some time ago I saw a DRAW THIS IN YOUR STYLE from FobusG from X with fem VoxVal
INITIALLY, I just left the art as a checkmark "try it sometime", because I had never participated in such a thing and was worried about trying it⊠but sitting before work, I decided to warm up⊠I DIDN'T UNDERSTAND HOW, BUT I rolled d20 to warm up⊠and got carried away
AHHHHH this drawing is one of my favorites. I adore how it turned out!! their expressions, their faces, the colors⊠even the lettering, if we just ignore my questionable handwriting (?)
it might be a bit of a spoiler for my AU, but I honestly donât care. writing will take me way longer than drawing, and I canât stop the ideas once they show up. đ
itâs no surprise to anyone that, at a certain point, Vox starts doing genuinely good things for Charlie. he doesnât change THAT muchâheâs still Vox, with his personality, his quirks, his addiction to power, control, and attention. but with Charlie, he learns to live with that side of himself in a less destructive way, and discovers that his qualities can also be used for something positive.
I have absolutely no trouble imagining this man giving her the best publicity campaign in history. and rubbing it right in Alastorâs face while heâs at it. helping Charlie better than him⊠đđâš
UMM okay um okay
HUGE SHOUT-OUT to @polmin and her recent HOT AND BEAUTIFUL art of these two dorks. I loved the idea and the pose she used and just wanted to draw them like that too Ń_Ń
Polmin THANKS FOR THE FOOD đ
Another day gone. 'Another day survived. After an endless workday, Vox has been wandering aimlessly for hours until his feet âor his miseryâ lead him straight to the Hazbin Hotelâs façade.
He hates it. He hates how immaculate it looks. He hates the cheerful lights glowing through the windows. He hates that it looks⊠successful.
Heâs muttering insults to himself when the door suddenly opens. Charlie steps out, papers in one hand, a headset in the other âclearly busy, clearly still on the clock. She looks up.
She freezes.
So does he.
Itâs not an awkward silence. Itâs a hostile one.
(CHARLIE)
"âŠVox."
Thereâs no warmth in her voice. No smile. Not even gentle surprise. Just tension. Charlie lowers the papers, clutching them to her chest, her posture tightening as if sheâs ready to shield anyone standing behind her.
(VOX)
(raising his hands, theatrical, bitter)
"Right. Of course. Perfect. Go on, princess, go on and make fun of me."
Charlie narrows her eyesâthe expression is closer to Vaggiâs than her own.
(CHARLIE)
"I wasnât going to make fun of you."
(too cold for her)
"But I am wondering what the hell youâre doing here."
Vox bristles instantly. As always.
(VOX)
"What, canât I stand on a public sidewalk without being interrogated? Damn, didnât know the place came with a fucking dictatorship package."
Charlie steps toward him. Not aggressively âbut with authority. An authority Vox isnât used to seeing in her.
(CHARLIE)
"Vox, you have done terrible things. To my family. To this city. To me."
He tries to respond, but she cuts him off with a clarity she only has when sheâs truly angry.
(CHARLIE)
"So noâ I donât trust you.
And you donât get to show up unannounced and expect me to be polite about it."
The hit lands clean. Vox sucks in a breath as if heâd swallowed a knife.
(VOX)
"Oh, fantastic. Great. I walk by and suddenly Iâm the enemy of the state. Splendid."
Charlie looks at him like sheâs staring at someone dangerously unstable.
(CHARLIE)
"Donât do that."
(VOX)
"Do what?"
(CHARLIE)
"Act like youâre the victim."
That shuts him up for a second. And Vox hates being shut up.
(VOX)
"I didnât come here to start anything."
(CHARLIE)
"Good. Because youâre not coming inside."
Vox raises an eyebrow, pride clearly stung.
(VOX)
"Wasnât asking for a room, princess."
Charlie takes a deep breath. She steadies herself, a little calmer, but still firm.
(CHARLIE)
"Then what were you doing here?"
The silence grows heavy. Vox looks away, one of his antennas loweringâjust slightly. A microscopic gesture, almost imperceptible⊠but Charlie notices. And it throws her off, just for a moment. Enough.
(VOX)
(low, irritated, unintentionally vulnerable)
"I was just walking."
Charlie narrows her eyes, distrustful to the core. But thereâs a part of herâa very small oneâthat recognizes the nuance: that isnât a lie.
