Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It had taken a lot of getting used to—and still he was—but more and more Stolas had grown into a comfortable routine living with Blitzø and his daughter Loona. The apartment was smaller than his old bedroom, and sleeping on a couch every night was making Stolas suspect that Blitzø spending nights with him had a different motivation than simply wanting to be with him. The upholstery was wearing thin in places, fabric easily pulled apart if he plucked at the bare threads of it, exposing the musty-smelling foam cushioning beneath. When he shifted, the metal springs creaked in protest, sound cutting into the quiet apartment at night like a hot knife through butter. For the first few weeks, he was worried about the sound waking Blitzø or Loona, but came to realize that with the way they both slept, it would take nothing short of a marching band passing through their apartment to rouse them. 

The temperature in the apartment was uncomfortable as well, causing his feathers to stick together with sweat—which as an avian demon was a feat in and of itself. He was unsure if it was because all of his powers were stripped away from him, but before his banishment he’d never experienced sweating before, nor a discomfort on this level. Birds topside didn’t sweat, so he assumed that was naturally the case for him. Not so, apparently. 

The only relief was a box fan Blitzø had currently duck taped to an open window, the blades of which made a rhythmic tapping sound as they spun and knocked against the front of its case. Even then, the warm, sticky night air this side of Imp City didn’t make things particularly better. 

There was also the fact that the pink and tan striped wallpaper in the living room was torn and peeling in places, revealing the chipped plaster and wooden planks beneath it. The floor squeaked with every step he took, and whoever was living above them needed to stop rearranging their furniture, or vacuuming, or tap dancing—or whatever the hell else it was they did at 3am every night, because it sounded like an elephant was marching above them. The occasional dust moats and debris falling from the ceiling with each loud sound. 

Not to mention their neighbors on the right had very vocal— very loud sex every night, way past when Blitzø and Loona had passed out. Not only did it make sleeping hard for Stolas, but at some point had him mumbling to himself, “Lucky bitch.” as he lay feet away from Blitzø, unable to initiate anything since they didn’t exactly have much privacy, with Loona’s impeccable hearing while awake, and the fact that they didn’t exactly have a bedroom for themselves. They hadn’t the luxury of privacy allotted to them back in his palace. 

The beanbag chair Blitzø slept in was well within arms length for him though, and absentmindedly Stolas found himself reaching over and cupping his cheek delicately. Taloned fingers brushing over the white scarring on his face, careful not to rouse him as he did so. The imp shifted ever so slightly, subconsciously leaning into the Goetia’s hand and letting out the softest little chirp. 

Unlike the warm, muggy air in the apartment, the warmth that spread through Stolas’ chest at the sound was pleasant and welcome. Their relationship was ambiguous at present, neither saying any titles out loud. But there was an intimacy Blitzø had given him since the trial had occurred that Stolas had craved more than ever for so long. Something that exceeded what they did in bed, something that was soft and domestic in a way he’d never experienced in all his 35 years of life. 

He’d lost so much in the span of one hour, and his daughter’s words echoed in his mind relentlessly still. 

You never loved mother, and you don’t love me—you love him!

He so desperately wished he could just sit with her and talk, to explain why he did what he did, and how so very deeply sorry he was for hurting her the way that he had. But… she wouldn’t believe him if she did let him speak, and had said so very clearly. He ruined everything, and there was no fixing this. Not at all.

Have a good fucking life with him, dad.

He loved his darling Blitzy so very much, but with those words in his head all he could feel was tremendous guilt when he looked at him. Had he truly chosen Blitzø over his Via? Had he been so selfish in believing he could have Blitzø and his daughter both in his life? Was it fair to have to choose one or the other between the two people who mattered to him most? 

Stolas brushed his thumb across Blitzø’s cheek absently, the contact feather light.

He felt a pit in his throat and blinked back tears at the still fresh memory. Only a month had passed since the altercation with his daughter, but he had a feeling that the hurt his heart felt would never go away, and would never hurt any less than it did the day it happened. He took a deep, shuddering breath to quell his racing thoughts. It didn’t do much more than release tension building in his jaw, but at least it was something.

In his absent thoughts, he’d failed to notice two large yellow and red eyes open and looking back at him. Not until Blitzø’s hand reached up and rested atop Stolas’ carefully, pulling the Goetia back to the present reality.

“I’m sorry,” Stolas spoke softly, voice choked up slightly from both emotions and hours of disuse, “I didn’t mean to wake you.” 

He was about to retract his hand when Blitzø laced their fingers together, and pressed them more firmly against his cheek, “You’re upset.” He stated, voice quiet and croaky, before turning his head slightly to press a kiss to the palm of Stolas’ hand.

“I’ll be fine.” Was all he could manage with his voice choking up. Stolas felt a small flutter in his chest as lips lingered against his palm for a moment before Blitzø released his hand and stood up. 

Without a word, the imp dragged the beanbag chair flush against the couch before settling back down on it facing him. It was the closest thing they got to sleeping side by side in a bed. Blitzø reached up and grabbed Stolas’ hand once more, and held it to his chest before he began lightly purring. 

It was soft and comforting against his palm, both the soft rumble of the purr, along with his steady heartbeat. Blitzø wasn’t a words person. He never was, and might never be, but what he couldn’t speak out loud was instead said through actions. This, to Stolas’ heart, was the closest thing to an honest ‘I love you’ he might ever get from him; and that love was heard loud and clear in his mind. 

Stolas wanted to say it back, use his words and let him know, but was worried the imp might get freaked out and push him back to arms length again. So instead he settled for this, “Thank you, Blitzø.” He spoke softly, voice cracking.

The purring only grew stronger in response. No words, just actions, as Blitzø slowly drifted back off to sleep.

Things weren’t perfect, his living conditions weren’t exactly what he was used to, but in this moment Stolas knew he would be ok. It didn’t matter to him that both their hands were clammy and warm, nor did Bitzø’s sweaty night shirt dampen the gesture for him. No matter the warm discomfort, he still found comfort in the notion that he didn’t lose everything. 

He still had him .

Stolas knew way before the confession that the version of Blitzø he had in his head was idealized. He knew there was so much about him that he didn’t know. From his adoration of horses, the way he existed day to day, and getting to know Blitzø’s found family. Hell there was still so much he needed to know about him. But with each little quirk, each thoughtful gesture, and each time he stood up for him, Stolas was finding he liked this Blitzø far more than the one in his head. 

Stolas let out a deep sigh and closed his eyes, ready to nod back off to sleep so he was better rested for the following day; but then the people living above them began to vacuum, and the lucky couple in the apartment next to them was starting things up. He opened his lower set of eyes and looked down at Blitzø a bit enviously. 

Must be 3am.

…

“Stols, time for breakfast.” Blitzø said as he gently shook Stolas’ shoulder to wake him.

“Hmmm five more minutes…” he grumbled as he rolled over to press his face into the back of the couch, attempting to block out the morning light coming through the door to the fire escape.

He felt fingers thread through the feathers up the back of his neck to the back of his head, nails grazing over the skin before giving the feathers there a tight pull, causing a pleasant shiver to shoot up his spine and eliciting a moan, “Come on big bird.” he said as he leaned over to speak in his ear, “We gotta leave for work in an hour, and I know you like to shower in the morning, and you take forever.” He said as he let the feathers go and ruffled the ones on the top of his head before standing back up straight.

“You’re playing dirty.” Stolas groaned.

“Is it working?” He could hear the mischevous grin in his smile as the imp loomed over him.

“Uhhhg get a room!” Loona complained from somewhere by the bathroom door, probably just getting out of the shower herself. She went back to her bedroom and kicked the door shut with a slam.

Stolas turned over on the couch, blearily opening his eyes to look up at Blitzø, before he was scooped up effortlessly, carried over to the kitchen table, and plopped down in one of the chairs. There was a cup of coffee already made and waiting for him.

“Must we always work on weekends?” Stolas complained as he stifled a yawn in his hand before he lifted the cup to his lips to take a sip, knowing full well that the answer would be a resounding yes as it had been every weekend since his banishment. 

“When you have bills to pay, yes.” The imp responded matter-of-factly as he brought over a bowl of cereal for him, “Now hurry up and eat so you can go clean that feathered ass and we can leave. There's only so much of Moxxie’s bitching about staying on schedule I can put up with before 5pm, and last time we ran late we had to skip getting coffee to arrive on time.” He complained as he hopped up to sit on the table next to Stolas, taking a sip of his own coffee as well, “And plus, coffee is on him today, and we both know one cup isn’t enough for you most mornings.” Blitzø said as he began to swing his feet. 

Stolas didn’t bring up the fact that their work day ended at 5pm, and instead sighed and asked, “How do you have so much energy at—“ he looked behind Blitzø to the oven's clock, “—6:08 in the morning?” 

“I run on circus time,” Blitzø stated, “It’s practically wired in here.” He knocked on his head for emphasis.

“Oh really?” Stolas asked, “Is sleeping through noisy neighbors at 3am also a circus thing?” There was a bit of playful sarcasm in his voice, but mostly sarcasm.

Blitzø, to his credit, was completely unfazed by it, “Nah, that’s more of a poverty thing.” He continued to swing his feet back and forth, “You learn to get used to it, and soon enough, you sleep right through it.”

“And when is “ soon enough” exactly?” Stolas asked, making a quotation sign with his free hand.

Blitzø shrugged, “I don’t know.” He took a moment to down the rest of his coffee quickly before continuing, “Now eat your cereal before it gets soggy.” he said as he hopped back down from the table, “And go shower.” He tagged on as he made his way to the kitchen to put his mug in the sink.

Blitzø tapped his phone screen to check for notifications, which reminded Stolas that he should probably check his own for any as well. He’d been added to Blitzø’s family plan when they went to go get the imp’s phone replaced after him having crushed it in a fit of rage driven hysteria. Blitzø let him off very easily for it, only shrugging and saying it was in the spirit of Sinsmas, and his phone was insured anyways. He tried not to think too hard about the fact that it was a family plan he was on, not the friends and family one they offered. 

Stolas was quick to finish his breakfast and drank his coffee, then stood up to retrieve his phone from the charger by the window. He unplugged it and tapped the screen, holding his breath for a moment, only to see an empty inbox. A photograph he’d been able to get off Via’s Sinstagram page from her excursion through LA was his background. It was a selfie of the four of them after watching Aseroths Tears, his little star fire had been so happy, despite the events of that day prior. It was the first genuinely happy smile he’d seen grace her face since the divorce proceedings began.

You ruined everything.

He didn’t know what he was expecting to see. This was a new number, so it wasn’t as if his daughter could text him even if she wanted to. Her contact was there, just in case. He wanted to send her a small message letting her at least know his new number, had typed it out and deleted it many times now, but he was too afraid to hit send. She had expressed her boundaries to him, made it very clear she didn’t want to talk with him, and he didn’t want to upset her any further. If she wanted to talk, she would have reached out through Blitzø’s phone, or Loona’s for that matter. 

He closed the lock screen before holding his phone to his chest and took a deep breath. She set boundaries, and he had to respect them. No matter how unhappy he was with their situation, he’d done a great deal of harm to her. He needed to accept things as they were. He needed to accept the consequences of his actions.

He was startled from his thoughts as a hand touched the small of his back, “Stolas?” 

The Goetia looked down to see Blitzø looking up at him. Stolas placed his phone face down on the coffee table and knelt down so he was face to face with him. He hesitated for only a moment before tilting Blitzø’s head up and kissing him. It was ok to do this, they were ok, their relationship was ok.

“So gross!” Loona complained as she stepped out of her bedroom to see the public display of affection. Stolas pulled away, face tinted slightly red at having been caught. He was a grown ass man, blushing like a fledgling being caught with their childhood crush.

Well, the childhood crush thing might be a little too on the nose, but he was no fledgling!

She walked across the room towards the fire escape, “I’m gonna go have a smoke.” She decided, voice sounding annoyed. Stolas had grown to understand when Loona was serious or not about being irritated a month ago, and right now she really wasn’t. So, he decided, he didn’t feel all too bad about it. 

Through the window, he could see her pull out her phone and call someone while she patted down her pockets for a lighter, cigarette loosely held between her lips.

Stolas returned his attention back to Blitzø and leaned down to kiss the black tattoo on his forehead, “I’m ok, darling.” He said as he pulled back to look him in the eye, cupping his face in his hands.

Blitzø’s expression was unreadable for a moment before he nodded, “Ok Stols.” He lifted his hands up and gave his a reassuring squeeze, “I’ll clean up after breakfast,” he pressed a kiss to the Goetia’s knuckles, “Go shower, you’ll feel better afterwards.” He smiled as he let Stolas’ fingers go.

Blitz was right. Being able to scrub the sweat from his feathers and rush through preening them as they dried brought him comfort. It was something he could control, after all, and being clean felt nice. Once he was done drying off with the help of a blow dryer, and dressed himself, he opened the medicine cabinet on instinct to get his happy pills. The bottle was now there, the one Via found and given him sat still untouched. Without taking it, he quietly closed the cabinet, then exited the bathroom. 

The kitchen was cleaned up and Loona had come back in from her morning cigarette. 

“Are you ready to hit the road?” Blitzø asked from over by the door as he pulled on his boots.

“As ready as I can be, I suppose.” Stolas replied, going to retrieve his phone and wallet from the coffee table before joining the other two by the door. Loona had her focus entirely on her phone, quickly typing something out before closing the lock screen and tucking it in her pocket. 

“Alright! Let’s make like a tree and get the fuck outta dodge!” Blitzø shouted as he threw open the front door and took off towards the elevator. 

“It’s make like a tree and leave , Blitzø.” Loona mumbled. She held the door open for Stolas as he followed her father out at a more reasonable pace for 7am. 

“And get the hell out of dodge.” Stolas tacked on, but couldn’t help but hoot out a little laugh at his antics. Despite this being a damn near every morning occurrence, it amused him every time none-the-less. He was unsure if Blitzø did it on purpose, or if his brain was simply mixing sayings up naturally. Either way it was still just as endearing. 

“Fuck me sideways with a rake—” Blitz shouted from down the hall as he threw his hands up in irritation, “—the fucking elevator is out of order again!” 

Out of respect for Loona, Stolas withealed the comment he wanted to say about fucking him sideways, rake involved or otherwise, “I’m beginning to doubt the safety of the elevator when it is working if it’s breaking down this often.” Stolas said instead.

“The worst that’s happened is someone got stuck in it for like, eight hours.” Blitzø waved his hand dismissively like it was no big deal, “It’s safe, nobody’s died.”

“Yet.” Loona added as she came to a stop next to Stolas after locking the apartment door and following, “Stairs it is then.” She sighed. 

“Well if that’s not instilling confidence…” Stolas' eyes moved from the elevator and watched her walk towards the stairwell. 

Blitzø huffed in indignation, “Inconveniencing my pan ass, I should file a discrimination complaint.” He mumbled as he grabbed Stolas’ hand and followed after his daughter, gently pulling the ex-prince along. Once more, Stolas hooted out a little laugh at his Blitzy’s antics. Quiet and subdued, but still.

All around them, other imps began to go about their morning, either leaving for work, or getting breakfast, or off to see others. Some milling about in the halls talking with neighbors, others grumbling about the broken elevator—albeit with less enthusiasm and creativity as the one holding his hand. 

“Anyways I’m anticipating a busy day today.” Blitzø began to say as they passed by a group of middle aged imps who all stopped their conversation long enough to glare up at Stolas, “I had Loony post on I.M.P’s new official Sinstagram page that we’re doing a deal for Saterday only.” 

“Why for this Saturday?” Stolas asked, doing well not to mind the angry looks he was getting as he ducked into the stairwell with Blitzø and Loona.

“Well, rent is due Monday and we could use the extra cash to float us through next week.” Blitzø answered, “Plus, Millie’s been on a roll with tearing through kills lately. We can handle it.” He smiled up at him.

“Ah, yes.” Stolas said, clearing his throat, “I suppose that makes sense.” He wasn’t sure if any of the others knew yet, Millie included, about the pregnancy, and he’d been trying to find a way to bring it up to her in private; then debated whether it was his business to be bringing it up in the first place at all. Call it a more animalistic instinct, but he could sense when others were with child. 

But once more, it wasn’t his business, and he didn’t feel close enough with any of them to even fathom addressing it. Would they be cross with him if they found out he had known and not said anything to them sooner? Did they even know he could tell? It was especially concerning, because out of all three imps in the business, she scared him by far the most. He only had to witness her wrend another man’s head off his shoulders and use his spine to tie a noose around the neck of another once to fully understand she was someone you wanted to be on the good side of. 

“Stolas slow down—” Blitzø yelped as he quickened his pace to keep in line with him.

The other man halted his steps, looking down and realizing he’d been taking them three at a time, “Oh, I’m terribly sorry Blitzø.”

The imp looked up at him with a bit of worry, “You ok, big bird?” 

“Oh, yes I’m fine. I’m sorry Blitzø, I was lost in thought.” He replied as they started back down the steps, him now being mindful to take them one at a time.

Blitzø gave his hand a squeeze before letting go to walk backwards down the stairs to make eye contact, “Something’s bothering you.” He stated plainly, “I know something’s wrong.” 

Stolas was caught up momentarily over how impressively the imp was handling walking backwards down the stairs, “It’s…” he didn’t know what to say, nor how to say any of it without making Blitzø potentially feel guilty. Stolas’ problems were entirely his own, but he would be dense if he thought the imp didn’t blame himself in part for them. No matter his insistence that it was not the case, “It is truly nothing, I—” he faltered before saying the word promise, “I’ll be alright. I’m just feeling a bit tired is all.”

Blitzø didn’t look convinced in the slightest, giving him another unreadable expression as he came to a stop on the 6th story landing, tail swishing back and forth lazily behind him. Stolas stopped walking, one foot on the landing and one on the last step and he made eye contact. They were at a standstill. The shorter male seeing right through his lie, and Stolas could see in Blitzø’s eyes that he was debating calling him out on it. 

One of the many imps traversing the busy stairwell made a point to shove Stolas into the railing with his shoulder as he passed by, taking him by surprise and breaking the tension growing between them.

Without a thought, Blitzø stuck his foot out and tripped the man down the following flight of stairs in turn, “Hey asshole! We’re having a moment here!” He pivoted and shouted after the imp now tumbling down the stairs. Loona, who had made it to the fifth story landing and was currently waiting for them, took her eyes off her phone screen long enough to see the imp tumbling, and redirected his fall swiftly and painfully with her foot to continue down the following flight, “That’s my Loony!” Blitzø praised, which elicited an eye roll from her.

“Yeah yeah, hurry it up!” She yelled back.

Stolas had one hand over his mouth in surprise and the other firmly on the railing as we watched the altercation. Given the trial outcome, he wasn’t particularly popular with any of the lower class demons; more so with most of impkind. Both in part for Blitzø’s involvement in the case, and his former status as a Royal, he’d become something of an outlet for them to take their anger with Hell’s nobility out on. This was by far very tame, and Stolas wasn’t particularly hurt by the action, but Blitzø defended him nonetheless. 

Said imp looked back up to Stolas, “You alright Stols? Not hurt?” 

“It was hardly anything at all,” he replied, bringing his hand down and began to usher Blitzø forward, “We can…” he paused as he looked into his eyes, “Talk about it later. We can talk later.” He sufficed. 

“Ok.” Blitzø agreed, taking his hand and giving it a squeeze before turning around and hopping on the railing to slide down to the next landing, “Last one to the van cleans the bathroom tonight!” He yelled as he hopped onto the landing and darted around the bend.

It took Stolas all of two seconds before he registered Blitzø’s words, and before he knew it he was running down the steps, taking them four at a time trying to catch up with the fast imp, as well as the hellhound who had a head start on him. He was sure to avoid stepping on the rude imp from before, who was lying face up on the ground, possibly concussed.

“Hey no fair!” He called as he made it to the bottom floor just in time to see the father daughter duo sprint through the lobby and out the front door. As he followed suit, he had to be careful weaving through other imps milling about the lobby. Once he ran through the door Stolas came to terms with the fact that it was going to be him who was on bathroom cleaning duty tonight, by the law of their tiny apartment as stated by his person. Doomed to such a horrid fate, having war flashbacks to Loona fishing hellhound fur and his own feathers from the sink and tub drain last week.

And the smell! An unpleasant shiver ran up his spine as he remembered it vividly, feathers standing on end. He hadn’t even been the one cleaning it, yet still he was haunted by it having been in close proximity. Absolutely repulsive—

Loona hopped into the back seat and slammed the car door shut behind her in her heist, and Blitzø made a move to jump over the hood towards the driver's seat, over shot his momentum and flopped to the ground on the other side out of sight. He quickly hopped back up and climbed through the open window into the seat and started the engine.

As Stolas finally reached the car, he was wheezing as he tried to catch his breath, “That was unfair.” He said to Blitzø as he swung open the passenger side door and leveled his not-so-darling-right-now Blitzy with an unhappy frown.

“Thems the rules,” Luna called from the back seat, propping her feet on the center console between them and pulling out her phone, “I had cleaning duty last week.” She said unsympathetically.

“Buckle up buttercups!” Blitzø called out as he quickly flipped through the radio station, passing over one that sounded like just straight up screaming people, and settling on some catchy pop song Verosika released earlier in the month, “The sooner we get to M and M the sooner we can get coffee.” He shifted the car into reverse as Stolas clicked his seatbelt in place, then quickly pulled out into the busy streets. 

The inside of the van was far cleaner than it had been way back to their night at Ozzie’s. It wasn’t spotless by any means, but there was at least more foot room for him, less trash on the ground and the dust on the dashboard had been wiped off. 

Stolas rested his head against the window, pout tugging at the corners of his lips as he sulked. Cleaning the bathroom wasn’t the end of the world.

Probably.

And he supposed it was only fair that he learn to do these things, since he was given a roof over his head and a couch—albeit an uncomfortable one—to sleep on for free. And maybe his feathers contributed a tad bit to the occasional drain clogging as well, so it’s not just clumps of Loona’s shed fur. 

He may take a moment today to venture to the convenience store across from the apartment complex to fetch a candle, or perhaps any kind of air freshener; or all of them. Of all the traits an avian demon could pick and choose from their top side counterparts, what he wouldn’t have given for a poorer sense of smell. 

“Hey dad, I’m gonna head out to the club later tonight with Tex and Bee.” Loona stated as she put her phone away and focused up front.

“Ok sounds good Loonie-toonie,” Blitzø responded, taking his eyes off the road to look in the mirror at her, “I’ll keep my ringer volume up just in case.” 

His daughter scoffed and rolled her eyes, “It was one time, I’m like, a seasoned vet of hellhound parties at this point.” Despite her act, her tail wagging was a dead giveaway that she appreciated the sentiment.

“Hellhound parties?” Stolas asked as he made eye contact with her through the rearview mirror, in part curiosity and wanting to form a connection with Blitzø’s daughter, but also looking to pull his mind away from what was to happen tonight.

“Beelzebub throws absolute ragers for hellhounds to let loose,” Loona replied, “It’s a free and fun outlet for those lower on the totem pole, but anybody’s welcome really.”

“I’ve gone to one, they’re a blast.” Blitzø added in, “Especially when you want to forget a shitty day and also wake up feeling like a bag of smashed assholes.” 

“Oh,” Stolas tugged at the collar of his sweater, choosing once again not to make the lewd comment that popped into his head for Loona’s sake, “How charming.” He settled for instead.

“Hey don’t knock it till you’ve tried it.” Loona said, “I’m sure you’d have fun.” She continued, “Probably.”

“It’s basically like the one Verosika held on Halloween, but on steroids.” Blitzø put it into context he would understand. His neutral voice sounded a bit strained. 

“Oh don’t get me started on that,” Stolas grumbled as he rubbed his temples, “I hardly remember a thing from that night. One second I’m dancing with some guy, the next I’m waking up alone in my room with the worst hangover of my life.”

“Oh that’s just like one of Ver’s own incubus’.” Blitz scoffed.

Stolas was confused, “Whatever do you mean by that?” He looked over to the imp incredulously.

“I mean to fool around then dip before the sun rises.” 

“To fool around—“ Stolas scoffed back, “I was blackout drunk, I hardly think he tried anything.” He dismissed, “Plus I certainly didn’t feel fucked the following morning. The only thing that was sore was my aching head and possibly my ego.” Stolas continued, avoiding adding his heart into the mix, “Asmodeus is very serious when it comes to consent, I hardly think one of his own would take advantage of someone so unable to properly give it.” 

Things in the car were quiet for a bit, the van navigated the chaotic streets as they made their way to Moxxie and Millie’s apartment, which was significantly closer to their office building. Stolas mind was pulled from the dread of bathroom duty later that night to what Blitzø had said. Or not necessarily what he’d said, but how he said it. There was a specific inflection in his tone that was a dead giveaway that he’d been stewing on that party for a long time. Stolas opened his mouth to say something, but closed it hesitantly, eyes flicking to Loona in the back seat briefly before putting a pin in it. They would have time alone later tonight. 

He instead settled for resting his hand on Blitzø’s knee and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Tension left his shoulders and the spines on his back flexed as a shiver ran through his body at the contact. If Loona noticed, she didn’t say anything.  

Blitzø pulled up to the curb as they arrived outside of M and M’s apartment, his normal expression fitted back into place like a mask. He took his phone from his jacket pocket and pulled up Millie’s number, thumb about to hit the call button before she and her husband trotted down the steps from their building and hopped into the van.

“Mornin’ Loona! Mornin’ Stolas! Mornin’ Blitzø!” Millie called with similar energy and enthusiasm as his Blitzy had this morning. She vaulted over Loona’s lap to sit on her other side so Moxxie could take the seat next to the door.

“Good morning Millie.” Stolas responded, taking his hand back from Blitzø’s knee and returning it to his own lap, “Moxxie.” He nodded to the sleepier of the duo.

“Good morning.” He responded as he sat down and shut the door, “I started our order through the Hellbucks app so we can swing in and grab it quickly.” Moxxie responded as he buckled himself in and passed his phone to Loona, “Put your order in. Millie and I already added ours.” 

Loona grunted in response and put her own away to scroll through the menu, added in her usual order then passed it to Stolas without a word. He took a moment to consider the menu, then settled on his usual large iced brown sugar shaken espresso, “Are you getting your usual Blitzy?” He asked, smiling as he noticed the faintest blush on Blitzø’s cheeks at the pet name.

“What are you getting?” Blitzø instead asked as he pulled back out into traffic.

“The usual.” Stolas replied, looking back to the phone screen ready to add in the large hot black coffee Blitzø usually got.

“I’ll try that, no ice.” Blitzø decided. 

His thumb froze over the ‘order again’ option he usually got, then looked back up, “Are you sure?”

“Yeah yeah,” the imp waved his hand dismissively, “I’m feeling like mixing things up today.”

Stolas nodded in acceptance and added another one of his drinks, checking off the ‘No Ice’ option and adding it to the order, “Here you are Moxxie.” He said as he passed the phone back, “Thank you.” 

“Not a problem your highness—ah I mean Stolas, sir.” He corrected himself and nodded as he took his phone back, quickly putting the order through and trying to not make a big deal out of the slip up.

Stolas knew it wasn’t on purpose, just a force of habit on his end, so he tried to not take it too personally. Yeah the reminder of what he lost was a bit difficult, but more than anything it was simply a title. Out of everything taken from him that day, the title was by far the least of it. 

“You guys ready for a busy day today?” Blitzø asked. 

“I saw the post this mornin’,” Millie responded, “S’evrithin alright?” She asked, “Not that I’m complainin, extra work is extra income n’all. But it’s been a while since we last had a deal like this.”

“Yeah, 30% is a bit much sir.” Moxxie sounded a bit uneasy as he tucked his phone back in his pocket.

“Moxxie don’t get your panties in a twist, you’re still getting paid the same—“

“The post already has a lot of traction.” Loona responded, “And besides, it’s too late to take it back now, even if he was unsure of it. I bet there’s already messages in our office voicemail waiting for us.”

“Yeah! We’ll have work up to the tits.” Blitzø stated proudly, “Nothing we can’t handle.” 

“30%?” Stolas repeated, trying to mask the concern in his voice? Were they really so tight for money that they were desperate for work? And how long ago was the last time they did a deal like that? Was this his fault?

“It’s fine .” Blitzø insisted, “It’ll be great, and plus we have Loony to help us out topside now.”

“Damn straight.” She chimed in from the back seat, tail thumping and hitting Moxxie in excitement, much to his dismay.

“Pan sweetie, don’t be homophobic.” Blitzø responded as he pulled into the Hellbucks parking lot.

“I’m literally bisexual.” She countered, smacking his shoulder with her foot.

“Hi literally bisexual, I’m dad!” Blitzø replied without a second thought, earning him another kick as he set the car in park, “Millie, Tuny and Mox can you get the drinks for us?” He asked, looking at the three in the mirror.

“Sure thing!” Millie said immediately before moving to usher the other two out. Clearly picking up on the silent request for the two of them to have a bit of privacy.

“Why all three?” Loona complained as she followed Moxxie out of the van.

“It’s a big order.” Moxxie replied, “More hands means one trip.” He finished, looking at Blitzø in the mirror and nodding.

For all they knew, the two wanted a bit of privacy for the sake of not having any at home. And any PDA that happened in the car limited the amount they might be exposed to in the office.

After the three filed out from the van and the door slid shut, Stolas reached over and took Blitzø’s hand, “Is everything alright?” His voice was uncertain. Blitzø was silent for a moment, looking deep in thought, “Are you upset with me ?” He finally tacked on after a minute, a question spoken so quietly the imp could have easily missed it.

Instantly Blitzø squeezed his hand in reassurance, unbuckled his seatbelt, and shifted to face him fully, one knee pressed uncomfortably against the center console, “No—no absolutely not—“ his expression was mildly horrified and vulnerable in a way that the Blitzø from 2 months ago would never have been, “It’s just—I just—“ he took a deep breath and shook his head, “You didn’t do anything wrong, please don’t think…” he paused briefly before continuing, “It’s not you… I’m sorry… I still don’t do words good.” He looked away and his thumb rubbed the back of Stolas’ hand absently, “We can talk about it later tonight if you want. But please believe me when I say you did nothing wrong.”

Stolas gave his hand a reassuring squeeze before pulling Blitzø’s hand up to press a kiss to it, “I believe you darling.” He mumbled against the white skin of his knuckles before lowering their hands again and asking, “How late do you think Loona will be out tonight?” 

“If it’s a hellhound party she very well might be out all night ad take tomorrow off. She’s been spending more time with Vortex and Beelzebub lately. If she does come home it’ll be well past 12 at least.”

That piqued his curiosity and he arched an eyebrow, “Those two are in a relationship, right? Vortex and Beelzebub?” 

Blitzø let Stolas hand go and flicked him on the forehead, “I know where your brain is at, and I would like to not ponder my daughters sex life please and thank you.” 

Stolas only laughed, smile tugging at the corners of his lips as he did so, then leaned in to rest his forehead against Blitzø’s, “Sorry darling, we can change the subject. Do you have any plans tonight?” He asked.

“ Well ,” Blitzø grabbed Stolas’ hands and tilted his head to give him a quick kiss on the lips before he continued, “keeping you company while you clean the bathroom—“

“Oh don’t remind me.” Stolas mumbled and went to hide his face in the crook of Blitzø’s neck, “You are so cruel.”

Blitzø only laughed. It was a genuine one that reverberated through his chest and shook his shoulders, “Oh it’s not that bad, big bird.” He said between laughter, patting him on the back reassuringly. His laughter only grew as Stolas nestled his face in further, mumbling drawn out over dramatic ‘woah is me’ borderline-Shakespearean complaints, “We can get some candles and open a few windows if that’ll help.”

“A candlelit night in, full of fishing feathers and fur from the shower and sink drains? How romantic.” Stolas deadpanned as he finally pulled away to make eye contact with his person, “You really know how to sweep a man off his feet.” He was smiling none-the-less.

“Sweeping will be involved as well, you’re absolutely right.” 

“I feel it’s safe to assume it's not the romantic kind?”

“It can be if we get a little creative—“ Blitzø raised his eyebrows and smiled up at him before Stolas pushed his face away and rolled his eyes, a fond smile still in place.

“Oh you.” He let out a breathy, hooty laugh before continuing, “And is that all?” He asked as he rested head in his hand and made eye contact, elbow resting on the center console. 

“I may or may not have something up my sleeve, you’ll have to wait till later to find out, big bird.” The imp grinned up at him and winked, causing Stolas’ face to flush and heart to skip a beat. 

“You absolute tease.” Stolas leaned in to kiss him gently, “What ever shall I do with you?” He sighed as he pulled away to stair at his cute face.

“I can make a list for you if you’d like?” Blitzø responded with a smile he simply couldn’t not kiss. 

So he did. 

He unbuckled his seatbelt and leaned in. Using one hand to raise his love’s chin to connect their lips, and the other resting on the crook of his neck, slowly moving down his chest. Blitzø sat up on his knees to deepen it, his hands slipping under the hem of Stolas’ red sweater and splaying out across his stomach, very light at first to elicit a shiver up his spine and a needy moan into their kiss. He slipped his tongue into the Goetia’s mouth while the option presented itself, then buried his fingers into his feathers to firmly grip his hips. 

Stolas gasped and arched his hips forward as one of Blitzø’s hands slid from his waist to below his belt line, stopping just above where he truly wanted his hands to be and teased at the skin, “Oh please—“ he gasped as he broke the kiss, his body responding to every touch, “— Blitzy please!” 

Just as soon as he’d started, Blitzø’s hands retracted and he gave Stolas an innocent smile, as if he wasn’t just moments away from fingering him in the front seat.

Stolas gave him a dumbfounded look back, his brain taking a moment to process what an absolute tease he was. Blitzø kissed his nose before sitting back in his seat like nothing had happened and clicking his seatbelt back in place. The van door opened seconds later as the other three climbed back in mid conversation, causing Stolas to scramble to get his clothing back in order and brushing his feathers back in place for some semblance of dignity.

“I just don’t see what’s so difficult about putting my name on my cup correctly!” Moxxie complained as the other two filed in before him, “It would be one thing if it was occasional, but it has to be deliberate at this point.” 

“I don’t see why it’s such a big deal.” Loona responded as she propped her feat back up on the center console again.

“It’s the—“ Moxie got in a huff as he slid the door shut behind him and settled in, “It’s the principle of the matter!” 

Stolas had a tight frown on his face and was giving Blitzø a very displeased look, who only responded with a goofy smile, tongue poking out so innocently as he reached over him, grabbed Stolas’ seatbelt and buckled him in, “Precious cargo.” He said.

Stolas responded with an indignant rattling chirp. Blitzø was so lucky he’s cute.

“Darlin,” Millie started as she leaned over to pass out coffees, “They wouldn’t do it if you stopped acknowledging it.” She nudged Stolas’ shoulder, “Here hon.” 

He turned his head, expression changing to something more polite, “Oh, thank you Millie.” He said as he took the cup and placed it in one of the cupholders up front, this one sans-ice, then grabbed his own coffee and took a quick sip in hopes that the iced drink could cool his insides a bit. 

“How is it my fault?” Moxxie asked back, baffled as he dug through a bag to retrieve his breakfast sandwich before passing it over to his wife.

“I’m not sayin it is, Mox.” She responded in the same cheery voice as she grabbed the bag to get her own, “But you can’t control their actions, and gettin the only employees there who make your drink exactly how you like it in trouble just don’t seem worth it.” 

He opened his mouth to say something, closed it, then took a sip from his coffee before responding, “Ok, you have a point.” He grumbled. 

“Alright gang! Let’s blow this tree and leave!” Blitzø shouted as he put the car in reverse and peeled out of the parking lot.

“I believe the saying is let’s blow this popsicle stand, sir.” Moxxie said from behind him.

“And again, it’s make like a tree and leave, dad.” Loona added before sipping her drink and burying her nose back in her phone.

“I like mine better.” He responded, and Stolas couldn’t fight the smile at that, sexually frustrated or otherwise.

…

As predicted, the day did indeed start off with an inbox full of messages from potential clients. It kept Stolas busy for a bit scheduling appointments for sinners which consumed the first 3 hours in the office for both him and Blitzø. But once everything was all in order and the first wave of clients had gone through, Stolas was left to his own devices in the office while the others were topside. 

When he wasn’t talking with clients on the phone, or taking down information from walk-ins, he found himself thumbing through a harlequin novel that he’d bought from the convenience store across the street weeks ago. He’d read through it a few times already, and he would certainly love another to read, but he was very mindful of how he spent his money now. 

The office had made a few changes since he’d begun working for I.M.P. Some of which being a magazine rack to keep clients occupied, more so for Stolas’ sanity than for the sinners sake. There was only so much petty nagging he could put up with from impatient clients, and if this avoided the others coming back to him arguing with clients, then it was worth the expense. 

Blitzø had also rolled the TV in his office out into the main room with a stack of video cassettes for him to watch as well. But he’d seen all the movies available multiple times already, and the only channels available to him now were all public broadcast. So he had the choice of watching between 3 news channels, a children’s TV channel, and 1 Vox broadcast chalk full of advertisements for the company’s newest electronics and services. 

His and I.M.P.’s trial was still a popular topic for people to discuss, so outside of traffic and weather reports, there were interviews with his ex-wife and her brother trashing his character further, along with people talking about how unbecoming he was as a monarch. All stuff that he would much rather not hear and watch. 

He was also sorely missing his favorite Hellavovella, how 2 months behind on episodes and unable to watch them since that required having cable TV. 

Stolas pulled out his phone and looked at the lock screen and sighed. It was only 12:37pm, which meant there was still 4 hours and 23 minutes left before they could go home. He set it aside and drummed his fingers against the surface of the desk. 

He wondered if his father knew of his banishment. Paimon had been absent in Stolas’ life for so long he hardly had a clue what he was up to now-a-days. He hadn’t so much as come around since his Via hatched, and even then it was to express disappointment that he had a daughter and not a son. But Stolas’ arrangement with Stella was nothing more than to produce a precautionary heir, gender non-specific. Stolas was just relieved that she was healthy, and wasn’t pushed into an arranged marriage like had been. His Via was free to choose whatever she wanted for herself and her future partner. 

There was a sudden pang in his chest as he thought about his daughter's future and how he was no longer part of it. How much of her life would he now miss out on? Would she fall in love? Would she marry them? Who would walk her down the aisle? 

He was thankful that nobody was in the office at the moment, as he closed his book and buried his face in his hands, letting out a muffled sob. Visions of his Via being walked down the aisle by Andrealphus came to mind, and suddenly he was so full of self loathing it hurt. Another sob wreaked its way through him and he smacked himself in the forehead repeatedly mumbling, “— stupid—stupid—stupid—“ over and over to himself, eventually ending up hunching over the desk and laying there face down for a while as he began to quietly cry. 

He wasn’t sure how long he stayed like that, but he must have dozed off because next thing he knew there was a hand on his shoulder, “Stolas?”

He shot up from the table and turned to see Blitz, who took his hand off his shoulder and grabbed a box of tissues from a desk drawer. No words, just concern as he tilted Stolas’ head back to help clean up his running eyeliner. Blitzø didn’t have to ask if he was ok. He knew he wasn’t. 

“You’re back early.” He mumbled as he let Blitzø clean up his face.

“We still have a few more jobs we have to handle, but Mills needed a small break.” He set down the now black stained tissue on the desk and held his arms out. Stolas immediately accepted the hug. He felt like he was too tired to cry anymore, but his heart was still so heavy in his chest. Blitzø began to purr softly as he rubbed Stolas’ back comfortingly. 

After a long moment of being held, he felt another hand on his shoulder, “Stolas,” it was Loona, “I brought you some water.”

He pulled away from Blitzø to look up at her, tears prickling at the corners of his eyes again, “Thank you—“ his breath hitched, “Loona, thank you.” He repeated as he took the cup. He hadn’t realized how thirsty he was until he took that first sip and then downed the rest of it. 

“It’s no problem,” she looked unsure of what else to do and settled for grabbing the cup from him again, “I’ll go get you some more.” She walked around the desk and out of the office to fill it from the water cooler in the hall.

“Where are Millie and Moxxie?” He asked as he looked back over to Blitzø.

“Millie wasn’t feeling so well, she’s in the bathroom right now and he’s with her. We think it might be something wrong with her breakfast sandwich this morning.” Blitzø said, absently rubbing Stolas’ back, “When they get back, I can send Moxxie and Loona out and stay here with—“

“No.” Stolas cut him off, “You should join them. I’ll be fine, and Millie will be here for company.” He tried to reassure Blitzø as best he could, “It won’t be for too long, truly dear I will be fine.”

Blitzø still seemed concerned, “Are you sure?” He lifted a hand to rest on Stolas’ cheek, thumb rubbing gently underneath one of his eyes to wipe away a tear that had fallen from it.

“Yes dear.” He said softly, leaning into his touch for comfort, “I think I got a lot of it out of my system anyways.” He let out a tired laugh. When Blitzø still didn’t seem convinced, Stolas leaned in to give him a small kiss on the lips, “We can talk more later.” He said as he pulled away, “I’ll be fine, Blitzø.” He didn’t say the word promise .

Blitzø pulled him into another hug, holding his head to his chest and began to purr again, “Ok.” He mumbled into the crown of his head. He didn’t sound convinced still, but compromised, “What are you feeling like for dinner?” He instead asked.

“What are our options?” Stolas asked as he pulled away to make eye contact with Blitzø.

“Whatever you want.” He replied, voice sweet and caring.

A smirk spread across Stolas’ face as he thought of something . One specific something in the form of the man currently holding his face. The Goetia had a devious look in his eyes as he leaned in ever so slightly, eyebrow raising, waiting to see if he would pick up the hint.

It took all of five seconds for it to click and Blitzø let out a laugh, “ Besides that!” He playfully pushed his face away, “I’m talkin real food.”

“Alas, thwarted again.” Stolas sighed dramatically and leaned back in his chair, finding comfort in a little normalcy, “But honestly, I’m fine with anything, really.” ‘ I’m not very hungry at all.’ is what he wanted to say.

“Well,” Blitzø replied, hopping up to sit on the desk, “You’re gonna eat something.” Stolas fixed him with the smile again, “That’s not dick, Stols.” He poked his chest fluff, “I know what you’re doing.”

“And what would that be, Blitzy?”

“Avoiding the question.” 

Stolas frowned, closed his eyes, rested his chin on the desk next to Blitzø, and let out a sad rattling chirp.

“Now now, big bird.” Blitzø ran his fingers through the feathers on top of his head catching briefly on the feathers that hadn’t been properly preened, “Doesn’t have to be a well balanced meal, just as long as it’s, you know, something .”

Stolas thought for a long moment before opening his top set of eyes and looking up at Blitzø, “Ice cream?” He asked.

“I think I can make that happen.” Blitzø stated triumphantly as he hopped off the table, “After we drop off M and M we can stop by the supermarket.” He rested his hand on Stolas’ back and gave him a pat.

After having taken a longer than necessary time to get water, Loona finally walked back in, cup in hand, “Sorry I got a phone call.” She stated before passing Stolas the cup, “Here.”

“Thank you Loona.” Stolas responded as he took it and carefully sipped the water.

Moxxie and Millie came back into the room after her, with Moxxie resting his hand on the small of Millie's back and guiding her to sit down on the couch across from Stolas’ desk, “Are you sure you’re fine sweetie?” He asked, concern deeply evident.

“I’ll be fine, Mox.” She said, as she took a cup of water Moxxie brought with them, “Promis, sugar.” She smiled up at him and playfully pinched his cheek, “Plus I got Stolas here to keep me company.”

Moxxie looked like he wanted to say something more, but decided against it as he looked over to where the aforementioned bird was seated. He could only imagine how horrid a state he looked to be in, Stolas couldn’t even blame him for the concern. If the roles were reversed and he had to choose between leaving Blitzø alone with someone on the verge of walking out into traffic while he was sick, or staying with him instead he’d have his doubts too. 

“Let’s try and make this quick then.” Moxxie settled on.

“That’s the spirit, Mox!” Blitzø responded enthusiastically before leaning down to give Stolas a quick peck on the cheek before opening up another portal, “Let’s go Loony.” He gave Stolas one last reassuring pat on the head before hopping over the desk and through the portal. He was followed shortly by Loona at a much more casual pace.

“I’ll be back before you know it.” Moxxie kissed Millie on the forehead before following suit. Once the portal closed behind them, a silence filled the room. Millie’s energetic persona dulled down a bit and she looked tiredly into the untouched cup of water in her hands. Stolas was very certain he had an idea of what was wrong with her, and perhaps the tension was only palpable to him as he tried to think of something to say.

“Are you alright?” Stolas eventually asked, breaking the silence in the room.

“Yeah, things are ok.” she took a deep sigh, “Just feelin a bit nauseous is all. Must just be the breakfast sandwich this mornin.” She feigned a smile as she looked up at him, “And you?” She asked with genuine concern, “I know getting use to all this—“ she waved her hand and vaguely gestured to the office and likely his situation in general, “Ain’t exactly easy.”

“I’m doing quite alright.” Stolas replied as he tried to busy himself with tidying up the desk so he could avoid the look she gave him that said she knew otherwise, “I’m adjusting rather well, I think.” He paused as he tucked the tissue box back into the drawer, “All things considered, anyways.” He gave her a fake smile.

“I don’t mean to pry or nothin,” Millie responded, “but you can talk to me if you need someone, you know, not Blitzø or Loona to talk to.”

Stolas’ brows knit together, “Blitzø and Loona have been more than—“

“Oh wait, no, that didn’t come out how I meant it.” Millie waved her hand as she cut him off, “I meant , you guys’ relationship is a bit complex. You both got good intentions n’all, but sometimes you need someone you’re not livin with to talk about things to.” She amended.

“I…” Stolas thought for a second before continuing, “I suppose so.” He wasn’t sure what to say, not wishing to confide too much and burden someone with problems which were all his fault. He folded his hands on the desk and looked out the window, watching the way the clouds began to darken the sky.

He heard the sound of Millie getting off the couch and walking over to the desk. She put her cup down then hopped up on the desk to sit, one leg hanging over the side while the other was crossed in front of her and rested her hands in her lap, “Listen,” she drew Stolas’ attention away from the window, “Blitzø’s my best friend. I’ve seen him makin a lot of changes in his life over the past few months, an I mean… You gotta see it too, right?” She asked, tilting her head to make eye contact and expecting a response.

“I have.” He agreed, not knowing if this was some form of shovel talk, or a genuine heart to heart yet.

“Good.” She nodded, “I can’t say I know you all too well outside of word a mouth n’ small encounters, but I can say you’ve had a large impact on Blitzø. I’ve known him long before you too had your arrangement,” she gestures outwardly, “So much has changed with him in just one year.”

Stolas felt guilt bubble up, “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to change—“

Millie waved her hands towards him causing him to flinch some, “No no, shit nothin like that—“ she cut him off before he could spiral, noticed the flynch and retracted her hands, “Sorry. No it’s nothin bad Stolas. I didn’t mean for it to sound like I was comin down on you for nothin. It’s been good changes, honest.”

He felt a little embarrassed for flinching like he had, but waited for her to elaborate.

“I don’t know how much he’s told you about his past n’all, and I’m not about to go spilling what’s not mine to spill here even though I don't know much eaither, but I’ve seen him facing demons in his closet lately. You get what I’m sayin?” She asked him.

Stolas slowly nodded, “I’ve been realizing these past months living with him,” he began, finding himself struggling to find the words he needed, “I’ve had this idea of…” he thought for a moment then continued, “I’ve had this romanticized idealized version of him in my head, and I have for a while now.” He finally looked over to Millie to gauge her reactions, but just got a blank expression as she waited for him to continue, “This Blitzø is different—but, in a good way.” He looked back to the window, “I cherish our time together, even if it means I’m no longer a prince, I no longer have my palace, my library, my plants—I don’t even care that the rest of Hell now hates me. But..” he felt a stinging in his eyes as bitter tears began to well back up, “I feel I don’t deserve to be happy with him, and I feel so terribly guilty for feeling this way when Blitzø’s doing so fucking much for my sake.” 

Stolas took in a deep, shuddering breath and looked down to his now fidgeting hands, trying hard not to get choked up about this. He must sound so unbelievably selfish and ungrateful and horrid—

He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked back to the smaller imp, “Stolas, it’s ok to feel like you do.” 

“It—it is?” He asked, struggling to find logic or reason behind it.

She gave it a squeeze before letting go and continuing, “Of course it is, but you need to also understand that you are allowed to be happy. You deserve to be happy. But somethin tells me this is deeper than just run-a-the-mill self loathin, hon.” She said as she pulled her other leg up on the desk and crossed them, “You can tell me to stop if you wanna, but I wanna help if you’d let me?” She asked as she gave him a warm, kind smile.

There was a moment of dead silence between them as Stolas processed her words and thought them over. Maybe it was really ok, and hopefully an outside perspective could help him understand how to communicate this better to Blitzø.

“It’s my daughter.” He finally said, “I don’t care about anything else I’ve lost, but I’ve hurt her so very badly and it truly is all my fault.” Tears began to stream down his cheeks freely, “She was right. I was selfish and ruined everything—“ his breath hitched and he tightly shut his eyes, “Before he came back into my life, Via was my whole world, and having the privilege of being her father made every bad thing in my life worth bearing, and now she’s gone, and it’s all my fault.” 

He hadn’t noticed Millie grabbing the tissue box back from the desk drawer till she was passing it to him, “Here, hon.” He opened his eyes and was greeted with compassion and understanding, “Listen…” she began, “I might not be an expert in what you’re goin through parent-wise, but I was once a 17 year old girl, and I can tell you this. She’s hurtin right now, yeah, but you just gotta give her time. Her brain won’t be done developin till she’s what, 22-23 years old? Whatever custody agreement you got set up with is only effective until she’s 18. After that she’s free to do whatever the hell she wants and see whoever the hell she wants. She’s gotta take time to process and heal, but once she does, I’m sure she’ll seek you out.”

“And what makes you so sure that she will?” Stolas asked as he wiped the tears from his face, “She hates me, after all of this, she hates me, and even more so she hates Blitzø because she sees him as the one who broke our family?”

“Call it a hunch, but she reminds me a lot a someone else I know, and I’ve had the privilege of bein her aunt for six goin on seven years.”

“You mean Loona?” Stolas asked, a bit puzzled.

“Yeah,” Millie replied as she leaned back on her hands, “When Blitzø adopted her, she was just angry at the world. Angry at him even, because she just didn’t know how to trust anyone. But as she got older, her walls began to chip away. When she realized nothing she could do or say to hurt or upset Blitzø would make him give up on her and send her away, she finally began to trust him, and by extension, the rest of I.M.P.”

“My apologies, Millie, but I don’t know if I follow exactly?” His voice was more collected now. Loona and Octavia’s situations were so different from each others, he truly didn’t understand.

Millie just smiled and rolled her eyes, “I mean , Octavia is hurt and feels like she can’t trust you. She’s lashing out in anger and saying n’ doin things she know will hurt you back because she thinks you’re giving up on her—“

“I would never give up on her—“ Stolas interrupted Millie, voice full of concern, before he was silenced by Millie putting a finger to his lips.

“N’ I’m not sayin you would either.” She cut back in, “What I am sayin is she’s trying to push you away because she thinks you really abandoned her. She wouldn’t do that and wouldn’t be this upset if she really hated you. Keep an open line of communication for her to reach you through, and when she’s ready she’ll reach out. It's kinda like a test, not a mature one, but she is still just a kid. Once she see's youre still there, things'll settle.” 

Stolas thought long and hard about Millie's words. It was a lot to take in all at once, and they made sense, but it didn’t make things any better. Not entirely anyways, “And if she does, and sees that I’m happy with Blitzø? What do I do then?” He finally asked, “Via is angry with me because I wanted to be with him, and that I divorced her mother and broke the family she grew up with, because I fell in love with him ?” He continued, not even registering the fact he’d said he loved Blitzø out loud. 

A statement which had Millie smiling brightly at him, “Stolas, hon,” she reached over and patted his arm reassuringly, “You didn’t break up your family, and it ain’t Blitzø’s fault either. You were already unhappy, and from what I heard, Stella treated you like shit. You aren’t a bad person for finding love elsewhere when you were trapped in such an unhealthy and abusive relationship. Out of everyone in your family, you aren’t the one responsible for breaking it, and I’m sure if you could explain things to her when you get the chance, Octavia will understand that Blitzø was just the straw that broke the camel's back.” 

“But what if she never gives me that chance? I can’t go to her now, and she has set boundaries. She doesn’t want to see me.” He asked.

“Is Octavia a smart girl?” Millie asked him, raising an eyebrow.

“Of course she is! She’s so incredibly bright and talented and—“

“There’s your answer right there.” Millie smiled and winked at him, “If she's smart, she’ll come around. And besides, she has both Blitzø and Loona’s phone numbers. She’s not as out of reach as you think.”

“I suppose you’re right.” Stolas settled.

“For now, focus on what you can do while you wait for her. Just because you have a new life out here don’t mean you’re leaving her behind. It just means you’re moving on from everything else. Have a new life, let yourself be happy, and make sure there’s room for her in it too.”

It took Stolas a moment before he could speak, but once he could he responded, “Thank you, Millie.” He took a deep breath, shoulders feeling a little lighter, “I think that helped me sort my mind a bit.” 

“Any time!” She replied, smiling brighter than the sun, “And be sure to tell Blitzø you love him too.” She said as she playfully punched his shoulder.

“I—wait—what?” Stolas’ face flushed and he felt a little light headed.

“Oh did you think I didn’t hear you say it before?” She asked, smile still bright, “Even if you didn’t just say it out loud, everyone can see it plain as day.”

“Oh I absolutely cannot say that to him.” Stolas panicked, mind racing back to the full moon everything first fell apart at.

“Now now,” Millie countered, “I get why that scares you, but like I said from the start, the Blitzø we have today is not the same as the one we had a few months ago. He might not be good with words, but I’m sure you’ve heard him say it through his actions.” She pat Stolas’ shoulder reassuringly, “Say it when you’re ready, but know this. Blitzø’s changed a lot.”

“I’ve got a lot to think on after this conversation.” He pat her hand back, “You didn’t have to, but you did anyways. Thank you for helping me.”

Millie only rolled her eyes, “I didn’t have to , sure. But I wanted to.” She shrugged, “Sides, you’re one of us now. We’re all a family, don’t matter how messed up some of our backgrounds may be, we got each other's backs.” She said and reached over for her cup of water, “Well, my biological family’s pretty great. Sister’s comin up next week as a matter of fact. But our boys?” She grimaced, “Well let’s just say they got their reasons for needed their distance and shit, least as far as my Moxxie goes.” She waved her hand as she took a sip of her water.

“Ah, right.” Stolas nodded, happy to switch topics to something not entirely focused on his failings, “And, ah, how are you feeling?” He asked.

She paused for a moment before smiling again and setting her cup down, “I’m feelin great now. Musta got it all out of my system when we got back, the nauseas' all gone.” She hopped off the desk and stretched her arms out, “I got killer heartburn though.”

Stolas didn’t know if she knew, it was still fairly early on all things considered, and she wasn’t showing yet, but like, was he obligated to tell her she was pregnant? Maybe there was a way he could broach the topic?

“If memory serves, you have been experiencing nausea daily, correct?” He asked her, choosing his words very carefully.

She just shrugged, “I wouldn’t say daily , but regardless I think I’m fine.” 

“Have you…” Stolas paused to think his words better, “Considered seeing a doctor about it?” He settled on.

Millie snorted, “Ha, no. Nah I’m a-ok, no worries darlin.” She waved off the idea of seeing a doctor entirely, “Thanks for the concern though.” She smiled over her shoulder at him, “I think the boys and Loona are gonna be getting back—“

As if on cue a portal opened up by the window and the trio returned, Moxxie being carried over Blitzø’s shoulder as he aimed a rifle at something behind them while Loona dove through the portal right on their heels

“CLOSE IT CLOSE IT CLOSE IT!” Loona yelled as she looked at whatever was chasing them. At the same time Blitzø closed the portal, Moxie took the shot and blasted a hole through the office window.

“God damn it Mox! We just got that window replaced!” Blitzø yelled and dropped the shorter imp to look at the damage done.

“Sorry sir—“ Moxxie was wheezing on the ground, with an expression like they’d just faced god and almost lost, “I panicked—they were so close!”

“What happened?!” Millie shouted not so much in concern, and more like she was disappointed she missed out on a party.

“Geese is what happened.” Loona huffed as she pulled out feathers caught in her hair, “Canadian geese.”

“I told you not to instigate them sir!” Moxxie accused Blitzø.

“Mox I didn’t instigate shit! I existed within a mile-fucking-radius of one—“ he held out a single finger in Moxxies face, “—you killed the target, and the geese fucking multiplied!” 

“So the job got done?” Millie asked, leaning over her husband to pick a long goose feather from his hair before tidying it up.

“Yeah, and that was our last job for the day.” Moxxie responded as he got back on his feet, “How are you feeling?” He asked as he held her face in his hands.

“I’m feelin right as rain, Mox.” She smiled sweetly up at her husband before leaning in to give him a quick kiss.

“And you, sir?” Moxxie asked Stolas, looking over his wife’s shoulder.

“Oh, yes I’m quite alright, thank you for your concern.” Was all Stolas could get out, now gaping at the shattered window and running the numbers in his head on how expensive of a fix that would be. 

“Ok gang, let’s get the tarp and cover that up. I can file the insurance claim later.” Blitzø clapped his hands together to get everyone’s attention.

“On it sir.” Moxxie responded, letting go of his wife to go into the storage closet, retrieving a large, very well used blue tarp from a shelf labeled ‘Window Break Emergency Tarp’ . Along with a roll of brown duck tape that had a large horse shoe pattern down the middle.

Stolas stood up from the desk and walked over to Moxxie as he watched him push boxes over to the window so he could reach the top of the sill, “Here, let me help.” He said, grabbing one end of the tarp and helping unfold it.

“Oh sir you don’t have to, I was the one who—“

“I don’t, but I want to.” Stolas responded before Moxxie could get any further. To emphasize his point he reached out for the tape, “Can I?”

Moxxie just looked up at him in mild surprise, looked over to his wife who gave him a smile and thumbs up, then looked back up as Stolas, “Thank you, sir.” He said, sounding a little uncertain but grateful as he passed the tape to the much taller demon.

“You don’t have to call me sir, Stolas is fine.” He said absently as he lifted the tarp up above the windowsill and pulled out a strip of tape to adhere it in place. It said a lot about how often this occurred, as Stolas took note of the leftover tape residue still on the wall from previous incidents.

“Here, let me help.” Moxxie said as he began unfolding the buttom half so it was laying flat against the wall.

The tarp was far from perfect as well, duck tape mending holes all over it, with patterns ranging from ponies, to hearts, to multi-colored spots. It was overall very well worn, and it was far from perfect, but it did the job it needed to do. 

As he finished taping off the top half, Moxxie was able to help hold the sides in place so the wind didn’t pull the tarp through the hole, “Thank you Moxxie.” Stolas said as they finished off both sides.

“I can at least get the floor,” the smaller imp reached up for the tape, “And thank you sir—Stolas.” He corrected himself. 

Stolas hadn’t really done all that much in the grand scheme of things, but the steps he’d taken today with Millie and Moxxie had him feeling less like an outsider. He looked over to Blitzø, who was standing by the desk with his phone in his hand, clearly having taken a picture of them. He had a pretty content expression, the tip of his tail twitched happily. 

Millie was absolutely beaming with joy at the two as they finished up the job. 

“All reighty! Well I’m pretty wiped out from today and I think it’s time we blow this joint and hit the road.” Blitzø said as he fished the keys from his pocket.

“It’s—“ Loona started before pausing, “Actually no I’ll let it pass.”

“They do actually sound correct together.” Moxxie agreed.

Stolas just smiled at Blitzø, a hand over his mouth to stifle his amusement. He reached over, grabbed Blitzø’s hand and let him lead the way out, noticing the way there was a little pep in his step as he grinned up at him. 

It would take a lot of unlearning on his part to accept letting himself be happy with Blitzø, nothing ever seemed to to come easy right now, but he would try for both their sakes. 

“Lead the way, Darling.”

…

When they returned to their apartment building, it was to all three’s dismay to see that the elevator was still out of order. The climb would have been not too bad for Stolas, but for Blitzø and Loona the thought was dreadful having been out and active all day. 

Not to mention the groceries. Even though Blitzø refused to make multiple trips for them all, he looked wearily at the stairwell. 

Stolas had an idea that could help at least one of them. Knowing full well Loona was too proud to accept it, Stolas knelt down and set the bags with candles and ice cream aside, “Blitzø, hop on and I’ll carry you.”

He looked at Stolas like he had five heads, “Ahh no offence, Stolas, but I don’t think…” he stopped what he was saying when the Goetia leveled him with a deadpan stare.

“Blitzø, you can either get on my shoulders, or I’m picking you up and carrying you myself.”

“But my bags—“ 

“I can handle those too.” He cut him off, “I might not have my powers any more, but I’m not incapable of carrying in groceries.”

“Just do it dad.” Loona called down to them, having already climbed up to the landing on the second floor.

The imp only rolled his eyes, “Ok fine . If you insist.” He relented, setting his bags down by Stolas’ before making quick work of climbing up his back and sitting on his shoulders, “Just be carful not to hit my head on a door frame.” He leaned over his head a bit for balance and rested his hands atop it.

“Wouldn't dream of it, darling.” Stolas said as he adjusted his balance with the new weight on his shoulders before reaching for the four bags, all full of either cleaning supplies, ice cream, toppings for the ice cream, and a bunch of vanilla scented candles. 

Blitzø nestled his face into Stolas’ head feathers and adjusted his grip a bit as he began his ascent up the stairs. He caught up to Loona fairly easily, surpassing her a bit without realizing it, or noticing she’d stopped all together and set her bags down momentarily until he got to the third story landing. That was when he turned to see her stuffing her phone back into her pocket quickly. 

By the time they’d made it to the 7th floor he was feeling relieved to finally set the bags down and crouched so Blitzø could hop down, “And here we are.” Stolas said, a bit out of breath and flexing his fingers, which were aching from the weight of the bags.

“Here, I can carry the bags the rest of the way.” Blitzø said as he scooped them all up, “Thank you.” He said as he leaned over to give him a quick kiss in the cheek before turning down the hall towards their apartment. 

Absently, Stolas reached up and touched the spot where Blitzø had kissed, face going pink as his heart did a little flutter in his chest. The two of them use to get down to horrifically kinky shit all the time—to the degree that his uncle, Asmodeus, the sin of lust, would be proud— and yet here was blushing uncontrollably by a simple kiss on the cheek? 

There were other imps congregating in the hallways, likely getting back from work as well, who looked on with varying levels of shock and surprise. It occurred to him now that Blitzø hadn’t done something like this around people they didn’t know before this point. Holding hands was one thing, but a kiss? Their neighbors before now weren’t aware of the nature of their relationship, and it wasn’t as if they could hear them through the walls like Stolas could with the others, because they haven't exactly have the opportunity for sex since his banishment. 

“Come on, keep it moving.” He heard Loona say as she finally caught up with them, a hand on his back to usher him down the hall.

“Oh, right.” He responded as he stood back up and followed where Blitzø had gone. The door was wide open, so all he had to do was duck under the door frame and walk in. 

Loona set her bags on the dining table with a loud thud before walking into her room and shutting the door, likely getting ready for the excursions she had planned for the night.

His Blitzy was in the kitchen unpacking the groceries onto the counter. He was humming to himself the notes to one of the songs that came on the radio on their drive home.

They’d perhaps gone a little overboard on their ice cream selections, but between the two of them alone, picking just 1 flavor was difficult in and of itself, not taking into consideration what Loona would choose as well. There were varying pints unloaded on the counter, ranging from mint chocolate chip, cookies and cream, chocolate and peanut butter, caramel fudge swirl, and black raspberry. In the bags Blitzø was currently unpacking, there was rainbow sprinkles, maraschino cherries, hot fudge, caramel sauce, walnuts and whipped cream.

Stolas walked into the kitchen to help put things away, trying to ignore the bag of cleaning supplies that was waiting for him next to the bathroom door. As he passed by Blitzø to begin putting ice cream in the fridge, he took a moment to carefully pet down the spines on his head and leaned down to kiss his tattoo.

It was Blitzø’s turn to blush profusely as he raised his hand to the spot he’d kissed him on, “What was that for?” 

“Oh, nothing really.” Stolas smiled as he opened up the freezer, “Because I could,” he started, “And because you’re so cute when you’re flustered.” He smiled over his shoulder and watched as Blitzø’s blush deepened and he began to sputter out nonsensical words before sharply turning back to laying out the assortment of toppings, and sliding the pints down Stolas’ way.

Moving on might be hard, and things were far from perfect, but maybe for tonight he would take Millie’s advice more to heart. He would try and let himself be happy, even if only a little bit. 

They moved about the kitchen doing their tasks in a comfortable silence, Blitzø’s tail brushing against Stolas’ leg when he passed him to retrieve something from a drawer next to the fridge. A lighter, likely for the candles for later on. Stolas' hand graised Blitzø’s hand as things were passed around. Little touches like that.

He wondered what the surprise Blitzø had up his sleeve was. Honestly after today, the surprise could be more kisses and he would be more than satisfied. A quiet night in, eating iced cream and doing fuck all else. 

Loona walked out of her room and went into the bathroom to check her makeup quickly before she was to leave. She wore a sleeveless short black dress with a turtleneck collar, a long necklace with a red, metal pentagram pendant, as well as a red clutch purse with a strange pattern on it that vaguly reminded him of an uneaven spiderweb. 

Once she seemed satisfied, she left the bathroom and grabbed a set of the apartment keys off a hook by the door, “Bye dad! Bye Stolas! My ride’s here.”

“Make safe choices!” Blitzø called after her.

“I won’t!” She yelled back.

“That’s my girl!” The imp replied, beaming with pride for his daughter. 

Stolas let out a hooting little laugh at their antics and leaned against the counter, watching Blitzø finish his task. 

Without his jacket on, he was in his red and white striped shirt. His form was more apparent now with only one layer of clothing, but still just enough to leave what was underneath it up to his imagination. His eyes drifted across the white scarring that went from his face and down past his collar, practically undressing him with his eyes as he fantasized him without his shirt on. All skin he’d seen before, but so much time had passed between now and when he’d last seen him naked. It was over half a year at this point, and he would be lying if he said he didn’t want his darling Blitzy to bend him over the nearest surface and fuck his brains out right now.

They had the apartment to themselves for the night, afterall. 

A shiver went up his spine causing his feathers to fluff out, and he placed a hand over his chest to try and quell the way it began to beat heavily. He took a deep breath as he pushed off the counter and approached his person with more boldness than he'd had these past months. Blitzø seemed blissfully unaware of him moving closer, only cursing as he tried to light one of the candles in preparation for the misery that would be cleaning the bathroom later on.

With one hand on the counter next to him, Stolas leaned over the shorter man and rested a hand on Blitzø’s hip, long fingers brushing under the hem of his shirt and toying with the beltline of his pants, “ Blitzy , I could not help but notice ,” he emphasized his name and the last word as he leaned down to whisper into his ear, “that we will have the apartment all to ourselves for the majority of the night.” 

A shiver shot up Blitzø’s spine as he set the now lit candle down and grabbed Stolas’ hand, “Ohhhoho no you don’t.” He chuckled as he turned around to face him, “I’m the top here.” He grinned up at the taller man, needing to lean back a bit on the counter as Stolas continued to lean over him.

Stolas only hummed in agreement as leaned down and rested his forehead against Blitzø’s, eyes drinking up every little thing they could, “Right you are.” He smiled as he led Blitzø’s hand back to his own hips, “Do you plan on finishing what you started this morning?” 

“Right here? In front of the ice cream bar?” He joked.

Stolas had to hold back a small laugh, but instead shivered as he felt two hands grab his ass for only a moment before he instead moved his hands under Stolas’ shirt and up his sides, “Be a good birdie,” Blitzø practically purred up at him before he moved his hands again and lifted him up by the thighs, turned them around, and parked his ass on the counter, “Sit all pretty for me and wait right here.”

Blitzø quickly moved to the bathroom to get whatever it was he thought was more important than fucking him at the moment. Stolas’ heart was racing in his chest as he did what he was told, not exactly sure if he was sitting pretty or otherwise, but he could be patient for his Blitzy. 

…

Despite now feeling comfortably sore and wrists only bruised a little bit , Stolas was pretty damn content with how his night was currently going. So far he was doing a great job of pushing off cleaning the bathroom, the living room was washed in warm, yellow, flickering candle light, as well as the last remaining light from the setting sun. He was currently laying naked on the couch with an also very naked Blitzø curled up on top of him, face buried in the puff of feathers on his chest and purring absently. 

His eyes roamed over the line where white scar met red skin on his back that he could see from this angle, finger tracing the pattern across his skin delicately so as not to wake him from his little nap. He never knew where he'd gotten them, but knew very well not to ask. He missed this so much. It wasn’t so much as the sex—although that was certainly a sizable part—it was the care and intimacy that occurred afterwards. It was never quite like this, though. He’d noticed it tonight. Blitzø is far more cozy now than he'd ever been before. 

It only then occurred to him what the difference really was, and that somehow got his heart beating heavier. Blitzø was allowing himself be vulnerable with Stolas. He was alowing Stolas to hold him, to touch him while he slept comfortably. Not only that, but he seemed content to do so. Tears began to form in the corners of Stolas eyes as he was overcome by a swell of joy. 

He couldn’t help himself as he nuzzled his face between Blitzø’s horns and peppered his forehead in kisses.

“Mmmmmm…” Blitzø buried his face further into Stolas’ chest and mumbled something he couldn’t quite catch.

“What was that, dear?” Stolas asked, brushing a hand on the side of Blitzø’s face to coax him out.

He only mumbled further into his chest. 

“One more time?” He asked, chuckling this time.

Blitzø moved his head so his chin now rested on his chest, pulled a stray feather from his mouth and cast it to the floor, “What time is it?” 

He turned his head to look over the back of the couch, eyes zeroing in on the oven clock, “It’s 7:48, dear.”

“Bathroom time.” He announced, now more alert as he sat up and got off the couch, then took a moment to stretch his whole body. So comfortable in his own skin he didn’t think twice about being stark naked in the middle of the living room. 

Stolas certainly wasn’t complaining, eye drinking up the view with much appreciation. 

Respectfully , of course. 

“Must I clean it tonight.” He complained, making no movement at all to peel himself off the couch. 

“Absolutely tonight.” Blitzø responded in a cheery tone, “It’ll keep you occupied while I get the surprise ready.” He smiled down at him sweetly, holding out a hand to help Stolas sit up.

“You mean that wasn’t the surprise?” Stolas asked as he sat up, shifting a little bit due to the soreness in his lower regions.

“ That,” Blitzø poked the end of Stolas’ beak, “was the appetizer.” 

As much as he didn’t want to get up, and especially not to clean the bathroom, his curiosity was certainly peaked, “That was one hell of an appetizer.” He settled on, finally standing and relenting, “But I suppose the sooner the bathroom is done the sooner I don’t have to think about it anymore.”

“Now that’s the spirit!” Blitzø cheered, “Once things are all set up, I’ll even help you.” He offered.

“Well with an offer like that.” Stolas rolled his eyes as he went to collect their clothes from the kitchen floor, before tossing Blitzø his, “Now put some clothes on.”

“I thought you liked me with my clothes off?” The imp teased as he pulled the shirt off his face and held it over his arm, eyebrow raised.

“Dearest, as much as I love the view,” he started as he pulled his own pants back on, “I would not like to share it with the rest of Imp City.” He gestured out the curtainless glass door leading to the fire escape, which Blitzø was now standing in front of, ass naked for the world to see.

“Ahh you have a point.” Blitzø said as he stepped away from the door and quickly put his pants back on.

Stolas smiled fondly as he folded his sweater over the back of one of the dining room chairs before going to their shared dresser to retrieve more comfortable clothing for him to wear while he fishes feathers and fur from the drains. He settled for the shirt Loona had gifted him his first night here, a pair of baggy night shorts, and clean underwear. He grabbed the bag of cleaning supplies, not bothering to close the door since it was just the two of them, and he didn’t need to be shut in with a soon to be horrid smell.

“You can keep the door open, but don’t go peeking your head out!” Blitzø called to him from the other end of the apartment doing something over by the couch. He could already hear the sound of some furniture moving followed by Blitø moving a fairly heavy box from Loona’s room. 

“Sure thing Blitzy.” Stolas responded, a smile very much evident in his voice, before tossing his pants and underwear to the floor just outside the bathroom and quickly putting on new clothes. 

Stolas sat on the edge of the tub and began sorting through the items in the shopping bag, pulling out a box of baking soda, a bottle of white vinegar, a drain snake, and a new scrub brush since the last one was finally put out of its misery. He also pulled up a tutorial on what to do on his phone so he knew he was cleaning it right, without having to pull Blitzø away from what he’s doing to guide him through something so simple.

He started by removing the plastic drain cover, of which already had a few feathers and some fur stuck in it. An unpleasant shiver went up his spine as he carefully plucked the muck out and ploped it into the bathroom trash. Already he could start to smell the bacteria that’d been festering in the shower drain and was quick to dump a generous portion of baking soda and vinegar down it. 

The smell of the vinegar wasn’t pleasant either, but in comparison it was certainly preferable. As that began to fizzle in the drain, he moved on to do the same with the sink, carefully twisting the drain cover out and almost gagging at the trail of dubious sludge attached to it. Using a paper towel, he methodically pulled it loose and dropped it in the trash as well. Like with the tub, he dumped some baking soda and vinegar down the drain and let that do its own thing while he fished out toilet cleaner from under the sink.

For him, cleaning the toilet was probably the most bearable chore outside of sweeping and mopping. Just pop a tablet in the water tank, spray a cleaning solution in the bowl, then use the scrubber to clean the bowl and flush. No fishing anything out of anywhere at all .

He heard something fall over in the living room quickly followed by Blitzø shouting, “Don’t come in here I’m fine!!!!” Then followed by him fixing whatever the hell he’d just knocked over or fallen off of, really it could have been both knowing his Blitzø. Yes he was once an acrobat at the circus, but he still had his mishaps fairly often when he wasn’t paying attention, or balancing on something dubious to begin with.

“Are you sure?” Stolas asked, just in case, “That didn’t sound too good.”

“Absolutely positive!” He called back.

“Ok, Blitzy,” he settled on, “But do be careful not to break anything important.” 

“I won’t, but worse case furniture is replaceable anyways.” Blitzø joked, voice lighthearted as he continued to do whatever the hell he was doing.

“The furniture might be, but you aren’t.” He called back as he set to scrub the tub basin, sprinkling the rest of the baking soda across the dark grey porcelain surface. Following the directions on his phone to a T so he didn’t mess it up. 

“Now how the hell am I supposed to follow up on that?!” He called back, and without even needing to see his face Stolas knew he must be beet red and flustered. 

“Follow it up by not falling, please.” Stolas chuckled as he began to slowly pour the vinegar in the tub before he started getting to work scrubbing. 

“What if I wanted to?” Blitzø asked, as he popped his head in the bathroom and promptly scared the shit out of Stolas, who whipped around and held a clean hand to his chest as if that would stop his heart from leaping from it.

“Blitzø you nearly scared me half to death!” He half chastised but smiled nonetheless as he sat back upright in the edge of the tub.

Blitzø held his hands in front of him, thumb and pointer fingers forming a rectangle like he was taking a picture, “Got it.” He smiled before going back to the living room, “Don’t come out here still!” 

“Oh no fair, you can’t do something so—so—“ his heart was all a flutter, “I probably look like a mess you can’t take a picture of that—theoretical or otherwise, then run to a place I can’t follow!” Stolas called out the door, flustered and fumbling over his words.

“Too late!” 

Stolas, now thoroughly flabbergasted, just returned to scrubbing the tub with new vigor, letting out a quibbling chirp to himself. It was something so stupid and silly— why was it getting him this bad?

He drew out scrubbing the tub for as long as he could before he had to do by far the worst part. Once every square inch of the tub’s surface, and even the shower walls, were scrubbed, he had to rinse things down and snake out the now looser contents of the drain. He turned the shower water to as hot as it would go and rinsed everything down. Very grateful for the removable shower head that made spraying down the walls to wash the cleaner off easy, and then rinsed out the basin thoroughly. Once satisfied, he shut the water off and watched as the water in the tub drained slowly. 

It was time. 

He took the drain snake from its packaging, carefully read through the instructions on it, then with one hand he slid it down the drain, and the other held his shirt over his nose as an extra barrier. As he slowly pulled the fur and feathers from the drain that the baking soda and vinegar couldn’t handle, he had to focus very hard to keep from hurling. It could just be his heightened sense of smell, but the scent was borderline septic as it met his nose. He was able to pull up the last of it, with a surprising amount of it his feathers alone, and got the sense that the janitors at his palace weren’t paid nearly enough for their services. 

He quickly tossed the mess into the trash, not wanting to make physical contact with it any longer than absolutely necessary. He then ran the faucet on hot and washed his hands as many times as it took to no longer feel his skin crawl, then washed them one time more for good measure. In the process, he completely rinsed out the tub. He felt pretty satisfied as he watched the tub drain at a normal rate. 

From the side of his eye, he watched Blitzø scramble across his line of sight and towards the front door, holding something flat against his chest to hide it as he did so. 

Stolas stood up and went to finish off the sink, following a similar process to the tub. And with a quick sweap, his tasks were finally finished, “Ok, Blitzy, the drains are clean!” He called from the bathroom. 

“Ok perfect!" Blitzø responded, “I’m pretty much all finished—“ he popped into the doorway holding a glittery pink tote bag, “But first, bath.”

Stolas just blinked at him, “But I just scrubbed it.”

“No—yeah—no,” Blitzø plopped the bag on the ground, git on his knees, and began taking things out, “You’re going to take a bath.” He stated as he pulled out bath salts and an expensive brand of bubble bath Stolas usually had back in the palace, along with a few other things like face masks for feathers and body washes—all things that he had to leave behind in the palace. There was more in the bag, but Blitzø set it aside.

“I ahh,” Blitzø rubbed the back of his neck before looking up at Stolas, “I don’t know a whole lot about maintaining feathers, but I remembered you used these things before, and with a little help from Fizz and Asmodeus, I was able to get you these.” 

