AN: Hey guys. This chapter was pretty intense in places. I really hope I did the romantic interactions between Charlie and Vaggie okay. I'm not the best at writing romance. Anyway, I hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading :)
Disclaimer: Vivienne Medrano is the one who owns Hazbin Hotel, not me.
Vox waited, listening closely as their apparent savior grew closer. He was too focused on getting out of this hellhole to pay any mind to who the voice belonged to. In fact, it wasn't until a pink face was peering down at him through the opening he'd made that it even crossed his mind.
"Oh shit, Angel Dust?" He asked at the same time the other growled out "What the fuck ya doing here Vox?"
He couldn't say he was surprised by the other sinner's tone. He knew how much the porn star despised Valentino and, by extension, the other Vees. It wasn't as if Vox enjoyed watching his colleague prance around, harassing everyone in sight, but he'd also never spoken up. To keep his reputation as a cold-hearted businessman intact, he'd turned his back on those less fortunate than himself. Now, with a pair of mismatched eyes glaring down at him in contempt, he feared that choice was coming back to bite him in the ass.
"Hey, shithead, I asked you a question," Angel spoke once more, drawing the blue overlord's attention back to the matter at hand. "Are ya gonna answer or should I just leave ya here for the rats?"
The TV Demon huffed in exasperation but bit his tongue. He couldn't afford to let the other walk away. They'd lost too much time as it is and he was loath to waste more on pointless arguing.
"I already told you," he ground out, doing his best not to let the frustration he felt leak into his voice. "My friend is injured. There's no time for stupid questions. This wound is serious and if he doesn't get help soon, he could fucking die."
"Yeah, well, if'n that so-called friend of yours down there is Val, then I say good riddance." The other stated, voice colder than the Arctic. "Let the fucker die for all I care."
"It's not Valentino! Why the hell would he even be here?" Vox exclaimed angrily, losing what little grip he'd had on his temper.
"You're here, ain't ya? Why wouldn't another of the Vees be as well?" The spider hissed, eyes nearly glowing with hate.
"Oh, for fucks sake. It's not him, okay," the overlord cried, risking a glance back at his fallen friend. "It's Alastor, you know, the Radio Demon! That Alastor? The one you guys left alone to fight the leader of the Angel army!"
"What the hell are ya talking about?" The other voiced, disbelief clear on his face. "There's no way..."
"I was using one of my drones to watch the battle with Adam." Vox cut him off in a rush, worry coursing through him as he noticed Al's breathing was more labored than it had been previously. Turning back to face the other sinner, he continued. "When I saw him get hurt, I jumped through to help. We were in the hotel when it collapsed."
There was a heavy pause as the two stared at each other, indescribable emotions flashing in their eyes. Then the pink sinner broke out into incredulous laughter.
"Uh huh, sure. As if I'm gonna believe all that crap. There's no way that Smiles is actually down there with ya." Angel said at last, getting himself under control enough to resume glaring at the TV Demon. "You two have the largest rivalry this side of Hell. You'll have to come up with something better than that if ya want my help, cause right now, I'm feeling inclined to leave your pathetic ass in that hole. I got better shit to do than listen to your delusions."
"Gah, fine!" Vox yelled, fear and frustration causing him to buffer for a second at the thought of losing this opportunity. "If you don't believe me, then have a look for yourself! I promise I'm not fucking lying. We don't have time to be at each other's throats!"
He moved to the side, allowing the light from Angel Dust's phone to reach further in and illuminate his fallen friend. A sharp gasp of air caused a momentary smirk to appear on his face. He was so close to saying "I told you so," but managed to hold it in. That wouldn't help their situation and he refused to do anything that could compromise Alastor's chances of making it out of this alive. So, swallowing his retort, he waited for the other to speak.
"What the fuck? He wasn't lying." He heard the spider demon mutter quietly before raising his voice to call out. "Al? Buddy? Hey, can ya hear me?"
"He's unconscious, dipshit." Vox retorted, his last thread of patience nearly worn through.
"What the hell happened? Why's he like that?" The other snarled, voice laced with poison. "Did you do something to him? Cause if ya did, I swear to Lucifer that I'll make your life a livin' hell."
"Oh for fuck's sake... I didn't hurthim, he's my friend. Now, why don't you go and get some help so we can get Al out of here before he fucking dies!" Vox screamed, scream glitching in annoyance.
A moment passed with the two simply glaring at each other before Angel nodded.
"Fine, but you're telling us everything once he's safe, ya got that?" The spider snarled, still uncertain about this whole situation. "And ya better not leave anything out."
Upon receiving a nod from the disgruntled overlord, Angel turned his attention back to the prone form of his friend.
"Hold on, Smiles, we'll get ya outta there." He said, voice softer than it had been the entire conversation.
