You turned your laptop over to Vox, taking the time while he reviewed your work to rest your tired eyes. It was like 11 something PM, and he still had you in his goddamn office finalizing everything for the big launch tomorrow. VoxTek Instant Delivery. By instant, he meant between 50 to 500 business days, which of course, you had to include in a nice little disclaimer to avoid getting sued for false advertisement.

"These look really good," Vox spoke, sliding the laptop back to you and gaining your excited attention. Oh thank god! You could finally go home! You were just so tired, and you had some other things you wanted to take care of before- "But I think we can do better ."

You blinked. Better? Better?! The fuck did he mean 'better'?! Stop fucking edging me and let me go home. Is what you would have said if you didn't bite your tongue just now. You tilted your head at him, speaking with a soft amused tone, tinged with your exhaustion for a hint. "What do you mean 'better'? I designed this with the same general formula as all your other branding."

"Yeah, I know, but it's a bit flat looking, don't you think? How about we add some more color?"

You blinked twice this time. "Are you playing with me right now?" You laughed, shaking your head slightly in disbelief.

"No?"

"You do remember I suggested that we add more colors like a week ago, right?"

"Yeah, and now I've changed my mind."

"Vox, this is going to take me hours to fix…"

He leaned back in his chair and kicked his feet up onto the table. "Welp, better get started then."

Your eyes remained fixed on him, pleading for him to admit he was joking or something. Even if you knew he wasn't. "You can do it." He grinned sadistically, offering you that weak excuse for encouragement. You slowly turned back to your laptop in defeat, stretching your arms up before setting your hands back onto the keys and your mouse. The good news was that you already had ideas for what you wanted to do. You could add a little glow, some color gradients, put in a bit more definition….Damn your eyes were tired…..

ZAP

"AH!" You yelped, eyes widened and heart pounding from the sudden jolt of electricity that just shot through your body.

"Sleeping on the job? Not very professional, darling." Vox chuckled, the electricity still crackling on his index finger. You shot him a glare before rubbing your hand on your forehead with fatigue. You were just so tired, and the aquarium was just so peaceful. If only you were in your own office so you could grab an energy drink.

"Come on," Vox said as he gently shut your laptop and took your arm, guiding you to stand up. "I think you could use a change in scenery."

"Oh? Where are we going?" You asked, sliding your laptop into your bag and slinging it over your shoulder.

"My apartment."

You furrowed your brows, wondering if you were so sleepy you misheard. "Pardon?"

"We're going upstairs to my apartment. Any issues with that?" Oh. Oh!

"No, no, that's fine." You replied smoothly, letting him guide you out of his office to the elevator, his hand brushing over the small of your back. You stepped in through the metal doors, and Vox scanned his clearance card to go up to his apartment floor. You shut your eyes from the sudden artificial brightness the elevator had, contrasting the glowy blue of Vox's office. The elevator started to go up, Vox's hand still on your back.

"I've got you working so hard, don't I?" He chuckled, rubbing his hand up and down gently. I'll strangle you, let me go home. You nodded, too tired to give some kind of witty little answer right now. You leaned slightly into his touch, sighing as you waited for the elevator to land. After it finally did, the doors opened up to his apartment. You opened your eyes to see the spacious apartment floor as Vox led you in.

"Here we are! Pretty nice, isn't it?" He spoke excitedly, taking off his coat and rolling up the sleeves of his collared shirt under the sweater vest he wore.

The space opened up to a beautiful kitchen, decked out with all the top high-end appliances. A super sleek fridge, glossy countertops, an island with bar stools. A few old take-out containers and coffee cups here and there, but nothing unusual looking. Past the kitchen was a living room with a huge flat screen TV on the wall across from an L-shaped couch. It was a really nice apartment, you had to admit. Bigger than yours slightly, though your apartment was prettier.

"Yeah, it's really nice!" You replied, trying to add some cheer into your voice despite how tired you were. You didn't need to keep pretending though when the framed posters of your work for VoxTek caught your eye. "Liked them that much, hm?" You asked, nodding to the posters hung on the wall. Vox followed your gaze and smiled, "Yeah, of course."

He walked into the kitchen and began rummaging through a drawer. "You can go ahead and get yourself set up in the living room."

"Okay, yeah, sure." You said, sauntering through to the living room, looking around as you did. Hm, no surveillance cameras. You felt at ease a bit more knowing that. The one thing about coming to V Tower that you didn't like was the constant recording. You weren't doing anything suspicious, literally just meetings, but still. You made it to the couch, sitting down with your laptop and loading up the software.

