Chapter Text
Life has a way of fooling mortal souls more times than they can recall. One moment, you are on top of the world, moments away from claiming Heaven and becoming a God. The next, your head is being torn away from your body by your boyfriend ex.
Being carried away from one of the greatest victories of your life is a real eye-opener. Especially when you get thrown into the rubble a few seconds later and are forced to watch your enemies, fellow overlords, and partners work together to stop a bomb you created from killing everyone. It was fucking embarrasing to say the least.
After losing in such a humiliating way to people who were supposed to be your friends, maybe even family, you start to realize that maybe some things just aren’t worth the effort.
What was the point of anything anymore? How can you come back from such a tragic loss? In Vox’s eyes, you can’t. Even if they somehow managed to salvage the situation through the media, there would be one person who would remember. No matter how many years pass by, someone would know. All of Pride already knew how big Vox fucked up and it’ll be a good while before anyone trusts him again. Let alone by his overpriced shit.
Not that he blamed them. Hell, even he wouldn’t trust himself. Not after that shitshow.
The weeks pass by since the Might of Lilith disaster. The sinners of Pride continued rebuilding from the damage that was left over. The cannon had created a big ass mess and there was still a lot left to do. Charlie and some of the hotel residents had been working to help with the destruction and rebuilding as well. With their help, the progress and damage had been cleaned up significantly. It wasn’t perfect by any means, but it was still progress.
Vox watched the news from his spot on the sofa. The pillows placed under him and the blanket that looked like a nest did little to comfort him. There wasn’t much to comfort him these days.
It was kind of hard to be cheerful or satisfied when you had limited travel options. He either would have to hop around liking the fucking Easter Bunny or wait around for someone to notice he’d been sitting in the same spot for twelve fucking hours. He couldn’t even flip through channels on his own in this state. He had no connection to his powers or servers in this sorry ass state. That only pissed him off more.
After seeing the discouragement in their colleagues' face, both Valentino and Velvette decided that enough was enough. With a few calls and strongly worded threats, they were able to repair Vox’s damaged body. After ensuring everything was stable, Vox was finally restored to his body.
With Vox’s newfound appendage, he noticed how weak and exhausted he felt. His power had been reduced by an excruciating amount because of his devastatingly low approval rating. That only caused his lack of motivation to increase.
Days passed as he sat in his quarters, lying in bed, ignoring notifications. One question began circling his mind every night. Was it worth it? He had been happy. He had the Vees, who were practically his family. He had fame, money, power over the masses, and yet…it was never enough.
Nothing could satiate the desire for the one thing Vox truly wanted. The hope that he could get a sliver of validation from Alastor. He wanted to pry it out of Alastor so he could prove him wrong. To prove he wasn’t as weak and pathetic as Alastor claimed he was. Vox wanted to prove that he was enough.
In the end, Vox let his hubris get the better of him. Fate may have stopped him from ascending to godhood, but at least he can try to focus on fixing what he shattered.
Vox finally pulled himself out of the navy blue sheets of his bed and decided to brave the outside world. Valentino and Velvette were still pretty pissed at him even though it’s been over two months. All he could do now was try to get back into the good graces of his companions.
Vox exited his bedroom and headed toward the Vees’ living quarters, where Valentino and Velvette were reclining on the couches, scrolling away on Sinstagram.
Valentino glanced up from his phone. He saw Vox making his way towards them and had an amused look on his face.
Static flickered across Vox’s screen.
“Holy shit, amorcito, I didn’t expect you to come out of there anytime soon. How are you doing, baby?” Valentino's eyes appear to show a moment of worry, but it is quickly masked by his usual flirtatious persona.
“Hey Val, I’m doing fine. I just needed a while to clear my head and get my thoughts in check for what’s next.”
“And what do you mean by ‘what’s next,’ babe?” Velvette says in a snarky but cautious tone.
“I realized that I messed shit up bad. Not just for me, but for you guys and the company, and I just… I need to fix it. I messed everything up because of fucking Alastor, just so I could prove him wrong. Well, I decided that I’m done with him.” Vox says as though he’s trying to convince himself that what he's saying is true.
Before the other two Vees could give their opinions, Vox cut them off. “Everything involving him has led to my life turning into a disaster, and I don’t have the energy anymore to keep up. I’m tired of it.”
Once Vox finished his confession, Valentino and Velvette passed each other a quick glance to determine if they were on the same page. Their eyes never broke eye contact for the few moments they stared at each other. To any onlookers, it would be like they were communicating telepathically or some shit. Velvette was the one to speak up first out of the two.
“About damn time, V. Glad you aren’t sulking around anymore and are ready to get your ass back to being the CEO.” Velvette said with brutal honesty.
If you didn’t know her well you may have missed it, but Vox knew her as well as he knew himself. Even with the blunt tone, there was a hint that she was glad he finally decided to cull the bullshit and admit he was wrong. She would never admit it of course, but the appreciation didn't go unnoticed.
“First, I wasn't ‘sulking’.” he said, making finger quotes, “It was a mental retreat. Ever heard of a fucking mental health day?”
Velvette burst out laughing as soon as the words left his mouth. It took a good minute for her to calm down as she wiped a tear of mirth from her eye.
“Please, as if you of all people would take a bloody mental health day. V, you get like 5 hours of sleep max. Half of that is because me and Vox are dragging your sorry ass to bed. You aren’t fooling anybody with that shit.”
