#catcf au

[sarcastic-ace-artist]

Would you stab someone?

AU crossover gang answering the question Would you stab someone?

It was so fun trying to come up with the designs for the different AUs minus Radio Guard

Tagging @alastorsrchivesforthehotel & @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog

Small details I'd like to point out bc nobody else will know otherwise:

Swap Alastor does have a coat, but he prefers wearing his shirt and vest most of the time

Domestic AU's outfits were based on marching band uniforms

Secretly Married AU basically swapped outfit styles

Secretly Married have their wedding rings hidden in their bowties

CATCF Vox's clothes are the costume for Willy Wonka

Radio Guard Alastor & Swap Vox are the only ones with visible eye bags

Swap Vox is the only Vox with no hat

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory AU where Vox is the cynical, disillusioned head of VoxTek (& other sub-companies) who wants to retire and leave his company in the hands of someone else but nobody meets his insanely high standards so he decides to host a competition where five lucky winners get a tour of his factory and one of them becomes the new head

Spoiler alert it's going to be Charlie bc she's the only one who meets his standards plus her name is also Charlie

Charlie helps Vox see the good in others again and also reconnect with his estranged husband Alastor throughout the tour

This makes me extremely happy from the time when I noticed Vox and musical Willy Wonka have more in common besides the person who plays them

[fanfiction--anon]

Cabin Visit

Summary: Catcf!Vox pays a long overdue visit to his Alastor. The others are there for moral support.

A/N: Welcome back @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog we missed you. Glad to see you're doing well. Here's a treat. This is based off of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) where Charlie and Willy Wonka meet Wonka's father. I know officially it's just supposed to be Catcf Vox and Charlie visiting Alastor according to the plot, but the plot demanded I write the AU Crossovers version and so this is what my brain came up with.

Warnings: None, I think.

Catcf Vox leads the party through the grove of trees. “Just a little further, I promise. His house is here.”

Highschool Alastor stumbles through a spiderweb and freaks out before trying to swat the sticky threads away to no avail. “Are you absolutely sure about that, Mr. Factory Tour? It feels like we're lost.” His Vox calms him down by grabbing him by the shoulders before moving to wipe off the silver residue.

Vox shakes his head. “No. I'm sure. He sent me a letter once, and I sent Vark to keep him company, remember? This is, without a doubt, where he lives.” Not for the first time, he wonders why he let the kids and the Charlies talk him into visiting his husband once the tour was concluded.

He bats away a rather large mosquito buzzing around his screen, and it flies straight into a tree and splatters on impact.

The kids cringe and quickly follow after their parents, or in the Highschoolers’ case, between Radio Guard Alastor and the parental couples.

“Hey,” Highschool Vox says, “what's your Alastor like? You mention him a lot but that was because you wanted to show off your radio room on the tour.”

Vox thinks for a second, about all the times Alastor then smiles. “He was—is my biggest supporter. Even when he was sad about me spending so much time working, he always made sure to check up on me and see if I needed any food or help with building my company. I felt like I had to work hard to make sure that all of Alastor's work as my first supporter wouldn't go to waste. I didn't want my company to fail because I felt like it would let him down.” He frowns as he recalls the long hours he spent in his office or overseeing workers in the late 60s, and seeing Alastor and Vark sparingly. It feels odd that all of that happened about sixty years ago. "I did end up owning the largest ever factory in Hell, but at the cost of my husband."

"That's kind of depressing now that you're saying it out loud," Domestic Vox mutters. "You really couldn't just call him?"

"I hadn't talked to him in weeks remember? I didn't understand why he left at the time and once I realized why he did it would have been awkward to send him a letter asking going like 'Hey Al, I'm sorry for neglecting you for weeks and then not contacting you for another month minus that time where I sent over Vark to keep you company but would you like to come back?' and making things worse between us," Catcf Vox retorts.

"Excuses, excuses," Domestic Alastor sings to him as he pulls his Charlie up before she trips on a tree root. "You two are even worse than Canon and Radio Guard when it comes to communication!"

The two couples from the mentioned universes shift awkwardly at his words.

"Fuck off," Catcf Vox says without any real heat. "We're going to visit him now, aren't we?"

