A Change of Pace // A Voxto Fanfic

ii.

A/N- fair warning, closer to the end it gets a little spooky! you've been warned! see you guys soon ;)

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The world around them came to an abrupt halt.

Shoto was cut off by his own shriek echoing through the hall before he was yanked backward into Vox's chest, the demon holding him tightly in his embrace. A hand swiftly found its way onto the back of Shoto's head as if shielding him from further harmThe harsh silence was interrupted by the sounds of their frantic, shaky breaths. Neither of them dared to move.

The vase had fallen on the floor, shattered into small pieces at their feet. Not a scratch on Shoto, thanks to a certain demon's fast reflexes...

If it weren't for Vox, surely he would have gotten hit. How did that even..?-

"Shou... you alright?" Vox asked. The only thing snapping Shoto out of his shocked state was his voice, grounding him by gently stroking a few strands of his hair.

Shoto dryly swallowed, giving a nervous nod. "Yeah... Yeah, I'm fine..." he murmured, the demon slayer's voice wavering as he spoke. His body trembled in the arms of the demon, slowly pulling away from him rather reluctantly and attempting to recompose himself. 

The dim flickering light from his phone lit up a portion of the area. His stream viewers went nuts. Messages zoomed past his vision at lightning speed as he glanced at his phone on the floor, which seemingly dropped during the commotion.

Voxto69: what was that????
beanssssssss: was that glass?
goosehonk48: bro wtf?
thatoneshipper: OMG they hugged <3

Shoto lightly chuckled at the expense of his viewers, as he carefully retrieved the device, his cheeks becoming a gentle shade of pink. "Sorry, something fell guys... But, I'm fine, Vox is fine, we're fine." he flashed a small reassuring smile.

Vox meanwhile bent down to take a closer look at the picture that the ex-demon slayer just, "coincidentally" picked up before the vase nearly shattered on his head. There was something off about the photo to begin with... Not anything that could be seen with the naked eye but rather... an off-putting aurora. He studied it, or what remained of the charred photo, at least. "Quite the eerie image..." he muttered, earning a quizzical look from the other male.

Shoto's curiosity sparked an entirely irrelevant question to escape his lips. "So... Can demons not sense the presence of ghosts or something?"

"Now why would I be able to do that?" Vox retorted with an amused laugh.

"Because your a demon? Use your cool demon powers or something." Shoto said, making matching hand motions to mimic the effect of  "magic," wiggling his fingers.

"As much as I would love to, that's not how it works."

Shoto clicked his tongue and began to pout. "Aw... fine, whatever, let's keep going." He began to move forward with the demon, approaching a staircase. "We must've been in the living room... Wanna see what's on the second floor?" he grinned.

Vox made a deadpan face at him, wanting to smack him on the head for how idiotic he was. As much of a cutie as Shoto was, he was a bit... Dense, at times. The mere fact he wanted to continue this at all was absolutely daft. "You truly think that's a good idea?"

"I don't see why not, we've gotten this far."

"That was pure luck. What if I hadn't been able to save you Shou?"

Shoto opened his mouth to speak before quickly snapping it shut again. Disbelief washed over hm in an instant: It's Vox for fucks sake. He'd be there, no matter what.

He promised.

"I trust you would... Or I'd move eventually. Probably. Your always there," his gentle laughter filling Vox's ears. Reluctant footsteps followed behind him. "While that is true, I'd rather you be safe than in any danger that requires such services."

Shoto waved his hand dismissively, "It's fine! You worry too much." he said. Once at the top, the next part of their venture began.

Vox turned on his own flashlight once more, dust in the air becoming more visible as the light flickered on. The two peered into various rooms the hallway. Soon, they approached a room with a tiny wooden car next to the door. Shoto's gaze fell upon the miniature vehicle, slowly side-stepping to avoid it's path as he slipped into the room. It was relatively empty, but still had reminants of a smaller bed, dresser, and a mirror covered with a sheet that has succumbed to time, thus resulting in the wear and tear. The demon merely stepped over the car, giving it a quick glance back.

The little vehicle inched forward on ill-treated wheels, causing Vox to give a sharp cackle in self-glorification. Of course there wasn't a breeze strong enough to inch the car forward, and surely Shoto's movement followed by his own couldn't have moved it. He did indeed have a feeling another presence was with them. For the presence to barely move the car an inch was dissatisfying. A cocky grin tugged at his lips before he spoke, "Was that supposed to be scary? How about you show us what you can really do."

Nervous laughter escaped from Shoto. You would think the demon would be so courteous as to not rile up the dead, but what did he know. He wanted so desperately to caution him about angering potential ghosts, but his chat was eating up his comment.

ShotosBlade: oop LMAO

TheDarkWithin: LMFAOOo

Tenchou_: LOL don't make it angry!!

Shoto read the messages, clicking his tongue before shaking his head with dismay. "I thought my guildies were better than this," jokingly commenting on their reaction. The light heartedness of the situation was welcoming. He couldn't complain at all, expressing his satisfaction with a gentle chortle.

That was... until he felt a sudden sinking in his stomach. That familiar feeling he'd have many times before, and surely would experience again throughout his time. Fear. The consuming feeling of fear.

Amethyst eyes hesitantly shifted from the phone in his hands, and to his left shoulder. Expecting to see Vox, or nothing at all, he was instead met with something much more sinister.

The apparition of a woman, long stringy black hair falling past her shoulders covered her tilted face. Unusually pale-lengthy limbs held her in place just above Shoto's shoulder, despite how frail they were. A heavily battered, lengthy velvet Victorian dress flowed towards the floor, covering her figure. Cut up ends lightly hovered above the wooden floor on which those of the living realm stood. Shoto began trembling once more, trying to call out to Vox for help. His voice was caught in his throat, unable to speak. He could see it too right? If he couldn't...

Then she surely caught his attention with the low broken croak, well within the vocal fry range she let out: "....YoU aReN'......t...... mY sON..."

Vox whipped his head around towards the unfamiliar voice, his eyes widening instantly like a deer in headlights. A harsh chill traversed up his spine as the atmosphere of the room officially settled in.

Her dismantled jaw cracked open, emitting a fragmented shriek that even made every single hair of Vox's stand on end. Eyes that should have been properly in place within her sockets reeled into the back of her head, the sclera disappearing from view. A hollowed out shell of what should have been was all that remained. The demon was just as scared as the slayer. A rare sight indeed.

It would seem the little toy car was the least of their worries, rather what the woman barely lit by the light of the moon would do to them. Not only for trespassing in her house, but in her darling son's bedroom.

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A/N: heh ;)