Vox Akuma appears at your doorstep one day. To what do you owe the pleasure?
A fic written expressly for your enjoyment. Yes, you! All you have to do is trust me, and enjoy a nice afternoon with completely seiso vtuber Vox Akuma.
And just to be explicit, this is a comedy with a twist. It's actually quite wholesome, I promise. This is a galaxy brain AU now.
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Author's Note: The narration, opinions, expressions, etc, basically everything that takes place in this story reflect my perspective and understanding. I do not speak for any of the characters contained herein, and am not affiliated with them or Niji EN in any way, shape, or form. I've also renamed a certain film. I wrote this in a handful of hours when I should've been sleeping, since the idea finally finished crystallizing. Just in time for 200k, but barely (and with a touch of belated editing)! It was a labor of love done in gratitude. Since Vox said he'd like to read fanfic onstream someday, I wrote this to be a stream-friendly dramatic reading. So imagine him as the narrator, if you like. I did.
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The dedication of Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves reads, This is not for you.
This is for you. I made this for you, to make you smile and hopefully make you laugh. You're all good girls today. Except Vox, who is a good and clever boy.
...
The Wi-Fi
...
You simply had no explanation, not even luck, for the moment Vox Akuma appeared at your doorstep. There had been no preamble, no chance meeting, and no warning. It was a Sunday, late afternoon. Nothing strange about it- except for the fact that the voice demon himself was here, and you were fairly sure he ought to be streaming in a few hours. He'd reach 200k today or tomorrow at this rate.
"Hello, kindred." Vox smiled and, in a move reminiscent of a vampire's charm, eyed you with tacit request as he waited for you to invite him in. You did, of course. Why wouldn't you? Not because he was looking handsome leaning against your door frame. A single finger reached out to boop your nose, breaking the spell as you stepped back.
"I hate to impose, but I have need of you," he said, turning after taking a few steps in. "Yes, you. Shocking, I know. Aren't you lucky?" Flashing a smile, his golden eyes took stock of your home with keen interest. "Lovely. But you're probably wondering why I'm here. I did just say I had need of you, after all..."
Vox began by explaining that Luxiem was actually all in town- something that seemed, well, about as unlikely as Vox showing up at your door. You supposed it ought to be hush-hush though, and the voice demon did not elaborate as to what had brought them here.
"There's been a bit of a wrinkle," he drawled, one finger curling around a silky lock of hair. "And the Wi-Fi in my hotel is down. All the stars in the world can't guarantee internet. Can you imagine? Though, it's really all Schubert's fault." Vox let out a tiny sigh and clucked his tongue, tck, tck, tck. "And I thought I was the only one dealing with this sort of thing. Someone sent him an akasupa requesting a curse. 'Wifey'-something or other." Vox tried to hold back a chuckle. "Of course, he accidentally said 'Wi-Fi'. Now half the block is down. What a coincidence. I'm sure it's sabotage. Can you believe it, kindred...?"
You had no idea Vox knew who you were or that you were part of the clan prior to a minute ago, but that didn't stop you from immediately offering to let him use your internet and stream from your home. Anything for milord! He hummed deep in his throat, considering. "It's not that simple. Though I'll take you up on it enough to post to Twitter later, I think. But don't misunderstand me. I didn't come here to stream. I haven't brought my equipment, after all."
You realized Vox wasn't carrying anything. Moreover, Oni Giri was suspiciously missing, the voice demon's hip unadorned. You asked where your favorite moderator was.
"In some laundry, I suspect," Vox replied, but then broke into a snicker. "Actually, I've given him some time off, until everything gets up and running again. He's probably eating bath bombs. Besides, aren't I company enough for you?" The way he confidently tilted his head, eyebrows lifting, left you utterly charmed. "Good. Good good. But onto the real reason I've come. I have a few hours to kill and..." Now he leaned in, voice soft, and said, "I can't help but think I'd rather spend them in your company."