Stolas was truly speechless, but knelt down in front of him to pick up the bubble bath and turn it over in his hands, “Blitzø…” he said, eyes wattering as he looked at everything else, “Is this why you needed to take on extra work?” He asked, looking from the plethora of stuff on the ground over to Blitzø.

“No—not really,” he responded, “I got a lot of help from Fizz and Ozzie. This part is kinda their idea in all honesty. There’s a lot I don’t know about feathers… I had a lot to learn with Loony too.” Blitzø was looking anywhere but at Stolas, “You live here now, and I just…” he sighed and finally looked back up to see tears streaming down Stolas’ cheeks, “Ahh shit, I didn’t—“ 

Before Blitzø could finish speaking, Stolas pulled him into a tight hug, tears soaking into Blitzø’s t-shirt. Stolas’ shoulders shook as he just cried quietly. 

“There, there,” Blitzø began to rub reassuring circles on his back, “let it all out Stols. I’ve got you.” 

He didn’t deserve all this, not Blitzø’s kindness, not Loona’s, not Millie or Moxxie’s, not Fizzoralli’s, especially not Asmodeus. None of it.

But they still gave it to him, not because they felt they had to, but because they wanted to. He didn’t feel like someone worthy of it, but, maybe he could become that person. For them, for Blitzø, and if Millie was right about her prediction, maybe even for Octavia too when she came around. He didn’t need to prove himself to all of hell, not when the people who mattered most were already right here. 

And things were complicated with his daughter, but… He would still like to be a man worthy of calling himself her father. 

Stolas pulled away from Blitzø enough to pull him into a kiss. He pulled away again to look him in the eyes, then kissed him again, and again and again. Kissed him absolutely silly , because he could, and because Blitzø hadn’t stopped him yet.

I love you

Those words almost left his lips, so incredibly easily and without even a second thought. 

“You ok, big bird?” Blitzø asked him, reaching up to cradle his face in his hands and wiping his thumbs through tear tracks, “I wasn’t expecting you to cry.”

Stolas gave him a watery smile, “Yes I’m—I’m fine Blitzø.” He held his hands over Blitzø’s, “Thank you—“ his breath hitched, “—thank you.”

I love you so much it hurts in the best way.

“That’s not fair.” Blitzø stated as he looked up at Stolas, “Even as a crying mess you’re still attractive.” The statement would have been adorably sweet had Blitzø not looked genuinely baffled and maybe a little bit miffed.

Stolas laughed, tired but genuine, and let go of his hands to sit back up, “You’ll have to tell Fizzarolli and Asmodeus I said thank you.” His eyes looked over all the bottles and containers and bath brushes, mind calculating the price of all these products combined. 

“Hey, don’t do that.” Blitzø waved his hand in front of Stolas’ face.

“Don’t do what?” Stolas questioned.

“Math.” He accused. 

“And how do you know I was doing math?” Stolas asked him, maybe a little irritated at being called out so quickly, but was also too mentally tired to care.

“I can just see it on your face.” Blitzø replied as he stood back up, “Now let’s get this bath started.” 

“Is the bath tonight necessary?” He asked from his spot on the floor.

“It’s absolutely necessary.” Blitzø responded as he began to set the bath up by turning the water on and plugging the drain, “Now help me figure out how much of what goes where before I start playing potions and shit.” 

“Potions?” Stolas asked, now very puzzled.

Blitzø looked down at him also confused, “When you were a kid left unsupervised in the bath?” He responded, waited a moment, but continued when Stolas remained silent and confused, “You mean to tell me you never sat in the bath as a kid and mixed up all the soaps and shit?”

Stolas only shook his head, “You mean to tell me you were left unsupervised as a little kid in the bath?” He asked back.

“No, but like—did you not have any fun as a kid?”

“Well there was this one time on my 13th birthday. I was given my purpose as a Goetia, told I was to marry Stella, and then to cheer me up my dad brought me to the circus.”

“Ok I know that day, but like, there has to be something else?” 

“I mean, probably. But I can't really think of much else before we had Via. I was 19 at the time, and then taking care of her was my everything…” Stolas grew quiet as he thought for a moment, “I get the sense that we have had very different childhoods.” He sighed and looked anywhere but at Blitzø, “Never mind that, though.” He reached over to grab the bath salts and bubble bath, adding some in while the water was still running, using less so since the tub itself was much smaller than the one he was used to bathing in.

He didn’t need or want Blitzø’s sympathy for his bland childhood. The dreary mess of which he escaped through reading everything and anything he could get his hands on. He didn’t want to see it in his eyes, hear it in his voice, none of it .

Instead, Blitzø just leaned over the edge of the tub and splashed the water a little bit, watching the bubbles flood the surface of the water around his fingers, “The bath is almost full. Hop in and I’ll be right back.” He said, as he shook the water from his hand and scurried out of the bathroom.

Stolas did as told, leaving his clothes in a pile by the sink before climbing in. It was a bit of an awkward fit, with his tail feathers curling up over the side of the tub and across the bathroom tile, his knees and feet poking up above the water, his feet flat against the shower wall, and because of which he could hardly lay down and really soak in the water. 

Ok maybe it was more than a little bit awkward, he was far too lanky for this tub. But the water was still nice, and the apartment wasn’t as hot as it was last night, but also not cold enough to make the parts of his body that did stick out of the water too cold. All things considered, the bath could have been far worse. And plus, he could already feel his feathers start to relax, and soap gentler on them than the harsh shampoo Loona had been letting him use. Maybe later tonight once Blitzø goes to bed, he can take a little more time to just preen his feathers properly if he could muster the mental energy.

Right as he’d fully settled in, Blitzø came back with a few things in his arms. One was one of the lit candles in the apartment, which he set on the counter top. Another was a clean towel, which he hung on the wall rack, and another was a very familiar silken red bathrobe that he hung up on the corner of the bathroom door, and lastly was a book.

“Where did you get that robe?” Stolas asked as he sat more upright in the tub. Worrying that it was actually his from the palace, and if so when had he had the opportunity to break in and get it? And even more so how did he break in and get it?

Blitzø moved the bottles and things out of the way, tuened the water off, and sat next to the tub, side by side with Stolas, “Oh, yeah I have some connections.” He grinned.

“You have some connections? ” Stolas asked in response, “Is that actually my robe?”

“Yup!” Blitzø responded proudly, “One of your old housecleaners was able to nab it without being noticed.”

“A housecleaner?” He asked as he sat up more.

Blitzø put a hand on his shoulder and guided him back into the tub, “Don’t worry a single feather on your head and relax.” He reassured him, “They’re perfectly fine, and nobody goes into your room anymore anyways. ”

“How would you know that?” Stolas asked suspiciously.

“Oh my friend told me.” He looked like he said too much but was trying to brush it aside.

“ Blitzø.”  

“It’s fine, Stols, really.” He dismissed, “Don’t get your bird puss in a twist over it. Here—” To distract him, he shoved the book in his direction, “Moxxie helped me pick it out while we were topside. Says the writer is gay, so I thought you might like it.”

“My hands are wet.” Stolas responded.

“Oh, right. One sec.” Blitzø hopped up and quickly grabbed a hand towel from the bathroom closet, still holding the book in hand. He passed the cloth to Stolas as he sat back down next to him, “Here.” He said, looking incredibly pleased with himself. 

“Thank you, Blitzø.” Stolas replied as the book was handed back to him. 

The Happy Prince and Other Tales by Oscar Wilde. It was a hardcover edition with a mint green background and a depiction of a Victorian prince adorn in gold wielding a sword, the title was engraved with gold leaf, which gave a pleasant shimmer as he turned it over in his hands. The book itself was well loved by whoever owned it first, the cover scuffed around the edges, and the spine was pulling away from the book binding a little; evidence that it had been read countless times. 

“I know it’s not exactly brand new and perfect, but I found it in a house we were hiding in during one of our last hits.” He began to fidget a bit as Stolas continued to silently take in the book.

“No, Blitzy this is perfect.” Stolas reasured as he opened the book, only to notice it had been a library book, considering the library card was tucked into its little pocket on the inside back cover, names and dates scribbled on it. The book even had that library smell. He opened the book and flipped through it further, eyes spotting little doodles in the margins, little dog ear creases, the way the pages had begun to yellow. Although he himself would never draw or write in his books, nor purposefully crease any of its pages, for what it was, every little imperfection only made it better.

He would not cry again. Not yet anyways.

“This is absolutely lovely, thank you so much Blitzø.” Stolas thanked him again. He leaned out of the tub enough to kiss Blitzø on the cheek before returning, warm soapy water swaying his feathers as he settled back down and continued to look over the book. It was one he’d read before, having spent a large portion of his teenage years snooping through libraries as an escape from the stifling walls of his palace, “It actually just made me think of a fairly positive childhood memory. I was a big fan of Oscar Wilde when I was younger. There were libraries all over the world topside that I would visit to escape being around Stella more than I had to before Via. I haven’t read any of his stories in a long while though.”

“I’m glad.” Blitzø smiled, “I’m not a big reading person, but Moxxie sure is. Especially when it comes to fancy words and shit. There’s a reason I make him do most of the paperwork.” he joked.

It was then that something occurred to Stolas. He’s always found the messy, out of control order in which Blitzø spelled to be charming, and before now he had only assumed it to be just Blitzø being silly. But…

“Please don't take this the wrong way when I ask you this, but have you ever been tested for any reading or writing disabilities?” Stolas asked as he passed the book back to Blitzø.

The imps tail fidgeted a bit, whether annoyed or simply embarrassed Stolas didn’t fully know. 

“I can read and write just fine.” He mumbled. 

“Darling, I’m not insinuating that you are illiterate or anything of the sort. But that does not mean you—“ Stolas cut himself off and looked away, “Forget I said anything, I am sorry if I upset you.”

Blitzø was quiet for a bit, and in that silence Stolas slid down into the water as far as he physically could. The water went right up to his chin, but the soap bubbles went up to his cheekbones. He wished like hell to just disappear, but the tub was simply too small.

After a moment, the silence was broken, “I never really needed to read much growing up, just perform and do what I was told to do.” Blitzø finally responded, “I can still read, but just, big fancy words are a bit hard.” He sounded so small, “What made you ask?” 

Stolas pulled his face from the water and wiped the bubbles from his chin before responding, “It was just something I noticed—not that there’s anything wrong with it, not at all—you are great at what you do, and for the most part it doesn’t require you to do much as far as reading and writing goes anyways. But what really made me think of it was the way in which you write. You show strong signs of having dysgraphia.”

Blitzø looked at him strangely, “Explain.”

“Well , and starting off I need you to understand that I am not coming down on you in any way, and having it does not make you any less intelligent, but...”

“But?”

“I’ve noticed that you seem to use capitalization, punctuation, spacing inapropriatly, and the size of your letters are kind of all over the place.” He started, words cautious as he picked up on the fact that this was a subject Blitzø appeared to be very insecure about, “And your letters are sometimes written backwards, and some substituted for numbers. You also take much longer to write, cut up words and write shorter sentences. You also tend to mouth your words as you write. It’s honestly pretty much the textbook definition of the disorder.”

Once more, Blitzø fell quiet. Stolas observed him closely, studying his profile, watching the way his tail and hands fell still. The imps expression was closed off, quiet, like a blank slate. 

“That is, to say,” Stolas piped up, “That there is nothing wrong with—“ he fumbled a bit, “It does not…” he sighed, “Struggling with words like that, it doesn’t make you any less intelligent or…” Stolas felt he may have said too much, and felt guilt for being the person to make Blitzø shut down in this way. He’d gone and done so much for him tonight, and he’d just gone and made him feel small for something out of his own control.

“I’m not stupid?” Blitzø finally asked, tail flicking ever so slightly. He still sounded so small, like a little kid who’d been belittled and reprimanded time and time again for something completely out of his control.

“No Blitzø, you aren’t defined by what you can’t do. Measuring intelligence by your ability to read and write diminishes the ways in which you are truly brilliant.” Stolas reassured as he sat up all the way to get a better look at his face. Here, it wasn’t so much the dejected expression he had moments prior. It was still hard to read, but there was something like relief in his eyes. Like this had been a constant insecurity that ate away at him since childhood, and now having a name to the cause, a new understanding that he struggled to read and write not from lack of trying, but instead something entirely out of his control.

Stolas reached out to Blitzø, gently caressing the side of his face and directing his face to make eye contact, “I’m sorry if I have upset you.”

Blitzø pulled away from him, and for a moment Stolas was truly upset with himself for having hurt him. But instead of leaving Stolas in the bath, Blitzø set the book on the bathroom counter, nabbed another towel from the bathroom closet, haphazardly lodged it on the towel rack Stolas’ own was hanging on already, then began to undress.

“W—what are you doing?” Stolas asked, eyes roaming over newly exposed flesh as Blitzø cast his clothes off into a pile with Stolas'.

“Move your legs I’m joining.” Was stated as if that was the obvious answer. Which it probably was, but there was already not a lot of room in the tub as is. Stolas was coming to understand little things about the way Blitzø's brain ticked more and more. Whenever a topic got too personal or emotional for him, he'd deflect it in one way or another by cracking a joke or doing something silly or sweet. Anything to change the course of the conversation away from insecurities he'd bottled up and burried deep deep down.

Instead of listening to logic, Stolas did as he was told, his gay ass really taking a moment to look Blitzø up and down and deciding if there was someone he would love to share a cramped bubble bath with, it would be him. Instead of crawling between his legs like he thought—and maybe hoped—he would, the imp crawled underneath them and managed to successfully sandwich himself between Stolas and the side of the tub. Blitzø curled around him and shifted until he was half laying on Stolas' chest. In the process of all of that, the displaced tub water moved centimeters from spilling over the edge.

“Not the way I would have imagined you would settle in the tub,” Stolas joked as he looked down at his boyfriends face, which was resting chin first on his chest plumage, “but this works too I suppose.” He playfully ran his free hand that wasn’t currently buried under Blitzø’s body up his side and booped him on the nose. Then he had a sudden realization that had his heart pounding in his chest. He’d just referred to Blitzø as his boyfriend. In his head, but that was just another thing he had to be cautious about, because he could absolutely see himself accidentally saying it casually without even thinking. 

“I imagine we must look ridiculous right now.” Stolas mused playfully, now taking into consideration how the majority of his legs stuck out from the bath water, feet now resting half way between the edge of the tub and the shower head to accommodate the second body.

“Like that’s anything new.” Blitzø smiled and booped him on the nose back before settling more comfortably on Stolas’ chest. His own tail swishing lazily over the edge of the tub, resting on Stolas’ tail feathers and settling there too. He closed his eyes and began to purr very softly, breathing slowing as he began to drift off to sleep a bit.

There were no words in any dictionary, in any language, in any universe, that Stolas could find a way to describe how much he adored this man. Every little part of him, down to the atom, in a way that he simply could not do without him in his life. 

The trial, everything that happened, and everything still happening because of it, he would do it all again if it meant keeping him alive. Even if they weren’t able to be close. Even if things went back to how they were between them prior to it. Blitzø truly didn’t understand just how many people's lives he’d made better, simply by existing. It pained him that Blitzø couldn’t see it in himself, but he’s made so many people’s lives brighter just by being in them. 

Once Stolas was fairly certain Blitzø was asleep, he began to whisper a sonnet that came to mind when he looked at him, tracing the line where red met white on his back.

“Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” Stolas looked fondly to the ceiling above them, black tile catching the flickering light of the candle on the counter, “Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And a summer’s lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of Heaven shines, And often is his gold complexion dimm’d; And every fair from fair sometime declines, By chance of nature’s changing course untrimm’d; But thy eternal summer shall not fade; Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow’st; Nor shall death brag thou wander’st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow’st; So long as men can breathe or eyes can see,” Stolas fingers trailed up the curve or Blitzø’s hip and back up his spine, ending on his cheek, lovingly brushing soap bubbles from under his eye with his thumb, “So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.”

Just because he could, Stolas leaned down and kissed Blitzø on the forehead. Because he was there, sleeping so sweetly on his chest, enjoying the warm bath water and purring like the adorable mess that he is. 

I love you

…

Once the bath water had grown cold, Stolas had to make the very difficult decision to wake his sleepy boyfriend— person . They somehow managed to get out of the bath without spilling too much water over the edge, and toweled off. 

Blitzø dried off quickly and got dressed in a heathered grey t-shirt, the color of which hung over his left shoulder, with text reading ‘ Psyc HOT ic Horse Riding Coach’ , and a pair of black boxer shorts covered in red hearts. He dropped his towel on the floor and pushed it around with his foot to sponge up some of the spilled tub water, then hopped up to nab the robe from the corner of the door and passed it over to Stolas, “Put this on, close your eyes, and follow me.” He demanded as his tail swayed excitedly behind him.

The Goetia quickly finished toweling off as much as he could before grabbing the robe being passed to him. For a moment he just held the garment in his hands, feeling the familiar fabric between his fingers and processing that this really was his from the palace. He wouldn’t press Blitzø further on how he got it, still suspicious that there was something he wasn’t telling him. He pulled the robe on and tied it at the waist, the collar loosely draping over his shoulders. He could get away with walking around with no pants, unlike his Blitzy, because he had both no outwardly presenting genitalia, and was also covered completely in a layer of feathers. He even enjoyed the opportunity to forgo pants since they tended to irritate his tail feathers after so long. 

“Ok now close your eyes.” Blitzø continued, practically buzzing with excitement to show Stolas what he’d done out in the living room.

“Yes dearest.” Stolas did as he was told, smiling simply because Blitzø’s own must have been contagious. 

“Ok good.” He heard him say, “Let’s go.” 

“Lead the way.” Stolas replied, then let out a breathy laugh as he felt Blitzø take both of his hands in his and gently pull him out of the bathroom and in the direction of the couch. 

“Ok now you can open’em.” 

When he did, he was met with something completely unexpected. His breath hitched and he brought one hand up to his mouth as his eyes scanned over the newly decorated room before him, heart skipping a beat as he stepped forward. Hanging from the ceiling were several glittery plastic stars, which were tied to the frame of the drop down ceiling tiles and swayed in the wind from the window fan. The glitter caught the candle light around them and sparkled a soft orange and blue. Scattered across the ceiling above the couch were glow in the dark stars, similar to ones he’d gotten for Via when she was very little. These ones were different colors though, not just the usual green. Along the window frames behind the tv were little star shaped dangling string lights that slowly blinked in and out, which hung down along the dark red curtains.

“Blitzø…” he looked around more, spotting little star trinkets and things on shelves that mixed perfectly with all of his horse memorabilia. On the wall by the door to the fire escape was a small 2 tiered bookshelf that had the harlequin novel he’d had at the office on it, layed sideways since there were no other books to join it yet. His hand traced over the top, and took note of some simple, empty, orange terracotta pots that sat in the windowsill behind it, “This is…” his eyes caught sight of another thing, which was incredibly familiar to him.

Hanging in the window above the shelf was a singular, flat opalescent crystal on a string with similar, round opalescent beads. It was a small piece from the large chandelier he had in the ballroom of the palace. It caught the hellish red glow of the streetlights below their fire escape, yet the enchantment that kept its sky blue color held true. He carefully touched it, worried that it was just a figment of his imagination, but the stone was smooth and polished to the touch, glowing faintly at the contact around his fingers before dimming again when he took his hand away. Tears began to well up in his eyes as he turned back around to take in the rest of the room again, rendered speechless— truly speechless— for the first time in his life since Via had hatched.

Blitzø just stood there and watched him, his tail flicking a bit nervously as he waited for a response from Stolas.

It wasn’t until his eyes landed on the wall by the door that Blitzø kept covered in pictures and important papers like his daughter's adoption certificate that the tears began to stream down his face. There were a few new photos pinned up, but it was two in a double frame sitting on the table that was by far the most important addition to him. They were all pictures of Octavia, or family photos of just him and her. One was a printed copy of the photo used as his phone’s background, like a family photo of them all. It broke his heart to see that Blitzø cropped himself out of the picture though, but knew that was a battle for another time. As was every photo with himself scribbled out with black marker. 

He cautiously approached the wall and reached out to hold the framed pictures in his hands. One was a copy of the photo taken of Octavia right after she hatched, swaddled in a purple baby blanket and laying in her bassinet. Her feathers were beginning to form, shoots sprouting up around her smiling, blissful little face. The other was one taken by one of the palace staff of him holding a swaddled Via and singing to her softly. That one was always his favorite, even more so because it was taken without him paying attention, capturing the unabashed way he doted on his daughter without the pressure to perform and put up an artificial smile. How he adored his wonderful little star fire. All the hell he’d gone through up until she was finally conceived was all worth it to see that little face. When she hatched, it was the proudest moment of his life, and not even his dads brief visit, nor Stella’s bitching about her being ugly could dampen it for him. 

Other photos pinned up with Blitzø’s personal ones were photographs of the family paintings that lined the walls, all ones excluding Stella, that is. He carefully set the picture frame back down and took a deep shuddering breath before turning to face Blitzø. 

“Are those good or bad tears?” Blitzø asked hesitantly, carefully approaching him to get a better gauge on the situation.

Without saying a thing, Stolas swiftly moved to him and scooped him up in the tightest hug he could muster, easily sweeping the imp off his feet and doing a little spin. He could feel Blitzø laughing, and Stolas buried his face into the crook of his neck before then peppering it and his face with affectionate little kisses. He got to his knees and set Blitzø’s feet back on the ground, but still held Blitzø in a hug. 

“I take that as good tears then?” Blitzø ventured, patting him on the back.

“Y—yes Blitzø,” he replied as he pulled away to make eye contact, tears still running down his face. He must have looked like an absolute mess, but could care less because Blitzø told him already that even like this he was still cute and—because Blitzø was right there , and because he could , Stolas pulled him in for a kiss, his hands cradling the sides of Blitzø’s face as he did so. His heart felt ready to burst in his ribcage, he felt so swept up with emotion. Blitzø eagerly returned it, placing his own hands over Stolas’ as he tilted his head to deepen the kiss. 

Once Stolas finally pulled away he immediately began to fall over his words, “How did you even,” he took breath, looking around the room again, “How did you—where did you—how even—“ his eye caught on the jewel from the chandelier again, “How did you get all of this?” 

“Well, again, I have connections with someone working at the palace who was able to snag me some of the pictures and things from your old room.” 

“And the jewel from the chandelier?” Stolas asked, “Not that I particularly mind it being taken, but I hardly doubt Andrealphus would let someone so easily take something so magically potent like that.” He paused for a moment, “Your friend is ok, right? Nothing bad befell them—“

“I can assure you, big bird,” Blitze smiled up at him and patted his hand, “that that friend is doing quite alright at the moment and nobody ever even noticed.” 

Stolas felt a bit hesitant, but decided to not press him on the matter. He didn’t want to dampen all the hard work Blitzø had put into doing all of this for him, “I…” Stolas remembered what Millie had told him earlier about telling Blitzø how he felt, “I love this.” He settled on and stood back up to look over the room again, “Thank you, so very much Blitzø.” 

I love you so very much.

“I figured, you know,” Blitzø rubbed the back of his neck and looked anywhere but at Stolas, “You live here now, but there wasn’t anything here that told guests that, you know, that this was your home too.” 

“My home too…” Stolas whispered, a bit awe struck.

“I—I mean if you would even want that—I mean—“

“Blitzø,” Stolas leaned down again and held Blitzø’s face in his hands before resting their foreheads together, “Nothing would make me happier.” 

I love you more than words can express.

“Ok, cool.” Blitzø said a bit bashfully. 

Stolas kissed the tattoo on his forehead before standing back upright then looked at the blue TV screen, “Is there a reason the TV is on, dearest?” He asked.

“That’s another surprise,” he stated, “But first! Ice cream!” He said as he trotted around the half wall and into the kitchen, his little hooves tapping on the kitchen tiles with a little pep.

“ Another surprise?” Stolas asked as he followed him to the kitchen, simply astonished by all the pampering and attention he’d gotten all in the past 5 hours.

“More like 2,” Blitzø amended as he pulled a pint from the fridge, “What flavor do you want?” He asked over his shoulder.

“Black raspberry,” Stolas replied as he came up  behind the imp to grab it himself, then absently kissed the top of his boyfriend’s— person’s head in passing as he pulled two bowls from the cabinet and two spoons from a drawer, “Would you like me to put the hot fudge in the microwave for you?”

When Stolas turned his head, he wasn’t all that surprised to see Blitzø eating the mint chocolate chip ice cream straight from the carton, “Yesh—“ he said around a spoonful before swallowing, “just remember to take the lid off.”

“I know you can’t put metal in a microwave.” Stolas responded as he twisted the lid off the glass jar.

“Now you do.” He responded.

Stolas rolled his eyes, “Yes, you are so right.” He snarked as he popped the jar in and set it to 2 minutes. As the inside light came on, he noticed they’d forgotten to take the protective film off the window to their new microwave. Sighing, he peeled it away and crumpled it in his hands.

“Oh I forgot the peelies.” Blitzø stated as he stood next to him to watch the jar slowly turn in place, “It’s like, the best part about getting new appliances.”

“Well let us hope we don’t need any more new ones. I’ve come to understand they can get rather expensive to replace.” Stolas countered, eyes also fixated on the turning jar, half expecting the microwave to explode on him like it did when he neglected to remove a spoon from the mug of tea he was warming back up. It wasn’t particularly his proudest moment.

He looked down and watched Blitzø eat another spoonful from his pint of ice cream, couldn’t help but smile and roll his eyes as he went back to the counter to put away one bowl and one spoon, then tossed away the crumpled up plastic in his hands. As he waited for the hot fudge, he began to scoop his own ice cream into a bowl; turning the sink on to rinse the spoon before carving out spoonfuls into his bowl quickly.

“Wait, how did you do that so easy?” Blitzø asked as he eyed Stolas’ bowl.

“What do you mean?”

“You just stuck the spoon in and scooped that shit perfectly, no problem. How did it not stick?” Blitzø gestured with his own spoon.

“Oh, it’s a little trick I learned when Via was little. You wet the spoon first and it makes a barrier between the metal and the ice cream so it doesn’t stick.” He put the lid on his pint and placed the rest back into the freezer, feeling very proud of himself. 

When he turned back around, Blitzø still stood there by the microwave staring at him, then blinked each eye individually. He scooped one more spoonful into his mouth, swallowed, then spoke, “You mean to tell me you know how to scoop ice cream using water barriers and fancy shit,” he gestured with his spoon again, “but didn’t know not to put metal in a microwave?”

“Am I ever going to live that down?” Stolas sighed.

The microwave beeped, cutting into their conversation, “Hey we all do dumb shit.” Blitzø responded as he reached in and grabbed the hot glass jar with no hesitation and took it out, “I melted a plastic plate on the stove before. The apartment smelled like a glue stick for like, an entire month—Loona was pissed .” He shrugged, “We used to have six of those pink horse plates.”

“But there’s only 4.” 

“Yeah I don’t know what happened to the fifth.” Blitzø responded as he looked from the jar, to his pint of ice cream, then back again before deciding to just dump it in, then used his other hand to wipe away the rest of the molten fudge that spilled over, “You want some fudge?” He offered the jar, absently licking the fudge off his other hand. 

“I…” Stolas was torn between finding that incredibly endearing and something else entirely, one set of eyes following the motion of his tongue while the other focused on the jar being offered, “Yes. Please.” He reached out for the jar.

“Oh wait, shit it’s hot.” Blitzø pulled back, “I’ll get you a spoon.” He said, taking a quick moment to rinse the remaining fudge off his hand before rifling through the utensils drawer.

“Oh, right, yes.” Stolas stammered. Unlike Blitzø, he didn’t exactly have the ability to withstand extreme heat anymore. Of course, Stolas used to be able to handle it no problem. But Satan was, perhaps, more overzealous with what magical properties he’d taken from him during his sentencing. After all, Sinners burned, not Hellborn. 

Unless it was the fires from greed, he supposed, recalling an article he’d read about Mammon needing to up the stakes for more thrilling performances. It was needlessly extra if you asked him, but the draw from the danger factor worked well enough that tricks involving them in circuses took off. Last he read, regulations around the fire salts used in its making were in the works after a few major disasters. He didn’t particularly pay much attention to it, though, in much the same way one hears there’s been a crash on I95 in the news. Maybe it may come across your path that morning, but likely it wouldn’t. Then by that afternoon it’s completely off your radar.

“Here.” The imp set the jar down on the counter next to him with a spoon before making his way to the rest of the toppings that sat out on the counter. Much like how he handled the fudge, Blitzø just eyeballed amounts as he dumped them directly into his now half eaten pint, and did so with everything but the maraschino cherries, which he avoided completely.

Stolas took a generous scoop of hot fudge and dumped it over his ice cream before placing the spoon in the sink and capping the fudge. Stolas grabbed a fork from the drawer and the jar of cherries for himself, now understanding that he was the only one in the apartment who liked them. It wouldn’t hurt anyone if he just ate them straight from the jar, and Blitzø couldn’t say a thing about it without sounding like a hypocrite. The imp in question fished out the can of whipped cream from the fridge, shut the door with his knee, and made his way to the couch; pint of ice cream in one hand and a can of whipped cream in the other. 

Blitzø put them on the coffee table and went to go get something from the bathroom, “There’s a pillow on the ground, park your fine, feathered ass there and I’ll be right back!”

Stolas blushed a little and watched Blitzø go for a moment before simply and doing as told. There was a large pillow on the floor between the couch and coffee table waiting for him. The Goetia placed his bowl and the cherries next to Blitzø’s own ice cream, carefully swept his long tail feathers beneath him before taking a seat. While he waited for the imp to return, he grabbed his bowl of ice cream and began to mash it up with the back of his spoon and mixed it with the fudge until it was more of a soft-serve consistency. Satisfied with his work, he began to eat, taking the moment alone to scan over the room again. There were so many things he wished to express to Blitzø, to truly express how appreciative he was for everything he’d done tonight, but some things he was too scared to say out loud, while others he simply couldn't find the words for. 

His attention was taken back by Blitzø himself as he tossed the glittery pink bag over the back of the couch, followed by a towel, and then himself; landing directly behind Stolas. The Goetia leaned his head back to look at Blitzø as he scooted so Stolas was comfortably situated between his legs. Stolas only started owlishly up at the Imp who only pointed to the coffee table, “Pass me the remote and my shit.” He requested then tacked on, “Please.”

Stolas did as told, Blitzø setting the ice cream and can of whipped cream on the end table next to him before clicking the play button on the remote.

A familiar pink and red title card flooded the previously blue screensaver, causing Stolas to let out a delighted little chirp and set the bowl next to him so he could look back up and pull Blitzø into another kiss. It was his hellanovella he’d been missing, granted it was the start of season one, but that just meant he could share it with his darling. 

When he finally let go of Blitzø, the imp looked down at him triumphantly, “I know you’ve missed your show over the last two months. I didn’t know where exactly to start so I took the first box set in the collection from Fizz’s collection.”

“You took it?” 

“Yeah, but he takes my shit all the time so he’ll live. Half the time it’s just to fuck with me, and plus I hardly doubt he’ll notice. There are like, 800 box sets for this show—how long has it even been going on for?”

Stolas laughed softly, a little hooty chuckle as his eyes returned to the selection screen, “Oh, well I suppose it has been going on for quite some time. And they release an episode a day, so don’t expect top-notch quality story telling.” His eyes were alight with excitement, “And season one is a great place to start anyways. Might take us a while to catch up, but at least you’ll have a vague idea of what’s going on.”

“Only a vague idea?” Blitze asked.

Stolas chuckled again, “If I’m being particularly honest, there are quite a few plot points that take things to an absurd turn, but it’s still very amusing.” One line in particular stuck out to him, and he chuckled as he remembered it word for word in such a serious inflection.

‘Sunny, you need to understand! Mermaids are real, and they’re about to wage war on the werewolves—you need to hide Mitzi before she finds out and divorces Alejandro to be with the queen of spiders!’

All of which came out of left field and completely changed the plot of the soap opera in a matter of seconds, which was a trend they went with as casting shifted, characters killed off or moving away, whatever the reasoning, going from a story about a woman starting a new life in the city and getting into wacky hijinks, to a sudden war arc—was purely absurd, “It’s one of those things that you either love or hate."

“And this starts off topside?” Blitzø asked as he selected Start before grabbing his ice cream and shoveled a spoonful of mostly toppings into his mouth.

Stolas nodded as he picked his ice cream back up, “It was originally a human show, but the lead actress arrived in Hell after dying in a freak accident on set. She decided to just continue it for sinners and hellborn down here and it’s been going ever since.” He replied before taking another bite of his own ice cream, “Because of the previous yearly exterminations, most of the staff are all hellborn so they don’t have to worry about losing an actor. It’s pretty much everyone but her, and they put her into hiding for that day.” 

“Ahhh,” Blitzø nodded, not sounding particularly sold on the tv show yet.

“If you decide you don’t like it, I won’t be offended and we can change it to something else. Like I said it’s not really everyone’s—“

“Nah, we’ll still watch it.” Blitzø cut him off before taking another bite of ice cream, then setting it down on the end table in lue of grabbing the can of whipped cream. He broke the plastic seal off and removed the cap, then placed both on the end table next to his ice cream before he sprayed some into his mouth. Stolas was practically swooning, having the opportunity to share his interests with others without being shut down and ignored was wonderful, “How many seasons till the change happens?” Blitzø asked after he swallowed what was in his mouth.

“Three I believe.” Stolas replied, his head leaning back into Blitzø’s lap to stare up at him and smile while the intro played. Simply giddy to share this moment with the other man.

Blitzø only nodded in response, eyes on the TV and not noticing Stolas’ eyes on him. Blitzø did absently play with the gray feathers on the sides of his face though. Stolas leaned into the touch, letting out a happy little chirp.

The imp finally looked down at that, “Oh,” he lifted the can up, “You want some?”

Stolas in response opened his mouth and let Blitzø spray some whipped cream into his mouth. It was nothing like the kind he’d had in the palace, which was hand made by highly skilled chefs; but good nonetheless. He turned his attention over to the bag and towel, swallowed the whipped cream, then asked, “So what’s with those?” 

Blitzø followed his attention and smiled, "The last surprise.” He replied before setting the can down and returning to his ice cream, “You’ll find out once I finish my dinner.” He said as he shoveled another scoop into his mouth, which appeared to be mostly hot fudge and walnuts.

Stolas let out an over-dramatic sigh in response, earning him a chuckle from Blitzø, who nudged Stolas’ head so he was facing the TV, “Shush and watch the program.”

Stolas only chuckled and did as told. It had been a very long time since he’d seen the first season, and though there were nearly 15,000 episodes and counting they needed to watch before they were caught up, so long as Blitzø was watching with him he didn’t mind one bit. 

As the first 2 episodes passed by, Stolas began to fidget a bit at the minimal reactions from Blitzø. Although Blitzø said he would still watch it with him even if he wasn’t into it, there was a little inkling of guilt that he would have to sit through thousands of hours of his time doing something he disliked. 

Despite the minimal responses, the imps' eyes were focused entirely on the screen, his feet fidgeting a little from time to time, followed by the occasional twitch from his tail. It was hard to get a good read on him, but he seemed at least a little bit invested as he finished off the entire pint of mint chocolate chip. Blitzø set it aside so he could lean over and rest his chin on the crown of Stolas’ head, hands moving over his shoulders and crossing his hands over the fluffy plumage on his chest. 

He’d finished his dinner and was invested enough that the final surprise slipped his mind. Which in part was a good sign he was at the very least vaguely entertained, but also Stolas’ curiosity was starting to plague his mind. Once episode three came to an end, Stolas tilted his head up, dislodging Blitzø's own head and asking, “How was your ice cream, dearest?”

“Don’t worry a feather on your pretty little head, I didn’t forget about the bag.” Blitzø chuckled and ruffled the feathers atop his head. He reached over and grabbed the towel and shifted Stolas’ head so the towel now blanketed his lap before rifling through the bag. If he noticed the way Stolas blushed profusely, he didn’t mention it. 

After a moment and some light cussing to himself, Blitzø procured a spray bottle, a few different combs and another bottle he couldn’t read from this angle, “Blitzø,” he started, realizing exactly what they were, “What’s this?” He asked in a hushed voice. 

“I looked some stuff up online, but mostly got help from Asmodeus on preening feathers, and he gave me some stuff to try.” Blitzø stated confidently as he set the supplies used for preening feathers in order on the end table. He also pulled something up on his phone to double check his list, “I might not be as fast as you the first time, but I know how to do it.” 

“I would like to preface this with the fact I don’t doubt you know what you’re doing,” Stolas began, shaking a little, “But it's been a while since I’ve been able to properly do it myself. It might be a bit…much.” He felt a little shame in it, having rushed through it in the mornings to make them look presentable enough, along with using the wrong shampoo and no conditioner for over two months.

“I don’t mind.” Blitzø stated casually as he grabbed the spray bottle full of water, “Look forward for me.”

Stolas took a deep, shaky breath but did as told, “You don’t really need to do this for me…” he said rather quietly. Knowing the base of his feathers must look a mess.

“You’re right, I don’t.” The imp stated plainly before misting the feathers on the back of his head and carefully pulled the feathers apart with the comb to adjust their orientation and re-interlocking barbules of each individual feather that had gotten way out of control. The other bottle was a preening oil solution that would help repair any damage done. It smelled of amber and vanilla, the same one he was use to using himself. 

Blitzø was very meticulous as he gently worked each feather atop his head, and with each feather done, a tension was slowly released from the way they were sticking together below. Stolas just faced forward and let him work, hoping he wouldn’t catch on to the fact Stolas was quietly crying. Not from pain as Blitzø carefully separated feathers, and not even necessarily from the shame of letting it get as bad as he did, but the sheer intimacy of this moment. 

It was a process Stolas was fully capable of doing for himself, and he’d done so since he was very little. He’d even done it countless times for Octavia when she was younger, and even into her teen years when she would ask him to. Once a week, he would do it for her. Giving her every bit of love and attention they he’d been denied as a child, and every bit that Via had been denied by Stella. It was common practice for parents to dote on their children in this way, as well as romantic partners to one another. Between his father’s inability to care about any of his many children, to the fact his mother had passed when he was only a hatchling, he'd sorely missed the bonding and socialization gained from it in childhood. And sure he’d been shown how by his fathers own butler, but nothing more past that. 

It was a bit overwhelming, and as bittersweet as he felt, there was a larger part of his brain that felt something like joy; or perhaps it was the feeling of decades of longing to be touched in this way being satisfied for the first time. The fact that Blitzø was the one to do this for him was something that was just a distant dream, so far out of his reach he could hardly envision for himself anymore mere months ago? It meant everything to him.

Did he know how significant of an act this was? He must, he’d researched it, even asked Azmodius for help on the matter—there wasn’t a shot in hell that he wouldn’t inform Blitzø. 

I love you so much it hurts. I adore every part of you, mind, body and soul. I wish to spend the rest of my days by your side. To dance with you in the light of the moon, to sleep in the same space every night, to take ridiculous baths together. I would sleep on this couch every night for eternity to get the privilege of waking up to that smile. Be cooped up in an apartment smaller than my old bedroom, work every weekend, make doublius dinner choices—

You are my person, and I’ll be yours for however long you will allow me to stay by your side. My light in the dark; I love you, I love you, I love you.

Songs that I listened to on repeat while working on this story:

Love Like You

Dream Sweet in Sea Major

Die With A Smile

Find me on Tumblr!

Chapter Text

To The Young Who Want To Die

Sit down. Inhale. Exhale.

The gun will wait. The lake will wait.

The tall gall in the small seductive vial

will wait will wait:

will wait a week: will wait through April.

You do not have to die this certain day.

Death will abide, will pamper your postponement.

I assure you death will wait. Death has

a lot of time. Death can

attend to you tomorrow. Or next week. Death is

just down the street; is most obliging neighbor;

can meet you any moment.

You need not die today.

Stay here–through pout or pain or peskyness.

Stay here. See what the news is going to be tomorrow.

Graves grow no green that you can use.

Remember, green’s your color. You are Spring

-Gwendolyn Brooks

…

Stolas crept through the palace, moving as quickly as he could with his little legs as he snuck his way to the back gardens. He didn’t want to get caught by Mister Imp again before he could get to her. He just wanted to read with her a little longer, show her more of the new book he’d gotten. 

He’d made it to the ballroom, and halted, looking both ways to make sure the coast was clear, before trotting into the room and to the large glass doors leading to the back garden. He knew to be careful around the plants, he was so little they could easily eat him right up in one bite! They were her favorites though, so they had to be his favorites too! He carefully opened the door just enough to squeeze out and closed it as quietly as he could behind him. He looked around to see if there were any guards nearby before scurrying down the cobblestone path that traversed the garden, hiding every so often when he thought someone was near. He was so close, able to see her head peeking out over the tall carnivorous plants around her. 

Once the coast was clear, Stolas rounded the bend and ran right up to her. He came to a stop right at the base of her pedestal, hands tracing over the familiar engraving of a woman’s name ‘Queen Octavia’ before smiling up at her, “Mother, look at what I’ve got!” He said a little louder than intended as he raised the book he’d been carrying under his arm up for her to see. 

She couldn’t see it, though. Of course Stolas knew that, she was just a statue after all; but it made him less lonely to pretend. Fo now, at 5 years old, it was rather easy for him to play make-believe.

“It’s the one on plants and herbs still, like the ones in the garden.” He said a bit more mindful of his volume as he turned and sat on the ground with his back against the memorial plate, “It says here that Skeletal Venom Flowers can’t dissolve the bones of their prey. Did you know that?” He asked her as he flipped to the page, then lifted the book and pointed to a photograph of a tremendously large snapper-like plant that looked like a large flower bud with eyes, “I bet you knew all about them since Beleth is one, but I’ll tell you just in case.” He smiled as he brought the book back to his lap and began to read, using his finger to follow along, “Their saliva has a special enzyme in it that breaks down the flesh of its prey, and when they’ve taken all they can, they regurgitate the bones like an owl does. That’s where it gets the skeletal part of its name from.” He stated proudly as he flipped through the pages of his book quickly to find something else to tell her about.

“Oh—and right here.” He settled on another page and showed it to the statue, “Saffrot imitates the saffron flower to trick bees and butterflies into drinking its nectar. But really it’s just a bacteria that paralyzes it.” He took the book back to read out a fun fact, following again with his finger, “Their petals produce a sticky residue that traps the insects, when the insect brushes into one of the sensitive hairs on the petals, it sends an alert through the plant that tells the petals to close in around it.” He paused to look up at the statue, “The inclusion of rot in its name is due to the smell of the bacteria it emanates. Did you know that?” He waited a beat for her to respond, “I bet you did. Mister Imp told me about how important this garden was to you. That’s why you’re in the center.” He responded to nothing matter-of-factly as he flipped through the book some more. 

“Oh! Also the Necrotic Sickweed produces little grain like seed pods that attract ants. When the ants harvest the grains they slowly produce a toxin that kills them. But if they’re able to make it back to the colony, it uses their food storage and other ants as nutrients and sprouts a new plant.” He showed the statue the page again, “It says here that it’s an invasive species in the ring of Wrath. I bet you knew that too, though.” 

A young Stolas sighed as he closed the book and hugged it to his chest. He wanted to ask a question, knowing she couldn’t answer it, but still being scared to ask it. 

“Mother… Did you leave because of me?” 

Stolas’ eyes snapped open, breathing staggered as they adjusted to the dark living room he slept in. His heartbeat was erratic and he struggled to ground himself in reality. Then he felt the weight of something warm on his chest, purring faintly and breathing slow and steady as he was deep in slumber. 

Blitzø was curled up comfortably, face buried in the plumage of his chest, which seemed to be his favorite place to rest it on. His tail was also loosely wrapped around one of Stolas’ legs and he fit against him like a puzzle piece. Stolas brought his arms up to hold him as he tried to calm down, blinking back tears and grounding himself in reality. 

He knew better now. Knew that his mother didn’t actually leave in a sense of wanting to abandon him. 

She was sick.

She was very sick, and carrying him had been too much for her body to handle. She lasted just long enough to lay him, and passed within the hour. The only thing she was able to leave for him was her Skeletal Venom Flower which he took great care of when he got old enough to learn how to. She apparently had it since she was little as well, naming it Beleth.

It was still in the palace, and with all the ice—

Stolas couldn’t fathom the idea that Beleth was dead, and didn't want to. But it had been months, and nobody there knew how to care for it… and the ice, it was far too cold for it to survive in those conditions. He doubted Andrealphus and Stella would care for it either. They would probably intentionally kill it to hurt him more. His shitty ex-brother-in-law even taunted him with it already. 

It was his only gift from his mother, it had been alive decades before he was even born, and would die alone in the palace… Did it wonder why he left it too?

He hadn’t noticed his erratic, panic induced breathing till Blitzø sat up to see what was wrong, “Stols?” He asked blearily, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Stolas couldn’t speak, and was just trying not to have a full blown mental breakdown like he was about to. Or maybe he was having this current second.

“Ah shit.” Blitzø said as he hopped off the couch to grab something from the kitchen. Distantly he heard glasses clinking and the sound of the sink running, but it felt like everything was suddenly so far away from him, and there was a tightness in his chest that increased more and more, no matter how how hard or fast he could breath it wasn’t getting enough air in his lungs—

“Stolas come on,” Blitzø said softly as he helped him sit up, “I need you to look at me, ok big bird?” He asked as he reached for his hands and gave them a reassuring squeeze, “Tell me three sounds you can hear.”

Sounds? What could he hear— “T-the fan, I can hear the fan,” he took a deep breath, “And the sound of the fridge,” another deep breath, “The sound of rain outside.”

“Now how about three objects in the room?”

“The couch,” Stolas started, “The fan,” he repeated, “And the TV.” 

“Can you move one of your legs?” Stolas did, “Your head?” Stolas looked side to side, “And now your arms?” He asked as he let his hands go. Stolas did as told, and noticed his breathing had calmed. It wasn’t perfect, but it helped a lot in calming his breathing and helping to ground him.

Blitzø grabbed a glass of water that he must have gotten when he left the couch, “Take a sip.” He passed it to Stolas, who took it and did as instructed. He drank a bit more than a sip before setting it on the end table closest to them.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Blitzø asked, voice calm and reassuring.

Stolas took a few more deep, steady breaths before he spoke, “I just had a dream about my mom, nothing that should have triggered that just now. But…” he looked down at the ground, feeling embarrassed for having woken up Blitzø over a depressing dream and a likely dead plant.

Blitzø knelt down in front of Stolas to make eye contact and grabbed his hands, “You don’t get to choose what gives you a panic attack, Stols, you can tell me if you want.” He reassured, a sensitivity in his eyes Stolas had never seen before. At least not since the trial.

“When she died, my mom left me a plant that was very important to her.” Blitzø’s hands tightened around his own, “When I woke from my dream, it just hit me that Beleth is very likely dead. It was all I—“ he didn’t realize he had started crying until he felt his tears hit the backs of his hands, “Shit.” He took his hands back to rub at his eyes, “Ah, I must sound silly crying over a plant—“

“It’s not just a plant Stolas.” Blitzø’s voice was surprisingly serious, “Do you know for sure it’s dead? I can go—“ he began to stand up to likely fetch his crystal before Stolas grabbed his hand and stopped him.

“Blitzø, you can’t just go to the palace anymore. Andrealphus and Stella—“

“Stolas, I couldn’t give a single shit about what they might do, that’s your mothers plant—“ his eyes were watering a little.

“Even if we could get to the castle and see Beleth it isn’t like we could simply pick it up and go,” he tried to reason, “It’s over 5x your size and weighs almost 900 pounds. It could only be moved using my powers, and it would take nothing short of a miracle if it was still alive anyways. It’s been nearly 3 months since my banishment and that palace has been frozen solid.” 

Blitzø just looked sad and defeated, “I’m sorry…” he said and sat next to him, “I can…” there was a pause, “I can ask my friend for information, we can move from there.” He decided as he stood back up and nabbed his phone off the coffee table and unplugged it from the charger.

“For information?” Stolas asked, “and are you ever going to tell me who this person is?”

“To see the state of the plant,” he responded as he quickly typed out a message, “Pringles should be awake right now.” He answered as he began to pace around the coffee table, deep in thought.

“We have someone on our staff named Pringles?” Stolas asked, now convinced Blitzø was fucking with him because that was the name of an earth snack.

Blitzø stopped in his tracks and looked up confused, “Wait what, who’s Pringles?” He asked, only donning on him that he’d just revealed the name of his man on the inside.

“You just told me a man named Pringles is the person who’s been grabbing things for you.” Stolas responded, now thoroughly confused and now only partially convinced Blitzø was fucking with him.

“Oh I did, didn’t I?” He said a bit nervously, “I mean I guess it doesn’t hurt for you to know his name.”

“What does he look like?” Stolas asked, “I think I deserve to know and at least thank this Pringles fellow for what he’s done.”

Blitzø thought for a moment before shrugging, “Fuck it, why not.” He pulled up his contact photo and passed his phone to Stolas, “but he’s already being paid by having access to same day reservations to Ozzie’s for him and his partners.” 

Stolas looked at the picture for a moment, blinked all four eyes individually as his brain registered the photo of the imp who had been his personal butler for decades now, who he knew as Impington.

“His name is Pringles?” Stolas asked in disbelief, “His contract said his name was Impington , what do you mean—is Pringles a nickname?” He asked as he looked up to Blitzø who gave him a blank stare.

“You really thought his name was Impington?” Blitzø questioned, now looking like he was trying not to laugh at Stolas’ growing mortification, “Stols that’s the same as someone seeing you and calling you Owlington, or like, Birdman.”

“Why in the devil did his contract say his name was Impington then?!” Stolas asked, now thoroughly mortified.

“Are you gonna tell me you guys would have hired a man named Pringles to work in the palace?” He asked, “It’s not uncommon for Imps to use fake names for higher paying jobs. Likely his family primarily works with food, so Pringles worked for him at the time. That’s why Fizz and I have clown names on our birth certificate, it’s just the profession we were picked for at birth.” He continued and shrugged, “Me and Pringles are just ones who decided to take a different path than what was picked for us.”

“I’m such a fucking idiot…” Stolas leaned over with his head in his hands, “I was always so confused why my dads butler was named Mister Imp.” He all but whispered in horror, “And you said he was being paid in same day reservations at Ozzie’s?”

“Yeah Fizz helped me with that one,” Blitzø responded, “It was super easy, and plus Oz still feels bad about the trial so he agreed pretty much instantly.” He reached out for his phone back, which Stolas gave. 

“Is there something else I can do?” Stolas asked, “Shit,” he looked down at his hands, “I have nothing I can give that could even—“

“You could say thank you.” Blitzø began, “And maybe an apology for using him as a stress ball.”

Oh lords he had done that—

“He says you’re better than Stella and Andrealphus at least—“

Stolas grabbed Blitzø’s shoulder and made a very serious face at him before talking, “It doesn’t take a saint to be better than either of those two Blitzø, that’s like saying getting hit by a car is preferable to a train.”

“Ok fair point.” He amended and put his hand over Stolas’ before continuing, “I don’t know what to say.”

Stolas sighed and looked down in shame before taking his hand back and resting it in his lap, “You don’t have to say anything, I just need to do better.” He said softly. 

Blitzø sat next to him, phone still in hand as he leaned against his side, “That’s all you really can do.” Blitzø agreed, “And you’re trying.” He attempted to sound reassuring at least.

They fell quiet for a moment, nothing but the incessant tapping of the fan, the sound of the rain coming down outside, and the sound of the fridges motor running filled the space. Then Blitzø’s phone vibrated, Blitzø quickly opened the message from Pringles and tapped the picture he’d sent.

Beleth was encased in a shield of shimmering purple energy. It looked to be alive, not withered and frozen, but in a dormant state within a safe bubble of what was possibly his own daughter’s magic.

His chest felt lighter, that crippling fear of having lost it for good subsided in an instant. Not only was Beleth alive, but was possibly kept so because Octavia refused to let it die in his absence. Whether that be for his or her grandmother’s sake he didn’t care—Beleth was alive .

“Now where in the apartment do you think we could put it?” Blitzø asked him as he surveyed the room.

“Once more, the thing is almost 900 pounds, that’s basically the weight of a horse.” He regretted comparing Beleth to a horse almost immediately because Blitzø’s tail began to happily wag, “Blitzø really, even if we could transport it here I don’t know if the floor can handle that weight.” 

Blitzø looked over at him with a face that told Stolas this was a losing battle, “Stolas if that was the case, the full bathtub with us both in it would have gone through the floor.”

Stolas opened his mouth, closed it, and ran some numbers through his head, “Well I suppose…” then he shook his head, “Except Blitzø we have no way of moving the thing.”

Blitzø thought for a moment, “We have some time to consider our options.” He settled on, “Let’s sleep on it and we can circle back in—“ he checked the time on his phone, “2 hours.” Blitzø settled on. He leaned over to put his phone on the coffee table, ushered Stolas to lay back down, crawled on top of him with the blanket, buried his face against his chest plumage, and quickly fell back to sleep. How he could manage to instantly fall asleep had to be against some kind of law of nature.

Stolas could only lay awake, mulling over where Beleth could possibly fit in this apartment, and how Impington was really Pringles. 

…

“Ok Mox.” Blitzø began as he finished drawing out a doodle of Beleth on the whiteboard accompanied by an endearingly spelled ‘Operation get this Stolas plant back ::-}’ written in black expo marker above it. Tiny horses and a giraffe were doodled around the board imitating everyone in the room. The only notes beneath the title were: 

-large as fuck

-900 pounds? 

“Any ideas on how we can move this bad boy from the palace to our apartment?” Blitzø asked. They were between clients, technically on lunch break, while they brainstormed possible routes to take.

Moxxie thought for a moment as he stabbed some spinach and kale with a fork, “How large is the base of the pot?”

They all looked to Stolas, “Oh, I suppose it’s around 5 feet in diameter, maybe a little bigger.”

Blitzø wrote:

-maybe 5 feet die-a-meter 

Stolas still couldn’t believe Blitzø was this dedicated to retrieving Beleth for him. He would be lying if he said it didn’t have him swooning a bit, the fact that he was willing to try and do the impossible. Though it wasn’t as if accomplishing the impossible was out of the question for someone who’d done it many times over.

Moxxie thought for a little longer, Millie watching him with a loving expression before she took a bite of her sandwich, “If we were able to get our hands on a metal cart, like the kind you can find at hardware stores, transporting this plant should be possible. But our biggest obstacle is still being able to lift it onto the cart in the first place. Which I don’t think all of us combined could accomplish.”

“I think I know someone who can help with that.” Loona cut in from behind the reception desk, “Bee can levitate stuff with her magic or some shit. If I ask her, she might even just bring it through the portal and place it wherever, so we won’t need to rob a hardware store.”

Blitzø was beaming with pride, “And that’s why you’re my favorite, Loony!”

She only rolled her eyes before setting aside her own sandwich, a peanut butter and jelly, before pulling out her phone, “I’m not sure if she can talk right now, but I’ll send her a text.” She continued as she typed out a text quickly and put her phone down. Almost as soon as she set her phone down it began to ring, “Well that was fast.” she said before taking the call and walking into Blitzø’s office for some privacy.

Stolas hadn’t even considered that one of the sins on their side could help, and felt a bit embarrassed at having to ask them for help with something so mundane and silly as this. 

Blitzø hopped up to sit next to him on the table, “I was thinking a decent spot we could put it is to the left of the TV? Is that enough light from the window?” He asked as he grabbed his own peanut butter and jelly, cut into triangles. Blitzø had insisted it be triangles because, in his own words, 'Triangles equal more sandwich.’ Which was logic he didn’t quite understand but he decided not to press him on it.

“Oh, well maybe if we leave the blinds open, but skeletal venom flowers need a lot of direct sunlight.” He thought for a moment, finally grabbing his own untouched peanut butter and jelly. He hadn’t had one before, but after both Blitzø and Loona’s insistence that they were good he couldn’t refuse, “Although Beleth would thrive most on the fire escape, the structure definitely can’t support that much concentrated weight.” He took a bite of the sandwich and actually found he quite liked it, eyes lighting up at the flavor of peanut butter and grape jelly complimenting each other so well.

“They have UVB lights that you could use to supplement some of the direct light it doesn’t get from outside, right?” Moxxie asked.

Stolas cleared his throat before responding, “That could certainly work, the inner garden in the palace uses those in areas the glass ceiling cannot reach.” He cleared his throat again and took a sip of his tea to help the dull itch he felt growing.

“We can pick some up later today.” Blitzø decided.

Loona walked back into the main room, “Bee’s in and can do it later tonight when we get home.” 

“It really won’t be too much of a bother?” Stolas asked, then cleared his throat again and took a long sip of his tea.

“Nah, she’s more than happy to—.” Loona began before pausing, “Dude are you ok?”

Everyone turned to face Stolas, all with growing alarm, “Your face is getting really red.” Millie said with serious concern in her voice. 

Blitzø placed his hand over Stolas' forehead, all the while the itching in his throat increased and breathing became more difficult, “Hospital—“ Blitzø said with alarm as he quickly opened a portal into a hospital in Sloth, “Stolas,” he hopped off the table and scooped him up, running through the portal, “Help, I think he’s having an allergic reaction!”

The waiting room was packed with patients in varying states of irritation, either sick, injured or waiting with loved ones in the ER lobby. The receptionist took one look at the situation and they were quick to get Stolas the medical attention he needed. 

“Do you know what could have triggered this?” A nurse asked as they were brought to a room and Stolas was administered an EpiPen. There was the start of almost immediate relief as Stolas gasped for air, finally able to breath. 

“He was eating a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.” Blitzø responded, his frightend shaking slowly subsiding as he stood next to Stolas, eyes still scanning over his face to double and triple check that he wasn’t going to die.

Stolas sat on the bed feeling absolutely mortified, now in a gown and pantless, hand rubbing the spot on his thigh that had been stabbed with the EpiPen. 

The nurse typed out a quick note into the computer, “A doctor will be in to discuss this further with you, but you’re likely looking at a peanut allergy. It’s a fairly common food based allergen out of them all. Still rare, but at the very least it’s very much treatable, as you now know.”

Stolas only nodded, not being able to bring himself to make eye contact with the nurse. He felt a hand rubbing circles on his back and he leaned into it, knowing it was Blitzø trying his best to comfort him.

“The doctor will be in with you shortly.” The nurse concluded before stepping out, taking her wheely cart with her laptop out with her.

Once the door closed, Stolas groaned and buried his face in his hands. He very much liked peanut butter, and back in the palace this had never been an issue. Before his powers were removed, his ability to heal instantaneously made identifying any potential alergines impossible. 

“How yah feelin, big bird?” Blitzø asked, breaking the silence.

“You mean outside of feeling better after experiencing anaphylaxis shock?” He asked, “Humiliated at having almost died from a sandwich.”

“Hey it’s not your fault.” He tried to reassure him, “And now we know to steer clear of peanuts.” 

“I wouldn’t even be surprised if there was some gossip articles published already,” he mumbled before making a headline gesture, “Newly Disgraced Prince Stolas Almost Dies From Peanut Allergy.”

“I don’t see how they could know you were rushed into the ER for a peanut allergy.” Blitzø countered before hopping up onto the bed next to him, “And the doctors can’t say shit.” He paused for a moment before adding on, “And if reporters try and give you shit, well I'll handle it.” 

Stolas stayed silent still, staring down at his lap as the gravity of his situation fully began to set in. He was no longer immune to non-angelic harm, and his new found mortality felt suffocating. Something as simple as a silly peanut allergy could kill him before the 100 years of banishment are up. 

“Stols?” Blitzø placed his hand on his knee to get his attention, “Something tells me a trashy gossip article aren't what’s really bothering you.” 

He stayed quiet while he tried to think before he spoke, “Everything is just…” he sighed, “It’s hitting me that I’m not as immune to harm as I was before, and my life could be ended by something as stupid as a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. What if I die before…” he trailed off, feeling incredibly uneasy with the topic. 

When he looked up at Blitzø, his expression was unreadable, just looking down at his hand still on Stolas’ knee.

“I’m sorry, I know I’m just being silly and things will be fine I suppose.” Stolas tried to brush away the tension as if his mortality was something insignificant.

Blitzø’s hand squeezed Stolas’ knee before he responded, “No, you’re right.” He sounded genuinely troubled, “That’s something I need to remind myself too. Angelic weapons are no longer the only problem to worry about.” 

“I’m sorry…” Stolas said quietly, feeling like a burden to Blitzø and the rest of I.M.P.

Blitzø’s brows furrowed and he looked up at Stolas like he had 3 heads, “The fuck are you sorry for?”

“I just feel bad, I know before my banishment I would play out this fantasy of being some damsel in distress, but now that I’m useless like this and I am one, I feel guilty for being a burden.” 

Blitzø blinked his eyes one at a time while he processed that before responding, “Do you think I see you as a burden?” He asked, voice quiet and a little hurt.

“No, perish the thought—“ Stolas was quick to dispel the idea and grabbed the hand on his knee to give it a reassuring squeeze, now feeling like an ass for saying anything, “You’ve been nothing but welcoming and supportive, but I can’t shut up this voice in my head that's telling me every little way I’m just a dead weight. I can’t protect myself, I can’t protect you, and now I can’t even eat certain foods without dropping dead? What am I even good for if I can’t even do basic things like that? I’m just not enough, and I want to be, but I’m just not…” he sighed, “I know you guys are doing so much for my sake, and the best I can do is sort papers and schedule clients. Without my powers I’m just useless.”

Blitzø was quiet for a moment before he cautiously asked, “Don’t take this the wrong way, but have you been taking your medication?”

Stolas mouth shut and he looked away. It wasn’t even a proper prescription to treat depression, more like slapping a bandaid over a bullet hole and calling it good. Belphegor's happy pills were great with helping him ignore his problems, and made him feel overly manic when on them to distract himself from everything. 

“Stolas?” Blitzø asked again. 

“I’m sorry.”

“Stop saying you’re sorry,” Blitzø said with mild irritation in his voice, “You don’t need to apologize for anything. I’m serious.”

“I’m sor—“ Stolas caught himself before responding, “Octavia was right to be upset about those pills.”

“Stolas, if you need to take a prescription to help your mental health—“

“No, those weren’t exactly a prescription. They’re called happy pills for a reason, and taking them made me manic, and the withdrawals only made my depression worse.” He took Blitzø’s hand in his so he could trace the lines and creases on Blitzø’s palm to give him something to look at that wasn’t his face, “They’re incredibly expensive and don’t require an actual written prescription to get.”

“But you’re still struggling.” Blitzø continued, “And don’t try and brush that aside. We’ve been living together for the past 3 months and I’m not stupid.” He shut Stolas down when he opened his mouth before he could say anything, “If you need an actual prescription or to see a doctor, don’t worry about the money.”

Stolas stayed silent for a moment and thought over Blitzø’s words, “But money is tight—“ Blitzø flicked him in the side of the head, “What the fuck was that for?” He let go of Blitzø’s hand and held his own over the spot he’d been flicked.

“You’re getting caught up in your own head.” Blitzø responded, still sounding irritated, “Your wellbeing is important to me and I want to help. Stop searching for reasons to avoid something important because you think you don’t deserve it.” 

“But—“

“No buts! Stolas, the only butt I care about is the one parked on the bed next to me. I—“ he paused and flushed a little and looked away, “I care about you a lot. I want to see you happy, and if you see me helping you with this as something you don’t deserve, then let me be selfish and help you because I want to see you happy. It’s not just about you, and seeing you beat yourself up like this… It’s hard to see someone you care so much about struggling, and not being able to help makes it so much worse. Let me be selfish and help because I can, and because I want to.”

Stolas flushed and his heart skipped a beat in his chest at the confession, “I…” he said at a loss for words once again as he held one hand up to his chest. This seemed to be a talent Blitzø had, to render him speechless like he did.

“Please.” Blitzø insisted, now looking back up at him. There was something about his expression that Stolas simply couldn't say no to.

“Ok.” He relented, a small smile forming on his lips when Blitzø’s tail did a little happy wag, smacking into the paper bed covering with a steady tap tap tap.

“I know a good mental health specialist, Loony has been seeing them for a few years now. I can call them later tonight and see if they’re accepting new clients.” Blitzø said, already forming a plan in his head.

Stolas leaned down and gave him a small kiss on the lips, feeling so fond of the man sitting next to him. He never wasted a second when there was a problem to be solved, always eager to get things resolved, creatively or otherwise.

Blitzø leaned up and deepened the kiss, hand cupping the side of his face and gently displacing his contour feathers. Stolas took the opportunity to slip his tongue into Blitzø’s mouth and felt his heart beat quicken, swelling with joy that he was allowed to kiss him like this. 

Then Stolas throat started to get that itchy sensation again, and immediately he felt so fucking stupid. He pulled away and cleared his throat, looking alarmed as he wiped the spit from his lips, “Oh lords you ate peanut butter—“

Blitzø was up and out of the room before Stolas could finish his sentence. As he felt the itching and swelling getting worse in his throat, their nurse came in quickly and administered a second EpiPen. After they reassessed him, the reaction subsided. After that, they took more notes on their laptop, then gave the two of them a look before leaving the room again. 

“I would like to crawl under a rock now…” Stolas mumbled into his hands as he thought about just how stupid he was. Having to explain that the recurrence was because they were kissing and not a rare result of an allergy to the EpiPen. 

Blitzø looked torn between laughing and feeling sympathy for him, “It’s fine, we just can’t kiss again until I brush my teeth and wash my mouth thoroughly.” He thought for a moment, “And also probably avoid peanuts in the future.” 

Stolas pouted, “That’s not fair to you.”

“It’s not fair to you if my eating peanuts kills you.” He countered, “There are plenty of alternatives to peanut butter I can try, and plus.” He blushed a little and looked away, “I kinda like kissing your face. Giving that up is worse.” 

Without thinking, Stolas almost leaned in to kiss him again because that was such an adorable confession, but stopped himself since it's very ill advised to use an EpiPen more than twice a day, and having to explain that a second time would be far too embarrassing. Instead he settled for grabbing Blitzø’s hand and squeezing it, “I suppose you make a valid argument.” He responded before tagging on, “It would be a shame if I couldn’t kiss your face too.” 

Blitzø lightly headbutted Stolas’ side to hide his deep blush. It was so unbelievably silly, the things they’ve said in bed were far more extreme than the flowery sweet words they used now. It felt as though they were hitting stages of a romantic relationship all out of order. 

Well he supposed they actually were. Their relationship was unorthodox in every way. It was messy and complicated, but it was theirs, and they were doing a pretty good job of sorting through the mess and making something better. He was so unbelievably soft for the man next to him, with this bloom of giddy warmth in his chest when Blitzø said such sweet things like this. Compromising in his mind, he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head, right on his tattoo. He felt Blitzø’s tail wrap around his waist and Stolas let out a happy little chirp before kissing his head again, began nuzzling the side of his face between his horns, and cooing soft and sweet.

There was a quick knock on the door before the doctor came in. Both men sat upright as if caught doing something wildly inappropriate, which earned a raised eyebrow as she shut the door behind her. 

She was a rather tall imp around Blitzø’s height, with deep red skin, long curly hair tied back in a bun, long buffalo styled horns that had thick black and white stripes and a tail resembling that of a succubus. She was wearing a white doctor's jacket with black scrubs underneath and a stethoscope draped around her neck.

The doctor quickly used some hand sanitizer to clean her hands before reaching out for a handshake, “Hello Stolas,” she greeted with a firm handshake, “My name is Dr. Levvari. I hear you’re in because of a peanut allergy?” She asked as she opened something up on her laptop and scanned it over, “I see we’ve administered 2 EpiPens, 46 minutes apart. Would you mind telling me what happened before you guys arrived here?”

“We were eating lunch, and had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Shortly after I started eating, my throat started itching, and quickly after that I couldn’t breathe.” Stolas supplied.

“His face got really red and his eyes got all puffy.” Blitzø added.

Dr. Levvari nodded and typed something into her laptop, “Ok,” she began, “And might I ask what your relationship is?” 

“I don’t see how that’s—“ Blitzø began before getting cut off by her.

“It has to do with patient confidentiality and hospital protocol.” She interrupted.

“Listen lady, I just carried him in and have been in the room—“

“I consent to having him in the room while we discuss my medical history.” Stolas interrupted, knowing what was being implied. Blitzø looked up at him, a little confused for a moment but then understood.

She seemed completely unfazed by Blitzø’s irritable reaction and simply nodded as she pulled out a clipboard with a form, “Ok sir, if you can just sign here to acknowledge that you’ve given consent for him to be here.”

Quickly, Stolas scrawled his signature on the line, “I would also like to make an amendment to my emergency contact list, if that wouldn’t be too much trouble?” He asked.

Dr. Levvari only nodded as she accepted the clipboard and pen back, “We can do that no problem.” She replied, “I can get those forms printed for you in just a moment. I would like to briefly go over medication history to make sure we have everything up to date since your last stay here.”

Ah, right. The last time he was in this hospital was the day Striker attempted to assassinate him. That stay had been about a week while they worked hard to heal the wounds that refused to close thanks to angelic energy. Wounds of which left permanent marks on his body.

“Do you still take Metrotriptan for pain relief?” She asked.

“No, I took that as needed while I was healing.” Stolas replied.

“Angelic Nizoride?” She asked, “It says you finished this a week after you were released, but you didn’t come back for a checkup like you were recommended.” 

Stolas began to feel a little regret for letting Blitzø stay here, because this was all going to add fuel to the fire later on. He didn’t want Blitzø to be cross with him because he didn’t take care of himself like he should have, “I’m no longer on that medication, no.” He responded, “I felt fine once it was finished, so I didn’t think a follow up was necessary.”

She pursed her lips as she adjusted his current medications, “For the future, with injuries as serious as yours were, follow up appointments are more than just a suggestion.” She lightly reprimanded, “I can assume you’ve finished with Formoldiol, used for an immune boost while healing?” 

“True, I’m no longer in that.” He confirmed with an awkward laugh. Blitzø’s eyes practically bore holes through him.

“And happy pills?”

“I haven’t been on them for the last 3 months.” He responded.

“Ok, that should be it for medications.” She replied as she typed something into her computer, then went to a cabinet to grab something, “Stolas, if you would move to that chair over there so we can get a blood sample for testing.” She gestured to a seat that had a special armrest.

Blitzø unwrapped his tail quickly from around Stolas, having forgotten it was even there.

Quick to adjust the hospital gown as he stood, he made his way to the chair on the other side of the room and sat down. This was even worse, because he now had to make eye contact with Blitzø who sat directly across from him. He settled for looking at the ground instead.

“This should be quick, we only need a small sample for testing.” She said as she approached him with a blood draw kit, and 3 tubes with an anticoagulant at the bottom, “I need you to hold out your arm for me and make fist.” She requested as she wrapped a tourniquet around his bicep. He did as told, she separated his feathers enough to get easy access to a vein, and cleaned the spot, “This will be just a pinch.” She said as she pushed it in and drew his blood. Once she was finished she put pressure over the injection sight and then put a round bandaid over it. 

She cleaned up the wrappers and deposited the needle into a hazmat bin, “I’ll send these out to the lab so we can get a definitive diagnosis for you. We should have an official diagnosis for our records within the next few days. I’ll send these down and grab you those papers. I would also like to discuss a few things with you when I return.” Dr. Levvari said before ducking out.

There was a tense moment between the two, with Stolas adamantly trying to ignore the look Blitzø was giving him, hoping that doing so would prevent the conversation that was coming. He was mentally preparing himself for Blitzø’s disappointment, perhaps an argument about him neglecting himself, not taking angelic wounds seriously, everything.

He heard Blitzø hop off the bed and walk over to him, his heeled boots clicking against the tile and filling the dead silence of the room. He couldn’t look up to see Blitzø’s disappointment, a little countdown with each click to getting scolded in his head. 

Except none of that happened. 

Blitzø lifted the arm rest that was in front of him then pulled Stolas into a tight hug, “I’m so fuckin sorry…” he said, voice muffled into highs crook of his neck.

Now Stolas was surprised, cautiously hugging him back and resting his chin on his shoulder, “Why are you apologizing?” He asked in genuine confusion, “You didn’t make me not go to a follow up appointment.”

Blitzø stayed quiet and hugged him tighter. Stolas felt a growing dampness in the feathers Blitzø’s face was hiding in. They stayed like that for a few minutes, and maybe this was worse than getting yelled at. He knew how to react to that, he was prepared to react to that, but he wasn’t prepared for worry and guilt. He didn’t know how to navigate this situation, and with Blitzø he was so scared of fucking it up. 

Blitzø pulled away and rubbed his fist over his eyes to try and hide that he’d been crying, and Stolas just felt sad that he was crying on his behalf in the first place. Crying because of his own stupidity. He genuinely couldn’t understand why Blitzø was so upset about this, and just sat there lamely watching him.

“I should have—“ Blitzø began to say before there was a knock on the door and Dr. Levvari came back in. He stepped away and went to sit in a stool next to the bed, expression falling to something more neutral, but hints of distress were still present in his eyes. 

“I have the paperwork you requested.” She began as she closed the door behind her. She passed them to Stolas on a clipboard, “When you’re done filling this in, I’ll bring it to my receptionist and she’ll update all the information for you.” Stolas nodded and took the clipboard, “Now I would like to check the stab wounds sites and make sure they’ve healed correctly. Then I would like to go over how to properly administer an EpiPen so you’re more prepared for the next time this happens.” 

Stolas lowered the top of the gown so she could see the part of his arm that got stabbed. The feathers showed a lighter line of discoloration where the blade had been, having been permanently scarred by angelic energy. It was mostly superficial, as the rest of the cut had healed and was nothing but the faintest of scars now. 

She nodded, “This one looks good. The discoloration on your feathers should go away after your next molt, so other than a small mark on your skin it won’t be noticeable. Now can I see the one on your leg?” Stolas nodded and lifted the gown around one leg enough to give her access to the second stab wound, “This one looks like it’s healed correctly as well.” She added, “You’re very lucky these healed as well as they had, you got off very easy.”

Stolas only nodded, feeling as though he were a child being reprimanded. 

“Now before I send you on your way, I’m going to go over EpiPen usage and how to administer it properly.” She turned to Blitzø, “If you’re his partner I believe it would be good for you to know this as well.”

Blitzø just nodded, stood up and walked over without hesitation. Dr. Levvari pulled out a fake pen and began to walk them through how it worked.

“Make sure the orange side is face down, and remove the blue safety release at the top. The injector is on the orange side, so it’s very important you remember this saying ‘Blue to the sky, orange to the thigh’ to remind yourself before injecting.” She began, “The amount of times people accidentally inject themselves with the pen instead of the person who needs it is surprising. You want to inject the pen into his thigh, aiming for the middle of the outer area. Hold it at a 90 degree angle, pull back about six or so inches, then firmly push it into his thigh. You should hear a click, and you’re going to want to firmly hold it for three seconds counting slowly. When you remove it, massage the skin there for ten seconds and you should be good.”

“Ok,” Blitzø responded, “Do you have, like, papers with more information I can take home?” 

The doctor nodded, “Of course. I’ll print those out along with the written prescription for a few EpiPens that you can bring up to our pharmacy to get filled.” She said as she typed something into her computer again, “You’re all good to dress again, Stolas, and I’ll be back in a few minutes. Take your time filling out your updated emergency contacts list and I’ll take it when I return.”

“Thank you, ma’am.” Stolas bowed his head, “I appreciate all your help.” 

She looked a bit taken aback by the gesture, “Of course.” She bowed her head back before exiting the room a little flustered.

“Did I do something wrong?” Stolas asked as his eyes stayed on the now closed door.

“Nah, you’re fine.” Blitzø responded, “Disgraced or not, it’s still strange having royalty bow to you.” He continued as he brought Stolas his clothes. 

“Oh.” Stolas responded, “I guess I never really shook that tendency.” He continued as he stood up and shed the hospital gown without hesitation, not as if Blitzø hadn’t seen him naked hundreds of times. When his father was around, he’d taken quite a few smacks to the head when he bowed his head to others. Perhaps that habit would stay with him for the rest of his life.

He dressed quickly before sitting back down and grabbing the clipboard, “Do you think Moxxie and Millie would mind me having them as one of my emergency contacts?” He asked as he filled in the first one, “Also what’s your last name?” 

“Buckzo,” he responded, “And I don’t see them having a problem with that.”

Blitzø Buckzo  

Stolas smiled and blushed softly at seeing his full name scrawled out in his handwriting. It also wasn’t lost on him that Blitzø hadn’t denied being his partner. He couldn’t wait to go home for a number of reasons, the biggest of which being Blitzø brushing his teeth so he could kiss the man silly. They were partners, they were a thing, he was someone’s someone . Not that he didn’t love having Loona around, but if they were lucky she might head out for the night and he could show Blitzø his appreciation in more ways than just kisses and sweet words. 

Stolas shook the thought from his head for the moment and focused back on paperwork. His original emergency contacts were his father, who didn’t even respond when he’d been hospitalized, and Stella, who only laughed and insulted him for being hospitalized. It was her doing in the first place. She should have been removed during the divorce proceedings, and now that they were officially separated she had no right keeping tabs on his medical history. Now was just convenient timing to get it done. 

This final piece of paperwork felt like an unknown weight leaving his shoulders. He hesitated for a moment after filling in Moxxie and Millie Nolastname, then jolted down his daughter's information. If something were to happen to him, he would want her to know. 

Right as he finished filling out the form, Dr. Levvari knocked on the door and came back in with the written prescription and a few packets and pamphlets on EpiPens and dealing with someone with a peanut allergy for Blitzø, “This has all the information you’ll need to know, and I’ve included a business card for one of the Allergists working in this building who can help you further after today’s visit.”

“Thank you.” Blitzø responded, “Really.” 

The doctor looked between the two before responding, “It’s my job, I’m happy to help.” She picked up the clipboard with the updated information, “Take this how you want, but as an ER doctor I hope I don’t see you guys again.”

It took Stolas a moment to process the joke, then let out a hooty little laugh, “I hope to stay out of the ER as well.” He replied as he stood up and shook her hand again, “Have a good day, ma’am.” He said, then reached over and grabbed Blitzø’s free hand, “Let's go to the pharmacy so we can get home.”

Blitzø squeezed his hand and let Stolas take the lead. People stared at them as they passed through the halls and waiting room again. He was grateful that Blitzø had the forethought to tuck away the papers and brochures on his allergy into a pocket in his jacket. It wouldn’t take a genius to see what he was carrying and spill it to the rest of seven rings of hell. 

