The days after the funeral were rather...tense. Even though most of the hazbins didn't have that well of a connection with Vox prior to his demise, they seemed rather affected by his death due to the actions he made while he was alive.
Even Alastor of all people was negatively impacted by this. It just didn't feel the same now that Vox was dead. Their rivalry was one of the few exciting things for him and now that Vox was gone, there was really nothing Alastor could do.
No one to make witty banter with, no one to mock, no one for him to fight, at least not in a way that would feel the same. Even if someone similar rose up in Vox's place, it wouldn't feel right…
And then came the question looming over their minds...what now?
Truthfully, Charlie wasn't certain what to do from there. Her hotel was burned to the ground and while she could stay with her parents, she still wanted her passion project back up and running again. She didn't want to give up on redemption just yet, not while they have come so far.
The fact Valentino's men had burned the entire place to a fiery crisp had torn her heart apart more than it already was. It would take months and to get to the hotel to look anything like it used to be would be a rather expensive project for something that might not even be restored by the time Extermination rolled around.
People were weary of her as it was and she had to bribe the other person to arrange Vox's funeral. Charlie's low credibility often caused most demons to stay away from her and while she could usually bribe her way through these issues, she really disliked having to resort to it. All the stress was causing her to feel overwhelmed and while Vaggie did her best to help, she figured being left alone was the best choice for her at the moment.
Suddenly, she noticed something on her phone. Something she hadn't noticed up until now. It was a text message from an unknown number that had been sent not too long ago. She wondered who it was, as the number didn't belong to anyone she recognized.
"I wonder who this is from…"
Curiously, she decided to get a closer look at what it was. It was a video of Vox, causing her to gasp in surprise.
"Huh? How is he-" She then looked at the date. It seemed like it had been delivered just before Vox had died, now realizing that it was a pre-recorded message.
"Oh...it's pre-recorded. I almost thought for a second that he...never mind…" She deflated momentarily before sighing,"Should've known not to get my hopes up. Whatever this video is, it has to be important."
She then hit the play-button to see what would happen. There was a small fade-out transition before it turned to Vox holding out the camera in his hands.
He had a rather calm yet somewhat sombre expression on his face as he said,"Hey, Princess, it's me. If you're watching this video...I assume I didn't get out of this situation alive, did I?"
Charlie made a face, tensing up at his question.
"Well, don't bother answering," He chuckled weakly,"This video was only supposed to be sent out to you in the event of my death, meaning that it's fairly obvious what became of me if you're hearing this. I just want to start out by saying, it's not your fault. If I died, that's one me. I probably did something stupid and got myself killed. Whatever happened to me, just know that I had a feeling I would die. It's why I even made this video at all. In the event of my death, I just wanted you to know something...Something very important."
Charlie stared at her phone, listening to his every word….
"If anything becomes destroyed in the fight, I want to apologize for that. Val likely showed no mercy in his upcoming attack and if your hotel is destroyed, just know that I hired some contractors to head over and rebuild it had it signed in your name. I don't know how long it will take, but I assume that the end-result will be worth it."
Charlie blinked in shock, she had been playing on having it rebuilt with her own money but it seemed Vox had made a call ahead of time. She wondered what else Vox had done with the time he had, as it seemed like this video had taken place during that fateful night on the balcony.
"I know it probably won't make up for the damage, but I figured that this was the least that I could do for you. I know that this Hotel represents more than just a passion project for you. This place was probably something from your childhood. I may not be able to recreate it the way you remember , but I can at least try to have it built in an image that would live up to what it used to be. I may not believe in your little cause, but considering Val is probably gonna tear the place to shreds if he hasn't already, I don't want to inconvenience you by having you pay for the hotel to be rebuilt. It probably isn't much considering how rich you are, but it's the least I could do for you. I hope your little passion project works out in the end. You probably don't hear it a lot but what you're doing is rather brave. I know if I were in your shoes I wouldn't last a day with that attitude of yours. You got mocked on live Television after you sang that little song and yet you still pursued your idea despite how terribly received it was. I know controversy is supposed to be eye-catching down here but your song was so badly received that it was considered a laughing-stock right off the bat. If my product was that badly hailed I'd probably be second-guessing myself to double-death. It's why I'm having some of my associates help you advertise once you get your hotel back up on the ground."
He rubbed the back of his neck,"Look, I know it sounds like I'm rambling, and honestly, I probably am, but I still want to get everything out to you before this message ends."
