Chapter Text
“I’m pregnant,” Tiffany told him through tears.
Vox sat there, his mouth dropped open, staring at her in disbelief.
“Aren’t you going to say anything?!” she demanded.
He stuttered for a moment before he could form a coherent sentence. “Is it MINE?”
“What do you mean ‘is it YOURS?’! Of COURSE, it’s YOURS! You think I’ve been sleeping around?!”
Vox sighed. He KNEW Tiffany hadn’t been faithful to him, but he knew now wasn’t the moment to bring it up. “No, I’m sorry, I just…” He met her eyes. “Okay. So, whadaya wanna do?”
“I don’t know!” she sobbed as she fell into his arms.
Vox held her close. “It’s okay,” he assured her. “We’re gonna figure this out. I promise.”
He wasn’t sure how his mom was going to react when he told her, but she was the only person he could talk to about it. “Mama,” he called to her softly when he got home. Lynda was sitting on the couch crocheting. She looked up at her son when he called to her.
“Vox, sugar, everything alright?” she asked as she set her yarn and hook aside.
His eyes filled with tears as he shook his head. “No,” he admitted. She opened her arms and he fell into them.
“Shh, it’s alright, pumpkin. I’ve got you. Everything is okay.”
But everything WASN’T okay. How COULD it be okay? “I don’t know what to do!” he sobbed. He wasn’t even sure if the baby was HIS, but Tiffany said it was. He wouldn’t admit that there was a part of him that was glad when his girlfriend told him she’d decided on an abortion.
“I don’t want it and YOU don’t want it,” she told him firmly. “So, that’s what I’m gonna do.”
Vox couldn’t believe himself when he said, “Are you sure?”
“Of course, I’m sure! Why wouldn’t I be?!”
Vox sighed. “I just… It’s not something you can undo. Once it’s done, it’s done.” He held her hand. “I just don’t want you to regret it if you DO do this.”
Tiffany met his eyes. “DO you want to keep it?” she asked.
He shook his head. “No, of course not! I mean, I’ll support you if you decide you DO, but if it were up to me, no.”
“Good, because I DON’T want it. I made an appointment on Thursday after school.” She paused. “Could you take me?”
He nodded. “Of course.”
Vox felt awkward sitting in the waiting room with Tiffany. He was starting to regret it more and more the longer they sat there, but he knew it didn’t matter. Even if HE changed his mind, it was up to Tiffany since she was the one carrying the baby. “I’ll see you at school tomorrow,” she said casually as he dropped her off at home.
He stared at her as she got out of the car and headed into the house. How had it not affected her? HE wasn’t even the one who had the thing growing inside him and he was warring with himself on whether or not they’d done the right thing.
Vox tried not to think about that time in his life. He couldn’t imagine having an eight-year-old running around. He looked over at Alastor as he slept, Niffty in his arms on the other side. Would he have been a dad like him? He’d like to think so. Would they have had a little girl or a little boy? He wondered. Would she have had his eyes? Would he have had his smile? His heart ached as he thought on it. How different would his life be if Tiffany hadn’t gone through with the abortion?
He hated to think about ‘what ifs’ and ‘could have beens’, but this was one that weighed on him since the day it happened.
***
Niffty woke up and looked around the room. She was still in bed with her dad, but Vox was gone. She sat up when she saw him standing there, changing his shirt. “Morning,” she called to him.
He turned around and smiled at her. “Hey, you,” he replied in a whisper as to not wake anyone else in the room. “You sleep okay?”
She nodded. “I did. You?”
He shook his head. “I never sleep good when I’m not in my own bed,” he told her honestly. “So, it’s gonna be a long weekend.” He paused. “You hungry? I was gonna head downstairs for breakfast.”
She nodded. “Okay.” She climbed out of bed and looked down at her dad. “We should probably let Dad sleep in some more.”
Vox smiled and nodded. “Probably a good idea. If you want to get dressed, I’ll meet you downstairs in the kitchen.”
“Okay.”
Vox wasn’t surprised to see there were a handful of family members already up and in the kitchen. He’d honestly been hoping he could get breakfast alone and then start his day, but it seemed the universe had other plans. “Morning!” his aunt Patricia greeted as he stepped into the kitchen. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. How are you?”