There were already some people with their phone cameras out waiting to pounce on his situation, either for some small-time gossip blog or news publication, all looking for their 15 minutes of fame with a fresh scoop on a disgraced prince. If the news was still addressing their court case, now no longer having Stella and Andrealphus interviewing since they only said the same shit, footage of him being carried into the ER by Blitzø would be fodder to a dying flame.

He counted his lucky stars that they had that crystal, because the hospital may have rules about paparazzi and filming inside the building, it was likely a lion's den outside.

“You’d think they have better things to do with their time.” Blitzø said, pulling out his gun and pointing it towards someone with their phone camera out trying to approach them, “Back off bucko!” The fish demon halted in their tracks before turning on their heels and retreating.

Stolas tried not to laugh at the ridiculousness of their situation as they were finally able to make it to the stairwell, “Their job is to report on things,” Stolas responded, “I just wish we weren’t one of those things to report on.”

“We’ll be home soon enough. Then we can just relax and forget what a disaster today has been.” Blitzø responded, letting go of Stolas’ hand so he could start walking backwards to scan the rest of the lobby for anyone else with enough nerve to try them, then tucked his gun back into his jacket, “Pharmacy is on the second floor, stairwell C will bring us directly there.” Blitzø stated as he turned on his heel to walk forward, grabbing Stolas’ hand again then leading the way past the entrance to stairwell B and further down a hall that directed them out of the main lobby. Now out of sight from anyone, Stolas felt far more relaxed.

They only had to wait at the pharmacy for about a half an hour before they were officially sent on their way. Some people in that part of the hospital were giving them looks and murmuring to one another. Others thought they were being inconspicuous about snapping a few photos of them at a distance. 

It was odd, since it wasn’t like him living in Imp City and working for I.M.P. since his banishment was fresh news, but it wasn’t until he was rushed into the hospital that the cameras got taken out. 

Blitzø quickly opened a portal and ushered him through it into their apartment. Both ready and hopeful for a quiet rest of their night after everything today threw at them. Stolas was already planning out what he wanted to do to Blitzø to really show his appreciation. And maybe also because he could use a good release to relieve the tension that built up today. 

He could close them in the bathroom once Loona retired for the night, sit Blitzø’s ass on the counter, get down on his knees and—

“Welcome home!” They were greeted by more than just Loona like he’d been hoping for as the portal closed behind them. Millie was seated at the dining room table, Moxxie was doing something in the kitchen, Loona was on the couch with Beelzebub who was seated in her lap, Tex sitting next to them, and Verosika sitting on the coffee table sipping tea. Why Verosika was here was beyond him, but Tex did work for her so it wasn’t too big of a stretch to guess how she got here.

Then Stolas saw it. 

Beleth was sitting to the left of the TV, eyes closed and laying dormant. His breath caught in his throat and he let Blitzø’s hand go and slowly approached the gargantuan plant, “Beleth…” the name came out in a whisper. He hadn’t even noticed the way the rest of the room quieted around him as every eye watched his reaction. The plant stirred a little, then one eye blinked open, quickly followed by the rest of them as Beleth saw him and made an excited, gurgling chirping sound, “Beleth!” He ran to it, fell to his knees and hugged the large bulb like plant, nuzzling his face against its thick sepals and cooing happily, “I was so worried I’m so happy you’re ok—“ he pulled away and gave it a gentle scratch under a part that could be considered its chin. The large plant made a happy gurgling noise and leaned into the touch. 

He felt himself tearing up because it didn’t feel real that his mothers plant was actually here! They’d only talked about Beleth early this morning, Blitzø told him they would get it and he really did the impossible. Today felt like an eternity, and though he was tired not too long ago he was too excited now to even think about sleep, “Are you hungry dear?” He asked it like a concerned parent talking to a baby, and not a plant with the same level of mental awareness as a toddler. 

“We made sure to feed it when we set it down.” Loona said.

“Plant made me proud with how much it ate,” Beelzebub added, “The thing could have cleared a whole fridge if given the chance. Fell asleep right after.”

“It was all raw meat, don’t worry we didn’t let it eat chips or some shit like that.” Loona added when she noticed the mild look of concern, “Mostly beef and pork.”

“And maybe a few chips.” The Queen of gluttony admitted, “But only a few.” She grinned.

“Well a few wouldn’t hurt I suppose,” Stolas said as he stood back up, absentmindedly still petting Beleth, “Thank you guys so much, I—“ he felt tears begin to well up more as he looked to everybody present who made this possible, “I have no words to express how much this means to have Beleth here. I was so worried…” he looked back to the giant plant that was now happily looking up at him. Tears began to spill over, feeling overwhelmed and so unbelievably happy and relieved and grateful.

Stolas turned back out and locked eyes with Blitzø and his heart melted. His partner stood there, smiling so softly at him, his eyes were bright and his tail wagged happily. He had to kiss him he had to kiss him—

Stolas ran over to him, ready to scoop him up and hug him so tightly and kiss him silly because he couldn’t believe Blitzø managed to get Beleth here—

He watched Blitzø’s expression morph into something akin to horror as he held his hands up, “Wait no—“ he hopped out of the way, landing on the dining table in the process, “Stolas I still need to brush my teeth!” 

With that in mind Stolas still scooped him up under his arms like a cat and hugged him tight. He rubbed his face against the top of his head, chirping and hooting happily. He could wait to kiss him silly, but for right now he needed an outlet for all his affection, and there was nobody else here he could think of who was both willing and more deserving of it. 

Blitzø just accepted his fate, even chuckling and purring lightly as he was smothered in affection, “I told you we could do it.” He smiled and stuck his tongue out.

“That you did,” Stolas smiled down at him, “That you absolutely did.”

“Alright now put me down.” Blitzø said as he patted his arm, “We got guests and I want to brush my teeth before I forget.” 

“You make a fair argument.” Stolas said, giving him one final squeeze before setting him back down. Blitzø set the papers and bag of EpiPens down on the dining table and quickly made his way to the bathroom, Verosika’s eyes following Blitzø until the door closed behind him.

Stolas looked back out to everyone else in the room, all looking back at him in different stages of happiness for him. 

Verosika, who had been quiet, turned to him and smiled. She had a bit of a complex level of happiness and something else Stolas couldn’t place. Then it occurred to him that she’s one of Blitzø's exes, and maybe seeing them together was hard for her. He felt guilty that his public display of affection might have been upsetting for her, but then wondered why she would be here in the first place since she had to know something was going on between them.

Moxxie carried a cup of decaf tea from the kitchen and brought it to Millie before breaking the silence, “How are you feeling?” He asked him.

“So unbelievably grateful and—“

“I think he meant the hospital visit.” Loona cut in, head looking backwards over the back of the couch so she could see him without turning her head, “You guys were gone for a bit and there’s already news outlets and shitty gossip blogs reporting on your grand entrance into the ER.” She held up her phone to show him the screen. He was a bit embarrassed to see an image fully displaying his reaction, looking like he was attacked by a swarm of bees with how puffy his face was. His Blitzy looked like a handsome knight in shining armor, carrying him bridal style as he ran through the portal urgently yelling for help.

“Oh, yes, that, of course.” Stolas said sheepishly and looked away from the phone with mild embarrassment, “I’m fine, we got it sorted and managed to avoid the press fairly well I think.”

“Is it a peanut allergy?” Moxxie asked, pulling out a chair for him to sit down before he looked over some of the pamphlets on allergies and EpiPens.

“Thank you Moxxie,” Stolas said as he took a seat, “Yes they believe it’s a peanut allergy. Blood work should be done within the next few days to confirm it.” He sighed, feeling a bit uncomfortable readdressing the fact something so stupid could kill him now. He’d done enough confronting his own mortality for the day and would love a break.

“Well it’s good we know it now.” Blitzø cut in as he exited the bathroom and hopped up to sit on the table next to him, “Anyways, did everyone eat yet?” He redirected the topic quickly, “Because we’ve been in the hospital for the past few hours and,” he pulled up his sleeve to check his wrist as if he was wearing a watch, “It’s probably around dinner time.” He corrected his sleeve and looked around.

Stolas held his hand over his mouth to stifle a laugh at his antics. He wasn’t sure if the change in topic was on purpose, or if it was all coincidental, but he was so grateful for it. Even if he didn’t have much of an appetite as of now.

“I can always go for more food,” Beelzebub called from the couch, “We finished things with your plant not too long before you guys came back. What are we feeling? Sweets? Savory? Both?” 

“I could go for something with rice.” Blitzø responded.

“Noodles sound good too.” Loona added.

“Mango sticky rice.” Millie was more specific, smiling brightly at the thought of it.

“Rice sounds good.” Moxxie agreed. 

Beelzebub snapped her fingers and a buffet assortment of topside Asian fusion food took up the kitchen counter space, the dining table, and the coffee table. It was well over the top for the amount of people crammed into the small apartment, but was to be expected with a meal brought to you by the sin of Gluttony herself. All foods steered clear of peanuts to avoid sending Stolas into anaphylactic shock for a third time today. 

The others only knew about the first time, and to avoid embarrassing himself further, that would be the only one they know about.

Although he still didn't have an appetite, Stolas sat back in his seat and just watched Blitzø. The expressive hand movements when he spoke, his laugh, his smile. He was so smitten with the man. He wanted to reach out and hold his hand, to kiss him, to do far more than was deemed socially appropriate in a group of loved ones. It was just nice to feel like one big family, this little apartment brimming with more love and life than any party ever held in his palace. The palace was his house for 35 years, but in the span of 3 months this tiny, one bedroom apartment was his home.

The one thing missing that would make this perfect was his Via. He felt a pang of sadness as he wondered what she was up to right now. Was she still studying with the grimoire? Were Stella and Andrealphus taking care of her? Or was she being ignored? Had she seen any of the news about his hospital visit? He hoped not. Angry with him as she already was, he didn’t want to burden her further by having her worry.

He looked over to the photos on the wall Pringles had gotten him. All of him and his daughter in varying stages of her life. One picture of them dressed up for Halloween, her as the big bad wolf and him as little red riding hood because he couldn’t say no to her cute little face. She wanted him to wear a dress to match her? He would be wearing that dress with as much enthusiasm as she wanted from him and then some. It wasn’t the only time she had him dressing in drag either, she needed him to be fully committed to playing Princess tea party. He’d let her do his makeup, poorly but still cute, and painted his talons and the skin around them with different glittery nail polish. The crazy stories she would concoct for their tea party amused him to no end, and he missed those days dearly. 

He wished he had those photos, and would love to frame them and put them on the wall. They were too goofy and unbecoming of a Goetia to put on the palace walls, and the few sillier ones of him and his daughter that were up he’d had to really push for. Even then the compromise was to hang them up closer to his chambers so they were out of sight of most visitors. 

He may ask Blitzø to see if Pringles could retrieve some of those photos from the box in his old bedroom closet. Maybe that was just him getting greedy though. He didn’t want his old butler to get into trouble by doing anything more than he’d already done, and he didn’t want to sound ungrateful for what he’d already had. He wanted to find a better way of thanking Pringles, because reservations at Ozzie were nice, but he felt he deserved more.

After a moment, Stolas stood up from the table to go outside for some fresh air, suddenly feeling overwhelmed. Before he could pass by Blitzø, he felt a light tug on his sleeve and looked down, “Are you ok?” He asked softly.

“Yes, darling. Just going to get some fresh air.” Stolas replied and leaned down to kiss him on the lips before leaving, lingering there for a moment just to enjoy the feeling of lips on lips. Blitzø’s hand reached up and held his chin, gently coaxing him into parting his lips to deepen it. Stolas melted into the kiss, breath hitching as he got a taste of his partner's mouth, an odd mix of spearmint mouthwash and beef fried rice. He rested one of his hand on the table next to Blitzø and leaned into the kiss, using his other hand to cup the side of his face to tilt his head back. 

“There are people here!” Loona yelled from the couch to interrupt them before they got too far. It was an unfortunately common occurrence for her, but she decided that maybe the rest of their current group didn’t need to be subjected to their antics. 

Stolas pulled away, quickly wiping away the trail of spit and having at least enough shame to look a little apologetic, “Sorry.” He apologized to the others in the room before pressing a kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head, “I’m going to get some fresh air.” He repeated to Blitzø, “I’ll be just out on the fire escape.”

He walked through the room and ducked out the glass door into the warm night air of Imp City. He moved to a part of the platform where he could lean against the railing and watch Beleth through the window. He still couldn’t believe they all made this happen just for him, no ulterior motives outside of simply wanting to do something kind for him. It was all still new for him to adjust to, but it made him feel genuinely loved.

When the escape door opened, he half expected Blitzø to come out and join him, but was surprised to see Verosika. She approached him and pulled out a cigarette and lighter in one hand, then leaned against the railing a few feet away from Stolas, facing out towards the messy streets and apartment complexes that surrounded them. She lit it and took a long drag from her cigarette, then slowly blew out a puff of gray smoke. They were quiet for a bit, the last time they’d spoken being on Halloween at the Anti-Blitzø party.

Eventually Verosika broke the silence, “Thank you.” She said, then looked over her shoulder to peer through the living room window behind her.

Stolas brows furrowed, “What for?” He asked, turning his attention from Beleth to her.

“For saving him.” She responded casually as she flicked the ash from her cigarette over the railing, “You didn’t have to, but you did.” She continued, “Why did you?”

“I had to.” Stolas replied without hesitation, “I couldn’t have lived with myself if I…” he had an uneasy feeling in his stomach at the thought of what would have happened if he didn’t, “It was the right thing to do.” He settled, frowning a little as he remembered the terror that overcame him when the tv channel  flipped to air Blitzø’s public execution. Had he not turned the tv on when he did, had he decided to instead read quietly in his room like he’d debated, Blitzø would be dead. 

“You were ready to die for him, despite the hurt he caused you.” She continued, “You’re a better person than me. I wouldn’t have really cared.” Her tail swished a little and she took another drag of her cigarette. 

“That’s not true.” Stolas disputed immediately, “You would have been upset had he died.” 

She blew out the smoke and responded, “Oh?”

“If you truly would have been indifferent to his death, you wouldn’t have started this conversation by thanking me for saving him.” He countered, turning back to look through the window, eyes now focused on Blitzø as he laughed at something Millie had said to him, “You might hate him for how he treated you, but you still care enough that you would have been affected by his death.”

She laughed, a genuine and light one, “I can’t fool you.” She snuffed out the cigarette butt on the railing before flicking it over the side of the fire escape, “We’ve been more in touch lately.” Stolas’ heart dropped for only a moment before she waved him off, “Nothing but platonic friendship, if it could even be called a friendship. Don’t worry birdie, he’s all yours. I have no plans of taking him, even if he wanted that.” She chuckled and turned to lean back against the railing to watch Blitzø through the window as well, “He just paid back the money he owed me for maxing out my credit cards a few years back. He didn’t have to, not like I needed it now anyway with my new gig. But he’s trying, so I guess it’s the thought that counts.” She smirked, “You guys are cute, by the way. I’m glad he was able to get his shit together for you.”

Stolas could only smile at that, watching as Blitzø spoke and made wild hand gestures as he told a story about one thing or another. Subconsciously, he held his hand to his chest.

“How has he been?” She asked.

Stolas watched as the people around Blitzø laughed, a light in his partner’s eyes that never got old to him, “He’s been really supportive and kind. I’ll be honest, it was a bit surprising at first.” He began, eyes glued to him as he went on, “After the trial, when he heard I lost everything, he took me home without hesitation and gave me a place to stay. There have been so many times where I felt like I couldn’t move forward, and he’d meet me where I was every time and wouldn’t let me give up.” He chuckled nervously, “I’m a bit embarrassed to admit, but he took care of me when I couldn’t care for myself. If I couldn’t bring myself to leave the couch, he kept me company. If I couldn’t bring myself to bathe, he would carry me to the bath and wash me himself. If I couldn’t bring myself to eat, he would bring me something he knew I liked. He let me cry and didn’t rush me towards feeling better, he was just patient, thoughtful and just…” he felt a blush grow on his cheeks, “I love him so much.”

Verosika smiled at that, “I’m glad the party had a good effect on him. We had a talk and it really opened his eyes. It’s refreshing to see him like this, even if it’s a little bittersweet he couldn’t be like this for me.”

“You talked at the party?” Stolas asked, nervously fidgeting with his hands as he remembered the moment Blitzø and him shared in the van a little over a week ago.

She nodded, “Seeing you with someone else really shook him. It set in for him that his actions hurt people he cares about, and he needed to break that cycle. It was a necessary hurt, or he wouldn’t have actually changed the way he treats people.” 

“Oh…” his fingers bunched up in the chest feathers that hung from the opening in his sweater, “I didn’t know…”

“Stolas, baby,” she patted him on the arm and chuckled, “You did nothing wrong, and honestly,” she pulled her hand away and pushed off on the railing, “He wouldn’t be happy like he is if it didn’t happen. You learn from moments that hurt, and sometimes you need that hurt to learn anything at all.” She smiled, “Just, keep an eye on him.”

“I don’t think he would do anything now to hurt me intentionally.” Stolas defended him.

She rolled her eyes and turned to face him, “Not just that.” Her smile dropped suddenly into something more serious, “He doesn’t want to address it, but he’s got more issues than he lets on. Not trying to scare you or anything, but he’s been through some shit, and he’s bottling it up. He hasn’t told me anything, but I talked with his twin sister Barbie when I was in rehab. Blitzø has changed. A lot.” Her frown softened and she looked away, “It’s not my place to tell you the details, but just… Keep an eye out for him. I think the trial is affecting him more than he’s letting on, and I know why. This week, Friday specifically, just keep an eye on him.”

Stolas didn’t know how to process this information, “I will.” He said, brain still trying to make sense of the cryptic information she was giving him.

“And don’t get too in your head about it.” She patted his shoulder reassuringly, “I only know because I was close with his sister while in rehab. I don’t think he even knows that I know, but I do. Be patient. I can see how important you are to him, and he’ll come around to you about it eventually.”

As troubled as he felt, Stolas appreciated her talking with him, “Thank you for letting me know.” He said with 100% sincerity. 

“Hand me your phone.” She held out her hand, “I’ll give you my number.”

Stolas pulled his phone from his pocket, unlocked it, and opened up his contacts, “Here.”

She took it, quickly added hers and sent a text so she had his in turn before passing it back, “I’m headed back in. But text me if you need to.”

“I will.” He responded, holding his phone to his chest and watching as she re-entered the apartment. He knew Blitzø was hurting before this, nobody scribbles their face from pictures and crops themselves out for no reason. Blitzø had even told him he’d done something that his sister never forgave him for on Sinsmas, which was also the first he’d heard of Blitzø having a sister to begin with, let alone a twin sister. 

“This Friday.” He said quietly to himself, feeling nervous like each day between then and now was a countdown to something that could make or break them. 

He was pulled from his thoughts as Blitzø came out onto the fire escape, “Hey, you’ve been out here for a bit. You ok, big bird?” He asked as he went and hopped up to sit on the railing next to him, wrapping his tail around one of the balusters for balance.

“I’m quite alright, thank you Blitzø.” He replied as he leaned back against the railing, resting his hand on the top rail with his arm behind Blitzø’s back for extra support, “Just enjoying the quiet a little.” His eyes looked Blitzø up and down, “How about you?” 

Blitzø rested the side of his head against Stolas’ arm and sighed, “Today’s been long, but I’m fine now.” And Stolas could see the tiredness on his face. He supposed he too would be mentally exhausted after two incidents back to back of Blitzø almost dying. He wondered if Blitzø would have felt the same about him if he didn’t go to that party. Was he really incapable of change without getting hurt? How many lessons had he learned through pain already? 

He remembered a saying he’d read in a book a while back, ‘Hurt people hurt people.’  

He reached over with his other hand and brushed his fingers across Blitzø’s cheek, gently directing his face upward to give him a simple kiss on the lips. When he pulled away, Blitzø was looking up at him like he’d put the stars in the sky, making Stolas heart skip a beat and face blush profusely. 

The imp pulled away briefly so he could stand on the top rail, then pulled him into another kiss, arms resting over his shoulders. Stolas let his hands settle on his partner's hips, thumbs pressing into the points of his hips gently. He felt Blitzø smile into the kiss before pulling away. Stolas followed his face and kissed him again, before breaking away and letting out a happy little chirp.

“I love when you do that.” Slipped from Blitzø’s lips so easily, no hint of a joke or humor. Genuine sincerity as he let his hands slide down his chest, then chuckled when Stolas blush deepened.

Stolas buried his face against Blitzø’s shoulder and did it again, his own heart about to burst in his chest from happiness. He was used to being told how annoying his voice was, all sounds coming from him often got belittled as him screeching his silly words by Stella. He wasn’t used to this, but he certainly could.

When he pulled away again, the look his partner gave him damn near took his breath away. The emotion there was something so open and genuine, so warm his heart melted. He had to kiss him again. And again. And again till Blitzø was laughing and gently pushing his face away.

I love you.

Stolas almost said it. Those words were on the tip of his tongue, almost leaving his lips as naturally as he breathed air, the sun was warm, or the skies in the pride ring were red. 

Blitzø pulled his phone from his pocket and opened up a music app, selected a playlist and hit shuffle. He adjusted the volume a little so it wasn’t overly loud, tucked it back in his pocket, and extended his hands, “Do you think you have enough energy for a little dance?” 

The song was soft and light, plucking of a guitar accompanied by lyrics that sounded so incredibly personal for them.

‘Ultimately

I don’t understand a thing

I try to do the best I can

I know you try to do the same’

Stolas smiled brightly as he grabbed Blitzø’s hands, “Always.” He responded as he let him lead.

‘We’re just so bound to make mistakes

You could call it a disposition 

I apologize for all your tears

I wish I could be different’

Blitzø twirled him, matching pace as he expertly balanced on the railing, “Your balance never ceases to amaze me.” Stolas commented.

“I wasn’t great at clowning,” Blitzø laughed softly, “But acrobatics was something that didn’t require me to speak. Barbie and I had a pretty great routine.” He said easily.

‘But I’m still growing up

Into the one you can call your love

I don’t know if I’ll ever be enough

I’m throwing in my chips 

I guess I tend to push my luck’

“I always loved your jokes.” Stolas defended, keeping things light with a teasing hint to it. 

Blitzø chuckled as he dipped Stolas, a hand supporting the arch of his back with ease, “You would be the only one.” Stolas' smile softened as he got lost in his partner's eyes.

‘And ultimately 

I believe we’ll be okay

It’s so cliché to say these things 

But repetition is a key

I think I’m better when I’m with you

But worry when you’re gone

I think I need to learn to love myself 

I must learn to be strong’

“I missed that smile.” Blitzø commented as he pulled him back up and they swayed.

“What do you mean?” Stolas asked as they separated just long enough to pass by the fire escape steps.

“Oh, you know.” Their hands met again and they swayed, “There’s a light in your eyes that was absent for a little. I’m happy to see it again.”

‘So, for now we’ll say goodbye

Although it pains me in my heart

Your words they come to me in memories

They sing to me like songs

It won’t be long until I’m here

Soon I’ll make my arrival

Under shady trees, a quiet street

The roads that I have traveled’

Stolas' heart skipped a beat, “Oh.” His smile turned to something more intimately soft, “Well I suppose I’ve had more reasons to smile lately.” Blitzø twirled him again, “I missed seeing yours too. It’s different. It’s better.”

Blitzø laughed, breathy and soft, “I guess I’ve had better reasons to smile lately.” He averted his eyes shyly for a moment, and Stolas took his chance to nuzzle his face against Blitzø’s jaw and cooed softly.

‘Ultimately 

It’s a beautiful thing

Like flowers blooming in a lonely field

The petals drift through crossing winds

That find their way to river streams 

That scent the water beautifully 

It takes me back to you

It takes me back to you’

The song came to a close, and they continued to dance as the next song began.

‘Don’t you worry, there my honey

We may not have any money

But we’ve got our love to pay the bills

Maybe I think you’re cute and funny

Maybe I wanna do what bunnies do with you

If you know what I mean’

They swayed and lost themselves in the music, blissfully letting the other sounds around them melt away.

‘Oh, let’s get rich and buy our parents

Homes in the South of France 

Let’s get rich and give everybody nice sweaters 

And teach them how to dance

Let’s get rich and build our house in a mountain

Making everybody look like ants

From way up there, you and I, you and I’

The sound of their footsteps, the activity happening in the streets below, cars beeping, a neighbor way to their left arguing on the phone, and kids in the apartment above them playing on the fire escape. All of it didn’t matter to them.

‘Well you might be a bit confused 

And you might be a little bit bruised

But baby how we spoon like no one else

So I will help you read those books

If you will soothe my worried looks

And we will put the lonesome on the shelf’

“Is this your own playlist?” Stolas asked.

Blitzø blushed a little and averted his gaze, “I’ve been working on it for a bit now.” He admitted. Each lyric fed into the warmth that bloomed in Stolas chest, especially knowing this was a playlist Blitzø put together himself. For them or otherwise it was such a sweet gesture.

‘Oh, let’s get rich and buy our parents

Homes in the South of France 

Let’s get rich and give everybody nice sweaters 

And teach them how to dance

Let’s get rich and build our house in a mountain

Making everybody look like ants

From way up there, you and I, you and I’

“I love it.” Stolas responded, “I didn’t peg you as someone who listened to songs like these.” 

Blitzø laughed, smiling a little mischievously, “You never pegged me.” 

Stolas took the lead for just a moment and dipped Blitzø, “Not yet anyways.” He matched his level of teasing, and watched Blitzø’s blush grow followed by a shiver up his spine.

“Oh, that was hot.” Blitzø responded as Stolas brought him back upright and let him lead once more.

‘Oh, let’s get rich and buy our parents

Homes in the South of France 

Let’s get rich and give everybody nice sweaters 

And teach them how to dance

Let’s get rich and build our house in a mountain

Making everybody look like ants

From way up there, you and I, you and I’

Stolas blushed a little but continued as the song came to an end and the next one came on, “That something you’re interested in?” He arched an eyebrow.

‘I know we’ll never grow old together

Cause you’ll never grow old to me

You’re the pink in my cheeks 

And I’m scared cause that means I’m a little bit soft’

Blitzø twirled him again, “If that’s something you’d like to try,” he looked down at his feet as they continued to move, “If it’s you I’d be ok with it.”

‘But don’t beat yourself up, Bonnie

It wasn't just the sun that I was hiding from

We were just messed up kids who taught ourselves how to live

And I’m scared that I’m not good enough’

“You’d be ok with it?” Stolas asked, “Can I spin you?” He added as he lifted a hand, not wanting to surprise Blitzø and cause him to lose his balance.

Blitzø followed his lead and let Stolas spin him, “I mean,” he chuckled nervously, “Maybe I could give you a chance to take some control in bed from time to time.” 

‘I’ve always felt like a monster

Long before I was big

But only seen as a monster

Let’s just say I’m used to it’

It was Stolas' turn to blush, “Perhaps.” He kissed Blitzø’s nose, “It could be pretty fun.” 

“Nervous?” Blitzø asked as he continued to let Stolas lead them.

“Well, I suppose.” He spun Blitzø again and transitioned it into a dip, “I have quite the performance to live up to.”

‘And I grew tough cause love had only hurt me back 

But loving you is a good problem to have

And I’m used to that

But I could get used to this’

“Firsts are always gonna be awkward, big bird.” Blitzø reassured, “Practice makes perfect.”

‘Yeah, I’m used to that

But I could get used to this

And I know we’ll never grow old together

Cause you’ll never grow old to me’

“Was our first time awkward?” Stolas asked him as he pulled him back upright.

Blitzø laughed, “No, I’m pretty great in bed.” Stolas rolled his eyes, “But it helped that you were a fast learner.” He added on as they swayed. 

‘You’re the pink in my cheeks

And I love that it means I’m a little bit soft

You’re the pink in my cheeks

And I love, that it means 

I’m a little bit soft’

As the song came to an end, Stolas leaned in and kissed Blitzø, one hand on his hip and the other guiding his partner's chin forward for a better angle. His tongue slipped past Blitzø’s lips with ease as they lost themselves in the moment. He felt hands trail under his sweater and fingers parted lines in the contour feathers of his abdomen, causing his breath to hitch. 

“Guys stop sucking face and get in here!” Loona called out the door, tone exasperating and chastising like a parent to a child. They separated almost instantly, Blitzø almost losing his footing but fell into Stolas chest, face first into the plumage that came out of the opening of his sweater.

Stolas turned and noticed they had stopped their dance well within view of the living room window before getting handsy. They had a fairly large audience of their loved ones all either gawking at them or smirking, and Stolas didn’t know which was worse. He helped Blitzø down and quickly fixed his sweater before following his partner back inside. 

…

By the time their apartment finally cleared out and Loona had retired to her bedroom for the night, both men were too tired to really do anything but get ready for bed. 

Stolas wore a pair of black and white plaid pajama shorts that cut off mid thigh, and a large light blue and gray tie dye shirt that Blitzø wrote ‘I’m a hoot’ across his chest of, accompanied by the face of his giraffe persona Blitzø drew of him. Blitzø was wearing a red and white splotched shirt with the words ‘Boss Ass Bitch’ in messy, thick black letters down the front, and a pair of loose black shorts that stopped just above the knee.

As Blitzø finished packing away the leftover food they couldn't pawn off on others in the fridge, Stolas turned on the fan in the window and then crouched next to Beleth. His hand pressed flat to one of its sepals as it watched him happily and gurgled softly. 

He still couldn’t believe it. He felt like it was too good to be true, and feared that when he closed his eyes and opened them again, Beleth would be gone. But when he did, Beleth stayed here just the same. He could feel it, hear it, smell the honey sweet smell of its acidic bile, everything pointing to this being very real. 

He heard the soft tapping of Blitzø’s hooves on the hardwood floor as he approached. Stolas turned his head to see the imp standing a good five feet away and observing the newest edition to their home. There was the slightest bit of nervousness in his posture, despite his attempt to seem totally relaxed and cool. 

Stolas couldn’t really blame him. Seeing a picture of Beleth vs standing next to it was completely different, and the carnivorous plant was at least 3 feet taller than him. If Beleth didn’t know any better, it could easily eat him in one bite. Stolas knew that wouldn’t happen, but that’s because carnivorous plant husbandry was something he was very well versed in. All he had to do was teach Blitzø what he knew. To break down the stigma around plants like these so his partner could feel comfortable and safe in their home with Beleth present.

With a patient smile, Stolas reached his hand out for Blitzø to take. The imp looked from his hand, then to Beleth and back, before cautiously taking Stolas’ hand and letting him guide him over, trusting that Stolas knew what he was doing and he wouldn’t get hurt. 

He pressed Blitzø’s hand gently against one of Beleth’s sepals, and watched the way he tensed up, “Take a deep breath, darling.” Stolas soothed him, “I won’t let anything happen.”

“I’m not nervous.” Blitzø lied, sweat forming on his brow as one of Beleth’s eyes locked on him, “Ok maybe, but only a little.” He amended as his tail stayed low to the ground.

Stolas chuckled, “It’s ok.” He took his hand away from Blitzø’s and rested it on the small of his back reassuringly, “Beleth, this is my partner Blitzø.” He introduced as he patted the sepal his other hand had still been resting on, “He planned your rescue from the palace. Say thank you.” 

Beleth made a happy chirping sound as it leaned into Blitzø’s palm. The imp’s body went rigid at the sudden moment, but he didn’t run. Stolas rubbed reassuring circles on his back, “Are you ok Blitzy?” He asked.

“Big fuckin plant.” He responded, not taking his eyes off it but definitely relaxing some, “When you said Beleth was huge, I didn’t really realize just how big it was until it was in our living room.” His eyes flickered from the plant, to Stolas and back.

Beleth watched Blitzø curiously and let out a small confused gurgling noise. Blitzø got enough courage to bring his other hand up to touch another of its sepals, cautiously patting it in the same manner he’d just seen Stolas do, “What kind of plant is this again?” He asked.

“A skeletal venom flower.” Stolas supplied, “They get much larger in the wild, but it depends on the environment it grows in. They’re native to Wrath where they grow the largest, but can thrive in Greed and Pride as well.” He began, “Within the palace, Beleth never had a need to grow larger and tougher to accommodate for eating the wild boar in wrath and widthsand fire tornados. Because of that, it’s much more docile.”

“They can get bigger than this?” Blitzø asked, still nervous but steadily growing less so.

“Oh definitely. In Wrath they can get up to 15 feet tall and could easily eat me in one bite if it wanted to.” He confirmed, “But Beleth has been hand fed since it was old enough to open its eyes. It’s quite docile so long as you aren’t cruel towards it or someone it cares for. The only person I’ve seen Beleth almost bite is Stella after she had an especially violent fit in the kitchen.”

“Beleth won’t try and eat me?” He asked, looking back to Stolas hesitantly.

“No, not at all.” Stolas reassured him with a warm smile, “Beleth already likes you.”

“Oh.” Blitzø said in surprise, looking over the plant in awe, “Hello Beleth.” He said softly, and the plant chirped happily, eyes closing and leaning into his touch. The imp went rigid again and his tail wrapped around himself protectively.

“Are you ok?” Stolas asked, ready to take Blitzø away from Beleth so they could reproach this later when he was less paralyzed with fear, “We can go lay down for now and maybe return to this later tomorrow?” He offered. 

Hesitantly Blitzø nodded his head in agreement, “Ok I think that’s a good plan.” He slowly removed his hands from the plant and backed away until Stolas stood up and ushered him to the couch.

The Goetia leaned down to kiss Blitzø’s forehead, “I’m going to the bathroom to clean my mouth quick, then we can go to bed.” He said softly. 

Blitzø nodded, eyes still fixed on Beleth. He didn’t look scared in the sense of being a cornered animal, but more nervous in a way that a cat got when introduced to a puppy. He was confident that Blitzø would grow to love Beleth, even. They just had to work through the learning and boundary stages.

Stolas was quick in the bathroom, using mouthwash and then brushed his tongue. He tidied the feathers around the sides of his face then walked back into the living room and paused. Blitzø was touching one of Beleth’s sepals again, his tail twitching in curiosity as it gurgled. 

“Hey there big guy.” he heard him say quietly to the plant as it leaned into his touch. Blitzø tensed, but not dramatically so like before as he cautiously petted Beleth, “You're huge, but that’s fine.” He sounded like he was trying to convince himself of that, “Anyone tries breaking in, you'll give them a good ol 'scare. Keep your dad nice and safe when I’m not around.” He continued to pet the plant, eyeing it carefully as it gurgled happily at the attention. He was feeling braver and braver as the interaction continued and the plant made no move to eat him.

It was such an incredibly sweet moment, and Stolas regretted leaving his phone on the coffee table because this would have been such a nice picture to take. He settled for making a rectangle with his pointer fingers and thumbs, a mental picture will have to do for now. 

Beleth noticed the movement and chirped louder and shifted enough to have Blitzø jumping back and landing on his ass with a startled yelp. His partner’s face turned towards Stolas, only to see him with a hand over his mouth trying not to laugh. It was so incredibly adorable, his heart couldn’t take it. 

“I’m sorry Blitzy, I don’t mean to laugh.” He said as he really couldn’t help it, making his way around the couch to help him up. 

Blitzø grabbed his hand and proceeded to scamper up Stolas’ body, settling on his back with his arms around Stolas’ shoulder and legs around his chest He peeked over Stolas’ left shoulder to look down at Beleth, “Big fuckin plant, but I’m taller now.” 

Stolas couldn’t help the small laugh that came out of him as he turned his face to look at Blitzø. The tip of his tongue stuck out just a little bit as he looked down at Beleth with the cutest serious face possible. 

“Do you feel a little better now that you’re taller?” Stolas asked as he reached over to caress his face with his right hand. Blitzø let out a little cat-like chirp and leaned into the touch, but stayed focused on Beleth. Blitzø’s tail wrapped around Stolas waist protectively, what he was protecting Stolas from he had no clue. 

“Beleth isn’t so scary from up here.” Blitzø decided, admitting outwardly that he had been scared in the first place, “Do you have, like, a book on it?” 

Stolas’ expression softened at the notion that his partner wanted to work on understanding and accepting something, simply because of how important it was for Stolas, “I have one at the palace, but I’m not sure where it is. I think Via borrowed it a few years ago but never returned it.”

“Can we pick one up at a bookstore?” He asked.

“Well I suppose we could. There’s a lot of books about different carnivorous plants as well we could look at.” Stolas smiled and nuzzled his nose against the side of Blitzø’s face. He was pondering ways he could get and display some of the smaller ones, like creeping snappers and withering buds. Perhaps if he played his cards right, hellish roses could be incorporated in the mix? He would have to talk with Blitzø about it first though, likely after he’d grown accustomed to Beleth. If he could grow comfortable with the gargantuan plant, the much smaller ones would be a cake walk.

His partner yawned and rested his head a little on his shoulder, “It’s a date.” He mumbled sleepily.

Stolas' heart melted from just how cute and sweet he was, “It’s a date.” He agreed, “Now let’s get some rest, we’ve had a long day today.”

Blitzø hummed in response before letting go of Stolas and sliding down his back. Stolas grabbed the blanket off the back of the couch and fluffed his pillow before laying down. He then opened his arms and Blitzø crawled onto him and buried his face against the plumage beneath his shirt. 

“Comfortable?” Stolas asked as he settled the blanket over them and wrapped his arms around Blitzø.

“Hmmm,” Blitzø responded face down before tilting his head to the side and saying in a sleepy but content voice, “You got nice tits.”

Having not expected that one, Stolas let out a loud laugh, causing Blitzø to laugh as well and bury his face back into the plumage. Referring to the feathers of his chest as tits was certainly a new one.

As his laughter died down to a light chuckle, he pressed a kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head and cooed softly, “I love you so much.” The words left Stolas’ lips without him even thinking, and for a moment he thought nothing of it until Blitzø sat up and stared at Stolas with wide eyes, straddling his stomach and the tip of his tail twitching.

“What?” Blitzø asked, voice unbelievably quiet as he continued their eye contact. 

Stolas felt his heart drop to his stomach as he realized what he’d said, his own eyes widening as the growing silence only fed into the internal panic attack that began to fester. After being so careful not to say it for so long, he let the words slip from his mouth regardless. He tried so hard to keep those words in check! He’d ruined it! Blitzø would surely get freaked out and leave because he couldn’t keep his stupid fucking mouth shut and he’d ruined what they had—

Blitzø’s hands held the sides of Stolas’ face as he tried to averted eye contact so he couldn't look away, and he leaned closer with a serious expression, “Please,” he said a little louder, “say it again…” he requested, sounding worried like maybe he misheard.

Stolas felt the tightness in his chest loosen a bit before repeating himself quietly, “I love you,” he said, feeling on the verge of tears, “so much.” 

Relief shown in Blitzø’s eyes, his expression not angry or upset or defensive. He leaned in and kissed Stolas with a desperate neediness, and Stolas felt a sense of catharsis bloom in his mind as he returned the kiss. Blitzø hadn’t said it back, but he wasn’t angry, or scared, and he wasn’t running away. Those three words hadn’t broken them like they did on the night of the full moon so many months ago. Stolas could work with this. Blitzø wasn’t a words person, he let his actions do all the speaking for him. 

When Blitzø pulled away, he immediately began to kiss a line down Stolas’ throat, then bit down on his shoulder. His sharp teeth were not using enough pressure to draw blood, but enough that it sent a pleasant shiver up Stolas’ spine and caused his feathers to fluff up.

“Ah—“ he gasped loudly and tilted his head to give Blitzø better access to his neck, “Fuck, Blitzø, harder.” he pleaded, mumbling words of encouragement as he felt the teeth increase pressure against his skin and tug at his feathers; teetering on the very edge of puncturing the flesh.

Blitzø’s hands traveled up Stolas’ shirt, nails raking light scrapes against his abdomen and eliciting another moan from Stolas. The Goetia’s words of praise grew more needier as Blitzø continued to tease him, taking his sweet time working his hands up his torso and parting lines between his contour feathers. He knew exactly what he was doing, where to touch him, how to touch him, and took immense pleasure with each soft gasp and sound that left Stolas’ lips.

Blitzø pulled his face away long enough to remove both their shirts and cast them aside, landing in a mess on the floor and coffee table next to them. They kissed again, still rough and needy as Blitzø threaded his fingers through the feathers on the sides of his face and traveled to the back of his head, tightly gripping at the base of the feathers there and eliciting another loud moan from Stolas.

Blitzø grinned into the kiss and pulled away, “Shhh, you’ll wake up Loony.” He spoke in a husky tone. Stolas swallowed thickly as his eyes drank up the sight of Blitzø’s bare torso, every dip and curve of his chest and abs causing his pupils to dilate more and a warmth to bloom below the belt. Blitzø pulled him into another kiss, this one less desperate and more sensual as he gently coaxed Stolas’ mouth open and slipped his tongue inside. 

As their kiss went on, Stolas let his hands explore the dips and curves of Blitzø’s exposed skin. Fingers tracing around every muscle, over the jut of his hips as he dared to move his hands down lower and smirking into the kiss as he felt his partner’s arousal press up against his stomach.

Blitzø broke away from the kiss and wiped the spit from his mouth, “Say it again?” He asked, breathing heavy as he collected himself.

Stolas let his hands travel up Blitzø’s torso and wrapped his arms around his neck before gently nuzzling their faces together, “I love you.” he said with an adoring smile as he heard the way Blitzø’s breath hitched and his face grew red, “I love you so much, Blitzø.” he repeated before Blitzø crashed their lips together again.

Stolas was breathing heavily as their lips separated again, “If I knew telling you I love you would get this reaction—AHHH—“ he gasped as he felt Blitzø’s tail pressing firmly between his legs. His partner only chuckled before he slipped further down Stolas’ body and tugged his pants down past his knees. 

Stolas helped in freeing one of his legs from his pants so Blitzø could situate himself easily between his legs. Stolas bit down on his own hand to suppress his moaning as he felt a tongue slip inside himself. He melted into the touch, trying his best to be quiet because the last thing they needed was for Loona to wake and interrupt them. Especially not after the craziness of today, they were both in desperate need of a release.

His free hands reached down to caress the sides of Blitzø’s face as he continued to go to town on him, while opening his thighs as much as he could to make it easier—

Then Stolas froze as he made eye contact with his mothers plant, his eyes going wide at the innocente puppy dog eyes Beleth gave them. Now feeling mortified, he tapped Blitzø’s head to get his attention, not breaking eye contact with the plant as his partner stopped what he was doing.

“Are you ok?” Blitzø asked as his head poked out from under the blanket, then followed Stolas line of sight, “Oh this is awkward.”

Stolas was beet red, covering his mouth with both hands as Beleth just blinked back at them and gurgled, unsure of what it was they were doing but happy to be there just the same, “I don’t think we thought enough about Beleth’s placement in the apartment.” He whispered into his hands with horror in his voice. 

Blitzø wiped the wetness from around his mouth before speaking, “Getting cock blocked by a plant is a new one.” He said in an attempt to assuage Stolas’ growing mortification. He tried to help Stolas pull his pants back on, but only got more tangled in the blanket as they fumbled to get his leg back in the hole.

“Ah fuck, the blanket—“ Stolas cursed as he sat up to try and untangle the blanket around his leg with his hands, but only managed to push Blitzø off the couch on accident. 

“Fuck!“ Blitzø shouted as he pulled the blanket down with him. Quickly Stolas covered his lap with his hands and blushed profusely, despite the fact he had no problems waltzing around the apartment in just a revealing robe since it wasn’t like anyone could see anything anyways. 

When Blitzø noticed he snorted and asked, “You can’t even see anything, why are you covering up?” He scrambled back to his feet and shielded Stolas from the plant, despite the absurdity of their situation.

“I don’t know—“ Stolas finally kicked off the rest of his blanket and pulled his pants back up, “—It just feels obscene after what we were doing!” He was growing more and more flustered and mortified as Beleth cooed and gurgled on the other side of the blanket. 

Blitzø started to laugh at the ludacrisness of the situation, then let out a loud shriek when he felt Beleth nuzzle against his back curiously, and leapt forward into the couch with enough force to flip it backwards knocking both men to the floor with a very loud thud.  

Blitzø was sent tumbling forward and broke his landing with his face, Stolas laid flat on his back, one foot hanging over the other side of the couch still while the rest of him was sprawled out across the hardwood floor. He was laughing harder at the combination of Blitzø screaming in horror mixed with the cartoonish way he jumped through the air when Beleth brushed against him. 

As his laughter began to die down, he turned his head to see Blitzø resigned to his fate of being face down on the hardwood for a moment longer, before finally peeling his face from the floor and making eye contact. He was definitely embarrassed, with a growing blush and little frown, “This stays between us.” 

Stolas' laughter picked back up again as Blitzø’s frown deepened. One hand over his face and the other on his stomach while he tried to reign it in.

Loona’s door swung open with a loud slam, “WHAT THE FUCK IT’S 12:14 IN THE MORNING!” She shouted at having been woken up by their antics, “Why the fuck is the couch flipped?!” she added, still mad but now baffled at the scene before her.

“Funny story that one—“ Stolas raised his hand to answer before Blitzø quickly scrambled for the pillow and planted it squarely over Stolas’ face, causing him to break back out into a fit of now muffled laughter. 

“Don’t worry about that, Loony, sweetie!” Blitzø said hastily, “Sorry we woke you!” he shouted as he looked up from where he was currently smothering Stolas, who was making a half hearted attempt to free himself from beneath the rather flat pillow. 

Loona just looked at them absolutely dumbfounded as she fully took in the scene, “Fix the fuckin couch and put your shirts back on.” She grumbled before going back into her room and slamming the door, deciding that she truly wanted no part in whatever shit they were doing. The couch being flipped, and two shirtless early middle aged men on the floor was simply not her problem. 

“Will do Loony! Sorry again for waking you!” Blitzø called back awkwardly before turning his attention back to Stolas and lifting the pillow and giving him the funniest murderous glare Stolas had ever seen, “I’m serious.” he pointed his finger in Stolas’ face, “Nobody–and I mean nobody can know what happened here tonight.”

Stolas grabbed Blitzø’s hand and pressed his palm against his lips and kissed it fondly, “Or what?” he asked and gave him a devilish smile, “You’ll punish me?”

Blitzø blushed as he took back his hand, “Damn bird.” he grumbled, “Maybe I might?” He responded as he got off of him and pointedly avoided eye contact.

“Oh?” Stolas asked as he propped himself up on his elbows, “What do you plan on doing to me?”

Blitzø smirked as an idea came to mind, “More like what I plan on not doing to you.” he replied as he got back to his feet.

“And what might that be?” he asked as he got to his feet to help Blitzø turn the couch back upright.

“That would be a surprise if you tell anyone.” The imp responded matter of factly as he grabbed the back of the couch and the two pulled the it upright. The legs of their make-shift bed hit the ground with a loud thud.

Stolas rolled his eyes, “With a threat like that, I guess my lips are sealed.”

“Now,” Blitzø clapped his hands, “Wanna join me in the bathroom?” he asked.

The Goetia tilted his head in confusion, “What for?”

Blitzø raised his eyebrows, “What do you think?”

It dawned on him after a moment, causing him to blush profusely before nodding his head scooping Blitzø into his arms, “You always seem to find a way for anything.” Stolas praised as he carried his partner into the bathroom.

Blitzø’s arms hooked around his neck and played with the feathers at the nape of his neck, “Well, we can’t exactly finish our business in the living room anymore.”

A shiver went up Stolas’ spine and his blush deepend as they walked past the threshold of the bathroom, “Well at least we can clean up quicker in here.” he said with a grin, using his foot to push the door shut behind them.

Songs I listend to when writing this chapter:

Sweet Tooth

Rio

What Beleth's little noises sound like: Here and Here

Find me on Tumblr!

Chapter Text

Their morning started off just like any other. But from the moment they left their apartment Stolas could feel eyes following them. It was this growing, prickling sense that had the feathers on the back of his neck razing in discomfort. 

No. He was absolutely certain that the other residents of their apartment building had their eyes glued to them as they waited for the elevator. But other than feeling uncomfortable about eyes following them once again for another misfortune that befell him, Stolas, Blitzø and Loona filed into their van, picked up Moxxie and Millie, got their coffees, and began the drive to the office. 

“You guys made quite the spectacle yesterday.” Moxxie said from the back seat of the van as he scrolled through a news page on his phone and sipped his ice coffee.

“I can only imagine.” Stolas grumbled as he sank down in his seat in a poor attempt to hide from the window, “I already saw a few pictures of myself from the hospital. I bet Stella and Andrealphus are having a heyday right now printing posters of my puffy face and hanging them around the palace for all to see.” He could swear that people with cameras were popping up all over the place now and it hasn’t even been a full day. 

“Sir,” Moxxie continued hesitantly, “Those aren't the only articles. Have you not seen the news this morning?”

Stolas frowned and sat up so he could look into the back seat, “To be frank, I’ve been avoiding it so I didn’t have to see more pictures of my face looking like I ate bees.” he replied as he took in the expressions of all three backseat passengers. It was a mix of nervousness from Moxxie, indifference from Loona, and pure unadulterated joy from Millie. 

“Moxxie, what are the other articles?” He asked with a mounting anxiety. What else could they possibly report on other than the ER visit?

Millie opened up something on her phone before passing it over to Stolas, “I wouldn’t say it’s bad or nothin.”

‘The truth behind the court case of the century! Disgraced Goetian Prince Stolas in love with an imp?’

‘Love that defies Hell’s hierarchy: Imp mercenary steals a Goetic Prince’s heart?’

‘New Celebrity Power Couple transcends the 7 rings. Here’s what you need to know about Stolitz!’

‘Romance blossoms between Disgraced Goetic Prince Stolas and I.M.P. owner Blitzo Buckso. Is this really love?’ 

‘Staged or not? Disgraced Prince Stolas’ shares a kiss with Imp mercenary Blitzo Buckso to better his reputation with the lower class.’ 

‘Speculations on motivation for Prince Stolas’ divorce with his now ex-wife Stella arise after news of a budding romance between him and an imp come to light.’

‘Prince Stolas falling from grace? Or falling in love?’

Every news article was accompanied by photographs taken of them while they danced on the fire escape, some grainy and taken from far away, while others were surprisingly clear and up close. It wasn’t as if this was their first time dancing on the fire escape, they’d done so many times between Sinsmas and now. But with the court case news starting to grow stale, and his chaotic entrance into the ER, it just brought a whole new slurry of attention to Stolas’ current whereabouts. Getting information far past the ER was just fuel to the fire that was celebrity gossip magazines, popular blogs and news stations looking to stay relevant. 

The last article had multiple photographs of their kiss with Blitzø hands up his sweater, along with a short video of their dance leading into it. He was eternally grateful that Loona interrupted them before they got further. Not that they would have had sex on the fire escape, but it would have certainly been more of a show for the press to record. This was better than the photos from the hospital, but he couldn't help but feel violated as these photos were still taken without their knowledge as they shared such an intimate moment together. 

“That’s a little disturbing.” Stolas eventually said as he continued to scroll through news outlets and blog posts documenting their relationship. People in the blog posts are already sharing speculation of Stolas putting on a show during their trial to save the love of his life, other people getting into a heated debate over this being staged to try and make Stolas’ public reception better, “Trying to spin our relationship as something staged for my public perception is a bit...” he trailed off.

“What are the articles about?” Blitzø asked as he drove, unable to read the phone and focus on the road at the same time. 

“Oh, just documentation of us dancing and making out on the fire escape.” Stolas supplied as he continued to doomscroll on Millie’s phone, “We apparently have a celebrity ship name already: Stolitz.” he chuckled nervously.

“I think it’s cute.” Millie fawned, “and don’t you pay no mind to people bickerin online about you two. They’re just lookin for something to argue and be mad about.” she reassured as she read the articles Stolas was looking through over his shoulder.

“ Celebrity ship name?” Blitzø asked as they pulled up to their office building, only to see paparazzi already camping out at the entrance. Jumping up at the sight of the new I.M.P. van and ready to swarm the parking lot. Stolas ducked down a bit further to avoid being seen, only imagining how Octavia was feeling. She must think he’s flaunting his happy new life that he ran away for. She must be so hurt…

“Blitzø, we’re the first ever hellborn who escaped being sentenced to death by a deadly sin.” Moxxie stated, “We might not be wildly famous among all of hell, at the very least we still made history. And Stolas was already a celebrity even before the trial.”

Have a good fucking life with him, dad.

Stolas stopped scrolling. Octavia’s words still hung heavy on his shoulders, making him worry once more if he was wrong for wanting to be with Blitzø. Was he really so selfish for wishing he could have them both in his life? 

There was no way she hadn’t seen the news. Even though it hadn’t been intentional, he could only imagine how upsetting these articles being plastered everywhere might be for her. These pictures were superficial in the face of everything they’d gone through the past few months. Via wouldn’t see the depressive episodes he’d experienced, wouldn’t see how difficult adjusting to life without her had been for him, and wouldn’t see the way their apartment had photos of her all over the walls. All she would see is him dancing with and kissing Blitzø on the fire escape.

Did she think he was happy without her in his life? Did she feel like she didn’t have a place in it anymore? He looked over at the group of people ready to dive into their lives and subconsciously ducked his head even more to avoid being caught on camera. 

When he looked up, he noticed Blitzø giving him a weird look as the other’s filed out of the van. He looked almost hurt…

FUCK! No he absolutely was hurt, seeing him getting upset about people knowing he was with him in a similar manner to their night at Ozzies. Blitzø averted his eyes and took the keys out of the ignition. 

Before he could make a quick exit from the van, Stolas grabbed his arm and pulled him back into the driver's seat, “Blitzø it’s not what you think, I promise.” 

His partner’s eyes focused on the steering wheel, “Then what is it?” he asked defensively, as if he was expecting this to eventually happen. 

“It’s Via.” Stolas responded, “I keep thinking about what she said, I keep asking myself if it’s ok for me to be happy with you. I don’t care about what the public thinks.” Blitzø needed to know how he felt, he had to know how he felt.

Blitzø just nodded, still dejected, “Ok.” he didn’t sound very convinced, and that broke Stolas’ heart. Maybe he said too much? Maybe he didn’t say enough? Fuck he didn’t know what to do to make this better.

Blitzø pulled his arm from Stolas’ grip, “We need to get to work.” he mumbled as he left the van, earning odd looks from Loona, Moxxie and Millie as he closed the door behind himself and walked quietly towards the front entrance, completely indifferent to the reporters as he shoved his way through the crowd. There were no threats or funny, colorful language coming from him. No middle fingers or choice words on where they could shove their mics. Just quiet dejection as he pushed through towards the front door where they couldn’t follow. 

Stolas sat in the passenger seat, his heart in his stomach as he tried to figure out how to fix this. Why did he have to react to the articles like he did? Why did he have to go and ruin everything all over again? He leaned back in the seat and began to smack his palm into his forehead, “–Stupid stupid stupid–” he said bitterly over and over to himself. How could he be so fucking stupid?! 

The passenger side door opened and broke himself out of his self loathing episode. Loona stood there blocking him from the view of any paparazzi that began to approach and grabbed his wrist to get him to stop hitting himself before she spoke, “It’s not your fault. He’s just…” her ears dipped back a little, “He gets like this a few times every year. I don’t know why, but he does.”

Stolas averted his gaze in humiliation and stared at the dashboard, noticing the dust that began to settle there, “No, there’s something different.” He said, “I messed up a while ago and made him feel like I was embarrassed to be seen with him in public. My reaction just now definitely gave the wrong impression.” 

“I mean, that could be adding into it, yeah. But like I said,” Loona let go of his wrist and she looked over her shoulder to see people with cameras slowly encroaching on them, “He doesn’t like to talk about it, at least not with me. But just, take everything these next few days with a grain of salt, yeah?” 

Stolas took a deep breath before responding, “Ok.” Verosika had said something similar last night. Tomorrow was Friday, so he supposed these cracks were inevitable. If he truly wasn’t upset about this in particular, it had to be the things Blitzø had bottled up, “Thank you.”

Loona just nodded before backing up and letting Stolas get out of the van. As he stood up, he could see cameras flashing from the sidewalk as Moxxie and Millie made their way through the crowd and into the building, Millie’s language a bit more colorful as she ushered her husband through to avoid him being too overwhelmed. Taking one more deep breath and tucking Millie’s phone in his pocket for the time being, Stolas got an idea of what he could do to prove to Blitzø that he was by no means ashamed of being seen with him in public, let alone as his partner. 

Shutting the door behind him, he made his way through the parking lot and braced himself for the cameras and mics that were about to be shoved in his face. This was something he was fairly used to. He will be confident, he will be collected, he will do everything he’d been trained to do his entire life. 

Everything but stay silent.

“Stolas, Stolas!” a sinner shouted as he shoved a mic at him, “What do you have to say about the photos taken last night of you and Blitzo?”

A succubus shoved them aside, “Stolas, are the rumors true? Are you really dating an imp?!”

Between sinners and demons across the spectrum, he was surrounded by flashing cameras and had multiple mics shoved in his face. Before Loona could chase them away like she had planned to, Stolas leaned over to speak into a mic as everyone fell silent, “I cannot speak on behalf of Blitzø ,” he said his name pointedly as the reporters had been dulling his partner down to just being an imp, deadnaming him or both, “But I love him, and I’m proud to say that.” The cameras went off in quicker succession as new questions roared to life.

“What was the nature of your relationship before the trial?”

“There’s speculation that your relationship is just for better public reception among the lower class. What do you have to say about that?”

“How long has this relationship gone on for? Does this have any correlation with your divorce from your ex-wife?”

“Do you really love Blitzo, or are you using him again like others have been speculating?”

“What does your daughter think of your relationship with an imp?”

Stolas kept the mask in place as they fired off invasive and rude questions and accusations, “It’s not my job to prove to others whether or not I do love him. I’ve stated my feelings publicly, so take from that what you will. I know how I feel, and he knows how I feel. As far as I’m concerned he’s the only one who’s opinion I care about regarding the matter.”

“Why come out publicly if you only care about Blitzø’s opinion then? Does that not contradict what you just stated?”

Stolas just raised a brow at that, “I’m coming out publicly because I want to set the record straight. Fact of the matter is, pictures and videos were taken of us in a private moment without our knowledge or consent. People are speculating about my intentions with Blitzø. I simply want to address the rudeness we have been subjected to as a result, and lay this story to rest so that we may go on with our lives. I do not care about the class disparity, I do not care if people think less of me for whom I love. There’s nothing wrong about how I feel for him. He’s not just an imp, he’s a person just like you and I, and the O is silent.” His face remained stoic as he waved a hand dismissively at the reporters, “Now If you don’t mind, I have a job to do. Kindly leave us alone and go find some other poor soul to harass.” He took Loona’s hand and led her into the building, cutting his way through the crowd with practiced ease as more questions and accusations were thrown his way.

As they entered the building and the doors shut behind them, he let Loona’s hand go and looked around the lobby to find Blitzø. Stolas saw him standing and facing him in shock, “What did you just do?” he asked quietly. 

There was a TV on in the lobby playing the news, which showed live footage of their entrance into the building. No doubt, Blitzø heard everything he said. Moxxie and Millie were both smiling to each other, as if there’d been a running inside joke between them. 

“I told you, Blitzø,” Stolas said as he approached him, “I’m not ashamed to have people know that I love you. I never will be.” 

As the shock began to wear off, there was a small light in Blitzø’s eyes that grew. There were others in the lobby who stopped what they were doing to watch the scene unfold before them. Cameras were filming through the window, and all eyes were focused on them at this moment, eager for more material to work with.

Stolas offered his hand to Blitzø, patiently waiting to see if he would take it. As the initial shock fully wore off, Blitzø grabbed his hand, gently tugged him down and held Stolas’ face, “Is it ok if I–”

Without Blitzø needing to finish his question, Stolas leaned in and kissed him. He didn’t care that this was as public as PDA could be, all that mattered was reassuring Blitzø that he wasn’t ashamed to be seen as his partner on any level. He was so madly in love with him and he wanted the world to know it. He lifted Blitzø into the air and did a happy little spin as they kissed.

When he broke it, he rested their foreheads together, Blitzø’s arms around his neck and his legs were hooked over his hips and crossed. Stolas’ own arms were wrapped around Blitzø’s waist to hold him securely, and if his hands were groping Blitzø’s ass at the same time, then it was done so respectfully . 

They wanted a show, he’d give the press a show; and if that meant putting Blitzø mind at ease in the process he’d do it again and again. Because he could, and because at this point it didn’t really matter, Stolas leaned in again and pressed his lips firmly against Blitzø’s, grinning as he heard a gentle purring coming from his partner. 

There was a part of him that felt bad for how his daughter might feel, but he also had to consider how Blitzø would feel as well. He was so focused on one he was neglecting the other. Blitzø has done so much for him, he deserved to feel loved and desired. He deserved to be flaunted and treated like a person and not an embarrassment, or an accessory, or play thing. Stolas adored this man, and he was more than ready to make that everyone else's problem. 

“Do you believe me now?” he asked as he finally pulled away and gazed lovingly into Blitzø’s eyes, which were now free of the previous dejected hurt that was there not too long ago. 

Blitzø went red and averted his eyes but chuckled, “I’m sorry.” he said, not giving a shit about the cameras in the windows as he continued to hold on to him.

Stolas gave him a quick kiss on the lips, “There’s no need for an apology, darling.” 

Blitzø just held on tighter and pressed his face into Stolas’ neck, “We should probably get going.” He mumbled, not making any indication of letting him go any time soon.

Instead of trying to put him down, he adjusted his grip to better support Blitzø before making his way to the elevator. Blitzø's tail wrapped around Stolas' waist and he peeked over his shoulder at the press. Before he got far though, he noticed Loona passing Millie some money and frowned.

“We had a bet.” Millie explained happily as she counted out her money and led the way to the elevator. 

“What was the bet about?” he asked as he watched the others follow suit. Was it whether or not he would go public about how he felt? Did they have such little faith in him that they thought he might not be ok with all of Hell knowing he loved Blitzø?

“It was about who would say I love you first.” Millie responded as she stuffed the bills in her pocket, “I gotta admit though, wasn’t expecting it to be on such a grand scale.”

Millie was technically right, just not the way she expected it, as Stolas let those words slip just last night. It was a relief to Stolas that the bet was something more wholesome and less cynical. 

With cameras still flashing behind them, they all entered the elevator, final pictures coming to an end as the doors closed.

…

Turns out going public about their relationship in such a way was actually fantastic for I.M.P. as more calls from sinners flooded their inbox. Granted, a lot of petty and unnecessary hits were placed for the sake of people coming into the office to see them, but all money was good money in hell. 

There were quite a few clients that thought they were being sly, pretending to take a selfie to actually snap a picture of Stolas as he worked. All pictures of which were pretty boring and mundane, as Stolas just busied himself filling out paperwork, keying in profits on digital spreadsheets, handling calls, getting mouthy with rude sinners over the phone, and booking clients for slots far into the following months. The windows where both Blitzø and him were in the office at the same time was brief, giving one client the view of nothing more than a single kiss on the cheek goodbye, and another a few pictures of them discussing logistics of booking certain hits back to back while Stolas helped try to moderately clean blood off his jacket before Blitzø, Moxxie, Millie and Loona hopped into their next hit. 

Of course, Stolas wasn’t stupid enough to believe all the clients who were booked further out would keep their appointments. Their relationship being public would likely be old news by then. So he had the foresight to start charging sinners a half payment upfront as a non-refundable booking fee as soon as things moved into the following month. That way they would be more inclined to keep their appointment and pay up the rest then, or I.M.P. would be compensated for having wasted their time. 

There was an extra pep in Blitzø’s step for the better part of their day, but as their day went on Stolas noticed cracks in Blitzø’s mask. It was the only way he could describe it, having seen something similar on himself in the mirror for most of his life. Blitzø was happy, sure, but there was something troubling him deep down that he didn’t want to address. He ignored the concerned stairs from his employees and continued to pretend that there was nothing wrong.

Stolas had noticed that Blitzø’s phone background was changed from the picture of the two of them laying in bed, to one of just Stolas relaxing on the fire escape at sunset.

He was wearing a loose fitting red and white t-shirt, leaning forward on the railing, and looking out over Imp City with a lit cigarette held loosely between his fingers. It was a small enough change that had he not known tomorrow was a day of great significance for Blitzø, he would have thought nothing of it. Had he not seen the way he scribbled or cropped himself out of photos, the simple change would be inconspicuous and perhaps even sweet.  

But he knew better.

As the day was wrapping up and clients were eventually sent away for the day, Loona stayed behind as the three imps left to complete the final few jobs. Telling Blitzø that she was just tired and needed a bit of a break was more than enough to have him agree that she needed the break. They only had 4 more hits for the day, all of which were fairly simple ones.

As Stolas busied himself by filling out the remaining paperwork from today’s jobs, Loona sat on the desk next to him and scrolled on her phone. He was still getting used to reading her mannerisms, but right now he could see plain as day that she had something she wanted to say that was troubling her. 

“What’s on your mind?” Stolas eventually asked as he stapled together some paperwork and pulled out a drawer in the filing cabinet, figuring she was just too nervous to break the ice.

He was proven correct as a tension left her shoulders and she sighed before speaking, “Thank you for what you did.” She said, not looking up from her phone.

Stolas looked over to her and blinked in confusion, “What do you mean?”

She rolled her eyes before looking over to him, “With the press.” she supplied, “I remember how Blitzø was after the night at Ozzie’s. He got really fucked up on any drink passed to him at a hellhound party, to the point even Bee was concerned. He said some things that were kind of upsetting to me that night before falling asleep.” She continued, “So he needed to hear that this morning.” 

Stolas knew Blitzø had been quite upset that night, and there were so many things he wished he could do differently to change that outcome. Hearing the extent of what his actions caused was a hard to swallow pill, but he supposed he deserved to know what he’d done. 

Stolas was pulled from his thoughts by a flick to the temple.

“Ok was that really called for?” he asked as he rubbed the spot and frowned over at her. Her flick was far stronger than the one Blitzø had given him the other day.

“Get out of your head for a second, I’m not done.” She responded and pocketed her phone, her expression was tense, “Listen…” she started as she focused on the photographs on the wall behind him instead of making eye contact with Stolas, “He gets like this a few times a year. I don’t know why he does, or why tomorrow is so difficult for him to process. He won’t tell me. I don’t think he ever will because he doesn’t want me to see the extent of his problems. It’s like, he’s a house with a room he doesn’t want people to know about. He pretends it doesn’t exist to everyone around him because he doesn’t want people to see him differently. But we all see the door. He knows we do.” she paused for a moment as she looked up at the old promotional poster of him and his sister that he cropped himself out of, “I don’t know if I’m making sense, this is just the way Moxxie explained it.” She pulled out her lighter and absently fiddled with it, “We’ve all tried to turn that knob, but it’s locked.”

“No, I follow.” Stolas reassured her as he set aside the rest of the paperwork for later as he listened. He’s seen the door, he knows it’s locked tight, and he knows Blitzø gets upset and defensive when anyone tries to address it. 

“I used to clash with him a lot.” she began, “Or I guess not so much clashed as he never fought back with me, not really. Just let me get angry and gave me space when I really needed it. Despite it all, he never got mad or got rid of me. Even when I would say things I knew would hurt him.” She said penitently as her eyes trained on the orange flame being emitted from her lighter, “When I thought he was actually going to die, I know it changed how I treated him. Nothing puts into perspective how much you actually care about someone until you almost lose them permanently. I just felt like,” she snuffed the flame out and re-lit it, “Damn, I wished I treated him better, yah know?” she chuckled halfheartedly, “He stood up to Satan himself to clear our names and was ready to die so we could live. Literally put his neck on the line for us and was so accepting of his death knowing that we would live.” she let the flame die again, “He never for a second considered how dark our lives would have been without him in it, just focusing on keeping us alive. Granted, his head would have rolled regardless. Satan didn’t exactly give us a chance to defend ourselves. But I just kept thinking: I can’t go back home without him. I can’t sit in that quiet apartment knowing he would never come back through that door again; but I also can’t just pack up my things and move in with M and M. Letting go of that apartment, the first and only place that’d ever felt like home; I would be addressing the fact that he’s really gone and was never coming back… I would be leaving the home he gave me. He was the only one to never give up on me, no matter how harshly I lashed out at him.” She took a deep breath and refused to let herself cry no matter how glossy her eyes got, “I almost lost him forever… It was the longest few minutes of my life, and all I could think of was the fact that my dad was going to die and leave me for good, and how badly I wish I got a second chance to treat him better.”

“I… I know the feeling…” Stolas said quietly.

“What I’m trying to get at is, I want to treat him better than I did before.” Loona continued, “Tomorrow is the anniversary of something that affected him a lot, and every year I’ve known him I’ve just let him wallow through it on his own. I just accepted it as a norm, knowing he would be back to himself a day or two later. But I don’t want him to deal with that alone anymore. I don’t want to be a bystander and watch as he continues to hurt himself every year. But…” She finally looked to him, “He won’t let me comfort him or get through to him. But I think he’ll let you .”

A quiet air fell between them as Stolas processed this information. It honestly was a lot. A window into a part of Blitzø’s life that he’d never seen before. A part of which occurred side by side to their own messy situation, that he never picked up on or even considered. Millie had mentioned Loona and Blitzø's relationship a little when they talked a while back, but he’d been so wrapped up in the crisis with his own daughter that he didn’t really think further of it. 

Usually when someone is telling a story, they do so in a way to minimize their actions or paint themselves in a better light. Loona wasn’t exactly painting a pretty picture of her prior actions, though. Even if she was, this was still enough information to understand this part of Blitzø’s world better. 

“Verosika said something similar to me last night.” Stolas confessed, “I promise you I plan on trying to open that door in the best way I can.” he sat back in the chair a little as he thought of how he could approach him without getting a disastrous response like he’d gotten on the night of the full moon, “Please don’t take this the wrong way, dear, but given the information, I think if you leave the apartment for a few hours tomorrow night it will make him more comfortable talking with me. Especially if he doesn’t want to open up to you about it yet.” 

Loona only nodded, “I figured as much. There’s a cafe that’s open late a few minutes from our building. I can wait there until you send me a text to let me know it’s safe to come home.”

“You sound very confident I’ll be able to get him to talk.” Stolas responded nervously. He didn’t want to fail Blitzø, and if he does then he’s also failing Loona as well. 

“Call it a hunch.” Loona put her hand on his shoulder and squeezed it reassuringly before letting go, “But I think you’ll be able to get through to him.” 

All Stolas could think to himself is that he hoped he could get through to him. He failed the night he gave him the Asmodian crystal, he couldn’t fail him again tomorrow.

…

The following morning it was very apparent that Blitzø wasn’t ok. 

He was usually the first in the apartment to wake up, and as of late Stolas has woken up with him at that time to help with breakfast and enjoy just a little more alone time with him before Loona woke. But when he opened his eyes, Blitzø wasn’t sleeping on his chest like he’d grown accustomed to. He hadn’t woken him up along with him like he usually did, and that put a pit in his stomach. 

Loona had still yet to wake, and Stolas had no idea how Blitzø managed to wake up and leave the couch without waking himself in the process. As Stolas sat up, the apartment was still fairly dark as the sun was just about to rise, he noticed Blitzø was curled up on the bean bag chair he’d grown accustomed to sleeping on during the first few months Stolas had begun to live with him. He was facing away with no blanket and his tail curled up around him. As Stolas got a better view of his partner, he noticed Blitzø was holding one of his horse plushies tightly to his chest for comfort.

It said a lot about his mental state given how close he was sleeping to Beleth currently, a plant of which he was still moderately scared of. Beleth quietly watched over the sleeping imp, and even it looked sad as it took in the view of his partner. One of Beleth’s eyes looked to him, almost asking him for help. As scared as Blitzø still was of it, Beleth absolutely adored him and was smart enough to know something was wrong.

As quietly as he could given the loud creaky couch springs, Stolas got up and gave Beleth a reassuring pat, but it stayed silent as a mouse. They both watched over Blitzø for a moment, saw the rise and fall of his chest, which was a different enough breathing pattern that Stolas got the sense that he was awake. Just sullenly curled up with his eyes closed. He wanted to reach down and caress his face, to kiss his cheek, to hold him and let him know he wasn’t fighting alone. He did. But also worried that touching him right now would only upset him further.

So instead, Stolas went to start a pot of coffee and make Blitzø a cup. Blitzø had done this for him many times when he was going through it, and it was the only thing he could think to do in return at the moment. His eyes roamed the apartment as he waited for the coffee to finish brewing, and he caught on to something truly heartbreaking.

All photos that had his sister in them were either flipped over, or face down on the tables they sat on. There were a few extra marks on photographs he was in to cross himself out even further, more than just his face, but any bit of himself that he was unable to crop out now had scribbles over it. This included the photograph of the two of them with Via and Loona in LA that he’d cropped himself out of for the most part. 

What could have possibly happened to warrant this extreme level of self hatred? What was it that Blitzø was so afraid to tell them about? This all only steeled his resolve to talk with him tonight. Blitzø had done so much for him, he needed to be able to do the same in turn. 

His attention was drawn from the photographs as the coffee maker beeped letting him know it was ready. Stolas quietly took two mugs out of the cabinet and made the coffee the way he knew Blitzø liked it, and set them on the table before going to wake him up.

He was about to reach out and shake his shoulder but hesitated. Instead he settled for calling out to him quietly, “Dear, it’s time to get up. I’ve made coffee.”

Blitzø only curled in further on himself, his tail wrapping tighter and his nails digging into the plushie.

“Would you like me to bring your coffee to you?” He asked, struggling already with what to do and say.

Blitzø shook his head no, eyes opening just a crack, “Stolas… I’m sorry but I just need some time to myself today.” His voice was hoarse and quiet, like he was on the verge of tears but he refused to shed them. 

“Would you like to stay home today?” He ventured a guess.

“Loona will be bringing you, M and M to work. I just need some time. I’m sorry.” He repeated, sounding so small as he spoke. 

“I could stay home with–”

“No.” Blitzø said firmly, “Go to the office, please.” He said with zero room for argument. This left an uneasy feeling in his gut. He didn’t want to upset him further, and he didn’t want to cause a fight either, but he had to do something . He couldn't shake this feeling that if Blitzø was left home alone today, something really bad might happen. 

Stolas nervously fidgeted with his hands as he stood back up. He grabbed his cellphone and pulled up a contact that he hadn’t thought to use since it was added.

Vox Message

Fri, April 2 at 5:26 AM

Stolas:

Hello Fizzarolli, this is Stolas. I know it is quite

early in the morning, but if you have a minute 

would you be able to talk when you can? 

It has to do with Blitzø.

Fri, April 2 at 5:26 AM

Fizzarolli:

hey, no worries, i’ve been up for a bit now.

how bad is he?

Fri, April 2 at 5:27 AM

Stolas:

Fairly bad I think.

Fri, April 2 at 5:27 AM 

I know there is something that is up with

him today. Both Loona and Verosika 

warned me that he would be upset. My 

worry is leaving him alone right now, 

but he seems very adamant that I still go 

to work while he stays home alone. I can 

not shake the feeling that if he is left alone 

today something bad will happen.

Fri, April 2 at 5:30 AM

I’m so very sorry if this is imposing, but out 

of everyone I know you are the only one who 

I think might have a better idea of what is 

going on and could comfort him. I am terribly 

sorry if this interferes with any business you 

may have going on today, but would you 

perhaps be able to come stay with him while 

Loona and I are out of the apartment?

Fri, April 2 at 5:32 AM

Fizzarolli:

i hear you loud and clear.

Fri, April 2 at 5:32 AM

i figured something might happen today 

already so i cleared it with Oz that i have 

today off. 

Fri, April 2 at 5:33 AM

what time do you guys leave for work?

i can come by right before you leave and stay 

with him today until you come back.

what does Loona know?

Fri, April 2 at 5:34 AM

Stolas:

Thank you so much Fizzarolli, it is so very 

appreciated. We leave for work around 7. 

Loona does not know what is upsetting him 

today, and neither do I. I am not expecting 

you to tell me anything, but I know I need to 

talk with him about what is troubling him later.  

I want to be there for him, not just because 

he has been there for me. 

Fri, April 2 at 5:36 AM

I love him and I do not like seeing him hurt 

like this alone.

Not that I like seeing him hurt at all.

Fri, April 2 at 5:37 AM

Fizzarolli:

o╥﹏╥o

Fri, April 2 at 5:37 AM

Stolas:

I am sorry, I do not follow.

Fri, April 2 at 5:38 AM

Fizzarolli:

~( o˘▾˘o~)

you’re so sweet. Ozzie and i saw the

interview yesterday morning.

it was a little unexpected, but Blitz 

needed to hear it. 

Fri, April 2 at 5:39 AM

not unexpected as in the part about how 

you feel, but with how publicly it was.

it reminded me of how Ozzie announced 

our relationship.

must be a Goetia thing (ツ゚)

Fri, April 2 at 5:40 AM

Stolas:

He definitely needed to hear it, and I would 

say it again. 

Fri, April 2 at 5:40 AM

Thank you again. I am going to try and get 

him to eat something now before I have 

to leave.

Fri, April 2 at 5:41 AM

Pretend that we did not have this conversation, 

I feel he will not be too pleased to know I 

went behind his back like this.

Fri, April 2 at 5:42 AM

Fizzarolli:

you got it!

Fri, April 2 at 5:42 AM

also a word of advice for when you talk 

with him tonight. when he’s upset like this

he doesn’t like to be touched. if he needs

physical comfort he needs to be the one

reaching for it. 

some of the things he’ll say will be 

upsetting, but just let him talk it out before 

you say anything. 

Fri, April 2 at 5:45 AM

he’s been like this since we were kids. if

you cut him off mid rant he’ll lose his nerve

and will jump at the opportunity to change

the subject to anything but the problems he

needs to address.

it’ll be hard, but i think you can do it.

Fri, April 2 at 5:46 AM

Stolas:

Thank you Fizzarolli, I appreciate 

your words of advice and will keep

them in mind when I speak with him.

Fri, April 2 at 5:47 AM

Stolas was glad he trusted his intuition about not touching Blitzø this morning. His mind was also put at ease knowing Fizzarolli would be here in his and Loona’s absence. Blitzø might be a little cross with him if he found out he contacted his childhood friend on the matter, but he could handle the chance of him being cross over something bad happening to Blitzø. If Fizzarolli already had the thought to have today free, it only made Stolas more certain that his decision to reach out to him had been the correct one to make. 

Even though Blitzø said he didn’t want his coffee, Stolas still brought it over and set it on the coffee table for him to grab if he chose to. Along with that, he set a glass of water and a granola bar down next to it, “I know you said you did not want it, but I’m leaving these here just in case.” Blitzø didn’t make any move to acknowledge he’d even been spoken to.