He then tilted the camera so that the view Pentagram City offered was visible,"Normally not one for views, but I can't lie that for a hellscape buckling under deviancy and crime, it looks pretty cool at night. I don't understand how you think any fucker down here is redeemable in any sense of the word. This world is filled with...the worst of the worst. There are few demons in Hell who I'd think Heaven would even consider letting inside their walls. The only person they'd even consider is your girlfriend since outside of being a moody bitch, she doesn't seem overly malevolent like everyone else. Can't say the same about a lot of demons, myself included. But regardless of how unlikely it is, I at least appreciate the effort of trying to better this godforsaken pit of degeneracy, even if it looks fucking impossible. I just hope that if it does work out in the end, because I have the feeling that your idea has more supporters than you think, it's just that everyone's too jaded and fearful of what would happen to them if they openly supported your cause. If you can prove them wrong, people will come out of hiding and just maybe, you can get it to work in your favor after all. And if you're still listening to this message, Charlie, I just want to say I'm sorry for wasting your time. I'm sorry for getting you involved in this mess and I hope offering my assistance to you after my death will at least repay that debt. Not only that, but I probably wasted Lucifer and Lilith's time as well for dying and all. But can you do something for me, Charlie? One favor?" He was looking directly at the camera, almost appearing desperate this time around.
Charlie stared at her phone intently. Despite being a pre-recorded message, it sounded like Vox was talking directly to her. It may have been due to how emotive his expressions were or how the angle was, but it almost sounded like Vox was currently on air and speaking. She nodded instinctively, wanting to hear him out.
"I need you to hear me out about this. That's the whole reason I even bothered recording this message. It's because… I want you apologize to Vol for me," Vox said, averting his gaze,"Honestly, I was hoping I didn't have to resort to telling you to apologize to him on my behalf, but as time draws closer, I'm starting to realize what danger I'm in and at the real possibly I might not come back from this. And given you're watching this...it's likely I already perished. I know it may sound like I'm asking a lot here, but Charlie? I'd really appreciate it if you did tell Vol that I'm sorry. Sorry for not being there for him and making shit worse. I was a massive asshole to him and it's the entire reason I even wanted to hop timelines in the first place. If I don't get the chance to see him myself, I at least want someone else to act in my place and do what I failed to do. What happens afterwards is up to Vol. I doubt he'll ever forgive me honestly, I burned that bridge a while ago and I doubt he wants anything to do with me at this point. Best I can hope for is that he moves on with his life, and hopefully, he finds peace now that I'm not here. He always hated me so maybe my death will bring him some type of closure. But don't let my words get in the way of anything, Vol is still an amazing person despite everything. He's a better man than I can ever hope to be and if my death brings him peace, then so be it."
Vox then smiled at the camera.
"And Vol, if you ever find yourself watching this recording somehow…I just wanna say that I wish I could've been there for you when you needed me. Not only did I fail you, but I failed the promise I made to my other self and ran for it like a coward. I know you probably hate my guts, which is totally understandable by the way, I just want to say that I fucked up real hard back there. Like very hard and it's a shame I`ll never be able to make it up to you personally. It doesn't really take away from what I did, but I feel this is the least I can do for you. You're the closest thing I have to a biological child and I failed you every step of the way. So please, if you haven't clicked off the video, don't forget about me, kay? Because even if you hate me...just remember that I still love you…"
He then ended the video, Charlie looked down as she wiped something wet from her eyes.'First time I've ever cried from looking at a video message…' She then sighed,"You've done a lot for me, Vox..The least I can do for you is honor your last wish…"
Charlie then gathered herself, taking a stand and deciding to search for Volastor. When she found him, she noticed he was leaning against the wall. She walked up to him and asked,"Hey...Volastor?"
There was a pause before he turned towards her,"Oh, hello Charlie. I didn't see you there."
"Did I scare you?"
"No. I do not scare easily. I just didn't anticipate your arrival. Do you want something?"
"Well actually yes.. I want to talk to you about…" She struggled for a moment.
"About what?"
"Vox…"
Vol's expression darkened,"What is there to speak of? Vox is dead, Charlie. What relevance does he have in this conversation? We already buried him, we shouldn't have to speak of him anymore…"
"Just because he's dead doesn't mean we can't talk about him, Vol."
"I still don't get why you want to talk about him with me. Vox and I had a very negative relationship and I don't want to think about someone who only made me feel resentment and hate. I may not be happy he's gone, but I sure as hell am not going to mourn for him."
"Vol, I get you and Vox...weren't friends. But Vol, Vox said that he was sorry for treating you so badly back in the other timeline."
Vol stared at her momentarily before laughing. And by laughing, I mean he was literally drawing his head back and clutching his stomach. It would have sounded genuine too if you ignored how ominous his voice sounded."AHAHAHAHHAHAHA!"
"Uh...Did I say something funny, Vol?"
Vol then regained his composure before darkly chuckling,"Why yes, Charlie. You actually did say something funny. That statement of your's was perhaps the most comical thing I've ever heard in my entire life. You really should invest in comedy, Charlie, because your jokes are that funny.."
