A Change of Pace // A Voxto Fanfic

i.

"So, this is the place?" Shoto asked curiously, looking up from the GPS on his phone and outward onto the dark street ahead. The shadow of a grand once luxurious structure loomed over the passenger seat in which he sat.

The Victorian-style manor was covered with overgrown vines sprouting from the ground. Bricks upholding the structure had eroded so much a few crumbled to the ground below. Mixed with the clouded sky overhead, it looks like the manor could blow away with the slightest wind gust.

"Why of course, where else would it be?" The demon beside him let put a low chuckle. The gravel beneath the tires jostled the car, Vox having to make sure his phone didn't fall out of his lap just barely catching it. His gaze fell upon the demon slayer to his right, as he parked the car, the two being in what was left of the driveway.

"Shoto, this is your last chance to back out," he started, his lips curling upwards into a shit-eating grin as he finished:

"Only if you're too scared, of course."

Shoto gave him an unamused glare before he took off his seatbelt, stepping out of the car. "I'm not scared. You on the other hand: feel free to stay inside. I'll be back." he said, closing the door.

Vox rolled his eyes as he stepped out of the vehicle, "Let's not be too rash," he stated. After locking the car door as Shoto walked up to the front steps of the home, taking out a camera. He fidgeted with a few of the buttons, seemingly adjusting the filters for filming purposes. Because of how dark the home would be, even with flashlights, hopefully some form of night filter would enhance the footage for his viewers. The demon slayer had recently taken up streaming, breaking away from the "killing demons" lifestyle. At least... Once he'd actually become friends with someone he was meant to hate. He knew not all demons were absolutely terrible. And Vox was quite the example, to say the least.

His stupid charming voice...

Shimmering eyes...

Toned figure... And-

"-Shou?" the demon's voice called, snapping him from his thoughts, a gentle hand on his shoulder. Shoto looked up from his camera. "Hm..?" he responded, Vox staring into his eyes with a hint of concern.

"You started zoning out a bit, you okay?" he asked, his thumb gently rubbing his shoulder in an attempt to ground him. "I know I teased you but if you're really not up to it-" he began, before Shoto politely moved his hand away.

He walked forward, pausing as he placed a hand on the door handle while his other held the camera. "Look, I told you I'm fine. If your scared, you can wait in the car." With that, he opened the door.

Vox rolled his eyes again. "Stubborn today, are we?" he asked, walking behind him. After another mere moment of hesitation, he slowly pushed a few buttons on his camera and phone, beginning the stream.

"Hi everyone~" he waved cheerfully toward the camera, reading the chat from his phone as viewers flooded into the broadcast. "I'm here with Vox," Shoto said, panning the camera over towards the demon who gave a polite wave. "And since it's October of course we thought, why not do something a bit spooky." he grinned.

His chat somehow got even faster, fans sending greetings towards Shoto and Vox, messages of support, although some viewers expressed slight concern.

TiredBoi: Be careful!!
ShxtouFan3001: Ooh, this is gonna be scary.

More messages appeared as he continued to read, "Will I be reading chat-? When I can, mhm. I've gotta explore so I'll save all chat reading until the end of stream. So, let's get into it yeah?" he smiled. He looked at Vox. "Let's go, shall we?"

Vox gave him a gentle nod, beginning to walk with him. He looked around, turning on the flashlight from his phone. The bright light just barely illuminated the dark hallway in which they walked, creaks of the wooden floorboard filling the silence endless silence that constantly lingered behind them.

Random artifacts stayed... relatively, as they once were. Deteriorating pictures, the occasional broken vase, couches covered with sheets that didn't at all protect them from the dust clouding the air.

"Are we looking for anything in particular?" Vox asked him.

Minus the cheap thrills and adrenaline rush from being in a random abandoned seemingly haunted mansion, Shoto let out a gentle chuckle as he shook his head. "Other than some spooks, not necessarily." he said, a soft sigh escaping his lips. His gaze shifted towards the floor, looking at a picture frame covered in soot. He slowly picked it up, gently blowing off the relic layered in dust. Beneath it showcased... A family. A mother, a boy, and...

Huh... the photo is charred at the ends. All that remained was the circle of the mother and the boy.  "Vox, look-" he began to show him the photo. Just as he reached over, the demon's head shot up.

"Shoto watch out-!"

A vase was falling from a shelf above, directly in line with Shoto's head.

Shit.

-

A/N: to be continued ;)