There Will Most Probably Be A Part 2 To This - Tumblr Posts

Feign Lust to Fool the Masses

(A/N: first off, if you see the excessive amount of swearing, specifically fuck, that's because my friend dared me to make the word count for "fuck" to be 69. So, count all you want, and you'll find out that it is indeed 69-- excluding this note. AND ALSO. HOW DOES ONE MAKE OUT WITH A FUCKING TV I'VE BEEN LOSING MY GODDAMN MIND)

Let’s get one thing straight: you fucking hate Vox with every fiber of your being.

And you know that he felt the same about you. The only reason that you were together would be because you, too, were a media overlord, specializing in interactive media such as VR headsets and such, and that if you were to partner up with someone with as powerful as Vox, then the quality of your technology would significantly increase as well as his ability to brainwash people.

And because of the numerous projects the both of you would work on, many of those intently waiting for the next upgraded piece of technology had assumed that you two were, well… in their words, boning.

You’d have to blame Valentino for that; the demons under him use your mechanisms for sexual reasons so much to the point they’d assume that the overlords who made VR happen in Hell are as horny as them.

And with that, you compromised with Vox. Feign dating in public, to attract more people hence more power, and to also make them shut the fuck up. 

Seriously, everywhere you used to go it was always just “are you and Vox dating?” or “what does his dick taste like?” 

Like, did they really fucking think you’d settle for a TV head? 

Either way, it had been around 6 months since the whole “fake dating” charade started, and now the both of you were invited to this extravagant ball that Velvette had arranged.

How she was able to afford it, you weren’t quite sure.

“Are you ready?” Vox asked absentmindedly, scrolling through his Voxtek phone, not even sparing a glance at you.

You glanced down at your champagne cocktail dress, something Vox had gifted you in public a week ago in preparation for the ball, along with the red bottomed heels that you personally loved. “More than ready, dear. Ah, wait,” you walked towards the overlord before lifting his head up so that he had to rip his eyes from his phone and look at you instead. From his TV head, you could see your reflection slightly, and the moment Vox realized what you were doing, he tensed, his brows furrowing in annoyance.

“What have I told you about using my head as a fucking mirror?” You just scoffed, rolling your eyes as you fixed golden necklace number 3. 

Your lack of a reply ticked Vox off immensely; he fucking hated it when you did that. Everyone always obeyed his sense of superiority; you never did.

You finally took some time to study what Vox was wearing, and grimaced. “Is that really what you’re wearing to a ball? Didn’t Vel give you anything to wear or something?”

Vox groaned slightly before finally standing up from the couch, fixing the lapels of his usual coat. “Fine, I’ll change.”

“Make sure you’re matching with me! Everyone has to be convinced!”

“Fuck off!” 

And you might as well have tried Charlie Morningstar’s idea of redemption just for the Lord to take you because Vox took so. Fucking. Long. To change.

You pinched your nose bridge, walking towards his bedroom. You both had separate rooms, after all, just in the same apartment in the tower to not attract unwanted attention. 

You gripped the doorknob and sighed loudly; just what was taking him so long? “Vox? What the fuck are you doing in there?-” You cut yourself off, staring at Vox’s mess of a bed, heaps and heaps of clothes on it. “Are you seriously fucking kidding me right now?” You deadpanned, leaning on the door frame.

He glared at you, and you took notice of how the only garment he currently had on were his pants. “Oh, shut the fuck up; give me another 10 minutes.”

“It’s been 30!” You exclaimed, heaving in a deep breath before walking towards the bundles of suits on his bed, scouring through it to find a navy blue —almost black— suit, along with a champagne tie; you knew Vox of all people had one.

You finally fished out exactly what you were looking for, and glared at him, the coat and its pair of pants in one hand and the tie in the other. “It took me less than a fucking minute, max. Now, go,” you threw the suit at him, which he successfully caught. “I’ll be waiting outside. And I swear to fuck, if you take another 30 minu—”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever.” He retorted, rolling his eyes.

Dear God, this ball is going to be insufferable.

“Oh, (Name)!” A familiar voice exclaimed from the mass crowd of people, causing you to perk up with a grin. “Rosie!” You turned your head, exchanging kisses on the cheeks with her. You had no idea where Vox went, and honestly, you couldn’t care less.

