Chapter Text
“Hey, Al!” Vox called Alastor that night. The Radio Demon was going over scripts for his next Radio Show.
He had answered Vox’s call while looking over his spread-out scripts across the table. Wondering which victim he should target next and what segment he should do.
Alastor hummed, “Vox! What do I owe the pleasure?”
“Um- well, there’s this amazing restaurant that has opened downtown,” he said. “I was wondering if you wanted to try it out tomorrow? They say they have a real mean cut of steak.”
“Ooh~! Steak you say?” Al pondered. “How could I refuse such an opportunity? But, Vox?”
“Hm? Yes?”
“Didn’t we eat out rather late tonight?” he wondered. “And we also had lunch. And we shared lunch and breakfast the day before. And a brunch the day before that. Not to mention all the nights we went out drinking. Aren’t you worried you won’t have any time to spare for your television programs if you spend most of your day with me?”
“Oh, Alastor,” he could hear Vox smiling on the other end of the line. “Every second of the day is worth spending with you rather than running those silly old tv channels.”
“Don’t try to butter me up, you ridiculous man,” Al snipped. “Is television not your passion? Isn’t it why you have a tv for a head?”
“Ha Ha very funny,” Vox amusingly sighed. “Well, I’ll have you know, Al, that I’d rather spend the hours of the day making sure my dearest companion is well fed and cared for.”
“Silly tv head.”
“And besides!” Vox said. “Playing hooky and leaving my responsibilities behind are what assistants are for! I just make Ethan do it. I’m telling you, Alastor, you should really get some assistants and they can take care of some of your lesser work.”
“No, my work must be perfect and can’t be handled by some weak-willed amateurs,” he disagreed. “Besides, there is no lesser work. It is all important and must be fulfilled by skillful hands. And those hands belong to myself.”
“Suit yourself,” Vox chuckled but then continued, “But Al, the restaurant?”
“Sure, Vox,” he smiled. “I would love to be treated by your wallet for another delicious meal again.”
“Heh, okay,” he snickered. “Then I’ll see you at… four, five?”
“Five should be just fine,” Alastor nodded. “Now, I have work to do. I have a few segments I have to look over. I know it’s all so very tedious for you, but I will be editing these now.”
“Course, course,” Vox hummed. “See you at five.”
“Goodnight, Vox.”
“Goodnight, Al.”
-
Vox was there at five. Dressed to the nines. In the most dapper gentleman’s coat he owned with a bouquet of blue flowers. He was ready for a delightful evening out with Alastor and make lovely memories with him again.
He waited and waited. Adjusting his bow and making sure his screen was absolutely spotless in the restaurant’s window. Yep, looking sharp! Mm, damn, he looked hot. Ha!
Vox hummed, a large smile on his face as he glowed. He waited for fifteen minutes, then half… an hour. Fidgeting. Playing with his cufflinks. Slightly pacing.
He glanced down the road, both ways, multiple times, but Alastor hadn’t arrived yet.
He huffed, but then stood straight again, waiting.
Somehow, an hour passed.
People were walking past him, raising their eyebrows in confusion. The staff came out a couple of times, asking if he was waiting for someone. He assured them he was.
An hour and a half passed. Vox checked his watch again for the fifteenth time. His foot was tapping on the ground and he glanced around. He wondered if he accidentally said the day after tomorrow over the phone or if he said the wrong time. He checked the recording of his memories on his tv screen and no… he said the correct time.
What was going on? Alastor had never been this late before.
Two hours had passed. Vox was getting stiff from waiting. His shoulders and feet were sore. His eyes were drooping. The staff came out for the fourth time, asking if he needed to make a phone call. He quietly shook his head, not looking at them, just waiting for Al.
There wasn’t much to do, except standing still. Right here, in front of the restaurant they agreed to meet at.
Three hours had gone by. Three hours! Three…. Ah… damn it.
Three hours had passed and Vox felt utterly dejected. The restaurant was close to closing, the customers inside were laughing and chiming in conversation. It was quite warm in there compared to the outside.
His arms fell to his side, the flower bouquet dropping its petals onto the puddles in the street. He had waited… three hours, and not a word, not a peep from Alastor. His eyes were stinging and his screen was becoming staticky. And thoughts began to swirl in his mind.
What… did he do wrong? Was he too pushy? Too demanding? Asking to see Alastor every day like a clingy lovesick fool? Was Al tired of it and deciding to finally blow him off? Was Vox stood-up? Was Alastor really not coming and was laughing at him from the comfort of his apartment? Was Vox being foolish? Was he an idiot? Was he overthinking it or was this… the end… of their friendship? Did Al not want to spend time with him anymore? Not want to see him? Did… Did he bore him?
Vox’s shoulders were shaking. His face was darkening. Al… he… really wasn’t coming…
He was debating on leaving. Throwing the flowers away in the nearest dumpster. Maybe he should burn them. Maybe… Maybe…
His shoulders trembled.
He sniffed, bringing the bouquet to his face, trying to hide his expression. Was he stupid? Was this all his fault? What did he do wrong?
He heard a noise to his left and saw a shadowy swirl manifest on the wall of a nearby building. It enlarged, and then a foot kicked out from it. A figure hastily emerged, revealing Alastor who seemed disheveled and frantic. His hair was unkept, squished on one side, and his coat wasn’t buttoned up. He quickly stepped onto the street with a stumble and looked about in a panic, searching. Al then turned to where Vox was standing and immediately paled.