“Great.” She sipped her coffee. “I am not looking forward to going and getting things set up though. Your mom is gonna be a nightmare,” she teased.
Vox smiled as he got a mug from the cupboard and got himself a cup of coffee as well. “You’re just mad because she’s got better organization skills than YOU do,” he teased back.
She chuckled. “Well, you’re not wrong there. Your fella not up?”
“No, he’s still sleeping. Figured we’d let him sleep in as long as he can. He doesn’t get a lot of sleep sometimes.”
“Cause he’s a hard worker,” Art chimed in. “He seems like a good one.”
Vox nodded in agreement. “He is. I feel really lucky to have him.”
“But he says he doesn’t want to marry him,” Tyler teased from where he sat at the table, eating scrambled eggs.
“No, I said I wasn’t ready to marry him right NOW,” Vox corrected.
“But I thought two people can be closer in two months than some people are after two years,” Tyler reminded him with a knowing grin.
Vicki smiled. “He’s not wrong. Blake and I dated all of seven months before we got engaged.”
“And Everette and I have only been together four months,” Tyler noted.
“Well, some of us aren’t as fast as the two of you sluts,” Vox joked as he took a drink from his mug.
Niffty stepped into the kitchen, now changed into jeans and a t-shirt. “There’s that little angel!” Patricia cried when she saw her. “How are you, sweetie?!”
She smiled. “I’m good. How are you?”
“I’m doing just dandy. You hungry? I can make you some eggs or waffles or something,” she offered.
“I like scrambled eggs,” she answered.
“Great!” She set down her mug and went to the fridge. “How about you, Vox, you want some?”
“Sure, that’d be great. Thanks.”
“So,” Tyler said as he looked at Niffty, “when your dad and my cousin gonna get married?”
“Ty!” Vox warned with a glare.
“Hey, I’m just asking! She’s probably got a better idea than YOU do.”
Niffty shook her head. “I don’t know. Dad hasn’t asked me what I think, but I think I’d like Vox as a step-dad,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Yeah? He let you stay up past your bedtime?”
She shook her head. “No. I actually have to go to bed earlier when he comes over. He and Dad need time alone for adult things.”
Vox nearly spit out his coffee, making Tyler laugh. “Oh, I bet they do.” He looked at his cousin. “You need time alone for ‘adult things’?” he teased.
Vox grabbed an apple from the fruit bowl and chucked it at him. “Shut up.”
He just dodged it and laughed. Tyler continued chatting with Niffty, but Vox couldn’t get her words out of his head. Did she really like him or was she playing it up for his family? She seemed to be understanding enough about him and Alastor faking being in a relationship, so was she just playing the part or did she really mean what she’d said?
“There you are, Bug,” Alastor said as he stepped into the kitchen. “I was a little worried when I woke up and couldn’t find you.” He came up behind her and hugged her from behind, kissing the top of her head. “How’d you sleep?”
“Good.”
“Good.” He stood up straight and looked at Vox. “And how’d you sleep?” he asked as he leaned in closer and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.
Vox felt like his brain was about to overload; he had to remind himself that Alastor was JUST playing the part of his boyfriend. “Fine. You?”
“Fine.”
Patricia set a plate of scrambled eggs on the table for Niffty and handed another plate to Vox. “I can make some more if you’d like some too, Alastor,” she offered.
“No, thank you. I’m quite alright.”
“Nu-uh,” Vox told him. “You need to eat.” He scooped up a forkful and pushed it toward him.
“I said I’m fine.”
“And I said ‘eat’.”
Alastor sighed. “Fine.” He opened his mouth to take the bite.
“Thank you,” Vox told him as he took a bite himself.
“You two are so adorable,” Tyler commented. He turned to his boyfriend. “I should feed you like that too.” He offered him a forkful of his own eggs.
Everette just laughed and pushed his hand away. “Shut up.”
“So,” Vox said to Alastor. “Once Mom gets up, we were all gonna go help set up the hall. Didn’t know if you and Niffty wanted to come along or hang out here.”
“I don’t mind coming along to help.”
Vox smiled. “Great.”
Other family members trickled in to have breakfast. Alastor kept himself to the outskirts for the most part, just watching and listening. He smiled as he watched Vox with his daughter; he was a natural with her and she clearly enjoyed being around him. It was in that moment he knew he needed to do something; things couldn’t keep going on like this. No matter what happened because of it, he had to tell Vox how he felt for him.
