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A visit from Alban is what prompted all of this.
Sonny had heard that Elira was hosting a hot pot party with all the Nijisanji members and that he was able to attend, but he was originally going to decline the offer and stay home. As much as he loved spending time with his friends, he wasn’t a big fan of large crowds or big parties. It had never been much of his thing.
When he heard a knock on his apartment door a few days prior to the party, he was met with Alban and his cheery personality.
“Sonny! How’re you doing?” Alban flashes him a bright smile after greeting him. Sonny returns it with one of his own and a nod.
“Hi Alban, I’m doing alright. Why the sudden visit?”
The phantom thief stuffs his hands into his jacket pockets before replying. “I’m just dropping by. I wanted to know if you were coming to Elira’s party, I’m sure you’ve heard about it by now,” Alban grins, glancing up at him.
Sonny purses his lips for a second and shakes his head, bright blonde hair following his moves.
“Sorry,” He frowns. “I’m not fond of big crowds. Maybe another time,” Sonny gives Alban a shrug and a sympathetic smile, and before Sonny can ask if he’s going, he hears a loud groan from the other.
“C'monn Sonny! It’ll be fun and there’ll be good food! Uki, Fulgur and Yugo will be there as well! Please?” Alban clasps his hands together and steps towards Sonny, gazing up at him with a pleading expression.
He scratches the back of his head, averting his gaze nervously. “I…I don’t know Alban…”
Alban huffs, crossing his arms, but he’s not backing down yet.
“Please, oh, please Sonny? It’ll be more fun if you come and you can’t turn down good food! Just think about it, yeah? I’ve gotta go now, but make sure you think about it!” And just like that, the mischievous phantom thief is off down the stairs, waving him bye as he does so until he’s out of sight.
Sonny sighs and closes the door, biting the inside of his cheek.
Well, Alban was correct, Sonny would never turn down an opportunity for delicious food, and his genmates would be there as well. He supposed it wouldn’t hurt to break out of his shell for once and have a little fun.
Yeah, Sonny nods, I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.
Right?
—
The VSF officer could be seen just a few steps prior to the doors of a hot pot place, fiddling with his fingers nervously and biting his lip.
On the walk over to the hot pot place, Sonny felt a bit nervous and jittery, but he tried his best to shake that off while on his way, but it seemed it had started to take over him.
Sonny was already here at the place, and everyone would be waiting inside, plus he had agreed he’d already come so no backing out now, just go in there and be confident.
Yes, confidence. Confidence. Sonny shaked his head in determination, drawing in a breath.
“Sonny?”
A familiarly deep voice was heard closely behind him and when he turns his head at the mention of his name, he’s met with an unexpected person he’d never hear call out his name.
“O-oh! Vox, hi.”
He gives the other an awkward wave, soft smile accompanying it. Vox walks up to him, a smile of his own on his face that makes Sonny feel just a bit fluttery inside.
“It’s nice to see you here. How are you?”
“I’m ah…doing pretty alright, thank you,” Sonny smiles warmly at him, making Vox’s smile wider, eyes a bit more soft.
“Good to hear,” Vox nods, “Are you going to head in?” The voice demon questions, thumb pointing behind him towards the door. Sonny averts the others gaze for a moment, trying to settle on an answer.
“Yeah, I was about to. It’s pretty cold out here,” He states, glancing towards Vox.
He can hear Vox chuckle softly. “Right. Let’s head in together, shall we?”
Sonny gives him a quiet ‘sure’ and walks alongside him towards the entrance. Vox steps in front him to hold the door open for him.
“Thank you,” He gives the other a thankful smile.
“Anytime.”
The two are met with familiar faces and cheerful greetings, in which they both try to reply to in return. Sonny sees Alban appear in front of him followed by the rest of his genmates.
“Sonny! I’m so glad you actually made it! We were waiting for you to arrive!” Alban grins as he and the rest greet him.
Uki smiles, “Yes, how could it be the same if our sunshine of light didn’t arrive?” The psychic chuckles softly to himself, arms folded as he settles his gaze back on Sonny.
“What’re you scowling about now?” Yugo looks at Fulgur beside him, an irritated expression on the cyborg’s face as his gaze trails a certain voice demon who’s chatting with Reimu.
“That bastard is such a phony. Giving this innocent and friendly smile to Sonny while holding the door open for him. Since when did you two become close?” Fulgur questions him out of nowhere, catching him off guard.