Time stopped. For you, but not for Vox. He gave you a wink and wandered inward, taking in the space with a discerning eye. "Valentine's Day is coming up, but I've got work, of course. For the clan," he specified. "You understand, don't you? And you know I like to spend my time with all of you." He paused for dramatic effect. "But now it seems my schedule's been cleared, at least for a while. What do you say? Would you like some company?"
You agreed that you would definitely like Vox to stay. In fact, to your tremendous- and perhaps uncanny- luck, you had the whole place to yourself and no prior commitments other than Vox's stream this evening. You told him as much, and he looked immediately pleased.
"Splendid! Lovely. Who knows? If this doesn't get sorted, we might make a night of it." And though his tone shifted only a little, you were 94% sure he was flirting with you. The other 6% thought maybe you'd mistaken him, but you told that 6% of yourself to shut up and gave Vox a brief tour of your home- albeit somewhat awkwardly. He seemed interested. Your would-be apologies were always interrupted before they could begin, soft questions or dank memes cutting off the opportunity. He was, you thought, rather nonjudgmental on the whole.
That did not last as you led him to your kitchen.
"What's this, kindred? What have you been eating?" He clucked his tongue, tck, tck, tcktcktck. "Mysta eats better than this," he grumbled, his tone playful. "I can't have one of my clan not taking proper care of themselves," Vox told you, crossing his arms. Your heartbeat skyrocketed, cheeks flaming.
"Oh. You're one of my sinful kindred, are you?" he drawled darkly, but then his voice lightened, just mildly exasperated, if in good humor. "Do you want me to scold you? Are you one of those?" You were too flustered to answer, so he simply regarded you a long moment before gesturing at your pantry, his voice gentle but firm. "This is unacceptable, kindred." And now warmly, "I can't let one of my clan go on this way. We're going to the store, you and I. We'll make a trip of it."
You weren't exactly expecting Vox to offer to take you... grocery shopping.
"Tell you what," Vox murmured. "We'll pick up a few things, get some candles, and make a nice dinner together. Are you experienced? ...In the kitchen, darling."
But in that pause, your brain's RAM maxed out to capacity and you'd stopped working. Vox seemed to understand as much and gave you a pat on the shoulder. You would never wash that shoulder again. Or at least not the clothes on your shoulder. Well, the shoulder part of your clothes. Maybe. You'd work something out. Anything that didn't result in Voxanne telling you, "You smell~" and meaning it.
Milord's voice cut through. "It's all right," he soothed, his smile and tone light. "I'll handle the more difficult tasks... And you can do the grunt work," he teased, but with enough warmth that you felt as though a warm blanket had been wrapped around your shoulders, feather-light and strong. Vox made it seem like the most natural thing in the world when he leaned in and pressed a kiss to your temple, mua! "Come on, then," he said. "I know just the place."
...
You didn't know the place. Hardly anyone else did, either, if the sparse number of shoppers was any indicator, and you felt grateful; you weren't likely to see any fellow kindred here, you thought, and it was nice to have some time alone with milord. The little market was an odd-ball, situated in a strip you'd never really noticed, tucked away in the corner. A real hidden gem. You wondered how Vox even knew about it to begin with. It stocked fresh produce and meat, as well as a number of exotic cooking ingredients that you weren't sure what they were, but the voice demon seemed at home. "Adventurous palette? No? Maybe a little, for me?" You thought that whatever your food comfort level was, it was a little higher in milord's hands, and agreed. "That's my girl. Love to hear it. Now, what to cook? Macaroni, with the chicken strips?"
Something about hearing that impression in person just made your ears tingle in delight, just like on-stream. Vox hummed deep in his throat. "Pretty sure we can do better than that here. Though, if you have any allergies, or anything else that's off-limits...?"
You answered Vox and he nodded along. "Lovely. I can definitely work with that," came his reply. "You know, in 400 years, innovation in food never ceases to amaze me. There are so many good modern fusions. I'm not a purist, but, if you're lucky, and if the records are still there, sometimes you can trace a dish back hundreds of years. Before my time, even."
