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Vox rolled his eyes as Alastor's claws dug deep into his fur on his tail. “What are you doing?” The fox asked with slight annoyance.
“Your fur is all tangled up. Have you been taking care of it?” Alastor didn't answer his question. Alastor's brows furrowed as he could feel a spot where the thick fur thinned out. “Is this a bald spot?”
Vox ripped his tail away from Alastor. He was holding it tightly with narrowed eyes as he watched Alastor's reactions.
Alastor didn't seem bothered. He just raised a brow and met Vox's steady gaze. “You don't want more mats in your fur, now do you?” Alastor reached his hand out to try and grab Vox's tail again but froze up when the fox growled a warning.
“Does my fur matter to you?” Vox snarled. His ears flattened against his head and the scruff of fur on the back of his neck spiked up. “It's my problem not yours.”
Alastor's gaze narrowed and he sneered at the smaller male. “You're an active participant in the hotel now! You need to look your best. We don't want it to look like we accept any unwashed canines.”
The deer and the fox glared at one another before a loud cough caught both of their attentions. Vox and Alastor snapped their heads to glare at the bartender.
“Vox, you of all people should know that Alastor doesn't care about personal space.” Husk's gruff voice filled the silence. “Just let him fix your fur. He's right, you look like an unwashed mutt. You look worse than me and I drink on the job.” Husk's tail flicked dismissively as he spoke. He was wiping down one of the many bottles to keep from collecting dust. His eyes were heavy and his ears were lowered slightly.
“I didn't come here to be criticized for how my fur looks!” Vox threw his hands in the air as he spoke. “For fuck's sake, I just got out of a bad relationship!”
“No need for Valentino to see the damage he's done to you.” Alastor pointed out dryly. “You walk out looking like a mess and he will see just how badly you're taking it. You should be dressing to impress. You should be walking out there proudly, your pelt should gleam in the light with how glossy it is. Your head should be held high and you should always have a smile plastered on your face.” Alastor booped Vox's nose as he spoke.
“This is unfair! I was tricked to come here in the first place.” Vox's fur bristled.
Ah yes. The day when Angel came home from work and announced that Vox and Valentino were finished was a weird day. No one knew why Angel felt the need to tell them until he dropped the bomb that Valentino was still sneaking into Vox's home and office and Vox would come out bloodied and limping.
Charlie had devised a plan on the spot. She made Angel approach Vox after a twelve hour shift and ask for Vox to drive him home. Vox would be too tired to give a fuck and he would do it for Angel to guarantee that Valentino's favourite toy got home safe. Once Vox was in the parking lot though? Yeah Alastor ripped the car door off its hinges and dragged Vox inside. Charlie then announced that as Princess of Hell she was ordering Vox to live there.
Vox has been salty since then, but he finally had the chance to recover. They tried their best to heal Vox’s tail and get it straight, but when they rebroke the first kink and straightened it up, Vox screamed and cried. They decided to just leave his tail alone. That was until now anyway. Alastor was disgusted to see that Vox had ripped off the bandage holding his tail straight, but Alastor couldn't find a care in the world to comfort Vox about it, until the fur was obviously dull and balding. There were mats, dandruff and dirt just coating his tail.
Alastor couldn't let this go on anymore. Vox had lost a lot of weight and stopped caring for himself. He was miserable and Alastor was willing to bet Vox's room was a mess. It was a rarity for them to ever see Vox leave his room.
The silence dragged on and after a while Vox's ears flattened and he looked away. “I just want to be dead.” Vox admitted. “Freedom hurts too much. This isn't worth it.”
Alastor and Husk exchanged a glance before Alastor inhaled sharply. Alastor sent a warning glare to Husk who put his hands up in surrender and then he brought the small fox in close. Alastor hugged the fox tightly before he dropped his hands lower and began to comb his fingers through Vox's once-beautiful pelt. “I was envious of you many years ago.” Alastor hummed.
"You were?” Vox looked up at Alastor with wide, wet eyes.
“When I first met you, you had the shiniest coat. You were dressed to impress and you looked breathless. I wished I had the confidence you had that night. You looked flawless and you knew it. You showed off your power and showed everyone you weren't to be undermined. No one expected the demon responsible for all the power in Hell to be a little fox, but you owned up to it. The tips of your fur being dyed a light blue? I felt so honoured that you approached me.”
“You're lying.” Vox laughed, regardless he wiped the tears away and sunk into Alastor's warm embrace. “I didn't look that nice.”
“You were confident back then.” Alastor pulled out a clump of dirt before he brought his other hand down to the fur and began to slowly pull the mats apart. “I don't like seeing you like this. Can you try to do better?”
Vox stiffened up for a second before he smiled and closed his eyes. “No promises.” Vox whispered.
Husk watched as the two cuddled up on the couch with a knowing grin. Vox needed someone there to guide him and he was glad to see that Alastor wanted to be that support. Husk's tail flicked before he returned his attention back to the bottle in front of him.
Yeah. The little fox will be okay, it might take him years, but now he had a buck watching over him and helping him.
Vox wasn't going through this alone anymore.