Stolas chose not to let that get to him, and instead walked back to the kitchen to fish out a raw steak from the fridge, which was still very full of leftovers from two days ago, to feed Beleth and try to go about his morning as normally as he could. It was packaged in a container given to him by Beelzebub that was enchanted to always have one steak inside to make feeding Beleth no financial concern. He went to feed it, but Beleth refused food for the first time ever, instead settling for looking crestfallen down at Blitzø. 

He frowned softly and gave it a gentle pat. If Beleth had no appetite right now he could try again later to feed it. Stolas couldn’t even blame it, because he felt the same way.

Stolas walked back to the kitchen and put the steak back in its container and stuffed it back in the fridge. He quickly washed the juices from his hands and instead moved to the table so he could drink his own coffee. While he sipped the now lukewarm coffee, he was trying to focus on anything but the photos on the walls that were vandalized with black marker, or the flipped and face down pictures. 

The sound of Loona’s bedroom door opening broke him from his trance. She looked over the back of the couch and saw her father curled up on the beanbag chair. Her ears tilted back a bit and she just looked crestfallen as she watched him. There was a growing tension in the apartment as the silence between the four of them continued, only the sounds of the box fan and the fridge, mixed with the floorboards that creaked beneath their feet as they got ready for work filled the quiet.  

As they went about getting ready to leave, Blitzø didn’t move from his place on the beanbag chair. He just laid there motionless, with only the rise and fall of his chest letting them know that he was still alive. The only thing that got him to stir was the sound of an enthusiastic knock at their door.

“Who the fuck is knocking at the door?” Blitzø grumbled as he sat up a little to look over his shoulder in bewilderment. 

Stolas stood up from the table and walked over, “I haven't the faintest of ideas.” He lied as he made a show of looking through the peephole, spotting Fizzarolli holding some grocery bags and a tote bag around his shoulder. He looked as alert and energetic as Blitzø usually was this time in the morning, “Oh?”

He opened the door, “Fizzarolli?” 

Blitzø sat up abruptly and looked at the door, “Fizz?” he sounded genuinely confused, broken out of his depressed stupor long enough to look bewildered at his friend’s sudden presence in their apartment.

“Good morning sunshine!” He called out enthusiastically as he walked in and stretched his arms to deposit his things on the dining table before hopping over the back of the couch and sitting across from Blitzø, “Figured I’d come hang out for the day. It’s been a while since we marathoned The Plank Walkers and I found all four seasons on DVD.” He said proudly.

Blitzø frowned and looked over to Stolas who just shut the door and attempted to look as surprised as he could, “And how do you know I’m not going to work today?” he said mildly irritated. 

“Blitzø, I’m not dumb.” Fizzarolli replied with an eye roll as he extended one of his arms to grab the tote bag and brought it over, “We might not have talked for a while, but it would take nothing short of permanent brain damage to not know you would be taking today off.” He fished out the box set of what appeared to be a Pirate Themed action series, “Plus, I have the day off, and I’m gonna let that be a you problem.”

Loona stepped out of the bathroom and looked on in equal confusion as Fizz made himself comfortable. She looked over to Stolas who merely shrugged. For now, the two seemed to have bought their charade. 

“Listen Fizz, as much as that sounds all good and dandy, I want to be left alone today.” Blitzø grumbled as he went to lay back down and face away from them.

Fizz reached over and grabbed the beanbag chair, dragging it across the floor easily and spinning it so he was facing them again, “Hate to break it to you princess, but that’s not gonna happen.” He responded while he fished for a few other things in the tote bag as he expertly ignored the deep frown Blitzø was giving him. 

“I swear you're harder to get rid of than herpes.” Blitzø grumbled as he planted his face into the beanbag chair to avoid looking at anyone, and tried to pretend that none of this was happening.

“So I’m thinking if we start this now we should be halfway through season two by the time your daughter and boy toy come home from work.” Fizz said casually before looking over to see Beleth watching them curiously and halting his actions, “Oh well that’s new.” he said as he paused half way through reaching for the remote. He carefully eyed the gargantuan plant, in much the same way Blitzø had that first night.

Stolas was a bit taken aback by being called Blitzø’s boy toy, cheeks tinting pink not knowing how to feel about it. What mildly concerned him was he didn’t exactly dislike it, and wondered for a moment what that said about himself, his heart even fluttering a little bit.

Blitzø lifted his face from the beanbag chair long enough to say, “It’s Stolas’ mother’s plant Beleth.” before faceplanting again. 

“Can that thing eat people?” Fizz asked skeptically before quickly swiping the remote and inching a little farther from it.

“No it won't eat you.” Blitzø said in a similar fashion before Stolas could pipe in, “Beleth has been hand fed its whole life and knows better.” then planted his face back into the beanbag chair. After a moment he raised his head again, “Say hi Beleth.” then went right back to the beanbag chair.

Beleth perked up and made a happy gurgling and chirping noise as it looked to Fizz, “Holy shit I didn’t think it could respond like that.” the ex-jester responded in interest. 

Once more Blitzø lifted his head, “It’s a skeletal venom flower, native to wrath. Beleth has the emotional capacity of a two year old.” He rattled off information Stolas had told him, before once more returning to the beanbag chair. 

Despite the situation, Stolas’ heart was all aflutter as Blitzø was just casually rattling off fun facts about Beleth and interacting with it. He could even see the plant brighten up now that Blitzø was at least talking. 

Was Blitzø still depressed and sullen? Yes. But Fizzarolli had this unshakable charisma that had his partner coming out of his shell gradually. Had it been anyone else to pester Blitzø like this, he was confident that this would be a completely different scene. 

Next to him, Loona appeared anxious and defensive at first when she saw Blitzø’s boundaries get pushed while he was so upset, but relaxed as she saw the way her dad responded. Stolas was sure she too was uncomfortable with the idea of leaving Blitzø alone today, so if this put Stolas mind at ease, it put her mind at ease as well. 

As Fizzarolli fiddled with the TV remote, Stolas went and collected what he needed for work today. He grabbed his now empty coffee mug and brought it to the kitchen and rinsed it quickly before leaving it in the sink. As he did so, he noticed some of what Fizz had brought. There was a small box of cupcakes from a bakery in Lust, a few horse plushies and some other snacks and drinks he knew Blitzø liked. Nothing quite like sweets and comfort foods to lighten the mood, and the plushies were a nice touch. He was immensely grateful for Fizz coming here, and he needed to find a proper way to thank him. 

Trying one last time to feed Beleth before leaving, Stolas retrieved the container from the fridge and approached the gargantuan plant. Unlike earlier that morning, when Stolas took out the steak Beleth accepted the food no problem, snapping it up in one bite. He gave it an affectionate pet quickly and cooed happily for a moment.

“Oh shit,” Fizz remarked as he stood up excitedly, “Wait can I feed it?” He asked with more enthusiasm than Stolas was expecting from someone who was just very weary of it a few minutes prior.

“Well, I suppose it would not hurt Beleth to have a little extra breakfast.” Stolas replied as he closed and opened the container to retreive another steak while they still had some time before they really needed to be out of here, “It can get rather expensive to keep Beleth fed, but Beelzebub's gift here has made it quite afordable.” He said as he passed it over.

“Oh Bee’s seen it?” Fizz asked from next to the plant and taking the steak from Stolas. 

“It’s actually thanks to her that Beleth is here in the first place.” Stolas confirmed as he pet Beleth and cooed, “Loona was able to convince her to help us transport it through a portal from the palace.” He said before directing Fizz on what to do, “Now hold it over the bulb, and when it opens its mouth just drop it in.”

Fizz took the steak and extended his arm so he was holding the food above Beleth, and then did as instructed, dropping it into its mouth when it opened, “That’s so fuckin cool!” He enthused, “I need to ask Oz about getting one, what’s it called again?”

“A skeletal venom flower.” Stolas hooted happily and was positively beaming as Fizz expressed an interest in carnivorous plant husbandry, “It is best to get them when they are still a sprout, you can form a stronger bond with it that way.” He continued as he went to wash his hands once more and return the container to the fridge, “Although there are other easier beginner plants you can try that are similar as well which I can recommend. Lust is not known for its bright sunlight, and though artificial sunlight helps keep it alive, at least partial direct sunlight is crucial for its mental health.” He supplied.

All the while, Blitzø had remained face down in the beanbag chair, ignoring everything in the world around him for as long as Fizz stayed distracted. 

Stolas then peeked at the clock on the stove, “Alas, as much as I would absolutely love to continue this conversation, I believe it is time for us to go.” Stolas said ruefully, “Blitzø, darling,” Stolas began as he tucked his phone in his pocket and patted the other to reassure himself he had his wallet, “We need to be heading out now, I love you.”  

He waited a moment for a response, but Blitzø stayed silent, still face down in the beanbag chair and continuing to pretend the rest of the world didn’t exist. The complete lack of response stung, sure, but Stolas decided to take it with a grain of salt and leave, ducking through the doorway followed by Loona shortly, who carried the glove the crystal was on. 

“See you later!” Fizz called to them. Stolas missed the disapproving look Fizz gave Blitzø as the door closed behind them at his friend's total lack of response.

The two quietly made their way to the elevator, but once they were waiting for the door to open, well out of earshot from the apartment, Loona broke the silence, “Fess up. You messaged Fizz, didn’t you?” 

Stolas laughed awkwardly, “I may have. I didn’t feel comfortable leaving him home alone all day with him feeling the way he is currently. And he made it clear he didn’t want me to stay home with him.” He was quick to defend himself. 

Things were quiet for a moment before Loona responded, “Thank you.” was all she said.

“Of course.” 

The trip to the car was quiet. The drive to M and M was equally as quiet, the radio having been turned all the way down, with nothing but the sound of cars honking on the road next to him and people chatting on the sidewalks breaking it. Loona was a far more careful driver than Blitzø, which was perhaps the only nice change for the day.

They rolled to a stop right outside the apartment building and Loona honked the horn twice, in no mood to fish out her phone and text them, which was a first for someone who had been so glued to her phone as of late. 

Moxxie, Millie and a third, taller female imp came out of the apartment building, Millie with a large pep in her step as she talked animatedly with the other woman, while Moxxie looked on in fond amusement.

Millie swung open the door, “It’s gonna be a tight fit today because we got a—“ she called out before noticing a completely empty back seat, “Oh, well I guess we won’t be so crammed today.” Her smile dimmed a bit as she took in the fact that Loona was in the driver's seat, “Where’s Blitzø?” She asked as she filed in, followed by the other woman and Moxxie after.

“He’s not feeling well.” Stolas answered hastily, trying to hide that something more was wrong with today other than simply being sick.

“Oh…” Millie said, looking around the other woman and making concerned eye contact with Moxxie, “Well, I hope he’s feelin better soon…” 

“I’m sure he will be.” Stolas gave her a forced smile in the mirror before turning to acknowledge the unfamiliar face, “You must be Millie’s sister, Sallie May, right?” He held out his hand, remembering how Millie had mentioned plans for her sister to come to Pride last week. 

She looked at his hand strangely, “Ahh, yeah that’s right.” Sallie May replied and hesitantly shook his hand. He was left with an impression that perhaps he’d done something wrong? 

“This is Stolas,” Millie cut in trying to lighten the mood a bit, “He’s been our secretary since,” she waved her hand absently, “Yah know… he saved our asses.” 

“Saved Blitzø’s ass you mean.” Her sister corrected, “Blitzø saved your asses.” 

“Well Blitzø’s ass bein saved still saved our asses. That’s my best friend, our boss, her father, and his boyfriend.” Millie countered, gesturing to herself, then Moxxie, then Loona, and finally to Stolas before giving her sister a rather stern look.

Loona’s grip on the steering wheel tightened and her fur bristled.

“Ahh, it’s quite alright.” Stolas said as he tried to ease the growing tension and instead chose to face forward. He didn’t particularly know why Sallie May seemed to dislike him right out the gate. Perhaps it was the trial, or because he was a royal? He really wasn't sure, but for everyone’s sake, he’d just keep his head low and stay out of the way. He was familiar with that, at any rate.

Moxxie passed his phone to Stolas, “Here, sir. We already added our orders in the app.” He gave Stolas a sympathetic look as he took the phone.

“Thank you Moxxie…” Stolas responded, “Loona, dear, what will you have?”

“Pup cup and 2 cake pops.” She said. There was a tension in her jaw as she tried to self regulate and calm down. 

“Ok dear.” He added her order and passed the phone back to Moxxie, “Thank you Moxxie. But I had coffee at home and I’m not feeling much of an appetite this morning, but I appreciate the offer.”

Moxxie and Millie both gave him a concerned stare, since he was never one to turn down coffee or tea, “No problem.” Moxxie said quietly as he took back his phone and put the order through.

Stolas took out his own phone and looked at his lock screen. No notifications. He wasn’t sure what he expected to see, but still he felt a bit crestfallen. He closed the screen and put it back in his pocket, before leaning up against the window and watching traffic go by. Today was going to be a very long one. All he wanted to do was be home with Blitzø, and having him out of sight when he’s in the state that he’s in only manifested into this creeping anxiety within him. 

“Why don’t we put some music on?” Millie broke the silence as she leaned over the center console to fiddle with the radio dials. She settled for the station Blitzø usually played, what Loona referred to as dad rock 101 , “So what’s our mornin lookin like today?” She asked Stolas, “I know you were swamped with calls and paperwork yesterday. Did I hear right that we were bookin out jobs two months from now?” 

“Oh, yes.” Stolas cleared his throat, “Today will be rather busy. I made sure to clear out a solid lunch block and a few breaks in between for you all, but with the larger than average influx of clients I believe we will be set for at least the following two months, that is correct.” He confirmed, “If memory serves, your first job today is a hit on a woman, Phoebe Smith. She was transphobic to our client leading to a suicide. The following hit is on a man, Nolan King, who got a higher test score in Algebra II than that client. Then a double hit on a man and woman, Ruben Walker and Gracie Lewis, who went to a concert without inviting that client.” He rattled off, “The first one I understand, but the following two just seem petty. Since yesterday morning we seem to have a growing number of ones like that.” 

“Well, one thing’s for sure,” Millie responded, “At least we don’t gotta go throwin no crazy deals to pull clients for a bit.” She sounded content as she sat back and placed a hands casually over her stomach while looking out the window, “It’s a shame Blitzø couldn’t make it into the office today, we kinda needed to talk to him about somethin.” She sighed.

“It’s not like him to just not come to work.” Moxxie added, “Even on his off days he at least camps out in his office binging TV and clogging his arteries on cans of cheddar easy cheese and crackers.” He sounded concerned, “I can't remember the last day he didn’t show.”

Loona’s fur was standing on end as her claws dug holes in the leather steering wheel. She took a deep breath in and held it, before letting it out through gritted teeth as they pulled up to HellBucks and she parked. She rifled through her pocket for her cigarettes and a lighter before storming out of the car and slamming the door with enough force to shake the van.

Everyone inside was tense for a moment as they watched Loona walk away from the van to go smoke.

“Sir… is everything alright?” Moxxie asked, now fully concerned. 

“I believe things will be ok.” Stolas responded quietly, like he was trying to convince himself as much as he was them while he watched Loona take a long drag of her cigarette, “Blitzø is… today is just a lot for him.” He looked from Loona to Moxxie, “For today I believe we should refrain from talking about his absence around Loona. Since the trial she’s been more sensitive regarding him in general.”   

“Did somethin happen between you and Blitzø?” Millie asked hesitantly.

“Oh lords no, nothing of the sort.” Stolas was quick to dismiss the worry, “Things are ok.” He looked away, “Things will be ok.”

“Mox, Sallie? Would you mind goin and gettin our order?” Millie asked them, not taking her eyes off Stolas.

“Alright.” Sallie May responded as she looked between her sister and Stolas, “We’ll be back in a jiff.” Moxxie, trusting his wife to know what to do, left the van with Sallie May to retrieve their order as asked. 

Once the door closed, Millie hopped up to sit on the center console, “Ok don’t bullshit me.” She started, “Why is Blitzø not here?” She didn’t sound particularly angry, more irritated because she just wasn’t about to take the matter of being dismissed like she was a child lightly.

Stolas shrank in on himself, “He truly isn’t feeling well.” He technically wasn’t lying. Poor mental health was still an unwellness. 

“Stolas, I’ve seen him have a full blown panic attack after being fucked with somethin horrible by an infestor demon, and then bounce back from getting possessed by him immediately after the fact.” She pressed, “If he’s anything, he’s resilient to a fault. It takes a lot to keep him down. So what the fuck is wrong with Blitzø?” 

“I’m sorry, did you say he was possessed by an infestor demon?” Stolas asked in a horrified voice.

“That’s what you took away from that?” She sounded disbelieving, “Stolas, I’m serious. I need to know what’s wrong. I can’t help if I don’t know.” She sounded deeply distressed.

He supposed he could put a pin in the infestor demon thing despite all the horrors that her whole confession entailed, “Millie, truly I do not know. Blitzø will not tell me, and he will not tell Loona. All pictures of his sister in the apartment were face down or flipped around when I woke up, and he scribbled himself out of pictures even more thoroughly than before. He was not even laying with me like he usually does, just isolating himself on the beanbag chair next to Beleth. I wanted to stay home and just not leave him alone, but he gave me no room for argument.”

“You just left him alone?!” Millie yelled, worry evident in her voice as she raised her hands in a wild gesture.

Stolas instinctively closed his eyes, raised his arms up to block his face and flinched away, “ Absolutely not, I messaged Fizzarolli behind his back. He’s at the apartment with him now.” He said quickly. After a beat of silence, Stolas opened one of his eyes and lowered his arms, only to see guilt and worry on Millie’s face, “I-I’m sorry Millie, I didn’t mean to…” 

“No Stolas, I’m sorry I shouldn’t of yelled.” She sighed and pulled him into a hug, which was more like her hugging his head, “And I’m sorry for my sister.”

“It’s quite all right Millie.” Stolas reassured as he gently patted her arm, “I’m not particularly offended by her actions either. It would seem Goetian royalty does not exactly have a stellar reputation among imps in the first place, and I did not paint a pretty picture of myself during the trial.”

Millie just sighed, “I’ll try and talk to her. I know she’ll warm up to you.” She gave his head a tight squeeze before letting him go, “She better, at least. Or else our situation will get messy real quick and I don’t wanna be havin you walkin on eggshells at work.”

“You wanted to talk to Blitzø about something.” Stolas began, “It was to see if he could offer her a position at the company, right?” 

She nodded, “Yeah, that’s part of it anyways.” She absentmindedly placed her hand on her stomach again, “There’s just been a lot goin on, we had an announcement to make that I know he woulda wanted to hear.” Her eyes were trained on the back window as she spoke, “I suppose it can wait for tomorrow, if he’s feeling well enough to come to work, that is.”

“I get a feeling he may. I’ve spoken now with Loona, Verosika and Fizzarolli on the matter. The short and sweet of it is I need to talk with him tonight, to try and get him to open up and share the weight of whatever burden he’s carrying.” Stolas confided as he watched Loona light a second cigarette, “I’m nervous, but they all seem confident that he’ll be open to talk with me. I’m just not mentally here this morning because I keep trying to figure out the right words to say or the right things to do that won’t have him lashing out and getting defensive.” He looked down at his hands which were nervously fidgeting, “I’m so scared of fucking this up, but I also worry about how this is eating away at him.”

There was a moment of silence that fell between the two, Stolas fiddling with a loose threat on the sleeve of his sweater while Millie just stared off into space. Nothing but the music from the radio playing and the sound of honking horns from the road filling it.

Eventually Millie broke it, “It takes a lot to get him to talk about anythin from his past. None of us know important things like his family life, his childhood, his birthday even. It’s a bit disheartenin, but he just shuts down and gets defensive any time anything gets brought up. But the night we dealt with that infestor demon, he confided in me a little bit and I’ve been sittin on that information for a while now.” She looked over to Loona who was still very visibly upset, “Truth is, he’s terrified of gettin close to others. Believes he’ll only make their lives worse by bein in them. I don’t know what he saw, but I heard him screamin sorry and pleading with his momma. He was cryin somethin fierce and when he saw me he tried hidin and kept sayin how he only made others' lives worse.” She looked down at her lap, every sentence breaking Stolas heart more and more, like a little chisel steadily chipping away at it.  

“And I’m only tellin you this to maybe help you understand where Blitzø is comin from when you talk.” Millie continued a bit hesitantly, “But the fight you guys had during the full moon really fucked him up. Although I know better than to believe you’d go through the effort of gettin him that crystal with the intent of kickin him out of your life, he genuinely believed you were done with him. He don’t exactly have a lot of,” she frowned, “Shit I don’t know how to put it, but… I suppose what I’m meanin to say is, Blitzø doesn’t think very highly of himself. He sucks at confronting his feelins because he doesn’t value his life enough to justify the hassle. So he has a hard time believin, or even accepting that he’s worthy of feelin loved. That trial, I understand why Moxxie and Loona couldn’t watch him be executed, but I couldn’t look away. That was my best friend. He turned to us and said he loved us, he was dyin to keep us alive, I couldn’t let him be alone during his last moments. I watched because he’s been there for me so much, I just couldn’t let him look at us and be alone after everythin was said and done.” 

Millie was getting teary eyed as she went on, “He told me that night after we dealt with that demon, that losing you really got to him. All month he didn’t want to admit it. He bought so many taxidermy owls and burned them because he just wanted to be angry at you or feel somethin, but he just couldn’t. It made him feel so much worse. He refused to call what you guys had a break up, even though that’s what it was, because he genuinely believed that you guys had nothin more than a transactional relationship. He couldn’t wrap his mind around the thought that someone could actually love him, let alone you . I think sex for him was just the only way he thought he could feel close to you. I’m sure you’ve seen it too, how he trashes relationships before they get serious because he’s terrified he’ll just make their lives worse by stayin.” 

“I did catch on to that, albeit a little too late.” Stolas responded, choosing to also put a pin in the taxidermy owl burning thing for the moment as well because that was a bit disturbing, “It took that broadcast to finally put it all into perspective. I did not catch the first half where he pleaded for you all to be spared. I only saw that later on when I watched it in its entirety to understand the full extent of what had happened leading to his execution. He had no value for his own life, even then seeing things as purely transactional.” He felt his heart ache as he mentally re-lived the moment he thought he might be too late to save him, “I know I lost him as a partner, as a friend, as someone in my life entirely. I couldn’t let others lose him too. Loona said something yesterday that stuck with me because I understood the feeling far too well. A world without him in it would be like a world with no light. He doesn’t understand how important he is to people, that their lives would be negatively impacted by his death. Or the fact that he would never be gone, and he would never be forgotten. Not even for a second. His loss in everyone’s lives would have been truly devastating. Before we reunited after 25 years, my palace was so cold and empty. Sure I had my darling Via, but Stella… Well there wasn’t a whole lot of warmth in our marriage, not even a little bit. But when Blitzø came back, and every night thereafter he returned to me, it felt like an actual home. It was only a house to me after we separated. It was quiet and cold and lonely again. But if he had truly died, I just know every waking moment would be a living nightmare full of ‘what ifs’ and endless guilt over letting things turn out the way they had.” He felt himself tearing up, “I love him so much, even if he didn’t love me. The idea of just him being dead was like my heart being ripped from my chest. I knew you lot would have felt the same.” 

When he finally looked up, he noticed tears streaming down Millie’s face, smudging her eyeliner and forming messy black lines down her cheeks, “I know we haven’t really said it so much, but what you did to save him, we thought he was gone, but you saved him, and there’s no way we could ever repay you for it or thank you enough.” She pulled his head into another tight hug, “I don’t even care that we would have been without a job, bein without Blitzø woulda been a life that was just, I don’t even know how to express it. It would have been so bad.” She buried her face into the crown of his head, “And he’s opened up so much already with you back in it. He made progress after you guys separated, sure, but seein him like this, hearing you say you love him and that not sending him runnin for the hills, that was such big progress and it’s all because of you.”

Stolas hugged her back, letting himself cry as well knowing he wasn’t alone in how he felt when they thought Blitzø would die. There were so many people who loved Blitzø, so many people who wanted to see him be happy, it was such a genuine relief. 

“I’m sorry I’m gettin all emotional,” Millie laughed as she pulled away, one of her palms wiping away smeared eyeliner and sniffling as she tried to compose herself, “I’m not usually one to cry.”

Stolas knew it was likely pregnancy hormones amplifying it, “It’s quite alright.” Stolas reassured as he went to wipe away his own smudgy eye liner, “It’s not an easy topic, I understand.”  

“But really, Stolas. I think with everything that’s happened between the full moon incident and now, you’ll be able to get him to open up. I’m damn near 100% certain you can.” Millie reassured with a weepy but optimistic smile, “I may be one of his best friends, and I don’t think I could get him to crack. But for him to accept the fact you do love him, what you guys got goin on, it says a lot about how far you both have come and how he feels about you too.”

“I’ve been getting that a lot.” He chuckled as he pulled down the visor to expect himself in the mirror to try and clean up the ruined makeup the best he could, “I can text you later on to tell you how it goes.” He promised.

“Please, and thank you. I also promise to have a talk with my sister. That is if Mox hasn’t already. She arrived late last night and I didn’t even think to try n explain your situation.” She gave him a reassuring pat on the shoulder before looking out the window and giving a thumbs up. 

The van door opened and Sallie May and Moxxie entered, carrying a few bags and a tray of drinks. Millie’s sister moved behind her and sat behind Stolas, now giving Millie the center seat as Moxxie sat down and shut the door. Stolas ducked down and averted his eyes so they wouldn’t see how messy his makeup was now.

It was quiet for a moment in the van as they waited for Loona to finish her cigarette. Sallie May’s demeanor seemed a little more relaxed as she settled in and grabbed her drink off the tray before passing it to Millie, “Here yah go, sorry we took longer than we thought. Moxxie had to order somethin else.”

Moxxie blushed a little and averted his eyes as he dug through one of the bags, fishing out a bag with a pink cake pop and passing it up front, “Here you go sir, I know you said you weren’t very hungry, but we all know Blitzø would have my head if I let you not eat something. ” 

Stolas sat up in surprise, forgetting his messy makeup for a moment as he grabbed the bag being offered, “Oh, thank you Moxxie. I suppose you’re right.” He peeked into the bag before setting it on his lap. 

Then Millie passed him his usual coffee order and smiled, “After the mornin you’ve had, you need it.” She said, not giving him the opportunity to decline.

Now even more genuinely surprised, he grabbed the drink as well, “You didn’t have to do this.” He said a little quieter, blushing just a little.

“I kind of did though.” Moxxie replied, shifting a little so Millie could sit back down before he passed her another bag with food, “This one has your chocolate croissant, sweetie.” He informed her before looking over to Stolas, “Sir, I might not know what your morning has been like, but for you to refuse coffee and for Loona to be as upset as she is, it can’t have been good.” 

Stolas looked down at the drink in his hand and nodded, “I suppose you’re right. Thank you Moxxie.” He settled for, “And again, you can use my name. There’s no need to address me as such.”

Moxxie smiled, “Oh, right. Sorry Stolas.”

Stolas let out a small hooting laugh, “No need for apologies. It’s quite alright Moxxie.”

Loona entered the van again, now more visibly relaxed as she reached over for her pup cup, which was really just a regular latte with a bone shaped cookie on top, took a long sip, then pulled out of the parking lot.

…

Like yesterday, paparazzi flocked around the entrance to their office building. Management must have called in for backup security since yesterday, as a few hellhounds stood watch out front keeping them at a distance from the entrance so renters and customers alike could get in and out with no problem. 

There were more rude and invasive questions thrown Stolas’ way as he expertly ignored them and their flashing cameras, even helping to shield Sallie May as they entered the building, seeing the way she grew overwhelmed by the crowd and flashing lights. 

“Is that normal?” She asked as she looked over her shoulder and out the glass front doors.

“Unfortunately, as of yesterday, yes. I’m sure they’ll tire themselves out eventually and flock to annoy some other unfortunate soul.” Stolas answered as he relaxed a bit, “As good as this seems to be for our business, they do get very overwhelming after a while.”

Millie’s sister just looked up at him and nodded as they all made their way to the elevator. 

“There’s already new articles out about yesterday!” Millie beamed as she opened a few on her phone to show Stolas, “I think it’s really cute.” She gushed as she held up her phone to show him a few. Stolas bent down to read.

‘Stolitz confirmed? Here’s how this power couple could change the hierarchy in hell!’

‘Disgraced Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia speaks openly about his love! What does this mean for Impkind?!’

‘Love is not dead! Disgraced Prince Stolas and Mercenary Imp Blitzo Buckzo share a passionate kiss?!’

“Well they’re certainly nicer than the ones from yesterday.” Stolas responded as his eyes scanned over each title, each accompanied with photographs taken of him speaking outside next to ones of them kissing in the lobby, one of which fully showed him grabbing Blitzø’s ass as he lifted him. He made a mental note to go looking for these articles later to save some of the photos for himself. 

It was the final one that really caught his eye as he knelt closer to Millie and used his finger to scroll down just a bit, then cracked a large smile.

‘Blitzø Buckzo flips off cameras as his boyfriend carries him to the elevator.’ 

It was a small-time news publication accompanied by a fantastic picture of Blitzø peeking over Stolas’ shoulder, sticking his tongue out and flipping off the press with both hands as Stolas carried him, “Oh I hadn’t even realized he’d done that.” He said fondly, blushing for a number of reasons. One being how cute and endearing Blitzø was with his antics, and another being the title referring to him as Blitzø’s boyfriend, crossing out the o and making it about Blitzø and not centering around himself like all the others had done, “Millie, would you be a dear and text me this article? I worry it will get lost and I need that picture.” He said pointing to it as Millie turned her phone and grinned.

“Absolutely!” She copied and pasted the link quickly to send to him, “This is all just so excitin.”

“You do seem rather invested in our relationship.” Stolas said as he stood back up and chuckled a bit nervously.

“Are you kiddin me?” She asked as she turned her attention back to him, “Mox and I have been followin this roller coaster damn near for over a year now. We knew how Blitzø felt way before he even did.” 

“You were pretty quick to call him your boss's boyfriend last Harvest Moon Festival.” Sallie May piped in, “He floundered over his words real bad after that.” 

Stolas felt himself blush at that and averted his gaze, distracting himself for a moment by taking a sip of his drink.

“Oh don’t you go on gettin all blushy like a virgin.” Sallie May called out, her attitude towards him improving drastically after she and Moxxie went to get their order, “Y’all just got yourself a little fan club is all.”

“I think that fan club is now more than just a little one.” Millie piped in as she continued to scroll. Her mood was much happier than it had been during their talk which was nice.

“It’s fortunate for you as well.” Moxxie said as he pressed the elevator button, “This story has so much press coverage it completely dwarfs the ones about your ER visit.”

Stolas paused for a moment as he thought of something, “Yes I suppose that is very fortunate. The less they dig for information regarding that, the less I need to worry about Stella using what information she hears to try and kill me again. I’m sure she’s furious with the quick shift of focus. Nothing upsets her quite like seeing me be happy.” He said dryly.

“Stella your ex-wife?” Sallie May asked before taking a long sip of her iced coffee.

“Unfortunately so.” Stolas sighed. The elevator door opened and they all shuffled inside.

“Wait, did you just say she’d use that information to kill you?” Moxxie asked, as if he was piecing together a puzzle, “Again?!”

“Oh absolutely. I found records of her hiring that Striker fellow to kill me during the last Harvest Moon Festival. She didn’t exactly try to hide them.” he began as he shook his drink to mix the cold foam at the top into his coffee, “Not to mention having the audacity to contact the hit man right in front of me during a dinner with Via. And that time you and Millie rescued me from Striker again, that was a follow up to the first failed attempt.” He rattled off this information as if he were discussing the weather that week or what he’d planned for dinner that night, “Granted she called that hit off right before he could slit my throat with an angelic dagger, but had you not shown up exactly when you did I would have lost my eyes and likely bleed out on the tracks.” He took a casual sip from his drink, blissfully unaware of the dead silence that followed his confession. 

It wasn’t until he felt a hand grab his own and looked down to see a worried look on Millie’s face that he realized, perhaps that information wasn’t as small of a deal as he thought, “Oh, but I’m fine now.” He tried to downplay it to comfort the pregnant woman looking up at him with concern, “I mean, that’s just how Stella gets. It really isn't that big of a deal, she called it off when she realized she’d get nothing in the divorce if I died.” 

Even Sallie May was looking at him like he had nine heads, “That’s… a lot.”

“I mean, perhaps in the grand scheme of things it’s certainly an escalation.” He was suddenly beginning to feel very uncomfortable with the change in mood this conversation was shifting to. There was a look of recognition in Millie’s eyes as she pieced together some of the context clues he’d unintentionally given her through flinching away from her, especially this morning.

“Hey Stolas?” Moxxie asked as he touched his other arm, “Without your powers, are you safe? Like how can you defend yourself if something happens?”

“Stolas, your divorce proceedings are finalized already, and she basically got everything.” Loona cut in, “Who’s to say she won’t send Striker again?” 

“Oh…” it set in for Stolas the potential gravity of his situation, “I did not even think of that…”

Like two days ago, this was another reminder that he could, in fact, die before the 100 years are up. His heart began to race in his chest as a voice in the back of his head reminded him of how much of a dead weight and liability he really was. He never needed to rely on the use of anything but his powers to defend himself and others. Without those, he was effectively a standing target.

“Ok, why don’t we do this.” Millie began as the elevator door opened to let someone else in, but one look from her had them deciding to wait for the next one, with Sallie May punching the close door button for good measure, “We can teach you how to use weapons. Moxxie is great with guns, and between Sallie May and I we can teach you how to use a knife at least .” 

“I’d say we could teach him to throw a punch or two, but your thin, lanky arms don’t seem like much of a threat.” Sallie May piped in.

“Sallie May!” Millie chastised.

“What? Am I wrong?” She countered.

Stolas really didn’t much care about the remarks, in all honesty Sallie May was telling the truth. Sure on Sinsmas he threw a good few punches and smashed an ice sculpture off Andrealphus’ head, but that was more fueled by white hot rage and adrenaline, and his arms had ached terribly after the fact. He did his best not to look at Loona, now knowing full well this information was already rather upsetting for her to hear. He didn’t even know why he’d let all that slip so casually, or why he felt it was no big deal in the first place—

He felt Loona’s forehead rest against his back and heard the saddest, quietest whimper come from her that shattered his heart. The door opened on their floor, so their group cleared out and made their way to their office, but the way Loona lightly held on to his sleeve as they walked was not lost on him. Oh he’d really gone and fucked up. Loona was already stressed about her father, and if something happened to him Blitzø would likely be an even bigger mess. She wanted Blitzø to be happy, and if what Millie told him this morning is true, her father’s mental health would tank if he died. 

The three imps unlocked the office door and entered, all bickering over what form of defense would be the best for Stolas to know first. As he went to follow, he felt Loona’s grip tighten on his sleeve and held him back. 

He let the office door close and turned to her, “Dear I’m sorry, I didn’t mean—“ she pulled him into a tight hug, her ears pressed back and letting out a scared whimper. After a stunned moment, Stolas hugged her back and gently patted her head, instinctually cooing softly to comfort her, “It will be ok.” 

She was quiet for a moment as she just hugged him and sniffled. Stolas hugged her a bit tighter, a little unsure of how to comfort the usually standoffish hellhound. Seven Sins be damned, he was hoping he was doing this right, “Loona, I promise I’m not going anywhere. Your father will be ok. I’m not leaving.” He said as reassuringly as he could.

“It’s not just my dad I’m worried about, idiot.” She said as she pulled away, eyes watery but refusing to shed a tear, “You matter too, you know.” She added, eyes looking at the floor, “Dumb ass.”

Stolas just stared for a moment, unsure of how to respond to that, “Loona…” he hesitated to reach out to her, “Listen, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to say all that and worry you. I wasn't even thinking, I didn’t think it was really that bad—but I should have considered how you would feel and I didn’t. I’m so sorry Loona.”

She looked up at him with a deep frown, “And if you didn’t tell us? What then?” she snapped, “Damn it—“ she looked up to stop the tears from running down her face, “Stolas right now you're a sitting duck. If we didn’t know the shit that bitch tried and we lost you because we didn’t know? How in the seven rings do you think that would make us feel?” She asked as she used the heel of her palm to blot away the tears before they ruined her makeup, “Satan fucking damn it, Stolas do you have any sense of self preservation?!” She asked as she finally looked back at him.

“Evidently, apparently not…” he responded nervously as he tried to ease the tension with a joke.

“We all knew your wife was a crazy bitch, and her brother is a prissy little cunt. But shit Stolas—for fucks sake, how is someone so fucking smart this fucking stupid?” She chastised him, “They both fucking hate you! It only takes them feeling petty once for them to send Striker after you again." She huffed, "You aren’t going to be left alone in the office anymore. You can’t go anywhere without one of us with you; not until you know how to defend yourself.” She decided unilaterally, “You’re getting a crash fucking corse in self defense, and you will carry a gun and a knife on you at all times and just, fuck, let us know if you go somewhere? Please?” 

Stolas’ first instinct was to try and play it down and tell her it really wasn’t that serious, but logic told him if he tried that he would likely get chewed out even more and then put on house arrest for good measure, “Ok.” He settled on, not wanting to cause her any more distress, “If it’ll put your mind at ease, I’ll learn.” 

She gave him a long hard look before nodding, “Good.” She huffed, “And if anyone asks, I didn’t fucking cry, an eyelash just fell in my eye.” 

“Your secret is safe with me Loona.” He reassured her with a smile, “Now let’s go in and get the day started, ok?”

“Fine, yeah, whatever.” She said and opened the door. As the door closed behind them, she locked it, “Executive order as the boss’s daughter, until further notice Stolas will not be left alone in the office.” Loona announced to the three others who were rifling through the weaponry they stored at the office. A few pistols lay out in the floor, different style knives and an axe were spread out next to them, “For today, the only clients we’ll be booking will be over the phone, the only clients being let into the office will be those who need to pay up and fuck off, and this jackass is getting trained to fight.” She pointed a finger over to Stolas, who only fidgeted nervously as he pondered over the can of worms his dumb ass spilled within the span of minutes.

“Well, I plan on showin Stolas how to handle a knife since I’ll be stayin behind due to, uhh, reasons we wanted to talk with Blitzø about.” Millie volunteered.

“Is it that you’re pregnant?” Loona asked pointedly. 

Everyone in the office grew quiet and looked at Loona, “How the hell did you know that?” Millie asked, very confused and maybe even a bit annoyed.

“I’m a fucking hellhound, Millie I can fucking smell it on you. I’m not an idiot.” She countered.

Millie looked from her to Stolas, who in his great line of fuck ups this morning, failed to act shocked at the announcement, “Why don’t you seem even a little bit surprised?” She asked, brows furrowed.

Instead of responding, Stolas averted his eyes and took a long, slow sip of his coffee as he tried to scrape together some words to explain himself so he wasn’t jumped by an angry pregnant lady.

“Loona, did you tell him?” She asked her.

“No why the fuck would I tell anyone?” She snapped back, “That’s not my shit to go spreading.” 

“It’s a ahh…” Stolas piped up to try and avoid setting Loona off more than she already was this morning, “An owl thing?” He said almost like a question, a bead of sweat trailing down his forehead, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you I knew sooner. I did not know if you wanted people to know, or if it was even my place really say anything to you so I just kept it to myself.” 

“Does Blitzø know?” Millie asked, a bit calmer.

“No, not that I’m aware of.” Stolas reassured her, "I haven't said a thing, I promise.” 

She squinted up at both of them with a frown for a moment before she just settled on a shrug, “Alright, but don’t you go tellin. His reaction is what I’m most excited about.” She gave the two of them a stern look.

Stolas let out a breath he hadn’t realized he was holding and tension left his shoulders, “Yes, of course.” 

Loona only rolled her eyes and turned her attention down to Millie, “Alright, Millie, I trust you to teach him a thing or two about knives.” She settled on, “Stolas, you better listen to everything she says. I don’t want to hear that you’re half-assing this.” She pointed an accusatory finger his way.

“No, never that.” He assured her, “I understand the necessity for me to learn.” ‘ I do not want to be a burden’ was left out of his response.  

“Ok good. Now where’s our schedule?” She asked him.

“Oh, right.” He went to the filing cabinet and pulled out a printed copy of the contract with all the information they needed for their first hit, “Like always, I’ve organized everything according to the most relevant information.” Loona took the stapled packet being passed to her, “While you guys are out, I’ll lay out your other jobs in order on the conference table.”

“Thank you.” she replied as she pulled on her fathers glove with the crystal on it, “Alright you two.” she looked at Moxxie and Sallie May, “Grab your shit and let’s go. I want to be out of this office in 15 minutes.” She finished before pulling out her phone quickly and texting someone as she went to sit on the couch.  

Shifting from annoyance to glee, Millie grabbed a few knives ranging in size from blades shorter that the palm of his hands, to one’s the length of her forearm, “Now before we start, how proficient are you with hand to hand defense?” 

Stolas just looked at her and blinked.

“Ok, not at all.” She settled, “This’ll be fun.” She said in earnest, setting down the weapons on the desk, “We’re gonna start with that, then I’ll teach you how to incorporate a knife into the mix!”

She hit a button under the desk that triggered a mannequin to pop up from seemingly nowhere on the other side of the room, “Let’s get started!”

…

Although he felt he made decent progress in his training, Stolas felt as though he needed to try harder to please Loona. He didn’t want to worry any of them by being totally defenseless, but it also bummed him out a bit at his loss of freedom to leave and do things as simple as cross the street to acquire things from the convenience store without supervision. Having bodyguards wasn’t something all that new to him, as he’d needed them on occasion, but a 24/7 surveillance felt a tad bit styfulling. 

Their drive home was rather uneventful, although Loona’s fur was saturated in human blood in some parts which filled the van with an unpleasant metallic scent. It didn’t seem to bother anyone else but Stolas, despite the fact that this was nearly an everyday occurrence. Maybe one day he shall grow used to it, but that day certainly wasn’t today. For now, a cracked window would suffice.

Dropping off the three imps to their building and driving home was rather quick. Be it Loona breaking some traffic laws eager to get home as soon as possible, or ready to shower and scrub off today's grime and gore caked into her thick fur. Neither spoke, and the radio was once more muted. Perhaps Loona wanted to say something, but was once more too nervous to be the one breaking the ice, but Stolas himself was far too occupied as he tried giving himself a mental pep talk for what was to come tonight.

Loona parked the van and turned the key, shutting it off. There was a tense silence the two of them sat in, a quiet moment where they both braced themselves for that night. Eventually, Loona opened her door and left the vehicle, Stolas following suit as they navigated the parking lot, entered the building, and traveled via elevator to their floor.

When they entered the apartment, they were met with the sight of Blitzø cocooned in a blanket and surrounded by the new horse plushies Fizz had brought with him as the two watched the show Fizz had turned on. The ex-jester turned his head to see them enter the apartment, his hat making a light jingling sound as a result.

“Oh wow, rough day today huh?” He asked as he observed Loona’s appearance. Blitzø did not move, as if he were physically present but not very conscious of the things happening around him.

“It’s not my blood,” Loona responded as she made her way to the bathroom, “I’d say you should see the other guy, but there isn’t really much to see.” She added before closing the door behind her. There was the sound of the shower turning on and the bathroom closet being opened and shut.

“It was rather busy.” Stolas responded as he set the keys and glove with the crystal down on the dining table, opting to not mention the training he’d undergone. He noticed the small tray of cupcakes sat open with one missing, “But it’s nice to be back home.” He added, ignoring the soreness of his arms. Millie really took it seriously, not letting being pregnant stop her from going all out.

Fizz gave Stolas a careful look, eyes briefly flicking between him and Blitzø like a question of ‘Are you ready?’

Stolas gave a small nod ‘As ready as I can be.’

With that, Fizz made a motion of stretching his arms, looking at a watch on his wrist and said, “Oh it is getting kind of late, and I got a dinner date planned soon so I should get going.” Blitzø turned his head slightly to look at Fizz before he continued, “You can keep the box set for The Plank Walkers, I think you’ll enjoy it more than me.” He patted Blitzø on the top of his head before standing and giving Beleth a quick pat, “I’ll see you later!” He chirped before nabbing his tote bag and making his way to the door. As he passed by Stolas, he gave him a nod of encouragement and a thumbs up.

“Thank you for stopping by Fizzerolli, I’m sure it was nice having you over.” 

“Oh I love being a nuisance to this guy.” He laughed, “Later!” He called over his shoulder before exiting the apartment.

Blitzø faced the TV again, quietly watching, or waiting, or even just zoning out once more; Stolas wasn’t quite sure. As Stolas moved to the kitchen, worried about what to say while Loona was still in the apartment, he heard the couch springs creek in protest as Blitzø shifted a little.

“How was the office?” Stolas heard him ask. He was still disconnected, voice sounding quiet and closed off.

“Oh it was rather alright.” He began, opting for encouraging normal conversation to maybe pull himself from his shell a little more, “Millie’s sister is in town and came into the office with us. It is quite the long story, but she helped on missions while Millie gave me a crash course on hand to hand combat if you can believe it.” He laughed softly, “Other than that, things went according to schedule for the most part.” He pulled out some of the leftovers at random, and after checking for anything metal he popped it into the microwave to reheat it.

Blitzø was quiet again, either not knowing what to say or having not heard him at all; Stolas had a bad feeling it was the latter. Loona made a quick exit from the bathroom, wrapped in a towel and carrying her dirty work clothes with her into her bedroom. It was one of the fastest showers she’d taken since he moved in with them, just long enough to rinse the blood off so she could leave asap. Within a minute or so, she left her room, now dressed in black shorts and a large band T-shirt for some band he was fairly certain Via liked, which was tied in the front to avoid it becoming a dress on her. She patted down her pockets to double check she had her wallet and more importantly her phone.

“Hey guys, I’m gonna head out for a bit.” She said as she locked eyes with Stolas ‘You got this.’

Silently, Stolas nodded as she too made a quick escape from the apartment. Nothing but the sound of the TV could be heard in their spaces. Blitzø shifted again a little, curling in on himself for a moment before turning his head to the fire escape.

“Blitzø?” Stolas asked, proud and surprised with how steady his voice was.

He didn’t respond.

Stolas ignored the beeping of the microwave and walked over to stand in front of the couch, then crouched down to be at eye level, “Dearest, can you talk to me?” He asked quietly, fighting his instinct to reach a hand out to brush his fingers to his cheek or hold his hand, “Please?”

Something in Blitzø’s expression changed, from void of emotion, to scared, to angry, to scared again, “I don’t know what you want me to say.” He responded after a beat of silence.

“Something is upsetting you.” Stolas responded, expression soft and worried, “I cannot help you if I do not know what that is.”

Blitzø frowned and looked away, “It’s nothing.” He said defensively.

“It’s not nothing , Blitzø. Something is upsetting you, and that matters.” Stolas countered.

“No it doesn’t .” His partner responded in a harsher tone. 

Outside it began to rain.

Stolas frowned, “You are so upset you didn’t even come to work today—“ 

“It’s nothing, ok?!” Blitzø snapped at him and stood up. When he saw Stolas flinch, a look of regret immediately washed over his face, “I’m sorry—just…” he sounded defeated, “Today is just, a reminder of how my fuck ups cause everyone to leave.” He left the blanket on the couch and walked to the fire escape, “I’m sorry, I can't do this, I need air.” He mumbled.

As Stolas stood up to follow him, he noticed an untouched cupcake on the coffee table next to the now cold cup of coffee, an unopened granola bar, and full glass of water. Had Blitzø not eaten a thing all day? With that in mind, he grabbed it and followed Blitzø out to the fire escape. He noticed how he sat down on a far end away from the main street, legs crossed and hunched over trying to calm himself down but struggling to. After feeling nothing all day, those emotions would have to surface eventually.

Stolas closed the door quietly behind him as he moved to sit beside him, opting to put his legs through the bars and let them hang over the ledge to do so. The rain that came down had a very slight bite to it. Ahh, acid rain.

“Here.” Stolas said as he offered Blitzø the cupcake. His partner only looked at him weird, then looked at the cupcake for a moment before signing and taking it. 

They sat in silence for a few minutes before Stolas broke it again, “You said today is a day that reminds you of something you did that made people leave you... I would like to help you like you've helped me, but I cannot do that if I don't know—“ 

Blitzø cut him off, letting out a bittersweet laugh as he peeled the cupcake from its wrapper, tears about ready to spill over, “Stolas you don’t get it .” His voice was strained, “You don’t even know what it was I did that caused everyone to leave—“ he crumpled the wrapper tightly in his fist, “I was almost executed on live tv, I almost died , and nobody reached out—not my sister, not my dad—“ his breath hitched and he pressed his head firmly against the cold metal of the railing, words finally tumbling out now that he didn’t feel as confined as he had inside, and now that it was just them, “I’m so irredeemable they’re probably disappointed I didn’t, you know? And who could blame them? I’m such an unforgivable—unlovable waste of space imp .” He spoke with such deep seeded loathing. So much venom put into the name of his race it sounded almost like a slur, “And—and you lost everything to keep me alive…” he said quieter.

It broke Stolas’ heart to hear him speak of himself in such a manner. He wanted to tell him it was all untrue and break down point by point how wrong Blitzø was. But he knew better now. Blitzø needed to say it all, open the vaults and just say everything he’d buried deep into the recesses of his being. Blitzø didn’t want someone to refute his words, not right now. He needed Stolas to hear and listen. He needed to know that with all these things, even if they were true, it would never give him pause and reconsider how he felt about him.

Stolas took out a cigarette from a pack in one of his pockets and a lighter, lit it, and took a long drag from it. Letting his feet hang down between the railing bars as he sat right next to Blitzø. The acid rain occasionally nicked his feet, but he could endure it. It was hardly anything at all, like cold little droplets against his feet. Nothing he couldn’t bounce back from. He’d have to be in it for hours for anything to really do damage.

He took a moment to formulate a response when he realized Blitzø fell silent, expecting him to react.

“You’re right,” Stolas replied as he exhaled, flicking his cigarette ash off the side of the fire escape before continuing, “I don’t know what you did. I don’t know how you hurt people, why your family disowned you, none of it.” He sighed and rested his chin on the cool metal railing, “But this I can say for certain.” He turned his head slightly to look at Blitzø from the corner of his eyes. The imp was holding his cupcake in trembling hands, eyes focused on something far past the horizon, “It would take nothing short of death to have me leaving your side. I may not know who you were back then, but I know who you’ve become, and I know the man you are today is priceless in every way.” He could see the way Blitzø struggled to hold back his tears as Stolas continued to speak, “There is no monetary value that could ever compare. I would lose everything all over again for you without hesitation, even if that meant that we…” Stolas paused to steady himself, determined not to cry, “Even if that meant you wanted nothing to do with me in the end, and we never spoke again. You may not have felt yourself worth the sacrifice, but it doesn’t matter. That wasn’t your sacrifice to make, but mine and mine alone; and even if it doesn’t feel that way for you, I will always make that choice.”

Blitzø’s shoulders shook as he tried to hold back a sob, tears now streaming down his face. He took a bite of the cupcake and continued to look out over the city, trying so hard to remain silent. Stolas wanted to reach out, to touch his shoulder, rub his back, embrace him, anything. But he knew better. When Blitzø was this upset, the last thing he wanted was physical touch, already overstimulated and overwhelmed. If he wanted physical reassurance, he had to be the one reaching for it. 

Stolas took another long drag of his cigarette before he spoke again, “It doesn’t need to be right now, but if you ever need to just talk… I’ll always be here to listen. I care so very deeply for you, Blitzø, and I know your daughter and everyone else in I.M.P. do as well. I know Fizz does, and even Asmodeus.” And I’m sure my Via will grow to love you as well, “You don’t need to be perfect, none of us are.” Stolas’ eyes watched the way the smoke from the end of his cigarette drifted in the wind, followed the way the gray wisps curved and floated off into nothingness, “If you liked the person you used to be, how can you really grow from that? You say you were a horrible person and hurt others, but the Blitzø sitting next to me right now is far from the one you see in your past. You aren’t defined entirely on who you were, and you should measure yourself on how far you’ve come. You’ve grown, you’ve matured, even now you’re not the same Blitzø you were a year ago.”

Stolas fell silent, giving Blitzø time to think over what he’d said. Mull over his words, sort it in his brain and choose what to accept and what to reject. Blitzø shoved the last of his cupcake in his mouth, still trying to muffle a sob as he sat and quietly cried.

“I just need to know what I can do to help you right now in this moment at least.” Stolas eventually broke the silence when he was sure Blitzø wouldn’t, “I want to help you, because I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy.”

Blitzø swallowed and took a shuddering breath before he spoke in a quiet and broken manner, “I need you to know that I’m broken—“ his breath hitched, “I need you to hear what happened and not look at me like I’m as fucked up and dysfunctional as I really am. I need you to see me and not think that—“ he sniffled and rubbed his eyes, “—and not think that I’m some monster for who I was and… I need you to see that I’m broken, and not treat me like I am.” Blitzø’s voice was strained and he took a moment to breathe and steady himself, “I can’t take you or anyone else just looking at me like I’m some pitiful, withered, waste.” He finally turned to look at Stolas, “I need to know this, but you can’t promise you won’t, because you don’t know just how horrible I was and how fucked up I am now.”

Stolas took a final drag of his cigarette before snuffing it out on the cement next to him, exhaled, then continued, “Do you see me as a bad person or broken?” He asked Blitzø.

“That’s not a fair question and you know it.” Blitzø countered, clearly irritated that Stolas would ask something like that.

“Is it though?” Stolas asked as he leaned back on his hands and looked up at the bottom of the cement landing above them, “I treated you poorly. I initiated an unfair deal with you that leveraged your ability to run your business and do your job so we could have sex once a month. I neglected to consider our power imbalance for so long, that I didn’t even think anything of it until our night at Ozzie’s.” He began, “But when I did, I took every step I could to free you from it, because I denied you the ability to actually choose if you wanted to be with me or not. I unintentionally let you live with the fear that I could rescind our deal at any moment, and treated you as a toy for my own pleasure in a way. I can’t go back and change what I did and erase the hurt I’ve dealt, unintentional or otherwise, but that doesn’t mean I can’t be a better man today.” He took a deep breath to steady himself before continuing, “And I grew up without my parents' presence in my life. My father was never around, and my mother passed after laying me. Every day of my childhood was spent wondering what was wrong with myself and why nobody wanted to be around me unless they were paid or forced to do so. I wanted to know what it felt like to be wanted, and I didn’t know what it was about me that made it so difficult for others to like me. I was then forced into a loveless marriage, and was abused throughout the 18 years it lasted, and now my own daughter, who’s my whole world, wants nothing to do with me anymore.” He made eye contact with Blitzø, “So do you see me as a bad person or broken?” He asked again.

Blitzø fell silent, expression thinking it over before finally replying, “No…” he looked back out to Imp City, unable to make eye contact anymore, “I could never, I’d be the biggest fucking hypocrite if I did.”

“Do you truly believe I would do the same to you? Or is it just a voice in your head convincing you that I would?” Stolas asked.

Blitzø closed his eyes tightly, trying to stop crying, scared he might look over to Stolas and see what he feared most before he finally spoke, “I killed my mom…” he said in the quietest voice he possibly could. His hands trembled as they fidgeted with the crumpled wrapper, mustering up as much bravery as he could to say those words out loud.  

Stolas did his best to remain silent and patient, trying not to show the concern or worry on his face. He needed to let Blitzø talk, he needed to sit and hear his words, and he needed to show him he wouldn’t abandon him over them.

“My mom is dead, and it’s all my fault. I can never undo what I did, and I can never see her again.” He began to shake harder and harder, “She died because I’m such a useless, selfish fuck up, and my sister and father never forgave me for it, they never will. I don’t know what my dad is doing nowadays, but Barbie started doing hard drugs, was in rehab for so long, and now that she’s out she wants nothing to do with me. And Fizz…” he took in a shuddering breath, “He got so fucking hurt because of me—and I just, I still don’t fully know why he’s my friend again after I…” his voice got more and more quiet as he went on till it was barely above a whisper, “and the animals at the circus, the horses…”

There was a long moment of silence as Stolas processed his words. He felt like there was a lot to the story being left out. Actually, he knew full well that Blitzø was leaving things out. Stolas’ eyes scanned over every white mark on his skin he could see. Tracing every curve and edge from his face, to his hands, to his arms, that speckled his tail, his legs—every part of his body had spots of white in one way or another, more present on his right side. He’d crossed out the O in his name to separate himself from his life as a circus performer. Stolas’ brain was connecting dots in quick succession, feeling like an absolute fool for having not seen the signs. There were regulations being worked out on Mammons fire salts, tragedies had occurred at circuses, and people had died because of improper storage and handling. He’d been so indifferent to the stories in the newspaper because it didn’t affect him personally back when it happened, and now he’d realized more than ever that he was so very wrong.

“Mammon’s fire salts…” Stolas whispered, and he knew instantly he’d hit the nail on the head as fresh tears fell heavier and Blitzø hunched over to bury his face in his hands, “I—Blitzø…” he bit his lip and took a deep breath, he could not cry he had to be stronger than that for his partner, “How old were you?” He asked.

“Old enough to know better.” Blitzø said bitterly, “If I only paid attention, I wouldn’t have bumped into—it was Fizz’s birthday. I got so upset because—I don’t even remember anymore, but I hit that stupid fucking cake and,” he choked up, “It’s all my fault.” He pulled the round skull penitent off his belt and held it in his hands, one which he incorporated into every outfit, “She’s gone and it’s all my fault.”

“It sounds like it was an accident.” Stolas said, trying to find some way to comfort his crying partner.

“That doesn’t matter,” Blitzø glared over at Stolas, “I did something that killed my mother in one of the most agonizing ways possible, I blew up Fizz and crippled him for the rest of his life, and I’m the reason Barbie was in rehab for years .” Blitzø sharply turned his head to look back over the city, “I almost died on live television, and that wasn’t enough to make anyone reach out. I didn’t expect any kind of forgiveness, but… I don’t know what I expected. Every day that passes is just another day I’m reminded how much they hate me.” He closed his eyes and rested his head between the bars of the railing, “I wish I was the one who—“

Before he could finish that sentence, Stolas reached out and grabbed Blitzø’s shoulder and abruptly turned him so they made eye contact, “Do you really think your mother would have wanted that?” He knew exactly what Blitzø was about to say, and though he knew Blitzø needed to get everything off his chest this was too much, “If Loona made a mistake and did something that killed you, would you have wished she was the one who died instead?” 

His words hung heavy between them as they kept eye contact. They were blunt, but Stolas just couldn’t—he just—

That was what finally did it, and a strangled sob left Blitzø throat as he leaned into Stolas’ chest, arms wrapping around him and fingers bunching up in the fabric of his sweater and just cried. Stolas wrapped his arms around Blitzø’s shaking frame and rested the side of his face on the top of Blitzø’s head. He gently rubbed circles on his back, cooing softly to comfort him in the same way he did with Via when she was very little. This was years of hurt and fear and guilt all bubbling to the surface, and Blitzø was that scared kid that made a fatal mistake that changed his life forever all over again. 

Stolas just held him and let him cry until he couldn’t cry anymore. Shielded him off from the rest of the world and comforted him the best way he could. Allowing him to feel catharsis and alleviate some of this burden he’d been carrying on his own for so long, even if only a little bit. Well past the crying ceased, Stolas continued to hold him and continued to rub his back, feeling the steady rise and fall of his breathing, not quite lulled to sleep, but tired still.

Crying was one of the most exhausting things a person could do, after all. 

“You don’t think my mother hates me?” Blitzø eventually asked, voice quiet and hoarse from crying. 

Stolas gave him a reassuring squeeze, “No.” he responded. It was only a guess since he knew next to nothing about Blitzø’s mother other than the fact she died tragically in a fire. But he followed his intuition, knowing full well if it was him and his Via he would choose death for himself every time. For Blitzø to be quite this upset, he must have been incredibly close with her. 

Blitzø shifted his head eventually to look up at Stolas’ face, his eye makeup smudged messy across his cheeks, eyes bloodshot. Those black vertical lines over his eyelids were immaculate though. 

“Do you feel better now?” Stolas asked him, holding his face in his hands and running his thumbs under his eyes, swiping through black eyeliner but stunned to see those lines not smudge at all.

Blitzø just nodded tiredly, “A little I think.” He responded, taking a moment to wipe at his eyes, white palms of his hands coming away equally as smudged with black eyeliner.

“Let's get you cleaned up.” Stolas said as he pulled his own legs back up through the bars of the railing and got to his feet. Blitzø just looked up at him, exhaustion evident all over his face. Stolas gave him a soft smile and extended his hand, “We can rest after, I promise.”

Blitzø reached up and grabbed his hand and allowed himself to be pulled up to his feet. He seemed a bit unsteady and leaned against Stolas’ side. 

With a soft chuckle, Stolas asked, “Would you like me to carry you, dear?” 

It took him a moment before Blitzø raised his arms. Without hesitation he lifted his partner into his arms, finding it easier to carry him bridal style as he ducked through the glass door to their apartment. Before stepping further into their space, he wiped his feet off on the welcome mat so as not to not track acid rain through their apartment. The floors were already scuffed up enough from hooves, claws and talons walking across it.

“If anyone asks,” Blitzø mumbled, face leaning into Stolas’ chest, “I walked myself in here like a grown ass man.”

Stolas let out a light, happy laugh, “Of course, dear.” He responded as they set foot into the bathroom. He sat Blitzø down on the toilet seat lid and moved to run the bath.

“I thought I was just washing my face?” Blitzø asked, though not making any efforts to stop Stolas from running the bath.

“A good bath will make you feel better, I promise.” Stolas smiled as he went to the bathroom closet to fetch a towel, bath salts and the bubble bath Blitzø had gotten him, “And I’ll be right here next to you. I can even read the book you got me out loud.” He set the towel neatly on the towel rack and then moved to add the salts and soap.

“But that’s the expensive soap, there’s a different one we could have used instead.” Blitzø said as he realized what Stolas was using.

“The expensive stuff is nicer.” Stolas replied nonchalantly.

“But it’s still expensive.” Blitzø replied quieter.

“And?” Stolas asked as we brought the containers back to the closet before shutting it. His partner just sat there and looked up at him, looking for an answer as well, “Do you mean to imply you aren’t worthy of using nice things on?” He asked.

Blitzø looked away and fidgeted with his hands, but remained quiet.

Stolas moved over and crouched down in front of him, gently taking his hands in his own, “Let me pamper you?” He asked, “You got it for me, I’m using it how I want.” He gave his hands a little squeeze, “I meant every word when I told you that there’s no monetary value that could compare to you. You are deserving of nice things just as much as I am.” He lifted one of his hands up to caress the side of his face, causing Blitzø to turn to him again and lean into the touch, “Will you let me?”

It might have just been his exhaustion, but Blitzø relented, nodding and giving his hand a squeeze back.

Stolas leaned his head so their foreheads rested against each other, “Thank you.” He said quietly before kissing his forehead and standing back up, “I’ll be right back, I promise. I’m going to get you some clean pajamas and that book.”

Blitzø just nodded before turning to watch the tub fill, the soft scent of the soap wafting up from the warm water already having a calming effect. 

Stolas stepped out of the bathroom and went to the dresser, just out of sight before pulling his phone from his pocket to send a few people a quick text.

VoxMessage

Loona

Stolas:

Blitzø is going to be ok. You can return when

you are ready, but he may be in the bath when

you arrive.

April 2 at 7:43 PM

Loona:

Thank you

April 2 at 7:44 PM

I’ll be back in 10 minutes

April 2 at 7:45 PM

Stolas:

Of course, dear. We will see you soon then.

April 2 at 7:45 PM

VoxMessage

Millie

Stolas:

Blitzø will be ok, we talked and things went well.

April 2 at 7:45 PM

Millie:

Thank you! I’ll go and let the others know,

they’ve all been worried too.

April 2 at 7:46 PM

Stolas:

Thank you, and we shall see you all tomorrow.

April 2 at 7:46 PM

VoxMessage

Fizzarolli

Stolas:

Blitzø will be ok, we talked and things went well.

April 2 at 7:47 PM

Fizzarolli:

i’m glad that things worked out, and thank you

for updating me. i’m sure you need to get back

to him, but i would like to talk some time later.

April 2 at 7:48 PM

Stolas:

Of course. I will talk with you later.

April 2 at 7:48 PM

Stolas hesitated for a moment before sending a text out to one last person.

VoxMessage

Verosika 

Stolas:

Blitzø will be ok, we talked and things went well.

April 2 at 7:50 PM

Read

Stolas stuffed his phone back in his pocket, nabbed some clean pajamas for both Blitzø and himself then grabbed the book off the little shelf before scurrying back to the bathroom. When he returned, Blitzø was still sitting on the toilet seat lid and watching the tub water rise. 

Stolas shut the door behind him and set his things aside on the countertop, then went to the bath to inspect it, “It should be full enough for you to get in right now.” He said as he turned to his partner. 

Blitzø nodded, sluggishly removed his clothes and tossed them to the floor, but carefully set the skull pendant on the counter, then climbed into the warm soapy water. If the bath was small for Stolas, it was perfect for Blitzø as he could easily submerge his whole body into the water if he wanted to. While he settled in and the tub continued to fill, Stolas took his day clothes off and changed into his pajamas, a pair of shorts and a baggy T-shirt. 

Once done, he grabbed a wash cloth quickly from the bathroom closet, then moved to kneel down next to the tub. He dipped his hand in the water to clear away some bubbles before dipping the cloth in, “Blitzø,” he extended his hand towards him, “may I?” He asked. 

Resigned to his fate on being doted on, Blitzø sat up in the tub and rested his chin in the palm of Stolas’ hand. He was expecting a hand, but this would do just as well. He began to carefully clean around his face, especially around his eyes, as he washed away the makeup and remnants of salt from his tears. 

To his surprise, the diagonal lines across his eye stayed fixed into place, “These lines,” Stolas began, trailing a finger down one of the lines of his lower lid, “Are these permanent?”

Blitzø’s eyes fluttered for a moment at the delicate contact before he responded, “It’s a remnant from my circus days. They’re tattoos.” 

Stolas studied them carefully, “When did you get them done?” His eyes shifted between Blitzø’s own to the tattoo on his forehead, noting that the inks were faded slightly differently.

“When I was 13.” He responded plainly. Overall completely unbothered.

“Is there a reason behind them?” Stolas continued, a bit perturbed over the idea that someone out there was casually tattooing the eyelids of children. 

“It’s just a circus thing. Same with the tattoo on my head. Fizz and Barb have them too.” 

“And your forehead?” Stolas asked.

“I was very little at the time. I don’t even really remember it happening.” Blitzø responded, now beginning to feel a bit self conscious, “It’s really no big deal. Just a circus thing.”

Stolas knew to back off, Blitzø was getting defensive about it and they weren’t worth making his anxiety today worse. And if it was just a cultural thing then perhaps he was being insensitive? He wasn’t sure, so he put a pin in it and continued to clean him. 

Diligently, he ran the cloth over every dip and curve of Blitzø’s body. Any other time this might have led to playful and flirtatious teasing between the two, but today it was just a simple, domestic intimacy. Washing between the spines on his head, his back, and his tail; cleaning his feet and massaging the muscle between his cloven hooves. He washed every square inch of his body, nothing sexual, only loving actions seeking to comfort and reassure Blitzø that Stolas was here, and no matter what, he cared so very deeply for him and wasn’t going away. 

By the time he’d finished, Blitzø’s tired glumness had changed to something more content. Still tired, but content nonetheless. Even emitting a soft purr as he enjoyed the bath, the waters still hot and welcoming.

Stolas leaned in and pressed a gentle kiss to his forehead and caressed the side of his face; Blitzø melting into the contact. 

After a moment of holding Blitzø’s face and rubbing gentle circles on his cheek with his thumb, Stolas moved to dry his hands then grab the book off the counter before sitting up against the tub by Blitzø’s side. His partner’s eyes flickered open to see what he was doing, and when he noticed the book he leaned up against the side, folded his arms on the edge of the tub and rested his chin on it, “You’re really gonna read to me?” Blitzø asked, a hint of humor in his tired voice.

“Do you not want me to?” Stolas asked as he turned his head to see Blitzø’s face.

“No, I don’t mind.” Blitzø replied then looked up at him, “But if this book has any big fancy words I might interrupt to ask what it means.”

“I don’t mind at all.” Stolas responded with a happy smile as he flipped open the book to the first page.

“And you won’t say anything if it ends up being a stupid one?” He asked a little quieter.

“Absolutely not,” Stolas assured him and kissed the side of his face, “And there are no such things as stupid questions.”

Blitzø laughed, and this one had some light to it, “That sounds like a challenge.” 

Stolas rolled his eyes and lightly chuckled along, “I assure you, dear, it’s really not.” he responded before looking back to the book in his hands, “Are you ready?”

“I haven't been read a story since I was like eight years old.” Blitzø joked before confirming, “I’m ready.” 

High above the city, on a tall column, stood the statue of the Happy Prince. He was gilded all over with thin leaves of fine gold, for eyes he had two bright sapphires, and a large red ruby glowed on his sword-hilt.

He was very much admired indeed. “He is as beautiful as a weathercock,”

Blitzø snorted, “The fuck is a weathercock?” he asked. If Stolas knew his partner, and he knew him fairly well he thought, it wasn’t so much him not knowing the word itself that warranted the question.

“A weathercock is another term for weather vane. It gets its name because it uses the imagery of a rooster, or cock as it’s also known to be called.” He answered, “It’s an architectural ornament used to detect the wind's direction.”

When Blitzø nodded, Stolas continued.

“He is as beautiful as a weathercock,”–

Blitzø chuckled again and Stolas only rolled his eyes fondly before continuing.

–remarked one of the Town Councillors who wished to gain a reputation for having artistic taste; “only not quite so useful,” he added, fearing lest people should think him unpractical, which he really was not.

“Why can’t you be like the Happy Prince?” asked a sensible mother to her little boy who was crying for the moon. “The Happy Prince never dreams of crying for anything.”

“I am glad there is some one in the world who is quite happy,” Muttered a disappointed man as he gazed at the wonderful statue.

“He looks just like an angel,” said the Charity Children as they came out of the cathedral in their bright scarlet cloaks and their clean white pinafores.

“What’s a pinafores?” Blitz interrupted to ask.

“Pinafores is plural for pinafore, which is a garment worn over the clothing of young girls to keep them clean. It’s much like an apron you use in the kitchen, just a little dressier.” Stolas answered happily before continuing with the story. 

As Stolas continued to read out loud, he noticed Blitzø become more and more relaxed, and it wasn’t before long that he’d noticed his partner nodding off. With a soft smile, Stolas closed the book and set it aside, making a mental note of the page number.

He looked so peaceful as he slept, so unburdened by all his worries if only for a moment. Stolas almost felt bad that he had to wake him so he could finally settle down for the night to sleep.

He gently cupped the side of his face, “Dear, it’s time to get out before you become wrinkly like a raisin.” He spoke softly.

Blitzø’s eyes opened sluggishly and he only grunted before sitting up. While he did that, Stolas stood up and grabbed the clean towel off the rack and moved to unplug the drain, “Alright, stand up and I’ll dry you.” He commanded softly.

Blitzø mumbled something unintelligible but did as he was asked, eyes watching the tub water as it drained. 

Stolas started from the top and made his way down, getting to his feet right as the water finished draining, “Do you need help dressing?” Stolas asked.

Blitzø let out a tired laugh, “Nah,” he finally stepped from the tub, “It’s not so hard to do.” He said. His movements and tone of voice told him otherwise, but he was still able to slowly pull his clothes on. 

Once he did, he looked up to Stolas, who was setting the towel back on the rack to dry. When the Goetia noticed his sleepy pout, he smiled because really he was just too cute, “Would you like me to carry you to the couch, my love?” He asked.

It said something about just how sleepy he was, because Blitzø just nodded tiredly and reached his arms up. Without hesitation, he easily scooped his partner into his arms and began to make his way over to the couch. Blitzø’s eyes fluttered closed before he’d even left the bathroom.

Loona was waiting in the kitchen, leaning up against the counter on her phone while she waited for them. Her face shot up from her phone as she watched them leave, and she looked like she wanted to ask something before she noticed Blitzø was out cold in his arms. Stolas gave her a sympathetic smile before quietly mouthing ‘Tomorrow, I promise.’ which seemed to appease her well enough. Her tail wagged, relief on her face to just be able to see her dad was ok. With that, she quietly walked across the apartment and entered her room, knowing exactly where to step to make the least amount of noise on the floorboard as possible. She slowly opened the door and shut it behind her with a quiet click.

Before laying down on the couch, Stolas turned on the fan, grabbed and tossed his pillow in place, then pulled the starry night themed blanket from the back of the couch. Slowly, in an effort not to wake him, Stolas layed down on the couch, damning every creaky spring beneath them, and let Blitzø settle against his chest. 

He draped the blanket over them, but right as he was ready to nod off himself he heard Blitzø mumble something. His eyes opened to look down at his partner and noticed yellow and red eyes looking up at him half lidded, still very tired, but for some reason seeming guilty, “I’m sorry dear, I didn’t catch that.” Stolas responded as he delicately brushed his fingers across his cheek.

Blitzø averted his gaze before turning his head to look at Beleth instead, “I wanted to visit you…” his words were quiet.

Stolas' movements stilled as he looked at him, now very confused, “Whatever do you mean, darling?”

Blitzø was quiet for a moment, long enough to have Stolas wondering if he’d fallen back asleep. But then he took a deep breath and clarified, “When you were in the hospital, after Striker tried to kill you… I wanted to visit you, I should have visited you…” he swallowed thickly, “But I couldn’t…” there was a tremble in his voice.

“It’s ok Blitzø.” Stolas tried to reassure him. When he attempted to touch his face, Blitzø flinched away and buried his face against Stolas’ chest, his fingers bunching up in the blanket.

“It’s really not.” His voice was muffled into the fabric of Stolas’ shirt before turning back out, “You were hurt because of me and that fuckin terrified me. The last time I tried to—“ his breath hitched and he was trembling a little, “Fizz got so hurt because I—“ his voice choked up and he took a moment to steady himself again before trying to continue, “I wanted to see him too, but when I did, my dad told me Fizz didn’t want to see me. I just wanted… but my mom died and I—It’s not like it was the first time he’s hit me but, he was just so fucking angry with me, and Fizz was my best friend. I was so scared that you were… that you would…” he trailed off.

Now very much awake, Stolas sat up, dislodging Blitzø and unintentionally causing him to flinch harder away from him, “Blitzø, please look at me. I need you to see my face when I say this and know that I’m 100% sincere.” Stolas' voice was serious, his heart shattered as he imagined just how bad his situation had been for him. Each flinch away from him broke his heart further. Not because Blitzø believed he would strike him, because he hoped Blitzø knew that he would never, but because he was thinking of the many times his own father had done so. 

Still, Blitzø couldn’t look at him, “I’m so sorry, Stolas. I’m so fucking sorry.”

Stolas couldn’t do this, he couldn’t just sit here and plead with Blitzø to look at him in vein, so he grabbed his face and turned it himself because he needed to hear this now , “Blitzø,” he began, halting for only a moment as he noticed Blitzø’s tears, “What happened to me was not your fault. That whole situation was unfortunate, but Stella had paid for it, and you did what you could.” Blitzø tried to turn away again but Stolas held firm, “Stella called it off right before he was going to kill me, but if you hadn’t sent Moxxie and Millie I would be blind right now at best. But they showed up because you sent them, and because of that I still have my eyes, and I wasn’t left there to bleed out.” 

Blitzø’s eyes widened. Stolas hadn’t noticed that he himself was crying until Blitzø reached up to swipe his thumb through a tear track, “Why are you crying?” His voice was just above a whisper.

“Because I love you so much, and I’m so sorry you thought this whole time that I’ve blamed you for me almost getting killed.” Stolas felt himself choking up.

“I still should have visited you.”

“Blitzø, you were traumatized. At the time I was a little heart broken, sure, but now I understand why you couldn’t. I don’t hold it against you at all, not then, and especially not now.”  

“I should have been there to help…”

“You needed to be there for your daughter .” Stolas countered with a strong emphasis on daughter. He grabbed Blitzø’s hand and held it firmly over his heart, “Blitzø tell me, what do you feel?”

“Your heart beat…” 

“And it would not be there had you not sent I.M.P. to rescue me. I am alive because of you. That is far more than anyone else has done for me.” He took in Blitzø’s expression, still reflecting a childlike fear he’d been holding onto with a vice grip, “So please, darling, stop blaming yourself for that.”

Blitzø gently removed Stolas’ hand from his face, leaned face first into Stolas’ chest, and took a deep, shuddering breath before responding, “I’ll try…”

Stolas wrapped his arms around him and rested his head between his horns, “That’s all I can ask for.” He cooed softly, reassuring as best he could, “Thank you for talking about this with me.” He eventually said when his voice was less strained. And honestly, Blitzø had already confided so much earlier that night, he wasn’t expecting him to be able to address more of his own hurt. He knew there was more, but he was happy that Blitzø trusted him so much with the first confession.

Stolas guided them both back to laying down, snuggly holding Blitzø in his arms, cooing and nuzzling his face into the crown of Blitzø’s head. He may not be able to purr to comfort him like another imp may have been able to provide, but he hoped this would suffice. He wasn’t always so certain he would be enough for Blitzø, there were so many ways he worried he fell short, but he could do this for him at the very least.

“You know,” Stolas said quietly, very proud that he had steady control of his voice again, “I don’t think you understand how important you are to me sometimes. Tonight has been very enlightening, and I am so happy you’ve trusted me with so much.” He finished while absently rubbing his hand up and down Blitzø’s back, brushing over his spines gently.

“I’m just surprised you’re still here.” Blitzø responded in an equally soft voice.

“I meant what I said earlier,” Stolas chuckled softly, “It would take nothing short of death to make me leave your side.”

He heard Blitzø sniffle as he shifted to get comfortable, “You don’t think you’re making a mistake?” He asked.

“Blitzø, darling. I’ve made so many mistakes in my life. Far more than I could ever count.” He pressed a kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head, “Loving you was never one of them.” His hand stilled on his back as he thought for a moment, “One time I thought taking a nap in my garden would be nice and relaxing. I layed out a chair, had some iced tea, and just snoozed for a bit. I woke up 30 minutes later to my foot being gnawed on by one of my vanilla snapper weeds. They smell lovely, but once they bite down they don’t want to let go, and their poison isn’t exactly pleasant either. After about an hour I was able to get it to finally let go, but that leg was asleep for the rest of the day and well into the following one.”