For a moment, you thought he might be sad, but as he continued, you realized he was just wistful. "Osmanthus wine tastes the same as I remember. But where are those who share the memory?" Now he flashed you a sweet smile. "I can't say food tastes quite the same as I remember, but I don't mind. When you're as old as I am, it's a delight and a pleasure to experience old things anew. Food. People. Art. It would be the worst shame if they all stayed the same."
"But keeping track of that lineage isn't common, and we can mostly only draw on what's left in books. Ever read Apicius? No? Neither have I. But I like to say his name. A-PICKY-us. I'm under the impression he was rather un-picky, actually."
Once the two of you had picked out ingredients for dinner, you made your way to the checkout line.
"Don't even think about it," Vox chided gently, the second he thought you were considering paying. "You save your money, and let me take care of you tonight, all right?" You thanked him, but he shook his head. "It's the least I can do, for one of my loyal kindred." He smiled down at you, but then paused, eyes mock-narrowing as he lowered his voice humorously, its purr so deep that you felt chills run across your skin when he prompted, "And you are loyal, aren't you?"
You nodded far more than you needed to, watching Vox's smile deepen.
"Good," he rumbled, and then his voice lifted, casual and sweet. "I know."
Because of course he did.
...
Heading home, it occurred to you that Vox seemed a little shy in public, or, at least, he was looking over his shoulder now and then. It didn't seem like him, you thought; he loved people. You wanted to make sure he was all right, so you asked him if anything was wrong. He let out a soft sigh.
"Okay, so... You know Ike is my favorite boy. He is best boy. I have many favorite boys, but Ike is my real favorite." You agreed, nodding, and he paused, seeming a little huffy. "I had a real boomer moment, okay, kindred? I'm OLD. I'm 400 years old! Actually, older. You're not ready for that, but neither am I, I think. I didn't do anything wrong," Vox emphasized, wavering before he continued. "I just... needed to check something. And my phone was running low on battery. I was focusing on other things, okay? Like how sexy Ike is." You felt your brain hiccup, but he continued.
"Okay- I forgor my charger. But I hadn't been to Sweden in so long! And I was excited to see him. You can't blame me. Anyway, I was only on a moment. So when the thing said something about update, I just- look, I just clicked something. I don't remember what."
You weren't sure where this was going, but the words were pouring out of milord rapidly.
Vox paused and cleared his throat, taking in a slow breath and holding up a hand to stay your words, keeping you hanging on his own. "I may... have enabled an update that reset his settings." Now he was more insistent, if still in good humor, "It wasn't my fault! It probably would've happened anyway. At any rate..."
The voice demon cast another look over his shoulder. "It did something to his cloud settings, and now he's here, and he can't work on his novel, because the version he has with him is the old version, too old, and, of course, the Wi-Fi is down."
You paused in thought to consider, but Vox leaned in, interrupting you.
"You've seen him," he started in quickly, "You know what he's like, don't you, kindred, when he's angry? Think prop hunt, but it's real this time. God. Don't get me wrong- it's incredibly sexy- I'm sure if he finds me I'll cum in seconds, but, darling, I'm frightened!"
Vox didn't look frightened. He set the groceries down at your doorstep in order to take both your hands suddenly. "I fear no man. But that thing... It scares me."
Because your brain was still glitching out from the thought of Vox cumming to villain Ike, you found yourself rather empty-headed- in one sense, anyway- as golden eyes met yours, the scent of earl grey and sandalwood mild on his skin. You couldn't see or think of anything else but Vox. Like, more than usual.
"I'm counting on you, kindred," Vox intoned, expression briefly solemn, before it shifted to something haughtier, like he was pleased with himself. He looked at you askance as you went to open the door. "Ugh! It's not that I need protection from anyone, including Ike. I'm a demon! I just don't like cumming before I'm readyyy!"
