Finally back from spending time with family. Now I can finally work on my computer again.
Things finally cooled down after that. Vincent and Vol made progress with each other. They weren't exactly the best of buds but it was the best you could ask for given their experiences with each other….
Still, it wasn't all paradise for everyone…
Velvet(the one from this timeline) had since returned to the mansion at a late hour. She had stayed at the arcade for a while, sobbing until she could no longer cry, only deciding to leave when it got dark(and surprise surprise, it was fucking raining acid, just what she wanted…)
As you could imagine, Velvet was soaking wet by the time she got back, much to her dismay. Not only was she drenched, but she was certain her makeup was running even more than it had been thanks to her tears earlier.
'Dammit, I probably look like a fucking wreck. Just what I needed, I'm already a wreck on the inside and now I look like shit on the outside as well. Fucking perfect…' She groaned before looking around.'Looks like everyone's asleep...Good. Means I can do what I want without anyone noticing…'
Speaking of which, Velvet felt a bit parched. Truthfully, the arcade didn't really have any good food or drinks for that matter. All the food they had was stale at best and inedible at worst and Velvet didn't feel like making her stomach flop while she was already in a horrible state of mind.
And since nobody was around, Velvet didn't see why she couldn't indulge herself. This was basically her home from now on and while she wasn't exactly welcomed by the other residents, nobody was allowed to kick her out without reason. So with that in mind…
"Better go see what I can have to drink. Lucifer won't mind if I have a few drinks, right?" She shrugged before heading to the cabinets, searching for the alcohol. Needless to say, Velvet managed to track the bottles down and smirked at the wide array of drinks on display," Looks like I hit the jackpot. Lucifer's got all sorts of expensive wine down here. Better not let them go to waste…."
Velvet took all the bottles she could carry and quickly began downing the drinks within a matter of seconds at the counter. It went from one drink...to two drinks...to five drinks...to twelve drinks...and so on and so forth.
And with every empty glass, she lazily propped them up on the table. Truthfully, Velvet don't have much of a resistance for alcohol and got tipsy almost immediately, but she couldn't help but keep downing them, as being drunk did suppress the pain to an extent and made her feel like her old self…
By now, Velvet was more or less a hiccuping mess of a person, lying her head against the counter with countless empty bottles at her side. Her mind was spinning and it felt like she was in a whole new world…
She felt the urge to reach for another bottle, only for her fingers to to slip just when she got ahold of the glass, dropping the bottle onto the floor. She pouted,"Aw man! And that was my favorite drink! What a waste! Hic!"
She was about to reach for another one, but was cut off by the sound of another voice,"Don't you think you've had enough to drink, dear?"
"Huh?" She turned around and saw Alastor giving her a bemused expression. Velvet stared at him before giggling,"Oh hey, Alastor!" She said in a slightly slurred tone,"What's up man? You want a drink or something?"
"Not interested."
"Then why are you here?"
"Because I heard something break from my room and I wanted to check it out. I didn't expect to see you...drinking at this time of night. It seems a bit excessive for someone your age…"
Velvet scoffed,"Just cuz I died when I was eighteen doesn't mean I'm a kid. Like come on, it's not like the laws matter down here. I've been drinking since I was teen and it didn't kill me. But the bleach did!"
Alastor made a face,"Still, don't you think you should be in bed? It's rather late and you shouldn't be drinking like this…"
"Aw come on, I only drank a few bottles!"
"A few?" Alastor inquired,"I don't know what your definition of 'a few' is , but you've drank well over twenty bottles. With the rate you're going at, you'll give Husker a run for his money in how much a person can drink without falling over…"
"You say hat like it's a bad thing…"
"It is…"
"It's not like it matters, I'm already dead anyway! It's not like my liver will give out on me!"
"Still, it doesn't seem to be in character for you to drink like this…."
"How would you know? You've barely interacted with me before!"
"Well I have seen you plenty of times at the overlord meetings and you were never one to drink often. You were too distracted by the cellular device to really care for drinking and even when you did, you never drank this much…"
"A lot has changed since those days," She mentioned,"What's it to you anyway? Is there something you want out of me?"
"Not really. You don't do anything that I could possibly want anyhow…" Alastor admitted,"I'm just wondering why you're even drinking at this time of night…"
"Oh no reason, just happens to be the fact my friends are dead, my life is ruined and everyone hates me, nothing too major!" She hiccuped, choking back a sob.