That earned a chuckle from Blitzø before he shifted his head to look at Stolas, “You stayed there for an hour, why didn’t you just kill it? You have like, 800 of them right?”

Stolas mock-gasped, “I would never.” He said as he started rubbing Blitzø’s back again, “Especially for my own stupidity. It was only doing what its instincts told it to. I also couldn’t do another plant funeral that week. Stella already mocked me for the first one when she accidentally knocked it from the window.” He paused for a moment, “But walking with crutches afterwards because I couldn’t walk on my own may have been worse amo.” 

“You held a funeral for a plant?” Blitzø asked, turning so they were stomach to stomach and could make eye contact. His eyes were now wide with curiosity, and likely eager for a lighter change in subject.

Stolas smiled as he moved one of his hands to caress the side of his partner’s face, then gently scratching under his chin eliciting a light purr, “I hold one for all my dead plants.”

Blitzø chuckled, mood much lighter than it had been moments ago, “So you have, like, a plant graveyard at the palace?” He asked as he sat up and straddled Stolas stomach. 

Stolas averted his eyes and chuckled, “It must sound so silly—“ 

Blitzø grabbed his face and looked directly into his eyes, “Stolas that’s literally so fucking cute are you shitting me?”

Stolas blushed as he maintained eye contact, “Oh.” He felt his heart skip a beat and a wider smile graced both their faces, “That’s certainly a different response than I’m used to.” He chuckled softly, opening his arms in a gesture that was an invitation for Blitzø to lay back down and cuddle.

Blitzø accepted the invite and layed back down, nuzzling his face into the crook of Stolas’ neck and sighing contently.

“Now let’s see,” Stolas began as he settled the blanket over them and wrapped his arms back around his partner, “Another mistake I’ve made more times than I care to admit, I’ve added salt to my tea mistaking it for sugar. It happened earlier this week in the office, and I was too embarrassed to admit my mistake and make a new one because there were customers waiting and watching me, so I drank it.” He felt Blitzø chuckle, causing his smile to soften into something more fond, “It was the worst cup of jasmine tea I’ve had in my entire life.” He tacked on, once more absently running his hand up and down Blitzø’s back, brushing down his spines on each downstroke.

“How did you manage that one?” He asked him, face still buried in the feathers on his neck.

“Well, dear, I wasn’t paying attention and thought I grabbed packets of sugar and instead nabbed the salt.” Stolas explained. Had this conversation happened at any other time, he might have been more defensive in admitting that mistake. 

“Silly bird.” Blitzø mumbled fondly, “My silly bird.” 

Stolas’ heart rate increased and his feathers fluffed up at the endearment. He wasn’t just someone’s someone . He was Blitzø’s someone, and he couldn’t imagine a single person more worthy of his love and affection. He cooed happily and he hugged him tighter to his chest and rubbed the side of his face to the top of his partner's head, feeling the spikes on the top of his head lightly dig into his feathers. This action caused Blitzø to purr loudly and wrap his tail around one of Stolas’ legs, the spines of his tail pressing into the inner calf of his other leg.

Stolas paused his movements as a question came to mind. One he’d thought of many times before but never asked when it came to mind as their situation would have made it odd, “Hey Blitzø?”

He heard him hum in response, permitting him to continue.

“I’ve been wondering this for a while now, and I’m sorry if this might be insensitive or inappropriate of me to ask, but I was wondering…” he paused for a moment as he considered how to word this and hoped like hell it wouldn’t be offensive, “I noticed a while ago that your appearance is fairly different from other imps I’ve seen around, and I guess what I mean to ask is, you have spines, no hair, and different eyes and hooves. Is there a reason for that?”

Blitzø was silent for a moment, and as it stretched on long enough, Stolas really did worry he’d gone and offended him. Perhaps this was a taboo topic among imps?

But after a moment, Blitzø sat up and moved to leave the couch, “One second I want to grab my phone.” He reassured Stolas when he saw the worry on his face, “It’s an ok question, you’re fine.”

He watched Blitzø nab his phone from the coffee table and disconnected it from its charger before gesturing for Stolas to sit up a little. When he did, Blitzø settled in his lap and unlocked his phone to go to his photos. Stolas wrapped his arms around Blitzø and watched the screen as Blitzø scrolled through his photo albums to find one labeled ‘ Important’ . Stolas blushed a bit to see quite a few pictures of himself in there, but Blitzø quickly scrolled to the far end of the album. His thumb hesitantly tapped a picture that showed a woman and two kids holding a card that said ‘Happy berth moma’ , it was of his mother, his sister and him.

Blitzø took a moment to take a deep breath before zooming in on her, “This is my mom, Tilla.” he began in as steady of a voice as he could, “She might not look it too much in this picture, but she was half succubus. You can see it in her horns, eyes, pinker skin, and if you saw her in person you’d notice it in her height. Not all succubi have hooves, but the ones who do have ones like mine.” He took a deep breath, “We both also inherited her eyes.” He swiped through a few pictures of him and his sister and Fizzerolli as kids and teens before settling on another family photo, this one including Cash, “And my dad was part shark demon. It’s where we get our lack of hair, and our spines.”

Stolas had met Cash in person once, he recognized him very well, but never once had he seen his mother, let alone known her name. He took in everything about her appearance, then focusing on the pendant around her neck. That’s where Blitzø got it from, a memento of his mother that he took everywhere he went.

“So you aren’t really an imp?” Stolas found himself asking as he continued to look at the picture.

“No, I am.” Blitzø responded, his eyes still on the picture as well.

“Oh, I didn’t mean it like that.” Stolas backpedaled, “You’re a hybrid. Not just an imp.”

Blitzø turned his attention to Stolas’ to see if he was fucking with him, “I mean, in a technical sense, yeah, but there isn’t exactly a spot for others like me in Hell’s cast system. It tends to define us by our lowest ranking heritage. So in a legal setting, I’m only an imp.”

Stolas frowned at that, “I was not aware of this…” he continued to look at the picture, “No matter how high the ranking part of their DNA is, if they’re part imp they’re only defined as such?”

“Yup.” Blitzø responded with a nod.

“So an imp and goetic demon hybrid would just be an imp then, is that right?” He specified, “Or one with a sin?”

“Well, I guess that’s something that would come up if it ever happened. As far as I’m aware, none like that exists.” He replied before looking at Stolas weirdly, “Imp and Goetia is very specific, is there something that you aren’t telling me?” 

“Oh definitely not, Blitzø we couldn’t have a biological child if we even wanted one.” Stolas snorted, “It was just the first dynamic that came to mind given our own situation.”

Blitzø kept giving him a strange look that only had Stolas laughing, “I’m serious, Blitzy. It’s not biologically possible, neither of us has the organs to carry a child. There’s no need to look so serious, I promise my love.”

Blitzø bonked his head to Stolas’ shoulder, “Ok good, we got enough going on, we can’t go mixing a baby into this.”

Briefly Stolas thought about Millie and the announcement the three wanted to make. Surely Blitzø would be fine with that, right?

“I suppose we may find out the answer to our question eventually. Lucifer did marry a sinner a while back. Male or not, Angels are built a bit different .” Stolas added, “Though I feel like a child of the King of Hell is an exception to the rule.”

“And it also wouldn’t be part imp.” Blitzø added, “The rule only really applies to imp hybrids, anything else is just given the higher status of hellborn.”

Stolas brow furrowed, “But Imps are hellborn.” 

Blitzø looked at him with an unreadable expression for a moment. Like he was trying to either figure out if Stolas was stupid or if he himself was the idiot in this situation, “Stolas, I want you to think about that statement real hard. Think about Hell’s hierarchy, and think about how we were treated during our trial.”

When Stolas only gave him a puzzled look as he attempted to connect dots, Blitzø’s expression shifted into one of disbelief, “Stolas, you are so unbelievably smart, but you’re being so unbelievably stupid right now. Is that intentional? Or like, should we get you to a doctor and get your head checked out?”

“Blitzø, I can assure you I am not meaning to sound stupid, I truly do not understand.” And he was being honest. Sure imps were seen as lower hellborn, but they were still hellborn? Was he somehow mistaken? 

“Ok, alright. Let’s take this back to basic Hell’s hierarchy then and we can move from there.” Blitzø settled, “The lowest point of that is hellhounds and imps. That’s an entirely individual rung in the ladder. We’re so low on the totem pole we aren’t even considered significant enough to be grouped in with the rest of all Hellborn. The same way your status marks you a three rungs higher than hellborn, except that’s done to express a larger importance. We're seen as good for nothing but doing dangerous and shitty jobs nobody else wants to do. Despite all hellborn being immortal, the mortality rate for imps is higher than that of sinners on extermination day. All of us were born down here, but only the middle class and up are given the liberty of basic rights and decency. Do you follow?”

Stolas nodded, feeling a little bit stupid as he remembered the fight they’d gotten into on the full moon, and the way Blitzo lashed out at him.

“Good.” He continued, “And I’m sure you’ve watched the entirety of the trial at this point?”

“A few times, yes.” Stolas nodded again.

“Did you notice how quickly almost everyone was jumping on the train of just killing us so they could move on with their day?” He asked, “Had we been a rung higher on that ladder, we would have gotten a fair trial. Instead they decided a few minutes in that we weren’t worth the time of actually having a chance to defend ourselves. It would have been easier to kill us and move on with their day, and our deaths would have meant nothing to the rest of Hell. It would have just been a small article in some shitty newspaper at best that people would overlook, and nothing in Hell would have changed. Our executions were going to be broadcasted all across the seven rings to remind imps of their place in that system.”

Stolas frowned as he remembered everything from his perspective, having assumed he would be executed himself when he shouldered the blame; only to be laughed at because it was so ludicrous to imagine a royal being executed over something like that. 

‘Your life has actual worth.’

“I… I see. I’m sorry.” Stolas spoke quietly as he processed everything. 

He felt a hand on his face and averted his gaze, “Stols…” Blitzø said softly, “Look at me?” He asked.

Stolas was too lost in his own shame to bring himself to make eye contact, and squawked as he felt Blitzø’s hand firmly grip his chin and turn his head to face him, “Stolas.” He said a bit more seriously, “I know I was an asshole when we had our first fight, but I’m sorry. I know this is kind of a lot, and I know your ignorance wasn’t done on purpose. That’s just the system working as intended.” 

“It doesn’t make it right though…” Stolas mumbled.

“Maybe not, but again, that’s the system working as intended.” Blitzø responded, “And I mean, for what it’s worth, you had no problems breaking from that system for me. Without that, the business I run wouldn’t be what it is today. We wouldn’t have made history as the first imps to get out of a sentence to death by Satan himself.” 

“Well yes, but that does not mean I have to like it…”

Blitzø just snorted, “You and me both, big bird.” 

They fell quiet for a bit longer, Stolas looking back and the family photo on Blitzø’s screen when something else occurred to him. “Dear, could you go back to that first picture please?” 

Without saying anything, Blitzø swiped back to the first picture for him.

“May I?” He asked as he held out his hand, asking if he could hold his phone. Blitzø passed it to him, still quiet as his eyes followed the screen. Stolas lightly tapped the screen to see the timestamp this was taken, and something in his heart stilled.

April 2, 1994

“Today is her birthday.” Stolas said aloud, albeit not intentionally. Blitzø and Barbie were 5 years old in this picture.

“No,” Blitzø shook his head, “It’s Barbie’s.” He corrected, “The card was just a family joke we started.”

Stolas looked at the photograph for a moment, each eye blinking individually while he processed the information.

“Blitzø you’re twins!” Stolas whisper yelled in absolute befuddlement, “It’s your birthday too—why didn’t you tell me?—“ he felt light headed as his ran his free hand through his head feathers and his brain connected the dots: cupcakes, sisters pictures flipped, horse plushies, being upset about the trial— “Ahhhhg of course you wouldn’t—but I— fuck Blitzø I am so sorry!” He fretted as he let Blitzø take his phone back and closed it to the lock screen.

“No, my birthday was yesterday.” Blitzø responded quietly, eyes fixed on Beleth who had opened an eye to see what the commotion was about.

“And that makes this better??? What do you mean it was yesterday?” 

“I was born at 11:56pm, Barbie was born at 12:12am. I’m an April fools baby.” Blitzø explained as he nervously fidgeted with his hands and looking in any direction that wasn't Stolas.

In one fell swoop, Stolas lifted Blitzø up by under his armpits so they could see eye to eye, “ Blitzø Fredric Buckso I love you so much, but what the fuck ?”

That got Blitzø to look at him in confusion, “That’s not my middle name.” He said lamely as he just hung there limply like a wet towel.

“I know it’s not, but this is a moment where a middle name is necessary. ” Stolas responded, “I understand if you did or didn’t want a birthday celebration, but why wouldn’t you have at least told me?” He asked.

“I didn’t think it mattered…” he mumbled and looked down.

“ You matter, Blitzø. You matter so unbelievably much to me , to Loona, Moxxie and Millie .” he continued, “We all love you so much, these are things that aré important to us .”

“I just didn’t think it was that important.” ‘I didn’t think I was that important.’ Was the real statement, and Stolas could read on him plain as day.

“Ok to quote you from the other day, ‘let me be selfish’ if this doesn’t matter to you, then let it be important because it matters to me.”  

Blitzø looked up at him, his expression fragile, “Are you mad at me?” He asked, at this point Blitzø was just too tired to cry. He’d cried so much that day already, he was all cried out.

Stolas set him down and hugged him, hand gently caressing the back of his head and just held him, “No, never.” He replied, “I’m just saddened.” He pressed a kiss to Blitzø’s shoulder through the fabric of his shirt, “Dear, I love you so much I cannot even find the words to properly express it.” He felt Blitzø’s arms wrap around him hesitantly, “For you right now, yesterday might not matter. But for me it’s the day that one of the most important people in my life was brought into this world.” 

“I’m sorry…” Blitzø mumbled.

“You don’t need to apologize, darling. I’m sorry for my reaction.” Stolas responded as he held him tighter, “I will not tell others if you do not wish for them to know, but it’s getting marked in my calendar.” He pulled away and cupped the sides of his face, “And perhaps I’ll get a little something for my favorite guy.”

That earned him a small smile as Blitzø brought one of his hands up and placed it over one of Stolas’, interlocking their fingers and bringing his palm to his lips and pressed a kiss to it before replying, “You kind of already did.”

Stolas tilted his head to the side in question, “How do you mean?” 

He cleared his throat before giving him a cheeky smile before doing his best impression of Stolas’ voice, “I cannot speak on behalf of Blitzø, but I love him, and I’m proud—“ 

Stolas unfurled his fingers and enveloped his face before playfully pushing him away, “Oh hush you, I do not sound like that.” that earned him a light guffaw, “Those were just honest words, I would like to do something a little more.”

“But they were important words.” Blitzø replied, as he gestured for Stolas to lay back down, “I was too in my own head, I needed to hear them.” He sounded tired, but not really upset as his second wind died down and the gravity of today's emotions set in again. 

Stolas opened his arms for him and Blitzø climbed back on top, his tail curling around one of Stolas’ legs once again as Stolas draped the blanket back over them, “I know, dear.” He said, pressing a kiss to the top of his head, “But I think I know just the thing to get you.” He spoke fondly. As a plan formed in his mind, of which he was actually fairly excited. It wouldn’t break his bank account, just something simple that had him happy Millie texted him that article, “I love you, now go to sleep, darling.” He cooed softly to help lull his partner into a comfortable sleep.

Once more, though, before they truely fell asleep Blitzø spoke again, “You have a pretty voice.” He mumbled before closing his eyes again and settling down with his face resting in the plumage of his chest, “I love you.” He said quieter, and passed out right after. 

He was purring lightly. 

Stolas was now wide awake, blushing profusely and heart racing so fast he worried it might wake him. He’d heard that correct, right? Not a figment of his own imagination? Had Blitzø just told him that he loved him? Then fell asleep before he even had the time to process it? 

Stolas smiled wide as he watched the steady rise and fall of his partner's chest. Then because he could, he leaned down and pressed a feather light kiss to the top of Blitzø’s head and spoke softly, “I love you too, Blitzø. Sweet dreams, my love.” He replied, even though he couldn’t hear him.

Eventually, Stolas drifted off to sleep, happy that things today had worked out as well as they had, and even happier that he knew he would wake once more holding his darling Blitzy in his arms.

He did not hear his phone buzz on the coffee table as a text came through.

VoxMessage

Via

Via:

Hey dad, when you have a moment can we talk? 

April 3 at 12:12 AM

Find me on Tumblr!

Songs I listened to while writing this chapter:

Up the Wolves (The Mountain Goats)

Between the Bars (Chris Gerneau)

Here Comes a Thought (Annapantsu)

Monsters (Katie Sky)

18th Floor Balcony (Blue October)

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Chapter Text

Wakefulness came slowly to Stolas the following morning, feeling more well rested than he had in months with his boyfriend curled up on his chest. Boyfriend. At this point that was what they were, right? Calling Blitzø his partner sufficed, sure, but boyfriend just sounded more official. Maybe he wouldn’t say it out loud just yet. But after everything they went through yesterday, and Blitzø telling him that he loves him in actual words? He couldn’t see them as anything short of it. 

He hoped Blitzø remembered telling him that. He hoped Blitzø would tell him it again. 

With a giddy little flutter of his heart, Stolas hugged Blitzø a little tighter in his arms and nuzzled his face against the top of his head. He felt his boyfriend lightly purr as he stretched out in his arms, and he nuzzled his face up underneath Stolas’ chin. It was still early morning, and even though they had a busy work schedule that day, he decided that after all the stress of yesterday he could allot themselves this extra time. 

He ran his hands up and down Blitzø’s back, cooing happily as he felt his partner’s purr grow louder and he relaxed further into his touch like puddy. He felt Blitzø’s tail twitch before finally unwrapping from around one of Stolas’ legs and stretching, “Hmmmm, pretty bird.” He mumbled against the side of his neck and shifted enough to dislodge one of his arms to reach up and pet his face, “My pretty bird.” 

Stolas chuckled as Blitzø’s hand absently patted down his face, from forehead to chin, repeatedly, “Good morning my love.” 

“Shhhhh, not morning.” Blitzø shushed him and patted him two more times before retracting his hand to nestle into Stolas’ arms more snugly, then pulled the blanket around them tighter, “If it’s morning we need to get up.”

Stolas looked out the window, the sky’s color shifting into that shade it took on just before the sun rose. They were already falling behind schedule, as Blitzø at this point would have been up and making coffee approximately 30 minutes ago.

Instead of fretting over that, Stolas decided to let them both indulge in cuddling for a little bit longer. They did have a very busy day today, but surely a few more minutes would be ok. Stolas turned his head enough to kiss Blitzø’s forehead, and his heart melted as he looked at the blissful expression he found there. The tip of his tongue was sticking out just a little, he had a relaxed little smile, and his eyes were closed. The purring was just frosting on the cake as he relaxed further in his arms.

Stolas was positively smitten with this man. 

The sound of Loona’s door opening caught his attention as he looked from his boyfriend’s face to make eye contact. Any other day, she would have usually reacted at least a little bit negatively to them being openly sappy around her, but today she just smiled and rolled her eyes before making her way to the bathroom. It was very apparent she was just relieved to see her father not as depressed and sullen as he had been the morning prior. 

As the door shut behind her, Stolas shifted a little to try and wake Blitzø so they could get on with their routine, “My love, we must be getting up now. It is getting light out and we need to be leaving in an hour.” 

Blitzø only grumbled a little more and hunkered down further in his arms, “Nooooooo….” He wined.

Stolas chuckled at his response, kissing his forehead again, “You are so cute when you are being obstinate.” He kissed him again, “But really, my love. We must be getting up.”

When Blitzø made no indication of getting up, Stolas moved them both to pick him up and cradle him in his arms before getting off the couch. 

“Cruel.” Blitzø mumbled against his chest as Stolas walked to the dining table to place him in a chair, “So mean. Straight to jail.” He continued to complain as the blanket he’d been adamantly holding on to slipped away from him. It was a rather charming role reversal of how their Saturdays typically started off.

“Straight to jail you say?” Stolas asked in a teasing manner as he placed Blitzø down in the chair, “How long am I in for?” 

His partner's fingers held the collar of his shirt in a vice grip so he couldn’t pull away, “I don’t know, I haven’t thought that far yet.” He said with a bit more wakefulness.

Stolas only laughed as he was held in place so they could make eye contact, “Is this house arrest?”

“Maybe.” Blitzø responded but still refused to let his shirt go. Stolas smiled as he tilted his head forward to press their lips together, earning himself a surprised but happy trill from his boyfriend. He felt Blitzø’s grip on his shirt tighten and pulled him closer, and Stolas allowed him to deepen the kiss. He let him enjoy the kiss for a moment longer before enacting his plan.

Knowing full well of Blitzø’s stubbornness, Stolas used the distracting kiss to his advantage and pulled away quickly to free himself of his shirt in one quick motion. He chuckled as he walked around the half wall and into the kitchen to start a pot of coffee as his partner processed what just happened.

Blitzø just looked up at the space his partner had just been in seconds ago, one eye blinking at a time before looking at the shirt in his hands, “What the fuck?” His head swiveled around to find where Stolas had gone, and was rewarded with the sight of the Goetic demon standing shirtless in the kitchen fiddling with the container of coffee grounds, “What the fuck?” He repeated.

Stolas snickered as he measured out 7 scoops into the filter in the machine and filled the coffee pot with water.

Loona stepped out of the bathroom and entered the kitchen, not saying anything about a shirtless Stolas going about his business. She rifled through the fridge, grabbed a gallon of milk, looked at the expiration date, sniffed it and deemed it as acceptable enough for a bowl of cereal. 

As he set the coffee maker to brew, he felt something, or more so someone , climb up his back and peek over his shoulder, “That was rude.” Blitzø complained as he wrapped his arms around Stolas’ shoulders and hung there.

Stolas chuckled and patted his face, “There, there. It was done with love, dear. You need your coffee before we leave.”

“Ah yes, pre-game it before we hit the road.” Blitzø acquiesced, “No jail time.” He paused before adding on, “Yet.”

“Parole it is then?” Stolas asked as he went to fetch three mugs from the cabinets, two for coffee and one for the chamomile tea Loona drank most mornings. Taking it one step further, he turned one of the burners on and moved the full kettle to it.

“Parole.” His boyfriend nodded before sliding down his back before making his way to the bathroom, “Be back, I gotta piss like a racehorse.”

Loona finished making her bowl of cereal and put the milk carton back in the fridge, then leaned up against the wall opposite of Stolas while she began to eat. It was a more comfortable silence than it had been yesterday morning. His own stomach growled, reminding him that he hadn’t actually eaten a single thing yesterday aside from the cake pop and the lunch Millie insisted that he eat. 

It dawned on him at the same time that he’d forgotten about the takeout he put in the microwave just last night before they had the talk. Quickly he rushed to take out the container from the appliance and binned it before he forgot again. Loona said nothing, either not giving a damn about food getting left out to spoil in the microwave, or just understanding that nobody really had their heads on right yesterday and this was a byproduct of that. 

“You planning on going to work like that?” She asked after she swallowed a spoonful of Pup Crunch.

It then fully occurred to him that he was standing shirtless in the kitchen, and he should really be getting dressed because they were still very much running late, “Oh, I should be getting dressed, now shouldn't I?” 

Although he couldn’t really change into his day clothes while Blitzø was occupying the bathroom, he could still get them together. He pushed off the counter and went to rifle through Blitzø and his shared dresser, he nabbed out something that was a little more fitting for what Millie had in mind as far as training between clients today was concerned.

Stolas settled on a black, high neck, sleeveless sweater that had a cut across the front for his chest feathers, and a pair of plain burgundy pants that were a bit less restricting than what he wore yesterday. While he was at it, he nabbed clothing for Blitzø, who had multiple of the same shirts and pants for work. When Blitzø set foot out of the bathroom, Stolas only ushered him back in so they could get dressed.

“It’ll be quicker this way.” He explained as he shut the door behind them, “We are running late, you know.” He tagged on, as if this wasn’t entirely an excuse to see his boyfriend strip down. Which it absolutely wasn’t done for that reason–but if it was , it was done so respectfully of course. 

“Ahuh.” Blitzø responded as he stripped down to his underwear and grabbed his shirt, “Absolutely the only reason.” He said in playful sarcasm as Stolas did the same, “That’s a new outfit.” He stated as he watched Stolas pull on the black sweater.

“Ah, yes. Well I figured this would be more practical for today.” Stolas supplied, “I found that my clothing yesterday was rather ill suited for training with Millie.” He finished as he flattened out the fabric down his torso.

Blitzø looked up at him oddly, “Training with Millie?” he asked as he pulled his pants up and buttoned it.

“I thought I mentioned it to you last night?” Stolas asked, “Though I understand if you didn’t really process what I had said at the time. It’s a long story, but Loona is having Millie train me in self defense.” He didn’t want to hop into the full reasoning being the potential for Stella to send another assassin his way some time soon. It could be brought up later, he just wanted Blitzø to have a little more time to be worry free is all.

“Ah, that sounds like a good plan actually.” Blitzø responded, “I don’t know why I didn’t think of that yet.”

“She’s certainly not going easy on me, but I suppose it’s for the best.”

“Yeah, that sounds like Mills.” Blitzø replied as he finished getting dressed, “While you do your makeup I’ll get our coffee situated.” He added before smacking Stolas lightly on the ass, then leaving the bathroom.

Stolas only chuckled as he pulled out his makeup bag to get his eye liner out. For someone with an apparent twig ass, there sure was enough of it for that at least. It didn’t take very long for him to get his eyes done, and soon followed suit and exited the bathroom. 

While Blitzø finished making their coffee, Stolas went and grabbed his phone off the coffee table. When he lifted it, the screen turned on and he froze. Awaiting him was a text from Via, ten words written across the notifications tab.

“Oh—oh lords—“ he found himself fumbling to get a grip on the device as he nearly dropped it in surprise, “Fuck—shit—fuck—“ he cursed hastily in his panic to maintain his hold of the device with shaking hands. He didn’t even take a moment to question how his daughter even got his new number, too nervous and excited and scared all at the same time to think about it.

“Is everything ok?” He heard Blitzø ask from the kitchen.

“Via—it’s Via she sent me a text last night!” 

“Oh shit!” Blitzø responded, setting the coffee mugs down on the dining table and going over to him, “Is it a good text?” He asked as he rested his hand on Stolas’ thigh and looked up at him.

“She wants to talk.” Stolas replied, “I—I think that’s good?” He sounded optimistic as the initial shock wore off, “Blitzø do you think we have enough time for me to talk with her before we leave if she wants to?”

“We’ll make the time, don’t worry birdy.” He gave him a reassuring pat, “Focus on your daughter, I’ll go make a call to M and M.” The imp nabbed his own phone off the coffee table and walked out to the fire escape, where Loona was currently having her morning smoke.

VoxMessage

Via

Sat, April 3 at 12:12 AM

Via:

Hey dad, when you have a moment can we talk? 

April 3 at 12:12 AM

Sat, April 3 at 7:56 AM

Stolas:

Hello Via, I am so sorry I did not see this last night. 

Of course we can talk, whenever is most 

convenient for you dear. I hope things are well with 

you these past few months, and I look forward to 

hearing from you.

April 3 at 7:56 AM

Read

Almost as soon as he sent that text, his phone began to ring, and almost as soon as it began to ring he answered the call.

“Hello Via, again I am so sorry—“

“Why didn’t you love mother?” She asked bluntly, “Why were you so unhappy living here?” 

Stolas froze. 

“Via I… I’m so sorry I…” he felt himself begin to panic, absentmindedly tugging at his feathers and curling in on himself while he started to pace around the apartment. There was no ‘Hello dad.’ she just went right into perhaps the most difficult question she could have ever asked, “I’m so sorry Via, I don’t know what to say, or how to…” he fretted, not noticing he’d begun plucking feathers from the arm holding his phone in his stress, “I don’t want to lie—I won’t lie! But I…”

“Don’t want to tell the truth.” He could hear the frown in her voice and it crushed him.

“No, no not that, I promise I truly do—“ he pulled out a chair at the dining table and sat as he felt himself getting a bit dizzy, “It’s just… I don’t want you to… You’re still a child and I don’t want to burden you with things you shouldn’t have to deal with. I—I don’t have the words…”

“You said that at Loo Loo land. All this time and you still don’t? I’m a child who’s dealt with the repercussions of all of this, dad . I deserve to fucking know.” She snapped.

This wasn’t going anywhere near where he had thought it would. Why was she asking this all of a sudden, and why was she contacting him over his former marriage with her mother?

Stolas’ breath hitched and he realized he was teetering on the edge of a full blown panic attack, “I’m so sorry Via, I’m so, so sorry…” he’d really gone and fucked it up. Even when he thought he was being a good father, he’d failed to notice this growing resentment, “My darling Via I do not know how to even tell you this…”

“You don’t know? Or just don’t want to?” She asked, voice wavering and upset.

“Via, your mother and I, we were—It was arranged since we were 13. Neither of us were happy, or I guess in her case she was… not for the right reasons. I don’t want to drive a wedge between you and your mother, and I don’t know how to say any of this without potentially isolating you from the one parent who is still living with you…” 

The other line was silent for a long moment. A long agonizing moment before he heard her crying softly and his heart shattered.

“Via I am so sorry, my owlet I am so sorry. You’re right, I ruined it and broke our family and I am so sorry— please dear I am so sorry…” he repeated as he felt his hands begin to tremble again. He was powerless to do anything to comfort his daughter who was crying and it was all his fault, “I’m so sorry, I’ll tell you what you want to know in the best way that I can.” 

He wondered for a moment if this was how Blitzø felt last night. 

As if on cue, Blitzø opened the fire escape door and cautiously peeked in to see if he was still on the phone. Immediately Stolas turned his head towards him. He had no idea how bad he looked right now, but it was enough to have his boyfriend quietly walking over to him and grabbing his free hand. 

What Stolas failed to notice up until this point was the amount of feathers he’d pulled from his own forearm until Blitzø had intervened. Clumps of dusty gray and black feathers were all across his lap and scattered over the floor in his wake. His arm now had a sizable bald spot around his wrist and he was bleeding a bit, but not dangerously so.

Blitzø didn’t say anything, but instead sat up on the table next to him and continued to hold that hand; both to stop him from continuing to pluck, and to try and support him. Support which Stolas was immensely grateful for as the talk had not gone where he’d hoped it would have.

“Well?” He heard her ask in a harsh whisper. On her end, he heard a door open and close.

Stolas took a deep breath to calm himself down before he spoke, “In truth, your mother and I were arranged to be wed when I was 13. Your mother never loved me, and nothing I ever did was good enough for her. I was unhappy because she treated me very poorly,” physically and verbally abused me, “and she took satisfaction from that mistreatment. Your mother was happy before Blitzø came back into my life because I was unhappy , and she only grew unhappy in our marriage when I began to feel better about myself because of him. I tried to love her, Via truly I did. I tried to be friends and make nice so you could have a better childhood than I…but I fucked up…” Stolas squeezed Blitzø’s hand as he took in a shuddering breath, “Even after I knew I was… I tried so hard Via, but there’s something wrong with me , and I couldn’t love her the way a man should love a woman. I wish I could say that was why Stella treated me the way she had, that would be so much easier to understand. But she just took glee in it, and half the parties she threw at the palace were to shame me for it publicly, to embarrass me to the rest of the Geotia for something I had no control over.” The line was silent for a moment, “I am so sorry I could not shield you from it, and I’m so sorry you were an innocent victim to our situation. None of this is an excuse, and it cannot magically fix anything that I have done, but on the seven rings I swear it to be true, I promise you Via.” 

Swearing on the seven rings wasn’t something to be taken lightly, something as serious as selling your soul to another. To do so in a dishonest manner would result in death to any demon guilty of such an act.

But Stolas was still here, breathing, alive, healthy and fine. Because he did not lie, he told his daughter the truth about their relationship. She had asked a difficult question that was brutal for 8am, and he’d given her the honest, albeit minor censored truth. 

“Via?” He asked after a long silent moment between them, “My starfire, I am so sorry… I did not want you finding out any of this, especially not in this manner.”

“I’m sorry too, dad.” Her voice was hardly a whisper as she began to cry again, “I have to go…” she said before he heard the three beeps that told him he’d been hung up on. He just continued to hold the phone where it was, now absently staring at the wall trying to process what just happened. 

He felt his hand be squeezed, “Ok Stols, take a deep breath and try to calm down.” Blitzø hopped off the table, took Stolas' phone and placed it on the table, then gently grabbed his wrists, “Come on, big breath in and hold it.” He said calmly as he raised their hands. Stolas took a deep breath and held it for a moment, “And out.” Stolas breathed out as Blitzø lowered their hands, “What did she say?”

“She wanted to know why I didn’t love Stella, and why I was unhappy living at the palace.” He said quietly, like a husk of his former self.

“Oh.” his boyfriend lightly squeezed his hands again before letting go, “Wait here, I’ll go get the first aid kit.” Blitzø said befor he quickly sprinted to the bathroom to fetch it from the closet. 

“Fuck–” Blitzø cursed, followed shortly by the sound of bottles falling over in that direction and something else hitting the floor before his boyfriend left the bathroom.

“Are you alright?” Stolas asked as Blitzø set the metal first aid box on the table next to him and unlatched the lid. Its old rusted hinges gave out an ear splitting screatch as the lid finally settled.

“Oh, yeah don’t worry about it. The box got caught on a towel and I may or may not have just cleared an entire shelf in the closet, but I’ll clean that up when we get home.” He said dismissively as he pulled out disinfectant, gauze and medical tape and paused looking at the roll, “Wait, shit. Would this pull out your feathers if I wrap it around your wrist?” He asked before setting it back into the box and instead nabbed compression tape, “Still a little sticky, but will come off easier.” He decided.

Stolas just watched as Blitzø dug through the box, and held out his wrist when his boyfriend reached out for it, “This’ll sting.” He warned as he soaked a cloth napkin in disinfectant before pressing it to the bleading skin. He didn’t even flinch at the sharp sting. Everything felt distant. He still wasn’t sure how to feel about his phone call.

Blitzø was careful as he cleaned up the blood seeping up from the holes where some of his feathers were previously situated. His black blood stained the yellow, horseshoe covered cloth, likely ruining the fabric. 

Distantly, he felt bad about that.

After a moment, Stolas finally spoke, “Why did she have to ask about that?” He asked to no one in particular.

“She’s still upset.” Blitzø said plainly as he set the stained cloth aside and pressed the square of gauze to the now cleaned, damaged skin.

“Of course…” he said distantly, “I don’t know what I was expecting. I guess I understand why she would want to know. I never wanted her to find out, but I suppose that was just wishful thinking… I could have handled that better.”

“No, no. It was a shitty question to press you on out of the blue at—“ Blitzø looked over at his phone, “8am.” He continued as he began to wrap the compression tape carefully around Stolas wrist, “She’s just angry. She’s lashing out because trust was broken. It sucks right now, and she’ll likely do it again before it’ll get better. But… This is at least the first step towards it sucking less in, like, the future and shit.” 

“You sound so sure of that.” Stolas’ voice was quiet and unsure.

“That’s because I am.” He confirmed, “I’ve been kind of in your shoes before. Loona had trust problems when I first adopted her, understandably so, and when she was Via’s age she pulled a few cheap shots and said some things that hurt, like, a lot .” Blitzø took a moment as he used his teeth to cut the tape, “Over time though, things got better.” he continued as he pressed the end of the tape against Stolas’ wrist, “Via, well right now she’s going through more than normal kids her age do. She doesn’t know how to feel, her brain hasn’t even fully formed yet. But I promise you Stolas,” he shifted his attention from his wrist to make eye contact with his boyfriend, “Things will get better. I know it because she wouldn’t have reached out to you in any way if she didn’t still care.” 

Stolas pulled his bandaged arm to his chest and absently rubbed it, “I’m sorry…”

Blitzø’s expression softened and he reached up to cup Stolas’ face in his hands, “Don’t be.” he responded as he gently brushed his thumb across his cheek. After a moment, he pulled him in for a small kiss before pulling back away, “It’ll be ok.” 

It grounded him.

Stolas reached a hand up to lace their fingers together before quickly pressing a kiss to the palm of Blitzø’s hand, “Thank you Blitzø.” He mumbled against the skin before moving the hand back to his cheek, “I love you.”

Blitzø blushed and averted his eyes for a moment before responding, “I love you, too.”

Stolas pulled his boyfriend into a hug and buried his face in the crook of his neck, cooing softly for a moment. Blitzø said it again. As crestfallen as he was after the phone call with his daughter, this was a little light in the dark. Blitzø returned the hug and rubbed reassuring circles on his back, purring lightly to comfort him. 

The door to the fire escape opened as Loona re-entered the apartment, “Are you ok?” she asked. Stolas wasn’t certain who she had asked that too, but he let Blitzø go to look over at her. He noticed her attention on the floor around him, then looked down to see just how many feathers he’d plucked.

“Oh…” There were far more feathers all over the place than he’d initially seen. Dusty gray and black feathers lay scattered across his lap and all over the floor following the path in which he paced. He couldn’t even comprehend plucking that badly, the floor looking as though he’d gone into a molt, “I’m sorry…”

“Don’t be.” Loona dismissed it, “We can clean this up when we get home.” She looked at the mugs on the table, “You guys might want to drink that quickly. We need to leave, like, right now.”

Stolas looked over at the mugs as well, which sat on the table now surrounded by medical wrappers that Blitzø had yet to clean, “Ah, right.” He grabbed his mug and in one go quickly poured the coffee down his throat, which had long since gone cold after sitting untouched for a while.

Loona looked at him in disturbed surprise, “How did you just pour that down your throat?”

Stolas blinked up at her and paused as he tried to think of a non-TMI way to explain that the reason he could do that was by deepthroating her fathers cock, “I just kind of open my throat and pour it in.” He settled on hoping she wouldn’t press further on the subject. 

Thankfully she didn’t press him and accepted the explanation at face value. Blitzø on the other hand gave him a mischievously knowing look before chugging his own coffee in a more normal manner.

Loona grabbed the keys off the hook by the door and waited patiently for them, pulling her phone out and beginning to type something out. 

His boyfriend slammed the cup down, grabbed Stolas’ hand, and helped him up. The trip to the van was quick, and despite the setbacks of that morning they were staying surprisingly right on time to pick up Sallie May, M and M; who like yesterday came out of the apartment and ran up to the van almost as soon as it parked out front.

Just the same as yesterday, Millie eagerly threw open the door and yelled, “Good mornin! Thought you guys were gonna be late, at least we don’t gotta portal to Hellbucks and back when we get in.”

Loona took note of the three Imps filing in and decided to climb over the back of the chairs to sit in the very back of the car so none of them were uncomfortably crammed in an area made for three. 

It wasn’t exactly the safest since there were no actual seats back there, and he could see there was some concern on his boyfriend’s face as he thought about objecting, but he ultimately decided against it. Stolas reached over and grabbed his hand, giving it a brief and reassuring squeeze before letting go. Blitzø’s tail instead followed it and loosely wrapped around his uninjured wrist, causing Stolas to smile dumbly and turn to look out the window at the traffic passing by. After a moment, Stolas raised the arm and pressed a kiss to one of the white spots on it, and chuckled as it tightened around his arm with the tip now resting in his palm. 

Millie scooted over to sit behind Stolas and smiled brightly to see Blitzø in the driver's seat, “Also Blitzø! I hope you don’t mind my sister joining us today, when we get into the office would you mind if we had a talk?” She asked.

Blitzø jolted and looked at Millie in the rear view mirror as she settled behind Stolas, “Oh, ah sure no problem.” He confirmed and blushed faintly as Stolas ran his thumb absantly against the tip of his tail, “I hope you know I plan on putting you to work if you’re coming in.” He said as he redirected his attention to Sallie May who had just settled in the seat behind him. 

“Already planned on it.” She confirmed as she buckled herself in, “Had a blast yesterday.”

Blitzø looked mildly surprised, “Yesterday?” He asked before he pulled out into traffic.

“Did Stolas not mention it?” Moxxie asked as he pulled out his phone to open up the Hellbucks app.

“I did when we got in.” Stolas answered, “But he was a bit preoccupied at that moment, so that is on me for not addressing it further.” He chose preoccupied as opposed to what it really was so as not to draw attention to his boyfriend's prior tank in mental health. 

“Oh, I think I remember that actually.” Blitzø said before tacking on, “Vaguely.” 

“But no matter. Sallie May was very effective yesterday. There was even some extra time for lunch.” Stolas added, trying to make the idea of having her as a permanent addition to the team seem sweeter, “No doubt her and Millie are cut from the same cloth.” 

Moxxie passed his phone to Stolas, “Here, you can add in your order.” He said.

“Oh, thank you Moxxie.” Stolas took it and quickly added in his usual, “Same as always, dear?” He asked Blitzø, already adding in his order knowing full well the answer would likely be a yes.

“Alright alright!” Blitze grinned as he briefly looked at Sallie May in the mirror, “Love the enthusiasm.” He continued before tilting his head towards Stolas, “And yes Stols, thank you.”

Stolas smiled and gave the tip of his tail a quick kiss before passing the phone back to Moxxie. 

As Moxxie took his phone, he paused when he noticed Stolas’ bandaged arm, “Is your wrist ok?” He asked with genuine worry in his voice. 

Millie looked over to see what he was talking about and looked guilty, “Oh, was I too rough yesterday?” She asked, “Did your wrist get sprained?” She reached over and grabbed his arm to inspect it.

Stolas held back a wince as she accidentally put pressure on the still sore bald spot, “Oh, no no, it was something stupid I did this morning. You were perfectly fine yesterday.” He reassured her, “Compression tape doesn't stick to my feathers as bad as regular medical tape.” 

“Yeah no, it’s nothing on you. He burned his arm using the kettle.” Loona cut in and lied as she peeked over the back seat, “No need to worry, he’s still good for training. Just be careful with that arm today.” Stolas was immensely grateful for the lie and redirect. He didn’t want others knowing he’d talked with Via, and more so how it went poorly enough that he plucked for the first time in years. In this state he unfortunately didn’t regrow them as quickly as he had before his banishment. 

“What did you guys do that could have hurt his wrist?” Blitzø asked as he looked at Millie in the mirror while they were stopped in traffic.

“Oh don’t worry, just the basics of hand to hand self defense stuff.” She replied as she let Stolas take his arm back, “I’m bein as gentle as I can be, I know he’s not as durable as an imp.”

“Ok, just continue to be gentle then. The goal is for self defense, not training him to go out in the field.” Blitzø nodded.

A car beeped impatiently behind them as traffic began to move again, and without hesitation Blitzø rolled the window down, flipped them off and shouted, “Fuck off!” before continuing forward. 

“Durable as an imp?” Stolas asked, unsure how to take that one.

“We might not have a lot goin for us, but if we can thank Satan for one thing it would be our ability to handle pain and injury.” Sallie May responded as she lowered her window and stuck her hand out, opening her fingers to feel the wind pass through them, “I mean, we gotta be. Else our purpose would be hard to fulfill.”

“Oh yeah.” Moxxie added.

“Blitzø and I kicked each other's asses the night he recruited me,” Millie chuckled, “Ruined a decent bar down in Envy, but I’d do it again.” She snickered. 

“I’m a little disappointed the knife didn’t leave a scar, would have been cool as fuck.” Blitzø responded as he pulled into the Hellbucks parking lot, “Guess you’ll have to try harder next time Mills.” 

“Knife?” Stolas pressed with mounting concern. 

“Yeah, threw it at his head, skimmed the side of his face just under his eye.” Millie supplied, like that was just a normal thing to do to a friend.

“Ok, alright, yes.” Stolas started off, “Throwing knives at each other's heads, kicking each other's asses and trashing a bar is just casual news, but when I mention how my wife hired a hitman once to kill me it’s suddenly a big deal?” He asked, fairly miffed at the spectacle he’d created just yesterday when compared to the news he was receiving just now.

“Well, yeah?” Moxxie responded, “One is done with respect, and the other was genuinely to kill.”

“A knife was thrown at Blitzø’s head. How is that so different from an attempted assassination?” 

“Let's put it this way,” Millie said as she placed her hand on Stolas’ shoulder, “The knife thrown wasn’t actually meant to kill, and the fight was on equal ground. Stella hirin a hitman to kill you was not a fight on equal ground and there was the actual intent of killin you. And as you are now? That fight wouldn’t be fair. No offense or nothin, but I also don’t think you could bounce back quickly from gettin your body thrown through a cement wall.”

Stolas wanted to open his mouth to object, but noticed an odd look on Blitzø’s face. As he went to speak, Loona opened the trunk door, “While you guys have this happy and fun conversation, I’m going to go get our shit.” She said as she got out, stretched, then shut the door behind her.

“Was there another attempt?” Blitzø asked in a serious voice, directing his attention to the three in the back seat.

“No nothin like that.” Millie was quick to defuse the tension in his voice.

“We were just talking yesterday morning, and he’d mentioned the fact that Striker was sent by her, and how it was their divorce proceedings that had her calling it off.” Moxxie continued, “With the divorce finalized,”

“And her gettin everything in their separation,” Millie continued.

“She no longer has reason to not have him killed.” Moxxie finished. 

Sallie May just watched the conversation unfold around her, taking in whatever information she could to better grasp the company dynamic.

The look on Blitzø’s face was serious and calculating while he drummed his fingers on the wheel, “Well it’s good to know at least, and that explains the self defense more. Hand to hand is good, but can we focus on long distance? Moxxie, today you’re staying in the office and you’re going to teach him now to shoot. Me, Millie, Sallie May and Loona would be more than enough to take on all of today's jobs.” He began to voice the plan he’d formed in his head, “No offense babe,” he addressed Stolas, “but if we had to choose up close combat over long distance, you’d be overpowered quickly close up. Knowing the basics is good just in case, but I want you to be confident in an area you’ll do well in first.”

Stolas wanted to be offended at being called weak, but the term of endearment caught him off guard. Then he thought about Millie’s role in Blitzø’s current plan and almost spoke up on why Millie had to stay in the office, but was proud for having stopped himself before he spoke on her behalf.

The three imps in the back seat all looked between each other, having a silent conversation as they figured out if they were going to announce it here as opposed to in the office as planned.

“Blitzø,” Millie finally spoke, “We sorta have an important announcement to make, and were gonna make it in the office, but I guess there are no real perfect ways to go about sayin it. I shouldn’t exactly be goin top side for a bit.” She sounded nervous but also a bit excited.

“What? Are you pregnant?” Blitzø joked, unintentionally hitting the nail on the head, “Not having you and Moxxie top side will suck.”

Everyone in the van was dead silent, all looking either at Blitzø in shock, or accusatory at Stolas. The Goetic demon raised his hands in surrender, “I swear on my mothers grave I said nothing.” He said hastily as Millie was looking at him with the closest thing to a murderous glare she would aim at someone she cares about, “I said absolutely nothing.” He insisted.

It took Blitzø a moment to register Stolas’ words, plus the response of the three in the back seat, then his eyes widened, “Wait,” he looked directly as Millie, “Wait, wait, wait—“ he pinched the bridge of his nose, “Wait, are you actually?”

At his reaction Millie’s face went from one craving murder to one a little more cautious but optimistic, “We wanted to tell you about it yesterday, but yeah, we’re expectin a little one. My doctor doesn't exactly approve of my puttin myself in harm's way while I am.”

“So, baby?” Blitzø asked as he took his hand away and gestured to her, either in denial or still trying to process this new information.

“Yes, baby.” Moxxie confirmed.

“ You’re going to be a father?” Blitzø then asked and looked over to him, as if that was the most ludicrous part of this whole situation, “Is this why you’ve been barfing every fucking day?” He then asked, “Wait, so actual baby?” He asked again, mind going a mile a minute.

“Yes, Blitzø, an actual baby.” Millie confirmed while Moxxie looked at him in mild offense.

Blitzø just turned his head to look out the windshield as he processed it, expression hard to read as he thought more on it. Then, it was like a switch being flipped and he perked up, “So baby?” He asked again, now more enthusiastically, “Like a real baby?”

Millie chuckled, “ Yes Blitzø, a real baby.”

“We need to baby proof the office—" he began before waving his hand, "Yeah, no, yeah you’re staying in the office, today’s gonna be a long one, but I can make due with Sallie May and Loona. I do want Stolas trained in firearms, and no offense Mills, because I’ve seen you literally punch a man’s heart out, but I gotta give it to Moxxie and admit he’s good at one thing.” 

“Thank you sir—wait hey!” Moxxie complained.

“We should have some spare pistols, somewhere in the office, start with those and see how he does.” Blutzø continued, ignoring Moxxie’s offense.

“Shooting a gun in the office? Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Stolas asked, “Not that I’m opposed to learning to shoot, but does that not seem a little bit dangerous?”

“Why?” Blitzø asked, “It’s not like we don’t shoot at targets in the office all the time.”

“We have targets.” Millie stated matter of factly, “And the walls are pretty damn solid. I think the people who built the buildin had the right idea that shit might happen.” She nudged Moxxie with her shoulder, “Ain’t that right Mox?”

Her husband only sighed in defeat, “Will I ever live down the eel incident?” 

“The what?” Stolas and Sallie May asked in unison.

“Jinx, you owe me a soda.” She tacked on hastily, directed at Stolas.

Stolas just squinted his eyes in confusion, “What is that supposed to mean?” He asked her.

“It means you owe her a soda, Stols, were you not listening?” Blitzø asked, “You’re lucky you aren’t in punching distance.”

Now Stolas looked at him in confusion, “What the fuck is going on? Why would she punch me?”

Millie leaned over and patted him on the shoulder, “Imp thing, I can explain it better when we’re in the office.”

“Now back to the eels?” Sallie May redirected the conversation back on track to embarrasing her brother-in-law.

“Why did you have to bring up the eels?” Moxxie whispered in dismay, “When we were first starting out, Millie was showing me how to fire a crossbow. I missed the target, the arrow ricocheted off the wall and hit the eel tank…”

“Aaaaand set the office on fire, don’t forget that part.” Blitzø added, “The walls must have some kind of charm on them to prevent things from spreading.” 

“Yet the windows keep breaking?” Stolas asked.

“Hey, I said the walls, windows are different.” Blitzø countered.

“You know they make bulletproof windows, right?” Stolas asked.

“Yes, but those are expensive, and windows are covered by insurance.” He responded, “We had them at one point, then one of our clients smashed through them to make a ‘grand entrance’—“ Blitzø waved his hands dramatically, “And the best insurance would do is what we have now.”

“Hey guys grab your shit before I drop it.” Loona said through Sallie May’s open window, where she now stood carrying their entire order precariously in her arms.

“Oh shit.” Sallie May jumped before turning her attention to Loona and reaching out to grab items as they were passed to her and sending them down the line for others to grab. 

Once everything was passed in that wasn’t Loona’s Pup Cup and breakfast sandwich, she walked around the van to the back door, “Dad can you pop the trunk?” She called.

“Sure thing Loonie!” Blitzø called out his own window before leaning down and pulled a small lever that opened the door for her. Their old van had a double door set up, but after having trashed it beyond repair the day of their trial, they had to get a new one, “Damn, I’m starting to think a bigger van would have been a better idea.” He mumbled to himself as his daughter climbed in and pulled the door shut.

“All set!” She called before setting her food bag down and picking out the biscuit from the top of her drink and eating it.

Moxxie began to distribute the drinks to everyone, passing Stolas both his and Blitzø’s as Blitzø began to back out of their space and pull onto the road.

“Thank you Moxxie.” Stolas responded as he let go of the tip of Blitzø’s tail and took the drinks. He set them in the cup holders up front, then received a bag with both his and Blitzø’s food. 

His boyfriend’s tail still remained wrapped around his forearm, and the three in the back seat all took notice, and all three of them smiled in their own way. The reaction went unnoticed by the two men in the front seat, as Blitzø focused on not crashing the van, and Stolas settled in his seat and let the tip of his boyfriend's tail settle back in the palm of his hand. Like before, Stolas lifted his hand to press a quick kiss to it before holding it to his chest and turning to watch the traffic go by outside his window.

Although he was used to Blitzø wrapping his tail around him in private, outside of when they went public about their relationship and now, he didn’t think Blitzø had done so out in the open before. It was such a sweet gesture, Stolas wished there was a way he could reciprocate it. Instead, he settled for rubbing his thumb on the almost spade-like tip absently. 

The drive to the office was uneventful, but like yesterday, there was press camping out front.

Stolas groaned, “Surely they will leave us alone soon.” 

“I think they would, if you would stop being cute and sappy in public.” Millie said from the back seat.

“Which likely won’t happen.” Moxxie added.

In response, Blitzø’s tail tightened around his arm and twitched in the palm of his hand. A non-verbal gesture that brought a smile to Stolas’ face. Once more, he kissed Blitzø’s tail before extending his arm so his boyfriend could easily unwrap from it.

The others filed out of the van and closed the door before Blitzø finally unwrapped his tail, taking this brief moment alone to brush his tail beneath Stolas’ chin and guide him downward. 

Once at eye level, he tilted his head up and kissed him. It was soft at first, just the simple press of lips on lips, but as Stolas lifted his hand to cup the side of his face, Blitzø tongue slipped between his lips and elicited a surprised noise from the back of Stolas’ throat. His boyfriend raised his hands to hold the sides of his face, fingers combing through his contour feathers and pulling him in closer. Stolas was completely confused where this sudden neediness was coming from, but wasn’t about to complain as one of his hands cupped the side of Blitzø’s face and the other gently rested over one of Blitzø’s hands. 

Growing irritated with the center console between them, Blitzø broke the kiss long enough to climb over it straddle Stolas’ lap before kissing him again with renewed vigor. After a moment, Stolas felt them fall backwards as Blitzø used his tail to pull the lever that controlled the seats position, the van rocking ever so slightly in the process. A shiver ran up Stolas’ spine and he moaned as he felt Blitzø’s erection press into his abdomen. His knees trembled and he let out a needy whimper into the kiss as he felt his boyfriend’s tail move between his legs.

When Blitzø finally pulled away and sat up, now breathing heavily, Stolas asked, “Not that I’m complaining, but Blitzø what’s gotten into you?” 

Blitzø wiped away the drool from his mouth before responding, “Not that it’s always sexual,” he took a deep breath, “But my tail can get a bit sensitive.” 

“Oh.” Stolas said and swallowed thickly as he looked him up and down, “So what do you want to do?”

Blitzø arched an eyebrow, “What do you think?”

Although blushing, Stolas chuckled, “Sex in the van with paparazzi not 30 feet from us? You sure that’s the best idea?” He asked, feeling his own arousal begin to cloud his better judgment.

Blitzø grabbed one of his hands and kissed his knuckles before winking, “The windows are tinted, are they not?”

“Do we even have the time?” Stolas asked, though already his free hand moved down to unbutton and unzip his boyfriend's pants.

“We can make time.” Blitzø responded as his own free hand traveled beneath Stolas’ pants and underwear. His fingers dipped inside him causing Stolas to moan loudly and arch his hips into the touch before he pulled them back out and licked them, “Plus, they have a spare key to the office.” He added on before using his tail to hit the lock button on the car door.

…

Although having a much later start to their morning than anticipated, they finished their business in the van, cleaned themselves up and redressed around 40 minutes later. Instead of walking from the van to the front door where press was still camping out, they instead portaled into the office from the van, which was a bit awkward given how small the space was.

“Really?” Moxxie asked as Blitzø confidently crawled through the portal, soon followed by an immensely flustered and blushing Stolas.

“Shut your mouth Mox,” Blitzø responded as he walked through the room and to his office, “We had important things to discuss privately.”

“We’re already running late.” the shorter Imp responded as he followed Blitzø.

“Correction, Loonie, Sallie May and I are running late.” Blitzø responded, “You, Mills and Stols are where you’re supposed to be. Besides, it’s not like you and Mills haven’t fucked in public before, so shut your judgemental whore ass mouth and help me find wherever the fuck I put the spare employee contracts so we can get going.” 

As the two of them continued to bicker in Blitzø’s office, Stolas made his way on slightly shaky legs to his chair. Loona’s eyes stayed glued to her phone, but both Millie and Sallie May watched Stolas’ walk of shame in amusement. 

“Good thing those windows are tinted, huh?” Millie teased as she hopped up to sit on the desk next to him.

“Yes, quite.” Stolas said, not looking at either of them as he wheeled over to the filing cabinet to nab today's contracts, not trusting his own legs not to give out after being fucked in a cramped van, having enough shame to feel embarrassed for him and Blitzø, as his boyfriend didn’t seem to give a single fuck about getting caught by his employees—well—fucking.

“And that the lot is closed off.” Sallie May added in, “Over 40 minutes, not exactly a quickie.” She commented as she hopped up to sit on the opposite side of the desk and leaned over to watch him.

Stolas’ blush only intensified as he thought about the way Blitzø had him bent over the center console, “No, not quite.” He responded as he pulled the stapled packets from the cabinet, closed the door, and wheeled back over with his eyes glued to the ground; only to be startled as he looked up and saw the two sisters directly in front of him, causing him panic and throw the papers, then scramble to try and catch them before they hit the floor. A few landed on the ground just beneath the desk, and in his heist to collect and fix the now disorganized pile quickly, he leaned down to grab them and smacked his head off the desk.

The sisters both began to laugh while he collected the last of the papers and set them on the desk. One of his hands absently rubbed the part of his head that hit the desk, while the other quickly tried to reorganize the mess of contracts scattered across it.

“It’s funny to think that just last year you woulda been the one unashamed of doin it in public.” Millie teased as she moved to help him fix the papers.

Stolas had half a mind to say that just last year he was also on Belphegor's hard candies near constantly, and that drugs were a hell of an influence to one’s sense of inhibition, “Well sometimes things change.” He settled on as the papers all came together, then accepted the stack passed to him by Millie, “Thank you.” 

“And got it!” Blitzø announced as he left his office and got everyone’s attention, “Guys leave him alone, Mills I know the shit you do, stop teasing.”

“You ain’t got shit on me.” Sallie May responded.

“Yet.” His boyfriend replied as he shooed them off the desk, leaned over it to nab a pen from one of the drawers before standing upright again, setting them down and patting the desk, “For official legal shit or whatever, you have to fill this out.” 

Moxxie checked his watch, “Right now sir?”

“Mox you know just as well as I do that we can’t really have employees out on the field undocumented. And I don’t want to deal with whatever legal fuckstick douchebag the property manager will send our way if they find out we have an employee working off the books again.” He shot back, “Their pussy’s way too dry to be riding my dick that hard.” Stolas gave him an odd look so he added, “It’s a saying.” 

“Ah.”

While they went back and forth, Sallie May started to fill out the form, but paused at the part that asked for legal name and gender. 

Stolas took notice though, “Just put what you go by. All they are looking for is a paper that looks official enough.” He assured her, “If anything comes of it, then I will handle it.” He continued. And he was honest about it. He’d spent enough of his life dealing with stuffy bureaucrats to talk his way out of most things, name and gender documentation should be no problem. 

And with Vassago as his Hellparent? Well, knowing a lawyer had its perks, so to speak.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Stolas began as Sallie May signed the document, “Were you unable to go about legally changing them on your documentation?” 

“Not exactly easy to do that on the farm.” She responded before sliding the paper and pen his way, “No courts near us, and online shit has too much yellow tape.”

“Ahh, right.” Stolas replied as he took the form, “Pardon me.” He said as he scooted his chair over to the printer/scanner to get a digital copy of the document sent over to the computer, so he could file it in their system while the others were out in the field. 

“Alright, everything all set?” Blitzø broke from bickering with Moxxie and asked Stolas when he heard the sound of the scanner.

“Paperwork has been filled out and scanned.” He confirmed with a nod.

“Alright, guys get your weapons and let’s blow this joint.” He responded, going around the desk to nab their first client contract for the day.

Stolas grabbed it before he could and passed it over, “Here you go, dear.” 

Blitzø took it, and because he could he leaned up and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before opening a portal to their first hit, “I love you, see you in a bit.” He said as he hopped through the portal, followed shortly by Loona, then Sallie May before it closed behind them.

Stolas sat and stared at the place Blitzø had just been dumbstruck and giddy. He still wasn’t used to those three words coming from Blitzø, but by the rings he certainly could. Oh he felt like a love struck fledgling, swooning over a little kiss and sweet words, waiting for his boyfriend to return. 

He was broken from that by the front door opening and a client walking in, and quickly he put on his professional mask, “Oh, welcome to I.M.P, how may I help you?” He asked.

Stolas had seen many Sinners in his time as a receptionist, and usually it was easy to guess how they may have died based off appearance alone since their form in Hell tends to reflect that. With her, he was truly stumped. She was short and a bit chubby, with fluffy, cotton candy pink, shoulder length hair and a set of black, curled horns protruding from the crown of her head. She had the ears, nose and tail of a cat, along with bat wings, three magenta and cyan eyes, and powder blue skin. She wore black thigh high tights, a pink and black plaid mini skirt, and a pink and black hoodie which had a dripping paw print on her chest. She carried with her a messenger bag adorn with I.M.P pins ranging from the logo, to grainy photos of Blitzø from a distance, and even more disturbing were ones that had an image of himself and Blitzø together— where in the seven rings did she get those?

“Hello!” She said in an overly animated, chipper voice as she all but skipped to the desk with a wide grin, “It’s so nice to finally meet you!” She said as she waved her hands in excitement.

“Pardon?” Stolas asked, now fully registering how this interaction would really be going. He’d dealt with many clients eager to see him and Blitzø up close and personal the past few days, so he could only assume she was here for a petty hit at best, “I do apologize, but I do not believe that I know you. Are you here as a client?” 

She shook her head, “No, but—“

“Then I am truly sorry, but you need to leave then.” He shut her down, “We are here to run a business and are not open for interviews.” 

“I promise it will be really quick, I know Blitzy-kun!” She continued, disregarding everything Stolas had just said as she began to rifle through her bag to pull something out.

“I’m sorry, what?!” Stolas responded, feathers fluffing up in irritation, because he was the only one allowed to call him Blitzy who the fuck was this woman?

“At first I wanted to be upset that someone else had his heart—but after the trial and then the love confession, I don’t mind sharing~” she purred out before pulling out a stack of papers and placing them on the desk between them and grinned, “These are all letters from the fan club.”

Stolas looked at the mess of papers now cluttering the desk, some were colored construction paper, others torn from a spiral ring notebook, and others sticky notes, or were on creased printer paper. He looked from the stack, to her, then to Moxxie and Millie who sat on the couch behind her holding back laughter, “I don’t know who you are—“

“Emberlynn Pinkle.” she answered.

“—or what the nature of your relationship with my boyfriend might be, but I assure you I have no plans on sharing him.” He responded, having half a mind to take her papers and put them in the trash.

She only squealed in delight and waved her hands happily again, “So it IS true!?” She shouted before taking out her phone and typing something out quickly. Before Stolas knew it, she turned and smiled as she took a quick selfie with him behind the desk looking disturbed before sending it off to who knows where, “Oh they’re all gonna be so excited! I told Tiffany you guys were in love and she was convinced it was only one sided! I wrote an article about you guys and published it in our own small fan blog.” She said giddy as she turned to face him again, quickly scrolling through her phone to show him.

Stolas blinked each eye individually as his brain processed what was shown on the screen.

‘Blitzø Buckzo flips off cameras as his boyfriend carries him to the elevator.’

That was… That was the article he had Millie send him yesterday.

“Oh, I actually liked that one…” he didn’t mean to say out loud.

“GASP!!!” she shouted and excitedly tapped her hooves on the ground, “Oh I’m so happy you read it! What did you think?! Was I right?” 

“I am sorry, Ms. Pinkle, but I’m really not here for an interview—“

“Oh my gosh, you’re right.” Her expression changed from excited to downtrodden as she looked at her feet and tapped her pointer fingers together and pouted. For some reason Stolas wanted to apologize? Then she perked back up, “I’ll leave the letters from your other fans here though!” She said as she pulled out a few more things from her messenger bag and dropped them on the desk before giving him an exaggerated bow of the head then all but skipped her way out, “Tell Blitzy-Kun I said hi!!!” She called over her shoulder before shutting the door behind her.

“What in the devil was that???” Stolas asked before looking over to M and M for some semblance of an explanation, “Why the fuck was she calling him Blitzy?”

They both erupted into laughter, and only then did he notice Millie recording him, “No—s-stop recording! What the fuck was that?!” 

“I’m sorry Stolas.” Millie began, trying her best to try and reign in her laughter before finally setting her phone down, “That’s a long story, but I can assure you Blitzø has not, and never will have interest in her.”

“Satan, I wish she came here just a little bit earlier—“ Moxxie whispered to Millie and wiped a tear from his eye, “Sorry sir—Stolas,” he corrected himself, “I’ll help you clean up and I can explain the situation with her.” He said as he stood up and approached the desk.

Stolas looked down at all the papers, unsure of what to do with them. He picked one up that was written on a crumpled piece of notebook paper.

Dear Mr. Stolas,

I know you don’t know me, and you probably won’t read this, but I wanted to say thank you. I’m a Baphomet hellborn, and announcing how you felt about Blitzø Buckzo on TV gave me the confidence to come out about my own relationship with my girlfriend Poppy, who is also an imp, to my parents. I don’t want to get too much into it in case you do read this, because I’m sure you’re very busy, but thanks to you, my girlfriend and I are going to get dinner with them and talk. They took it better than I thought they would.

Thank you again.

-Bitsy 

Oh…

That was actually quite sweet…

Stolas looked from the note in his hands to the many others across the desk. He saw Moxxie reading one written on green construction paper and getting teary eyed. Millie was standing next to him reading it as well, with a soft smile as she leaned against her husband.

Stolas grabbed another one, typed on printer paper:

Dear Mr. Buckzo,

My whole life, I always told myself I can’t do something because I’m just an Imp. It upset me so much because my dad is an incubus and I got to see all the cool things he could do that I thought me and my mom could never. He always encouraged me to follow my heart, but my head always told me I couldn’t. After seeing your trial, it made me realize that I can actually do what I want to do and be who I want to be. 

I could go on and on, really, but to keep it short, I’m gonna open my own bakery one day! I might have a long way to go, but I’m gonna open one up right here in Pride. It’s a big dream, but it’s mine, and you’re proof that if I follow it I can make it happen.

Thank you!

-Mello

“Oh…” Stolas said, now handling the letters with a lot more care than before.

“There’s not usually letters she leaves behind,” Millie responded as she took the green paper from her husband and passed it to him, now watery eyed herself, “Last time it was printed copies of a roleplay her and some others were doin, it was really weird and funny to tease Blitzø about. This is new.” 

Stolas only nodded and took the green paper being passed and began to read.

Dear Blitzø and Stolas,

I know you don’t know any of us but Emberlynn, and I’m not usually one to sit down and write letters (this has to be the 20th time I’ve re-written this) but your relationship struck a chord with me and I feel the need to share my story with you. 

I was in love with a Sinner. They were my best friend, they were my everything, and they made me so very happy for so very long. They loved to play the guitar, and they had the prettiest singing voice I’ve ever heard. Their name was Harriet, and simply by existing they made my world better. It was gray and quiet and lonely before them, but by some cosmic miracle, they made their way into my life and gave everything new meaning. I found myself actually wanting to get out of bed in the morning, I wanted to go out and be a person, live my life with them by my side.

But despite how much I loved them, I never had the courage to tell my friends and family about them. I was so scared of them being disappointed in me for falling in love with a Sinner, let alone befriending one, that I kept them a secret. I was ashamed to be seen with them in public, and we would meet up in secret. I knew it hurt them, and I wish I could go back again and change my actions.

What I wouldn’t give to hear them sing one last time, or even hear their voice, but I lost them to the exterminations two years ago. Not a day goes by that I don’t think about them, and I miss them so much it’s hard to breathe sometimes. My friends and family have known something was up for a while now. Ever since Harriet died, I felt like everything about my existence died with them. And worse yet, I couldn’t even tell anyone why because I was so fucking scared of what they might think of me. I spent so long just suffering in silence, unable to move on and fully accept that they’re gone.

I’m telling you this, because your relationship is what changed everything for me. A Goetic prince and an Imp in a relationship, publicly announcing it and standing proudly by it. That gave me the courage to finally tell my parents about Harriet. Although Harriet will never know how proud I am to tell others about them now, I feel like I’m not hurting alone anymore. 

So, thank you for being so proudly yourselves, and in turn inspiring me to be so proudly myself.

-Callum 

Millie passed Stolas a tissue, which he was very grateful for as he’d begun crying part way through. Callum’s story hit so close to home, only Stolas was given a second chance. There was a point where he thought Blitzø would die, a point where had the outcome been different, he would be right in their shoes as well.

It was a fear of his, that list of what if’s that could have changed his life for the worse. He had panic attacks after nightmares on many occasions for the first few months living with Blitzø and Loona, ones where simply looking over to him wasn’t enough to quell his racing thoughts. Had he decided to go read one of his books, which he was favoring more than watching TV, Blitzø would be gone. Had he taken a different path in the palace and not passed by the TV, deciding that it was far less effort to sit down than it would have been to walk through his atrium to check in his plants along the way, the love of his life and his best friend would be dead.

How long would it have taken for him to know? Would the story have actually been some tiny article in a newspaper, so easy for him to overlook much the same as those news stories about the fire salt incidents?

He felt both Millie and Moxxie pull him into a hug, and he wrapped his arms around them easily and rested the side of his head atop Moxxie’s, as Millie’s horns proved to be more of an obstacle, and just cried.

“I know, I know.” Millie said reassuringly, “We got you.”

After a long, quiet moment, they eventually pulled away, but stayed close to him with Moxxie giving him a reassuring pat on the back.

He took a deep shuddering breath and blotted away the tears with a tissue and tried to compose himself. He was not emotionally prepared for whatever else lay in wait in the large pile of letters on the desk, so instead he asked, “Can you help me organize these so I can set them aside to read later?”

“Of course.” They both said. 

Millie hopped up to sit on the desk and collected a stack of papers, while Moxxie went around the desk to tackle a stack a little farther away. The three of them spent a while sorting through them all, organizing them into three categories: ones for Blitzø, ones for Stolas, and ones for the two of them. 

“That story really got to you.” Moxxie stated part way through, “Are you alright?” He asked.

Stolas took a moment to answer, swallowing thickly and trying to gain better composure so he could trust his voice not to waver or break too easily. When he was ready, he cleared his throat and responded, “It did, and I’ll be alright.” Stolas finished sorting his pile before he continued, “It just scared me, how close to being in their shoes I was. It’s more than you think, honestly. Choosing to sit and watch tv instead of traveling across the palace to read a book in my room was a last minute decision. Had I taken a different route, Blitzø would be…” he couldn’t say it out loud. 

The two of them knew what he meant, though. It went without saying, and the silence spoke for itself well enough.

“How could I go about responding to these letters?” He asked them as they finally finished their own stacks, “I feel that I have to. They all took the time to write something meaningful, all because I spoke to the press.”

“I’m sure we can find a way.” Moxxie responded, “It might take you a while to respond to them all though. There’s at least 100 of them.”

“I can make the time.” He responded, “And I am sure we can find a way to send them their way in that time. I have a link to the story Emberlynn wrote. They may have a PO Box we can mail them to.”

Millie gave him a soft smile and patted them on the back, “I’m sure we can. But you might want to take a moment to go to the bathroom and fix your makeup, hun.” She said, “It’s a bit of a mess.”

“Oh, right.” He responded before standing up. His legs were still a little cramped, but he was at least stable enough to make his way through the front door and to the floor’s shared bathroom. When he got in, he was grateful to see it was completely empty. 

Millie was absolutely right, his eye liner was smudged down his face in little black lines, staining the white feathers. He took a paper towel from the dispenser by the sink, soaked it with water and cleaned himself up as best he could. Once he looked more presentable, he tossed away the paper towel and walked back into the office.

In the time he’d spent in the bathroom, Blitzø, Loona and Sallie May came back from their first job. Blitzø was holding one of the letters, finger underneath a line as he slowly read. He lost his focus as he heard the door open and his eyes locked on Stolas.

Blitzø lifted the letter, “I heard you guys got a visit from that cotton candy bitch.” He said as he gestured to the paper in his hand. Stolas only nodded as he approached his boyfriend, crouched down and pulled him into a tight hug, “Woh, you alright pretty bird?”

Stolas took a deep breath, “I am now.” He said in a strained voice, “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” He replied softly, surprise evident in his voice as he hugged him back, albeit a little more gently, “You sure you’re ok?” He asked again when he pulled away to hold his face and noticed he was crying once more.

Stolas only nodded and wiped away his tears with the palm of his hand, “Yes, I am sorry. I must look like a mess right now.”

Blitzø pulled him in and kissed the bridge of his nose before saying quietly, “A beautiful one.” he replied as he pulled back some, "We should probably get you waterproof makeup." he joked.

Still with watery eyes, Stolas gave him a smile, laughed and tilted his head into one of the hands still holding his face, “One of the letters just hit a little too close to home, and I was not prepared mentally for it.”

Blitzø’s eyebrows furrowed, “What bitch do I gotta—“

“No, nothing bad I promise.” Stolas cut him off before he could finish his threat, chuckling softly, “Would you like to read it?” He asked.

“As nice as that sounds,” Moxxie piped in, “I really don’t think we have the time for him to read anything.” 

“Don’t be ableist Mox,” Blitzø responded as he peeked over Stolas’ shoulder to look at the shorter imp, “I have a mental disability .” 

“What disability?” He asked, sounding baffled.

“Disgarfield—fuck I don’t know how to say it.” 

“Dysgraphia, dear.” Stolas supplied and nuzzled his face against Blitzø’s affectionately.

“Ohhhhh,” Moxxie responded, “Yeah that actually tracks.” 

“But dear,” Stolas said to his boyfriend, “We can read through them later tonight if you would like. We are already running almost an hour behind schedule.”

Blitzø looked up at him and nodded, then gave him a quick kiss before letting him go, “I can’t argue with that.” He affectionately brushed his tail against Stolas’ leg as he passed by to grab their next contract, “Guys let’s make this quick, we have plans for after work.” 

“We do?” Stolas asked as he stood back up.

“Yup!” Blitzø answered before opening his next portal, gave Stolas a pat on the ass, then hopped through.

…

Despite how late thay had all started, they were only in the office for 20 extra minutes as opposed to 40, which was rather nice. In his heist, however, Blitzø’s clothes were thoroughly saturated in human blood. Stolas had made some very good progress with learning to shoot a gun, to the point Loona was now appeased with his ability to protect himself in case of an emergency. 

He left the office with a spare pistol, upon Blitzø’s insistence, and if him having it on his person put his boyfriend’s mind at ease, then carry it he shall.

Like usual, the car ride was spent with the windows down, as the strong metallic scent of blood made Stolas’ stomach churn. It wasn’t long before they dropped off the three other imps and arrived in their apartment parking lot, much to Stolas’ relief.

Loona had plans that night herself, so she showered the blood from her fur quickly, got dressed, and headed out for the night. Very soon after, Blitzø hopped in the shower to rinse off the blood and tossed his blood soaked clothes in a separate laundry hamper used specifically for work clothes. 

Stolas sat on the toilet seat lid and scrolled through his phone to keep his boyfriend company in the bathroom for only a moment before Blitzø’s head poked out from behind the curtain, “You wanna join?” he asked.

Stolas sighed, “I thought you’d never ask.” He responded and set aside his phone and quickly unwrapped the bangaging on his arm, pulled off his sleeveless sweater and stripped down before joining his boyfriend, who was now completely rinsed of blood.

Stolas enjoyed the feeling of the hot water for a moment, taking in the smell of bergamot from Blitzø’s body wash before he got an idea. Carefully, he crouched down and nuzzled his face into the crook of Blitzø’s neck and took a second more to inhale the scent of his skin, thoroughly enjoying the smell of his body wash quite a bit. It was a new one to replace his old body wash that was cheap and quite frankly did not do wonders for his skin. Stolas himself bought it, refusing to allow his boyfriend to see the actual price, in much the same way Blitzø had refused to let Stolas calculate the price of everything he’d gotten him just a week ago. The smell was damn near intoxicating, and was perhaps just as much for Stolas’ own enjoyment as it was for Blitzø’s benefit. 

He let his hands travel down his boyfriend’s torso, feather light and teasing as they came to a stop just below his navel, eliciting a pleasant shiver up his boyfriend’s spine, “Can we try something?” Stolas asked in a breathy voice against his boyfriend's ear.

“What did you have in mind?” Blitzø responded and turned his head to nuzzle his face into the side of Stolas’. His own hands moved to try and guide Stolas’ down further, but Stolas held them firmly in place.

He arched his brow before responding, “What do you think?” Stolas asked, mimicking Blitzø’s own words from this morning.

Blitzø tilted his head up and brushed their lips together, before turning in his arms and deepened the kiss, which quickly escalated from there. His boyfriend's fingers romed over his body, playing with the sopping wet feathers up his sides before slipping down to lift one of his thighes up and hooked it over the jut of his hip to press them together. Stolas moaned into the kiss as a plesant shivver went up his spine when he felt Blitzø's growing errection press up between his legs. Shortly after, Stolas let Blitzø lift his other leg, and to help keep balance he wrapped his arms over the Imp's shoulders as he was pressed up against the shower wall.

The idea of fucking in the shower sounded sexy and fun in theory, but soon after, Stolas was quickly finding out that this trope he’d read countless times simply didn’t work out in real life. Perhaps if the shower was larger this could be different, or if there was a more textured floor. But as it was, making out while pinned to the wall, being held up by his thighs with Blitzø situated firmly between his legs was only hot until Blitzø’s hooves lost footing on the soapy wet porcelain. Like a chain reaction, it sent them both slipping to the floor with a loud thud, knocking Blitzø’s body wash off the shelf, which smacked Stolas’ in the head.

Stolas couldn’t help the laughter that erupted from him as he lay flat on his back, hand held over the spot on his head that got hit with the bottle, which was the same area he hit his head off the desk earlier in the day. 

Blitzø collapsed between his legs, face flat in the wet feathers on his stomach, and began laughing as well, “This isn’t working.” He said as he propped himself up on his elbows to look Stolas in the eyes, “I’m sorry.” 

Stolas' laughter subsided, “Don’t worry about it.” He held Blitzø’s face and gave him a quick peck on the lips, “Thank you for at least humoring me, darling.” 