He called out in shock, “YOU’RE STILL HERE?!”
Vox’s eyes went wide, blinking.
Alastor rushed over to him, desperately trying to adjust his coat, slightly tripping along the way, as he blubbered, “W-What are you still doing here?! Why are you still here?! Are you crazy?! It’s been t-three hours! No, uh- more than that… Vox, why would you stick around here for that long?!”
Vox stared and then he quietly mumbled, “W… Where were you?”
Al’s face immediately reddened and his shoulders jumped. He took a step back, like he wanted to flee but averted his eyes instead. He muttered, “I um… oh, this sounds so foolish.”
The tv demon’s eyes narrowed in confusion.
Foolish?
“I… I was working on those manuscripts for a very long time last night,” he nervously admitted. “And uh… might have gotten carried away with my work. I don’t know when I fell asleep, but I just woke up at my desk a few minutes ago.” His face was a deep scarlet red. “Apologies.”
Vox felt immediate relief wash over his soul.
Alastor… wasn’t tired of him! He wasn’t stood up. Oh, thank goodness!
Al then fretted, “B-But you should have left eons ago! How could you still be here?!”
“I was waiting for you,” Vox hummed, smile returning, expression softening.
“But you didn’t even know I was coming,” he argued. “You waited for so long… oh, how insane.”
“It’s alright…”
“It most certainly is not!” Al stomped his foot. “You should have left after the first fifteen minutes.”
“Is that what you would have done?”
Alastor sputtered, “I um… uh-”
It was amazing to make the Radio Demon at a loss for words.
“But you did come back,” he hummed, stepping closer to Al. “So waiting was worth it.”
“B-But… I was so late!”
“That’s okay,” he nodded. “I have all the time in the world to wait for you.”
Alastor’s face flushed even more, completely shy and embarrassed. It was devilishly cute.
“This is unseemly,” he stammered. “Foolish. Absolutely foolish.”
“Mm… I’m foolish,” Vox smiled. “So very foolish.”
Al didn’t know what else to say, so he hastily exclaimed, “T-The restaurant is going to close soon!”
“Ah,” Vox replied, remembering. He had gotten too distracted by Al’s embarrassment. It was awfully endearing.
“Oh dear,” Alastor stepped forward, seeing that the clock was running out. “Should we go in? Even this late? Maybe force them to make us dinner even if they are closing- no, that won’t do. I don’t want to make an enemy out of them if they actually are good.”
“It’s funny you are worrying about such things right now,” Vox chuckled.
“Well, excuse me,” he huffed. “My head is all over the place today.”
“It’s fine,” Vox grinned, gently poking the middle of the Radio Demon’s forehead. “It’s cute.”
Al stiffened, his face a complete crimson. He bleated, “You’re making fun of me.”
“Think of it as a sweet revenge for abandoning me for three hours,” Vox teased.
“I said it was an accident!”
“My heart was so broken, Al,” he playfully sighed. “I was so lonely!”
“Vox,” he grumbled.
“Filled with sorrow and regret,” he acted it up, throwing the bouquet over his ‘pained’ gaze. “Suffering an unquenchable longing!”
“You are being quite the rude showman right now,” Alastor spat.
“Are you mad?” he tilted his head towards Al, a conniving smirk dancing on his lips.
The Radio Demon miffed, “… No.”
“Then a little teasing can’t hurt, right?” he chimed.
“You Silly Box Head,” he murmured.
Vox snickered then looked inside, sighing, “We’ll have to come back another day. When you get a full night’s beauty sleep of course.”
“Vox!” he stamped his little feet again.
“Then the night is still young,” Vox said. “How about for compensation… hm… I introduce you to my favorite burger spot?”
“Ah… Really?” he sighed. “Those can’t be good for you.”
“They can’t be any worse than eating roadkill.”
“Oh you… Crafty demon,” he spat. Al hesitated for a bit then relented, “Fine. Only this once.”
Vox happily cheered, “Yay!”
-
The two sat outside the burger spot with a giant neon sign which illuminated everything in the night. Vox in his nicest suit and Alastor frazzled with bedhead. They were quite the pair and looked awfully silly while eating burgers the size of your head.
Al said the artery-clogging burger was the closest thing to killing him down here. Vox laughed.
Then Alastor finally noticed the bouquet and pointed out, “Are those for me?”
“Oh… heh, yeah,” Vox chuckled, bringing them forward.
“You got me flowers?” Al’s eyes showed an expression of surprise and guilt. Guilt that Vox had this prepared for him yet he acted out so foolishly.
“I did,” Vox admitted, delicately gifting them into Alastor’s hands. “I wanted to get you something nice, and these caught my eye.”
“They look so expensive,” Alastor remarked.
“Yeah, you could say they are,” he replied. “But the steak dinner was also supposed to be expensive, so if you think about it, I saved money tonight.”
“Dear me,” Al held the flowers close, smelling them. His gaze softened, “They smell lovely.”
Vox showed a charmed smile then said, “Well, you have agreed to so much of my incessant trips and meals, so think of it as a thank you.”
“Come now, you can’t really think of it like that, right?” Alastor questioned. “They were just your suggestions. It’s not like you forcefully dragged me to those places. I wanted to go.”
“…” Vox stared at him, his heart felt like it was being carefully held. It felt… just right. “I… Still… I want to show my gratitude… my appreciation, somehow. Is that alright?”
Alastor’s gaze peered behind those blue flowers and gently replied, “Always.”