“We had better be close,” Canon Vox grouses, breaking the silence. “I'm getting mud all over my shoes. Your husband is crazy for deciding to live here. Why didn't he divorce you as soon as possible?”

“Shut it Canon,” Catcf Vox snaps. “I don't want to hear anything from the one who can't even get his Alastor to acknowledge him as a past friend—" Canon Alastor flashes a smug grin. "—and we've arrived anyway so stop complaining.”

And as if on cue, the clearing where his Alastor's cabin is comes into view.

“Woah!” Highschool Vox gasps. “It's better looking than I thought it would be.”

“This is just like the movie,” Highschool Alastor mutters at the same time.

It's a nice cabin, if Vox is being honest. The way it's built suggests that it's meant to withstand the test of time and weather. There's even a shed nearby that he guesses is meant to store or cure Alastor's sinner meat. Vox can sense that the bayou’s shore isn't too far off; just close enough that Alastor doesn't have to exert himself when walking there. The only thing missing is Alastor himself. Vox can't feel his radio signal anywhere. He doesn't know when he stopped feeling it. Maybe their connection burnt out when his husband left. But Vox remembers exactly how it felt like. He hopes Alastor isn't hurt or at the mercy of someone else. He looks at the front door.

Catcf Charlie steps up beside him. “You're gonna knock, right? What are you waiting for?”

Vox stares at the cabin, and all the false bravado he's been collecting throughout the trip suddenly melts away and ice runs through his circuits.

He can't do this.

“Actually I think we've got the wrong house,” he manages to wheeze out. “We should probably leave—”

Catcf Charlie catches him by the shoulder as he turns and gives him a smile. “Nice try Mr. Vox, but you're not getting out of this one.” She turns him back around and pushes him towards the door. You're going to be there next to me when I knock on the door and your husband opens it."

She pulls him along with surprising strength and Vox fidgets as she knocks thrice and backs off, leaving him to his own devices as loud barking comes from inside the cabin.

Alastor is about to take a sip of coffee when he hears three knocks on the door. He jumps, having grown used to not expecting visitors at all with only the silence of the bayou and noise from the animals for company. Even Rosie prefers staying within the territory of Cannibal Town or Vox’s factory and only comes to see how he's doing every few months. But her visits are scheduled in advance, and she's never come without notifying him first.

So for this break in routine to be happening, it means there's either an emergency in the more populated regions of Hell, his husband's factory is having a crisis, or someone else other than Rosie is visiting him.

Alastor can say with confidence that there's no emergency in Hell. An hour earlier his shadows returned from surveillance and it's just the usual violence and degeneracy of Hell's citizens happening.

He can also strike his husband's factory being in crisis. Despite what others think, he does keep up with the news about his estranged husband. He can thank his shadow for that, always flitting about within the darkness of his husband's empire. Shadow also makes it a goal to bring back newspapers and other memorabilia whenever Alastor has the desire to see his husband's face, even if it's only on paper.

That only leaves the third option. A stranger at the door.

Alastor has no cameras in his cabin. All he has are the shadows and windows.

He doesn't know who's at the door.

Decades ago he'd turned off his radio waves because he had no use for them. Not when the only other demon who could use them stopped doing so for weeks at a time until they eventually got used to living separately with no communication. Alastor had taken it even further and moved here since he couldn't stand the big empty house with only Husk and Niffty for company. Now he's wondering whether his decision to live “off-the-grid” was a good idea considering how uneasy he feels at the thought of opening the door to what could be a stranger.

Vark, however, shows no such reservations. He leaps up from his position on the rug and bounds up to the door, scratching it and barking loudly and glancing back at him with pleading eyes.

“Vark,” Alastor calls, “calm down. What's gotten into you?”

Vark turns to him, eyes wide and pleading. He does his best impression of puppy dog eyes, and much to Alastor's chagrin, they're extremely effective, just as they were decades ago. He sighs and sets his mug down. He really can't deny his little shark anything.

As he rises from his seat something pings at the back of his mind. Like an old signal, finally breaking through a barrier.

Alastor sucks in a breath through his teeth. Hesitantly, he lets a sliver of static loose.

It zips through the air and immediately curls around a familiar signal that's not his and senses several similar signals within the same space before fizzling out.

Alastor frowns. “That can't be right.” he'd given up on keeping contact with his estranged husband decades ago. There's no reason for him to come all the way down to the bayou just to visit Alastor.