Vox huffed and crossed his arms. Technically she wasn’t wrong, but so what? He was just a productive guy who busied himself with work. Nothing wrong with that. The company wasn’t going to run itself. Vox turned his head to look over at Valentino.
Valentino made eye contact and smiled at Vox. “Amorcito, this is great! We could go back to how things used to be before that fucking deer trampled everything. I’m glad you realized he doesn’t deserve you, baby. Now, since you’re in a better mood, perhaps we can lighten up the night, just me and you? What do you say, baby?”
Vox hesitated at the question. Did he just want one night where he doesn't feel so drained? Absolutely! But there was this small part of him that was nagging at him to isolate himself. To stay closed off from everyone so he wouldn’t hurt anyone again. He didn’t deserve any treatment or pity from anyone just because they felt sorry for him. So for now, he would stick with keeping his walls up.
Vox let out an exhausted sigh. “Look Val, I’d love to, you know that. But can we hold off on that for a bit? I still need to figure things out, but I just want us all to enjoy time together like the old times, if that’s okay?” Vox said truthfully, bracing himself for a comeback he knew would come.
“No worries, baby. Take your time. As long as you’re not sulking over that cabrón, I’ll wait until you’re ready.”
Vox’s screen glitched. The fuck? The fuck did he say? Is my audio system damaged or did I just hear Val say he was gonna be patient?
Vox checked his internal systems for an audial damage that he might have missed previously. The systems indicated that there was no damage whatsoever. Well shit, would you look at that, miracles do happen.
He was quiet for a few moments as he thought over what he should say. Vox didn’t expect the honesty and calmness that came from him. Valentino was a lot of things, but patience wasn’t really one of them. Vox let out a breath that he didn’t realize he was holding. Maybe things will be okay after all.
“Thanks, Val. I mean it.” Vox admitted.
Valentino smiled. He nodded and then turned his attention back to his phone.
“Alright, enough. Now who wants to watch the newest episode of Hell’s Paradise of Love?” Velvette asked.
“Sure thing, doll. I just need to take care of something first.”
“Don’t take too long, V,” Velvette said impatiently, already getting ready to start the episode.
Vox let out a silent chuckle at his feisty friend’s impatient nature. He raised a hand and shot himself into a nearby camera. He traveled through the current and made his way toward his surveillance room. Or as Velvette would call it, his mancave. The room had been unoccupied since his downfall from godhood.
He shifted into his corporeal forms and collapsed his back against the metal door. Vox's chest was heaving from exhaustion from the action. He checked his systems to see if there was major damage to anything, but everything seemed to be in order.
Thoughts started to fill his head at what the issue could be. His loss of power, his body now used to the sensation, his mental state, the list kept going. He decided that he had other things to concentrate on. This little issue would have to wait.
The room greeted him with a low blue light. A faint electrical hum lingered in the air as Vox slowly made his way to his control table. It was oddly calming. A familiar presence that gave him some privacy to strategize and have some peace and quiet. It was like a heartbeat thrummed loudly with the force of his former power.
Once he crossed the walkway, he stopped in front of the setup. His fingers hovered just above the keyboard.
Cautiously, he slid into his chair. After resting his hand on the table, the monitor flared to life, as if it recognized its master's touch. The screens were blank, waiting for any command to give it some direction of what it was ordered to do.
Vox exhaled through his teeth. “Pathetic,” he muttered as his hand clenched into a fist.
He needed to relax. Why was he getting so worked up over this? It was a good idea. It would solve the biggest problem in his life and would give him the opportunity for him to rectify his mistakes. He knew he had to focus on things that actually mattered. But would this help him focus or would it just drive him further over the edge.
His fists clenched tighter. Blood started to slowly dribble on the table from the pressure being added.
For half a second, his monitor glitched. A small flicker that was barely noticeable. It was gone just as quickly as it had come.
Do it. It’ll help fix things. Fix things for the Vees. You owe them that much. His mind supplied as he was drowning in his thoughts.
Vox’s jaw tightened. His fists unclenched and his fingers pressed down on the keyboard. He began typing out some lines of code. Soon enough, a command had been initiated. Lines of code traveled across the overhead monitors as the security feeds shut down one by one.
It wasn’t just any security feed. It was the ones he added to the hotel after learning a certain someone was helping with that embarrassing charity case. The camera shut down one by one. Every angle from the hotel faded from view.
Once every feed was turned off, Vox powered off his own monitors. Silence enveloped the room now that the deed was complete. Sure it may now have been some mindblowing deed, but to Vox he was relinquishing some of his control.
He didn’t hesitate to set those cameras up a year ago after learning the news. But now? He knew the best step forward to take a step back from the place that caused him to lose what he had built for himself. For who caused him to lose that little good he had in his life.
Vox rose from his chair and slowly made his way across the platform toward the exit. Once he reached the door his hand hovered the metal door. Awaiting for the cold contact of his hand to signal for the doors to open.
He turned around to face the dark wall of screens lining the room, his reflection staring back at him from the black glass.
He let out a breath. His eyes drooped as he stared blankly into the distance.
“Guess you got what you wanted, old pal,” he muttered.
Nothing answers him. All that was there was the silence and the resignation of the act that had been done.
He opened the door and stepped out into the hallway to rejoin with the Vees.
Vox was done. He was done with the hotel. He was done with Alastor. For good this time.