"I see…" Alastor muttered, he had a feeling that was the reason. Still, he hadn't anticipated walking in on Velvet looking like an emotional wreck anytime soon and he wasn't certain what to do.``Do you...want to talk about it?"
"Why do you care again? Are you just that bored?"
"Well you did wake me up, you should at least explain yourself since you interrupted my nap…"
"Fine…" She sighed,"It's just that...I don't really have anyone. Val's dead...Vox is...well sort of dead. What was left of his soul went to Vincent, who was more or less a reincarnation of Vox if anything. Even then, he doesn't remember anything, even when I tried to remind him of all the things Vox and I used to do. None of it worked…"
"I take if you tried to get Vox back, did you?"
"Course I did. It didn't fucking work, but I tried. I really did and yet...he just didn't remember. I don't know what went wrong, but Micheal really fucked that one up if he managed to turn Vox into this husk of a person…"
"I can't really disagree with you there. Not even Micheal anticipated it going like this. Then again, this was never done before but the results were far more...severe than expected. Regardless, not even Micheal can fix this mess he made so perhaps you should try and move on from this."
"Easy for you to say,"She replied bitterly,"You're not the one who lost everything. You still have everything despite this whole fusion fiasco. You got the hotel, your friends, everyone is still on your side while I got nothing. Everyone I care about is either dead or what's left of them doesn't even know me at all."
"That...may be true but still, don't you think you should let go? You're never going to get your old life back, especially if you continue drinking like this.'
"Then what should I do then, wise guy?"
"I suggest making new friends? I mean, there are others who likely won't accept you, but I do believe that there are other demons willing to give you a shot. If you try befriending some demons, they'll try to be your friend. And if enough changes, maybe Vincent will be comfortable being your friend as well…"
"I doubt that…"
"Well you should at least give it a try. You've already lost everything, it wouldn't hurt to start over now, would it?"
Velvet shrugged,"I still don't get why you're doing this. Is there something you want out of me?"
"What could you possibly offer me that I would want again? You really don't have much as it is and I doubt there's anything that you could give me that I don't already have for that matter. If I truly needed anything from you do you think we'd even be having this conversation?"
"Fair point." Velvet knew Alastor long enough to know whenever he did want something, he was usually straight-forward with his demands. Besides, given her state of being, it was unlikely he'd even want anything she had on her anyway. She then eyed him questionably,"Still, I find it a bit strange you're being so nice to me. Is that you being a 'gentleman' or are you trying to subtly inch your way into my dress?"
The Radio Demon was speechless before asking,"Excuse me?"
"You heard me, Al," She teased,"Don't think you're slick, just cuz I'm drunk. don't mean I'm stupid. You don't have to act all sugary sweet for me, if you want a go at me, you're free to ask."
"Velvet, I'm not trying to have my way with you…."
"There's no need to lie. I've had my fair share of guys try and play the long-game so they can fuck me. I don't see the point, if you wanna have a one-night stand, all you gotta do is ask."
"Velvet, I'm serious. I'm trying to help you, not screw you."
"Ain't the first time I've heard that one before. Come on, Al, at least be original. Quit playing dumb. If you wanna have a go, at least say it.
"I'm not playing dumb, I'm trying to explain that I don't want to sexual relations with you. I don't understand where the misunderstanding took place, but I'm being genuine when I say I have no interest in such a thing."
Velvet stared at him skeptically,"Ya sure?"
"Positive...Why do you ask?"
"Cuz I've had plenty of guys try doing that. Act all sweet and then just try and fuck me. I really do prefer when people are straight up, if you wanna have a one night stand, just say it cuz I prefer those as they end the very next day. Relationships just ain't my thing honestly…"
"They aren't? I thought for someone like you, you'd be all over that type of thing."
"I prefer purely sexual relations over romantic ones. Romance is too much work while sex is pretty simple. You don't gotta love someone to fuck them and it means you can have fun with no strings attached. It's why in school I fucked every popular guy so that I could get into parties. I only pretended to date them until they got bored and dumped them once they exhausted their use."