Alastor was a little surprised when they got to the hall and found it was actually a hall at a local church; he hadn’t taken Vox and his family as religious. Vox’s mom and aunts went to the kitchen to start prepping food while the men were set to the task of setting up tables and chairs.
“There should be enough table clothes for each of the tables,” Lynda directed setting an arm loud of golden table clothes on the first table set up. “We don’t need one for the food table,” she pointed out. “We have the ones from the church to use.”
“We’ve got it, Mama,” Vox assured her as he gave her a kiss on the cheek. “We’ll come get you if we have any questions.”
She smiled. “I know. I just… I want this to go perfectly.”
“Everything will be fine, Aunty Lyn,” Tyler assured her as he grabbed a tablecloth.
She nodded. “I know. Once tables are set up, come meet me in the kitchen.” She turned on her heel and left the room.
“Your mom seems a little high-strung,” Niffty teased as she grabbed a tablecloth.
Vox chuckled. “She’s a bit of a perfectionist,” he admitted. “And maybe a little OCD,” he joked.
Niffty suddenly coughed hard, drawing her dad’s attention to her immediately. “Hey, Bug, you alright?” he asked in worry.
She smiled and nodded. As she opened her mouth to answer, she went into a coughing fit again. She put her fist up to her mouth and coughed into it, attempting to keep her expressed air more contained. “Whadaya need, Bug?” Vox asked concerned. “Wanna head outside for a minute?”
She nodded and took the hand he offered as he led her out. Alastor followed. Once out in the open air, Alastor stood there helplessly. He’d been giving her space to take care of herself lately, feeling she was old enough that he didn’t need to constantly remind her to do her daily airway clearance techniques and take her meds. He stood there with his arms crossed, trying to keep himself still. “You alright?” he asked her once her coughing had stopped.
She wiped her hand against her pant leg. “Yeah, I’m okay,” she said through ragged breaths.
“Was that blood on your hand!?” Alastor asked, anger in his tone.
She shook her head. “No!”
“Excuse me, blood?” Vox questioned. Coughing up blood certainly couldn’t be a good sign.
“It happens from time to time, it’s usually nothing to worry about,” Alastor assured him. He looked at his daughter, “But it can also mean there’s something wrong. Have you been taking your medication?”
She nodded. “But I didn’t this morning,” she admitted. She looked down. “I forgot to pack it.”
“You what?! Niffty!”
“I’m sorry, Dad! I just forgot!” She started coughing again.
Vox watched Alastor; the look of concern on his face made his heart ache. Then he turned back to Niffty; she was coughing harder and harder. “Do we need to take her to the hospital?”
Alastor shook his head. “She’ll be fine,” he assured him, but the tone in his voice made it sound as though her wasn’t certain.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes,” he answered simply.
“If we need to take her-”
“I said she’ll be fine,” Alastor repeated.
“I know, but-”
Alastor turned to him angrily. “Will you just…” His tone changed with the last word, getting quieter and softer, “Stop. Please. I’ve got it.”
“Sorry,” he replied. He felt useless standing there not able to do anything to help the little girl. He couldn’t imagine the helpless feeling her father had.
Alastor stood next to his daughter and pulled her into his arms. He rested his hand on her forehead. “Bug, you’re burning up.”
She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she rasped out before coughing more.
He pulled her closer. “It’s alright,” he assured her softly. “It’s alright. Let’s get you to the hospital like Vox suggested.”
“I’ll drive,” Vox told him.
“We may not be back in time for the celebration,” Alastor began.
“I don’t care. I’m taking you.”
He didn’t have much choice; Niffty was having a hard time breathing and more blood was coming up with each cough. Vox had driven anyway, it wasn’t as though Alastor had a means of transportation himself. He nodded. “Alright.”
Vox kept glancing in the rearview mirror as they drove; Alastor sat in the backseat with Niffty, holding her as she continued to cough. Vox drove as fast as he safely and legally could.
***
Most hospitals were the same. Each room felt nearly identical to the next. Alastor hated how familiar it felt to be sitting in a chair by a hospital bed, his daughter laying there, an IV in her arm. He held his daughter’s hand tightly. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she whispered, the wheeze in her voice still evident.
