No Turning Back (A Socksfor1 AU)

Demons and Angels [RW]

(Blaza PoV)

The silence of the night was broken by soft footsteps.

My eyes opened. Everything was still. Moonlight shone through my window, washing the room in a silver glow. I slowly sat up in bed, glancing around warily. Was that a flash of yellow in my peripheral vision? My gaze flickered to the door. No presence revealed itself there.

I rubbed my eyes and looked at the clock. 1:15 on the dot. Why would anyone be up at this time right now, after the insanity of what happened yesterday?

Curiosity pulled me to my feet, and I found myself creeping down the hallway. The shadows were still, but seemed to follow me down the corridor, swirling and watching, waiting for me to let my guard down. I shivered. It felt colder than usual. Or maybe it was the emptiness of the almost abnormal silence.

Muttering. It wasn't silent anymore. Someone was speaking, a hushed, under-breath muttering like they were talking things over to themselves. Contemplating something. I knew the voice - it was familiar. Finally I found the source, in the living room.

Pacing back and forth was a tall figure with wings and a tail, one wing dark red and almost dragonlike and the other more closely resembling a bird's. Dark red, demon-like horns curved from a mess of fluffy, light-blue and dark cobalt hair. His face was split down the middle between light and dark, the same colors as his hair, and his eyes were different from each other as well - one pale yellow and the other black with a red sclera. Both were glowing, illuminating the room in the direction he walked in. He was the one muttering. From my vantage point I picked up a few words. "Why did I do that?" "Who was that?" "I can't believe..."

Only then did I realize that he was wearing the same spacesuit and bright rainbow socks that Socks always wore.

I stepped back, alarmed by the mythical stranger, but a creak of the floorboard gave me away. The creature jumped, letting out a small, fearful gasp as his glowing gaze swept in my direction. With the glow of his eyes I could see his teeth, sharp like some kind of shark's. His hands were clawed beneath his gloves.

I ducked behind the door frame, heart racing. Holy hell, what is that-?

I heard the creature speak. His voice, unlike what I could have imagined, was soft, comforting, a deep, reverberating echo in my mind. Yet somehow familiar. "Blaza...? Is that you?"

My eyes opened. He knew my name. How did he know my name?

"It's me... it's Socks."

Slowly I gained the confidence to peek around the corner. The creature was staring in my direction, eyes aglow with a soft compassion. His tail was still, curled around his legs, his wings drawn in non threateningly. Despite his size - taller than me, which was a decent accomplishment, seeing that I, myself, was considered pretty tall - I could tell that he was trying to not seem scary. And it was working surprisingly well.

"Socks...?" I managed to utter, eyes wide in surprise and observation.

He sighed, scratching the back of his neck. "Yeah. I... was gonna tell someone at some point... later..."

I could sense his discomfort from where I stood. "What... are you?"

Socks chuckled. "I guess you guys may not be very familiar with us. "I'm a hybrid. Specifically, a nephalem."

I tilted my head. "Like a demon-angel crossover thing?"

"You know?"

"Yeah," I gave a small shrug. "One of those old legends that still pops up from time to time. Y'know. Mythological creatures and such."

"Huh," Socks said, looking at his hand. "I thought we were only known about in the Chronic galaxy."

"I didn't know you guys were real, so... if that answers the question," I said.

"Ah."

Awkward silence filled the room. The glow of Sock's eyes disappeared every time he blinked, plunging the area back into darkness until they reopened, reilluminating the room with their warm, comforting light.

I found my voice again. "Are... you okay? I heard you talking to yourself, and I don't know if that's... well, a normal thing you do."

"No," he exhaled. His voice quivered slightly, like he was biting back tears that longed to escape. "I killed someone today, Blaza. I killed a friend. I almost killed Ally, and she almost killed you. Because she was trying to kill me." His tail gave a sad swish. "Because I killed Tbh. I'm just causing problems now. I don't know what that was or why I did it. But if it happens again, more than one person might be hurt - or worse."

There was a melancholy drag to his tone that made me want to hug him. My feet unfroze themselves from the ground and carried me to him, and I put my hand on his shoulder.

"I certainly don't know why you killed Tbh, either," I admitted. "But in the week or so I've known you, I've picked up that you're not the psycho-murderer type. Or I hope you're not. Honestly anything could happen at this point."

Another exhale escaped his mouth. His eyes met mine. I bit my lip. "Yeah, I'm not the best at being comforting, am I?"

Socks chuckled softly. "Yeah, not really."

I felt his tail wrap around one of my legs. I didn't stop him. He smiled slightly. "I... feel better now. Thanks."

"You're welcome."

Another silence, but less awkward this time. More welcome, really. Any exhaustion I had felt catalyzed by the early time I woke up at, I didn't feel now.

I cleared my throat. "Well, uh, good night, then-"

"Wait!" His exclamation surprised me. I had begun to turn around, but snapped back in his direction at his voice. He looked to the floor, shifting uncomfortably. "Could you... stay? Please? I, uh, like the company."

I gave the door a glance, but shrugged. "Sure."

With a light Socks summoned in one of his hands, and after a moment of me gaping at the light he created so naturally, we found the couch and sat down. When I sat, I accidentally sat with my back to his angelic wing. I would have edged over so he had space, but it was so soft. I just wanted to wrap myself in it and stay there forever. Socks looked at me and chuckled, curling his wing around me and pulling me in. I honestly would have fallen asleep had I not forced myself to stay awake. Socks was much more relaxed than he was when I came in, but still I found him nervously fidgeting with his tail every now and then. Like he had something to say, but couldn't quite word it the way he wanted to.

He couldn't help but make me think of... someone I once knew.

Finally he managed to get his statement untangled from his throat. "Blaza... what would you say if I told you I liked you?"

I tilted my head. In the back of my mind, some part of me started in a panicked excitement, making my heart start beating harder and quicker. I calmed myself and denied it. "I'd say of course I like you, we're friends."

His eyes flickered to the side, still nervous. I'd never seen him like this before. I always think of him as very confident. "No, not like that... like, the other kind of like."

And that's when that silly brain of mine exploded. My thoughts started racing without me telling them to. I felt my face get warm, but I shook my head and looked back at him with a smile that I couldn't get rid of. "I guess, then... me, too."

He met my eyes, looking deep as if searching for sincerity or fraud. He would find no lies. I honestly didn't realize I had feelings for him. But I'm sure I do now. Socks smiled back at me. I snuggled closer to him, relishing what I felt.

Soon we both drifted off, the darkness now less cold than before and more... welcoming.

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REWRITE LES GO >:)

1365 words