“So, how’s your new lover?” Rosie asked, her signature grin plastered on her face. You tilted your head, placing a hand on your chest. “Well, he’s been such a darling to me! Always giving me beautiful gifts and such.”

The overlord you were talking to raised an unconvinced brow. “But how is he in private? Does he really treat you as well as he does in public?”

Your mask almost broke for a second. Does Rosie know? 

You shrugged it off with a small laugh, trying to sound as convincing as possible. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, my dear Rosie. He’s such a gentleman behind closed doors, too.”

She laughed the same way you did. “Well, I’m sorry for askin’. I just want to know if my friend is being treated right, that’s all.” You nodded, agreeing with her statement. Nothing wrong with wanting to know if a dear companion is doing well with their new partner, right? 

“And besides, he always looks at you with such formality; I almost thought he was using you.”

…Pardon?

Your eyes slightly widened when you looked at Rosie before you quickly recovered. “If you’ll excuse me, Rosie.”

“Oh, of course!” There was confusion in her voice, but she didn’t pry.

Swiftly, you searched for Vox in the large number of people currently at the ball; seriously, how the fuck does Velvette know this many sinners? 

You and Vox needed to be more persuasive in terms of being a “couple”. If you two were claiming to be lovers and yet none of that micro body language bullshit that you’d hear some of the “Vox and (Name) enthusiasts” would be talking about on some social media platforms was happening, you might as well fake dump him right then and there.

You spotted him conversing with some people in the media, and rolled your eyes, cursing internally. He saw you just as you walked towards him, and Vox’s brow raised in confusion. “(Name)? What are you doing—?”

“Vox.” You strained a smile, your voice sickeningly sweet. Your hand gripped his arm tightly, making him wince ever so slightly. “A word in private?”

The sinners he was previously talking to snickered to themselves and backed away, giving the two of you some privacy. 

When they finally left, Vox’s smile disappeared from his screen. “What the fuck do you want, (Name)? You know we don’t have to stick toge—”

“We aren’t convincing enough.” You simply stated, causing him to stare at you. After a couple of beats, he laughed, a hand on the one gripping his other arm. He picked it away from his coat with ease before letting his hand linger on yours to save face. “Oh, (Name), I show my ‘affection’ for you everyday; how is that not—”

“The way you look at me, apparently—” “Oh my fucking God, stop cutting me off!” He exclaimed, smiling at those who were starting to stare at you. Vox took a deep breath before tightening his grasp on your hand, making you wince this time. He cleared his throat before speaking. “What do you mean, ‘the way I look at you’?” His voice was incredibly forced, as if he was trying his very best to not explode at that very moment.

You sighed, pinching your nose bridge with your other hand, the one not being gripped by your fake partner. “I was just informed by someone that you look at me like I’m just a business partner, and not a romantic one. And I’ve read some comments, and people in paparazzi say that you barely touch me when we’re in priva—”

“Oh, like this?” Vox suddenly grabbed your waist with one arm, the other one finally releasing your hand from his grip. “How should I look at you, hmm?” His now free hand hooked a finger under your chin and lifted it, making heat rush to your cheeks.

Jesus, he’s never actually done anything this physical… ever. And you can’t believe you’re saying this, but it horribly turned you on.

“What, speechless already?” Vox’s voice was low and sultry, which was a contrast to how he normally talked to you in front of people. It was as if he was only talking to you, not the masses. 

His hand on your waist trailed down lower to your hips, and with the way the dress hugged your body, you could feel every crevice of his claws. 

Vox pulled you closer to him from his grip on your waist, grinning when he saw the way you raised your brows. The hand on your chin began to cup your cheek, and you cursed at yourself for instinctively leaning on it. “You want to be more convincing? Let’s be more convincing.”

You could feel the hundreds of eyes on the both of you as he slowly hooked your leg up and around his thigh, his hand at the bottom of yours. You couldn’t help but shiver at his touch, your gaze darting everywhere to find out who was watching you two.

“Eyes on me, (Name).” Vox ordered, but it wasn’t the kind that he would bark out to his subordinates. It was gentler, more to capture your heart than your attention.

What the fuck are you doing, Vox?

You decided to play his game, so you quirked a brow up as a smile ghosted your lips. “Yes, sir.” 

And at the moment, the both of you realized that this was a game of who will break first. 

“You know, I must say…” You whispered, your hand resting on his chest. “You looked better without this on.”