Blitzø chuckled as he sat up, still between his legs, and rested his hands on Stolas’ knees, “Gotta admit, the view ain’t bad though.” He grinned down at him. 

Stolas' eyes looked Blitzø up and down and he smiled back, “I could certainly say the same thing.” He replied as he sat up as well, leaning back on his hands and drank up the view of the Imp still snugly situated between his thighs. 

Blitzø ran his hands up and down Stolas’ abdomen, playing with the gray, sopping wet contour feathers, “We could maybe make this work.” He grinned as he let his hand travel downward, fingers brushing up against Stolas’ opening.

Stolas gasped. This was certainly an odd angle but perhaps they could. As Blitzø’s fingers dipped in, a strangled moan left his lips and he sank down to his elbows, only to then slip further down the tub because his feathers didn’t fare much better against the slippery porcelain surface. In the process, he knocked Blitzø off balance and face-planted into Stolas’ feathers with a wet smack once again that had Stolas laughing harder than before.

“Ok, this really isn’t going to work.” Stolas said between laughter, fully accepting that shower sex for now was off the table, “The tub is too slippery.”

Blitzø lifted his head from his wet plumage, which left a distinct face shape against the feathers that had them both laughing harder, “I can get a shower mat for next time.” He said as he patted his hands over the feathers to put them back into a more normal position. Blitzø used his tail to turn off the water and he got back to his feet. He looked down, and put his hands on his hips, “This view is pretty nice too.” 

“This one’s not so bad either.” Stolas cooed as he fully appreciated it, using his pointer fingers and thumbs to make a rectangle like he was taking a picture.

Respectfully of course. 

Blitzø rolled his eyes and chuckled as he reached down to help Stolas to his feet. 

Now that sex between them wasn’t exclusive to once a month, Stolas was less desperate over every encounter. If it didn’t work out right now, it would surely work out later tonight. 

Blitzø grabbed his towel off the rack, dried off some before stepping out and making his way to the closet to retrieve one for Stolas, careful not to track water across the floor, “Here catch.” he said as he tossed it over and continued to dry himself off.

Stolas caught it and followed suit, taking just a bit longer to dry sufficiently, given his feathers held onto water in a way Blitzø’s skin simply did not. Blitzø quickly pulled on a clean pair of underwear before he grabbed a bottle of lotion from the closet and began applying it to his arms, chest, stomach and legs. It was another thing Stolas had gotten him, which was orange and bergamot scented, “Babe, do you mind getting my back?” he asked as Stolas stepped from the shower and tossed his towel over the curtain rod to dry.

“Not at all.” he responded as he dipped his fingers into the container and rubbed the lotion between his hands before massaging it into his boyfriend's back, eliciting a light purr from him. He carefully rubbed the lotion between the three spines that protruded from between his shoulder blades and further down his back until he ended at the base of his tail. Because he could, Stolas leaned in and pressed his face into the crook of Blitzø’s neck and inhaled.

“You really like the smell.” Blitzø commented as he tilted his head to give him better access.

“Oh most definitely.” he responded, pressing a kiss to his neck before pulling away and retrieving a conditioning spray for his feathers from the open closet, “Especially on you, my love.”

“Do you need help with your feathers?” He asked, wrapping his arms around Stolas’ waist and resting the side of his face against the side of one of his thighs.

“I believe for right now I am quite alright with a quick setting spray, but perhaps later tonight you can help me with my head feathers before bed?” He asked, peeking under his arm to look at his boyfriend.

“Always.” Blitzø responded before letting go to get dressed in a pair of black ripped jeans and a red distressed colored shirt, “I’m gonna go do the dishes while you get ready.” He said as he opened the door and stepped out.

“Where exactly are you taking me?” Stolas asked as he sprayed his feathers with a vanilla and shea butter scented conditioning spray, being mindful of the bald spot on his wrist, which now no longer needed banddaging.

“There’s a nice park not too far from here,” he called back, “They have some good food trucks, a bookstore, and a couple of other things we can do since it’s near a college.” 

Stolas smiled as he was quick to ruffle his feathers and finish up in the bathroom, eager to get dressed and be on their way. It would be their first date out in public since, well, Ozzie’s. He was excited for a take two, and the plan sounded absolutely lovely.

“I did not know there was a college nearby?” Stolas asked as he stepped out and walked over to their dresser to find something nicer to wear.

“Oh yeah. I mean, it’s just a community one, nothing all fancy and shit.” Blitzø replied as he finished up and turned to watch his naked boyfriend rummage through a drawer to look between different shirts he could wear, appreciating the veiw of his ass as he was bent over.

Stolas eventually settled on a black tank top, with a translucent blue, long sleeved blousey shirt that had silver colored star shaped buttons on the cuffs and an opening for his chest feathers, accompanied by pair of black pants. The shirt did a good enough job at hiding the bald spot on his arm, while also not puuting pressure against the scabbed over skin. The outfit wasn't overly flashy, but nice enough for a park date. He was quick to dress, tucking his shirt into his pants before looking himself in the mirror to make sure it looked nice enough.

Once he was satisfied, he turned to Blitzø, who was looking him up and down, the tip of his tail twitching ever so slightly, “I’m not over dressed, am I?” Stolas asked as he looked back into the mirror.

“No, not at all.” Blitzø was quick to dismiss his worries and pushed off the counter, “You look great.” He added as he nabbed his spiked leather jacket off the coat rack and double checked that he had his keys, phone and wallet, “You ready to go?” 

“Just a moment, let me grab my phone and wallet.”

“Leave the wallet, tonight is my treat.” Blitzø said as he grabbed his gloves and pulled them on so they would have the crystal on them. 

“Are you sure?” Stolas asked, a bit uncertain.

“Of course I’m sure,” Blitzø responded as he tucked his gun in one of the inner pockets of his jacket, “I planned the date, didn’t I?” 

Stolas smiled softly and pocketed his phone, “You spoil me.” 

“Because I can.” Blitzø smiled as he opened a portal and raised his hand for Stolas to take, which he gladly did. As soon as they crossed through the portal, Stolas noticed an immediate temperature change. The area was a bit cooler than their apartment, but not unpleasantly so. The sun had set not too long ago, and the park was lit up nicely with glowing white street lamps lining the walking paths through the park, which was for the most part well maintained. There were short red brick walls lining parts of the main walkways, with gaps in between to either accommodate for street lamps, or to open up to another smaller path leading through flower beds and opening up into the green field where for the most part Imps and Hellhounds, with the occasional Sinner or Hellborn, we’re congregating on blankets and hanging out. 

There were different trees planted, some bearing fruit that would be picked by passersby looking for a free, quick bite to eat between classes. Others were wrapped in glowing orange string lights that gave the park in general a very comfortable and warm atmosphere.

There were food trucks lining one of the walkways to their far right, and across the street behind them were a line of stores selling a large variety of goods, from a cafe in the corner, Midnight Brew Cafe, along with clothing stores, a small grocery store that appeared to be a family run place, along with a plant nursery beside it and a bookstore not too far away from that.

“This place is lovely, Blitzy.” He finally said as he finished taking in their surroundings.

Blitzø gave him a toothy grin before responding, “I know it’s not like some of the fancier parks closer to the palace, but I’m glad to hear you like it.” He gave his hand a light squeeze before letting go and turning to see the line of shops behind them.

“Oh none of that now.” Stolas chided, “This place is plenty nicer.” 

Blitzø looked up at him and raised a brow, “Is it now?”

“It’s cozy.” Stolas responded, “Less rigid like a museum and stuffy etiquette. It’s nice to see people existing in a space and not governed by annoying social rules that dictate where to sit and how to interact.” 

“Where to sit and how to act?” Blitzø asked as he grabbed Stolas’ hand and led him across the street.

“No sitting on the grass, no more than two people per bench, look at the surroundings but don’t touch.” He rattled off a few, “There’s a reason I preferred my own garden at the palace. Less people sticking their nose in my business, and I can do what I please without becoming a social pariah.”

“Oh rich people really don’t have any fun.” Blitzø stated as he led Stolas into the plant nursery.

“I thought we were going to the bookstore?” Stolas asked, though still giddy nonetheless to window shop for plants. 

“Oh we are.” Blitzø confirmed, “But there are a few things I need to pick up here. An order I placed a while ago came in earlier today that needs to be picked up.” They stepped into the greenhouse portion, which had plants hanging from hooks all across the ceiling, with a wide selection of different plants lining the many long isles in the building, “But first I thought we could look around a bit.”

There were a few other imps perusing the selection, most of which looked to be about college age trying to find something to decorate their dorms. Some looked up momentarily to see Stolas and Blitzø enter, getting a mix of responses, from pissed off, to indifferent. Not a particularly pleasant welcome, but it wasn’t something he was particularly new to.

“What plants do you think would be good on the fire escape?” Blitzø asked him as he walked down one of the isles, paying zero mind to the disapproving glances they were getting, “I know there aren’t any carnivorous plants here, but there are a lot of other nice ones I’m sure we could find a few for the time being. There’s another nursery closer to the center of the ring by pentagram city, but they’re closed due to reconstruction or whatever.” 

Stolas looked down at him in surprise, “I mean, we certainly could find a few things for the fire escape, but are you sure?”

“Stols, I love you to death, but for fucks sake stop questioning it and look and the damn plants.” Blitzø responded exasperatingly.

He let out a soft, hooting chuckle, “Alright, I’m sorry dear. I love you too.” He responded.

“Good,” Blitzø smiled, “Now what should we get? It’s not a large space since we legally have to make sure the stairs are still accessible, but I did get some small planter thingies that hook onto the railing.”

Stolas was so soft for this man.

He took a moment to look at the selection the isle had, “I suppose it all depends on where we place the planters. If we can get away with having them facing outward on the end where the stairs are, we can pick ones that require bright sunlight. If not we should go for ones requiring medium to low sunlight since the allyway is mostly shaded.” 

He began to lead the way through the greenhouse, eyes scanning rows upon rows of plants, cataloging prices and varieties as he went, “Perhaps we stick with some herbs? Those could be quite useful with cooking, and some are quite fragrant and pleasant to have around.” 

He came to a stop at a section that cought his attention. Not herbs like he had been initially thinking, but something unexpected yet familiar, “I thought you said there were no carnivorous plants in this nursery?” He asked his boyfriend as he knelt down and picked up a small pot with a tiny ghostvine sprouting.

“I guess they do. It wasn’t listed on their site though.” Blitzø replied.

The plant itself was closer to an ivy, with sticky sap that coated its stem and beneath the leaves, used for catching small insects like gnats and mosquitoes in particular, “They’re called ghostvines.” Stolas explained, “It gets its name from the soft white light it gives off at night, and uses its sticky sap to attract small insects in, and absorbs their nutrients through the outer wall of the stem and leaves.”

Blitzø’s tail wagged, “Ghost?” 

“Well yes. Whoever named it must have believed in them, and felt the glow was eerie enough to warrant such a name.” Stolas explained, “Though they require partial shade at least, as the sap can overheat the plant and fry it if it gets too hot. They essentially intensify the light in much the same way as a magnifying glass would.” He looked around, “The outdoor nursery may be a bit too much for the things.” He added as he looked through the transparent ceiling above them, “I’m afraid they may not last too long out here, what with the near constant sunny weather this area of Pride gets.”

He looked around the display a bit more to spot a few others, “Withered poppies and Tomb Ferns like these do well direct sunlight, however, sitting side by side as they are, the poppies will be smothered by the fern and won’t get the light they need to survive.” He fretted as he passed the ghostvine to Blitzø and began to rearrange the plants in instinct, “And pikeroot should really be in soil that retained water better, this has far too much perlite. Oh, and these sugar pitchers should also be separated from the creeping hellebore since the sugary acid draws the hellebore in and smothers them. They’re known to be invasive and overpowering.” he prattled on.

“Um, excuse me?” A timid voice came to their left and caught both men’s attention. 

Stolas turned his head and noticed it was a young Imp girl wearing an apron with the shop logo printed on the front. She couldn’t have been older than late teens, perhaps just entering college. Her black hair was long and curly, tied back into a ponytail with some strands coming loose, with horns fairly similar to Blitzø’s own but less curved, with predominantly black with little white lines. She was also around Millie’s height.

“Oh, I am sorry.” Stolas said and stood up, feeling a bit embarrassed at having been caught.

She waved her hands, “No it’s ok.” She was quick to dismiss his apology, “I actually had a question, if you don’t mind?” She asked, not being able to look up and make eye contact.

Stolas looked from her, then to Blitzø who seemed to have the same thought but his face expressed the mild annoyance that Stolas' did not. Both had a feeling this would be about the damn papers and news—

“My dad keeps ordering these,” she awkwardly looked to the ground but gestured to the display with one hand fidgeting with the side of her green apron, “but we can’t keep them alive long enough to sell more than a few.”

Stolas blinked, not expecting that, “Oh, of course. How can I help?” He responded, feeling relieved that the topic was something he was more interested in discussing.

She brightened up, “Thank you.” She still struggled with eye contact, and instead settled for looking at the display, “We got these in this morning, and it makes me really sad to have to compost them a week later. My dad is about to give up on selling them all together if they keep dying.”

Stolas nodded, “The first piece of advice I can give is centered around separation and sunlight.” Stolas explained in a reassuring voice, feeling a little bad for his initial reaction. The more information he gave on each plant, the more open and comfortable the young girl got around him. She was eagerly jotting down notes on each plant, and the two of them rearranged them according to what was fine to sit side by side, and setting the ones that required little to no sunlight on a cart she had wheeled over so she could bring them to the inside portion of the shop.

They were at it for a solid hour, and Stolas felt a bit bad since Blitzø must be bored out of his mind, but she had so many questions for him and he couldn’t just dismiss her and go on with their night. Occasionally he would look over to see how Blitzø was doing, and noticed he was typing something on his phone. Must be texting someone to pass the time.

“Thank you so much for your help.” The young girl said for the millionth time, “I—I can bring these inside now.” She continued to avoid eye contact as she took the cart with her and wheled it into the smaller attached building to the right of the greenhouse.

“I’m sorry, Blitzø, you must be—“

"Don’t be.” He cut him off and smiled, “It was cute.” He picked back up the ghostvine sprout Stolas had passed to him almost an hour ago, “Do you want to get a few of this one? They’re pretty cool and I think they would do well closer to our door to the fire escape.” He said.

Stolas was so soft for this man.

“That would be lovely.” He smiled, “I’m sure we can nab a few more when we go in to check out.”

Blitzø lightly and affectionately bonked his head against Stolas’s leg, “Any of the ones out here catch your eye?” He asked as he himself looked at the newly rearranged shelf before reaching out and picking up tombfern, which was a black and white plant that got its name from the coffin shaped pennas on each frond.

“Tombferns are very fascinating,” Stolas began as Blitzø turned the plant around to get a full look, “They copy the appearance of a fern, but aren’t actually one. It's known as aggressive mimicry in nature.” He crouched down to point towards the small segments on one of the fronds, “These resemble the appearance of a regular pinnule, but have a special enzyme that draws in larger insects like beetles and moths. When a big enough bug lands on it,” Stolas plucked a dead moth he noticed off one of the shelves and brushed it against a frond and they both watched as it quickly curl around and completely envelop the dead insect, “it traps it like this, like a coffin.” 

Blitzø looked on in fascination, “That's metal as fuck. And these ones need high sunlight?” He asked him not taking his eye off the plant.

Stolas smiled and nodded, “They do. These are native to Wrath, so they also thrive on neglect as they grow more in the desert.” 

“Can we get it?” Blitzø asked and looked up at his boyfriend. 

Stolas only chuckled, “Dear, you are the one paying. If you want one we can get one.”

“Bitch,” Blitzø laughed, “I meant are we able to take care of it.”

Stolas let out a hooting laugh, “Yes, we can absolutely take care of it.” 

They grabbed a few other plants, some herbs they could use in the kitchen, along with the ghostvine and tombfern before making their way into the attached building.

Inside, the young girl who he’d helped was rearranging one of the shelves to accommodate the plants, chatting with an older man who stood behind the counter rearranging shelves that looked to be used for propagating plant trimmings.

She noticed them come in and perked up, “Dad, this is the man who helped me with the plants.” She told the man behind the counter.

He looked over and his expression changed from grateful, to irritated, to confused, “Oh, uh, thank you.” He said gruffly. 

Blitzø set the two plants on the checkout counter, “Babe, grab a few more ghostvine.” He said over his shoulder before focusing back at the man behind the counter, “I’m here to pick up an order for Blitzø.” 

The daughter looked at her dad, confused by his reaction before looking up at Stolas as he approached her to grab two more, “I’m sorry…” she said to him quietly, “I don’t know why he’s—“

“It’s quite alright dear,” he cut her off, “I’m fairly used to it. I’m just happy I could help.” He gave her a polite and reassuring smile before grabbing two more ghostvine, “Have a good night, miss.” He bowed his head to her before walking back to the counter and setting the two small plants down. 

Her dad was watching the interaction he had with his daughter and something changed in his expression, “I’ll be right back, let me get your order.” He said to Blitzø before going through a door behind the counter to retrieve it.

Blitzø leaned back against the counter and bonked the side of his head against Stolas’ leg, “Do you think these will be fine for a bit if we portal them back to the apartment quick before going to the bookstore?” He asked him.

“Oh definitely.” Stolas nodded. 

The man walked back in, carrying a decent sized box with a smaller cardboard tray on top that held a plant that looked like a miniature version of Beleth and carefully set it on the counter, “Is that a pigmy skeletal venom flower?” He asked, both awestruck and excited.

“It’s a coincidence that I picked this one out almost a month ago.” Blitzø responded before turning around to face the counter again, now blushing slightly, “I remembered you had similar looking ones in the halls, and this one stays pretty small so I figured it would be a good pick for the apartment.”

Stolas was SO soft for this man.

“Can I?” He asked the man behind the counter as he reached over to the plant, which was about the size of a softball.

The man nodded, “It is yours.” He responded.

Stolas scooped the plant up and turned it around, watching as its little eyes opened up to observe him right back. He had to be grinning like an idiot as he cautiously used the knuckle of his pointer finger to gently pat one of the small sepals. Having been hand raised in a nursery, this one was just as docile as Beleth, and instead of snapping at his finger it instead leaned happily into his touch, “Oh you are so precious.” He cooed softly. 

He couldn’t help himself but to lean down and kiss Blitzø on the cheek before going back to dote on the little baby Beleth.

The young girl approached him, “It doesn’t scare you?” She asked nervously.

“Oh not at all.” He smiled down at her, “They can be quite friendly.”

“We also have one that’s like, 7 feet tall in our apartment.” Blitzø added in, “Beleth is pretty cool.” He pulled up a photo he’d taken of Stolas feeding it, giving them a better idea of how large it was.

She looked at the picture, her father leaning over the counter a bit as well to see it, “You live with that?” He asked in genuine surprise.

“Mmhmm.” Stolas nodded enthusiastically, “When raised in captivity, they can be very sweet and gentle. I’ve had Beleth my entire life and never once has it snapped at or tried to bite me.” He left out the part where it did try and bite Stella once, however provoked it may have been.

The young girl cautiously approached, “Can—can I maybe…”

Stolas crouched down to show her, “Of course, use the back of your finger and pet gently just above its eyes.” 

She very cautiously moved her hand over to brush her finger against the plant just as Stolas had told her, and brightened up when it leaned in and chirped lightly. it was higher pitched than Beleth.

“We used to live in Wrath,” her dad supplied as he watched the interaction, “A bit too close to where they live naturally. Too many stories about Imps goin missing around them, so she’s always been scared of em.” 

She looked over to her dad, “Can we get one?” She asked as she pulled her hand away.

“Maybe.” He told her, “They’re a lifelong responsibility at most.” 

“How old do they get?” She asked Stolas.

“Oh, ones like Beleth can live for thousands of years. It was my mothers before it was mine, so it’s currently 67 years old. But little ones like this can last almost double that if tended to properly.”

“So definitely somethin we should think about longer before gettin one of your own.” Her dad said before he began to finally scan in the few plants they’d brought in from the greenhouse. Blitzø shooed Stolas away before he could see the total and paid for it. 

“Will you be back?” The daughter asked him hopefully.

“Oh, I am sure that I will.” He smiled down at her before carefully setting the pigmy skeletal venom flower back in the tray, and carefully set the other smaller plants on the other side of the tray. 

The father went to one of the shelves and plucked a few trimmings and put them in a small clay pot, “I think you’re more than capable of taking care of hellish roses.” He said as he passed them the cuttings, “Be sure to keep us updated on how they’re doing.” 

“Oh, thank you.” Stolas smiled as he lifted the small cup-sized orange clay pot with 3 healthy cuttings from a hellush rose bush sticking out of the soil, “I’ll be sure to stop by again soon. I know exactly where to put them.”

“Alright Stols,” Blitzø looked up at him, “You ready to bring this stuff home?” 

“Yes dear.” He responded happily as he lifted the box with the plants on top, “Portal us home, my love.” 

“Wait—“ the daughter called to them. 

Stolas looked over and set the boxes down, “Are you alright?” He asked, genuinely confused.

She nervously fidgeted with her hands and looked at the ground, very nervous much like she had been when they first met, “Umm, I’m sorry if this is rude, but—“ she took a deep breath, “My—my partner, they are a really big fan.” 

Oh.

Had this been earlier, Stolas would have been a bit annoyed as he’d been getting harassed every morning and all day at work the past few days, but this was different, “Would you like a photo?” 

She looked up and smiled, actually making eye contact for the first time, “If it wouldn’t be too much trouble?” 

Behind him, Blitzø just smiled, ready to grab the boxes and bring them through the portal himself before she looked over to him as well, “Would you mind—“

“Sure I can take the picture for you.” He replied.

“N—no that’s not what I meant. Would you be ok joining in the picture?” She asked.

Stolas smiled at the blank look on Blitzø’s face as he processed what she said before he finally responded, “Oh, uh, yeah. Sure.” He walked over and stood next to Stolas, who crouched down again next to her, then tugged him over so Blitzø stood in front of him and he could rest his head between his horns and rested his hands on his shoulders. 

The young girl pulled her phone out and used her tail to hold it at a distance to get them both clearly in the picture. Blitzø made a rock and roll sign with his hands and Stolas simply smiled as she took the picture, “Thank you.” She responded as she looked at the photo on her phone with excitement, “Thank you so much. Oh, and my name is Poppy, by the way.” 

“It really is no bother, Miss Poppy.” Stolas responded before once more grabbing the box and plants, “I’ll be back at a later time to let you know how the hellish roses are doing.” He assured her as he set the supplies on their dining table before ducking back through the portal and to the shop again, “Are you ready to go?” Stolas asked Blitzø as the portal closed.

His boyfriend only nodded and took his hand, “Let’s go to the bookstore before it closes.” When they finally left the nursery, the streets were a little busier than they had been prior. 

They quickly made their way a few shops down and into the book store, which had the distinct smell of a library, with shelves upon shelves of used books that stretched far back in the narrow store. It was very cozy and quiet. With no other shoppers in the store but the two of them, they could hear the faint sound of music coming from the store next door, and the chatter of passersby on the sidewalks. 

There was a black and white Baphomet demon in a red and gold sweater and a belled choker sitting behind the counter by the door, too engrossed in thier book to notice anyone come in despite the bell on the door. The flickering of the candle on his head illuminated the rather dark section of the store. There was a three eyed black cat laying on a red pillow on the counter, its top eye opening curiously to inspect the two who entered, scarlet red watching their every movement.

Stolas nodded towards the cat politely before following Blitzø further into the store, “They’re all used books, but Moxxie says he’d found a lot of really good ones here. It’s nothing brand new but—“

“It’s lovely.” Stolas finished as he scanned the shelves to read the titles. All organized by category, and then further by author. It was easy for him to find his way to the botany section. He almost instantly found a paperback copy of the book he’d lent Via on plants and herbs. It was the same book he’d read to his mothers memorial statue when he was very little.

He opened it carefully, noting the yellowing edges of the pages, the musty old book smell, and overall well maintained pages. When he closed it, he noticed the smallest little crease in the upper right corner of the front cover. His old library in the palace had perfectly maintained and taken care of books, but he was finding that there was something so special about finding a used book that had been so obviously well loved by the original owner.

“This is the book.” Stolas responded, looking down happily at his boyfriend, who was looking through some books on the lower shelf. Blitzø pulled out a hardcover book on the basics of plant husbandry and looked through the pages curiously. It had a lot of illustrated diagrams and information on soil maintenance and the basics of a few different varieties of plants between paragraphs of text. 

He let Blitzø take his time looking through it, and instead took his own time to look around the shelves nearby, locating the romance section not too far off. He scanned the shelves and plucked off a few books he was unfamiliar with to read the back summary. He was in the .99$ book section, and so he didn’t feel bad about grabbing 3 books that caught his eye before looking back to Blitzø, who was now sitting on the floor and reading the book still, his tail wagging a little in curiosity as his finger followed along the lines and he mouthed the words. 

Stolas took out his phone and snapped a photo, because he was just too cute. He walked back over and crouched down next to him, “Did you find a good one?” He asked quietly.

Blitzø jumped a little before looking over, “Oh, yeah.” He nodded, “Are you ready to check out? I’m getting a little hungry.” He commented. 

Stolas nodded and stood back up before reaching down to help Blitzø stand. When they approached the counter, the black cat was gone, though it was very apparent what became of it.

Now standing behind the counter was a Sinner, who was a three eyed black male cat with an X mark across his whole face, “Did you find what you were looking for?” He asked in a gruff, almost grumpy sounding voice.

“Yes, thank you.” Stolas said as he set his books down. Once more, Blitzø shooed him away from the register so he couldn’t see the total, setting the book he was reading on the counter as well.

As the sinner scanned in each book, Stolas noticed the fact that the Sinner's hands seemed to be detached from his wrists, floating inches from the stubs of his wrist.

The Baphomet demon behind him bleated happily as they looked up from their book, “Nari, did you read this one yet?” 

“Lamb, you test my patients.” He grumbled, “Making me do all the work.”

“You looove me though.” They chirped.

“Unfortunately.” The cat responded as he finished bagging their books, “Will that be all?” He asked them in an annoyed tone, like he would rather be anywhere else but here.

“Yeah that’s all.” Blitzø responded as he passed him his card.

The cat sighed as he swiped it in the card reader on his side, waited for the receipt to print, then passed it back over before turning his attention to the person behind him to look at the cover, “Yes I’ve read that one.” He answered them as he waved the two of them off.

As the door shut behind them, Stolas spoke, “Well he seems to love his job.” 

“Oh, their situation is messy.” Blitzø responded as he pressed the crosswalk button and waited, “Sinners still can’t marry Hellborn, Imps or Hellhounds, so their next best idea was a demon contract or some shit. For equality, the Baphomet demon is the contract owner. I don’t know, try and make that all make sense.” 

“Oh, well I suppose that is a bit interesting.” Stolas nodded before looking through the large window at the front of the book store. Now the Sinner was back in his smaller cat form and laying over his partner's shoulders to read whatever they were reading, “They seem a bit odd, but it’s actually kind of sweet.” He said as he reached down for Blitzø’s hand.

“Yeah I guess so.” Blitzø responded, reaching up to hold his hand, “He was a client of ours when he first got here, paid for four hits on his siblings. Again, a very messy situation, but the guy mellowed out a lot ever since he got with his partner.” 

When the cat looked at him, Stolas quickly faced forward, “That’s quite fortunate…”

Blitzø snickered, “Anyways, what kind of food are you in the mood for? We could get tacos, one place does really good kabobs, and another has decent subs. There are crepes, but we can also just get that as dessert later. Or dinner and dessert, all depending on what you’re feelin.”

Stolas chuckled, “Kabobs sound nice,” he began as they got the go ahead to cross the road, “But I also can’t say no to crepes.”

The path that was lined with food trucks was very busy, large groups of college students milling about, drinking beers, ciders or IPA’s being sold from a truck a little farther down the way. Blitzø scanned the area around them and then led Stolas over to a short brick wall along the pathway, “Sit here and I’ll go get us food and drinks, it’s too crowded and I can navigate it easier.”

“Are you sure that is a good idea?” Stolas asked, but sat on the wall regardless, carefully sweeping his tail feathers beneath him so they weren’t in the way of anyone else milling about. Blitzø set the bag with the books down next to him.

“You’re tall enough for me to see you wherever the hell I go, and it’s too crowded for someone to either try something, or get away with trying something.” He took his wallet from his jacket and passed it over to Stolas, “You look cold.” 

At first Stolas wanted to remark that he wasn’t cold, or that his jacket was far too small for him, then noticed the gold grip of his pistol sticking out from one of the inside pockets and nodded, “Of course. Thank you dear.” 

Blitzø nodded, “I’ll be right back.” 

As Stolas watched his boyfriend disappear in the crowd of mostly Imps and the occasional other Hellhound, hellborn and Sinner, he draped the spiked leather jacket over his shoulders, wearing it more like a cloak that covered his shoulders and the upper part of his torso. He must look silly, but that was fine because the jacket smelled like bergamot and Blitzø. His feathers fluffed up pleasantly, ready to enjoy the smell for as long as he was able.

While he waited, his eyes scanned over the crowd, who were all too tipsy and preoccupied with their own thing to give a shit about him taking up space which was also very nice. There was a group of imps on the wall about 15 feet from him who passed around a blunt, and though the smell was fairly strong, he didn’t particularly care. 

He was in their space, afterall. 

For a moment, Stolas shifted his attention to the park behind him. There were plenty of people lounging on the green, some playing music from a radio, someone else farther away began to play a tune on a guitar, then his ears picked up on something familiar. It was very faint, but he could hear the sound of someone playing the piano. The notes were played a bit clunky and slow, but he knew the song well as it was a beginner one at that. 

Hot cross buns. 

He began to try and locate where the music was coming from, but couldn’t pinpoint it with all the noise surrounding him. But a piano is a rather difficult instrument to be inconspicuous about playing, and in an open field it was just odd. All he could see was a small playground that was now flooded with college kids loitering around it, a small pond where people were relaxing around, or doing a bit of night swimming, and a gazebo somewhere around the center, surrounded by apple trees and what appeared to be large lilac bushes, and some sort of ivy climbing up the sides. 

But no sign of a piano. 

“Hey Stols,” Blitzø called out to him as he approached, carrying a styrofoam takeout container with multiple kabob sticks poking out, and two glass bottles of cider held between the fingers of his other hand, “Here.” He passed the tray over before chuckling, “Oh wow, my clothes really don’t fit you.”

Stolas took the container and chuckled as well, “I think I pull off the look rather well.” 

Blitzø hopped up to sit next to him and passed a hard cider, “I hope you like cider, it was this, beer, or an IPA and I’m pretty sure you wouldn’t go for the last two.”

“I like ciders, but I’m not opposed to beer.” He replied as he took a sip and added on, “Thank you, love.” He leaned down and kissed his cheek. 

Before he could sit back upright, Blitzø tilted his head to kiss him on the lips quickly, “I hope you like black beans and rice, I got us a side of that to split since they really pack it in there.” 

Stolas set his drink beside him on the wall before opening the container, “I haven’t had it before, but it smells divine.” There were 4 beef and vegetable kabobs laying across a seasoned mix of white rice, diced onion and black beans, with 2 plastic forks sticking out. He held the container out so Blitzø could grab the first kabob since he paid for it. And then took one after with his free hand.

“Is it like this all the time?” Stolas asked as he looked out across the crowd of rowdy people, and the general busyness of the park.

“Only weekends. Outside of that, most of the students are too focused on classes to go out partying.” He said before he began to eat, “At least the Hellborn, Imps and Hellhounds are.” He said with a full mouth then swallowed, “So long as their GPA is high, they get a free ride and housing. Most don’t want to fuck that up.”

“You seem to know a lot about it.” Stolas commented before clearing his own kabob in one go.

“I tried it out once, but it wasn't my thing so I dropped out.” Blitzø shrugged as he pulled a cube of meat from his kabob and plopped it in his mouth, “Then I fell into mercenary work and it fit much better.”

“You went to college?” Stolas asked, his curiosity piqued, “Did you have an idea for a major?”

“Undecided.” He swallowed the food in his mouth and continued, “Didn’t make it through my first semester, too much writing, reading and shit. But that’s ok, I’m pretty happy with how my life is going right now.” He said contently before finishing off the rest of his first kabob, then took a sip from his drink.

Solas watched his boyfriend carefully as he spoke, distantly wondering if they would have met again had Blitzø stayed in school. It was always so interesting to think about butterfly effects, how the most insoniquential of things could be the deciding factor of the course of one’s whole life. 

Like sitting down to watch TV.

“Stolas?” Blitzø asked, breaking him from his thoughts.

“Yes? I’m sorry I spaced out for a moment.” He responded before picking up his cider and taking a sip.

“Where were you?” He asked as he reached over for the food container, which Stolas passed over no problem.

“What do you mean?” He replied.

“When you spaced out.” He responded before he scooped some rice and beans into his mouth, “Why did they give us fucking forks?” He complained as he couldn’t get a bigger scoop.

“Just thinking about the butterfly effect.” Stolas responded. He noticed a grain of rice on Blitzø’s cheek, then plucked it off and ate it before taking the other fork to scoop up what he could, held his hand under the fork so he didn’t spill anything, then took a bite. Once he swallowed he added, “It was something that related to my work back before the trial. Prophecies and divination were a small part, but still a part nonetheless.”

Blitzø tilted his head, “Butterfly effect?” He asked before grabbing his second kabob and taking a bite.

“It refers to the way something small and seemingly inconsequential could lead to something bigger down the line.” He began, before grabbing the last kabob, “For example.” he plucked off a pepper at the top of his kabob and popped it his mouth and swallowed, “If I eat each part of this kabob individually as opposed to all together like I did with the last, it takes me just a little bit longer to finish my dinner. Perhaps later down the line tonight, those extra seconds could be the difference between us bumping into someone we know, or us just missing crossing paths.” He plucked off a mushroom and ate that next, “Every choice we make, every little action, all of it adds up into what we experience day to day.”

When he finished his explanation, he plucked off a cube of meat and held it up to Blitzø’s lips, and without question his boyfriend ate it, “Perhaps my feeding you that, and my continued explanation of this gives us just a few more seconds of time together, and as such we might see something here that we would not have seen had we left just a little bit quicker.” He cleared the rest of his kabob, swallowed, then continued, “But in the grander scheme of things, someone passing by might see the color of your shirt because you gave me your jacket.” He looked behind them to the groups of people relaxing in the grass, “That person then decides that they really like it and want one for themselves. They go on to get a shirt that’s very similar later on, then someone crosses their path and notices that shirt and likes it as well. That’s enough for them to start talking, and because they did and really hit it off, they fall in love, get married, have a kid, then that kid ends up being a popular fashion designer when they grow up. They make clothing that’s more to your tastes, and you buy a shirt. Had you not been wearing what you are now, and had you not passed me your jacket, that shirt would not exist later on.”

“You were thinking about the butterfly effect.” Blitzø nodded after processing everything Stolas had said, “So then, where were you?” He asked again.

“It is perhaps a bit morbid,” Stolas replied and took a long sip of his cider, feeling a bit more relaxed as the alcohol settled in his stomach, “But that day, the trial. My choosing to sit on my couch was a very last minute decision. That morning, I got up early to attend a meeting with some other nobility looking for a card reading. It went on much longer than anticipated because they weren’t thrilled with the outcome and thought bargaining with me would change what is already set in stone, then blamed me for it happening in the first place. It’s why I always hated and avoided doing them if I could, the client is hardly ever satisfied with the answers they get. After that meeting, I passed through my living room and tossed my crown and cloak on the back of the couch. I took a quick shower, went to the kitchen to get something to eat. I planned on making the track through my atreum and back up to my bedroom to read. But I passed through the living room on my way, and decided at the last minute that I’d just sit and watch tv.” He paused to drink the last bit of cider before finishing, “Had any of those things been just a tiny bit different, had I put my clothes away proper, had I decided to just go read, I would not have seen that broadcast, and I would not have had my cloths right next to me.”

“That’s…” Blitzø started.

“Frightening?” Stolas asked.

“Kinda, but also those things sorta happened for a reason then, right? Everything set in stone?” He asked as he looked up at Stolas, “Like, if your dad didn’t take you to the circus way the fuck back then, we would have never met. Both our lives would be completely different. But because he did, we’re here right now. Right?” His tail brushed against Stolas’ tail feathers.

Stolas thought for a moment and absently tapped his nails on the glass bottle, “Had I been a less expressive child like they wanted me to be, I would not have burst into hysterics when my dad told me I was engaged, and he would have had no reason to take me to the circus. Perhaps if you hadn’t made that broken horse joke, my dad would not have noticed how you made me laugh. I would not have had to explain the joke to him, and he would not have had you come to the palace.” He grabbed Blitzø’s free hand and lifted it so he could kiss his knuckles, “As far as the butterfly effect goes, sharing this moment with you is one of the best outcomes I could ever get.”

Blitzø turned red and looked away, chuckling a bit before closing the takeout container, “You’re such a sap.” He said as he took his hand back but wrapped his tail loosely around one of Stolas’ ankles, “Do you want to go for a little walk before we go home?” He asked him as he stood up and stretched.

“That sounds lovely, dear.” Stolas stood, and finally took Blitzø’s jacket off his shoulders and passed it down to him but paused. There was an open portal where his boyfriend had just been, and he tilted his head down to see Blitzø quickly puting the leftovers in the fridge before hopping back through and closing it.

“Sorry, didn’t want to have to carry that everywhere.” He said as he grabbed his offered jacket and put it back on, “Thanks babe.”

Stolas smiled softly and looped their bag with books around his wrist that wasn’t bald, picked up both kabob sticks and his empty bottle, in one hand, then passed Blitzø his half full bottle of cider, “Here you go.”

Blitze took his drink, then nabbed the kabob sticks and empty bottle from his other hand, “I’ll run this to the trash quick.” He said before locating the nearest trash can and tossing them away, before returning to him and grabbing his hand.

“I might be losing my mind a bit,” Stolas began as they walked around the wall they sat on and followed a path that led toward the center of the park, “but have I been hearing an actual piano? Or is that in my head?”

“Oh, the gazebo probably has one right now.” Blitzø responded, “The college’s music department puts one out from time to time.” He looked up at Stolas curiously, “Why? Do you want to go see it?”

The gazebo had a few people congregating around it, and someone was apparently mashing keys down in an attempt to make as much of a racket as possible while the others laughed, “I would hate to bother them.” Stolas responded, “I was just, curious is all.”

“I would love to bother them.” Blitzø shrugged, “We can just walk by and see what’s up at least. Unless you really don’t want to.”

Stolas was silent for a moment as they stopped walking, “I…” he paused.

“Oh you absolutely do.” He accused, “Do you play? Is that why you’re so hung up on going?” He asked.

“I used to, at any rate.” Stolas admitted, “It has been a while since I did last.” Almost a year.

“Can you play something for me?” Blitzø asked as he tugged Stolas gently in the direction of the gazebo, and Stolas let him.

“They appear to be having fun, I don’t want to interrupt or anything—“

“And again, I would love to interrupt them. They aren’t even actually playing the thing, listen.” He gestured with the hand still holding his drink in their direction, “They’re not even trying. Nobody ever really does, when they bring the thing out. Occasionally some piano wizard will come out and play for a little, and that’s always the coolest fucking thing Stols.” 

“I wouldn’t say I’m a wizard or anything like that—“

“But I bet you’re better than that.” Blitzø said, and as if on cue the most abhorrent cacophony of keys got hit at the same time and that somehow was the funniest thing to the group of people around it, “Please?” Blitzø asked, making a sweet face Stolas knew he had a hard time saying no to.

“We can walk to the gazebo and back. If they are still around when we get there we shall go.” He finally said.

“But if they aren't?” His boyfriend asked, bouncing excitedly on the tips of his hooves.

“If they aren’t then I will play a song for you.” He aquessed. 

Before they even began to walk again, the group of people around the gazebo began to clear out.

“You see?” Blitzø laughed and pointed, “That’s because you ate the kabob different.” Stolas laughed, and fairly loud at that as his boyfriend pulled him along excitedly, “It’s all coming together!” 

Stolas allowed for Blitzø to lead him up the path to the gazebo, passing by groups of people relaxing, some getting into heated debates, and one group of Imps even getting into a light brawl. It was such a vast difference in culture than he was used to, and although feeling a bit out of place, Stolas was finding he quite enjoyed learning more about the differences between Blitzø’s and his own. It was all so much more spontaneous and free here. People didn’t seem to care at all about being open and loud. They thought nothing about taking up space and having fun.

It was nice.

As they approached it, Stolas noticed that up close the gazebo was fairly old; with chipped green and blue paint splintering off the posts and decking, the two steps leading up to it were bowing and the wood was well worn from thousands of people who’d climbed up and down them. When Stolas stepped on them, the boards creaked beneath his feet, and he had to duck under the archway of the entrance to fit in, but once inside he could stand regularly. It was small, with enough room for 4 people snuggly while the piano took up residence against the portion of wall that the large lilac bush towered over. Most of the lattice work of the railings were engulfed in a deep blue ivy as well.

There were empty beer cans and snack food wrappers littered around the floor, and a takeout container of some kind of salad was opened and sitting half eaten on the railing to the right of the upright piano. Stolas’ heart rate picked up and he felt a little nervous as Blitzø hopped up on the railing on the left side of the instrument, shoulder resting against the post and watching him expectantly, “Don’t mind the trash, it’s usually like this.” Blitzø stated before taking another sip of his cider.

“Ah, right.” He nodded before hesitantly approaching the bench, brushing it off lightly before sweeping his tail feathers behind him and sitting down, “I, ah.” He faulted, “I haven’t played anything for others since Vassago’s wedding, and that was before I got married myself.” He admitted a bit nervously.

“It’s only me here.” Blitzø said reassuringly, “and the bushes do a good job of giving you more privacy.”

Stolas nervously hit a few keys in a warm up scale, “It is you here.” He repeated as his hands began to tremble a little, “That’s why I’m so nervous.” 

Something in Blitzø’s expression softened, and he slid down to instead sit on the top rail to watch him instead, “It’s ok, Stols. You can play like absolute shit and I’d still be content sitting here to listen.” 

Stolas was SO FUCKING SOFT FOR THIS MAN.

The Goetic demon flushed and chuckled lightly before he focused back on the keys, “Well if you insist, I suppose one song really wouldn’t hurt.” He took a deep breath and set his hands in the right position for the song he had in mind, feeling just a tad bit more comfortable. 

The song he had in mind was one he wrote himself, inspired by a poem his mother had written for him. It was a rather bittersweet one, with the intent to comfort him as a child, as she’d had a good grasp on the fact she may not be there to raise him. They were words that brought him great comfort as a fledgling, and he’d sung them to Via when she was little on many occasions as a lullaby. 

He took another deep breath, then began to play. 

It was slow, and melancholic starting off, with deep notes that he felt reverberate through the well worn keys. He closed his eyes and felt himself fall back on muscle memory, all notes and chords he’d played thousands of times, one he would play more when he was younger in life when reading books at his mothers memorial simply did not suffice. It made him feel closer to her.

Stolas felt himself relaxing as the song picked up, able to tune out the world around himself. The sound of wind rustling through the leaves, or the noise of others existing in the park around them all melted away. It was just him, Blitzø and the piano closed off in their own section of the park.

It was only a few minutes in length, but it felt like so much longer than that. When he did finally hit the last keys, he found himself wishing it could have been a little bit longer, just a little more time playing.  

He heard a soft clapping and his eyes snapped open. It was from his boyfriend at first, but there were a few others around them who got up to see someone playing an actual song. 

Stolas quickly and nervously looked around to see a gaggle of Imps, a few Hellhounds, and some other hellborn now peeking over the railing, while a few other imps and a Baphomet demon sat atop it to listen. He then looked over to Blitzø, who was only smiling back at him with a soft look in his eyes that made his heart skip a beat.

“Do you know any other songs?” An imp who was perched on the railing off to his left asked, who he then recognized as Poppy.

“Can you read sheet music?” The shorter Baphomet demon sitting beside her asked, smiling wide and happily kicking her feet back and forth.

“I can read sheet music,” Stolas confirmed, trying not to feel too flustered, “And I know a few more songs, but—“

“Can you play them?” Poppy asked, actually making eye contact as she did so. 

“I, uhh…” he turned to Blitzø again, who was still smiling at him as he watched the interaction.

“I told you,” Blitzø said, “It’s not often that someone comes by and actually plays it.” 

“I, suppose one more song would not hurt.” He acquiesced, then took a moment to ponder which he would play next. There was one he heard in the human world once that he really enjoyed, though didn’t know what it was from. It too was a bit melancholic and slow, along with a bit more of an eerie undertone, but it built up more and more the closer to the end he got.

As he set his hands into position, the murmuring around them silenced and he began to play.

This song was quite a bit more complex, but he knew the melody well enough that he could get a little creative with it. He didn’t have to remember it perfectly, and could take it where he wanted instead of following the original sheet music exactly as the last one had been. Despite his initial nervousness, he was becoming far more relaxed as he fell back into something he was so familiar with. He still wanted to impress them, but given the environment he knew deviating from what was supposed to be playing wouldn’t end in people sticking up their noses and being appalled. It was so much more care free.

He felt himself smiling, even. Taking a moment as he played to look up as his boyfriend, who only continued to watch him play with an incredibly fond smile, genuinely enjoying the moment and looking proud of him.

Stolas smiled back and looked back to the keys, now taking a longer moment to embellish the song and maybe even show off just a little. Or a lot. 

Definitely a lot.

The song was only a little bit longer than the first, but like the first people actually applauded. He felt genuinely so happy, with a reception like this, with actual positive reinforcement for the first time from someone who wasn’t his Hellparent.

The Baphomet demon hopped off the railing, carrying with her a little shoulder bag that Stolas had recognized had a little I.M.P pin on it, “Would you mind playing this?” She asked a bit nervously as she pulled out a small binder with sheet music in it, “I was going to practice this for my girlfriend tonight, but if you could play one more song?” 

Stolas blinked down at her for a moment before nodding his head, "I can certainly give it a try if you could turn the pages for me?” 

She nodded enthusiastically, the little flame on her head brightening in her excitement. She climbed up on the railing and scooted to stand behind the upright piano and leaned over the top so she could do so without getting in the way, “Thank you.” She smiled as he opened the binder and set it on the music stand.

The title read ‘Shelter’ .

He looked over the sheet music carefully before setting his hands where they needed to be for the song, then began.

Unlike the first two he had played, this one was warmer, and softer. It made him think of love, and he felt himself really falling into the music comfortably as the notes picked up and slowed down. He thought about the romantic love he felt for Blitzø, the paternal love he felt for his daughter, and even the familial love he felt for Loona, Moxxie and Millie. Some of it he was very familiar with, while the first and latter he was slowly growing acquainted with.

Ever so often, the Baphomet demon flipped the pages for him. 

There was a yearning he could hear in the notes, soft and plucky, then slow and cautious, asking a question of ‘Where have you been all my life?” And stating ‘I wish to stay by your side’.

It made him think of home. Not the palace he’d lived in for the majority of his life, but that small apartment, its noisy neighbors, floorboards and couch. It’s peeling wallpaper, it’s broken ceiling fan, it’s uncomfortable heat that was humid and sticky at times. Laying on the couch with Blitzø at night, holding him in his arms, simply being in his presence. It was home.

The song came to an end far sooner than he had wanted it to. Like the song felt to play, he found himself falling in love with it, and loving learning something that was happier. Something that reflected how he’d begun to feel more and more in recent months, “Thank you for showing me this song.” He turned his attention to the young hellborn, who was smiling over to Poppy. There was once more some happy and enthusiastic clapping from the few others around the gazebo. 

She turned her attention back towards him, “Thank you for playing it. I’m still learning, but hearing the whole piece was really nice.” 

“I better get going so you can get back to practicing, then.” Stolas said as he stood up, then gave the group of people now congregating around them a bow, “And thank you all for listening.” He said before turning around and extending his hand to Blitzø, “You ready to get going, dear?”

His boyfriend blinked for a moment, breaking away from his trance before nodding, “Yeah.” He responded as he took his hand and hopped down, quickly grabbing the bag with their books, then giving his leg a light and affectionate headbut.

They finally exited the small gazebo, Stolas once more ducking benieth the archway as they left. The park was still very full of others despite it being well late into the night. His eyes scanned over the fields, taking note of how much roudier and rambunctious those around them were, now thoroughly buzzed and just having a fun time.

“And you told me you weren’t a piano wizard.” Blitzø joked as he looked up at him, “That was incredible. I wish I had the thought to record it.” 

Stolas let out a soft, hooty laugh, “I can always play for you again another time, Blitzy.” He gave his hand a gentle squeeze, “It was a lot more fun than I thought it would be. I would not mind at all.”

The path they were walking on cut right through the center of the park, lined by crouded benches and street lamps, with the warm glow of string lights hanging from the trees adding in a little extra light. 

“Thank you for taking me out tonight.” Stolas broke their comfortable silence, “Really… it has been a lovely time, and I am glad I could spend it with you.” 

Blitzø squeezed his hand gently, “We can do this again sometime too. Can’t garounty that the piano will be out every time, but occasionally it is.” 

“I would love that.” Stolas replied, smiling down at his boyfriend, “Are we going back home?”

“It’s getting pretty late.” Blitzø said, “Do you want to portal back? Or we could walk. It’s pretty much ten minutes from our apartment.”

“Walking would be nice.” He responded. Walking meant extending their date just a little bit longer, which he was very certain he would like very much. As they continued to walk through the park, he took a moment to admire his boyfriend, the way the lights around them reflected in his eyes, the easy and comfortable expression on his face, the way he was so open to casual displays of affection now. 

It was all things he was certain would be a bit too much for Blitzø had this been only a few days prior. But knowing Stolas was proud to call him his, how he now knew the ugly parts of his past and still stood by his side without pause; the last few days, however difficult some moments had been, had such a tremendous effect on them. Facing difficult topics and going forward tends to strengthen a relationship, afterall. 

As they neared the edge of the park, closer to the street corner with the cafe, Blitze froze which pulled Stolas’ attention from his boyfriend to face whatever had given him pause.

“Loonie?” Blitzø asked in surprise.

Her ears perked up and she turned her head in equal surprise from where she sat in a seat at an outdoor table just across the street from them, with what appeared to be a mug of tea in her hand.

Stolas’ breath caught in his throat as he noticed the company she was sitting with, and he felt his eyes water, “Via?” He all but whispered as his daughter turned her head to face him as well. Her face was a mix of so many expressions, Stolas really couldn’t figure out what she felt as she looked across the street at her dad, who she hadn’t seen for well over four months at this point.

“Dad!” She called out as she shot up from her chair, running around the table and to the crosswalk that stood between them and impatiently hit the button. She shifted nervously from foot to foot, eyes looking at the light and waiting for it to change desperately. 

The second it did, Octavia sprinted across the road towards him. Stolas let go of Blitzø’s hand and opened his arms to her, then as she crashed into him and hugged him tightly like she thought he might disappear if she loosened even just a little bit, Stolas hugged her back. Crouching down a little and resting the side of his face against the top of her head. He held her so tight, with the same fear that she might disappear should he loosen his arms. He felt tears begin to run down his face, not processing that his shoulders were shaking as he cried and nuzzled his face into the top of her head.

“Dad…” she said quietly, crying herself as she buried her face against his chest and sniffled, “Dad I’m so sorry…” her voice choked up, still refusing to let him go or loosen her hold.

“No, Via dear, I am sorry. You haven’t a reason at all to apologize.” Stolas responded, voice muffled only slightly into her hat and sniffled, “I am so sorry.”

After another long moment, she took in a shuddering breath before pulling away a little to look up at her father, “I—I was so mean this morning—Mom walked in and I had to end the call…” she stuttered slightly rubbing under one of her eyes to wipe away her tears.

“Not that I am not absolutely elated that you are here my owlet,” Stolas began as he pulled away and set his hands on her shoulders, “but what are you doing in Imp city?” 

Loona finally walked over to the three calmly, smiling as she watched the reunion.

“Loona invited me for coffee… We just got here a few minutes ago...” she said softly, not looking away from her dad, fearing he would disappear if she did, and that he was never really here in the first place.

“Did—did you know?” Stolas asked Blitzø, looking very briefly over to him and noticed he’d taken a few steps away.

“No, not at all.” He shook his head, equally as surprised as Stolas was.

“Loona?” He asked.

“No. Honestly I thought you guys would be somewhere in Lust.” She shrugged. 

Stolas had so many questions. How long had she been in contact with Via. How long they had been meeting up. If she was going to tell him about any of it. But for the moment he didn’t really care because Via was right here in front of him, and he didn’t want to waste a single second of his time with her grilling his boyfriend's daughter. 

The butterfly effect worked in mysterious ways. Had they not taken the extra time eating dinner, had they not spent time playing the piano in the gazebo, had they chosen to portal home instead of walk, he would not have his daughter right here in front of him.

He’d eaten the kabob differently, and because he did, she was right here. He pulled her into another tight hug, because she was right there and he could, “Via, I love you so much my owlet.” He told her.

The butterfly effect truly did work in mysterious ways. 

 “I love you too, dad.”

Song I listened to when writing this chapter:

Shelter by Porter Robinson and Madeon

And a fuck ton of piano music lol

The artwork featured in this chapter is a commission by the lovely Hellamews, who you can find on Tumblr here! I highly suggest giving her page a look at for more great stolitz artwork as well as info for her other socials!

Find me on Tumblr!

Chapter Text

“I love you too, dad.” Octavia responded before finally pulling away. It was then that Stolas really took in her appearance in the street light. 

He brought his hand up to touch her head feathers, “You trimmed them.” He commented as he observed the way they tapered off a little bit above her shoulders. She looked defensive for only a moment before he continued, “It looks nice.” Her dusty gray feathers were fluffier as they curled out from beneath her hat, and she still had feathers that swept out over her left eye and across her face. With them shorter, the white feathers she’d inherited from her mother underneath the dusty gray popped out and contrasted nicely. 

“Do… Do you maybe want to join us?” She asked him a bit hesitant before briefly looking over to Blitzø and back.

“Of course.” Stolas responded without hesitation, “We have work in the morning, but surely we can—“

“I’m feeling like we deserve a day off anyways.” Blitzø cut in, “I’ll send Mox a text and let rescheduling be his problem.” 

Stolas looked over to him in surprise, “Are you sure, dear?” He asked.

“Yeah.” He shrugged, “I’m pretty sure a doctor said once that a day off every now and then is healthy.” After a moment he tagged on, “Probably.” 

“We used to have three days off a month around the full moon anyways.” Loona added in. Her tail wagged in excitement at the prospect of a day off to do fuck all nothing. 

Blitzø patted Stolas’ hip, “Stop fussing over it and let’s get a drink.” He insisted before hitting the crosswalk button with his tail, “Again, rescheduling can be Mox’s problem. With you doing all the paperwork lately his job has gotten too easy.” He joked.

Stolas let out a hooty little laugh as he looked down and made eye contact with his boyfriend. He wanted to lean down and kiss him on the cheek, because he really spoiled him so much today, but instead held the hand still on his hip and gave it a little squeeze, unsure of what was ok to do around Via at present. Everything about this moment didn’t feel real, and the ability to lengthen it with no worries of later repercussions was something truly special, “Thank you.” He smiled. 

Blitzø in response lightly bonked his head to the side of Stolas’ leg, eliciting a light chuckle from Stolas. 

The crosswalk signaled for them to go, and as they walked, Stolas rested his hand on Octavia’s back and ushered her forward, worried that should he lose contact then this would all prove to be a cruel illusion. She leaned into his side, worried for the same reason. 

“Our table is a little small, but I think they have a few available booths inside.” Loona stated as they began to navigate between tables to get where the two girls had been sitting.

“I’ll go get one while you guys grab your shit.” Blitzø responded, before he let go of Stolas’ hand and quickly walked inside. Stolas watched the quick retreat before he followed his daughter to their original table, not wanting to leave her side. It wasn’t a long process in the slightest, as Via only had her tea and a shoulder bag, and Loona only had her tea.

Stolas had to duck his head down as they stepped into the cafe, but had plenty of room inside to stand upright. It was a little quieter inside, since most people only stepped in to get their food or drinks and then went out to sit on the patio. 

It had a nice mocha brown and light pink color scheme. The lower half of the walls were brown, and the upper part bubble gum pink with a white stripe dividing them. There was also a mural of the cafe logo surrounded by a large array of pride flags on the back wall. The cafe had black tile flooring that was speckled with pink and white. A large counter formed a quarter circle in the back left corner, with a pastry case displaying a large variety of cookies in the center, with a register to the left and right. Coffee makers and other supplies lined the walls behind the counter, with a door leading out back on both sides of the counter on the back wall. Lining the walls were different booths for customers to sit at.

It wasn’t hard to locate where Blitzø had gone. The booth he picked was the farthest away from the door, in the back right corner with a nice window giving them a view of the street and passersby. It was as private as they could get.

“Thank you dear.” Stolas said to his boyfriend as they came up to the booth. Octavia and Loona slid into the side of the booth facing the wall since Blitzø had already taken a seat on the side facing the entrance. It wasn’t lost on Stolas that Blitzø had chosen that side deliberately to keep an eye on anyone who could approach the table.

Blitzø only nodded and stood up, gesturing for Stolas to slide in. Another deliberate action done so he had full control over a situation should a threat present itself.

“I’m gonna go get us drinks,” Blitzø told him, “Stols—Stolas what would you like?” He asked.

Stolas gave him a funny look, confused on why he would be worried about using his nickname right now. Had he done something wrong?

“Tea if that wouldn’t be too much trouble, dear?” 

“You got it.” Blitzø nodded before leaving the table.

Stolas watched him retreat. After how open he had been not 10 minutes prior, Stolas felt a little worried about his behavioral switch. He wasn’t acting completely different, just… now he was hesitant.

“Dad?” Octavia asked, immediately garnering his attention.

“Yes my owlet?” He smiled at her, then faltered just a little as he noticed a new found nervousness from his daughter. Loona patted her arm reassuringly as Via moved to get something from her shoulder bag.

She pulled out a plain black folder that had a few papers in it, “I, umm…” she slid them across the table, “I was going to give these to Loona to give you…”

Stolas took the folder, frowned slightly as he opened it, then frowned even deeper when he saw what the papers were, “Via, I didn’t want you to know…” he said softly as he felt his heart beat heavily in his chest. Inside the folder was a stapled copy of the contract Stella had made when she hired Striker. The date showed it was from the prior year, around the time of the Harvest Moon Festival, “How did you…” he tried to continue as he looked back to his daughter, “Where did you get this?” He asked in a hushed tone. Not mad, not much of anything really, but maybe a little upset.

Octavia couldn’t look at him, so instead she trained her eyes on something outside the window, and nervously fidgeted with the feathers of her bangs, “I found them… I thought you should have a copy, just in case…”

Stolas closed the folder and pushed it aside, then carefully took both her hands in his. He gently guided the one fidgeting with her bangs away from her face, “Via, dear. Are you alright?” He asked, knowing that all the information she had received today about her parents was, to put it frankly, a lot.

“I’ll be ok,” she said, still unable to look from the window, “Mom and uncle Andrealphus were out of the house all afternoon. I went snooping and found them.”

He gave his daughter’s hands a light squeeze, “I will be ok, please do not worry about any of this.” He ducked his head in an effort to try and make eye contact, “Thank you for bringing this to me, but again, dear…” he ran his thumbs over her knuckles, “Do not worry about me. I will be ok.”  

She finally made eye contact, apprehensive but overall more comfortable, “How can you be sure?”

As Stolas opened his mouth to respond, Blitzø arrived back and slid him a pink mug of what smelled like jasmine tea, along with a small paper tray of cookies that he left in the center for them all to pick at, “Here you go. Hope you guys like snickerdoodle, it was the only one they could guarantee had no contact with peanuts.” He said as he slid in next to Stolas, but kept a bit of a distance between them on the bench.

Stolas couldn’t help the smile that spread across his face, “Thank you, my love.” He let one of Via’s hands go to gently brush his knuckles along Blitzø’s cheek. 

For the briefest of moments, Blitzø tilted his head into the touch, closed his eyes, and purred. Then his eyes snapped open and he pulled away, then blushed a bit, “Of course.” He replied before he focused on his own mug of black coffee.

Octavia observed the interaction carefully. Nothing upset or hurt in her expression like she had been the last time she’d seen the two of them, just a curious observation before asking, “What’s wrong with peanuts?” 

Stolas went rigid and his eyes widened, Loona’s ears twitched nervously, and Blitzø quickly looked all around them to make sure nobody could hear the question, having thought nothing about mentioning peanuts in the first place. Nobody was near them, and those who were in the cafe were doing their own thing on the other side where they could look at the park through the window booths there.

Then Stolas made worried eye contact with Blitzø, both trying to silently communicate on what to do, but both still not at a place in their relationship where they could pick up on the slightest cues like Moxxie and Millie could.

“Uhh…” Stolas finally said before looking back to his daughter, “It is…” he didn’t want to lie to her, and didn’t want to dismiss the question either. It wasn’t as if he didn’t trust his daughter with this information, because he did. But should others around him get it, then that could quite literally be the difference between life and death for him, “Blitzø, is it safe?” He asked quietly.

Blitzø gave the area a more thorough look, “One second.” He said before sliding out of the booth and walking towards the entrance where there was a station with napkins, wooden stirrers and sweeteners, all the while inconspicuously doing a sweep of the area around them under the guise of retrieving napkins for their table. 

When he returned, he set the napkins down, “Nobody is in nearby booths, but speak quietly just in case the cameras in here pick up audio. Closest one is behind the counter, but still.” He said quietly. 

Octavia was looking at them with increasing concern, “Dad?” 

Stolas gave her hand another reassuring squeeze, “There have been quite a few things we’ve realized in recent months,” he began in a voice just above a whisper, “One of which being an allergy I have to peanuts.”

She just looked confused, “What?” She asked and looked from him, to Blitzø then to Loona and back, “But, those aren’t angelic.” She said quietly.

Stolas’ pursed his lips and his brows creased in concern as he broke the news, “I know.” He responded. 

Watching the realization slowly dawn on his daughter’s face made his heart hurt, “But…” she whispered, “Then it’s not deadly?” She asked, falling into denial.

Stolas’ expression didn’t change, “Dear…” if he said yes, that was lying, but with the way she asked it, it would be the same if he said no, “Did you see the papers a few days ago?” He asked, "About the emergancy room visit?"

Octavia covered her face with her free hand and her breath hitched as it set in, “You can’t promise me you’ll be ok.” Her voice was quiet and broken as she looked to be on the verge of tears.

Although Blitzø had kept a bit of distance between himself and Stolas since they ran into Octavia and Loona, he scooted up flush against Stolas’ side so he could rest his hand on top of his boyfriend’s and Octavia’s, “I can promise you, your dad has everything he needs to be safe.” He reassured her. 

Stolas took the moment to wrap his free arm around Blitzø, realizing the longer this conversation went on, the more he was in need of physical reassurance to keep him grounded, “It might not be in the same way,” Stolas started, “But I can still defend myself.”

She looked between them with glassy eyes, “But if these did have contact with peanuts?” She asked.

Blitzø pulled his hand back and opened his jacket enough to partially pull out an EpiPen he brought with him and stored on the opposite side of the one that had his flintlock pistol, “I bring one with me everywhere we go.” He replied quietly. Taking it out just enough for her to see without others or cameras around them taking notice, “I promise. As long as I’m here, I won’t let anything happen to your dad.” 

Despite the slight relief about knowing of the EpiPen, she still looked distressed, tired, even. She took a sip from her own tea and thought for a moment.

“If it makes you feel any better,” Loona spoke up and rested her hand on Octavia’s shoulder, “Both attempts on your dads life were stopped because of Blitzø.” Octavia took in a deep breath when she set her mug down, and Loona passed her one of the napkins, “Here.”

“Thank you.” She said as she took the napkin and dried her eyes. Whether it was aimed at Loona or Blitzø, Stolas wasn’t completely certain.

Blitzø went to scoot back to where he was seated before, trying to keep a foot and a half of distance between them at least, but Stolas held him there and looked down with pleading eyes. He really needed the support right now. After eye contact for a few seconds, Blitzø relented and stayed put.

Stolas then looked back to his daughter, “Outside of everything that’s happened today,” he began a little cautiously, “How have you been?” He asked his daughter.

She took a deep, calming breath before she grabbed a cookie, “Ok I guess.” She responded before she took a small bite of it and thought for a moment, “I mostly keep to myself. Mum does my head feathers for me, we have dinner, and we go do our own thing.” 

Stolas frowned a bit, “Just dinner and preening?” He asked.

She just shrugged, “I’m almost 18, it’s fine. Isn’t like I’m not used to it.” She replied, “I spend time in the back gardens and study the grimoire mostly. It’s not easy on my own, but I’m getting the hang of it.”

That definitely stung, but he probably deserved it. He used to help her with her studies before his arrangement with Blitzø, and having first hand experience learning it on his own he knew full well it wasn’t easy, “I’m sorry,” Stolas eventually responded, “I could maybe help?” He offered.

She looked up at him, “No offense dad, but how can you do that exactly?” She had a hint of humor in her tone, albeit a lot more sarcasm than the former.

“I may not be able to perform magic, my owlet, but I can still help explain it.” He responded before he let her hand go and took a sip of his jasmine tea.

“I guess any help is still good help.” She responded, “The back garden is doing fine, by the way. The charm you put on it is holding up surprisingly well.”

Although it was a relief to hear that his mothers garden was doing well despite Andrealphus freezing the palace over, he tilted his head in confusion, “I am sorry, Via, but what charm?” He asked.

“What do you mean ‘what charm’?” She asked, “It’s the one that’s creating the magical wall that’s protecting it from the cold?”

“Via, I didn’t set any charms.” He responded and he carefully set his mug on the table, “Weren’t you the one who protected Beleth?” He asked.

She shook her head, “No, the walls just went up automatically when conditions for them were too cold.” She sounded puzzled, “You really didn’t set the charms?” 

Stolas shook his head, “No, not at all.” He confirmed.

“Could it be something grandmother did?” She then followed up.

“My mother never had any magic.” Stolas explained, “She was a Queen because she was wed to Paimon,” he pointedly refused to address him as his father, “Like with your mother, she didn’t have Goetia blood. That’s why she passed the way she had…”

It was a topic he didn’t love to discuss, and Octavia knew very little about her grandmother as a result. She knew she was dead, and that she had died when he was very young. Not that she died before he’d even hatched, and not that he’d essentially been raised by his fathers butler, with the occasional visit from Uncle Vassago when he wasn’t drowning in legal work.

“What about grandfather?”

“Via, dear.” Stolas began, “I’m certain that man is incapable of caring about or loving anyone but himself. I can assure you he has nothing to do with it.” He said as he frowned down at his mug of tea. He refused to believe it was Paimon, because if it was, that meant he does have the capacity to care for others. It would mean his abandonment at hatching was because there was something inherently wrong about Stolas. That he was so unlovable at such an early age…

Stolas cleared his head of the thought and continued, “And if it had been me who put up those charms, they would have been gone the moment I was stripped of all my power. The magic has to be pulled from a source to be sustained. With nothing to give, they would have been useless.” 

Stolas felt Blitzø’s tail curl around his waist, and the softest purr his boyfriend was capable of, which was almost completely silent unless he really strained his ears to hear it. With the arm he had around Blitzø, he grabbed his hand on that side and interlocked their fingers. They rested on the seat just out of sight. 

“Who was that parrot guy at the trial?” Loona asked Stolas, “He seemed to care about you, do you think he put up the charms?” 

Stolas shook his head again, “Vassago is my Hellparent. I could see him doing such a thing, but his magic is golden on color, not purple, so it can’t have been him.” He paused, “Even though he must be very cross with me right now, he was my mothers half brother and he would have done it for her at least.” He mused.

“What makes you think he’s cross with you?” Octavia asked before taking another bite of her cookie.

“I do not see how he would not be.” Stolas held his mug in one hand, feeling the fading heat of his tea through the ceramic, “I have not spoken with him since the trial, and I cannot reach him without his number. He has not reached out, and he did not look too pleased at my sentencing.”

“Dad, he doesn’t have your new number.” Octavia countered.

“It is not that simple, Via.” Stolas sighed, “My whereabouts are not exactly a secret. Especially as of this past week. He knows where to find me.” Blitzø leaned into him a little bit more, purred just a little stronger, and his tail wrapped around him a little tighter, “But never mind that right now. Would you like to talk about anything else? For instance, how long have the two of you been communicating and meeting up?” 

“No, we can stay right here.” Octavia pressed, “Are you really fully cut off from the family?” 

Stolas blinked at her, “I hardly see how that is so important right now.”

“It is because it’s family.” she sounded annoyed, “Family is still important.”

“Via, my owlet, I do not have my old phone, and even then I did not exactly have the best of reputations among the Goetia to begin with. Your mother did a good job of that with all her parties.” He explained quickly to try and dissuade his daughter's annoyance, “The only one I ever spoke with was Vassago, and occasionally with his husband Felix.” He continued, feeling a tad bit embarrassed about basically admitting he was a loser around his daughter, his boyfriend, and his boyfriend’s daughter. 

After a moment, Octavia spoke up, “I can give you his number, if you want.”

“Via, I would not even know what to say to him.” He fretted.

“You could tell him the truth about the trial.” Loona interjected, “He really seemed to care about the way it was handled. He might appreciate knowing the actual truth.”

“I…” Stolas hesitated for a moment. Sure Vassago’s husband was an overlord, legal status of which Stolas was now uncertain of with the new knowledge that Sinners could not marry in Hell, so he isn’t put off by inter-class relationships. But telling Vassago the complete extent of his spectacular fuck up would be hard. He had a good feeling Vassago wouldn’t care that he was in love with an Imp, being the only Goetic demon he knew aside from himself that didn’t much care for societal expectations and social decorum outside of his job. But he would care if he found out about the hard candies and how long he’d relied on them. He would care about the nature of the deal he made with Blitzø. He would care about the stupid decisions he made to break demon law for the sake of getting dicked down into his mattress once a month. 

If Vassago wasn’t cross with him now, Stolas worried about the reaction he would get after he talked about it with him.

“At any rate,” Blitzø cut in, “He may not actually give a flying fuck about us,” he nodded his head in Loona’s direction, “but he did care enough about having a proper and fair trial that the only ones who voted in favor of it was him, Bee and Ozzie.” 

“Although he is a lawyer and takes his job seriously, I doubt he only hardly gives a flying fuck about you guys.” Stolas sighed. “His partner is an Overlord, so it isn’t as if he sees inter-class relationships as something inherently wrong. He tends to get especially vocal when trials are set in an unfair way, with no proper legal representation for the lower social class member.”

“He’s probably the only other Goitia we know that doesn’t suck.” Octavia added in, “But also the only one who’s never had the time to attend one of mum’s parties.”

Blitzø seemed to consider this new information for a moment, and Stolas had difficulty reading him. But after a few seconds went by, he just leaned his head against Stolas’ side, “Then that’s more reason to reach out to him when you’re ready.” 

Octavia finished off her cookie, brushed the crumbs off on the napkin she used to dry her eyes, then held it out, “Let me have your phone.” She demanded, “I’ll give you his number. Choose to do whatever the hell you want with it after, but you should at least have it.”

After a moment of hesitation, Blitzø passed her over Stolas’ phone, “Here.”

Stolas watched the interaction in confusion before he asked, “How the hell did you get that?” Stolas set his tea down to then pat the pocket the device had just been in. He made eye contact with his boyfriend, who only had to bat his eyes up at him to pacify any irritation he may have had over being pickpocketed by him, “You’re lucky I love you, you know that?” 

Blitzø only stuck his forked tongue out at him before reaching over to grab a cookie and passed it to him, “Here have a cookie.” 

Stolas took it and rolled his eyes, “Sweet talker.” He mumbled before taking a bite. 

Octavia added in Vassago’s contact, then passed his phone back to her father, who was then met with the predicament of how to grab it with both hands now occupied. Before he made the hard decision of letting go of his boyfriend's hand, Blitzø just took it and stuck it back in Stolas’ pocket where it belonged.

Every interaction he had with Blitzø around his daughter felt as though he was under deep scrutiny from her. Which was perhaps where Blitzø’s original hesitation around her stemmed from. Despite this, she didn’t seem upset. Just observant. Stolas himself wasn’t sure how to take it, because part of him worried she would not approve of the relationship. But another part of him knew that trying to hide it anymore was out of the question, because if things stay going the way they are, Blitzø would be a permanent figure in her life.

Of course things like marriage at the moment was far too soon to jump into. They still had so much they didn’t know about the other, and so much still to work through. Not only that, his divorce from Stella had only been finalized for a little over a month now. But a few years from now? He was certain he could see himself marrying the man sitting next to him. 

After a moment, Blitzø nudged Stolas lightly with his shoulder, “Can I scoot? I have to use the bathroom.” he asked.

Stolas nodded, “Of course, dear.” He let his hand go and watched him slide across the bench and walk over to the counter to ask the barista there about the bathroom location.

Loona, who was texting something on her phone, jolted as she received a call, “Oh, this is Bee, I’m gonna step out and take it. Be back in a bit.” She announced before getting up with her things and exiting the building as she answered the call.

The table was silent for a moment, as both father and daughter were unsure of what to say now that they were alone. Stolas took a sip of his tea and thought for a moment, then finally set it down and broke the quiet, “Are you ok?” He asked, eyes trained on the remaining liquid in his pink, ceramic mug, “With all of this.” He tacked on nervously.

Another moment of silence settled between the two as she thought about her answer. She knew what he meant with his question. It wasn’t about how she had been doing day to day, or how she was feeling right at this moment with everything that happened in her life within 24 hours. It was whether she was ok with her father being in a new relationship, especially one with another man, and even more so one with Blitzø. 

As she thought, she took a sip of her own tea, eyes absently focusing on the cookies in the middle of the table. The longer the quiet stretched on for, the more Stolas’ nervousness grew.

Stolas looked up at her, “If you are unready to answer, I will not be upset. If you need more time to think about it—“

Octavia waved her hand, “No, it’s not like that.” She cut him off before setting her drink down, “Just… I don’t know. It’s weird.” 

That hurt.

Stolas looked back down at his drink, and put on an ok mask so he didn’t cry in front of her for answering his question truthfully. Of course he knew he was weird. He was different, and his relationship with Blitzø was unorthodox at best. But hearing his daughter call him weird was almost like a slap to the fact, “I… am sorry.” He said quietly.

“Dad, it’s not like that.” She reached over and settled her hand on his forearm, “I didn’t word it right. What I meant by it is just…” she thought on her wording a little more before she continued, “Compared to how you were with mum,” Stolas looked back up at her, “It’s weird after all this time to see you be happy with someone. Not bad weird, just different.” She paused, “I’m not mad with you about it. Not anymore. It took some time for me to wrap my head around everything because it felt like it was happening all at once, but with Loona’s help I was able to work through how I felt.” 

Stolas placed his hand over hers, “You aren’t… disgusted?” He asked.

She gave him an odd look and shook her head, “No, why would I be disgusted?” 

“That I’m with a man?” He asked, “Or that I’m gay?” He hesitated on his last question, now fully stating to her that he had no attraction to women at all. It was also the first time he used the label for himself, now officially fully admitting to the both of them that he was. 

“No, not at all.” She replied, “Uncle Vassago is gay, why would I have a problem with you?”

“It can be different sometimes when it is a direct family member, but I am sure I just sound silly.” He let out a dry laugh, “Especially when that fact is what ruined our family.”

“Dad,” Octavia pulled her hand back and nervously fidgeted with the sleeve of her dress, “I’ve had enough time to understand that the fault isn’t fully on you. You aren’t perfect, and you’ve messed up in places, but so has mother.” She sighed, “I’m sorry for not noticing the signs sooner—“

“Via, it was not your job to notice the signs, and still it is not. You can say you are almost 18, but whatever the case may be you are still a child. You will always be our child. Our problems were ours alone, and you should never have been pulled into them.” He insisted as he reached out to place a hand on her shoulder, “It was on us as adults to manage our differences, I’m just sorry I let it affect you like this.”

“Are you still on them?” She asked quietly, unable to look at him when she asked. He knew full well what she was referring to. It was about the hard candies.

“No.” He shook his head, “I’ve been clean of them since the trial.” 

She looked up at him, “Is it because you’re not around mother anymore?”

Once more, Stolas shook his head, “No. Maybe in part, but not entirely.” He absently fiddled with his mug handle, turning it this way and that, “The bottle has been sitting in the medicine cabinet, but I flushed the pills.” he didn’t want to say he’d waited till just recently, and that Blitzø had been the one to do it for him, “My mental health has improved since being clean, but I do still have my struggles. Blitzø is setting me up with a doctor to talk to though. Maybe get me on a proper prescription to help manage what’s going on in my head in a healthy manner.” 

“He really cares about you.” Octavia said. It was just a blanket statement, mostly to wrap her own mind around the concept more than anything.

Stolas' expression softened, “He does.”

“It’s weird to see you like this, but it makes me happy to see you happy. The difference between Blitzø and mother is stark in pretty much every way, but it’s… good.” her own expression softened as well before she asked, “After tonight, can I see you guys again?” She asked him.

“Of course, my owlet. We would love nothing more than to spend more time with you. I would love nothing more.” He felt himself smiling genuinely, “I cannot even begin to express just how much I have missed you. You have my number, call or text me whenever and I promise you that if I do not respond immediately, I will get back to you as soon as I possibly can. Reach out for anything at all, be it to say hello, or to get help with your studies, or to even just talk about your day. I mean it.” He felt a weight being lifted from his shoulders, “I love you so much, Via. I love hearing from you. I always will.”

She placed her hand over the one on his shoulder, “I love you too, dad.” She said, then jolted when her phone bgan to ring and quickly took it from her pocket then froze, “It’s mom she said quietly before answering it and covering one ear to hear better.

“Hello?” Octavia asked into the receiver, then paused, “No, mum I went out to see a friend—“ she paused again as her mother cut her off, “No, I’m not seeing him. It’s just a friend from school.” She insisted, “Just to the park, I’m not far away, just 10 minutes from home.” She lied, she was on the very other end of Pride which was a good hour long bus ride away, then looked very nervous she responded, “Do I have to come home right this minute? I know it’s late but it’s the weekend…”

Blitzø finally made it back to the table, “Sorry—“ he then noticed Octavia’s concerned expression, “Is everything alright?” He asked in a quieter tone as he sat at the very edge of the bench next to Stolas.

