Summary: He just needed a moment alone to cry.
All That's Left to do is Cry
It was dark. All around him. Everything. And it was slowing seeping into him. Into his skin, his bones, his core. His heart. He'd never known sadness. Heartbreak, grief, misery, pain. Concepts as foreign to his kind as the bleak blackness he was drowning in. Such human emotions his people put behind them centuries ago.
Brother! A soft voice broke through his hazy brain. Brother, where are you?
He hugged his knees closer to his chest and pulled his wings tighter around him. The soft, white feathers shielded him, cocooned him. They made him feel safe and warm. Usually. Now he just felt... hollow, empty, alone. Trapped in an endless void of nothingness.
Brother! What has happened to you?
Nothing. He thought softly.
I can feel... I don't understand. He felt the confusion behind the thoughts. Are you hurt?
No. His voice was barely a whisper even in his own mind. He wasn't sure his brother would be able to hear him.
Someone has! Brother!
I need a moment alone.
There was a long pause. It was him... wasn't it? His brother finally said.
Go away! He snapped in anger. He closed himself off from his brother and again hugged himself tightly. He'd never snapped at his brother like that. Never in anger. Tears streamed down his face, wetting the fabric of his robe. He'd never cried before. And once he started, he was sure he'd never stop. They just kept coming, kept flowing. Just a moment, like he'd told his brother. A moment to cry, as tears ran down his face. A moment to feel the pain that coursed through him.
He couldn't even explain the pain. He knew he wasn't physically hurt. He knew he was okay. His legs, his arms, his wings. He felt like his wings had been clipped, never again to feel the sun on his feathers or the wind in his hair. Like caged birds he'd glimpsed in old picture books. But that was silly. He knew it was.
"Zach."
This voice was deeper. Barely a whisper and real. And he was close. Zach hadn't felt him appear. But he could feel him. He could feel the demon man with every fiber of his being. His soul itself felt on fire because of their proximity. That's the way it was when they were together. "No, no, no." He whispered. He tried to put his walls up, block the man and keep him away. But he felt the demon crash through them, could feel him rub up against his consciousness like they were actually touching. And it was just too much! He uncurled himself quickly. His wings unfolded and the darkness around him lifted a bit.
The moonlight shined bright, illuminating the demon kneeling just a foot from him. The large, black scaly wings were folded tight against his back. His dark blonde hair was windblown and disheveled. A light sheen of sweat clung to his muscles, making his skin glow in the moonlight. And his eyes. His eyes were actually glowing. A bright green, as they always did in the dark.
Zach sniffed and adverted his gaze. Then wiped at his eyes. He knew he must look a mess. He was tempted to wrap his wings around himself again, to stop the staring he could feel.
"Don't." He said softly. "Zach. Look at me."
Zach swallowed and shook his head. He couldn't look. It hurt too much.
He let out a sigh and shook his head. Then he leaned forward slightly. "This is why I have to go, Zach. This is why we can't be together."
Zach closed his eyes and shook his head. He didn't want to hear it. He couldn't hear it. Not again.
"If I wasn't here... you wouldn't feel this way."
Zach snapped his gaze back. He frowned and narrowed his eyes. "I feel this way because you're leaving me." He hissed.
It was the demon's turn to look away. He flinched slightly and sighed again. "I know... I know I should have stayed away... but I just had to meet you... and now I can't change what I've done. But I can stop anything else from happening."
"No!" Zach shouted and shook his head. His wings flexed a bit as he moved. "Stay! Stay with me!"
The demon shook his head and leaned back. "I can't. I can't risk tainting you anymore than I already have."
"You haven't!" Zach insisted. "I love you, Owen!"
He shook his head. "Don't say that."
"I do!" Zach insisted. "Since the moment I saw you, I knew."
Owen shook his head again. "We can't be." He turned back to look at Zach. He smiled sadly. "I'm sorry." The glow of his eyes started dimming.
Zach's eyes widened. "No! No, don't go!" He surged forward, his arms out to grab Owen. But his fingers went right through him. And then he was just gone. Zach was left alone. Again. When he reached out with his mind, he felt nothing. He sat back down and let out a sigh. He closed his eyes and wrapped his wings around himself again. And he cried.
I'll always love you, Zach...
-X-X-X-X-X-X-X-
Author's Notes: I have no clue where this came from or exactly what it is. Just something I scribbled in my notebook at work when the song 4 am by Adore Delano came on my phone. It feels unfinished. But it's finished. I just don't know.