"I'm not joking, Vol. Vox sent me a message saying that he wanted me to apologize on his behalf."
"Oh really?" Vol asked,"Then you clearly must be lying. Making up stories is rather rude, don't you think, Charlie? Just because you had a positive experience with Vox doesn't mean I have to and trying to shame me into accepting some forced apology is rather pathetic."
"I'm not making up stories," Charlie rebuked,"I'm many things, but I'm not a liar. I wouldn't lie about something like this. I understand your grievances with Vox, but he really did want me to apologize to you on his behalf."
Volastor was giving her a look,"Do you truly expect me to believe this gibberish? Even if by chance you were telling the truth, it doesn't change anything. One hollow apology doesn't fix anything, especially since Vox isn't here to truly own up for what he did."
"Vol…"
"And so what? Assuming you didn't make this up, I have no obligation to care. Vox saw me as nothing but an abomination while he was alive and one last minute apology changed nothing between us."
"Vol!"
"No offense, Charlie but it doesn't work that way. No amount of sunshine or rainbows can change my opinion of him and-OW!" Vol hissed. He then stared at Charlie in disbelief, grabbing his sore cheek, now feeling blood trickle down.
When he looked back at her, he saw her horns were visible and her eyes turned red with anger.
He scowled,"What in all nine circles was that for!?"
"To get you to listen to me," Charlie said flatly,"I hate having to use violence, but you were forcing my hand…"
Vol snarled,"Forcing your hand? Is that your excuse for hitting me? What is the matter with you?"
"There's nothing wrong with me, but I can't say the same for you, Vol."
"What are you even talking about? You just randomly assaulted me for no reason!" He growled, his antlers growing in response,"If you're asking for a fight, I'll gladly take you up on your offer free of charge…"
"I'm not here for a fight, Vol, but I will attack if I must," She then got up in his face before grabbing his collar, forcing him to look her in the eye,"Listen here, Vol. I don't know who the fuck you are. We hardly know each other. But I know one thing, I'm SICK of of your fucking attitude. You have been nothing but rude to everyone since you got here and I am tired of your shit!"
The fusion snarled,"You have no right to judge me, you know nothing about me! You don't know what the fuck I've been through! You think you can lecture me as if you know me? You said it yourself, you don't know who the fuck I am and if you don't let go me, I'll show be forced to retaliate like I did to the other version of your Father. Do you really want that?"
"No, but I want you to fucking listen to me for five seconds! I"m going to admit your right, I don't know jack about you as a person. But from what I've seen of you, I don't get why the hell Vox wanted to see you so badly. From what I can tell, you're just an immature asshole who's too caught up in his own feelings to care about the bigger picture!" She shouted,"Look around you, Vol! Did you see the others at his funeral? A good portion of us didn't even know him personally yet he still made an impact with us because he helped us one way or another. Vox freed Angel, destroyed Val's empire, freeing countless people! Vox did all of that of his own free will when he easily could've gone back to his life without any being wiser of what truly happened. But you wanna know why he didn't do that? Because of YOU!"
Vol stared at her in bewilderment,"W-What?"
"You heard me! Vox wanted to back and apologize himself, but when he saw the other V's were holding him back, he broke ties with them completely, starting this whole conflict despite the risks and died for it. He did all of this for you! Do you even care about that, Vol? Do you?"
The fusion didn't respond at first before taking his opportunity to headbutt her at full-force, forcing her to release him. He then sent her a glare when he got back up on his feet, distancing himself from her,"Do not lay your hands on me ever again, Charlie. You've got some nerve to touch me and it won't end well for you if you do that again..."
Charlie was about to yell at him, but was unable to when Vol teleported away. She growled,"Dammit! He fucking ran away! What a stubborn dick!" She then calmed herself down, reverting back into her base form,"Don't get too angry, Charlie. Deep breaths. Deep breaths…"
She then narrowed her eyes, she believed she had made an impact, but she had the feeling Vol was highly skeptical of her words. The only real way to get Vol to what Vox had done was to show him the video, something she cursed herself for not doing it while she had him in her grasp.
Only for her to remember she had no clue what Vol's number was...and she sure as hell wasn't asking after what transpired. He wouldn't give it to her anyway, not with the attitude he had.
She then rubbed her chin, wondering how she was gonna deliver her message without confronting Vol directly.
She figured maybe she could ask Alastor, but then remembered Alastor didn't have a phone and likewise, wouldn't have any knowledge of what Vol's number was. She was tempted to give up, at least until she remembered something.
Vol and Velvet were dating...Velvet had a cell-phone...One that she used on a daily basis…
'If anyone has his number, it's her…Better go ask for permission first...