“(Name),” he chuckled tightly when you traced the way his coat fell on his body. “Are we really doing this?”

“Doing what?” You smiled innocently, messing up his tie ever so slightly; you knew how much that ticked him off. How much untidiness could quite literally be the end of him. Hell, when his room was a mess, he took another 20 minutes to fix everything. “Well, we have to convince the masses, don’t we?”

“You’re playing a dangerous fucking game,” Vox warned.

“Now, who’s to say I don’t know that?” You tilted your head, leaning forward with a smug smirk. 

Vox’s eyebrows raised humorlessly before sighing. “Alright, so we’re doing this.” And with that, the hand on your cheek brushed against the line of your jaw before wrapping itself around the back of your neck, the tips of his claws slightly digging into your skin. You choked down on a moan, not ever wanting to give him the satisfaction of actually melting in his touch.

He noticed the way you held yourself back, however, and he stared at you, amused. “Well, I didn’t know someone here had a thing for pain.” He teased, chuckles escaping his throat as he did so. 

“Oh, shut the fuck up.” You snapped quietly, making him hum. “No, I don’t think I will.” He calmly stated, the fingers of the hand on the bottom of your thigh lingering somewhere higher, causing your breath to hitch. “I’m sure you love the sound of my voice.”

“You’re fucking egotistical.”

“And you love the way it gets stroked. Though,” he grinned, his face slightly lighting up when your leg stayed wrapped around his thigh even when he removed his hand from yours. “I’m sure you’d like to stroke something else, no?”

Your eyes widened at his boldness; what the fuck was he implying? You barked out a nervous laugh, your cheeks heating up even more. You cursed at yourself when you felt the way Vox’s words traveled straight down to your arousal. “You’re insane.”

“Oh, yeah? It’s your fault for driving me so fucking crazy.” His hands roamed around your body, and you’re suddenly incredibly aware of the amount of people not staring at you, half of them hoping you two would fuck right in front of them.

Your jaw tightened as you tried to regulate your breath. “Vox, don’t you think this is a bit much for the public eye?” You attempted to reason out, but he only tilted his head before grinning. “You’re right. They wouldn’t be able to handle it.”

With that, he grabbed you by the wrist and started to drag you to somewhere private, leaving a trail of gasps and whispers behind.

“Vox!” You exclaimed, shock coating your voice. “What the fuck are you doing!?”

“Well, you said it was a bit much for the public eye,” he explained, looking at you with a grin, his eyes half lidded. “Then we’ll do it in private. Plus, it looks good on camera. I saw a couple people taking pictures of us.”

You snorted; you noticed them, too. “Yeah, they’re not really discreet—” You cut yourself off with a yelp when Vox yanked you closer to his body by your waist, his knee slotted right in between your thighs. It was only then that you realized that he had you sandwiched between him and a wall. 

From this angle, you could barely see the faint glow of the event a couple of feet behind Vox; it wasn’t so close that they could fully see what you two were doing, but it wasn’t far enough for sinners to not accidentally walk into a rather… scandalous scene.

That idea alone sent shocks down to your core.

“Oh, do you enjoy the idea of fucking me in public?” Vox laughed out, an amused grin plastered onto his face. It was just as shit-eating as the one who bore a smile all the time, and you couldn’t wait to wipe it off of his face. “Just shut your fucking mouth, will you?”

He rolled his eyes, his hands roaming around your body once more. You had to admit, he was… so fucking skilled with them. 

You almost immediately melted in his touch, but you stopped yourself from giving him the pleasure of a reaction. But nothing slides in Vox’s vision; he saw you. He saw the way your eyes fluttered closed before snapping wide open, as if your brain was shouting at you to not give in. Hell, he felt the way your body reacted to his hands, the way your hips slightly twitched up as he grazed them.

And to think the both of you were still fully clothed. Imagine how much damage he could do to you when you weren’t. 

Vox’s knee began to steadily rock you, causing you to purse your lips in a feeble attempt to stop yourself from making any noises of pleasure. Yet that expression of yours only fueled Vox’s desire to tease you, to prove to you that he can be as convincing as he can.

His hand hovered just above the high slit of your dress, his fingers threatening to slip under it. “What’s wrong, (Name)?” He taunted, the smug grin never leaving his face. “Why so silent all of a sudden?”