“N-No, We’re not all that close… We just happened to run into each other outside the place and made some small talk,” The officer gave a small chuckle as he waved his hand. Fulgur shrugs, now replying to something Yugo said as the two start a bit of banter.
“Thanks for renting out this place Elira! It looks so nice!” Pomu exclaims, giving her a side hug with a bright smile. Elira laughs, placing her hand on Pomu’s shoulder.
“Yeah, no problem. We should probably start taking out seats now. I’m sure you’ve guys planned out who you want to sit with by now, right?” Elira questions as she glances over at the crowd.
A few of the Nijisanji members had already made seating arrangements, others were just okay with wherever they sat. The volume of the chattering had raised a bit as a few argued back and forth about the topic at hand.
“Sonny, let’s sit together!” Alban beams, grinning.
“Why don’t we all sit together?” Uki suggestions.
“I promised Ike-senpai I’d sit with him…” Yugo mutters with a sympathetic expression.
After a few moments of discussion, the rest of Noctyx had agreed to sit near each other, with Yugo sitting by Ike and Nina, so…
So, how the hell did he end up sitting next to Vox?
Things had definitely got mixed up along the way, as the original plan had been thrown out the window with how the Noctyx’s members were scattered in various seats. Sonny can hear Fulgur shout from a few seats down the table.
“Alban, switch seats with Sonny.”
“What?! No way, I don’t wanna sit next to the old grandpa!” Alban argues back, and Sonny can see Vox shoot an annoyed glare at him from across.
“I don’t want you messing with my food again!”
“I only did that twice! I’m not gonna do it this time!”
“Yes, you totally would, you sneaky little-!”
The two begin to bicker about said things before Reimu yells at them to shut up and be quiet. Sonny lets out a sigh, placing his hands in his lap. Vox glances at him, giving him a small smile.
“Sorry, I probably wasn’t the person you wanted to sit by the most,” Vox gives Sonny a sudden apology, black painted fingernails tapping on the glass of water.
“Oh-! No, no!” Sonny waves his hands. “It’s perfectly okay. I don’t mind at all,” He gives the voice demon a reassuring smile, now folding his hands on the wooden table.
A pause. “Actually, I..I’ve been sort of wanting to speak to you more, so I’m pretty glad we ended up sitting next to each other,” The VSF officer admits with an embarrassed manner. He avoids eye contact with the other, feeling his cheeks begin to burn from the confession.
Vox raises his eyebrows for a moment, seemingly surprised by Sonny’s statement before he gives him a fond smile with a soft gaze.
He chuckles lightly before responding. “Oh? I’m glad you feel the same way.”
The blush on Sonny’s cheeks can’t help but get more flushed in response to Vox’s reply. The fact that Vox had also been wanting to talk with him more makes Sonny feel flustered and pleased, unable to hide his smile as he tears his eyes away from Vox’s.
“Sonnyyy…” A voice calls his name beside him.
He looks over to his left where Selen is seated beside him, and he realizes that Selen isn’t the only one staring at him as a few others are as well.
“Sorry to interrupt your conversation, but we’re ordering drinks and food right now. It’s your turn,” The braided girl gestures a hand towards him.
“Ah, sorry,” He apologizes as he picks up the menu in front of him, the fluttering feeling still unable to settle as he feels Vox’s gaze remain on him.
—
Their food arrives for everyone, steam from the pots boiling and the sound of meat grilling with various side dishes scattered around the table accompanied by loud talking amidst the members.
The food, as everyone hoped it would be, was appetizing for all and enjoyed the meals while basking in the company of their fellow friends. Sonny glanced over at the people around him and not so surprisingly, many of the Nijisanji members had ordered alcohol as their drinks.
Vox was one of them. He was not. One of the many differences between the two.
The voice demon leans to the side to grab more grilled meat with his chopsticks, a small jolt pulses through Sonny as Vox’s elbow makes contact with his in the process. The sudden contact of warm skin meeting him surprised the other for a minute, cheeks flushed slightly.
Vox glances over and gives an apologetic smile. “Sorry, I didn’t hurt you did I?”
Sonny took in a deep breath, purple meeting yellow, blush helping no one as it grew on his cheeks. Vox tilts his head with that same smile, his fingers now being lightly placed over Sonny’s elbow that Vox had met with his own.