(CHARLIE)
"Then walk somewhere else."
The words land hard, not cruel. Vox lets out a bitter, quiet laugh.
(VOX)
"Right. Of course. Shouldâve known better than to expect anything different."
He turns, ready to leave. Charlie follows him with her gaze. Her posture relaxes⊠just a bit. So does her jaw.
[ Because Vox walks like someone running from more things than just the hotel. ]
And that part of herâthe one that still believes every demon hides a rainbow insideâfeels a sharp stab of doubt. She doesnât look away yet, even though she knows she should. Itâs been over a month since Vox vanished off the map: no broadcasts, no attacks, no scandals, nothing.
All of Hell made memes, theories, bets.
She⊠avoided thinking about it too much.
And now heâs there, standing at the door of her hotel. Defeated. Silent. Strange.
(CHARLIE)
"âŠVox?"
He stopsâjust for a second. As if her voice tugged at his chest. He turns slightly, offering her his profile without getting any closer.
(VOX)
"Donât think too much of it, princess. I said it. Just walking by."
Charlie crosses her arms, clearly irritated.
(CHARLIE)
"You walked by here?"
A crooked smile flickers across Voxâs screen. Itâs not kind. Itâs not playful. Itâs a defense mechanism.
(VOX)
"What? Can't I check out what the competition is building? Maybe take notes? Maybe steal some design tips?"
Charlie clenches her teeth.
(CHARLIE)
"Can you stop? Seriously? You didnât learn anything? We donât have to keep fighting! Thereâs literally no reason for it!"
Voxâs antennae stiffen this time. That kind of sentenceâhopeful, honest, childish by his standardsâsets his nerves on fire like burnt wires.
(VOX)
(he steps towards her, angry)
"Donât give me that crap, Charlie."
Her eyes widen in indignation. Very few people raise their voice at her like that, fewer still someone who almost destroyed her entire dream.
(CHARLIE)
"Excuse me?"
(VOX)
"No, seriously. Spare me the pretty speeches. Because youâ"
(he points at her sharply)
"âyou canât possibly still think someone like me could be redeemed."
The words come out like poison. As if he needs to hurt himself before she can.
(VOX)
"After everything Iâve done. After what happened. After I almostâ"
(he cuts himself off, fists clenched)
"Youâre not gonna stand there and tell me youâ"
He waits for the sentence. He waits for it with the desperation of someone who needs to be rejected to justify his hatred.
Charlie looks at him steadily, unmoving. The wind stirs her hair slightly, but her expression doesnât change. And then, with the same firmness as the first timeâthe one he never managed to forgetâshe answers:
(CHARLIE)
"I still believe anyone can be redeemed."
Vox freezes completely.
No mockery.
No irony.
No flicker of doubt.
Itâs exactly the same phrase. The same conviction. The same unbearable light. Vox feels something impossible to describe. Rage. Relief. Shame. Pain.
And deep, deep down, something worse: an internal tremor that feels dangerously close toâŠ
(VOX)
(his voice low, almost a growl)
"âŠWhy?"
(CHARLIE)
"Because itâs the truth."
He takes a step back. As if that light burned. As if he didnât deserve it. As if he hated it. As if he needed it.
(VOX)
"Youâre out of your mind."
(CHARLIE)
"Maybe. But I wonât stop saying it."
Silence. The kind of silence that splits lives in two. Charlie turns, ready to go inside. Vox watches her as if he wants to follow. As if he canât. As if he shouldnât.
She opens the hotel door, and without looking at him:
(CHARLIE)
"Donât come inside."
(her hand trembles on the doorknob)
"Not yet."
The door finally closes.
(VOX)
"... Tsk. You'd wish."
But he remains outside, her words echoing inside his mechanical chest.
"I still believe anyone can be redeemed."
Like a blow.
Like a wound.
... Like a fucking miracle.
wow, this one was intense, wasn't it? đ«Ł
part one here!
the most important thing for me was establishing that this relationship wouldnât come out of nowhere.
I wanted a complicated slow burn â a hostile beginning, but with the possibility still open. in this AU, there has always been a spark between Vox and Charlie, ever since the very first time they met. and here, the echo of that first encounter comes back with the words that started it all: âI believe anyone can be redeemed.â
Vox, without meaning to, without intending to⊠starts to listen.
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