“It’s not your fault, Bug,” he assured her. “These things happen.” He rubbed his thumb against the back of her hand. “You’re okay now. Alright?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
Alastor turned to Vox. “Thank you for taking us.”
“Hey, it was no trouble at all.” He looked at Niffty. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
She smiled weakly at him. “Me too.”
Vox felt like he was intruding; he didn’t really belong with them in this moment. No matter how much he liked Alastor and in turn cared for his daughter, neither of them actually belonged to him in any way. “Well, I’m gonna step outside for a minute. Give you guys some time together.”
“Again,” Alastor began, “thank you.”
Vox smiled at him. “Don’t mention it.” He stepped out of the room. Once he was outside, he got out a cigarette; he needed to calm his nerves. He saw the irony of him lighting up when he’d just brought someone in for lung issues. He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair with his other hand. Watching that little girl cough up blood and not be able to breathe was the scariest thing he’d ever seen. She wasn’t even HIS daughter and he was frightened for her; he could only imagine what Alastor was feeling.
He called his mom to let her know what had happened. “Vox, sugar, is everything alright?” she asked, more concern in her voice than he was sure he’d ever heard. “I’ve been trying to call and text you-”
“Everything is okay,” he interrupted. “I… We had an emergency. Alastor needed to get Niffty to the hospital.”
“Oh, my God! Is everything alright?!”
“Everything’s fine,” he promised again. He let go of a deep breath. “Niffty… She gets sick, Mama, really easily. She… We needed to get her to the hospital. But she’s fine now, I promise. Doctor said she’ll need some antibiotics for an infection and she’s on an IV right now to get fluids in her. She’s gonna be okay.”
He heard her let go of a breath. “Good. I’m glad to hear it.” She paused. “And how’s Alastor doing? I’m a parent, I know how frightening it can be when your kids are sick.”
He smiled, pleased to hear her concern for the man. “He’s doing okay. The fact that Niffty’s gonna be okay… He’s doing fine.”
“Good. Good.” She paused.
“Can you tell Nana and Pops I’m sorry?” he asked. “I didn’t want to miss it. I mean, I came all the way out here for them.”
“I’ll let them know what’s going on. I’m sure they’ll just be glad to hear Niffty is doing alright,” she assured him. “Just keep me posted. Okay, pumpkin?”
“I will, Mama.”
After he hung up, he finished his cigarette and went inside to the reception desk. “Can I help you?” the receptionist asked politely.
“Yeah, I just wanted to make sure I got the bill covered for a patient.”
Once Vox left the room, Alastor asked his daughter, “How’re you feeling?”
“Better,” she answered. “I’m sorry I haven’t been taking my meds,” she whispered.
“Bug, it’s alright. All that matters is that you’re okay now. Alright? I’m not mad at you. It’s hard to take care of yourself sometimes. Even adults have a hard time taking care of themselves,” he told her. “You’re going to get the meds you need to clear up that infection and you’re going to get better. Okay?”
She nodded. “Okay.”
After about twenty minutes, Vox came back into the room. “Hey,” he addressed Niffty.
She smiled at him. “Hey." she replied.
"So, I just talked to my mom, she said she’s sorry you’re gonna miss the party tonight but she’s glad to hear you’re doing okay.”
“If you want to head back there, feel free to do so,” Alastor offered. “I don’t want you missing out just because-”
“I’m exactly where I want to be,” he assured him.
Alastor felt his throat tighten. He wanted Vox there with them as well, even as the other side of him screamed to push him away. Vox wasn’t his, not really and he was certain he never would be. He nodded. “Okay.”
Niffty was discharged about an hour later. They technically had time to get to the party, only being an hour or so late, but none of them were feeling up to it, so they headed back to the house. “It okay if I take a nap?” Niffty asked when they got there.
Alastor chuckled. “It’s a little late for a nap, but I’m sure you’re exhausted.” She nodded. “Of course, Bug. You go ahead and go to sleep for a bit.” He tucked her into bed and kissed her cheek. “We’ll be downstairs if you need us.”
“Okay.” She closed her eyes. “I love you, Dad.”
“I love you too.” He kissed her cheek once more. “Sleep well.” He and Vox went downstairs to the living room. As Alastor sat down on the sofa he looked at him. “Again, thank you. I’m sorry we ruined your weekend-”
“You didn’t,” he replied. “And you won’t have to worry about the bill. I took care of it while we were there.”
