you ask, we'll be going back to our regularly scheduled program with Vol and the others, I just wanted to ensure that everything with Vox so far is cleared up before we move on.
Mitsuru6: Back in the old timeline and all those other issues will be brought up.
Enigmus0288: Because Lucifer knows if he tries to target Vol again, he'll also have his daughter ready to fight him. Lucifer basically decided to go lick his wounds and heal up since his plan failed. He knows if he goes after them, Vol and Charlie will end up fighting back and the only reason Vol didn't stab him with a spear was because Charlie didn't want to rule just yet and because of the small attachment she had. If it weren't for that, he'd be dead. Vol and Charlie are the only ones who can realistically damage him as the others will get their asses kicked effortlessly. And yeah, it was on the official caste system. Lilith and Charlie were on the same level(but let's be real, Lilith is probably stronger than Charlie_while Lucifer sat at the top of the podium.