With that, he stood up, turned off his flashlight, and walked a short distance away. Putting his phone to his ear, he punched in Charlie's number and waited for the princess to pick up.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Charlie sighed in defeat. They'd been at this for hours and it was slowly growing darker. She knew they were all exhausted as well. The fight against Adam and his exorcists had left them all emotionally and physically drained. To top it all off, they had also spent some time clearing rubble before she'd realized they were missing one of their comrades. To say they needed a break would be an understatement. Even so, the thought of giving up weighed heavily on her mind. If they stopped searching and later found Alastor dead, she would never forgive herself. No matter how many years passed by, she knew it would continue to haunt her.
"Hang in there, Hun," Vaggie said, gently placing a hand on the demonic princess's shoulder. "We'll find him. Don't lose hope just yet."
"You're right, Vaggie, it's just... I'm so worried." She replied, voice strained as she worked to hold the tears at bay. "It's Al, I know how strong he is, but I can't help being concerned. I've had this sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach since the moment I noticed he was gone and it keeps getting worse. I just... I need to know he's safe."
"Charlie, look at me." Her girlfriend replied, her eye soft and full of reassurance when she did so. "Everything will be alright. We'll find Alastor and make sure he's okay. Then, once you're feeling better, we'll build a new hotel, a better one, and whatever comes our way, we'll handle it together. We're a team, right?"
"Yeah, you're right," She agreed, stooping down to grip the shorter demon in a fierce embrace. "What did I ever do to deserve you?"
"Well, let's see," the former angel smiled lovingly as she pretended to think about it. "Besides being the most beautiful, kindhearted person in all of Hell, you saved me when I was at my lowest. You're like a light in the dark, shining bright and guiding everyone to safety. I can't think of anyone who deserves to have their dreams come true more than you and I will do everything in my power to help you accomplish them."
Charlie's face felt like it was on fire as she listened to the words that were spoken with such love. In that moment, all her worries were wiped away and she was left feeling utterly content. Leaning down, she caught the other woman's lips in a passionate kiss that only ended when her phone began ringing in her pocket, startling the two lovers. The Princess of Hell fumbled about for a moment before finally managing to get a hold of the contraption, pulling it out and answering in a breathless rush.
"Hello?" She asked, having not bothered to check who was calling in her panic.
"Hey, Charlie, I found Al." Angel's voice said in a tone that made the hair on the back of her neck rise in trepidation.
Gone were the warm feelings of earlier, replaced instead with cold dread. She swiftly put the phone on speaker, allowing Vaggie to hear as well as she waited apprehensively for the spider demon to explain further.
"He's not in good shape." Those words caused a flood of fear to cloud her mind and she held the phone in a death grip. "I'll explain more when ya get here but, for now, I need ya to gather everyone and meet me over by where the front entrance used to be. We'll need everyone's help in order to dig 'em out."
That caused both women to recoil in shock, faces horrified at the implications. Vaggie swiftly pulled the phone from Charlie's shaking hand, taking charge as she knew the other was unable to speak at the moment.
"What do you mean dig them out? And did you just imply that Alastor's not alone? Who the fuck is with him?" She asked, voice firm as she tried to maintain a level head and get an understanding of the situation. "Angel? What the hell's going on?"
"I said I'd tell ya once ya get here, but yeah. Vox is here too." The male sinner revealed, sounding a little on edge.
"Why is Vox there? Did he attack Alastor?" The white-haired demon questioned, her girlfriend covering her mouth as a sharp inhale nearly caused her to choke.
"I don't know, he says they're friends, said he came to help." The spider demon replied, though Vaggie could tell he found it about as hard to accept as she did. "It's all pretty suspicious to me but I gotta believe it when he says he didn't hurt Smiles. Something about the look on his face... he just seems so frazzled. I've never seen him like this."
There was a pause that felt as if it stretched on for eternity though had probably only been a minute at most. Even so, it was long enough for the girls' worry to grow even deeper. Something was wrong and they silently braced for what they were about to hear.
When Angel spoke again, his voice cracked as if he were trying to put on a brave front and failing. "They're buried together under a shit-ton of rubble. It's gonna take time and effort to get them out and I don't know how long Al has. It... it doesn't look good, Toots."
Alastor had to be in extremely rough shape for Angel to say such a thing. Charlie knew then, without a shred of doubt, that things were far more serious than she'd ever imagined. They had to get over there as quickly as possible! Their friend's life depended on it! As if they could read each other's minds, the two women raced off, perfectly in sync as they headed in the direction they knew the hotel's entrance had once stood. Feeling that they weren't moving quickly enough, Vaggie brought out her wings and picked Charlie up bridal style, flying as swiftly as she could toward Angel's location. Meanwhile, Charlie was once again on her phone, not bothering to pay attention to where they were going as she sent a mass text to the others. Replies came in mere moments, saying they'd meet them there and she breathed a sigh of relief as she felt her girlfriend pick up speed. Taking a moment to soothe her frayed nerves, the Princess of Hell readied herself for what they were about to encounter.