Sonny doesn’t know how much had passed but he suddenly remembers that Vox had asked him a question. The voice demon has been showing him so much kindness everytime he talks with him, it’s only polite that he does so as well.
He shakes his head. “No, I’m alright. Thank you though,” The officer gives the other a nod and a smile.
Pale knuckles brush over his elbow lightly before retreating them to his lap, and Sonny could not help but follow his hand, biting the inside of his cheek.
The other gives him one last smile before he turns to the person who had called his name, now conversing with them about whatever the hell it was, Sonny didn’t want to intrude. His eyes linger on Vox before he tears them away.
The place Vox had briefly touched on his elbow still subtly remains of warmth and it tickles the cloth of his jacket. He sighs.
The subtle touches Vox would give him, Sonny would savor them each time they were gifted to him, and one day, maybe one day, he’d get more than just elbows brushing up against each other.
—
“Uki! Hey now, that’s enough!”
Sonny glances over to see Fulgur attempting to pry a glass of alcohol from Uki’s fingers, in which he gives a lazy attempt to fight back. Majority of the food had been finished already and crumbs were littered across the table. A few of the Nijisanji members were seen helping their drunken friends get out of the restaurant.
Reimu and Enna are seen helping Nina from out her seat, supporting her with wrapping her arms around each of their shoulders to help.
“Hmm, Vox seems to have passed out already, he’s obviously going to need help getting back to his apartment,” Pomu comments, talking to no one in particular. Elira glances over to their direction.
“I don’t mind, although…” Elira trails off her sentence, gesturing towards a sleeping Rosemi on her back.
“You don’t have to Elira, you’ve already got your hands full with Rosemi,” Pomu folds her hands in front of her and gives her a soft smile. The dragon looks hesitant for a moment, but gives her a nod before leaving.
Pomu shifts her gaze to the floor, silent as she thinks hard about what to do. Sonny glances over the man sleeping on the table, pursing his lips.
He interrupts Pomu from her thoughts in her head. “I don’t mind bringing him back,” He volunteers, small smile. The fairy lights up, clasping her hands below her chin.
“Really? Are you sure you don’t want to? I’m sure Shu doesn’t have his hands full.”
Before he’s able to reply, Fulgur intervenes. “You can say no if you want Sonny, it’s understandable considering its…”
Yugo hits him in the back of his head before the cyborg finishes his sentence, causing a yelp from the other as he glares at the DJ. Yugo only narrows his eyes in response.
Sonny gives an awkward chuckle. “It’s alright, really. I’m pretty used to it,” Which was true, as the commander of VSF, occasionally they would go out for food and drinks, and it was Sonny’s responsibility to make sure they got home okay.
He removes himself from the table before kneeling down and wrapping Vox’s arms around his neck, careful not to hurt him.
“Here let me help Sonny!” Pomu rushes over to assist Sonny, putting Vox on his back gently. Once they had succeeded, Sonny huffs as he rises to his full height.
“Let us know if you need any help,” Pomu smiles, placing a hand on her chest. Sonny nods in response before giving them a goodbye and heading for the door.
Millie ends up helping open the door for him as she waves him goodbye. He almost shudders when the cold night air washes over his exposed skin. The night sky was darker than when he walked in, and more stars adorned the sky.
To his right he hears Vox’s even breathing ghosting over his neck. He shifts his gaze, feeling a blush prick up on his cheeks.
Right now, taking care of Vox is what matters, his top priority.
—
He places Vox as gentle as he could in the backseat, he mumbles a few incoherent words that Sonny couldn’t make out as he slides into the backseat of the Uber.
The ride back to the Nijisanji Apartment building is a peaceful one, cars passing by with the sound of the radio with Vox’s soft snores. He glances over towards the other to make sure he’s doing alright.
The position he is in does not seem comfortable to one, and he certainly does not want Vox to feel any soreness after he awakens, so it's only polite that he scoots over, guiding the other so that he’s now laying down, head placed in the officer’s lap with black, soft hair sprawled around, and he thinks that he looks pretty like this . Well, he always looks pretty , that’s a given. Sonny should know, he’s the one who’s been watching him from afar, yearning to at least get in a word with him, but the social anxiety eats him up before he musters up the confidence.
He grazes fingertips over the pale skin of his face, pushing back hair that’s tickling his face behind his ear. A smile is growing on his lips, and he knows more than why. He’s happy. He’s glad to have been the one to take Vox home. No one else. Just him. Just them.