“It is Stella.” Stolas whispered back, “I am unsure…”

“Yes mum, ok I’ll head home…” she looked panicked as she collected her bag quickly and went to scoot out of the booth, “Yes. I’ll see you when I do.” Another pause, “I love you too.” She said quieter then paused, “No, no I didn’t mean—“ she paused again as Stella interrupted her, “No, yes mom, I love you too.” She said louder than the last, “Alright, I’ll see you when I get home.” She paused, then nodded, “Bye.” She said then looked to be on the verge of a full blown panic attack, “She thinks I’m 10 minutes away, I—I’m sorry I need to leave, I’m going to be so much later, she’ll be—“

“Where does she think you are?” Blitzø asked, “I can portal you there.” He continued before he pulled up his jacket sleeve to reveal the Crystal.

“You could?” She asked as relief dawned on her face, “Fairview Park, on the other side of Pride.” 

Blitzø just nodded before he rubbed the stone and opening the portal, “Let us know when you get home?” He asked.

She looked slightly taken aback by that before she nodded to Blitzø, “I will.” She said before she turned to her dad, “I love you.”

“I love you too, my owlet.” He responded, not moving so he could stay out of view of the portal just in case.

She quickly stepped through, then waved goodbye one last time before the portal shut behind her. 

Blitzø slid down the booth a little bit more, wrapped an arm around Stolas and giving him a gentle squeeze, “How are you feeling?” He asked.

Stolas leaned into him and grabbed his free hand, “Relief?” 

“You said that like it was a question.” Blitzø looked up at him.

“I suppose I did,” Stolas leaned back in the booth and pulled Blitzø along with him, “Can we talk about this more when we get home?” He asked, “It’s good I think, but I’ve experienced a lot of emotions just now and know I’ll be a blubbering mess.” 

Blitzø’s expression softened, “Yeah we can talk when we get home.” He agreed before he looked around the cafe, “Where is Loonie?” 

“She stepped out to take a call from Bee. Though I am unsure of when she will return.” He replied, only now did he notice that when Loona had left, she took her things and mug away with her. She took the mug to the counter and left all together.

“Yeah, I’m pretty sure she bounced.” Blitzø voiced the thought Stolas just had, "I’ll send her a text just in case. We can clean up and then just portal home. Does that sound good?” He asked.

Stolas nodded, “Perfect, I can take away our dishes.” He responded before he ushered his boyfriend out of the booth so he could leave as well.

“I can help.” Blitzø responded as he went to tuck the phone away.

“Dear, it is fine. I can handle it.” Stolas insisted before he stacked his and Via’s mugs, then grabbed Blitzø’s own before he walked up to the counter with them.

The barista behind the counter was a young succubus who looked to be around Octavia’s age. She had pink skin the same shade as Verosika’s, with long, wavy strawberry blond hair that was tied back in a ponytail, and red irises. Her horns were predominantly black with a pink heart shape on the left and pink tips on both, they were short, and curled inward, starting just above her temples. She was shorter than hir daughter by about one foot, with a slightly fuller frame. On her apron seemed to be a variety of pride pins, all of which were unfamiliar to him as he’d only known the rainbow flag. One an array of pinks and reds, one with a black, gray, white and purple stripe, another a cacophony of different colors between black bars, then finally a blue one with a yellow equal symbol in the middle. She wore a hot pink polo shirt, black pants and a mocha brown apron with the cafe logo printed in bubblegum pink across the front. Her name tag spelt out Rosemary. 

“Hello ma’am, do I bring these to you?” He asked her.

“Oh, yeah thank you.” She responded as she took the mugs being passed over, “A lot of times people just leave them at the tables, I appreciate you bringing them over. Did Via leave already?” She asked him.

“Oh, you know my daughter?” He asked in surprise, “Yes she just left.”

“Oh, yeah she’s come here a few times.” She admitted before she took the mugs to a tray on the counter behind her that had other dirty dishes, “She usually says bye, though.” The girl shrugged before she faced him again, “No bother, though. I’m gonna take these out back, but it was nice meeting you.” She waved before doing just that.

Confused, Stolas walked back to the booth where Blitzø was waiting. His boyfriend held the paper tray with the remaining few cookies in one hand, “You ready to go babe?” He asked.

Stolas just nodded, "Yes, I believe so.”

Blitzø opened a portal directly into their kitchen and gestured for Stolas to go first, “After you.” He stated.

The apartment was dark aside from the glow of the street lights outside, the very slight light being emitted from the glow in the dark stars Blitzø had stuck to the ceiling, as well as the soft blue light being emitted from the ghost vine on their table. As they entered they heard the sound of Beleth chirping in response to a tinier chirping from the pigmy skeletal venom flower situated around their other plants and supplies on the dining table.

“Woh, they can talk to each other?” Blitzø asked as the portal closed behind them. 

Stolas chuckled softly, “Yes, though this is the first time Beleth had been around another of its kind. From the sounds of it, these are happy noises so that is good.” 

Blitzø set the tray of remaining cookies on the counter and went to flick on the lights. Stolas made his way around the half wall to go tend to his new plants. He gave the pigmy skeletal venom flower a light scritch before he lifted it up to further inspect it, “You are just the cutest little thing.” He cooed as he gave it more attention than he had been able to at the nursery, “So tiny, so little.” The plant continued to chirp and gurgle happily. Stolas could smell its acidic bile, which like Beleth’s was sweet in fragrance. Where Beleth’s was more of a honey sweet smell, this one was more sugary, a little bit like cotton candy.

“Are you gonna name it?” Blitzø asked as he looked through the plants as well, picking up his tomb fern and noticing the way the frond that held the moth was now unfurled again, with no signs that a bug was there to begin with.

“Mmmhmm.” Stolas nodded, “I was thinking, since it’s just a tiny Beleth I would name it Baby Bell.”

Blitzø looked up at him, “Like those little cheese wheels?” He asked.

Stolas looked down at him, “Pardon?”

“Those little mozzarella wheels covered in red wax?” Blitzø specified. 

“Again, pardon?”

“You’ve never had Baby Bell Cheese?” His boyfriend gave him a deadpanned look.

Stolas only shook his head, “No. Is that something you can get at grocery stores?”

“Ahh, right. Forgot for a moment that you grew up rich.” He looked back at the tomb fern and went to touch one of the fronds, "They're good."

“Don’t touch it!” Stolas yelled in a panic and caught his hand. Blitzø looked up at him in surprise, “Sorry, love, I didn’t mean to yell. But really do not touch it. The fronds have little barbs along with the sticky sap, and it can and will tear off your skin if given the chance. It is stronger than you think.” 

“Oh,” Blitzø responded before he looked back at the plant, “Is it bad that now I want to touch it more?”

“Yes Blitzø. Please do not touch it. The sap makes the healing process longer as well.” He chided before he set Baby Bell down on the table, “I can re-pot it for you, and then we can find a spot to put it where the temptation is less compelling.”

“What does the sap taste like—“

“Blitzø Peter Buckzo, do not lick it.” Stolas said before snatching the plant away, “Do you like to taste things?” He asked, “Because that’s how you lose all sense of taste for at best a week, at worst never.”

“You're gonna keep inventing middle names for me, aren’t you?” 

“I will until I get it right.” Stolas chuckled, “I’ll use the correct one once I find it.”

“I hate to break it to you, sweetheart, but you will never guess it right.” Blitzø joked before he hopped up to sit on the table.

“Oh, so you’re telling me I should get more creative then?” Stolas asked as he looked around their apartment for a place to set the tomb fern that was for the most part out of reach for Blitzø.

“You’ll be guessing for as long as you live birdie, I guarantee you won’t figure it out.” Blitzø responded as he focused on the ghost vine sprouts next to him.

“Do you not have one?” Stolas asked, then set the plant on top of the fridge for tonight, since it would need to be set up outside as soon as tomorrow.

“No, I do.” He confirmed, “It’s just not a name you would usually pick for a baby.”

Stolas tilted his head, “So something that has a negative meaning then?” He asked.

“Something like that.” Blitzø replied, before he lifted one of the ghost vines to inspect the faint blue glow.

“Ah,” Stolas replied, “I suppose I know the feeling.” He added before he opened the fridge and took out the enchanted container so he could feed Beleth.

“What’s yours?” Blitzø asked as his eyes followed his boyfriend's movement.

“It’s Thrinó,” he answered as he opened the container and pulled out a steak, then tossed it to Beleth who eagerly snapped up the food, “It’s Greek in origin, as is Goetia. It’s the word for mourn .” 

“Like the morning?” Blitzø asked.

“No,” Stolas gave Beleth a gentle scritch before he closed the container, “Like, to mourn the loss of something. My father picked it.” Stolas’ hand went back to gently pet Beleth for a moment before his actions slowed to a stop. He swallowed thickly, eyes focused on the plant as he thought about the purple magic that protected it prior to its rescue.

The only other one he knew of who’s magic was purple was his father.

“Oh.” Blitzø responded quietly. It wasn’t hard to imagine why Paimon picked that word out of all things.

Stolas’ ears picked up on the sound of Blitzø as he hopped off the table and walked over to him, the clack of his heeled boots across the wooden floor grew louder the closer he got. Then he felt a hand on his thigh, gentle and cautious.

“Stols?” He asked, his yellow and red eyes glowed faintly as he looked up at him.

“I’m fine.” He responded quietly, “There has just been,” he took a deep breath, “a lot to take in within the past hour or so.”

“Come on.” Blitzø reached over and grabbed the hand still on Beleth, “You need to sit down.” He gently coaxed him over to sit on the couch, then straddled his lap and pulled him into a hug. Stolas set the container down on the end table and hugged Blitzø back. He hadn’t even realized he’d started to cry until Blitzø pulled away enough to look him in the eyes, then reached up to hold his face and wipe away his tears, “There you go, Stols.” He pressed a kiss to the bridge of his nose, “Cry if you need to.” He murmured.

Stolas took in a shuddering breath, leaned back against the couch and looked up at the stars on the ceiling, “I’m sorry… Tonight has been so wonderful and I’m letting him ruin it.”

“Don’t be sorry.” Blitzø said as he leaned over and rested against Stolas’ chest, “This doesn’t magically get rid of the time we spent in the park and in the cafe. You just have a lot on your mind, and I’d honestly rather you express it than suppress it.” He soothed, “Daddy issues are a bitch to deal with, I get that. So cry if you need to.”

Stolas continued to quietly cry, eyes fixated on the way the hanging stars slowly shifted as the fan in the window ran on low speed. The glitter caught in the red light outside and sparkling warmly. 

After what felt like an hour, Blitzø asked him, “Do you want to talk about it?” 

Stolas took in a deep, calmer breath, “It is such a small amount of information to be given, yet the implication behind it feels devastating.” 

“Your middle name?” Blitzø asked in confusion.

“No.” Stolas lightly shook his head, “The barrier protecting my mothers garden, and the one that protected Beleth. Knowing now that it was not Via, it’s deeply troubling.” He took a deep breath before he continued, “It means it is Paimon who’s protecting them.”

“Is that not a good thing though?” Blitzø asked softly.

“Yes, and no.” Stolas kept his eyes focused on the stars, “Yes, because it’s protecting something so precious and irreplaceable. Stopping Andrealphus from tarnishing the things my mother loved.” He took another deep, shuddering breath, “But no… No, because it proves Paimon is capable of caring about other people and not just himself.” He took another breath, “Which means that there is something inherently wrong with me, and that’s why he was hardly present in my life. It means he actively dislikes me and wasn’t just absent for the sake of simply not caring about anyone.”

“That says nothing about you, and everything about him. Stolas he’s just a shitty dad.” Blitzø countered and stood up on the couch to leaned over Stolas, both of his hands rested on the back of the couch on either side of his boyfriend’s head as he made eye contact, “Outside of evidence of him giving a single shit for someone outside of himself, what else do you see that says you’re the problem?” 

“He wasn’t nearly this cruel with Vassago.” 

“Your uncle?” Blitzø asked, “Why would that matter?”

“In all technicalities, he’s also my half brother. Our family tree is, for lack of better words, a tad bit fucked.” Stolas then gave out a tired laugh as he took in the disturbed squint his boyfriend gave him, “To my knowledge, biologically there have been no incestuas relationships, however I never said my father was the paragon for morality.”

“Just marrying the half sibling of his son, who then in turn would be kind of his step daughter,” Blitzø tried to do the math and looked more and more confused, “Wait, no, what? Wait.” The mental gymnastics he did really was rather amusing for Stolas to watch, “Sorry, this is hurting my head,” Blitzø squeezed his eyes shut for a moment before making eye contact again, “So he wasn’t as cruel to your brother-uncle.” He opted to push past it.

“Correct.”

“But was he a good dad?” He followed up, “Because there’s a difference between being slightly less shitty and being a good parent. What was it you said a while ago? Something about cars and trains?”

“Getting hit by a car is preferable to a train.” Stolas supplied, “I suppose you are right, but I cannot exactly ask Vassago about it right now.”

“You can eventually, you have his number.” Blitzø pointed out.

“That is somehow more terrifying to do.” Stolas confessed, “Genuinely I think Vassago is very cross with me.”

“Octavia doesn’t think so.” Blitzø countered.

“Well, she…” he was about to say hasn’t talked with him lately, but in all honesty he doesn’t really know that, “I don’t know. She was never that close with him by proxy of Stella picking and choosing who she allowed to be around her. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, dear, but she doesn’t think too highly of those in the queer community.”

“Isn’t the snow princess gay?” Blitzø asked, tilting his head in confusion.

“Stella is also not all that perceptive.” Stolas added, “Do not even get me started on the way he compliments her, it is not exactly a good cover for him. I do not know, I try not to think about it too hard.”

“Yeah, because on one hand he looks like he wants to fuck his sister, on the other hand he just sucks at pretending to be straight. Both are bad looks.” 

“One is arguably worse than the other, but yes. Though I suppose that will come to a head eventually.” Stolas just shrugged. He now felt calmer than he had been, “Thank you.” He said quietly as he reached up with one hand to cup the side of Blitzø’s face.

“What for?” Blitzø asked as he leaned into it, then moved one of his own hands to mirror the action.

“Being yourself.” Stolas began, “For letting me talk." he continued, "For everything tonight, really.” 

Blitzø smiled softly before he leaned in and pressed their lips together. It was a simple, comforting kiss before he pulled away and responded, “What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn’t want to do things for you?”

Stolas’ heart skipped a beat as Blitzø openly stated that he was his boyfriend, not just partner. His expression softened and he gently coaxed Blitzø’s face back down to kiss him again and closed his eyes, still simple and comforting, “I don’t know what I did to deserve you.” He confessed as their lips seporated, speaking softly against Blitzø’s lips. His eyes remained closed.

He felt his boyfriend's breath against his lips as he chuckled, “And I don’t know what you see in me.” He replied before gently kissing him again. It lasted a little bit longer before he pulled away enough to mumble against his lips, “But I’m glad you do.”

Heat instantly flooded Stolas’ face over just how romantic and sappy that was. He tilted his head back up just a little to kiss him again as he now smiled brightly, “Would you like a list?” He asked, “It might take a while to compile it all, but there are a few easy ones that always come to mind.” 

Blitzø chuckled and his breath ghosted over Stolas’ lips, “You’re such a sap.” he joked.

Stolas chuckled right back, “Blitzy, you cannot just drop the most romantic line that has ever been spoken to me and not expect me to be sappy.” His eyes fluttered open and made contact with his boyfriend's half lidded ones, “Setting aside the fact that you are undeniably the most ravishing and seductive man I’ve ever seen. What really drew me in was your way with words.”

Blitzø scoffed but blushed profusely, “My way with words would make a dictionary cry.”

Stolas let out a laugh, “You see? Right there, just like that.” He gave him another small kiss before continuing, “You have always made me laugh. Even on the worst days of my life, your humor and way with words have always been a light in the dark.” 

Blitzø couldn’t help his smile, but still rolled his eyes, “Look who’s the sweet talker now? You don’t need flattery to get anything from me, pretty bird.”

“I am being sincere, Blitzø.” He continued, “I adore your sense of humor, even if I am the only one who does. You made me laugh when I found out I was engaged, on the day Via ran away, and the day she cut me from her life to name a few.” He gave Blitzø another quick kiss, “You make me so happy, Blitzy." he stated, "So very happy.”

Blitzø pressed their lips together again and sank into the kiss. It was deeper than the last. He easily slipped his tongue between Stolas’ lips and used the hand that wasn’t holding himself up to play with the contour feathers of his face. Stolas ran his hands down Blitzø’s chest, then up beneath his shirt to explore every dip and curve of muscle up his torso. 

Sitting on the couch, intimately enjoying the feeling of his boyfriend’s body against his own, it was not such a bad way to end his night.

…

“FUCK!!!”

Stolas was startled awake that morning by the sound of Loona shouting in her room, knocking Blitzø off the couch and onto the floor abruptly. His eyes looked to her door, then to Blitzø who laid face up on the hardwood in a sleepy stupor, trying to figure out what the hell just happened.

“Loona, dear, are you alright?” Stolas asked a bit hesitant as he heard something hit the floor in her room.

Loona threw her bedroom door open and quickly made her way to the bathroom, letting out a slew of cuss words under her breath and looked deeply upset and panicked. The bathroom door slammed shut behind her.

Given how dark it was outside, it couldn't be much later than 5am at best, and however sleep deprived Stolas was, his concern for Loona was far more evident. He reached a hand down to help his boyfriend back up.

“Loonie, sweetie?” Blitzø called out once his brain computed what was happening, “Are you ok?” He asked as he grabbed Stolas’ hand and got up on his feet.

“Fuck!” She shouted back in a clear panic, “Sorry, I just blead through my fucking pants, and we have no fucking pads!” She shouted back.

“Is it on the sheets?” Blitzø asked back.

“Yeah, it’s bad.” She sighed, “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be, shit happens. Why don’t you take a shower while I replace your sheets and get you pads? I gotta get laundry done anyway so it works out because I was probably gonna find another reason to push it off.” Blitzø responded as he went to a small closet located just outside the bathroom to grab a clean set of sheets and also their bag with laundry detergent, bleach and softener.

“Thanks, dad.” She said in a defeated tone before she turned on the shower.

“If you would like, I can go get the pads.” Stolas offered, “I am still not too familiar with periods since avian demons do not menstruate like that, but I have seen the packaging in the closet enough times to know what to grab.”

Blitzø looked over at him, “If it’s not too much trouble? I can give you my card.” 

Stolas just waved him off, “No worries, and I am more than capable of paying for them.” He responded as he finally got off the couch and walked over to their dresser to get a pair of pants. As comfortable as his pajamas were, he would not be strolling out in public wearing his boyfriend’s black and red heart covered boxers. 

“Are you sure?” Blitzø asked.

“Yes I am sure,” Stolas responded as he pulled out a black pair of pants, “Now go tend to her bedding. I will be just across the street and can meet you at the laundromat once I drop things off back here.” 

“Thank you, Stols. And make sure they have wings.” His boyfriend responded before he went into his daughter's room to fix the bedding for her.

“Of course.” He said while he quickly changed his pants, nabbed his wallet and phone, then the keys off the hook by the door, and left the apartment. His phone’s clock told him it was 4:13AM. 

This shouldn’t be too hard. Just a box of pads. He knew the packaging design, and the logo, no big deal. 

The halls were rather quiet this time of the morning as he walked to the elevator. It was actually rather nice, not being gawked at as he went about his business. The elevator ride was uneventful, and the apartment lobby was empty as well. The travel across the street to the convenience store was easy as well since not many cars were on the road. Not that it was empty, but compared to the normal congested traffic this road was known for, this was tame. 

The convenience store was a rather large one, with a pharmacy towards the back and a large assortment of products. From hygiene products of all kinds, to kids toys, school and office supplies, to snacks and meals, to plants for some reason, as well as an area dedicated to cards and gift wrapping. There was one employee in a green and blue work uniform slumped tiredly over the checkout counter who scrolled on his phone. The music that played over the crackling speakers overhead was akin to what you’d hear in an elevator, if not coming out just a little bit distorted. The pharmacy also had a metal gate cutting it off from the rest of the store to signal that it was currently closed.

The employee didn’t budge at the register, but mumbled out a tired, “Welcome to PicoMart.” Then sighed, “Get your shit and leave.” Was said quieter as he just continued to scroll through his phone.

Stolas paid him no mind and made his way through the store to locate what he’d come for. Getting pads couldn’t be that hard.

As Stolas finally located the aisle he was looking for, it very quickly dawned on him that, yes actually this could be that hard. He was faced with a wall of what seemed like hundreds of menstruation hygiene products. He found the brand, but that only helped out so much when every box looked near identical but was labeled differently like: ultra thin, extra long, extra heavy, regular, overnight, leak free—

“Oh dear.” He pursed his lips and took it all in. It was quite literally an entire wall of products not only limited to different pads, but tampons, and cleaning wipes as well as supplements and ointments for vaginal care; how could there be this many things to choose from? 

He noticed an older Imp woman in the aisle who looked at the pads, then quickly grabbed what she needed and walking away. 

Before she could leave, Stolas hesitantly called out, “Excuse me ma’am?” 

She stopped, turned to him, looked up and gave him an irritated look, “I’m sorry,” she started off, “But I need—“

“I am so sorry to bother you, but I need to get pads for my boyfriend’s daughter and all I know is it has to have wings.” He said desperately. Her expression softened and he continued, “It’s an emergency and I don’t want to get the wrong thing for her. She's already having a bad morning.” If she didn’t care about him, at least the woman looked sympathetic towards Loona’s plight. 

She blinked up at him for a moment, then nodded, “Hellhound, right?” She asked before she walked back towards him.

“Right.” He nodded, not giving a single thought towards the fact that she knew the race. 

The woman quickly scanned over the products before she nabbed a style in the brand he was looking at that had wings, “This caters more towards Hellhounds.” She passed it over to him, “For future reference, you’ll want something extra long and for heavy flow.”

Stolas bowed his head to her briefly, “Thank you so much for your help ma’am.” 

She looked a little taken aback, but nodded, “No problem, really. I’m glad I could help.” She responded before she walked out of the aisle. 

Stolas looked down at the package in his hand and carefully examined it, deciding to commit as much as he could to memory before he moved to follow suit and go pay. But then something else caught his eye. Would hygiene wipes be a nice addition for her? Stolas decided it couldn’t hurt, so he grabbed fragrance free wipes and exited. 

He passed through the snack aisle on his way to the register, and also decided that Hellhound safe chocolate and a bag of her favorite chips wouldn’t hurt either. He had no idea what it was like to have a period, but he’d been around her enough times to understand that they weren’t pleasant in the slightest. Then as he exited that aisle, he noticed that the end cap had bottles of PicoMart brand acetaminophen and Ibuprofen. Just to be extra sure, he nabbed a bottle of each then finally made his way to the register. In a fasion that might make Blitzø proud, he balanced an unstable armful of goods on the large pack of pads since he didn’t have the forethought to grab a basket.

The employee behind the register looked at what he was getting and scoffed, “I wouldn’t be caught dead buying those.” He said before he scanned the pads and wipes as if they might burn him should he touch them before quickly shoved them in a bag, “That shit is gross.”

Stolas just gave him an odd look, “I do not see it that way.” He answered as he pulled out his wallet. The cashier was clearly of college age or older, so Stolas’ tolerance for dealing with his immaturity was low.

“It’s unsanitary and gross.” The guy continued, like it was a funny joke that only he seemed to understand.

“It’s actually quite the opposite.” Stolas quipped back, patients quickly dwindling by the second, “Next you’re going to tell me you don’t wipe your ass after you shit because toilet paper’s use is disgusting and unsanitary. It is just blood.” 

The man glared, “Obviously I use toilet paper, dude why do you have to be immature?” 

“I’m not the immature one here, and I’m in a bit of a rush. So if you could finish scanning my things, that would be lovely.” Stolas snapped, having zero wish to entertain the words of what is clearly a man child shaking in his boots over the idea that some people have the unfortunate condition of bleeding from their vaginas once a month. 

The cashier scanned and threw the items in the bag then pushed it his way, “It’s $34.55.” He said shortly.

Stolas swiped his card, then grabbed his bag. Once the payment went through, Stolas walked away.

“Pussy.” The cashier quipped after him.

“I’ve been called way worse,” he called over his shoulder as he walked through the automatic door, “so you’ll have to try harder than that.” He added before the door closed behind him. Did he take that line out of Blitzø’s book? Yes. Yes he did. Would Blitzø be proud of him? Also yes. Yes he would.

The traffic picked up enough while he was in the store to warrant hitting the crosswalk button, so he stood and waited impatiently for the go ahead. Behind him, he heard the doors open and close again.

“He’s always like that.” A woman said next to him.

Stolas turned his head to see it was the woman who’d helped him, who was now waiting patiently for the crosswalk as well. Her skin was a deep red, with large black and white striped horns akin to a rams which curled full circle. Her white hair was tied back in a messy bun, and her eyes looked to be closer to that of a succubus, like Blitzø’s, and short, fin shaped ears like a fish demon from envy. She was a bit taller than Blitzø, wearing what looked to be black and red pajamas. Like she too was sent on an emergency pad run.

“That’s embarrassing for him then.” He responded, “I really do not see the big deal.”

“He isn’t a unique case. A lot of cisgendered men are immature about buying menstruation products. My 7 and 9 year old boys are more mature.” She sighed, “It’s nice to see more men who have no problem buying them for others. Blitzø is the only other one I’ve seen not make a big deal out of it. Outside of asking what type he needs to grab, of course.” 

“You know Blitzø?” Stolas asked, interest genuinely piqued.

“My wife and I are your upstairs neighbors.” She replied, “I helped him with the same problem a few years ago when he first adopted Loona.” 

Stolas thought about the noise he heard through the floor every night, like moving furniture or tap dancing. Now knowing she had a 7 and 9 year old living with her, it made so much more sense, “Well it is nice to meet others in the building.” They were given the signal to walk, so they crossed the street, “And again, thank you so much for your help. It has been a bit of a rough start to the morning for her, and though I am not well versed in menstruation, I would like to be.” 

“I heard her this morning.” She responded in an unsurprised tone, “Bleeding through the sheets is never fun.”

“I am so sorry if it woke you—“ Stolas began before she waved her hand to dismiss it.

“It’s just me and my wife right now. Kids are with the ex-wife on a trip to Wrath, so it’s no worries.” She assured him, “It’s not a common occurrence anymore, and I’m sure the sound of my 7 year old’s sleep walking in the middle of the night wakes you up too. So fair is fair.” 

“Oh that makes even more sense.” Stolas responded and held the door into their apartment building open for her, “And no worries about that, I hardly register it anymore. From personal experience, I know little ones can certainly be a handful.” 

She smiled, “That they are.” She nodded, “I used to not understand what people meant when they say you’ll miss them when they’re small, but they seem to be growing so quickly and I’m not ready.” She said as they came to a stop at the elevator, then hit the button for them. It almost instantly opened and they both stepped inside. Stolas hit floor 7 and 8 then the close door button.

“My daughter is turning 18 soon, and I have to admit I don’t think you ever really get ready to watch them grow up.” He admitted, “But seeing them become their own person is a different kind of reward I think.” He added, feeling proud to see the kind of person Octavia was growing up to be. A comfortable silence filled the elevator, with nothing but the sound of its ascent making any sound. Then the door opened on the 7th floor, “Thank you for the nice conversation, and have a pleasant rest of your morning.” Stolas said as he stepped out and waved.

“You as well.” She said back before the door closed again.

Stolas unlocked the apartment door and stepped inside. He closed and locked the door, hung the keys back up on their hook and walked to the bathroom door. The shower was still running, “Loona dear, I am leaving your pads at the door for you.” He called to her.

“Thanks Stolas!” She called back, now sounding significantly less distressed.

He took the pads and wips out from the bag and set them flush against the door, then walked to Loona’s room to hang the bag with the rest of the PicoMart purchase on her door handle. Taped to the door was a note from Blitzø:

-stolz tEXt m e And I wil L portel U

Stolas nabbed the note and smiled fondly before taking his phone out to do just that, then blinked at the new contact name for his boyfriend.

VoxMessage 

Bigus Dickus:

Sun, April 4 at 4:32 AM

Stolas: 

Bigus Dickus? Really Blitzø?

Sun, April 4 at 4:32 AM

Bigus Dickus:

Lmfao I’l portle u

Sun, April 4 at 4:33 AM

A portal opened in the living room and Stolas heard his boyfriend snickering on the other end. As Stolas stepped through into the laundromat, he saw Blitzø sitting on top of the laundry folding table and wiping a tear from his eye.

“Oh I bet you are quite amused with yourself.” Stolas asked him as the portal closed behind him, “Bigus Dickus? Really?” He asked, as he approached him. To their fortune, they were the only ones here at the moment.

“Stols I changed that a few days ago, I thought you already knew.” His laughter died down some.

Stolas chuckled lightheartedly, “You are an absolute rascal.” He chided before coming to a stop in front of him and leaned in, laying one hand on either side of his boyfriend, “Are you quite proud of yourself?” He asked.

Blitzø smiled up at him and stuck his tongue out, then responded, “You love me.” 

Stolas instead yawned before resting the side of his face on the top of Blitzø’s head, not minding the spike digging into his cheek, “I do.” He said softly.

“Sleepy there, pretty bird?” Blitzø asked as he rested his arms loosely around Stolas’ waist.

“A touch. How long will the wash take?” He asked, then sighed contently as Blitzø began to purr lightly.

“A few hours. I have a few loads running so that cuts the time down, but still.” The purring stopped as Blitzø replied, “If you’re too tired I can portal you back to the apartment so you can get some more sleep?” He asked.

Stolas grunted, “No I will stay.” He responded before opening his eyes to scan the rest of the large open room before his eyes settled on the vending machine, “I will be right back, my love.” He said before pulling away and making the track across the laundromat to raid the vending machine for something caffeinated. He pulled out his wallet and carefully looked over the selection of energy drinks and canned coffees. Given the fact that Blitze and him only got to sleep shortly past 2am, regular coffee will not suffice. He keyed in for one of the ones Blitzø has gotten before, IMPulse Energy: Razzleberry Rehab . He got a second one IMPulse Energy: Peach Pit Revive because they both were very much in need of an extra boost. He then looked at the snack one next to it and scanned for something that wasn’t candy or gum. His eyes settled on a pack of Strawberry TosterTarts , as well as a bag of Mix’n’Munch: Choco Mania.  

With his snacks and drinks acquired, Stolas mozzied his way back over to his boyfriend and passed him the IMPulse Energy: Razzleberry Rehab, and the pack of Strawberry TosterTarts, “Here you go my love.” He said before giving him a quick kiss on the forehead.

Blitzø looked at the newly acquired goods for a moment before looking up at Stolas, “I love you so much, do you know that?” He asked as he set his snack down so he could crack open his energy drink.

“I do.” Stolas smiled before he swept his tail feathers aside and hopped up to sit next to him, “I love you too.” He added as he opened up his own can and took a long sip. Blitzø’s tail wrapped around his waist and he leaned into Stolas’ side, then took a sip of his own drink. They fell into a content, yet sleepy silence as they watched their laundry spin and tumble in the four washers they took up. One was for Loona’s bedding, one was for Blitzø’s blood covered work clothes, the third was for his and Stolas’ everyday clothes, and the last was towels and a few throw blankets.  

There was music playing lightly over the speakers, shuffling through the top 100 hits, most of which Stolas wasn’t quite familiar with. One song came on that caught Stolas’ attention though. It was a pop song with a male singer he did not recognize, but the lyrics and beat really clicked with him, “Blitzy, do you know who this artist is?” He asked before he took a sip of his energy drink.

Blitzø tilted his head to listen to what was being played, then responded, “Oh, it’s a human artist, Adam Lambert. This station occasionally plays music from top side.” He answered, “Why? Do you like it?”

Stolas nodded, “It is different from what I am used to, but yes, I do like it.” He responded as he steadily tapped his foot to the beat. 

“The song is Strut . It’s an older one, but I can see why you might like it.” Blitzø added, “I think you would like the album this is off of.”

“You have a pretty big catalog of music you listen to.” Stolas noted.

“I try not to get tied into one genre, that shit’s just dumb and limits me from enjoying what clicks. I prefer rock and metal, but there’s so much more out there.” He shrugged.

“I think I shall take a page from your book then.” Stolas replied, “I used to only listen to classics, and then love songs in my teenage years in private, but anything else was too unbecoming.” 

Blitzø pulled out his phone and opened his music app and typed in Adam Lambert into his library, “No better place to start then him, then. If Strut clicked for you, this album will too.” He hit shuffle and set his phone down. The volume was high enough to make focusing on that over what was being played in the building much easier, “It’s just us here right now, so I don't feel bad about being that asshole who plays music on his phone in public.” 

Here, slow it down

Whataya want from me?

Whataya want from me?

Yeah, I’m afraid

Whataya want from me?

Whataya want from me?

There might have been a time when I would give myself away

Oh, once upon a time, I didn’t give a damn

But now, here we are

So whataya want from me?

Just don’t give up

I am workin’ it out

Please don't give in

I won’t let you down

It messed me up

Need a second to breathe

Just keep coming around

Hey, whataya want from me?

Whataya want from me?

Whataya want from me?

Stolas closed his eyes and just listened. He found himself bobbing his head to the beat of the song, tapping his foot and just enjoying the music. It wasn’t lost on him how the lyrics made him think of a certain someone seated next to him. He cracked an eye open to look at him, and noticed his boyfriend staring up at him expectantly. 

Yeah (Yeah), it’s plain to see (it’s plain to see)

That baby, you’re beautiful 

And there’s nothing wrong with you (Nothing wrong with you)

It’s me, I’m a freak (Yeah)

But thanks for loving me

‘Cause you’re doing it perfectly (Perfectly)

Stolas smiled down at him, then reached his free hand up to brush his knuckles lightly beneath his chin. Blitzø tilted his head into the touch and let out a little chirp, but kept his eyes on Stolas’ face.

Yeah, there might have been a time where I would let you slip away

I wouldn’t even try, but I think you could save my life

Stolas returned the eye contact. It was a little sleepy and half lidded, but Blitzø’s eyes were so full of love and warmth as he watched his boyfriend. The chorus played again, but Stolas had a hard time fully focusing on the music, and instead focused on the staring match they found themselves in.

It occurred to Stolas, that their height difference was no less silly when sitting side by side. Even though Stolas’ legs were a little over half his height, his torso was still longer than Blitzø’s by a good few feet. Not to mention with the length of his neck, he towered over his boyfriend. From an outside perspective, even setting aside of the class difference, they really did make for an unusual couple. 

Blitzø unwrapped his tail and stood up on the counter, which Stolas only then realized Blitzø was still fully in his pajamas, which were a loose fitting black and white horse t-shirt and red shorts, and was also shoe-less. Stolas heard the sound of his hooves clack on the countertop as his boyfriend stepped behind him, hugged him and buried his face in the crook of his neck.

Stolas tilted his head to give his boyfriend more room, and placed a hand over his crossed arms. Blitzø began to purr rather loudly and nuzzled his face in a little further and mumbled something Stolas didn’t quite catch.

“What was that, my love?” He asked.

Blitzø stood up fully and said in a quiet voice against his ear, “Do you know how beautiful you are?” He asked.

Stolas felt heat rise in his face, “You are too sweet.” He chuckled.

“No, I'm as serious as a heart attack.” Blitzø continued, then gently turned Stolas face towards him, “Do you?” He asked.

Stolas swallowed thickly and averted his eyes, “I, umm.” He thought about the way Stella described him, scrawny, twig ass, dull, boring, hideous, “Maybe?” He settled on it like it was a question. He remembered feeling a bit insecure when he’d first learned Varosika was one of Blitzø’s exes. Because she was objectively a gorgeous woman, successful, and confident; how could he hold a candle to that?

“Stols.” Blitzø said softly as he cupped Stolas’ face in his hands, “You’re gorgeous.” He insisted as he rested their foreheads together, “I still can’t believe I pulled someone like you.”

Stolas chuckled softly, “You did not exactly make it difficult.” He replied, “You make falling quite easy.” He felt his heart beating fast, “I may not see what you see in me right now, but in time maybe I can.”

Blitzø kissed him lightly before pulling away, “I’ll remind you however many times it takes.”

Stolas had said it before, and he would say it again and again. He was so soft for this man.

…

It was a little over a week later when Stolas finally committed himself to call Vassago.He'd had plenty of peptalks from his daughter, from his boyfriend, from Loona and even the rest of I.M.P. He could do this. He could do this. He could do this!

Truethfully, he was terrified. Like a little kid who knew they messed up and would get yelled at. He was so scared to face him.

Stolas couldn’t help but pace around the apartment, thumb hovering right over the call button on his phone. He knew he should reach out to Vassago, he knew he owed him that much. Right as he was about to hit call, he panicked and switched directions as he now found himself now pacing around the couch.

“Hey babe?” Blitzø asked as his head turned to follow his travel around the couch. He set aside the TV remote, knowing now it will likely be a bit until they returned to their show, “At this rate you’re gonna wear a path in the floorboards with your pacing.” He said as he sat up on his knees and caught Stolas’ free hand to guide him to sit down, “Are you sure you’re ready to call him?”

Stolas sighed before tossing his phone on the couch beside him and sank into the cushions, “Blitzø, I don’t think I’m ever going to be ready to call him.” He covered his face with his free hand, “If I keep pushing it off, then I am just going to keep finding more reasons to not call.”

“Would it help if I hit the call button for you?” Blitzø asked, giving his hand a reassuring squeeze. 

“I…” he thought for a moment, “Maybe?” 

“Ok,” his boyfriend responded as he nabbed the device with his tail, “On the count of three—“

“Wait no Blitzø don’t—“ Stolas shot up in panic and tried to grab the phone back, “I—I’m not ready.”

“Didn’t you just say you need to do this now because you’re going to find more reasons to not be ready?” Blitzø asked before he locked the screen with his tail and passed it back.

“I, I did, didn’t I?” Stolas unlocked his phone again and let his thumb hover over the call button once more. But he couldn’t do it.

“Stols,” Blitzø shifted to now straddle his boyfriend’s lap and guided Stolas’ face forward so they were touching foreheads, “Put the phone down for a moment and just breathe.” 

Stolas set his phone down, took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he leaned into Blitzø.

“Let's think for a minute.” Blitzø continued, “What is it you’re most afraid of when you talk to him? What’s the worst outcome?”

“That he will be angry with me and not want anything to do with me.” Stolas answered.

“It’s gotta be more than that, because you already convinced yourself that he’s been mad at you and wants nothing to do with you since the trial.” Blitzø countered.

“I don’t know,” Stolas confessed, “I’m sorry Blitzø, but I don’t know…”

Blitzø sighed softly, “Babe, you don’t need to apologize about not knowing. It’s fine to not have answers.” He gave him a gentle scritch on the sides of his face, “I’m just trying to help you find them.”

“I… Thank you.” Stolas wrapped his arms around his boyfriend's frame and held him, then rested his chin on his shoulder, “I’m just scared.” 

“Scared of?” Blitzø asked as he hugged him back.

“Scared of losing him…” he took a deep breath, “Outside of my father’s butler, Vassago is the next closest thing I’ve ever had to a paternal figure. It’s hard to admit to things that I know he will be disappointed in me for, and I think I’m scared to be proven right that he does hate me now.”

Blitzø hugged him a little tighter, “Stolas, you’re just going to continue going around believing that he does even without confirmation. You have been since the trial. I don’t think avoiding the issue will benefit you and him.” He ran his hands up and down Stolas’ back reassuringly, “So, my next question is: What is the best possible outcome from this call?”

Stolas thought for just a second, “That he doesn’t disown me? That he wants to keep in contact and still cares about my well being?”

“Alright.” Blitzø pulled away and then held Stolas’ face again and rested their foreheads together, “Following that logic, we’re already at rock bottom. You have nothing to lose over calling him, and you have everything to gain.” 

“You make a fair argument.” Stolas settled, “I’m still scared though.” He closed his eyes to avoid the intensity in Blitzø’s.

“And being scared is ok. But I know you can do this, Stols.” Blitzø kissed him between his lower set of eyes, “No matter what happens, you have me, you have Octavia, and Loona, Moxxie, Millie and Sallie May. Hell, even Fizz and Verosika. You can make the call, and whatever the outcome, at least you'll get some clarity. If you know you’re right, it’s a solid answer and you won’t be nagged with every ‘ what if’ thought.” 

“I love you, Blitzø.” Stolas said softly, “You make a very good argument. I shall call him.”

“I love you too, pretty bird.” Blitzø responded and gave him a quick kiss on the lips before he scooted off his boyfriend’s lap, “I can be right here if you want, or I can go chill on the fire escape to give you some privacy.”

Stolas reached over and grabbed his hand, “Stay?”

Blitzø interlocked their fingers, “I’ll be right here.”

Once again Stolas picked up his phone and unlocked the device, and once again he hesitated, “Can you hit the button?” He asked Blitzø.

His boyfriend nodded and reached over, then quickly and without hesitation he pressed the button.

Almost instantly, Stolas’ heart began to race in his chest as he brought the phone up to his ear. Each ring as he waited for an answer made his nerves worse and worse. 

One.

Two.

Three.

Stolas felt like he was going to be sick.

Four. 

Five.

Six.

The call went to voicemail. Stolas wasn’t sure if he should feel relieved, or disheartened, but at least he could leave a voicemail and know that he did try.

“Hola, you’ve reached Vassago. I am busy at present and cannot answer at this moment. Lo siento. Please leave a message and I will return your call as soon as possible. Que pase un bonito día.”

Stolas swallowed nervously before he heard a beep.

“Ah, hello uncle Vassago, this is Stolas—I just wanted to call and, uh, let you know that I’m ok, and also to make sure you have my new number just in case you’ve been trying to get in contact. N—not that I expected you to call or anything, but just in case so you, ah, you know I haven’t been intentionally ignoring you if you have.” He paused as he tried to think about forming a single confident and normal sentence, “I hope you don’t mind that I got your number from Via—” fuck he probably shouldn’t have told him he got it from Via, “—oh, but, uh, I maybe shouldn’t have said that, but um, just in case you’re fine with talking, I wanted to just give you the trueth on what was said at the trial. If you don’t wish to talk though, I wouldn’t blame you. But… I just thought after everything that’s happened, you deserve to know the truth. It isn’t pretty, but… well I don’t know what I’m saying, I’m rambling, so I’ll stop talking now since I’m sure you’re very busy and all. Adíos.” With a trembling hand he hit the end call button. 

Blitzø pulled him down into a hug and wrapped his tail around Stolas’ waist, “I know that was scary, but I’m proud of you.”

Stolas closed his lock screen and hugged him back, only now realizing how badly he was shaking, “I sounded like a rambling mess, that was a disaster…”

“You want to know something I noticed?” Blitzø asked.

“Ok.” 

“I know just how hard that was for you, because you were using contractions.” Blitzø stated.

“Huh?” Stolas pulled away and asked, now making eye contact with him.

“You normally don’t use them when you’re mentally feeling alright, but the more stressed or nervous you get, the more you use them. Every point in that voicemail you could have used them, you did.”

Stolas just blinked, “I did?” 

His boyfriend nodded, “Yeah, like, every point you could have.” He confirmed, “But you still called, and you left a message. It would’ve been easy for you to just hang up without leaving a voicemail, but you still did.” 

“You really paid attention to my grammer?” Stolas asked.

“I pay attention to everything you do.” Blitzø replied, blushed deeply and averted his eyes, “And I like the way you speak.”

Stolas smiled at him, “That’s so sweet.” He leaned down and kissed his cheek, “I did not know you paid attention to things as small as that.”

Blitzø’s tail twitched and he got redder, “I take notes, so I don’t forget.”

Stolas’ feathers fluffed out and he cooed softly before using his hand to turn Blitzø face back towards him, then leaned down to rest their foreheads together, “I adore you so much, my love. That is so incredibly sweet and precious.” 

Even though he was still flustered, Blitzø smiled softly, closed his eyes, and leaned into the touch, “I love you t—“

Stolas’ phone began to ring and his heart dropped, he quickly pulled away to check the phone and saw Vassago’s contact, “Oh lords I didn’t think he would call back—“

“Stolas, I’m right here. Answer.” Blitzø urged. His tail tightened around him briefly in reassurance.

“I—ok—“ he grabbed his phone and answered, “Hello—“

“¿Dónde estás? (Where are you?) ” He cut him off quickly.

“I’m in an apartment in Imp City, I’m ok.” He responded.

“¿En dónde vives? (Where do you live?) ” He clarified.

“Oh.” He paused, “It’s 64 Darkwood Ave, apartment 708.” 

Blitzø just watched the interaction in mild confusion, “What?” He whispered to Stolas. 

A golden light appeared just behind the couch, causing Stolas to tilt his head over the back of it to look at the now star-shaped portal that opened in their apartment. He got an upside down view of Vassago as he stepped through the portal and closed it. The phone he had been holding dropped from his hand onto the couch.

“¡Ay mi satanás! ( Oh my Satan!) ” Vassago said loudly as he quickly walked around the couch and grabbed his face, turning it this way and that to inspect him, “Stolas, when you never responded—¡estaban preocupados! (I was so worried!) ” Vassago wasn’t dressed in his formal attire, and instead dressed more leisurely which told Stolas that he was off work. He wore a short sleeve button down shirt that had a predominantly red, blue and yellow gaudi mosaic pattern, along with a pair of beige cargo shorts that cut off just above his knees. Like always, he had his pair of yellow star glasses.

“I—hello uncle—“

“Now Stolas, you know better.” He tsked, “Just Vassago. Uncle makes me sound old.” Stolas withheld his usual response which would have been to remind Vassago that he was, in fact, quite old.

“Right, sorry.” He instead responded. 

His Hellparent stood back up and took in the full appearance of his Hellchild. Stolas felt way underdressed when compared to Vassago, wearing his I’m a Hoot tie dye t-shirt with the silly doodle Blitzø had done in black marker, along with a pair of tan pajama shorts that cut off mid thigh.

Next to him, Blitzø was similarly dressed, with a red and black tie dye shirt with a crudely drawn horse face, and a black pair of pajama shorts that cut off just above his knee. His boyfriend took his tail back and creeped away from him on the couch to try and avoid the similar scrutiny, but only managed to get Vassago’s attention in the process.

“Ah yes, Blitzø Buckzo.” He greeted him with a proper pronunciation of his name, “It’s nice to meet you in a less… serious environment.” Vassago reached over and eagerly shook his hand, “You have taken care of Stolas, gracias. (Thank you). ” He thanked him before looking around the small apartment, then smiled wide, “¡Ey (Hey) , Beleth!” He walked over and patted the gargantuan plant that chirped happily and leaned into his touch, “Que buena planta ( What a good plant) .” He cooed then looked further around the living room. 

His eyes lingered on the glow in the dark stars across the ceiling, then focused on the glittery stars that hung from the ceiling, to the blinking dangling star string lights behind the TV, to the many plants now scattered across their apartment, and to the framed photos and documents on the walls, all mixed with Blitzø’s own horse decor. 

“Is it just the two of you?” Vassago asked.

“Blitzø’s daughter lives here.” Stolas answered, his brain still trying to wrap its way around this situation, “She is out currently.”

“Si si (Yes yes) ,” Vassago nodded, “Very good. You said you had to talk to me about the trial. ¿Qué no sé (What don't I know) ?”

Stolas looked over to Blitzø, who was looking back at him with a nervous expression, “I can go out on the fire escape to give you guys some—“ His boyfriend began to say.

“No, no.” Vassago interrupted, “Quedarse aquí (Stay here) . The trial involved you as well.”

Blitzø looked like a deer caught in headlights, very unsure of how to act in the presence of someone so important to Stolas. Usually, he would default to mouthy profanities at the person who just let himself into his space. Now he was worried about putting his foot in his mouth. 

Stolas grabbed Blitzø’s hand, taking him off guard for a moment as his attention turned him, and then gave him a reassuring squeeze, “Love, could you set the kettle?” 

Blitzø nodded, “Ah, right yeah, I can—I’ll go do that right now.” He responded before he let his hand go and scrambled off the couch to go do that. Vassago watched curiously as Blitzø stepped into the kitchen to go fill the kettle with water.

“Let me go get you a chair.” Stolas said to his Hellparent as he got off the couch. Stolas knew he was tall for a Goitia, and he was reminded of that fact as he stood a good foot taller than Vassago. Either that, or Vassago was just short, which was a thought Stolas would choose to keep to himself. He walked to grab one of the two chairs at the dining table and brought it over, moving the coffee table aside enough to situate the seat directly in front of the couch, “Sorry we don’t have more comfortable chairs. You can have a seat while I go help Blitzø. We can talk once the tea is done, ok?” He asked nervously. 

Vassago nodded, “Por supuesto (Of course) .” He replied as he swept his tail feathers aside to sit down.

Stolas stepped into the kitchen and fetched three mugs from the cabinet. None of which matched, all of which were fairly ridiculous in their own ways. One was stolen from the diner down the road, which was covered in advertisements from other local businesses in the area, including I.M.P, surrounding the diner logo. Another was rainbow striped with a green frog puppet sipping tea with text ‘The water is turning the fucking frogs gay!’ beneath it. And the final one was covered in drawn tomatoes, grilled cheese and little little fish shaped crackers surrounding a written recipe for tomato soup, which was so worn down it was illegible. 

He set them on the counter next to the stove, then rested a hand on Blitzø’s back, “Are you alright?” He asked him quietly.

Blitzø jumped just a bit before he looked directly above him to make eye contact with Stolas, “Yeah, I’m fine.” He replied, “How about you, big bird?” 

He smiled softly, “I believe I will be ok. Thank you my love.”

Stolas then opened the cabinet to the right of the stove and looked through their tea options, “We have jasmine tea, French vanilla, decaf green, and chai!” Stolas called over to Vassago, “Which would you prefer?” 

“Chai will do, gracias (thank you) .” He answered. 

Stolas took out 2 chai, and 1 jasmine tea packet before closing the cabinet, “Cream and sweetener?” He followed up.

“Cream por favor (please) .” 

Stolas opened the fridge and pulled out a small carton of half and half. Then because he could, Stolas kissed the top of Blitzø’s head in passing while he brought the cream over to the coffee table, “The kettle should be ready soon.” He told Vassago, “And, ah, thank you for coming over.”

The look on his uncle’s face was the same one he uses in court, “Of course.” He responded, as he began to shift from excitable and relieved uncle, to attorney ready to question someone on the stand. Stolas knew he would see that expression when they spoke about what he’d done, and whatever happened next would be very long and difficult.

Not even Vassago’s attire dulled down the intensity of his serious expression. Afterall, this was about the incident that led to his nephew being banished for 100 years. Even moreover, this involved Andrealphus and Stella representing a dishonest account of Stolas’ experience. Making a mockery out of Vassago's job the way they had was something he didn’t take lightly at all. 

Stolas didn’t know this, however. So he only interpreted the serious and stern expression as something entirely focused on him and his actions. As he heard the water begin to boil, Stolas quickly made his way back into the kitchen. 

Blitzø noticed the change in nerves as they set up the mugs, and wrapped his tail around Stolas’ leg. His boyfriend poured the hot water in each mug then grabbed his and Vassago’s mugs of chai, stuck a spoon in Vassago’s, and allowed Stolas to grab his own jasmine, “It will be ok, Stols.” He said softly before he lead the way back over to the couch. Blitzø set the diner mug by Vassago, and kept the tomato soup mug with his own chai before he sat down where he had been before, then patted the couch beside him for Stolas.

Stolas carefully swept his tail feathers beneath him and took a seat. Blitzø wrapped his tail around his boyfriend's arm in an effort to comfort him before they began their talk.

Vassago took a moment to pour a little cream into his chai, mixed it, then took a careful sip before he finally spoke, “So from my understanding of what you confessed to in court.” he began before he set his cup down and crossed a leg over his knee, “You used Blitzø here with the pure intent to wreak havoc on earth, and allowed for him undocumented and unmonitored access of your grimoire to do so. You manipulated him and his employees for your own agenda, and were upset to the point of laying your own neck bare when you believed they would be given credit for your scheme.” 

Stolas swallowed thickly and focused his attention down to his mug of jasmine tea in his lap, “That is correct, yes.”

“Bueno pues (Well then) . So what’s the honest story?” Vassago pressed, “As well spun as your tale was from an outside perspective, I know you well enough to see when you’re being theatrical and dishonest.” 

“Where do you want me to start?” Stolas asked, still looking down into his mug of tea, “It is far different than everything that was said in court.”

“Well, why don’t you start with explaining why you allowed for a non-Goetic hellborn to gain access to your grimoire.” He questioned.

“I asked if I could—“ Blitzø began to say before Vassago waved his hand.

“No. I want to hear it from him first.” 

“He needed it for his business. I allowed for him to use it, and in return we would…” Stolas trailed off, feeling his face heat up, “Have relations every full moon.”

Vassago just frowned at him and tilted his head, “No, there has to be more to that than sex.” He said bluntly. 

Stolas took a deep breath, “No, that’s… that’s it.”

Vassago then looked over to Blitzø for confirmation. After a moment Blitzø realized he wanted him to speak, “I fucked him and he let me use his book to run my business. We got into an arrangement where I could use the book all month for my job, then on the night of the full moon we’d fuck and I get the book back a day later.”  

Stolas set his tea down and buried his face in his hands in sheer mortification, letting out an embarrassed chirping sound. 

“Me estás tomando el pelo (You're pulling my leg) .” Vassago said disbelievingly, “Stolas.” he turned back to his nephew, “That can’t be it. You are too smart to be this dumb.”

“No, I assure you I really am that dumb.” He mumbled. 

Blitzø’s tail tightened around his arm and he patted his arm gently with the tip of his tail, “You’re not dumb.”

“Blitzø.” Stolas sighed before looking at him through the corner of his eye.

Blitzø looked genuinely guilty, and something in Stolas’ expression softened as he turned his head to fully face him, “I’m sorry.” He said to him quietly.

“Stolas you’re acting like you’re the only one who fucked up. It takes two to tango, don’t take all the credit here.” Blitzø responded and gently bumped his fist to his shoulder, “If you’re an idiot, then what in Lucifer’s Hell does that make me?” He asked.

“The smart one.” He sighed, “The one who thinks things through.”

Blitzø chuckled, “Stols, you had to stop me from getting my hand bitten by Baby Bell cheese wheel over there when I went to stick my finger in its mouth to see what would happen. If I’m the one thinking things through in this relationship, then we’re kind of fucked.” 

That earned him a little smile, “You can be silly, but you still have a beautiful mind.” 

While they spoke, Vassago was quiet for a moment in deep thought. When Stolas finally chanced a glance up at him, the lawyer expression was gone and now he was just blank. Then Vassago sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, “Stolas, Stolas, Stolas… Estoy decepcionado (I'm disappointed) .” He voiced his disappointment in his nephew, “All for sex.” He said like he was still trying to convince himself.

When Stolas thought more on what was said, he found it didn’t sit well with him. At face value, sure it looked like it was only about sex, but his initial explanation for his actions wasn’t exactly the truth. It really only dissmissed both Stolas' and Blitzø's emotions on the matter.

“Not just…” Stolas sat up and frowned, “It wasn’t just sex.” Because Blitzø wasn’t just sex to him.

Vassago perked up, “Ok, out with it then.” 

This was the hard part Stolas had dreaded, but Vassago was already disappointed in him so it was only uphill from here, “Before him, my life was…” he took a deep breath, “I wasn’t happy, and I hadn’t been for a long time. I was miserable and had been on—“ he snapped his mouth shut and looked away, “I’m clean now, I have been for almost five months, but I was on Belphegor’s hard candies for a long time.” He ripped the bandaid off, “I relied on them a lot more than I care to admit, but before Blitzø came back into my life, I was not in a great space mentally. When he came back I felt like I was a person, and I didn’t want him to go again. So I stupidly came up with our deal—I know how wrong it was now, and how unfair it was to Blitzø. So I made the case for him to have an Azmodian crystal to continue his work, and gave him the ability to leave. We parted ways for a few months before the trial.” He paused, “So, it wasn’t just sex…” 

Vassago stayed silent. No longer was he the lawyer at their trial, or a Goetic Prince nearly 10x his senior. He was just Uncle Vassago looking concerned for his nephew, “Stolas… No tenía ni idea de que no estuvieras contenta (I had no idea you weren't happy) .”

“Vassago, I was miserable for so long.” He confessed, “I love Via, and being her father has been everything for me. But my marriage, being with Stella... Honestly, Vassago there were times where I thought about…” perhaps Stolas let this part of the truth get too close.

Blitzø’s tail loosened just enough to pull his arm towards him, then interlocked their fingers and held his hand tightly. 

Vassago stood up from the wooden chair and sat on Stolas’ other side rather snuggly between the arm of the couch and his nephew, then pulled him into a hug, “I know your marriage was hard, I knew you were gay, but I didn’t think it got that bad. Stolas… Solo quiero decir que lo siento (I just want to say I'm sorry) .” He said softly, “Why did you not reach out?”

“You knew I was gay?” Stolas questioned, avoiding the one Vassago gave him.

Vassago chuckled, “Mi pollito pequeño (My little chick), I’ve suspected it since you were given your purpose. Kids are always excited to talk about their friends, but the way you would go on about your little circus friend—“

“—Enough of that!” Stolas cut him off nervously, “I get it, I showed the signs as a kid.” He somehow felt more mortified now than he had been talking about his sex life, now having regrets over not just answering his uncle’s question. He hid his face in his hands and mumbled, “I was a smitten little fledgling.” 

“What was his name again?” Vassago went on, “Something with a B?” Stolas wasn’t sure if his Hellparent was intentionally trying to mortify him, or if he was genuinely trying to remember, “It was a clown name. Something ending in o.”

No, Vassago was being absolutely genuine, and that was somehow worse. 

“Awwa Stols, was I really your gay awakening?” Blitzø asked teasingly.

It was then that a light flipped on in Vassago’s head, “¡Eso fue, lo veo claramente, eras tú ( That was it, I see clearly, it was you ) !” He had a eureka moment, “ Oh, eso tiene tanto sentido (Oh, that makes so much sense) .” He continued as he stood up and began to pace. 

“I have no idea what was just said.” Blitzø whispered to Stolas, “Is that good or bad?” He asked.

“he said: That was it, I see clearly, it was you. Oh, this makes so much sense.” Stolas translated for him.

“You had a crush on me?” Blitzø asked, nudging him with his shoulder and giving him a mischievous look, “Babe, that's so embarrassing.”

Stolas snorted, “Blitzø we are literally in a relationship.” 

Vassago stopped his pacing then sat back down next to him, now puzzled, “But again.” he started, “Why did you not reach out to me?” When Stolas stayed silent, he pressed, “You will not avoid the question.” 

“I didn’t want to be a burden.” He finally responded, “But things are fine now. I’m seeing a therapist starting tomorrow, Blitzø helped me with that. I’ll probably get put on proper medication to manage my depression, and I’ll do my best to work through my problems in a healthier manner.” He gave his boyfriend’s hand an appreciative squeeze, “And the divorce is finalized, so I’m no longer tethered to Stella. I will be ok.”

“No eres una carga para mí (You are not a burden to me) .” Vassago replied after a moment, then rubbed reassuring circles on his back, “I will try to be more available.” 

“It’s fine now, really Vassago. I know you are very busy—“

“Cállate (Be quiet ), I am never too busy for family.” He pulled away then noticed something on his shirt, “Oh, lo siento (I’m sorry) .” He plucked a small clump of fluffy yellow fur off Stolas’ shirt, “Felix is shedding this time of year. Su pelaje me sigue a todas partes (His fur follows me everywhere) .” 

“How is he doing?” Stolas asked him.

Vassago waved his hand before going back over to sit on the chair, “We can talk about my husband once this conversation is wrapped up. Todavía hay mucho que discutir (There is still much to discuss) .”

“Ah, right.” Stolas sighed, “Where else to start?”

“There were many things brought up in the trial, one particularly concerning one being a hitman being contracted to kill you.” Vassago stated, “What happened from your point of view?”

Blitzø hopped up from the couch, “One second, I need to grab something.” He quickly made his way into the kitchen, then opened up a cabinet they had been using for storage of important documents, then pulled out a black folder, “We got this a few days ago from Via, actually.” he explained as he came back over with the folder in hand before passing it over.

“Gracias (thank you) .” Vassago said as he took the folder and opened it. He pulled out the stapled document and quickly read through it with a serious and unwavering expression. He flipped through each page and read over every detail before his face morphed into a deep frown, “ ¡ Ese bastardo mentiroso (That lying bastard) !” He abruptly shot up from his seat and began pacing again, “Making a mockery of my work– my domain, falsifying evidence and throwing together a fake victim narrative! ¿Qué clase de juego de poder es éste (What kind of power play is this) ?” Vassago snapped, “¡Lo juro por satanás, cuando vea a esa reina de las nieves remilgada (I swear to Satan, when I see that prim Snow Queen) !” His scarlet feathers fluffed out in anger, “¡Haré que se arrepienta de haber puesto un pie en la corte de Satanás (I’ll make him regret ever setting foot in Satan’s court ) !”

“You can’t say anything to anyone–” Stolas jumped up off the couch to follow his pacing, “The only way anyone will believe you is by showing them those papers, and the only way we could get those is through Octavia.” he caught his uncle by the shoulder, “Please, I know you’re upset but think about Via.”

“Oh mi Satanás (Oh my Satan). ” Vassago responded, “Stolas, I understand, believe me.” He started as he shook his nephew’s hand from his shoulder and pinched the bridge of his nose, “I don’t think you know how serious this is.”

“I do know how serious this is, Vassago.” Stolas insisted, “And I’m sorry, but I care about my daughter’s safety more. I’ve known Stella was the one to send Striker after me since the last try before she called it off. I know why her and Andrealphus did what they did, and right now I don’t care to give them any more of my mental energy brooding over revenge right now.”

“Stolas, this is more than just the kangaroo court that was your trial. Willingly and knowingly lying on the stand, especially in that court, is a serious offense.”

“No offence or nothing, and maybe I’m in the wrong because I couldn’t understand half of what you’ve been saying,” Blitzø cut in, “But given that the trial was mostly pinned on me, and the fact that Satan didn’t actually care enough about a fair trial for an Imp, I don’t see him getting his panties in a twist when it was a royal who lied at an Imp’s expense.” 

“And he’s not exactly the sin of Pride.” Stolas added.

“No, he may not be.” Vassago added, “But he’s been sitting in Pride’s place for decades. Neither of you are old enough to remember when Lilith was sitting, but this kind of offence was not taken lightly by Lilith or Lucifer. Satan may not have cared then, but he will now that Lucifer is back in the public eye. Especially now with the relationship our King has with the Radio Demon. Lucifer will not take lightly that an Imp was falsely accused of multiple serious offences, all with falsified evidence, and was sentenced to death within his own jurisdiction. In turn, Satan will not take it lightly because this happened under his rule.” He gestured to the document in his hands.

“If Lucifer actually cared, then why wasn’t he there?” Blitzø questioned.

“Yes.” Stolas agreed, “Why was he absent?”

“He’s been tied up at Heaven's Embassy negotiating new treaties with them since he put a stop to the exterminations.” Vassago supplied, “Between that, his wedding, and helping Princess Charlotte with her hotel, he hasn’t exactly had time to spare on much else.” He continued, “If he found out about the truth behind the case, though, that would certainly get his attention.”

“In that case, Stolas is equally screwed.” Blitzø countered, “He lied in court and falsely took the blame. Sure, yeah we have official looking documents that prove their fuck up, but they have a whole recorded video of Stolas’ false fucking confession. The only thing that will happen is suddenly everyone knows I was framed for the hit, which most people in Imp City already believe, and that Stolas and dollar store Elsa both lied in court.” 

“Vassago, at least wait till Via is 18.” Stolas asked, “She’ll legally be an adult then. Stella and Andrealphus will have no legal control over her then.”

Vassago took a deep breath before responding, “Bueno pues (alright then). That gives me a little under 8 months. In that time, I will look into every part of this case with a fine toothed comb and we can go from there.” He settled, “But , I will keep these and send them back over when I copies made.”

“Thank you.” Stolas responded. At the same time Blitzø sank down on the couch in relief and sighed. In the process, he knocked the TV remote off the couch and pulled the screen from sleep mode, now displaying the pause screen for an episode of The Plank Walkers .

“Are you watching Plank Walkers?” Vassago asked, attention immediately glued to the screen.

“We are on season two episode three. Blitzø has seen it many times and wanted to show me.” Stolas responded.

“Oh, has it happened yet?” Vassago asked Blitzø.

His boyfriend shook his head, “No, not yet.”

“Has what happened?” Stolas asked.

“Not telling.” Blitzø responded, “But you’ll know when it does.” They were all quiet for a moment before Blitzø continued, “You, uh, wanna join?” 

“Si (yes) .” Vassago walked back to his chair and scooted it to the side, grabbed his tea, and settled in. Stolas just watched as the two looked over and waited for him to join, then simply smiled and went to sit next to his boyfriend.

This was possibly the best outcome for his call with his uncle. Without a second thought, Stolas went back to the couch, grabbed his tea, then Blitzø hit play.

Songs that I listened to when writing this:

If I Had You (Adam Lambert)

Water and the Pill (Audiodub)

I Wanna Get Better (Bleachers)

Papaoutai (Stromae)

Find me on Tumbr!

Chapter Text

Since Stolas ran into Octavia at the park, they have been in contact almost daily. At minimum, they texted in the morning and in the evening to say good morning and good night. Occasionally, they called mid-day, and video chatted at night from time to time; either something brief to say good night, and others a bit longer as he helped her understand spells in the grimoire she was struggling with, along with simply talking about their week. It still felt unreal. Being able to talk with her, albeit in secret since Stella and Andrealphus would surely ground her if she was caught talking with him.

He was so deeply grateful for what Loona had done for him in helping mend the relationship between him and his daughter. He needed to try and figure out a way to properly thank her, even if Octavia and him never got reunited. The simple fact that Loona had been there for his daughter while she was working through everything that had happened meant so much. She supported her when he was not able.

Stolas also found it a bit disheartening to hear how little his ex-wife and brother in law were involved with her. He would have hoped Stella would be there more for their daughter, and in some ways she was; with things such as making sure her head feathers were properly preened, calling her to dinner most nights, and occasionally talking with her. 

At first Stolas wanted to be mad on Octavia’s behalf, and he had been and still is; but now that he was clean of Belthagor’s hard candies, had been in therapy for weeks now, and was also on proper medication to help him manage his depression and anxiety as a result of undiagnosed bipolar disorder, he’d had a lot of time to self reflect on the things he’d done wrong himself. Even before Blitzø came back into his life, he’d been so manic most days in Via’s teen years that he had a habit of disregarding her own feelings to focused on keeping himself afloat.  

He had been in such a mentally low place as Via had gotten older and more independent. He was left to his own devices more and more, with nothing but tending to his plants and watching his telanovellas to fill in that gap. Even then, his hobbies were hardly a distraction for him since Stella could interrupt him at any moment with her cruelty; and as such Stolas also got really creative with hiding bruises and covering up bloodied patches of missing feathers. All of that effort so he didn't destroy the relationship Octavia had with her mother. Sure his body allowed for him to heal quicker than most, but this did not hide them durring the hours, or days depending on the severity of her cruelty that was given day, between the incident and his healing. He was becoming more aware that perhaps he'd done more damage by hiding it all from his daughter.

He started taking the candies in an attempt to fix his mental illness because actual therapy was unbecoming and shameful according to the rest of the Goetia family, and that ended up pushing his daughter away even further. Stolas still did things for her, sure. Like tending to her head feathers, making sure she ate breakfast and dinner, and occasionally spending time with her outside of her studies… 

It was an uncomfortable parallel to Stella and Andrealphus right now.

So he was mad at Stella for doing the bare minimum for their daughter, but he was also mad at himself for having done the exact same thing. Therapy was definitely helping him understand and work through it all, but a part of him still felt awful as his mind continued to settle on one point he could never smooth over. His own father had been absent. Paimon was hardly ever home, and it made Stolas feel so alone and hurt because he wanted to have his father in his life. He never wanted Octavia to feel that way, and what he had done was possibly worse than what Paimon had done. Stolas, though mentally checked out, was still physically present in her life. She didn’t have the ability to excuse his absence through the belief that he was simply swamped with work. She had been led to believe that her father’s absence was because he simply wanted nothing to do with her anymore. All she saw was him doped out of his mind watching telanovellas, shirking his responsibilities as a Goetic Prince, flaunting his affair around her by flirting with Blitzø openly, and fighting with her mother daily. 

The example he set was that of an uncaring father who happily and openly cheated on her mother with Blitzø, and turned her mother into a blameless victim. 

Octavia was right to feel as though he never loved her. He hadn’t exactly proven things otherwise. She didn’t know that their arrangement was formed against Stella and his will, and never saw the way Stella would hit him or tear out his feathers long before the affair. She never saw the way Stolas had cried himself to sleep so many nights, the way he had grown up feeling incapable of being loved and had been broken from the very start. 

He wished to be more transparent with Octavia, now fully seeing that in trying to shield her from it all to give her a normal life, he’d unintentionally done the exact opposite. With this sober version of self reflection, he knew he couldn’t change his past actions towards Octavia, much the same way he couldn’t change his past actions towards Blitzø. But what he could change and would change are the actions he could make in the present and future. 

Outside of the privilege he now had of talking with his daughter again and being more attentive, he’d begun to notice something was a bit off with his boyfriend. Blitzø was still amazing, still loving and attentive, and still a very supportive partner; but whenever Via called, or video chatted, he would find a reason to duck out of the apartment. Be it sitting with the plants and reading on the fire escape, going to the store ‘real quick’ which always seemed to be for however long Stolas spent talking with his daughter, or he would go cook dinner and leave them to chat in the living room alone. He would try and stay just out of sight at the bare minimum.

When Stolas asked, he would simply brush the worry aside and avoid the question, in much the same way he did when a topic of discussion revolving around himself was difficult and went on for way too long. Only on this one thing, Blitzø would refuse to even entertain the idea that something was wrong or bothering him.

Stolas had talked with Loona a bit about it, but she always brushed it off by saying some version of, “He’s being an idiot.” and it would end at that. Although, she herself was starting to be bothered by it as well. 

Something would have to give, and soon, since Octavia was starting to believe his boyfriend hated her. 

Dresses in their pajamas, the two of them spent time cooking dinner together that night. Stolas had never been a chief in the slightest, but he loved to learn, and this was a nice Sunday tradition they had fallen into. It was much like the weekend preening of his feathers. Music played from Stolas’ phone which was set on the dining table, which consisted of a mix of different artists Blitzø had introduced him to, along with songs and artists Stolas found himself in his journey to expand his pool of music he listened to. 

Standing at the stove, his boyfriend tended to a pan of browning ground beef, singing along to the song being played, tapping his cloven foot to the beat and swaying his hips side to side, “You go down just like Holy Mary, Mary on a, Mary on a cross,” he sang, as he stirred the beef, “ Not just another Bloody Mary, Mary on a, Mary on a—“ 

Stolas smiled and sang along with him, “You go down just like Holy Mary, Mary on a, Mary on a cross,” he tapped his foot in sync with Blitzø’s as he carefully peeled potatoes, “Your beauty never ever scared me, Mary on a, Mary on a cross—”

While they sang, Blitzø paused every so often as he began to add spices into a pan. In this process, he dug through the spice cabinet and smelled them, some were set back, and others that passed whatever sniff test he was doing were added generously, “Babe, does this need a full onion or just half?” He asked over his shoulder.

Stolas stopped singing and scanned the old recipe book that was open on the counter to one for cottage pie, “It does not call for an onion, dear.” He responded as he continued to peel the potatoes needed for dinner.

“Ok, half an onion it is then.” Blitzø responded before he set the wooden spoon aside and walked up next to Stolas to nab a yellow onion from an open bag of groceries. He gave it a careful look then amended, “It’s actually pretty small, I’ll just use the whole thing.”

Stolas only chuckled as he continued to focus on not cutting himself on the peeler, “Why ask if we are not going to follow the book?” He asked, setting the freshly peeled potato in a bowl next to him before grabbing the last one.

“The recipe is only a suggestion.” Blitzø responded as he pulled out a cutting board and knife and walked over to the sink, “Trust me, you’re gonna be glad there’s an onion in it.”

“Did you not just add onion powder to the beef?” 

“Yes. Yes I did.” Blitzø nodded, “And once the beef is cooked, it gets set aside and the diced onion gets cooked in the leftover fat and seasonings. Mix it with the cooked ground beef and it adds a nice flavor.” He further explained before the next song came on and he started singing along again, all the while he cut the onion in half and rinsed it under cold water, “Now what’s that thing I can’t remember, How did I get so far off center~” he sang as he cut the top end on each and peeled back the yellow skin, then began to chop, “When it’s a fractured view through faulty lenses, What do you trust when you can’t trust your senses~” 

“You have not steered us wrong yet, so I shall take your word for it.” Stolas replied, then set the last potato in the bowl. He carried the bowl across the kitchen to the sink and set them down on the other side Blitzø wasn’t currently occupying. He began to hum to the tune, a content smile on his face as he listened to his boyfriend singing along to a song Stolas had found himself. He’d only just found it on Wednesday and shared it with Blitzø, and though it’s not one his boyfriend would typically listen to, he now knew the lyrics by heart.

“But I can fly through the heavens on the power of my heart, Thread my way through a string of stars~” Blitzø lifted the cutting board and used the knife to push the diced onion into a bowl, “Write your name in a new constellation, Declare my love to all creation~” He quickly rinsed the board and knife off then set it down for Stolas to cut the potatoes.

Stolas took out a pot and set it aside, before he began to rinse the potatoes and dry them so they wouldn’t suction to the knife. He then carefully cut them into cubes and tossed them into the pot, then when he was done with that task he filled the pot with water.

“I need to see the Milky Way, No city lights no smokey haze—“  

“Dad, Stolas, how much longer till dinner?” Loona asked as she poked her head out of her bedroom door. 

“About an hour.” Blitzø responded, turning his head all the way up to look behind him at her, “Why? Are you hungry now?” He asked.

“No, I just wanted to see if I had time to take a shower.”

“Oh, yeah you do.” He assured her before he looked back to the stove to take the ground beef off the burner to scoop it into a bowl, then dumped the diced onion in the pan and set it on the burner again. 

She ducked her head back into her room to grab her clothes then crossed the apartment and into the bathroom.

As the onion began to sizzle, Blitzø quickly went to the fridge to grab a bottle of diced garlic, “Stols can you grab me a spoon?” He asked as he went back to quickly stir the onion.

Stolas pulled out the drawer to his right, “Big or small spoon?”

“Big.” Blitzø replied then went to twist the lid off the jar.

Stolas walked over and passed him the spoon, then leaned down to kiss his cheek, “Here you are, my love.” 

Blitzø quickly turned his head to give him a peck on the lips, “Thanks babe.” 

Stolas cooed happily and walked over to grab the pot and carried it to the stove. He noticed the generous size of the scoops of garlic Blitzø took out and plopped into the pan, “That’s definitely more than the recipe calls for.” 

“Stols,” Blitzø tsked, “Rule one of cooking, you measure the amount of garlic you use with your heart. The recipe is almost never right.” 

Stolas chuckled, “Oh, right. How silly of me.” 

“You’re being sarcastic now, but just you wait. It’s a page right out of the Buckzo family cookbook, as stated by my mom.” He said confidently and with much authority. 

“Where might this cookbook be? I would like to cross reference.” Stolas asked.

Blitzø knocked on his skull, “Got it memorized right up here.” He replied as he stirred the garlic and onion mix in the pan. 

Stolas turned Blitzø’s head carefully and rested their foreheads together for a moment, then kissed his forehead and went back to focus on the pot of potatoes, “Cross referenced, I’ll allow it.” 

Blitzø snickered, “You’ve got no choice at this point anyways,” he joked, “There’s already a metric fuckton on garlic in this.”

Stolas eyed the aromatics cooking in the pan, “With enough patience and dedication I believe I could spoon out some of it.” 

“But you won’t.” His boyfriend said matter of factly, swaying his hips side to side then went back into singing the song still playing, “In darkness it gathers, In sunlight it scatters, My sorrows contagious, I’ve tested your patience—“

As the pot was set to boil, Stolas leaned his back against the counter and watched his boyfriend cook. Cooking was still a learning curve for Stolas, and it didn’t seem to come as naturally for him as it did for Blitzø. Stolas could cook decently on his own now by following the recipe completely, but he lacked the confidence that Blitzø had in breaking from the recipe to make the dish better. 

Stolas couldn’t lie, their kitchen did smell really nice and he was very excited for dinner tonight. Blitzø mixed in the ground beef to the onion and garlic, added in a can of cream corn, and a strained can of mixed vegetables, then added some additional seasoning, gravy and a bay leaf to the mixture and let it bubble and simmer. While Blitzø did that, Stolas finished up on the mashed potatoes, strained them, added in the seasonings and herbs Blitzø set aside for him, milk and butter before maching. Once both halves were finished, Stolas took out a casserole dish and set it on the counter. Blitzø poured his mixture into the dish, and Stolas slowly covered the top in mashed potatoes so they didn’t mix together. Some cheddar cheese was sprinkled on top, then the dish was put in the oven.

While Blitzø busied himself with putting away the spices and wiping down the counters, Stolas busied himself with washing the dishes. All the while they continued to listen to music off Stolas’ playlist, continued to sing along and continued to banter. 

As Stolas finished up on dishes, Blitzø hopped up to sit on the counter next to the sink and kept him company. His tail tapped on the counter to the beat of the song now playing and he began to sing along to the chorus, “I’m your biggest fan, I’ll follow you until you love me, Papa-Paparazzi, Baby, there’s no other superstar, You know that I’ll be, your Papa-Paparazzi—“ 

Stolas closed the dishwasher and toweled off his hands, but sang along, “Promise I’ll be kind, But I won’t stop until that boy is mine,” he set aside the dish towel, stood in front of Blizø, and trapped him on the counter with a hand on either side of him, then leaned his face in, “Baby, you’ll be famous, Chase you down until you love me,” Stolas winked at Blitzø, “Papa-Pa—“

Blitzø quickly pulled Stolas’ face down with his hands and kissed him. Stolas let out a surprised hoot and broke the kiss briefly to chuckle before he leaned in and rejoined their lips eagerly. Blitzø’s fingers carded through the ivory white and dusty gray contour feathers on his face, then tugged lightly at the ones on the nape of his neck. A shiver went up Stolas' spine and he let out a soft moan into their kiss. Blitzø took advantage of this and slipped his tongue past his lips, then pressed one of his knees between Stolas’ legs to get him a higher pitched moan. 