Alastor narrowed his eyes,"I don't see the point in doing all that just to call it off. That sounds...like such a waste…"
"What? My relationships never lasted more than a few weeks, it was all fun and games. Every girl was doing it and it wasn't like the guys didn't do it either, everyone was dumping each other left and right. Even in Hell, that shit still happens, it's just more noticeable down here and it feels I never left high-school at times given how much I see people do it."
"So I take it you never cared for the people you dated with this in mind?"
"Nope. At best we were friends with benefits, but there weren't any real feelings there. Sure we called each other pet names, drank and fucked together but it was more or less just us using each other for our own gain. Almost all my relationships ended when I got bored and dumped them…"
"Almost?"
"Well my last boyfriend called it off and I got pissed about it."
"Why? Did you care about him?"
"Pfft. Course not. I just got pissed he ended it first and wanted to show off. It's how I killed myself with bleach in the first place. I wanted to do a challenge to show everyone how much of a cool bitch I was. It worked...albeit with my dying and all, but hey, guess that's just how life is."
Alastor had to admit, he expected Velvet to be a bit upset, but she seemed fairly calm about the whole ordeal."You seem fairly accepting of the fate you earned. Do you even care?"
"Not anymore. I mean, I've been dead for a while and it's not like I can go back and change it so why bother regretting it? Ain't like my life is gonna improve down here…"
"Well there is the possibility of leaving now," Alastor mentioned,"As surprising as it is, Vox did technically do what Charlie always wanted, getting a demon 'redeemed' as she called it. Perhaps if Micheal is willing to open the gates for everyone else, that means other denizens can leave."
"I doubt many will take it if they know the purification process leaves you without your memories," Velvet retorted, downing another drink,"I know my life sucks, but I ain't losing my memories just because some asshole can't use his magic right. What about you?"
"Personally I wouldn't do it either but perhaps if the cost wasn't so great I could see others taking their chance with it. It's not for me personally, but I could see others taking it."
"Are you satisfied with your afterlife, Al?"
"Well, sort of. I've got almost everything I could need. Power, fame, money, it's just that...well things have gotten a bit lonely now. Especially now that Vox is gone. I never really liked him all that much, but I guess our rivalry did actually keep me entertained. Now that he's gone, things have gotten rather boring. Never thought I'd say it, but I actually miss that bastard because the only thing left of him is...you know...him. And we both know how Vincent is."
"Yeah...It's not the same anymore. No matter how similar Vincent is, I can't force him to fit the mold I want him to be, I can't force him to be Vox and I ended up driving him away when I did that."
"Can't say I'm too surprised. But I do believe I heard him and Vol getting along, perhaps that means he's giving everyone a chance. Maybe he'll give you one as well…"
"I dunno, he didn't even wanna look at me the last time he saw me…"
"Well if I know anything about life, it's that things change. Often we don't want them to, but it happens regardless of our wants and desires. Face it, the Vox we know is not coming back, the least you can do for yourself is start from scratch. If Vox could see you now...he wouldn't be happy…"
"I know…But I don't know where to start. I can't just make friends like I used to…"
"I'm not too certain, but given enough time, maybe you'll..turn around so to speak. But first,you should probably stop drinking. It's excessive and you'll have quite the hangover once you come around…"
"Aw come on, one little bottle never hurt anyone," She giggled before standing up,"See? Preffectly fin-Woah!" Velvet stumbled, losing her balance as she fell, nearly crashing to the floor.
Alastor caught her at the last second, staring at her with an amused grin,"You were saying, darling?"
"Shut up, I totally nailed it."
He scoffed,"Sure you did, Velvet. Sure you did…"
"Can you put me down now? I ain't a princess! I can walk!"
"Considering you nearly fell on your face moments ago, me putting you down wouldn't be wise…Perhaps it's time you go back to your room and call it night…"
"Do I have to go back to my room?"
"Well,where else are you going to go to sleep again if not for your room?"
"Can I sleep in yours?"
He paused before cocking his head out the side,"Pardon?"
"I mean, like I can sleep in your bed? Do you mind?"
"What for? Don't you have your own bed?"
"Yeah but...I just feel...uncomfortable being alone…Back at the Studio, it was just me and I don't really feel connected to anyone so someone being nearby would be nice..That is, if you're fine with it."
Alastor looked tempted to say no, but he was certain leaving Velvet alone was a bad idea, especially since she'd probably go back to drinking the moment he left her room. Last thing he needed was Velvet to drink herself to death while nobody was watching her…
"Fine," He grit his teeth,"You can sleep in my bed…"
"Yay!"