With those words, Vox opened the door for you, gently shepherded you inside, and closed and locked it behind you, groceries on his other arm.
You were guided into the kitchen in a laughing, blushing daze. Vox let you put away some of the things you'd picked out together, plucking your phone away as soon as you got it out. You would've objected, but he broke into a wide grin. "Am I going to see something nasty on here? Are you a sinner?" he teased.
You weren't sure if you should say anything at this point.
"Oh, fuck me?" Vox spat out, "Twitter's blowing UP." His nose was slightly scrunched, as if he was both impressed and a little taken aback. "Luca's having a booba stream. What! How's he streaming...? Must've been far enough away. Everyone's watching, though..." Vox seemed distracted as he checked- well, your feed, you guessed, or Luca's chest. Either way, there was no use protesting it now.
You decided to let Vox scroll for a while, putting groceries away as the voice demon narrated the drama to you, some of it with context, and others choppy non sequiturs about grill voice and Mysta talking to chat about cake farts. "Ha! Reimu's malding," Vox declared, seeming pleased, but then broke out into laughter. "Oh, come here, my little pogchamp. You've got to see this! Shu's there at the booba stream! They're together. Isn't that lovely, kindred?"
Vox looked pleased as punch, but increasingly struggled to rein in his laughter, "He's trying to cast a countercurse- by- by-"
"Shu's trying to cast a countercurse by flexing..." Your heard his voice break, high and delighted, "And saying the incantation backwards!" Between airy chuckles, he wiped his face and sniffed, sighing. "He says he's going to keep flexing harder until it works!" Vox hit the countertop with his fist and covered a cough and tried to catch his breath. "They're taking turns flexing together...!"
As soft "Eyyyyyy"s and Luca's sweet laughter echoed in your kitchen between grunts, you found your heart lighten at the thought of them both flexing in tandem, and more importantly at the brotherhood Luxiem shared. Vox rubbed his eyes and let out a relaxed sigh. "Well. I think that's enough for me. Let's get started, shall we? A little one-person cooking stream, just for you, kindred."
Vox asked you to get out a nice, large pan and a few staple spices as he familiarized himself with your kitchen. He then set you to the task of preparing some of the vegetables you had purchased. You weren't sure what one of them was, but Vox assured you that you'd enjoy it, and you were inclined to believe him.
In short order, he had aromatics in the pan, turning the air fragrant and, soon after, filling the kitchen with soft, sizzling sounds as he began to add some of what you'd chopped up. All the while, he talked to you quietly, asking you more about yourself and what all you enjoyed doing. It felt very natural to listen to him, and to your surprise, more natural than you expected to talk back to him out loud and in person. It wasn't an opportunity you were used to having so directly, this dialogue, but as it turned out, he was remarkably cozy company.
As the two of you were nearly finished, you realized time had passed rather quickly. Vox noticed this too, the sound of a neighborhood dog's bark breaking his reverie.
"It'll be evening soon," he said, almost distractedly, and went to shade your windows from the late afternoon sun. He looked at you from over his shoulder and then turned his attention back to the window. "Be a dear and watch the pan, while I give us some privacy. You don't have to do much now- just give it a few stirs like I've been."
He left you for a moment that felt like an hour, a tiny eternity in his absence. It was hard to order your thoughts, so you focused on the pan. Dinner looked and smelled amazing, and you couldn't wait to try it.
Finally, Vox returned, and lit up a few candles for the table. Once you'd plated the food and he'd dimmed the lights, you both sat down together. It was a little overwhelming, really, having a meal like this. It touched your heart. It felt almost too special.
"You all right?"
You couldn't quite bring yourself to answer. You were very all right. More than all right. You were... wonderful.