You let out a groan through gritted teeth; hopefully he would assume that it was one of annoyance. Though, you both knew it was far from that. “We aren’t an actual fucking couple, you know? Y-You don’t have to…” You trailed off, taking in a deep breath as he slightly quickened the pace. 

His laughter was rich and low, condescension dripping like venom. “Oh, but you told me that we needed to move the people a bit more. That I didn’t touch you when we’d be alone. That I didn’t look at you like I wanted to fuck you at every given moment…” He leaned closer to your ear, his voice nothing but a growl when he spoke. “You think I care if they find us here? Fuck, I hope they do.” You squirmed slightly at his words, shivering slightly at his voice. You hated admitting it, but it really was one of the main reasons you could even stand his ass. 

He rocked his knee a bit harder, pushing you against the wall. The small distance between your chest and his closed as you wrapped your arms around his neck, small yet strained moans coming out of you. You could feel the way your slick probably stained a spot on his pants; they were dark enough for it to be mistaken as black, anyway. No one would notice, right? 

As soon as your moans reached his ears (does he even have ears?), he groaned before letting out a tight chuckle. “You’re such a fucking freak.”

You scoffed at his words, clearly offended. “Excuse me? You call me a freak when we literally live with the freakiest fucking pimp in all of Hell?”

“Do you want me to stop?”

You opened your mouth to speak before hesitating. You grunted, heaving an annoyed sigh. That alone gave Vox a satisfactory answer, dropping his knee. You stumbled slightly, your body missing the feeling of his knee against your sex. You glared at him, though Vox noted the way your slight desperation tried to hide itself. “What the fuck, Vox? I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to.” The overlord huffed out, his hands leaving your body and landing on his pants, unbuckling the belt that was snatching his waist even more. But before he could fully unzip his pants, he looked at you with a raised brow, his face entirely serious.

That was then you realized he was asking for your consent.

You couldn’t help but laugh softly. He teased you for what felt like forever and he’s only now asking for your consent? Might as well slam it into you.

You rolled your eyes, a small smile gracing your lips. “Whatever. Do what you want, I guess.”

Vox quickly studied your face before grinning; he knew what you meant. “I’m going to break you until your pride flies out of the fucking window.” He declared, finally freeing himself from his now too tight pants. His claws slipped under your dress from the slit, the pointy tips making your shudder in anticipation. Your stomach flipped when he grazed your soaked underwear, barely rubbing his thumb softly against your clothed clit with a grin. “Jesus Christ, (Name); you’re so fucking wet.”

You whined involuntarily, gritting your teeth together. “Just do it, Vox.”

“Do what?”

…

Holy fucking shi—

“You know what I fucking mean!” You exclaimed, the embarrassment of having to elaborate reaching your cheeks. Vox furrowed his eyebrows as his teasing smile grew, feigning confusion. “No, I don’t, (Name). Why don’t you tell me?”

God, this man is going to be the death of me. “Vox, don’t make me do this—”

“Fine then, I guess I’ll just—”

“No!” You shouted out, making Vox look at you just as he was about to re-zip his pants. You pursed your lips as he waited in expectancy. You cursed under your breath, your undead heart pounding out of your chest. “Goddamnit, Vox, just– just fuck me…”

“What was that? I didn’t get that, sorry—”

“Fucking Christ, Vox, fuck me!” 

Ah, there it was. Vox rolled his eyes exasperatedly, that shit-eating grin still on his face. “Fine, fine. No need to fucking shout.”

You deadpanned, staring straight at him as he swiped your underwear away, leaving your pussy bare. You bit your lip at his touch; the way he was subtly teasing you making you clench around nothing. He gave himself a tantalizingly slow stroke before aligning his cock to your hips, his tip easily sliding between your folds and just in front of your entrance. “Fuck…” You cursed under your breath, but you knew you had to do this. For the press, right? Totally!

Vox groaned at how wet you were, guiding his cock to rub against your clit, just to see you squirm. 

And squirmed, you did. You let out a strangled moan, your hand covering your mouth. But just as you were about to do so, Vox grabbed your wrist before making both of your hands wrap around his neck, something tying itself around your wrists, forcing you to keep your arms there. 

You stitched your eyebrows together, looking at Vox in alarm. He finally put his tip inside of you, moaning softly before answering the question you left unsaid. “Don’t try to muffle your pretty noises, (Name). We both know it wouldn’t fucking matter in the end, anyway.”