And yet…

Alastor hums to himself, then shakes his head. It's a pipe dream. Just because a part of him wants his husband to be there with him and Vark doesn't mean it will happen.

He grits his teeth.

Years of crying himself to sleep and hugging Vark for comfort have already come and gone. He shouldn't keep feeling sad. It's not logical.

But the feelings of the heart rarely follow the rules of logic.

Vark continues pawing at the door and Alastor chuckles morosely.

“Alright, alright. I'm coming.”

As soon as the door is opened just a smidge, Vark shoots forward and out into the yard.

There's a loud yelp, a shriek of fear, several yells of surprise, and then laughter.

Alastor freezes. That sounds like…

He pushes open the door to see what's going on, and his heart stops beating.

It's not the crowd of demons gathered around in a circle that grabs his attention, no matter how many of them have familiar looks.

It's not the pair of teenagers that are very clearly human instead of citizens of Hell that catch his eye either.

It's not even the fact that some of those guests look like the princess of Hell.

All his attention is focused on something else.

Because there, sitting on his front yard at the bottom of his porch stairs with Vark laying on top of him, is a figure he’s only seen in pictures and newspapers for the past sixty years.

Alastor knows that figure. He'll recognize that demon anywhere. That bright orange vest and green plaid pants, paired with a striped blue tie and topped with a garish magenta blazer.

He looks exactly like he did when Alastor had departed for the cabin in the 60s. He even has his little hat and the microphone staff Alastor had left behind for him.

None of them are looking at him.

His husband is distracted with Vark, and none of the others sense him because, well, his radio waves are off.

It feels surreal, almost like a dream.

But Alastor desperately wants this to be true. He needs to confirm that this is true.

So, making his decision, Alastor takes a step forward, his heeled shoes clacking loudly on the wooden porch.

The sound attracts everyone’s attention to him, but Alastor only has eyes for one other.

The TV demon on the ground stares up at him in surprise with wide eyes, mirroring Vark’s happy look as the shark-dog wiggles in his lap.

Softly, because he fears that if he speaks any louder he'll wake up to find out this was just a dream, Alastor asks, “Vox? Is that you?”

Taglist: @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog

[meringuecream7]

WaCCF Workers!

[art1c-m0nk3ys]

Dawg every time I get a new hyperfixation or get into a new fandom I like HAVE to do a Charlie and the chocolate factory au like OMGG. I guess it’s the easiest to think about?? But bro catcf GET OUT OF MY SKINN/hj

I might get onto making a scream one but idk

(Also clear rivers in the final destination one is supposed to be Maranda piker but my dumb ass can’t find the template with the deleted characters 😭💀💀)

‼️Templates don’t belong to me they belong to the rightful owners‼️

[chocolatedreamer22]

⚠️CATCF FANFIC IDEA⚠️ Part 4

Ok, so i'm gonna try to keep this short and leave out the less important stuff. Let me just explain some things in a few notes:

1. This is a fanfic idea I came up with. You can use it if you want.

2. This one doesn't need a lot of context other than it takes place in an alternate universe. That should be pretty obvious tho.

THE IDEA:

Wonka wakes up one morning completely blind but doesn't realize it right away. He wonders around the house thinking that it's just very dark. Mike is already awake in the living room. He's playing his Nintendo switch when Wonka asks him why the lights aren't working. Without looking up, Mike asks what he needs the lights for. He finally looks up at him when he tells him that everything is dark.

Mike sees that his eyes are clouded over. The sight of it freaks him out, but he tries not to show it thru his voice. He asks him a few more questions and realizes that Wonka can't see anything.

Without another word, he immediately runs to Violet's room to wake her. Veruca had spent the night here and was sleeping next to her. He frantically explains that there's something wrong with Wonka and his eyes. He returns to Wonka with Violet and Veruca at his side. They see that he still hasn't realized that something's wrong and aren't quite sure what to do.

Wonka knows the layout of the house, and knows he's standing in a place where the sun brightly shines. He voices his confusion toward being able to feel the warmth of the sun despite the sun not being out.

Violet takes a few steps forward and tries to carefully explain to him that it isn't dark out, and tries to hint that he's gone blind without directly saying it.