"Don't sell yourself short, darling," Vox soothed. As he looked at you from across the table, you felt your heart pound in your chest and your spirits lift. "I'm happy to spend some time with you, get to know you better. You're a remarkable, kind person. You deserve this. At the very least, you deserve this. You know that, don't you?" He reached across the table and laid his hand on yours. "You are worthy. And whether I praise you, or scold you, now or after I leave, you won't be any less than that. Believe me. All right?"
You nodded, overwhelmed but happy as he purred a gentle, "Thaaaat's my girl." Pause. "Bitch." Vox winked as you burst into laughter, his expression kind. He seemed to light up when he knew he'd made you feel good about yourself.
The two of you ate amicably and Vox answered some of your questions this time. The results of your kitchen team-up were mouthwatering, so mouthwatering that you didn't even think of how it could make a good thirst joke. You happily cleaned your plate. You told Vox you only wished you'd thought to take a picture beforehand.
"Oh, never mind that now," he replied, "Save some room for dessert."
Vox did not have to tell you twice. Not at all, no sir. You could not suppress the smile on your face, even when you couldn't quite meet his eye, thinking about the implication. It surprised you, then, when he gently pushed a plate of your favorite dessert in front of you. You blinked. When had he picked that out? How had he known?
"What? Thought I wasn't listening to you earlier?" Vox asked. "Of course I was. And... Well. I inferred the rest."
Of course he had.
You smiled, let out a chuckle, and reached for your phone to take a picture.
That was when you realized that Vox had never given you your phone back. It was on the table beside his elbow and out of reach, at least if you wanted to be polite. You told him you wanted to take a picture.
"Of me? All in due time," the voice demon replied. "Maybe even... something just for you? If you're a good girl. Are you a good girl...?"
Good, bad- you were whatever kind of girl Vox wanted if pictures were on the line. Even if they weren't.
But now you laughed and explained that you just wanted to take a photo of your plate. Vox kept smiling, but he did not hand back your phone.
"What if I tempted you with something sweeter?" he asked.
Your heart hammered in your chest as Vox leaned in on his fist. His opposite hand reached out, one perfectly-manicured nail traveling up your throat until he lifted your chin. Probably to shut your jaw.
"That's what you want, isn't it? Chat's always asking for kisses. Haven't I always been generous with my kisses? Don't I indulge you all?" He lowered his voice to a whisper. "I can indulge you tonight."
You were ready to be indulged and any other verbs Vox threw out there, but, out of the corner of your eye, you thought you saw your phone screen light up again, and something about milord in the twitter feed. You realized there had been a lot of notifications.
Vox's eyes narrowed just a smidge as he saw you glance at the screen. His thumb stroked over your cheek.
"You know," he rumbled, "People are always asking me to do whatever I want to them." He let the thought sit for a second. "Do you? Do you... want me to take control? To do whatever I want to you?"
You agreed that you did. Vox smiled.
"Close your eyes," he murmured.
You tried to mentally prepare yourself for whatever thrill awaited. Your whole body was humming, and so was Vox.
Hum, hum, hum.
Vox hummed the whole time he spent tying you down to your chair. The ropes were still warm from his skin. You could smell that he'd put the candles out, smoke mingling with the scent of earl grey and sandalwood as he stood next to you, and you were full of hope in the dark.
When he was finished, Vox said, "All right. You can open your eyes."
You did. But he just looked at you, leaning down so his eyes were even with your own.
"I want you to understand something," he began. "I really did come here because I needed you. And I genuinely do enjoy spending time with you, kindred. I do. You've been lovely company. You don't know how pleased I was when I heard you playing my stream earlier. If you'd worn headphones, well... I might not have known you were one of mine. I'm sorry it had to end up this way."
Vox didn't sound dangerous, and you didn't feel unsafe or afraid, but something was amiss.
"It was going so well, too. But you couldn't let the phone go, could you?" the voice demon drawled, clucking his tongue, again a little tck-tck-tck. "I'm sorry, kindred. No, don't worry, now. This isn't about you. It's about..."
Vox looked away, his expression dark.
"It's about The Morax."