"I'm ordering takeout, what are you in the mood for?" Vox called out from the kitchen. Aw, nice!

"I-"

"Actually, I'm gonna pick something out from this one place instead…I'm sure you'll like it."

Your smile strained for a moment as you smoothed out your hair. What time even was it…12:36AM?! "Vox, how long did you let me sleep before waking me up?"

"Hm? About 20 minutes or so." He answered before dropping his voice to be more teasing. "Why? Are you mad at me?"

"No, not mad. Just a little hurt and betrayed." You responded with a mock sadness in your tone.

"Well, I'm making it up to you now, hun," He started, walking over with two little cups in his hands. "Espresso shots."

"Oh, thanks!" You took the little glass cup, smiling at him as he sat down next to you on the couch. You clinked your glass against his, "Bottoms up." and you both downed them in one go. It was hot and bitter, but it worked. Honestly, anything was better than getting zapped. Vox lowered his glass, letting out a satisfied 'Ahh' sound after he swallowed. You set your empty glass down and then leaned back, taking a deep breath which was immediately halted when you felt the back of your head come into contact with Vox's arm draped over the couch.

"Comfy?" He asked, smirking at you like he was trying to conceal a much greater shit-eating grin.

You could play this a few ways, but matching it was probably the easiest one. You readjusted, lifting your head up, and your gaze mirroring his smug confidence, "Very."

And then you turned your gaze back down to your laptop like he wasn't even there. Oh yeah, you still had a lot to get through. It was probably best that you took care of the main graphics first, make sure it's all good, and then take care of-

"I'm gonna put something on VoxFlix while you're workin' away there."

You kept clicking away and dragging graphics around on your screen. "Yeah, yeah, alllll good."

You quickly learned that Vox liked to talk through shows- reacting and making commentary, explaining some of the behind the scenes facts that he would know about since he produced a good amount of Hell's entertainment media. You managed to keep up the conversation he made as you worked, keeping your ear adjacent to Vox pointed in his direction. You were getting so close to finishing up this last part of the animation, just final touches…

"...And in that scene right there…Y/N, are you looking?"

You looked up briefly and nodded before resuming your task. "Mhm!"

"We had the guy do like 19 takes because he kept freaking out about…."

Just gotta move this hereee, and thennnn,

"Y/N are you listening to me?"

You used an illusion of a glowing red arrow to point to your ear turned towards him so you didn't have to stop working, "Yep, just focused!"

"I thought so, just checking. Oh, those are looking good. Keep it up." He complimented before getting back into his tangent. "Anyways…."

Yeah, no, you couldn't take this anymore. You needed him quiet for a couple minutes so you could finish this. The only reason you hadn't muted him out to yourself was because he kept checking in to get your attention, and you didn't want to upset him if he thought you were ignoring him. You looked over and leaned towards him, your fingers just feathered over his chest, which all on its own, got him to stop talking. You smiled endearingly, your voice honeyed, "Vox, could you please stop talking for just like one minute? I'm so close to finishing this."

He blinked back, eyes widening as he registered your request. A lop-sided smile formed on his face, and his eyes went from surprised to mischievous. "Alright, alright," He raised his hands in surrender, "I'll be quiet."

"Thank you." You whispered before giving him an appreciative pat on his chest and then diving right back into your work. Bit more glow here…move this there…looking good, looking good!...

"There!" You exclaimed softly, letting out a breath of relief and then passing your laptop to Vox. "What do you think?"

Vox scrolled through, examining the little changes you made which included more color variants, a subtle glow effect along borders, some gradients, lift. Just details to make it less 'flat' as you would say. You watched Vox closely as he reviewed. He looked to be pretty pleased with your work. He'd make it obvious if he hated it though, or thought it was just overall bad, no doubt. Vox didn't have time to humor anyone, always direct and straight to the point. You weren't exactly an exception to that rule though. He had no problem telling you when he just straight up thought your mockups were 'shit' or some other such insult. You wondered how some of the other overlords he worked with tolerated him. Or maybe they didn't, who knows. You dealt with Vox in your own way, and that worked just fine.

"Perfect, there you go, starlet." He finally said, voice warm with approval. Addicting. You let out an even deeper breath, beaming as you leaned back into the couch, letting your shoulders relax. "Thank god." You murmured, followed by a small laugh. Now that Vox liked that, you could fix everything else accordingly, then submit it and then go home.