His claws gripped your hip before cupping your ass as he thrusted slowly into you, only stopping halfway for you to adjust. He glanced at your flushed out expression, your eyes already half lidded. It looked like you desperately needed this, and if you were to be honest, you really did. Ever since you announced that you were in a “relationship” with the overlord of media, it was like people were repulsed by the idea of fucking you, or more specifically, terrified of the idea of crossing Vox.

Remember, you two had hated each other behind closed doors for 6 fucking months. 

“Vox, you know damn well I can take more,” you growled, glaring at him with a sneer. He raised his brows in amusement at your sudden hostility, and inclined his head slightly. “Alright, then. You said so yourself.”

With that, he thrusted himself into you until your pelvises touched, causing you to let out a guttural moan. Jesus fucking Christ, this man was not playing.

“What, can’t take it all?” He teased, giving you a pout of pity. Your jaw tightened once more, using the fact that he had your wrists tied up to your advantage to pull him in closer, your breath heaving. 

The way his cockiness dissolved as soon as you reeled him in stroked your ego, and you smirked smugly. “I can. Don’t underestimate me, you fucker.”

Vox snapped out of his shock and laughed lowly, almost fully pulling out. “Feisty.” He snapped his hips against yours, earning a small shriek of bliss and surprise from you. He pushed you against the wall even more, so that your back was firmly pressed against it. 

His thrusts were slow yet hard, well calculated to hit your g-spot every damn time; it was making your mind fog up. Vox’s grunts at every thrust weren’t really helping you, either; in fact it was making you even more aroused. 

Suddenly, he quickened his pace, still pulling out until only the tip was inside before shoving his cock inside you with no remorse and no effort whatsoever; you were making this incredibly easy for him. “Fuck…” He let slip before gripping both of your thighs and wrapping them around his waist with ease, snaking an arm around yours afterward. 

With this new position, Vox was able to thrust in deeper, making you cry out in ecstasy. He groaned at your voice, and at the way your walls were tightening against him. “Holy fucking shit, (Name).” He almost laughed out, his hips finding an even quicker rhythm. 

You refused to actually concede, finally and fully immerse yourself in the intense pleasure that Vox was giving you. It was as hard as he was inside you, though, since you slowly felt your better, logical judgment leave you. Every single time he slid in and out of you like it was nothing, you couldn’t help but let out a stifled moan, trying to mask it with a gasp. He was genuinely so fucking huge it made you wonder how. 

Unfortunately for you and your pride, you felt that stupid fucking knot that you had tried to ignore tighten in your stomach, making your breaths heavier than you wanted it to be. Vox had taken notice of this, and grinned, staring at you with such arrogance you just wanted to rip his stupid head off of his stupid neck. “Are you seriously going to cum already?” 

You laughed in his face, a string of pants following suit. “You wish.” You spat, trying your best to not let any noises of pleasure escape you. 

Vox raised a brow before barking out laughter, nodding his head slightly. One of his hands removed itself from the bottom of your thighs and moved painfully slowly towards the top of it, and you immediately knew what he was going to do.

“No,” you muttered in horror, and he just cackled at your reaction. His fingers barely lingered near your clit as he spoke. “I did tell you I was going to break you, didn’t I? I’m going to make you so fucking dumb on my cock, you’re not even going to remember your own fucking name. Is that clear?”

Vox massaged circles against your clit, rendering you unable to think properly, or pull yourself together. Your eyes fluttered closed as his fingers do sinful things to you, all the while thrusting himself into you. 

When Vox spoke once more, his voice was slightly muffled, as if there was some sort of effect on it. From that, you knew what he was trying to do, despite him knowing that it doesn’t really work on overlords.

“Is that clear, (Name)?”

You decided to give into that at least, and nodded your head weakly. “Y-Yes. Yes, Vox.”

He brightened at your answer, his grin beaming. “That’s my good girl.”

At his paise, you clenched around him, your high just a couple of thrusts away, and—

Waves and waves of pleasure and pure bliss crashed into you as you finally reached your orgasm. You let out a throaty moan, which then turned into sobs when you realized that Vox wasn’t stopping any time soon. Or at least, wasn’t stopping until he would cum inside of you.