He plays it off like he thinks it's some kind of joke but is clearly becoming nervous. It was Veruca's turn to try and explain the situation. She guides him over to the stove and turns it on. He can hear the sound of the flame being ignited but can't see the fire.

He can't pretend that he's okay anymore. He backs away from the stove, and keeps backing away until he hits a wall that's been warmed by the sun. He slides down to the floor and begins sobbing. The kids gather around him. They each place their hands on him and try to calm him down but it doesn't work.

Mike quickly leaves and comes back with a box of tissues. He kneels in front of him while holding up the box. Veruca yanks a tissue from the box while glaring at the idiotic boy who failed to realize that Wonka can't see the box in front of him. She presses the tissue against his face where his tears were flowing down.

When the parents find out, they take him to the hospital where they get good news and bad news. The good news is: the blindness is temporary. The bad news is: it'll most likely take a few weeks for his sight to slowly return. Until then, he's gonna need all the help and support he can get from the people around him.

[n0nam3fand0mch1ld]

You know about my banner (the fanart I made).Well now it is time to give a explanation, drumroll pls *cricket chirping*.Well then, it is my Charlie and the chocolate factory au called “The one who wins the golden ticket”.

Fun facts on design will start now.

Charlie (the girl with 2 color eyes).

The reason why I made her a girl is after seeing Madison Hellenes designs (go check them out on LinkedIn they are great) and liked the idea.

The reason for Charlie being black is A my interpretation and B Charlie was said to originally be black.

I gave her complete Heterochromia.

Full name is Charlotte Bucket.

Originally had a cloak (will use it on her sometimes).

Head cannon VA is either Tiana (The princess and the frog) or Martha Mildenhall (Tadc).

Is 12 year old.

Veruca (Pink dress).

My favorite character designing (I love putting the details on her dress).

Her clothes were originally gonna be red and her hair yellow (but then changed after making her hair a dirty blonde because she would look like her 1971 adaptation).

Her jewels are real.

Full name is Veronica Salt (yes I changed it,Wonka mispronouncing it will be a running gag).

She originally was gonna have a bow that when she was mad would be shaped like demon horns (like Vaggie in the Hazbin Hotel pilot).

Is Russian (based of the musical p adaptation).

Head cannon VA is Herself in the Londen musical or Lottie (The princess and the frog,how ironic).

Might change her hairstyle.

Is 11 year old.

Mike (Boy with teal highlights in hair).

His jacket was supposed to look cyberpunk (I failed miserably).

Clothes were originally gonna be black and red.

Grey thing in hand is a phone.

Clothes were gonna be more baggy.

Full name is Michael (hates being called Michael)Teavee.

Has eye bags.

Head cannon VA is Jax (tadc) or hunter (toh).

Is the oldest (13 year old).

Violet (girl with purple shirt).

She was gonna look more like the 2005 version before.

Is Indian.

Clothes color scheme was gonna be blue.

Full name is Violet Buraguarde.

Has pink gum in her mouth.

Has a scar on her forehead (she has to hide it).

Her VA is Vaggie (Hazbin Hotel) or Athena (Epic the musical).

Is 12 year old.

Agustus

Was my least favorite to design (I didn’t have many creative ideas designing him and not many ideas for him).

He is German (is the most cannon of ethnicity I made for the characters).

Was originally supposed to have dark brown hair.

Looks like one of the kids in Hansel and Gretel ngl 💀

Full name is Agustus Gloop.

VA is Agustus (himself in the 2005).

Is the youngest (8 year old).

[justa-sadjellyfish]

Do you have any headcanons about Wonka's origins?

Like, where he came from, what his history is?

This is such an interesting question!!!!!! I don’t have very much, esp since I haven’t seen the prequel (I’ve seen like the last twenty minutes) but I like to imagine he wasn’t completely self made. I don’t really believe he started with nothing or any cliche like that. I don’t have much depth to his backstory in my au quite yet, but I’m working on it!!! I have plenty more headcanons that I am working on for this silly tho so dw

[guthrie-odonto]

Yep, I’ve gone ahead and, in the footsteps of @artmakerproductions, made a CATCF AU—this one not being a retelling/remix of the book, but rather, a retelling of Deltarune’s story