He’s also thinking if something like this would occur between the two of them again, but for now he decides to just live in the moment, giving soft strokes along the top of his head.
Vox smiles at the gesture before closing his eyes once more. Vox would assure that it would.
—
The car pulls to a stop and Sonny opens the door as he shrugs Vox back onto his back. Oh, it would be pretty difficult climbing up the sets of stairs to his apartment, but at least his is just a floor below his own. He arrives after quite a few steps up, setting the other down near the door. He needs a key to enter the room of course, and he’s sure Vox has it on hand with him, perhaps it was the thought of putting his hands over his body that leaves him slightly hesitant, but the air is cold and he doesn’t want Vox to get sick.
“Sorry…” He mumbles to him, even though he has fully passed out. He checks his pockets and alas, he finds them as expected. He turns the doorknob, walking in.
After having picked the voice demon back up, he closes the door and struggles slightly to switch on the lights. He finds Vox’s bedroom and sets him down on the bed with a sigh. Phew, at least he’s finished with that. He shrugs off his shoes to not get the bed dirty as he pulls the stainless sheets over his body.
The next thing he should do is get him a glass of water and maybe hangover medicine if he has any for when he awakes. Perhaps a note for the other as well.
As he rises to get up to get said items, a warm hand is placed over him and he finds hooded yellow eyes staring back at him. Sonny is taken aback slightly, but says nothing.
“Thank you…” He hears him mumble, barely above a whisper amidst the silence, the moonlight peering through seamless curtains. Sonny gives the other a nod in response.
He didn’t know what he expected next, but Vox finding the gaps between his fingers and replacing them with his, holding Sonny’s hand firmly, is something that certainly was not on the list. It makes his heart do summer salts, it makes him feel the blush spread all across his cheeks as he shivers slightly.
Sonny tries to relax his hand, fingertips landing on pale knuckles, hearing the other giggle softly.
“Silly boy. Why must you always be so hesitant to walk up and talk to me? I don’t bite,” He grins, and Sonny’s breath gets stuck in his throat. Maybe he forgot how to breathe for a second, but he felt like he was suffocating.
“You…know?” Is the only thing Sonny manages to muster up. Oh god, not good, how embarrassing. The flush on Vox’s face darkens, moonlight frames his face perfectly, smile increasing.
“Duh,” He laughs in a drunken manner. “But it’s okay, I don’t mind, because…”
He looks him straight in the eyes.
“You’re the prettiest man I’ve ever set my eyes on.”
A finger trails against his lips, lip gloss getting smudged onto the others fingers.
“I don’t mind if it’s you.”
Vox’s hand cups the right of his face, and before he can squeeze in another word, soft, warm lips press against the corner of his mouth, and he’s realized only moments after that Vox had leaned in and kissed him.
Maybe he’s dreaming, maybe he’s hallucinating, but the warm tingling feeling that’s left near the corner of his lips, and Vox’s hand holding his own and cupping his cheek, makes him believe that no , he is not dreaming, that yes this warm feeling is real.
Vox is looking at him with tender eyes and a gentle smile that makes the other want to run around in circles. Vox removes the hand cupping the other's face, now laying on his side with his head resting on the pillow, facing Sonny.
He closes his eyes, still smiling tenderly. “Good…night Sonny…” He mumbles, drifting off to sleep slowly with the comfort of holding the officer’s hand.
Sonny lets out a shaky exhale, face stained with red. He gulps, before leaning forward. Placing a kiss near the other’s corner of their mouth like he had done the same, Sonny leans back, small smile.
“Goodnight Vox.”
The last thing Sonny sees before he closes the door is Vox’s smile.
—
Vox awakens with a groan, head aching as he tries to recall his memories from what happened the night before. He’s surprised to see himself end up in his room, and he figures that someone must have taken him back home. He should probably thank them later, whoever it was.
On his bedside table, he sees a glass of water and hangover medicine adorned with a neatly folded light yellow note. He takes the pills and water first before unfolding the piece of paper.
He smiles unknowingly as he looks over the neatly written words. Of course Sonny had taken him back home, kind as ever. At the end of the note, Vox’s heart tightens unexpectedly.
It’s a phone number, and he can only assume it’s Sonny’s phone number. He grins.
“Silly boy. It seems he’s taken my advice.”
Vox rubs the dried lip gloss from Sonny’s lips between his fingers.