Vox’s fingers never left your overly sensitive clit either, which makes you tighten the way your legs wrapped around him. At that, he cursed under his breath, his hand finally leaving your clit and finding solace around your waist. “I’m going to fucking cum inside you, yeah?” He babbled, his screen dim and glitching slightly. Oh, so that’s what happens when he’s close. “I’m gonna stuff you with my fucking cum, you hear me?”

“Yes, Vox.” Was all you could respond with, your breaths turning into mere hiccups. You couldn’t help but whine at the thought, your breath hitching when you felt the way Vox’s cords against your wrists tighten. You didn’t want to admit anything you were thinking aloud, since what you were thinking right now (if you could even do so) would be how right Vox was at fucking you dumb. You were so incredibly close at losing your mind, and wait– no, not—

“Are you going to fucking cum again?” He asked condescendingly, his hips ramming into yours with such force, you could feel the way his tip was teasing your walls. You groaned at his words, frustrated at how good he made you feel. “Shut the fuck up and finish inside me already.”

“Oh, so you want me to do that?” He pestered you through pants, making you whine. “Vox!”

“Yes, ma’am. Jesus, you’re really fucking feisty.” 

Vox started to rut inside you as if the both of you didn’t have an event you had to get back to (which you totally forget about, by the way). You felt the way his aching cock twitched in you, accompanied by how soft whines were coming out of his throat.

Honestly? Hearing Vox like that made you reconsider this whole fake dating thing.

“I’m so fucking close.” He said through gritted teeth, and you couldn’t help but moan in agreement, feeling that same knot tightening and tightening, and holy fucking shit he felt so good inside of you, you just wanted to—

The both of you came with loud and guttural moans, your chests heaving. Vox’s hips allowed himself a couple more slow and hard thrusts as if fucked his cum deeper and deeper inside of you, causing some whimpers to be ripped out of your throat.

The two of you stayed like that for a hot minute, barely listening to the way you were panting your lungs out. Your tongue practically lolled out of your mouth, your eyes half lidded. You weren’t necessarily fully fucked dumb, per se, so you could rub that in Vox’s face later.

“Don’t think we’re finished, my dear.” Vox growled, his voice husky. Fuck, it was like he read your mind. You laughed nervously, looking at him in his eyes for the first time the whole session. “What do you mean?”

“What’s your name?” Was all he asked you, causing you to furrow your eyebrows in confusion. You carefully placed your two legs on the floor again as you responded to him. “(Name), why?-”

“Exactly.” Vox concluded, slipping out of you with a groan. “You still remember your name. You’re lucky we’re not in private otherwise I would’ve done way more fucking things to you.” He fished a handkerchief out of his pocket and cleaned his cock of his and your juices before doing the same to your now swollen cunt, the texture of the fabric making you grimace. 

You looked down at the pool of cum that accumulated on the ground, and pursed your lips. Your head stayed tilted down as you stared at Vox, batting your eyelashes. “Is that a promise?”

He just scoffed at your words, shaking his head slightly. “We have to go back. Just leave it there.” 

You realized he was talking about the puddle of cum on the floor, and glared at him in disgust. “Excuse you? We have to at least clean this fucking shit up—”

“Leave it to someone else.” He ordered, making you roll your eyes. You allowed him to grip your wrist (which now had a red line from his cord)  and walk you back to the party. You stumbled on your own feet when you finally recognized what heels you were wearing, along with the fact that your legs were shaking violently. 

The overlord you had just fucked noticed it, and sighed irritatedly, hooking an arm around your waist to keep you balanced. “Don’t get fucking used to this in private.” He grumbled immediately before a smile appeared on his face, nodding at the whispering crowd that was finally coming into view.

“You didn’t answer my question before.” You muttered so that only he could hear it, smiling as you snaked an arm around Vox’s neck for the masses. 

“What, about the promise?” Vox snorted, a smug grin replacing his charismatic one. “You better hope it isn’t.”

“I don’t just hope; I fucking expect it.”

“Be careful with your words, (Name). You might regret it.”

You just shrugged. “We’ll see if you actually stick to what you say or not. Or maybe you’re just all bark, no bite.”

“Oh, fuck you.” Vox retaliated with a strain, though you knew he was now clearly enjoying your banter.

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

And for the first time in a while, you heard Vox genuinely laugh. At your cockiness or at you yourself, you weren’t quite sure, but a win is a win.