Charlie ≈ Kris (still adopted, but by a unified hive of giant, sophont termites and honeybees rather than goat monsters)

Violet ≈ Susie (here by the beginning it’s already been a while since she had her incident, and it’s already been quite a bit since her incident (unrelated to knowing/doing anything with Charlie)—it also wasn’t anything like any adaptation, with her being more like a walking fruit corpse than a drained water balloon, inspired by musings that Artmaker and @owoiwonderwhatsthis have had on the latter’s CATCF rendition)

Wonka Awnok ≈ Ralsei; a termite-like figure reminiscent of Charlie’s older brother, Will, who has also been away for some time as a king of his own colony

Oompa Loompas Solly Lollies (the little Flowey-looking guy in the back of the first image) ≈ soul (to some extent; they’re manifestations of Charlie’s souls and not really controlling/representative of any player. the main one that’s always present has the soul icon on their outfit, which is a wrapped up candy)

(This image below is the first digital drawing, with some differences to what the final designs for the main trio would be)

For more, check out my Deviantart gallery o the subject: https://www.deviantart.com/guthrie-odonto/gallery/90488454/dahltarune

[definitely-spirit-halloween]

yall what if I dumped my CATCF redesigns and a whole fucking fanfic onto you

Basically the premise of this fic is it’s an AU where there are 6th golden tickets, (the 6th which the reader finds) and the whole gimmick of it is it’s a reader insert

[sarcastic-ace-artist]

I read that ask about catcf Vox transferring money to his estranged husband Alastor and decided to make him like the chaebol heiresses from kdramas

Some of his colors are meant to match up with the broadway Willy Wonka costume

Tagging @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

Radio Guard!Charlie: What's this room?

Catcf!Vox: Oh that's my radio room.

HS!Vox: You have a radio room?

Catcf!Vox, tearing up: I miss my husband.

Dadstaticradio!Vox: You…uh, you sound pretty sad. When's the last time you talked to your husband?

Catcf!Vox: Hmm… It was kind of a gradual thing because around the late 60s I started to spend more time at my factory instead of at home. Then I came back one day after spending several weeks at work and the house was dark and there was a note saying he was going to be staying in a cabin at the edge of the city somewhere. I didn't want him to be lonely so I had Vark sent over there to keep him company. I called and told him. Well I actually left a voicemail about what I did. It's been about fifty years since then, give or take.

Everybody:

Catcf!Vox: Anyway, I don't mind if you kids wanna go inside the room and take a look. But it's pretty low tech compared to all the other ro—

Domestic!Alastor: Stop, go back. Did you say the last time you spoke to him was half a century ago?

Catcf!Vox: Yeah. Why?

I think we have a new winner for "couple with the worst communication", fuck that hurts so much to actually read in outright words vs generally knowing what happened

[yournameisnill]

I thought this was a cute idea Veruca is the Pachirisu because haha squirrel (I think she would be a shiny) and Violet is a Popplio because I like Popplio

[meringuecream7]

This new CatCF AU is Called Working at Charlie’s Chocolate Factory!

Here’s the comic based on VBS:

[art1c-m0nk3ys]

Made ANOTHER Final Destination charlie and the chocolate au with the protagonists bc I was bored but I used a random wheel so it might not be as accurate-

I’m so silly 😋😋

[hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog]

FANFICTION ANON YOURE THE SWEETEST IN THE WHOLE WORLD, I love this so much

Cabin Visit

Summary: Catcf!Vox pays a long overdue visit to his Alastor. The others are there for moral support.

A/N: Welcome back @hazbinhazbinhazbinreblog we missed you. Glad to see you're doing well. Here's a treat. This is based off of the scene in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005) where Charlie and Willy Wonka meet Wonka's father. I know officially it's just supposed to be Catcf Vox and Charlie visiting Alastor according to the plot, but the plot demanded I write the AU Crossovers version and so this is what my brain came up with.

Warnings: None, I think.

Catcf Vox leads the party through the grove of trees. “Just a little further, I promise. His house is here.”

Highschool Alastor stumbles through a spiderweb and freaks out before trying to swat the sticky threads away to no avail. “Are you absolutely sure about that, Mr. Factory Tour? It feels like we're lost.” His Vox calms him down by grabbing him by the shoulders before moving to wipe off the silver residue.