A little ping sound from Vox's phone got your attention. "Oh, looks like our food is here. About fucking time." He commented, lifting himself off of the couch and heading out of the living room. You sank into your seat, trying to rest your eyes for a few moments before Vox came back with the food. You could overhear him open the door and make some slight to the deliverer for taking so long. Yeesh, you were glad you weren't one of his employees. Or poor. Vox did not like the poor. He felt offended by their presence or something. With the sound of the door shutting closed, you fluttered your eyelashes as you opened them, returning to reality.

Vox appeared, in all his glory, holding a large beige shopping bag. Your mouth watered as Vox sat down next to you, watching closely as he opened up the bag and slid two beautiful white boxes onto the table. By beautiful, you meant beautiful , like fancy. Curiously, you opened up the box and your eyes widened to see a little trio of what looked to be gourmet sliders and a side of fries.

"Vox, this looks amazing! I really wasn't expecting this for take-out." You laughed nervously, thinking about how much this would have cost- though, he could definitely afford it.

"Only the best for you, my dear." He grinned, handing you a chilled can of…

"No way!" You exclaimed, gratefully taking the can of your favorite energy drink, and gazing back up at Vox. "How did you-"

"I've seen you drink it before- enough times to know how much you like this stuff." Vox explained, "This is the flavor you like most too, right?"

"Mhm!" You nodded eagerly, popping open the can to hear the blissful fizz before taking a large sip. You looked over at Vox who was smiling endearingly at you, making you laugh as you lowered the drink. "You have no idea how much I adore you right now, thank you so much, Vox."

"Anytime, sweetheart."

You both leaned back on the couch holding your takeout boxes as another episode of 'Yeah, I Fucked Your Sister, So What?" started to play. You'd eat your food as a break, have your energy drink and then just power through the rest of the materials you had to alter. Yeah, that sounded good. You picked up one of the little sliders and took a bite. Easily one of the best things you've had since landing yourself in Hell.

"Good?" Vox asked, noticing your surprised and pleased reaction.

"Yeah! You have good taste."

He smiled, "Well, if you like it that much, I'd be happy to take you out there sometime."

"Aw, that'd be nice! I'd like that." You said, smiling back at him. "Have you gone there with the other Vees before?"

"From time to time. Velvette is all about trying new restaurants and posting about them on her socials, so she's the one that usually picks out where we're going out to eat."

"Oh, yeah, I know what you're talking about." You mused, thinking back to some of Velvette's Sinstagram stories of her dining at high-end restaurants across Pride. Her socials were well maintained- she had a good eye for keeping a cohesive aesthetic. "She's got a really good following, doesn't she?"

"She wouldn't be one of The Vees if she didn't." Vox laughed, munching on a couple fries before continuing. "Velvette's great though when she's not maxing out my credit cards- and Val too. It was just him and I for a long while before Velvette came along."

"No one else caught your attention before her?"

Vox stopped chewing his food, as if he was considering something. Oh? You raised a brow, waiting for a response. "Um…yeah. Before Velvette, there was Alastor, but he-" He paused, grinding his teeth. "He rejected me."

"Oh. I'm sorry about that." You spoke sympathetically, now wondering who he was talking about. "Alastor?"

"The Radio Demon." He clarified.

"The Radio Demon?!" You repeated in complete shock. While you had luckily never encountered him, you had heard the screams of his victims over his radio broadcast. Sometimes he would say a few words to the audience with a surprisingly charming and chipper voice, well suited for a radio talk show. "And you were…friends?"

"Yeah. Used to be before I realized he was an arrogant bastard piece of shit."

You thought for a moment as he took another bite of his slider, "Have you seen him since-"

"No. Not since he disappeared five years ago. Rotting away hopefully."

He got quiet, like he was thinking really hard about it. For a few moments it was just the two of you sitting there, the TV show still playing on in the background. He really cared about this. You wanted to know more, it was very interesting information, could be useful, but ultimately, you wouldn't pry directly. You didn't want to make him talk about something so sensitive in case it came across as nosy. If he didn't tell you himself, you were sure there were other ways to find out. Sure, it wasn't any of your business, but still, you were intrigued.

He clenched his fist on his lap, glaring down at the floor. Gently, you placed your hand on his forearm, his skin radiating with heat. His tense muscles relaxed as he realized your hand placement, his gaze shifting up from the floor to your eye line.