You weren't sure you followed.
"The Mo-rax," Vox repeated, and slowed down to emphasize each syllable. "The movie. The Morax. 200k." It dawned on you- Vox did say he'd put a loop on of the Morax Movie for 200k. But you weren't sure how this all tied in.
"I'm a demon, darling. Demons lie. But I have the best of intentions. I never wanted to disappoint you... it's just that some things are more important. You know what evil that movie is. And, I'm no bitch. I'm a man of my word."
You stared at him. He was no less beautiful in his iron determination. "If a man can't stream because there's no internet, well, that's just rotten luck, isn't it?"
You thought something had seemed a little off earlier. You realized- a few things just didn't add up. And Vox saw your wheels turning.
"Of course they're in on it," he said, answering your unspoken question. "They're all in on it. They're my friends, and I can count on them. What, you think Shu doesn't understand magic? That he just accidentally mispronounced an incredibly specific name that just happened to be the name of our hotel's main Wi-Fi router?"
It did sound dumb, you had to admit, now that you actually thought about it. Why hadn't you thought about it? ...Because you were thinking about Vox.
"You think Shu would believe that he could cast a countercurse by flexing? By saying things backwards? With the 'eyyyyy'?"
You didn't answer that. And you didn't have to. Vox laughed warmly. "Please tell me you didn't really believe Ike was out for me, for- what did I say? Updating his computer, which messed up the settings? That doesn't even make sense. Or maybe it does, I'm too boomer to know. I just made it all up. I'm flying by the seat of my pants here! I was just trying to keep you distracted, darling."
You were stunned. You asked what parts the others played, and Vox indulged your curiosity,
"If I have your word you won't tell. Do I? Good. Then, I'll tell you- there is no curse. It was Ike. He did me a solid. I'm the one who sent Shu that akasupa, and Ike's the one who handled the Wi-Fi. Smart man. Clever man. It was never out around the block." Vox seemed pleased with himself, even as he saw you puzzling through his confession.
"I know what you're thinking. Why not Shu? He is good with computers, isn't he? I'll spell it out for you, since I can tell you're wondering: it'd be too easy to see through. But take what people would think is the truth and twist it- they'll never suspect Ike now. They can't blame Shu, either. They don't know, kindred. They lack critical information." Vox paused and gave you a frustrated, if fond, smile; in reality he was rather delighted, swaying from side to side in happy, excited motions you had affectionately come to think of as Vox wiggles. "I can't believe you'd think that Ike was really after me! Ike's my boy! He's so wholesome. I mean, the threat of my cumming was real- or would have been real- but the rest, that's all just balderdash. If Ike came after me, I'd be delighted. That's my fantasy, not my nightmare, kindred." Milord's cheek had a subtle glow of delight at the thought.
After fifteen seconds had passed in Vox's dreamy-eyed silence, you asked about Luca. What about the booba stream? "I did say everyone," Vox reminded you, switching the kitchen lights back on. "I left Luca to his own machinations. The man can blink morse code at chat for ten minutes and they love it. I just told him I needed a diversion. He just said, 'Diversion? Pog!' And so I left him to it. His distraction game is on point. Anyone who says they can't appreciate Luca's booba is lying. And two shapely men, in the same room, flexing together? Come on, kindred. You've seen Shu's biceps, haven't you? All that and Luca's grill voice? It's chef's kiss, mua!"
After a moment, Vox let out an appreciative sigh. "Ahhh. They really did do a bang up job. All of them. I'm quite lucky." He seemed touched, smiling to himself.
Of course, this just left-
"You're wondering about Mysta, aren't you? What part Mys-ta Ri-as played in all this."
The sound of your door bursting open was followed by a friendly but briefly alarming cry. "I'm the dog! LET'S GOOOO!" Mysta's voice and laughter was unmistakable, even before his head popped over your shoulder. "Augh, it's almost dark out! D'you have a nice dinna then? D'you save some for me?"