Vox shakes his head. “No. I'm sure. He sent me a letter once, and I sent Vark to keep him company, remember? This is, without a doubt, where he lives.” Not for the first time, he wonders why he let the kids and the Charlies talk him into visiting his husband once the tour was concluded.

He bats away a rather large mosquito buzzing around his screen, and it flies straight into a tree and splatters on impact.

The kids cringe and quickly follow after their parents, or in the Highschoolers’ case, between Radio Guard Alastor and the parental couples.

“Hey,” Highschool Vox says, “what's your Alastor like? You mention him a lot but that was because you wanted to show off your radio room on the tour.”

Vox thinks for a second, about all the times Alastor then smiles. “He was—is my biggest supporter. Even when he was sad about me spending so much time working, he always made sure to check up on me and see if I needed any food or help with building my company. I felt like I had to work hard to make sure that all of Alastor's work as my first supporter wouldn't go to waste. I didn't want my company to fail because I felt like it would let him down.” He frowns as he recalls the long hours he spent in his office or overseeing workers in the late 60s, and seeing Alastor and Vark sparingly. It feels odd that all of that happened about sixty years ago. "I did end up owning the largest ever factory in Hell, but at the cost of my husband."

"That's kind of depressing now that you're saying it out loud," Domestic Vox mutters. "You really couldn't just call him?"

"I hadn't talked to him in weeks remember? I didn't understand why he left at the time and once I realized why he did it would have been awkward to send him a letter asking going like 'Hey Al, I'm sorry for neglecting you for weeks and then not contacting you for another month minus that time where I sent over Vark to keep you company but would you like to come back?' and making things worse between us," Catcf Vox retorts.

"Excuses, excuses," Domestic Alastor sings to him as he pulls his Charlie up before she trips on a tree root. "You two are even worse than Canon and Radio Guard when it comes to communication!"

The two couples from the mentioned universes shift awkwardly at his words.

"Fuck off," Catcf Vox says without any real heat. "We're going to visit him now, aren't we?"

“We had better be close,” Canon Vox grouses, breaking the silence. “I'm getting mud all over my shoes. Your husband is crazy for deciding to live here. Why didn't he divorce you as soon as possible?”

“Shut it Canon,” Catcf Vox snaps. “I don't want to hear anything from the one who can't even get his Alastor to acknowledge him as a past friend—" Canon Alastor flashes a smug grin. "—and we've arrived anyway so stop complaining.”

And as if on cue, the clearing where his Alastor's cabin is comes into view.

“Woah!” Highschool Vox gasps. “It's better looking than I thought it would be.”

“This is just like the movie,” Highschool Alastor mutters at the same time.

It's a nice cabin, if Vox is being honest. The way it's built suggests that it's meant to withstand the test of time and weather. There's even a shed nearby that he guesses is meant to store or cure Alastor's sinner meat. Vox can sense that the bayou’s shore isn't too far off; just close enough that Alastor doesn't have to exert himself when walking there. The only thing missing is Alastor himself. Vox can't feel his radio signal anywhere. He doesn't know when he stopped feeling it. Maybe their connection burnt out when his husband left. But Vox remembers exactly how it felt like. He hopes Alastor isn't hurt or at the mercy of someone else. He looks at the front door.

Catcf Charlie steps up beside him. “You're gonna knock, right? What are you waiting for?”

Vox stares at the cabin, and all the false bravado he's been collecting throughout the trip suddenly melts away and ice runs through his circuits.

He can't do this.

“Actually I think we've got the wrong house,” he manages to wheeze out. “We should probably leave—”

Catcf Charlie catches him by the shoulder as he turns and gives him a smile. “Nice try Mr. Vox, but you're not getting out of this one.” She turns him back around and pushes him towards the door. You're going to be there next to me when I knock on the door and your husband opens it."

She pulls him along with surprising strength and Vox fidgets as she knocks thrice and backs off, leaving him to his own devices as loud barking comes from inside the cabin.

Alastor is about to take a sip of coffee when he hears three knocks on the door. He jumps, having grown used to not expecting visitors at all with only the silence of the bayou and noise from the animals for company. Even Rosie prefers staying within the territory of Cannibal Town or Vox’s factory and only comes to see how he's doing every few months. But her visits are scheduled in advance, and she's never come without notifying him first.