Volastor snarled in frustration, storming off inside the 'guest' room that he had claimed as his own."UGH! The nerve of that bitch! How dare she lay her hands on me! She knows nothing about me and she dares to lecture me about my nature! And what does she know? Vox treated me with nothing but contempt while he was around me! No made-up sob-story is going to make me change my mind on him! She can berate me all she wants, I won't be guilt-tripped into accepting some narrative that she has no evidence for..."
Suddenly, Vol felt something buzzing in his pocket, causing him to roll his eyes in exasperation,"Oh what is this time?" He then pulled out his phone and swiped up, now realizing that Velvet had sent him a video of some kind."What the hell? What even is this?"
Against his better judgment, Vol clicked on the video, figuring that if Velvet was sending it that it was fairly important….
Needless to say, Vol was very confused when he saw that it was a video of Vox. He knew right away that it was pre-recorded, but his presence did make Vol feel on edge. He was tempted to click off the video and pretend he didn't see it, but his curiously got the better of him and after some internal debate, he said,"Fuck it, let's just see what this stupid video is. It's probably some forced apology that means nothing…"
When he hit the play button, Vol was floored by the message. At first, he was confused as to why it was delivered to him, as this message was clearly for Charlie. But as he continued to tune in, he was confused when Vox began voicing regret for getting things Charlie cared about damaged in the battle and how he made plans in case things got bad in his absence…
He wasn't certain how to feel about this, at least until the recording began talking about him. Vox was talking about how he wished for Charlie to talk to him and apologize on his behalf, causing his eyes to widen.'Shit...she was telling the truth after all…'
The sinking feeling in his stomach only got deeper as the message continued, Vox going on and on about how he was a better person than him and how he'd probably never forgive him, but claimed he was fine with that if it gave him peace…
But the part that caused Vol to snap was when he began directly addressing him in the message.
"And Vol, if you ever find yourself watching this recording somehow…I just wanna say that I wish I could've been there for you when you needed me. Not only did I fail you, but I failed the promise I made to my other self and ran for it like a coward. I know you probably hate my guts, which is totally understandable by the way, I just want to say that I fucked up real hard back there. Like very hard and it's a shame I`ll never be able to make it up to you personally. It doesn't really take away from what I did, but I feel this is the least I can do for you. You're the closest thing I have to a biological child and I failed you every step of the way. So please, if you haven't clicked off the video, don't forget about me, kay? Because even if you hate me...just remember that I still love you…"
The message may have ended by then, but certain phrases were causing Vol's mind to fall apart, as if the very fabric of reality had collapsed on him.
"I wish I could've been there for you when you needed me."
Crack.
"You're the closest thing I have to a biological child."
Crack. Crack.
"Because even if you hate me...just remember that I still love you…"
CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!
Vol's hands trembled, the grip on his phone shaking almost violently,'He did all of this for me? W-What? I...I don't understand...I thought I was just an abomination to him...I don't get it…Is this a joke? There's no way he could've actually cared right? This has to be staged…it can't be real, can it? Please...let this be a joke...because it's not funny...'
He tried to cling to denial as much as he could, but as the seconds ticked by, Vol couldn't ignore the truth anymore…
"Grrr!" He growled in frustration before throwing his phone at the wall. He had hoped it would make him feel better but it just made him feel worse…
Suddenly, he felt water roll down his cheek before looking at his hands, clenching them tightly,"No..no...Not again. I can't...No I won't cry...I'm stronger than this…" Vol's voice started shaking, the distortion growing as more tears fell from his eyes,"Argh! N-Not again.."
He then fell to his knees and began silently crying, choking back the sobs as all the repressed emotions spiraled out of control.
Vol then chuckled weakly, covering his eyes,"Dammit...Vox. This is all your fault..Your stupid message is making me feel so weak and now I'm just a pathetic mess on the floor. Why did you do this to me? Was it your intention to tear me up on the inside? Because if so, it really did work…"
And then he cried...and cried...and cried until he couldn't find the energy to do so, passing out on the floor with agonized tears going down his cheek.
Thanks for 9,023 views! Tell me what you think below!
Enigmus-288: Yeah, don't worry, I plan on getting to that part in the next chapter.
Mitsuru6: TBF, Vol and Vox's last interaction was fucking terrible and Vol is still bitter about being called an abomination and whatever else Vox said to him. He has no legit clue that Vox planned on apologizing and since he died before he could say anything. Vol and Vox had legit no positive interaction between them in the time they knew each other. Also this is what happens you combine two people's traits into one person and while Vol is physically and mentally a thirty year old guy, he still has his...childish moments.
Chronosign: Lol. I believe Husk doesn't like wearing clothes honestly. He's legit naked all the time and that shit would annoy his wings in all honesty. Lol, if Vol was in a better mood things would be easier in general.