Reluctantly, he brought Velvet inside the room that Alastor claimed in the mansion. It wasn't exactly Alastor's style given the colors were on the bright side, but comfortable enough for him to ignore it.
Alastor tucked Velvet into bed, the shorter overlord looking at him,"Aren't you gonna go to bed?"
"Of course I am."
"Then why aren't you in the bed?"
"Well for one, you're in the bed. Second of all, I prefer sleeping upwards…"
"Oh ok...night…" Velvet turned over and prepared to sleep, only for her to hear radio sounds. Even in her drunk state, it was VERY hard to ignore and she turned around,"Al, what are you doing!? Al?"
When she looked up at him she paused momentarily. Alastor had Radio Dials ringing with the creepiest smile imaginable on his face. It was a good thing Velvet didn't scare easily, else she would've jumped out of her skin just from seeing him like that.
'Oh my god, what the fuck is he doing? Why's he just staring at me like that? Is he awake!?' She decided to test it by shaking him.
Alastor suddenly snapped out of it, his eyes returning to normal as he said,"Mind explaining why you're putting your hands on me, Velvet?"
"You were making noises and I couldn't sleep. Also, do you realize how weird it is standing over someone and watching them sleep?"
"I wasn't watching you, I was sleeping," Alastor retorted,"This is how I sleep when I'm standing up…"
"Well can you cut it out? I can't sleep while static is in the air. It's getting on my nerves."
"What do you want me to do about it again?"
"Sleep normally, duh! Look, just hop on in and sleep like a normal person."
"Are you suggesting we share the same bed!?"
"Oh my god, Al, it's just a bed. We're not even doing anything. Just chill out and sleep…"
He didn't seem all too keen on entering the bed, having cold feet. She then said,"Come on, Al. It's just for the night. We'll pretend this never happened. It ain't like we're having sex or anything. Just sleep on one side and I'll sleep on the other. Sound fair?"
"Grr….fair…"
Alastor got on the other side and fell asleep. Velvet rolled her eyes,'Ugh, he's so fucking stubborn. Can't even handle being in the same bed without us being on different sides. Can't say I ever thought this day would happen.
Velvet's eyes widened when she noticed Alastor's arms wrap around her. He was muttering something in his sleep and clearly
She was tempted to try and free herself, but Alastor was stronger than her and she knew waking him up was not a good idea. He was already cranky about sharing the bed, if he was woken up and saw her this close to him he'd probably freak out.
'Welp, guess I'm stuck here..Just what I needed…' She sighed, knowing Alastor was going to be pissed in the morning. Best to just accept it until the morning came around when Al would no doubt separate once he was conscious.
Still, she couldn't help but feel this was familiar. It reminded her of a time when she was alive, back in High-School when she was just a preppy student and not an overlord. She had loads of 'boyfriends' at the time, but she remembered her last boyfriend in particular, mainly because him cutting off the relationship was the reason she did the challenge to make herself feel better about getting dumped first.
She remembered him falling asleep on her whenever they had sex, always clinging to her on the bed. The last time they had sex, she recalled him calling her 'Vanny' as a pet-name. For a moment she felt special...until he broke up with her.
If there was one good thing about that relationship, that name was it. She never really liked being called Vanessa, it was plain to her, but Vanny made her feel special, made her feel alive…
'Better hope things turn around here...I don't wanna be Velvet and I don't wanna be Vanessa either. I just wanna be Vanny...just Vanny..'
Thanks for 10, 353 views! Tell me what you think below! And before anyone asks, Velvet's name in this fic is still Vanessa, but Vanny is a nickname and I want to differentiate the two so y'all don't get confused.
Chronosign: Do you really think Husk would agree to have parts of his body removed just because another version of him lacks proper limbs? Even if they regenerate, Husk doesn't like going through pain and having lost limbs that take months to heal(Arackniss's arm still hasn't healed at this point and it's been a while since Vel chopped his arm off. Other Husk lost a lot of limbs and even had some of his internal organs replaced, no way would he give that up.
Enigmus:266: It's cool dude. Just trying to explain so that things are cleared up.
Mitsuru6: Thanks. I imagine everyone reading is preferring where the characters aren't nomming each other's necks off and actually finding some damn peace for once.