So for this break in routine to be happening, it means there's either an emergency in the more populated regions of Hell, his husband's factory is having a crisis, or someone else other than Rosie is visiting him.

Alastor can say with confidence that there's no emergency in Hell. An hour earlier his shadows returned from surveillance and it's just the usual violence and degeneracy of Hell's citizens happening.

He can also strike his husband's factory being in crisis. Despite what others think, he does keep up with the news about his estranged husband. He can thank his shadow for that, always flitting about within the darkness of his husband's empire. Shadow also makes it a goal to bring back newspapers and other memorabilia whenever Alastor has the desire to see his husband's face, even if it's only on paper.

That only leaves the third option. A stranger at the door.

Alastor has no cameras in his cabin. All he has are the shadows and the

He doesn't know who's at the door.

Decades ago he'd turned off his radio waves because he had no use for them. Not when the only other demon who could use them stopped doing so for weeks at a time until they eventually got used to living separately with no communication. Alastor had taken it even further and moved here since he couldn't stand the big empty house with only Husk and Niffty for company. Now he's wondering whether his decision to live “off-the-grid” was a good idea considering how uneasy he feels at the thought of opening the door to what could be a stranger.

Vark, however, shows no such reservations. He leaps up from his position on the rug and bounds up to the door, scratching it and barking loudly and glancing back at him with pleading eyes.

“Vark,” Alastor calls, “calm down. What's gotten into you?”

Vark turns to him, eyes wide and pleading. He does his best impression of puppy dog eyes, and much to Alastor's chagrin, they're extremely effective, just as they were decades ago. He sighs and sets his mug down. He really can't deny his little shark anything.

As he rises from his seat something pings at the back of his mind. Like an old signal, finally breaking through a barrier.

Alastor sucks in a breath through his teeth. Hesitantly, he lets a sliver of static loose.

It zips through the air and immediately curls around a familiar signal that's not his and senses several similar signals within the same space before fizzling out.

Alastor frowns. “That can't be right.” he'd given up on keeping contact with his estranged husband decades ago. There's no reason for him to come all the way down to the bayou just to visit Alastor.

And yet…

Alastor hums to himself, then shakes his head. It's a pipe dream. Just because a part of him wants Vox to be there with him and Vark doesn't mean it will happen.

He grits his teeth.

Years of crying himself to sleep and hugging Vark for comfort have already come and gone. He shouldn't keep feeling sad. It's not logical.

But the feelings of the heart rarely follow the rules of logic.

Vark continues pawing at the door and Alastor chuckles morosely.

“Alright, alright. I'm coming.”

As soon as the door is opened just a smidge, Vark shoots forward and out into the yard.

There's a loud yelp, a shriek of fear, several yells of surprise, and then laughter.

Alastor freezes. That sounds like…

He pushes open the door to see what's going on, and his heart stops beating.

It's not the crowd of demons gathered around in a circle that grabs his attention, no matter how many of them have familiar looks.

It's not the pair of teenagers that are very clearly human instead of citizens of Hell that catch his eye either.

It's not even the fact that some of those guests look like the princess of Hell.

All his attention is focused on something else.

Because there, sitting on his front yard at the bottom of his porch stairs with Vark laying on top of him, is a figure he’s only seen in pictures and newspapers for the past sixty years.

Alastor knows that figure. He'll recognize that demon anywhere. That bright orange vest and green plaid pants, paired with a striped blue tie and topped with a garish magenta blazer.

He looks exactly like he did when Alastor had departed for the cabin in the 60s. He even has his little hat and the microphone staff Alastor had left behind for him.

None of them are looking at him.

His husband is distracted with Vark, and none of the others sense him because, well, his radio waves are off.

It feels surreal, almost like a dream.

But Alastor desperately wants this to be true. He needs to confirm that this is true.

So, making his decision, Alastor takes a step forward, his heeled shoes clacking loudly on the wooden porch.

The sound attracts everyone’s attention to him, but Alastor only has eyes for one other.

The TV demon on the ground stares up at him in surprise with wide eyes, mirroring Vark’s happy look as the shark-dog wiggles in his lap.

Softly, because he fears that if he speaks any louder he'll wake up to find out this was just a dream, Alastor asks, “Vox? Is that you?”

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