-XXX-XXX-XXX-
Angel paced back and forth, waiting for his friends to show up. He was antsy, unable to stay still while knowing that Al's life currently hung in the balance. He'd begrudgingly spoken to Vox after hanging up with Charlie, wanting to get a better understanding of what they were facing. It wasn't good, not that he'd expected it to be after learning the overlord was unconscious, but he'd still had hope it would be a simple fix. That hope was ruthlessly crushed the more he'd listened to what the other sinner had to say. From what he'd been told, the Radio Demon had finally met his match in the fight against Adam, coming away with an injury that covered the majority of his chest and had taken hours to stop bleeding. And, to make matters even worse, he had a fuckin' fever and broken rib as well.
When he'd first found them and spied Vox's face through that little hole in the ground, any thought of helping had flown out the window. He'd truly thought the Vees had infiltrated the hotel during the attack, for whatever reason, and was ready to leave them to their fates. Thank Lucifer he'd taken the time to hear Vox out. If he had left and Alastor died because of it, Angel would have never stopped blaming himself. He felt bad enough as it is. After all, he'd wasted precious time fighting with the TV overlord when he could have been helping right from the start. Still, there was one question that kept circling his mind and he knew it wouldn't stop until he got an answer. So, he figured he might as well ask while they waited for the others to arrive.
"Hey," he called, drawing the overlord's attention.
"What do you want now? I'm kind of busy here." The other demon replied, sounding further away than he previously had.
Taking another peek through the hole, Angel could just make out the bastard crouching down at Al's side, though without the light from his phone he couldn't see what he was doing.
"Why the fuck didn't ya call someone sooner?" He proclaimed, a bit of anger returning to his voice as he glared at the other demon with scorn-filled eyes. "You're all about technology so I damn well know you've got your phone on you. What? Did ya think if ya fucking waited long enough Alastor would kick the bucket and you could claim to have finally done him in? Was that the plan?"
"For the last time," Vox growled, voice distorting in barely hidden rage as he carefully moved back towards the hole. "Alastor is my friend. I would never do anything to harm him."
The spider demon snickered, disbelief evident on his face as he met the blue sinner's furious gaze.
"Yeah, sure ya wouldn't." He said, closely watching the other's reaction. "Then tell me, why didn't you call someone?"
"Who the hell was I supposed to call?" Vox answered, his eyes wild as they stared each other down. "I don't know any of your numbers and I sure as fuck couldn't call the other Vees! Yes, I could usually find any number with ease but, to remind you, I happen to have taken a blow to the head and it's messing with my ability to access the internet. If I could have done something to get Al out of here sooner, I would have. We've been friends for the majority of the time I've been in Hell and I... I... fuck! I don't want to lose him, you asshole! Are you happy now?"
The porn star was shocked as he watched tears build in the other demon's eyes. He'd never imagined he'd ever see Vox in such a state. It was unsettling and didn't sit right with him. Maybe he and Alastor truly were friends. No, they had to be. Angel was an actor, he knew when other people were putting up a front. This... this right here was real as hell and he suddenly felt like the biggest ass in all of history for pushing the already stressed overlord to the breaking point. Before he could apologize, however, he heard the telltale flap of wings and turned, glancing up in time to see Charlie and Vaggie descending from the sky.
"It's about time!" He called, rushing over to meet them while making a mental note to apologize later once he could get the TV Demon alone.
He should probably apologize to Smiles while he was at it... if he survived, that is. He may not have been awake for this argument but it didn't change the fact that he'd doubted their relationship and caused unnecessary harm to one of his friends. The thought of the two being close was still hard to believe after witnessing the way they usually acted around one another, but he wasn't one to judge. It's not like he'd never hidden anything before. If they wanted to keep it a secret that was their business. He'd already caused enough damage with this misunderstanding.
"Angel!" He was snapped out of his thoughts at Charlie's concerned call, catching the other demon by the shoulders as she nearly crashed into him in her haste. "Where's Alastor? How badly is he hurt?"
"Hey, hey, calm down." He replied, carefully patting her on the back as he wrapped her in a hug they both seemed to need. "You panicking won't help anyone."
The male sinner watched the princess take a few calming breaths, noticing how their other friends slowly trickled in from wherever they'd been searching to gather around the two in a loose circle, their faces filled with resolve. Once she had calmed down enough, Charlie took a few steps away from him before meeting his eyes with a determined stare.
"Okay, tell me everything."