"Hey," You started, voice calm and supportive, "You don't have to talk about it anymore than you want to. I understand."

He sighed, the tension leaving his body as his other hand brushed over yours in appreciation. "Thanks." He murmured, cracking a small smile, "I appreciate that. It's just….a lot. Not exactly fun to get into."

"Whatever happened, and for what it's worth, I feel honored that I get to work so closely with you. I think you're wonderful."

The sharpness in Vox's eyes dissipated with your words, "You really mean that?"

"Mhm." You nodded, keeping your eyes locked with his. A slow smile spread across his face, as he eyed you, a mix of gratitude and what looked to be something deeper. "You're something special, Y/N."

Oh? Flirting? Cute, but not something you really cared to entertain too much in his apartment. Just say something witty and change the subject. Easy. "Thank you, I try to be." You laughed softly, the sound filling the space between you both before you turned to face the TV again. "So, Vox, tell me, what's the story behind this scene?"

"Okay, okay, come here, look at these." You said feverishly, and Vox quickly scooted right next to you as you turned the laptop towards him, nearly hip to hip. You started clicking through all of the edited posters, animations and graphics for VoxTek Instant Delivery, all brushed up with glowing blues, purples and pinks around the black text boxes. Vox was in the center of course, sporting a mail deliverer outfit, smiling wide.

"So this is the main commercial, redone to your specifications…" You trailed off, clicking play.

The commercial opened up with the sleek animation of the VoxTek logo, then transitioning smoothly into the montage of happy customers using the delivery system with Vox's voice overlay explaining the features in a simple and informative way, text boxes emphasizing how easy and great it was. To finish, it ended with the signature 'VoxTek. Trust Us.' tagline. The main changes were with the colors and such graphics. You looked up at Vox with anticipation, silently praying he would say he loved it so you could go home. He looked at the screen intensely for a few more moments before his lips curled up with satisfaction. "It's great. It's perfect."

"I delivered?" You grinned, snapping a finger gun at him. Vox nudged you with his elbow, stifling a laugh and playing a sitcom laugh track, "Tss yes, Y/N, you delivered."

"Thanks! And now that I have, I'm gonna submit it."

You uploaded everything into your company submission box, confirming everything to be launched tomorrow. The bar filled, and when you got the successful submission message, you quickly shut your laptop and raised your hands with finality. "Done."

You smiled with relief as Vox rubbed your arm, "Exactly, all done. Now you can relax."

Yes, finally. You checked the time on your phone- it was about 3 in the morning. "Mmm, now I have to get home before I fall asleep." You sighed, rolling your shoulders back with the intention of getting up from the couch.

"Aww, come on, stay for the rest of the episode."

You were considering it now. One one hand, you wanted to just head back home and crash in your own bed. Though, on the other hand, it was a Friday- no-now Saturday- which meant that when you did get home you could sleep in. It was really tempting to stay and just give yourself a break after working on those ads so furiously for the past couple of hours or so. Fuck it, "Okay, okay, but then after I seriously have to get home."

Upon your response, Vox took your laptop and set it aside before moving his arm back up and over the top of the couch like before. "Alright, sounds like a plan then."

You felt yourself blinking slowly, losing against your will to stay up. The caffeine had run its course and served its purpose, now your body's natural desire to get some sleep taking over. The soft murmur from Vox was probably the last thing you heard before you fell asleep, "Just relax, I've got you."

You woke up to see the TV was off, and that you were still in Vox's apartment. You seemed to have leaned into Vox a little bit while you slept, just brushed up against his warm chest. He must not have minded though if his arm that was on top of the couch had found its way to fall over your shoulders, his hand limply hanging off the side of you. This was….not the most professional…but hey, you were both tired, right? And, you didn't mind, per say- despite how treacherous it was fixing everything to Vox's liking, you did have a nice time with him. You'd be okay with doing this again sometime.

Carefully, you slipped out from under Vox's arm, gently lowering it and placing it around his torso. He felt cooler to the touch now. His screen was blacked out- sleep mode! Oh, that made so much sense. And now that you were up, you could check your phone….It was 5 in the morning, holy shit. Aw, fuck. Quietly gathering your things and throwing out the empty take out boxes and trash, you were ready to head out. You looked back at Vox, deciding to drape the blanket he had on one of the other chairs over him. And with that, you were off.