Mysta was loose in your kitchen now, which was dangerous for any number of reasons, but you found yourself in a sort of twilight zone. You needed copium.
Vox addressed your thoughts, chuckling mischievously. "Hehehe... Yesss. That's right, kindred. Mysta was the dog. You see," he said, retaking his seat and leaning back, "There are a lot of people who want to find out where I am right now. And I can't have that happen. I left my phone, and of course, yours is..." Vox took a moment to reach over and turn off your device before tucking it away in a kitchen drawer. "Well, it's out of the picture now."
Vox smiled at you as Mysta rooted through your pantry for snacks. You'd eaten all of your dinner and he was a hungry, hungry boy, a rather large bag swinging on his shoulder.
"Good dog," Vox praised, not taking his eyes off you. "We're going to have to keep out any prying eyes for just a bit longer, I'm afraid. Reimu's malding," he explained, stretching with a slight yawn, "because she's searching for me and can't find me. But, popular as I am, and Luxiem is, Niji EN as a whole is bigger. I can't fight everyone's fans, and I think too many would rush to her aid. Even Oni Giri would have betrayed me, if I hadn't stuffed him away for a while. He's still jealous over my love for Arataki Itto! Don't worry- he's cozy. But now, Mysta here has been a good boy."
"Oh, have I? That's good, that'll make up for what I'm about to do to your ass!" Mysta laughed delightedly, arms full of the food Vox was trying to keep you from eating in the first place.
"Yes, you were keeping watch for me like such a good boy," Vox insisted. "Though, your dick's never done much for me."
"Wo'evah. When you've got cake like this, who needs dick? -Wait. Hang on."
Vox continued onward smoothly. "Don't get me wrong. I will show the Morax," he promised, "but I never said for how long. I said, 'starting at 198k, until we hit 200k'. By the time I get back, and Ike restores the Wi-Fi, I'll already be at 200k. Of course, I won't have known about any of this. I haven't had internet, remember? And my phone, it's all alone in my hotel room... Must've dropped it or something. How unfortunate." Tck, tck, tck.
You thought this was an awful lot of work to just avoid a movie, and Vox acknowledged your disbelief with a patient sigh.
"I realize these events may seem, to you, quite contrived. And they are. I don't deny it. But there are some things worth the trouble. And there are some evils that have already been let out into the world enough, kindred."
You simply stared. Vox had done it all, and you'd thought he'd done it all for you, but he'd done it all for The Morax. You knew he could see the uncertainty in your eyes.
"Everything else- aside from what I mentioned- is the truth. I meant what I said before. And I am happy to be here. It's just... you're going to have to stay like that for a while. I can't take any risks. Not now."
Mysta had gotten into your fridge and was grabbing some of the beers Vox had picked up from the tiny shop. He handed one to Vox, the two opening their bottles in tandem and clinking them together. They took a victory sip, after which Vox let out an especially satisfied sigh and set the bottle down with a thunk.
It was the closest thing you'd be getting to a kabedon tonight.
"We're going to play Genshin," Vox said. "But you're welcome to watch."
...
Ending Notes: I hope you've enjoyed your stay and that reading this has made you happy. It was written with affection. Whether you're a thirsty kindred or were just reading this for giggles, I see you. And I like that you're here. You made it to the end. Congratulations. And an early congratulations to milord for 200k. I suppose we will end up watching The Morax together after all.
Updated comment: High fives to everybody who watched Vox suffer for three hours with a background of silence and your own laughter. Although there was actually more purpose to having the viewing- because it communicated something important between us all.
Last bit: I did write this specifically for you. That sounds so general, doesn't it? But it really is for all kindred, thirsty and not, and for Vox, who delights in indulging fans and making their day better. It's always a choice how to respond to other people, and it isn't always clear what kindness means in context. Trying to understand that and give something good back is a hallmark of compassion. I hope you all feel seen and appreciated, because you are. Catch a hug.