He sighed. “Vox, you really didn’t have to-”
Vox leaned forward and kissed him, stopping him mid-sentence. He rested his left hand on the back of his head to pull him in closer and the other grabbed Alastor’s hand, lacing their fingers together. After a few minutes of kissing, Vox finally pulled away and whispered, “I wanted to.” He gently scratched at the other man’s scalp. “I want to take care of you. LET me take care of you,” he practically begged.
Alastor looked into his eyes. This was the moment. He needed to tell him how he felt. “Vox, I-” Before he could say more, Vox pulled him into another kiss. He crawled into Alastor’s lap as they kissed back and forth. He heard Alastor moan as he slid his tongue into his mouth. Alastor bite at his bottom lip as he pulled away to readjust their kiss. Both of Vox’s hands were in his hair now, tugging gently and scratching.
Vox was certain Alastor was going to tell him it was too much, that Vox was acting like they were more than they actually were and he couldn’t stand to hear it. It was inevitable that things would end, he knew that, but if he could put it off a bit longer, he would. He kissed Alastor’s jaw before he moved farther down. The inhale the man beneath him took as he scrapped his teeth against his throat sent a chill down his spine.
“Vox,” Alastor whined, “we can’t…”
He pulled away, breathing heavily. He looked into Alastor’s eyes and nodded. “Yeah, you’re right. Sorry. I got a little carried away.”
“It’s alright.” They remained silent for a moment, neither knowing how to move on from the moment they’d found themselves in; neither of them necessarily WANTING to move on from it.
“You must be hungry,” Vox mentioned as he pulled away and stood up. “I’ll make you something. Nana’s always got food around here.”
Alastor nodded. “Food does sound good.”
Vox smiled and offered him his hand. “Well, let’s see what we can find.” He pulled Alastor to his feet and escorted him to the kitchen. He offered Alastor a chair at the kitchen table and then opened the fridge. “So, what are you feeling?”
‘Horny and desperate,’ he thought to himself. “Nothing in particular,” he answered aloud.
Vox looked at him. “Really, I can make you whatever you want.”
Alastor chuckled. “Quite frankly, I’m too hungry at the moment to care much one way or the other.”
“Mac and cheese it is,” Vox replied. He got a pot, filled it with water, and put it on the stove. “Pops used to make this for me and James all the time when we were kids.”
“Your grandpa was the one to cook?”
“Oh, he and Nana split just about EVERY household chore down the middle. Pops always said ‘this is my house, why shouldn’t I know how to take care of it?’. He taught me how to make mac and cheese, spaghetti, alfredo, everything,” he told him as he continued gathering ingredients.
Alastor chuckle. “A lot of pasta, I see.”
Vox turned to him and grinned. “I didn’t say he was a GREAT cook, but I’ll tell you what, he sure knew how to boil noodles.”
Alastor laughed. “And can YOU do more than boil noodles?”
“Oh, sure. Nana and Pops both taught me everything they know.” He got quiet. “I stayed with them a lot when I was little; Mama worked a lot. She was a single mom, ya know? Then when I got old enough to be home by myself… It just made sense to have me stay home when she was away for work instead of toting me to Nana and Pop’s all the time.”
In retrospect, that was the very reason why he and Tiffany had ended up in the predicament they’d found themselves in. His mom was home with him only a couple of hours after school before she had to leave for work, working the night shift at a local gas station, thus leaving him to his own devices all night.
Alastor listened and read the lines in between the ones he spoke; Vox was raised by a single mother and so, in many ways, he’d raised himself. He felt an ache in his heart as he thought about Niffty. She too was being raised by a single parent. He was gone most nights even before he started seeing Vox.
In that moment, he realized he COULDN’T tell Vox how he felt for him. If Vox didn’t care for him in return, he’d end their agreement. With the money he’d been getting from Vox, he wasn’t having to work as many hours at the restaurant, thus giving him more time to be at home with Niffty, if those available hours weren’t then taken up by Vox. He didn’t want to do that to his daughter, leave her to raise herself. Yes, he knew he was using Vox, but hadn’t they been using each other from the start? He’d keep quiet and let things continue how they had been; he didn’t feel he had much choice.