For singing along to a Lady Gaga song, their kiss became way more sexually charged than was probably intended. Actually no, it was probably what she would have wanted. Stolas ground his hips down against his boyfriend’s leg desperately as he felt a growing wetness spread between his thighs. He let his hands travel under Blitzø’s shirt, and lightly dragged his nails down the Imp’s back. This earned the Goetic demon a pleasant little cat-like chirp from the back of Blitzø’s throat. Stolas let his hands roam freely across Blitzø’s body, one slid up his chest and the other slid down to cop a feel of his boyfriend’s growing erection through the fabric of his pajama shorts. 

Stolas pulled away, and his tail feathers twitched slightly as he slowed the rocking of his hips and breathed heavily, “It’s moments like this I wish we had our own bedroom.” He said quietly and panted, “Because I want your body so bad right now, Blitzy.” To emphasize his point, he ground against his boyfriend’s leg a little harder and fanned out his tail feathers a bit. Stolas knew exactly what he was doing. He knew the twitching of his tail feathers like this drove his boyfriend wild for reasons he didn’t quite understand, but he took pride in it either way. It was something instinctual for Avian demons, a form of courting that sought to express sexual interest. 

Blitzø swallowed thickly as he watched Stolas’ tail feathers twitch and he nodded, “Our lease is up next year. They have bigger apartments here with two bedrooms that are still in a decent price range we could look into?” He asked and lifted his leg up just a little bit more into the slow rocking of Stolas’ hips.

Stolas sharply gasped, then smiled and rested their foreheads together, “That sounds perfect, my love.” The willingness to look into a larger place created a spreading warmth in Stolas' chest. 

Then they kissed again, which was really not helping his or Blitzø’s arousal. The continued rocking of his hips certainly wasn’t either, but he craved the growing sensation against his cloaca too much to stop. His tail feathers twitched more to give himself the added pleasant stimulation. Loona was still in the bathroom, and the water was still running. Given the length of time she had been in there, she might be doing a shedding treatment. If that were the case, it could buy them enough time for something quick.  

‼️

Stolas broke their kiss, “Pants. Off.” He commanded as he got down on his knees and slid one of his hands down his own pants and dipped inside himself with little resistance thanks to the slick substance dripping from the hole. It wasn’t exactly what he wanted inside him, but it was the best option they had at the moment since they didn’t have enough time for anything else.

It took Blitzø just a moment to understand what he meant, but when he did, he quickly shimmied his pants down just enough to pull his dick out, “If that shower turns off we stop.” 

Stolas wasted no time before he pushed his boyfriend's legs apart, took the full length of his dick in his mouth, and sucked him off while he desperately fingered himself. Blitzø buried his fingers in the feathers at the crown of Stolas’ head and arched his hips into the movement of his boyfriend’s mouth, all the while quietly praising the Goetic demon. Everything was rushed and frantic. Neither of them tried to last long since they didn’t know how much time they had to get things done. They just needed the quick release. Soon enough Stolas’ thighs clamped around his wrist as he came, and with a few more bobs of his head, Blitzø came in his mouth.  

Stolas pulled away and swallowed, then wiped the spit from his mouth. His breathing was heavy as he came down from his own high, pulling his fingers out of his now very damp underwear, covered in his own sperm, “Perhaps,” he said between deep breaths before looking up at Blitzø, “Not my proudest moment.” 

‼️

Blitzø tucked himself back in and chuckled, “I don’t know, you look hot as fuck right now.” He passed him some paper towels, “Here, clean yourself up, I’ll get you clean underwear and shorts.” He added before hopping off the counter and quickly getting him fresh clothes.

Stolas wiped his hand off before peeling off his shorts and underwear, which stuck to his under tail covert feathers on his inner thighs and around his cloaca uncomfortably. A shiver went up his spine at the feeling of cooler air against the area. He used the paper towel to clean between his legs, then stood up to take his shorts and underwear off completely and toss away the paper towel.

He startled as he felt Blitzø’s hand firmly grab his ass, “Oh—“ he looked down to see him holding clean clothes for him, fingers still holding his cheek.

“It was right there Stols, I couldn’t not grab your ass when you’re standing with no pants on and caked up on a Sunday night.” Blitzø stated like it was the most obvious thing in Hell, squeezed his butt once more before letting it go, then passed him the clothes, “Now put these on before Loona gets out.”

Stolas only rolled his eyes and chuckled, “Oh yes, silly me whatever was I thinking?” He asked and cocked his hip to the side towards him. Blitzø tail quickly whipped side to side, and he looked at Stolas thigh with an expression the Goetic demon had become all too familiar with over the past few weeks, and almost immediately the he backpedaled, “Blitzø don’t you do it—“ he shouted in vain as his boyfriend lunged and bit his leg, “—AHH you menace!” He shouted as he lightly swatted him and shook him off, “Must you always bite?” He chided. 

Blitzø kissed the area he’d just bitten and looked up to him with an innocent look to his eyes, “I mean, it was right there.” He answered, “What was I supposed to do?”  

Once more, Stolas rolled his eyes at his boyfriend’s antics, and then quickly pulled on his underwear, “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe not bite my thigh?” He asked, feeling flustered because he liked it a little too much, and Blitzø damn well knew it.  

The Imp batted his eyes up at him, “Are you really mad?” 

 “I can’t stay mad at you when you make that face.” He acquiesced, “You’re lucky you’re so cute.” He added on, “If we had a room you’d be getting a very different response.” Stolas mumbled the last part as he pulled on the clean pajama shorts. They made eye contact again, and Blitzø opened his mouth and slowly leaned closer to his thigh again, “No you don’t!” Stolas backed away and scooped his boyfriend off the ground under his armpits, “No more biting.”

Blitzø stuck the tip of his forked tongue out at him and purred loudly. Once more, he batted his eyes at him innocently. 

Stolas squinted his eyes at him and tried to frown, then almost instantly felt his resolve dissipate and he chuckled, “Oh fuck you.” He said playfully, then laughed at the mischievous smile that formed on Blitzø’s face.

“Wishful thinking.” Blitzø responded, the mischievous smile shifting to a devilish grin.

The shower was still running.

Stolas set his boyfriend down on the counter just quick enough to hook his hands under his thighs and held him flush against his torso. Blitzø looked startled for only a moment before the Goetic demon kissed him again, hard and desperate, which took him by surprise. It didn’t take a lot of effort before he felt his boyfriend’s dick press against him again. All according to plan. Stolas walked them over to the arm of the couch, sat his boyfriend’s ass down then dipped him over the edge so he was now trapped between his arms on the couch cushion. All the while their kiss grew more frantic. Stolas used one of his hands to dip past Blitzø’s waistband and felt him up again, which earned him a strangled moan.

Stolas broke from the kiss and moved to nip at his boyfriend’s neck, “Fuck,” Blitzø gasped and tilted his head to give him more room to explore, “Babe we don’t have time to be fucking around.”

Stolas grinned against the skin of his throat before pulling away to make eye contact and give Blitzø a mischievous smile of his own, “Oh, I am fully aware.” He replied before he took his hand out of his shorts and stood upright, “Suffer.” He responded before he left Blitzø on the couch and walked back to the kitchen to check on dinner. 

“Oh you bitch.” Blitzø responded as he scrambled to sit upright, “You can’t just leave me like this!”

“Think twice next time before biting and teasing.” He called over his shoulder and peeked in to check on their dinner. He was met with the pleasant smell of onion, garlic, cheese and gravy, “How much longer does this have to sit in the oven?” He asked.

“Oh I don’t know, maybe I could check if I wasn’t abandoned and rock hard on the couch.” He quipped back, being sure to say it quietly enough that Loona was likely spared from hearing. 

“Hmm, what a pity.” Stolas responded and looked over his shoulder at his boyfriend, then chuckled at the frown he was giving him, “Whatever shall be done about that?” He teased and shut the oven. While he took a moment to pretend to be deep in thought, he nabbed his soiled shorts and underwear off the floor and went to deposit them in the hamper in the closet just outside of the bathroom, “Such a dire predicament indeed.” 

“Say something that might make my boner go away.” Blitzø settled for, knowing full well there was no way they could get away with their little game.

It took Stolas only a moment to think of what to say as he walked back to the kitchen to lean against the counter by the stove. Or more so, he knew what to ask, “How do you explain color?” 

“Like, specific shades?” Blitzø asked, “Like royal blue and cerulean?”

“No.” Stolas responded, “Think of it like this, you are talking with someone who is completely color blind. How would you describe to them the color blue?”

Blitzø thought for a moment, “I’d tell them…” he paused, a little bit stumped by the question, “That the ocean is blue.”

“But how would they know what that color is like though?” 

Blitzø was quiet for a little longer as he thought, “I would describe it as cold. Visually they would never really be able to see the color, but they can experience it in other ways?”

“Cold.” Stolas repeated, “But what about blue in different contexts?” He followed up, “Because yes there is the connection between cold and the color blue. But what about seeing it in a different setting? Like the color of the sky topside in the spring? Or perhaps the glow of the ghostvine on our fire escape at night? Would that not make blue a warm color, or an eerie one?”

“Ok, maybe it’s impossible and color blind people are just missing out.” Blitzø settled, “Because you can describe it in words to someone else who’s seen it, but you can’t really describe it in one set way for someone who can’t.”

“I’ll give you a question one step further,” Stolas continued, “How do we know that the color blue I see is the same as the one you see?”

Blitzø’s brows furrowed, “The fuck is that supposed to mean?” 

“What I mean is, we can both see, let us say for instance, the color of a tomato. We would both agree that it is red.”

“Uhuuh.” Blitzø agreed.

“But how do we know that the color red that I see is the exact one you do?” Stolas asked, “For all you know, the color your brain tells you is red is different from the one my brain tells me? Perhaps my red is really the color you perceive as purple. How would we know for sure?”

“There’s science shit to back that up though?” Blitzø asked as he moved to slump over the back of the couch, “Cones or whatever, right?”

“Well yes, however the appearance of the world we see is all an illusion that is specific to our own brains. It is a reality that the cones in our eyes inform our brains of. So how do we know that the picture in my brain is colored the same as the one in yours?”

“No, because we all see the same thing. I can look at you and see you have feathers, we both know what a feather looks like and feels like.” He countered. It was apparent that he was getting a little frustrated, “It’s all the same, so why would color be any different?”

Stolas refrained from tackling the further notion that they may perceive their physical realities differently as well, but that was a whole other can of worms, so he decided not to give his boyfriend a full on existential crisis, “If it is all the same, then how is it we all have a favorite color that differs? Why is it that I favor red over all the other colors we can see? Why is it you favor purple? If our perception is the same, then why do we get a different emotional attachment to ones that differ?”  

“Ok this conversation is starting to hurt my brain.” Blitzø grumbled and smacked his head against the back support of the couch.

“Last question then.” Stolas looked at Blitzø with a smug grin and tilted his head to the side, “How’s that boner doing?”

Blitzø sat up and looked down at his lap then blinked one eye at a time, “Gone.”

Stolas chuckled, “Good, now come over here and check on dinner.” 

Blitzø hopped over the arm of the couch and scrambled into the kitchen. He then checked in the oven, “Oh, yup that’s ready.” He answered and opened the oven the rest of the way before he reached in and pulled out the casserole dish with his bare hands, “Babe can you get out two hot pads and set them on the counter?” He asked as he used his tail to shut the oven door and turn it off.

Stolas quickly pushed off the counter and pulled two cork hot pads out of the drawer he was leaning against and set them on the counter, “There.” 

“Ok now scoot, I don’t want to burn you.” 

The bathroom door opened and Loona stepped out, “Did dinner just get taken out of the oven?” She asked as she stepped into the kitchen, still toweling off her hair but was now in a tank top and pajama shorts.

“Just pulled it out.” Blitzø confirmed, “Gotta let it cool though so the filling isn’t so runny.” He looked up at Stolas, “Do you want me to do your feathers tonight?”

Stolas ran his hand over the feathers on his head to check their state before he responded, “That would be nice, actually.” 

“What are you guys planning on watching?” Loona asked as she folded her towel over her arm, “You mind if I join on the couch?”

“I believe we are watching Blitzø’s horse drama, Pony Pals: Kindred Spirits.” Stolas answered, “You are more than welcome to join us if you would like.” 

“Not that Hellanovella?” She asked and sounded the slightest bit disappointed.

“Hellanovella is for Saturday.” Stolas corrected as he took out a cold pitcher of sangria from the fridge they’d made earlier in the day, “You sound disappointed. Do you like that show?”

Loona leaned up against the wall, “I wouldn’t say I like it. It’s just fun to see the train wreck.”

Stolas chuckled as he set the pitcher with the alcohol and fruit mixture down on the counter, “Loona, that is the whole point of the show. It cannot be taken too seriously. It is a complete train wreck, and that is the magic.”

“I thought we were gonna watch that movie your uncle recommended?” Blitzø asked as he came out of the bathroom with a purple towel and a little wheely cart they stored all Stolas’ preening supplies on, “I think it was called Pieces of Eight?”

“Oh, the pirate action romance one?” Stolas asked Blitzø before asking Loona, “Would you like a glass?” Then continued to speak to Blitzø, “I believe that is a show, dearest. We can start that if you would like, I am fine with whatever. I am sure Vassago would be happy to hear we started it.”

“Yeah, thanks.” Loona replied. Stolas took out a third glass for her, “Do you need help bringing things to the coffee table?” She asked then grabbed the pitcher and a glass anyways.

“Thank you dear.” Stolas replied before he picked up his and Blitzø’s glasses. They were nothing fancy, not a traditional wine glass in the slightest. The two he had in his hands right now were both completely different, one being clear with little candy canes embedded in the sides, and the other was a clear pink and green with a raised floral design completely covering the outer surface. The one which Loona grabbed was a clear blue with a printed decal of a cartoon pony on it. That specific one was old enough that it had been washed enough times to have it fading slightly with the white background coming through more than the actual design. 

“Oh yeah, what was the movie he recommended then?” Blitzø asked as he tossed a pillow on the floor for Stolas to sit on and began to sort through spray bottles, combs and preening clothes.

“Lassos and Laws.” Stolas supplied, “It’s a Spaghetti Western which takes place in Wrath.”

“Ok so save that for pasta night.” Blitzø concluded in all earnesty and got a chuckle from Stolas as he followed Loona over to the couch.

“What’s Pieces of Eight?” She asked as she set her glass on the coffee table and set the pitcher towards the center.

“I believe it is about eight completely different pirate ships sailing across Envy, but as the episodes go forward you slowly see how they’re all actually tied together.” He responded, “And there are a lot of gay pirates.”

Blitzø chuckled, “Gay pirates.” 

Stolas set his two glasses on the coffee table, then brightened up, “Did you know, in the human world homosexuality was actually quite common among pirates?” Blitze looked up at him curiously, “In quite a few instances, coupling was encouraged. It was so common, they even had a name for it: matelot. The word is in relation to something akin to a bunkmate.” He continued as he began to pour sangria into all three cups, before he quickly nabbed an apple slice for himself from the pitcher, “There are certainly darker elements to it that I will not delve into for sake of brevity, but it is just a little fun fact.” Stolas finished before popping the now alcohol infused fruit slice into his mouth. 

At a certain point in his childhood, Stolas became painfully aware that people tended to get annoyed with him when he spouted random facts, or went on little tangents about the things that interested him. It was a larger insecurity of his that would take a lot of practice and patience for him to unlearn, but it helped that Blitzø actually enjoyed and listened to him. He even encouraged his ramblings with questions of his own. In all of Hell, Blitzø had to be the only one thus far who actually gave mind to the things Stolas had to say without getting annoyed or tired with him. There were still times the Goetic demon struggled to believe that his boyfriend genuinely enjoyed hearing him prattle on and on about plants and stars and books, or whatever it was that caught his attention at the time.

As much as Stolas would love to pin the foundation for all of his insecurities on his ex-wife, that discredited the rest of the Goetia Family’s involvement in crafting it. They’d fend him off at important gatherings to avoid getting hooked in conversations on things like the science behind genetically modifying poisonous plants to create certain medicines, or on the proper ways to prune sentient plants to avoid harming them. When he finally stopped trying to talk, they would only then speak to him just long enough to throw a dig at his lack of socializing. 

Although things have changed with the Sin of Lust a lot since the trial, Asmodeus had been one of those in the family to avoid him as well. Though not present at most gatherings, the ones where he was present felt especially memorable since he commanded the room. He could freely speak with everyone he came across, to say what he wanted and how he wanted.

He would talk to everyone but Stolas, the boring stiff and odd man out.

The Sin’s words on his infidelity way back during Blitzø’s and his first date had far more bite than his boyfriend probably picked up on. It wasn’t so much his sleeping with an Imp that was the spectacle for Ozzie. It was the idea that Stolas would have cheated on Stella at all, since by their standards she was a very physically attractive woman, and Stolas had been lucky to be with her given how unremarkable he was.  

Stolas, the boring stiff. 

Just an uninteresting and drab Prince of Hell with mundane hobbies and a reserved disposition. Nothing special, and nothing particularly stood out about him aside from being a direct descendant of Paimon. 

Sure Stella’s words about him didn’t help his lousy self-esteem, but Stolas was still, and would always be, a dull colored demon to the family. He didn’t have the soft, powdery blue hue, and the intricate tail feathers Andrealphus did, nor the pearlescent and pure white Stella had—and especially not the vibrant scarlet red, deep violet and cadmium orange Vassago did. 

He was nothing but a dusty blueish gray, black and white owl. Nothing particularly stood out to catch the attention of others outside of him being rather tall even by Goetia standards. And even that wasn’t a particularly good thing, at least not when it was him . Most of the family wore specially crafted heeled boots to appear taller and more prominent, where Stolas could go barefoot and still be taller. The only member of the Goetia family who was taller than him being a Sin, who in his smallest form had only about an inch on him. On Asmodeus it was sexy and attractive, on Stolas he was just a lanky bird with a twig ass. 

Because of this, Stolas still found it very hard to accept his boyfriend’s comments and compliments. Perhaps if Blitzø saw other Goetia royalty he would understand that Stolas really wasn’t anything all that special.

It probably didn’t help his case with the Sin of Lust that Stella constantly and openly talked about how bad he was in bed. In actuality, that was simply not true. Being with Blitzø and exploring his sexuality had done wonders for his confidence, and he certainly didn’t have trouble turning the Imp on and pleasing him. By Goetia standards, he was in no means vanilla in bed either. He was sure Asmodeus took notice of the many things the two of them bought, especially where Fizz and Varosika were often the ones accompanying them when they made the purchases. That had to be where his newfound respect for the Owl stemmed from.  

Stolas was pulled from his thoughts bwhen a hand grabbed his own gently, “Stolas?” Blitzø asked as he stared up at him with concern. The warmth in his yellow and red eyes drew him from his thoughts and grounded him.

“I’m sorry, love, I was in my own head a bit. What were you saying?” The Goetic demon asked.

The look in his eyes told Stolas clear as day ‘We’ll talk about it later.’ to give him the privacy to speak without the pressure of Loona being present. Blitzø gently guided him to sit on the pillow in front of the couch, “I was telling you to sit.” He said as he hopped up on the couch behind him and plopped down. As Stolas settled comfortably between his legs, his boyfriend ran his fingers through the feathers around his scalp, then scruffed up the crest atop his head to get a better feel for what he was working with tonight.

Loona passed him his drink, now adorned with a straw to make drinking it easier while Blitzø did his head feathers, “Thank you, Loona.” He responded as he took a sip. His feathers fluffed up pleasantly as the flavor of fruity red wine and brandy hit his taste buds.

Loona just responded with a noncommittal grunt from where she sat on the other end of the couch. She leaned forward just a bit to grab the remote and her own glass before she turned on the TV and opened the Voxflix app to use the account Vassago had been courteous enough to share with them. She quickly selected the Buckzo profile and searched for the show they planned on watching, “Ready?” She asked.

The two men just nodded before Blitzø faced Stolas’ head forward so he could get to work. The preening oil he used tonight was pleasant smelling, a soft mix of vanilla and umber which he knew Blitzø liked, possibly just as much as Stolas enjoyed the scent of bergamot on his boyfriend. To further punctuate this thought, he felt Blitzø bury his face in his feathers on the crown of his head and deeply inhale.

“Ugg can you be weird later when I’m not in the living room?” Loona complained half halfheartedly.

“Oh, I’ll be weird later too, don't you worry a hair on your pretty little head Loonie.” Blitzø reassured her in a matter of fact tone, “Not my fault this shit smells good.” To emphasize his point, he sprayed a little of the oil in her general direction, which earned him a grumbled complaint from his daughter as she started the show.

As they finished the first episode and jumped into the next, they were already very invested in the show. Blitzø skillfully tended to Stolas’ feathers, pausing momentarily to watch a scene play out, or to sip his own drink before returning to his work. He carefully reconnected and oiled the barbules of each feather, and arranged them in a more natural and comfortable way. He was nothing if not very meticulous and methodical, taking his time as he cared for the Goetic demon’s feathers. 

He was about halfway done when Stolas’ phone began to ring from the kitchen, causing his boyfriend to jump slightly at the familiar sound of the tone specific to his daughter.

“I’ll get it for you.” Loona offered as she set her glass down and stood up.

“Thank you Loona dear.” Stolas replied in a happy tone. Blitzø remained tense above his head, his hands stilled in his actions as if he were trying to not be noticed. 

“It’s a video call.” Loona said from the kitchen before answering it for him as she made her way back to the couch, “Hey Via, one sec I’m bringing your dad his phone.” 

“Hi Loona!” He heard the sound of his daughter’s voice come through the speaker on his phone,

“Hello my owlet!” Stolas called over before Loona passed him his phone, “How are you? Is everything alright?”

He noticed she was in the back gardens with her grimoire in her hands and looked at a page in particular, “Hey dad! Yeah things are alright. Sorry I just needed to get your help with something and it was just easier to do a quick call—“ 

Blitzø suddenly set down the preening supplies and scrambled over the back of the couch, but lost his footing on the blanket resting over it and managed to faceplant on the ground behind them. The room went silent, and Stolas felt a creeping worry at his boyfriend’s complete lack of comment for a moment. It was quickly dissuaded as he heard the Imp groan as he peeled himself off the floor and poked his head back up just out of view of the screen and rubbed his face.

“Blitzø, are you alright my love?” Stolas asked as he watched his boyfriend rub his hand over his face and grumble. Loona looked at her father with a completely disbelieving expression, somewhere between secondhand embarrassment and irritation.

“Yeah, sorry I just remembered,” he responded as he stood and began to make an escape to the kitchen, “Dinner is definitely cooled down enough to eat—“ 

Loona quickly and easily snatched him up as he tried to scrabble past her, carried him back to the couch and unceremoniously dumped him back in his seat, “I’ll get us bowls, you stay there.” She huffed and walked back into the kitchen. Stolas was pretty sure he heard her mumble something about her dad being a moron as well.

Stolas turned his head all the way around to face Blitzø and give him a confused look. His boyfriend only flushed and looked in any direction that wasn’t him or his phone and mumbled, “Sorry.” 

“You needn’t apologize.” Stolas responded as he examined his boyfriend’s face for any damage and tutted when he noticed the small drop of blood begin to bud up at the entrance of his right nostril, “Dear, you are bleeding—Loona could you pass the—.” He began to call before catching the roll of paper towels she threw to him, “—Thank you dear!” 

Blitzø tore off a piece of the paper towel offered and twisted it enough to plug his nose, “Thank you.” Blitzø mumbled before grabbing the purple towel and setting it over his lap again, then made a twirling gesture with his hand to tell Stolas to face forward again. 

The Goetic demon gave him one last concerned look before turning back to look at his phone again, “What is it you needed help with?” He put on a smile for his daughter as he gave her his full attention.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt—“ she began before Stolas waved his free hand to stop her.

“No Via, you needn’t apologize either. What can I help you with? I’m more than happy to assist.” 

She seemed to hesitate for a moment to stare at the screen, then she raised the book to show him the page she was currently on, “I was just having a bit of trouble understanding what these symbols mean?” She asked as she pointed to a line of text that was written in a language long forgotten, which was a testament to just how old some of these spells truly were. 

“Ah, yes I see.” Stolas squinted at the screen to read the lines, “Normal portaling is less taxing on the body since they are normally significantly smaller openings, these extra sigils allow for you to focus on creating a large enough tear through time and space to give a much larger window to the human world so others may view the Harvest Moon.” He began to explain, “This spell in particular is to be used the night of the Harvest Moon, as the specific sigils here harness power of the astral phenomena so that you may maintain it for larger periods of time and not strain yourself in the process. It is for an important yearly festival down in Wrath right before their big harvest season. You may be struggling with this for the sole reason that you need at least the power of a full moon to even open it. Tonight is the first quarter.”

“Ahh, ok I guess that makes sense.” She sounded a bit disappointed, “I should probably try and focus on portaling in general then.”

“That is always an important aspect to it. You have a bit of time between now and the next full moon, so fundamentals are an excellent place to start!” He encouraged her, “I am a little curious…” he said after a bit of a pause, “Since I am no longer able to perform at the festival, would that mean it falls upon Andrealphus since he is the current head of house until December?” 

Octavia scoffed, “Do you really believe Uncle would actually perform at some silly Imp centered festival?” She asked as she flipped through the pages to locate the portaling spell. Behind him he felt Blitzø tense up so Stolas tilted his head up ever so slightly to look at him with his upper set of eyes, “Not that it’s actually silly, I know it’s actually important and all.” She added in quickly after she realized the potential blunder on her part, “That’s just the way he sees it. And the grimoire is now mine, so that falls on me to fulfill.”

“I’m sorry Via…” Stolas responded knowing full well that it wasn’t a particularly easy task for her to do, “I wish there was some way I could alleviate that burden for you…” 

She didn’t respond for a moment as she read through the page before looking back up at the phone, “No, it’s ok dad.” She began, “I’d have to learn to do these things eventually. And besides, you were doing these spells by thirteen right? You got the grimoire that year, so by that standard I’m almost five years behind.” 

“Via I was forced into that responsibility at thirteen.” Stolas corrected, “The minute Paimon had someone to pawn off the festival to he did. I did not want that level of stress on your plate.”

“But the thing is, dad, you still could do it by then.” She grumbled, more irritated with herself and her perceived failings, “Uncle has made remarks about you failing to properly teach me, and in actuality I’m just…”

“Just what, sweetheart?” Stolas asked, not liking where this was headed.

“I’m dumb. I can’t read this for shit, and you had it down not even a year after receiving this stupid book—“

“Via please do not compare yourself to me.” Stolas cut her off, chosing to ignore the cussing for the time being, “We are not the same, and just because you are struggling to grasp complex spells does not mean you are unintelligent.” He urged, “And pardon my language, but Andrealphus is a hypocritical sack of shit. He struggled to perform basic spells until he was in his twenties, Vassago can tell you all about it if you asked. So if we want to compare ourselves to others, let him lead by example.” That got a chuckle from both Via and Blitzø, “Plus, Via you’re dyslexic. You aren’t dumb for taking a longer time to understand spells—especially ones written in a language that has been dead for over a millennium. I also had the advantage of being hyperlexic, so learning and reading came significantly easier for me at a young age. Everyone’s brain is different.” 

Octavia grabbed her phone and did something that took a minute or two, so Stolas took that moment to take a long sip of his sangria before she finally asked, “Oh, so does that mean you’re autistic?” 

Whatever was in Stolas’ mouth was quickly expelled in a rather impressive spit take and he started to cough and wheeze. Blitzø actually belted out a laugh, as did Loona from where she was in the kitchen preparing the three of them bowls. His boyfriend gave him a few good pats on the back and passed him the paper towels, “Here you go Mr. Hoots.” He joked.

Once Stolas wiped his face and cleaned up the sangria he’d expelled across the living room he turned to Blitzø, “Oh enough of that, I do not snore.” He chastised lightly, as the nickname was fairly recent thanks to a debate they’d gotten into over his apparent snoring issue.

Of which he did not have.

“Yeah and I’m eight feet tall.” Blitzø joked.

Then he turned back to the phone to see his daughter burying her face in her hands trying to suppress laughter at her father's expense, “And not everyone who is hyperlexic has autism, Via. Not that that is a bad thing, but no I am not autistic.”

“Until plant husbandry gets brought up.” Loona stated as she carried the three bowls over, one in each hand and the other balanced on her forearm, “Or you have to use a bigger spoon.”

“Or your anxiety spikes because your pants are suddenly too much pressure on your tail feathers.” Blitzø continued, “Or at the idea of wearing shoes.” Blitzø set aside the preening supplies and took the bowl being passed to him, “Thank you Loonie.” He said before continuing, “Or how you start hooting and clapping your hands when you’re really excited.” 

“But I am not…” Stolas frowned and grabbed a bowl passed to him by Loona as she walked around the coffee table to get back to her spot, “I'm not…” he said again. He propped his phone up against the paper towel roll on the coffee table and went to take a bite from his dinner, then froze half way to his mouth when he saw the big spoon he was presented with and frowned. 

Blitzø stuck his smaller spoon from his own bowl in Stolas’ and took the larger one from his hands, “Here you go.” He said before eating the bite that Stolas had scooped up. 

“Am I?” He asked quietly as his mind went through every possibility, “There is a difference between having a preference for certain things and simply being autistic. And everyone has a hobby, why is a love for plant husbandry suddenly evidence of being autistic?”

“Stolas,” Blitzø started as he set his bowl aside, rested his chin on his boyfriend’s head and draped his arms over his shoulder, “You know the name of pretty much every plant, even down to their Latin name. You rearrange plant displays in every nursery we’ve ever gone to because you worried that they might not thrive in the presence of ones they were with, and you could talk for hours about carnivorous plants without running out of new facts to share. There’s nothing wrong with being a little autistic, babe.” He finished before pressing a kiss to the top of his head, “It’s very cute when you go on your little tangents.” 

“Well, what about you and your horses?” Stolas shot back, staring at his boyfriend with his top set of eyes and gesturing to the living space brimming with horse memorabelia.

Blitzø shrugged his shoulders, “My mom loved them.” He said casually, “And besides, horses are cool as shit and you know it.” He added before sitting back up and grabbing his dinner again. 

“It’s a spectrum.” Loona said between bites of her food. Blitzø only snorted and went back to his own bowl.

“Anyways!“ Stolas changed the subject, “Is there anything else I can assist you with, my owlet?”  He asked her.

“No, that was it I think.” Octavia replied as she bookmarked the page in the book and shut it, “I can focus more on this later after dinner.”

“Via what are you doing this Friday?” Loona asked as she leaned over to be in view of the camera, “If you’re free, we have dinner here planned.”

The young Goetic demon perked up, “Aside from school, I believe I’m free. I’d just need to come up with an excuse for mother, but I think she’s going to a party with Uncle Andy so I don’t think she would notice.”

Stolas smiled brightly, “Oh if it would not be too much trouble for you, we would love to have you over!” He tilted his head to make eye contact with Blitzø, patiently waiting for a response from him.

Blitzø swallowed what was in his mouth before responding, “Yeah, it could be nice.” 

“Your uncles Vassago and Felix shall be there as well as the others from I.M.P. The apartment will be a bit snug, but we have certainly had far more over all at once.” Stolas was giddy, “I am sorry I did not extend an invite to you myself, I simply did not want you to get in trouble my owlet.”

Octavia’s smile was tight, “Yeah it’s fine I get it.” She sounded vaguely annoyed, “Recently mother has been a bit…” she peered over her shoulder over to the palace, “Much. I think she may suspect something’s up, or at least Uncle does. Hope you don’t mind, your name is Randy in my phone.”

“Randy?” Stolas asked, “Oh, well I suppose Dad would raise suspicion.” He sounded a bit disappointed, though not for the sake of being dubbed Randy , more so for the fact his daughter had to go to such lengths to avoid being punished for simply talking with him.

“After we talked at the coffee shop, mother has been checking my phone from time to time. I don’t know, it’s never been a problem before we started talking again. I’m not sure why she’s suddenly so suspicious of everything I do.” She sounded frustrated.

Stolas looked up at Blitzø, who seemed to have the same thought in mind as he did, “Perhaps going out in public together might not be too…” the Goetic demon began before he trailed off.

“Yeah, maybe being more discrete is better.” Blitzø agreed with what was left unsaid, “Still feels like we’re being watched every time we leave the apartment, I wouldn’t be surprised if she has someone keeping tabs on us.” His boyfriend sounded troubled by this revelation. 

Stolas suddenly didn’t have much of an appetite, “Right…” 

“I’m sorry…” Octavia said quietly on her end.

All three adults turned to Stolas’ phone and gave her a funny look, “The fuck are you sorry for?” Loona asked at the same time Blitzø asked, “Why?” And Stolas asked, “Whatever for?”

“I don’t know. Maybe because she’s keeping tabs on you now and it’s my fault?” His daughter responded self consciously.

“Dear, she has probably been keeping tabs on me since the trial.” Stolas replied, “If anything, it should be me apologizing to you for not thinking of it in the first place. It puts you in a bad spot.”

“If anything, this whole thing is just confirmation that we’re being watched by her. All information is good information.” Loona added.

“We can use it to our advantage, but still I feel stupid for not picking up on any of that.” Blitzø mumbled, a bit of irritation seeping into his words as he set his bowl aside to distract himself and tend to his boyfriend’s feathers. 

“Blitzø, you aren’t stupid.” Stolas frowned at him, his feathers puffed up in defiance, much to Blitzø’s mild annoyance as he tutted over them, “ I also didn’t think of it. Does that make me stupid?” 

“No, but our upbringings are totally different.” He mumbled again, “I should have picked up on something.”

“Dumbass,” Loona snapped at him, “The fuck are you supposed to do? The two of you have been plastered all over gossip magazines and shit for weeks. How are you supposed to know the difference between a crazed fan and a spy?”

“That is… Actually a bit more unsettling…” Stolas looked over to Loona and noticed a similar unease settle over her as well. 

“Well, I shall speak with Vassago about this as soon as possible. He is currently putting together…” Stolas began to speak before he faltered. He hadn’t mentioned anything about a potential case being built against her mother and uncle to Octavia yet. If things were as he feared, Stella and Andrealphus knew Via was talking with him again. With her on the palace grounds, they could very easily gather any information he gave to her and use it to their own advantage, “Well, never you mind that.” Stolas settled.

Octavia gave him a blank look, “Oh?”

“I can go into it more later, Via.” Stolas amended, “I promise, it is just rather sensitive information, what with you being within the palace grounds at present.”

Her look softened, “Ah, right.” She relaxed, then jolted and looked past the phone camera at something. A discomfort grew in his stomach as he heard the far off voice of Stella calling out to their daughter, “Shit, that’s mum. I’m sorry I have to go. I’ll talk to you later, love you.” She said hastily before ending the call.

Everyone in the room sat in silence, the cozy atmosphere they had moments prior dissipated into a deafening silence. They were being watched, and not only by sleazy bloggers and magazine writers. Even Blitzø’s movements in working through Stolas’ head feathers had ceased.

“You really think Vassago can help with this?” Blitzø asked, his tone of voice falling into the one he used when discussing plans for hits before they left topside. As the Imp thought, his hand movements picked back up again.

“He may have some input, but mostly it is good for him to know of these things as it may prove useful later down the line. It will do nothing in particular to alleviate any consequences I’m faced with from our last little stint in Satan’s court, but the case Vassago is making would do a lot of good for Via’s autonomy.” Stolas mused as he pulled up his uncle’s contact and sent him a quick message asking if he could talk at his earliest convenience.

“Via’s autonomy?” Loona asked, “She's gonna be 18 at the end of this year, right?”

“This is true, however that does not mean they cannot pull something between now and December 25th.” Stolas frowned as he thought over the possibilities, “Where her current sole custody lies with Stella, I have no say in what her future will be. If they have reason to believe Octavia in any way favors my side over theirs, they may do something extreme to maintain control over the palace, money and power allocated to them by my banishment.” He explained and closed his phone screen after he sent the text, “Their hold on everything is only until Via is a legal adult, and when that time comes, all of that is hers by birthright.”

“What do you mean by something extreme?” Blitzø asked, movements once again completely stilling, “They wouldn’t send an assassin would they?”

“I would hardly think so.” Stolas reassured, although the fear was one that crossed his mind already, “When the hit with Striker was called off, it was because everything that I own would be Via’s in the event of my untimely death. If she too passed, only then would things go to Stella. Meaning at the very least we do not have to worry about Octavia’s life, since Stella showed at the very least a reluctance to take her out of the picture along with me. But…” 

“But there are other ways to prevent her from inheriting what’s rightfully hers?” Loona asked.

“Yes.” Stolas sighed, “Stella may be many things, but at the very least she is not the kind of person to call a hit on our daughter. What concerns me is the other possibilities. The biggest being the potential for her to force Octavia into an arranged marriage. She would simply need to find someone with a status of Prince or higher to annul her rights to my crown. The bitch of it is, Goetian royalty tends to favor male superiority, so her status will essentially be a title and nothing more if that is to happen. Via would live with the hypothetical spouse and the estate will likely fall to Andrealphus given the verdict of the trial.”

Blitzø let out a low growl and his tail lashed back and forth, “So what’s the case Vassago is making exactly?” Blitzø asked, “Because I still don’t fucking understand that shit and how it will help Via.” 

“He is going to be advocating for my rights as a parent. He believes he will be able to at the very least get court approval for joint custody, and if that is the case Stella and Andrealphus cannot dictate what happens with Octavia without my consent as well.” Stolas leaned back and rested his head in his boyfriend’s lap, “That is the goal at any rate. Although what he is really aiming for is stripping Stella of her rights as a parent in the process. The evidence of her instability starts with the documentation of her deal with Striker. If she is mentally capable of doing something like that to the father of her child, then her ability to provide a safe and stable home life will come into question. It is only a start, but Vassago is confident that he can steer the case in our favor. He is not one to take on cases he believes he will lose, and I trust his judgement since he has been doing his job for the better part of 300 years.”

“Ok but I think we’re overlooking something big here.” Loona added in, “If you do get partial or full custody, then a target gets put on your head again.”

Blitzø wrapped his arms around Stolas’ head and hugged it to his chest. He didn’t add anything into the conversation, but Stolas could tell from the look in his boyfriend’s eyes that he was deep in thought. 

“I… yes that is a very real possibility. I have a lot to discuss with Vassago regarding that. We originally planned for a case to be made after Octavia turns 18 so she could avoid being on the other end of Stella’s rage, but the risks at present are significantly worse.” Stolas absently rubbed the mostly healed bald stop on his arm from when he plucked, memories of how his ex-wife would grab and yank out fistfuls of his feathers when she was especially enraged with him, “So much negativity came from my arranged marriage, and I never wish for Via to experience even a fraction of it. I suspect that she may be on the asexual spectrum, and though that does not mean she is incapable of forming romantic relationships, an arranged marriage would put her in a situation where that choice is taken from her.” Like it was taken from me, “Especially if she is forced to produce a precautionary heir for whoever she is betrothed to. There is nothing I wouldn't do to protect her from that.”

Blitzø began to purr lightly, the soft rumble emanating from his chest lulled Stolas into a comforting sense of security. Even without words, his boyfriend knew exactly what to do to calm his racing thoughts. The Goetic demon reached up and brushed his knuckles lightly against his cheek and smiled contently as his boyfriend leaned into it. Gently, he tilted Blitzø’s chin downward and connected their lips. The action seemed to break the Imp from his thoughts and he let out a surprise little chirp.

“Uhggg you guys are so gross.” Loona complained as she stood up and walked to her bedroom, “I’m gonna go to Bee’s for a bit. I wanna talk with her about some things, is it cool if I borrow the crystal?” She asked as she stopped at her bedroom door, “I’ll be back later tonight so it shouldn’t be an issue for work tomorrow.”

Blitzø raised his head and looked over to his daughter, “Sure thing Loonie. Glove is on the key table.” 

“Thanks dad.” She responded as she opened the door and entered her room to grab whatever she needed for the night.

Blitzø’s fingers gently scratched between the feathers at the base of Stolas’ skull, and in turn got a content coo from the Avian demon, “When Loonie leaves, can we talk?” He asked quietly. His tone was both nervous but serious.

“Of course.” Stolas responded, then coaxed his face downward and nuzzled the bridge of his beak between the Imp’s eyes and cooed again.

It didn’t take long for Loona to collect her things and nab the crystal, “I’ll be back later.” She called over her shoulder as she stepped through the portal and closed it behind her.

“What do you want to talk about, my love?”

Blitzø was silent for a moment and shifted his eyes away from his boyfriend, “It’s a few things actually.” He responded, “But first I want to talk about the case Vassago is putting together. I want to make sure I understand what’s happening and what I need to be doing here.”

Stolas slid up on the couch to sit next to his boyfriend, then leaned his side against the back of it so he could face Blitzø and tucked one knee beneath himself, “Is there anything about it in particular? Or would you like to go over the whole thing?”

“It’s mostly about the custody part.” Blitzø replied as he mirrored his boyfriend’s posture, “I know about the shit involving the falsified evidence and getting some kind of repercussions against tweedle-dee and tweedle-dipshit, but I don’t know dick about the other stuff.”

“Well, as I mentioned before, we are going to try and fight for at least partial custody of Octavia.” Stolas began before Blitzø dismissively waved a hand.

“No, no. I get that part. What I’m concerned about is the part where a target gets put on your head so that harpie gets sole custody again.” The Imp had a tight frown on his face, “And what would happen if you got full custody? If something happened to you between then and Via’s birthday, what would happen to her?” 

“There is a potential for full custody of Via, and that is ultimately the goal so the chance of turning me into a target is minimized, but Stella could still technically fight for partial custody after the fact since legally Via would have a single parent. Or there is the chance of Andrealphus fighting for custody, as he is Via’s Hellparent.” Stolas responded ruefully, “But our hope is that the case will drag out long enough to make it to her birthday with sole custody being in my name. Once that hits, Stella and Andrealphus no longer have an incentive to continue fighting it. Custody means nothing to them if Via is a legal adult and has inherited the estate already.”

Blitzø nodded slowly, his expression still focused and calculating, “So in the hypothetical chance you get full custody,”

“It is rather low right now, but yes it is a possibility.”

He nodded and continued, “Stella and the snow cunt could have an easy case to fight for partial custody and still win.”

Stolas’ expression was grim, “And if she gets that, the chance of another hit is significantly higher.”

Blitzø fidgeted nervously and looked anywhere but Stolas, “So in that hypothetical situation where you get full custody, would fighting for partial custody be made more difficult if Octavia hypothetically got a second parent?”

Stolas’ heart skipped a beat as he picked up what his boyfriend was insinuating, “We would need to discuss it with Vassago, he would know better than me. But I believe it would make things harder for her at the very least.” Stolas reached over and held Blitzø’s hand, “But are you sure about taking on that role?”

The Imp’s attention snapped over to him, “If it keeps you both safe, then yes.” He responded with absolute certainty, “But in that case, the final decision is up to Octavia.” He sounded a bit more uncertain, “I don’t think she would be too happy about it, but it’s still an option.”

Stolas frowned and tilted his head in mild confusion, “What makes you think she would be unhappy about it?” The Avian demon asked.

His boyfriend gave him a funny look, “Because she fucking hates me?” He replied as if it were the most obvious answer, “For fucks sake, she blames me for the divorce and cut you off originally because of me.”

“Blitzø she does not hate you.” Stolas responded and cupped the Imp’s face with his free hand, “She was upset about everything originally, yes, but she does not hate you.”

“Stols, you can’t be serious.” He frowned, “I’m the reason you got banished and lost custody of her in the first place.”

“Blitzø, I’m the reason I was banished and lost custody of her in the first place.” Stolas corrected quickly, “Don’t take credit for my own stupidity. And once more, Octavia does not hate you. We have talked a lot about what happened, and she has a better understanding of our situation now.”

“Did she actually tell you she doesn’t hate me?” Blitzø asked and arched his brow.

“Well…” Stolas puttered off, “Not directly, no.” He sighed, “But I know she does not hate you Blitzø. If anything, at that time she aimed her hate at you because she needed someone to blame that she was not close with. She needed time to sort through her feelings.” He continued, “And she has.”

Blitzø frown softened and his expression was more uncertain. The silence that formed between them was tense. Then Stolas had a realization, “Is this why you have been so weird around her?” When Blitzø didn’t respond, the growing quiet said everything, “Blitzø, I promise you she does not hate you.”

The silence from Blitzø lasted a beat longer before he finally responded, “Stolas, I’m fucking terrified.” He admitted as he looked back up at his boyfriend with genuine worry in his eyes, “I’m used to dealing with teenagers aiming their anger and hate at me, I know how to handle that. But if I fuck this up—“ he gestured vaguely outward with his hand, “I’m not the only one dealing with the fallout. I was the reason she cut you off in the first place, I don’t want to be that reason again.” His voice was shaky, “You only recently started talking with her after months of radio silence, tension is still there, and if she cuts you off again, the chances of getting custody of her is damn near impossible. If that happens, bad shit might happen to Via as a result, and it will be my fault.” 

His boyfriend’s words hung heavy as silence fell between them again. The look in Blitzø’s eyes was not too dissimilar to the one he had on Barbie’s birthday, “Blitzø…” he said quietly, “You cannot be at fault for something that has not happened.” Stolas lifted a hand to gently hold the side of his boyfriend’s face as he spoke. 

“Yet…” The Imp said dejectedly as he leaned into the touch and wrapped his tail around himself.

Stolas frowned at that, “If this puts your mind at ease, even if only a little bit, I would like to disclose something to you. It is not necessarily bad information, just something personal I talked through with Octavia the night we first started speaking again.” Stolas responded and gently rubbed the pad of his thumb along Blitzø’s cheek.

“I… yeah sure.” He sighed.

“When you left for the bathroom and Loona stepped out, I talked with her about her feelings on the fact I was with you. Although she said it was weird, it was for the sole reason that what we have is so different to what Stella and I did. She is happy for us, Blitzø.” He explained as he leaned in and pressed their foreheads together, “If there is anything to glean from that, Via doesn’t hate you because she sees how happy you make me. She sees how much you care, the fact you carry an epi pen whenever we’re out, and the fact you saved me from two assassination attempts called in by her mother.” When Blitzed still didn’t seem convinced, Stolas pressed on, “Even tonight, she saw how careful you were about preening my feathers. For Avian demons, that’s such a significant thing to do for someone you love, and she’s certainly never seen her mother do that with me. It’s bonding, it’s trust, it’s affection.” He pressed a kiss to the tattoo on his forehead, which seemed to get him out of his own head for a moment, “I think dinner on Friday will do you both good. I am absolutely certain she will love you if you act like your charming self.” Stolas smiled.

Blitzø scoffed but smiled back, “I don’t think acting like myself will do what you think it will.” He replied in a sarcastic manner, “But… Maybe you’re right about dinner. I’ll try harder to be less weird about it.” He ended on a more sincere note.

Stolas smiled and kissed Blitzø on the lips briefly, “That is all I could ever ask for, darling.” He responded before sitting back upright in a more serious manner, “But really.” Stolas backtracked, “You would be willing to adopt Via if it came down to it?” He asked nervously, “Because that is a very big commitment, even hypothetically.” 

“I adopted Loona at 17. I know what the commitment I’d be making is.” Blitzø confirmed with a nod. 

“Blitzø, it is not just a commitment to Via.” Stolas said as he blushed, “Do you know what I’m getting at?”

Blitzø swallowed thickly and nodded, “Yeah, I know.” His voice was soft but resolute, “Hypothetically if it came down to it, I know what I’m agreeing to.” He said as he looked back up to Stolas with determination, “I’d do anything to keep you both safe.” 

Stolas felt his heart skip a beat at the statement. He directed Blitzø’s face towards him and kissed him, fuck it he had to after that. The Imp leaned in and kissed him back happily, even smiling against his beak. When Stolas pulled away he mumbled against his lips, “I love you so much, Blitzø.”  

The Imp reconnected their lips again and held the kiss for a beat longer than the last one before he replied, “I love you too, pretty bird.” He mumbled back and rested their foreheads together again. Then after a moment he asked, “Earlier, where did you go?”

Stolas gave him a confused look, “What do you mean? I did not go anywhere?”

“In here.” He tapped his pointer finger to Stolas’ brow, “You were lost in thought before we started watching TV. I know that expression well enough to understand you were upset for more reasons than gay pirate culture.” 

Stolas sighed, suddenly feeling small and insecure over the situation, “It is nothing, really. You needn’t worry about it.” 

“Stols?” He pressed seriously, “I know it’s not nothing.”

The avian demon sighed, “I was just thinking about things.” Stolas looked down to avoid eye contact, “It is nothing new, really. Just some old insecurities.”

“Insecurities about what?” Blitzø tilted his head to make eye contact again, much to the bird’s dismay.

“It is silly, really. Just about how annoying I know I can be when I talk too much.”

Blitzø’s frowned, “Did I or Loona do something to make you feel like we thought you were annoying?” 

“No, no. You are fine I promise.” He reassured, “It is just hard to unlearn some things. It is hard to believe that people actually like listening to me after so many years of being told otherwise. The thought just took me down a bit of a rabbit hole. I am used to being the one to avoid at parties, and I know I am not the most attractive looking Goetia, so my way with words was a bigger deterrent. Evidently, it still gets to me sometimes.” 

“Are you serious right now?” Blitzø asked in total bafflement, “Are you actually shitting me?” He continued, “You’re the most attractive Goetia I’ve ever seen. Who the fuck told you you’re unattractive?” 

“The rest of the Goetia?” Stolas responded like it was a question, because for him the answer was obvious, “Blitzø, I appreciate the sentiment, I do. But factually, as far as Avian demons go, I am considered drab and uninteresting. Back at Ozzie’s, his comments about me cheating was not actually at the expense of you being an Imp. It is because I am so unremarkable that the idea I would cheat at all on Stella was laughable. Stella, however much of an evil witch as she is, is objectively a very physically attractive woman.” He let out a dry laugh, “And I am objectively not.” It was then that Stolas noticed the frown on Blitzø’s face, the stiffness of his jaw, his sharp downturned brows and began to worry, “I am sorry, I did not mean for it to upset you.” 

“Stolas you didn’t upset me.” Blitzø responded, “It’s just, fuck, I’m pissed off, but not with you.”

“Please do not be mad with Asmodeus—“

“I am mad at Ozzie.” Blitzø cut him off, “And I’m mad at myself for thinking the worst of the situation all the time. I made things worse—“

“You are taking credit for something that was not your fault again, dear.” Stolas cut him off, “That night was awful, that we can both agree on. However you have no control over the way others will act. Shit happened, and we moved on. You had no way of knowing the deeper slight behind what was said, you were completely justified in feeling the way that you did.” He continued, “So stop being mad at yourself, and please don’t be mad at Asmodeus.”

“But he insulted you—“

“And?” Stolas responded, “Fizzarolli and Verosika insulted you that night as well, yet there is no ill will between us now.”

“Those two had every reason to be mad with me. The rooster was just being a dick.” Blitzø mumbled.

“Well another name for a rooster is cock.” Stolas lightly joked, which did get him a small laugh from Blitzø despite the seriousness of his face. After another moment of silence, the Avian demon continued, “My love, we did crash his club. And sure what he said was hurtful, but at any rate he has apologized for it. From a Sin and Goetia, it means a lot more than I think you know.” 

His boyfriend sighed, “Ok maybe I can be a little less mad at him. But he’s on thin fucking ice.” He grumbled.

Stolas smiled softly as he let go of Blitzø’s hand and opened his arms in a silent request. The Imp noticed and climbed onto his lap without hesitation, then buried his face into the feathers on the column of his throat and mumbled something.

Stolas wrapped his arms around the Imp in turn and sighed contently, “I am sorry my dear, but I did not catch that.” 

Blitzø lifted his head from resting in his feathers and pulled away to cup Stolas’ face in his hands to make direct eye contact, “You’re insanely fucking hot.” His boyfriend said in all seriousness, “And… shit, that’s the least interesting thing about you, and you’re the most interesting person I know.” He continued, “Stolas, the fact that you can’t see that is a national fucking tragedy. I love your feathers. I think they’re beautiful and shiny and so damn soft it makes silk feel like sandpaper.” He continued as he ran his hands down Stolas’s chest and slipped beneath the fabric of his shirt to bury his fingers between his feathers, “If being sexy was a crime, you’d be on wanted posters across all seven rings.”

That got a chuckle out of the Avian demon, as his face flushed slightly and he averted his gaze, “Ok sweet talker.” He mumbled back and felt flustered.

Blitzø leaned down to kiss and nip at his neck before continuing, “You turn me on and you don’t even need to try. Nobody makes me feel the way you do.” 

“You’re laying it on a bit thick, darling.” Stolas replied sheepishly, knowing full well his boyfriend was just trying to butter him up. 

“Because it’s important to me you know just how sexy you are.” He continued, “Fuck, take this off.” The Imp demanded as he lifted Stolas’ shirt.

The owl did as told and raised his arms to allow for his boyfriend to pull it over his shoulders and cast it aside. Blitzø sat back a bit and let his eyes drink up the view of Stolas’ exposed torso, his tail flicked back and forth behind him in interest, “Satan fucking damn it, Stolas you’re fucking gorgeous. I could stare at you for hours and not get bored.” He said in a breathy tone.

Stolas swallowed thickly and watched him with wide eyes, like a deer in headlights. That certainly did something to him.

Blitzø cupped his face again and pulled him in so he could stare into his eyes, “And fuck, Stolas don’t even get me started on your eyes. Red isn’t even my favorite color, but every time I see them it has me changing my mind. I could get lost in them for hours and still feel like I haven’t looked long enough. And four of them? I get to appreciate how sexy they are four times? Stolas that shit ain’t fair.” He leaned in and kissed him on the lips for a long moment before pulling away again, “And this pretty beak of yours, the sound of your voice, your cute as fuck smile? I love listening to you talk about shit. I don’t care what it is you’re talking about, you can make anything sound interesting, and you just know so many things about so much shit. Stols, I take notes on my phone. I literally take notes, and you know writing and me don’t exactly go hand in hand. Biologically I’m practically built to suck at it, dysgraphia, dyslexia, all of it. But I want to remember the things you say, so I try.” Stolas could feel his eyes begin to water as strong emotions swelled in his chest, “You make me want to be a better person. I feel like the luckiest demon in all of Hell, because I get to wake up with you every fuckin day. The fact that I even pulled you in the first place is still a mystery to me.” 

“Hey, don’t sell yourself short.” Stolas tsked as he used his hand to wipe away the tears before they could run down his face.

“Babe, I am short.” Blitzø replied, “Well, at least compared to you. As far as Imps go I’m pretty tall.” He joked.

“You know what I meant.” Stolas chuckled as he blinked back the rest of the tears threatening to spill from his eyes.

“Hey, I know I’m sexy.” Blitzø grinned, “The point is, you’re sexy too. We’re sexy together. So sexy that we have a fucking fan club.”

“Started off as your fan club.” Stolas reminded him.

“A fanclub started by a bitch I killed topside, and it was weird to begin with.” Blitzø waved a hand dismissively, “But that turned into our fan club—which is weird that it exists but still! That’s just how hot you are.” Blitzø insisted as he let his hands roam over his boyfriend’s exposed body again, “I don’t give a damn what a bunch of pompous, rich Goetian assholes think about you. Objectively they can go fuck themselves because their shitty rich kid schools fucking failed them, or they need to get their fucking eyes checked.” He leaned in and connected their lips again and pressed his body flush against Stolas’. Stolas would be a moron if he didn’t notice the way his boyfriend’s growing erection pressed against his stomach, and he smiled into the kiss. He may not be sexy to the rest of the Goetia family, but at least he was to the one person whose opinion mattered most to him. 

‼️

Stolas allowed for his hands to roam over the Imps body. They traveled under his shirt, and explored every dip and curve of muscle and bone beneath red and white skin—every part of him that his long fingers could feel. The Imp shivered beneath his touch right before Blitzø pulled away from the kiss, enough to quickly strip his own shirt off before diving back in. Stolas was like putty in Blitzø’s hands, his feathers ruffled and his body molded into his boyfriend’s touch. It wasn’t difficult in the slightest for the Imp to coax his mouth open and slip his tongue past his beak. The taste of sangria and fruit was still fresh on his lips. Intoxicating. Blitzø’s mouth was absolutely intoxicating.

His boyfriend’s heavy petting traveled further and further down Stolas’ body and eventually dipped past his waistband and toyed with the soft feathers around his cloaca. 

Blitzø broke the kiss and chuckled, “Already wet for me, pretty bird?” He mumbled before he trailed a few kisses down the column of his throat. 

“Well what did you expect after all of that?” Stolas asked as he desperately arched his hips against his boyfriend’s hand. To his dismay, Blitzø pulled away just enough to deprive him of the contact, “Blitzy, please…” his voice was dripping with desperation as his body ached for the contact he’d denied himself of earlier in the kitchen, his burning desire coming back full force, “I need you.” 

“And you’ll have me.” The Imp reassured in a teasing tone, “But first I need you to do something for me.” 

“What is it? Anything for you, Blitzy, please.” Stolas replied in a borderline pitiful manner.

“Tell me you’re a pretty bird.” The Imp responded as he pulled away enough to make eye contact with the Avian demon, who now looked down at him owlishly. 

“What—why?” He stammered as he squeezed his legs together and shifted his hips in an attempt to get the stimulation against his cloaca he craved. 

“I believe your therapist said something about words of affirmation?” Blitzø responded as he dipped his hand down again to tease at the under tail covert feathers around his sensitive opening again, “You want me, you gotta say it.”

“I’m a pretty bird.” Stolas said quickly. It didn’t matter if he didn’t mean or believe it, or that it wasn’t said with much conviction.

“Good boy.” Blitzø replied with a smile and finally dipped a finger inside his sensitive and wet entrance. He then began to move in and out slowly, “Who’s a pretty bird?” He asked.

“Haah—Blitzø please.” Stolas gasped out as he tried once more to arch his hips into the motion, but was only met with Blitzø’s free hand going down to firmly hold it in place.

“Who’s a pretty bird?” He asked again, “If you want more, you gotta be a good boy and say it.” 

“This is silly.” Stolas protested but gave in, “I’m a pretty bird.”

Blitzø added in a second finger and picked up the pace only slightly, which earned him a low and desperate whine, “Such a good boy.” He praised the Avian demon. His fingers slowly stroked his inner walls, then pulled out enough to tease at the outer ring of muscle before they dipped back inside in one fluid motion, “Who’s a pretty bird?” He asked again.

This time Stolas replied without complaint, “I’m a pretty bird.” He gasped out, knowing full well at this point that those four words would get him exactly what he wanted. 

“Such a good boy.” Blitzø all but purred out as he added a third finger and reached far enough inside that they brushed up against a pleasant little bundle of nerves that caused Stolas to moan loudly and gasp. 

He clenched around the three fingers and his tail feathers began to twitch erratically, “I need to feel your cock inside me, Blitzy please—“ he gasped as his fingers brushed against it again, “How many times do I have to say that I’m pretty to get you balls deep inside of me?” He asked with desperation dripping from his voice, “Please whatever you want.”

His boyfriend chuckled and momentarily stopped his movements, “I will be soon, don’t you worry a feather on your pretty little head, Stols.” He smiled sweetly, “Now, say it again.”

“I’m a pretty bird.” He gasped out in a boarderline offended manner since his boyfriend stopped moving his fingers, “I’m a pretty fucking bird—is that what you wish to hear?” Stolas asked, “The prettiest bird this side of Imp city, I’m a pretty bird Blitzø, so please stop with the teasing and fuck me already.” His tone was pleading with an undercurrent of depravity as he begged. 

“That’s such a good, pretty bird I have.” Blitzø praised again as he leaned in and began to nip at the base of Stolas’ throat, “So fucking sexy.” He continued and steadily pumped his fingers in and out of his cloaca again, “So pretty when you beg.” The Imp pulled his fingers out and teased the ring of muscle around his entrance again, then dipped them back inside in one fluid motion, “Who’s a pretty bird?” 

“Me, I’m a pretty bird.” He repeated. The fingers picked up pace, taking a moment to brush against the nerves inside him again and tease the outer rim on his cloaca.  

Then he stilled his movements again, “Who’s a pretty bird?”

“Blitzy for fucks sake.” He gasped and struggled against Blitzø’s hold as he tried to rut his hips against the palm of the Imp’s hand. When that was in vain, Stolas went to grab and guide his boyfriend’s hand back down, only to be quickly stopped.

“Nope.” Blitzø said as he took his hand from Stolas’ pants and let his hip go so he could grip him by both wrists, “Do I gotta tie your hands to get you to behave?” He asked.

“If it gets you inside me faster.” Stolas pouted as he let his boyfriend restrain his hands. In an attempt for any stimulation, he squeezed his thighs together and squirmed, “What’s your angle here Buckzo?” He asked and squinted all four eyes at the Imp.

Blitzø laughed and let his wrists go, “We have plenty of time, why the rush?” He asked before hopping off the couch to retrieve something from their shared dresser.

“I know we have the time,” Stolas huffed, “But I’ve been anticipating that cock since you fucked my face in the kitchen.”

“Then be a good little birdie and strip for me.” He called over his shoulder as he dug through a drawer and retrieved a long, red silken wrist restraint.

Stolas didn’t need to be told twice before he quickly took off his pants and underwear and discarded the clothes on the floor with his shirt. While he waited for Blitzø to return, he spread his legs and leaned back against the couch to present himself for the Imp. He knew better than to touch himself, though the temptation was strong. Blitzø would only draw things out for longer and deny him what he needed.

When Blitzø walked back over, his eyes drank up every square inch of the exposed bird hungrily, “Fuck, you’re so hot.” He said in a breathless tone, “Give me your wrists.” He requested and held out his free hand.

The Goetic demon’s face flushed and he did as told. The Imp was careful as he bound his wrists with the cloth, making sure to not make it too tight that it cut off circulation, but not too loose that he could free himself. Blitzø then turned him so he was laying back on the couch, then stripped himself down the rest of the way and climbed between Stolas’ legs. With a hand on both knees, the Imp spread his legs further apart and asked, “Who’s a pretty bird?” 

“Blitzy, this is silly.” He responded in a flustered manner, spreading his own legs further apart, “Must we really do this?”

“Come on, pretty bird.” He pressed, allowing for the underside of his erection to brush up against the exposed, sopping wet opening between Stolas’ legs. 

Stolas let out a loud borderline pornographic moan and bucked his hips against his boyfriend’s dick, “I’m a pretty bird.” He gasped, “Please Blitzø—I need you inside me, fill me up! I’m a pretty bird!”

Blitzø chuckled and gripped the binding between Stolas’ wrists and pinned them over the armrest behind him, “Good boy.” He growled out, “Say it again.”

“I’m a pretty bird.” He repeated, then let out a low, needy moan as he felt the tip of the Imp’s dick begin to press inside his cloaca, “Oh, yes please!” He gasped out, “I need every inch of your thick, red cock inside of me!” He began to babble, spilling out a slew of obscene dirty talk, “You feel so good buried deep inside my dripping wet cunt. So fucking good for me!” 

As he slid all the way inside him, Blitzø bit his lower lip and watched Stolas’ with an almost feral hunger in his eyes, “Who’s a pretty bird?” He asked as their hips became flush with one another.

“Me, I am.” Stolas responded and wiggled his hips, his cloaca clenching around the tight girth inside him as it stretched out the hole. 

A shiver went up Blitzø’s spine at the sensation before he began to slowly pull out and thrust his dick inside him, “Fuck, you’re so tight.” He said in a husky tone, “Say it again.”

“I’m a pretty bird.” He repeated eagerly. When Blitzø picked up his pace, still too slow for his own liking but better, Stolas moaned, “Oh Blitzø!” His toes curled and his tail feathers twitched in delight as he felt the tug and pull of his boyfriend's throbbing cock inside of him.

“Again.” Blitzø demanded. 

“I’m a pretty bird!” He said louder, and was happily rewarded with Blitzø picking up pace to something far more preferable, the sound of the Imp’s hips smacking into the wet feathers between his legs and their sharp gasps and moans filled the quiet apartment. 

“Again.” Blitzø demanded once more after a moment. He slowed his movements and waited expectantly for Stolas to comply.

“Blitzy—“ Stolas’ voice came out as a desperate whine, “Please—why must you torture me so?” 

“You want me to move faster,” his boyfriend said as he continued to slowly thrust inside him, “You gotta say it.” From the look on the Imp’s face, Stolas could tell it was taking him great restraint not to lose himself and pound his feathered ass into the couch.

“I’m a pretty bird.” The Goetic demon said, then threw his head back and moaned like a whore when Blitzø picked up pace again, “Oh Blitzø!”

“Again!” 

“I’m a pretty bird!” He shouted back without hesitation, then rutted his hips upward to add into the motion, “I’m a pretty bird!” He gasped, “I’m a pretty bird!” He began to say it over and over again like a mantra, letting the pleasure wash over him with each and every loud, wet smack of their hips as the Imp fucked him.

Blitzø angled his own hips in a way that had the head of his erection hit the sensitive bundle of nerves inside him repeatedly, causing the bird to see stars, “Fuck, you’re so good—“ his boyfriend gasped, “So good for me, so tight!” He praised.

Stolas continued to repeatedly say “I’m a pretty bird!” Between gasps and moans, worried that should he stop, so too would his boyfriend’s movements. He could feel himself get closer and closer to cuming with each and every thrust of Blitzø’s cock inside him. Each and every brush against the sensitive bundle of nerves, the sensation of the tug and pull on the ring of muscle around his entrance, the sound of wet smacking as their hips collided with every sharp thrust—“Blitzy, fuck I’m close—“ he finally broke from calling himself pretty, “I’m so fucking close—don’t stop!” His toes curled so tight he could feel the sharp pin pricks of his talons against the bottoms of his feet. 

“My pretty bird.” Blitzø voice was low and rough as he picked up pace further, “So fucking pretty.” He let go of the wrist restraint and gripped Stolas’ hips tightly, slamming his cock inside him rougher as he neared climax as well, “Sweet fucking Satan you’re fucking gorgeous.” He gasped out.

Stolas let himself be taken fully by his boyfriend and revelled in the growing intensity of heat churning inside his stomach. He felt his heart thudding in his chest, enraptured by the sight of Blitzø towering over him and watching him like he was an ethereal being. Like Stolas himself put the stars in the sky and created the cosmos just for the two of them.

The Goetic demon brought his arms around and used the binding of his wrists to hook them behind Blitzø’s head. He arched his back so he could lean in and crash their lips together. Without a second thought, he slipped his tongue into his boyfriend’s mouth and kissed him like he needed to to live. It wasn’t long after that that Stolas was brought to the height of bliss and ecstasy. He broke the kiss and let out a whorish moan, unintentionally pulling Blitzø’s head forward into the plumage of his chest since the binding around his wrists still had them hooked behind the Imp’s head. The rush of fluid around his boyfriend’s still thrusting cock intensified the wet slapping sound, and soon enough the Imp was spilling over deep inside the bird. 

Blitzø held their hips firmly together as he came with one last, harsh, wet smack of their hips. His tail wrapped firmly around Stolas’ leg like an anchor and he moaned into his chest. 

Stolas’ breathing was ragged and his head felt as though it were stuffed with cotton. He laid there benieth his boyfriend, fucked stupid and speachless as he was lost in nothing but a cloud of intense pleasure. Distantly, he registered Blitzø saying something, his face still firmly held to his chest. The binding around his wrists was released, and his boyfriend pulled away enough to look down and marvel at his handiwork. He looked deeply satisfied with what he saw, then gently guided Stolas’ chin upward and connected their lips in a lazy kiss. It was slow and languid, like they had all the time in the world to enjoy this moment together. 

When they finally stopped kissing, Stolas hooked his legs over his boyfriend’s hips and stopped him from pulling out just yet. He wanted to enjoy the feeling of them being connected so intimately for a little longer, “I love you, Blitzø.” He said and nuzzled their faces together. 

Blitzø hunkered down against his chest contently, “I love you too, my pretty bird.” He responded before he began to purr, “So fucking much.” He added and pressed his face into his feathers and wedged his arms beneath him so he could hold on tight.

Stolas cooed in turn and wrapped his arms around his boyfriend. He absently registered the feeling of cooling liquid around his overly sensitive cloaca and sighed ruefully, “We’re gonna need to clean the couch.” He mumbled, knowing full well the remnants of his own climax was seeping into the couch cushion below his ass.

“A few more minutes.” Blitzø mumbled against his chest and settled down further, his purring intensified.

Stolas smiled down at him with a deep fondness and delicately ran his hand up and down his spine, “Alright, my love.” He murmured softly. He was so deeply in love with this man. So lucky that he would look his way, that he treated him like he was something precious, a treasure worth holding onto and fighting for.

After another long moment, Blitzø pulled away and sat up, then slowly pulled out. He had a hand on each knee and looked down at the mess he turned his bird into. Stolas laid there, undone and feathers puffed out and unorganized. Then his eyes drifted down to the space between his legs. No doubt taking in the sight of his cloaca dripping with his own semen. 

“You’re so fucking hot.” He said airily and swiped his fingers across his sensitive opening to wipe up some of the cum, then brought his hand up to Stolas’ lips. Without question, he took the fingers into his mouth and curled his tongue against the long digits. He lapped up the warm and salty substance, and obediently cleaned his boyfriend’s fingers. After he swallowed, Blitzø opened Stolas’ mouth and pressed his fingers down against his tongue before finally pulling his hand back. A trail of saliva still connected his fingers to his mouth, and Stolas’ tongue lolled out absently. He could still feel remnants of the thick, white substance clinging to his tongue, “So fucking hot.” His boyfriend marveled and wiped his fingers against the feathers of his stomach.

And for just this moment, Stolas could almost believe him when he said it. 

‼️

…

Now that Millie was making zero effort to try and hide the bump, it was very apparent that she was, in fact, almost four months pregnant. It wasn’t enough to immediately clock it, but enough that if you knew about it you could certainly tell. Instead of her normal work clothes she wore for practical and mobility reasons, she now sat comfortably in a burgundy and black short sleeved hoodie, as well as some comfortable black leggings. 

“You got this.” She said in a chipper voice as she sipped her tea, “It’s all in the wrist.” She sat happily atop the reception desk and watched Stolas attempt to line up his shot as she taught him how to throw knives. 

Stolas stood by the front door and focused on the large target board set up on the other end of the room, carefully gripping the knife by the tip of its blade and took a deep breath. It shouldn’t be that hard, Millie made it look so easy, he could do this no problem. He lined up his shot, relaxed his shoulders, and went to throw—but right as he was about to release the blade, a large star shaped portal opened up to his left and startled him into missing the target completely. Unfortunately for him, he’d sent the knife smashing through the window beside it, “Oh lords—“ he panicked as he ran his hands through the feathers on the crown of his head, “I cannot believe I just did that!” His eyes were trained in stunned silence on the fist sized hole in the window and the webbing cracks that surrounded it. 

Millie belted out laughing as Vassago stepped into the office and turned to the shattered window, “I sense that my timing was not great?” His uncle asked before looking over to his nephew.

“Your timin was fine.” Millie chuckled, “Not like we ain’t gotta deal with the others poppin in and out of portals all day.”

“It is insured luckily…” Stolas mumbled before turning his attention back over to his uncle, “I was also not expecting a visit, are things alright?” He asked. Vassago was dressed in his usual work attire, which told Stolas that he’d likely just come over straight from the court office. Meaning he’d also probably cut out the time for him in his busy schedule.

“I sent you a text.” Vassago replied, as he looked back over at the broken window, “You had asked last night to talk. Lo siento (I’m sorry), I thought you got it.” He continued with mild conviction.

“It is no worries Vassago, I appreciate you taking time out of your busy schedule for this.” Stolas ran his hands down his face and sighed, “Please, have a seat, as I need to retrieve the tarp from the closet.” He replied as he shuffled over to the closet door.

“You can’t cover it till we get a picture!” Millie called after him with genuine delight in her voice.

“Right, right. For the insurance claim.” Stolas grumbled as he pulled the tarp and ducktape from the closet and returned to the main room.

“That, and because it’s your first window break!” She responded, “It’s gotta go on the wall.”

Stolas blanched, “The wall? What wall?” 

“The wall of shame.” She smiled sweetly, “It’s in the closet. I’m surprised you didn’t see it.” 

“Is this a common occurrence?” Vassago asked in curiosity as he watched the scene unfold.

“Yeah that window breaks all the time.” Millie replied.

At that, Stolas frowned and doubled back to the closet to see, and sure enough right by the place the tarp goes was a small cork board with multiple pictures pinned to it. There was one with Moxxie looking devastated standing next to the completely shattered window, with what looked like Blitzø’s hand peeking in from the left side and pointing at the sad looking Imp in shame. Then there was one of Millie grinning proudly next to the same window, with the head of an axe embedded within the glass perfectly. Then there was one where Loona was standing with her arms crossed and looking off to the side, either in boredom or masking her simmering annoyance with the situation. Blitzø was surprisingly absent from the collection, which in Stolas’ own opinion was a statistical miracle given the fact he’d witnessed his boyfriend on several occasions break a glass on accident when he gets especially animated about something. Never intentionally, but the wide sweeping motions he makes with his hands could get a bit less spatially aware the more excited he was about a topic.

“There is no way Blitzø isn’t on here.” He called out loud enough for both Millie and Vassago to hear, then poked his head out the door to make eye contact with the Imp, “How am I getting on the board before him?” 

“Beats me.” Millie replied, “There’ve been some close calls, that’s for sure.” She continued as she fished out her phone from her pocket and gestured to the window, of which was beginning to let in a cold draft that had his feathers ruffle up in discomfort, “Now pose for the picture!” She grinned.

Stolas looked to his uncle for even a shred of sympathy, but was met with a far more amused expression as he observed his nephew’s new way of life.

Succumbing to his fate, Stolas sighed more dramatically than necessary and approached the broken window, “Fine, if I must.” 

Millie hopped off the desk and angled her phone camera up at the taller man, “Just gotta get a good angle.” She fretted as she backed up to try and get him in frame with the window, “Maybe I shoulda stayed on the table.” She mumbled to herself.

“Pásamela a mí un poco (Pass it to me). I can get a better angle.” Vassago offered as he set the tarp and tape aside on the couch.

Millie looked up at him a bit skeptical at first, then smiled, “Sure, thanks!” She said in a chipper tone and passed her phone up to him.

Stolas’ pout morphed into a deep frown as he watched his uncle nab the phone and take a picture of him and his mistake, “Oh, and I imagine you’re quite pleased with yourself?” Stolas asked him sarcastically as Vassago passed Millie her phone back.

“Is this a good photo?” He asked her and crouched down a bit to see the picture over the Imp’s shoulder, “Y mucho (And much) .” Vassago grinned up at him and replied. 

Stolas only responded with an annoyed chittering sound as he walked over to see the picture for himself. The look of deep annoyance that set into his face in the picture was undeniable, his scowl and downturned brows made no room for doubt that he was displeased. The absurdity of his angry face would be amusing had it not been for the fact that this was the picture that was going to be printed out and pinned to the wall of shame. 

“It’s perfect.” Millie grinned as she looked up to the shorter male Goetia.

“Do we really need to use that one?” Stolas complained, “I look so…”

“Pissed?” Millie asked, “Sorry hon, it’s stayin. Your…” she looked up at Vassago, “Friend took a great one.”

“Oh yes, how rude of me.” Vassago began as he held out his hand, “My name is Vassago, I am Stolas’ uncle and Hell parent.” The older man introduced himself, “You must be Millie, am I right?” 

Her eyes brightened up, “Oh! I’ve heard plenty about you outside of the trial.” She happily shook his hand, “The boys tell me you’re workin on a case against Stella?”

He only nodded, “Si (yes). We are currently still compiling what we need, it is why I am here today as a matter of fact.” 

Stolas’ momentary anger dissipated, “Ah yes, right.” He straightened his posture, “I have some things which I would like to discuss, but I was hoping Blitzø would be here as well given some of the information pertains to him. He also had a few questions regarding the, uh, custody arrangement with Via we are trying to work out.”

Vassago’s head tilted, “So perhaps my timing really was not the best?” 

“No worries, they should be returning soon enough anyways.” Millie piped up and gestured over to the couch, “So long as you’re good with killin a few minutes, the couch is all yours.” 

“Gracias (Thank you). ” Vassago said as he carfully swept his tail feathers aside and sat down next to the tarp and tape, “I have carved out a solid bit of time since I expected this to be something more in depth, so I don’t mind waiting around a bit.” 

“Would you like some tea?” Millie asked as she walked over to the water cooler, “We don’t got nothin fancy, but it’s somethin at least.” 

“Millie, let me do it.” Stolas tried to stop her, “You really should be resting.”

“Stolas, I’m pregnant, I ain’t dyin.” She responded, “Besides, you gotta tarp that window before the wind blows the paperwork all over the place.” She shooed him away.

The taller Goetia sighed, “That is fair.” He settled as he nabbed the supplies from next to Vassago and approached the broken window. He unfurled the tarp, which really should be replaced at this point with all the damage and patchwork it collected through years of wear and tear. It wasn’t long before he had the tarp securely in place and though the draft was now quelled, the sound of the wind whipping against the tarp created a ruffled noise that ebbed and flowed. It was rather obnoxious, but Stolas could be thankful at the very least for the fact that the work day was almost over. He wouldn’t have to sit in a room with the rustling tarp for long. 

He could also look forward to the fact that their meeting would likely result in them being secluded to the back office, where the sounds would be further muffled by the door. 

Stolas moved to lean up against the front of the reception desk to face Vassago, “Thank you again for making the time to see us today.”

His uncle smiled at him, “I told you, I can make time for family.” It was a sweet sentiment from him, and as he’d saide the day Stolas finally contacted Vassago, his uncle really had been doing his best to be more involved in his life. Stolas truly was grateful for the effort, but part of him felt a twinge of shame since the landmark that caused this sharp change was a result of his own stupidity and declining mental health. Like with Blitzø, he didn’t like the notion of someone suddenly caring because they’re taking responsibility for his problems. It was a set of complex feelings he needed to work through, and he was doing so in therapy, but it didn’t take the edge off the sense of being a burden more than it did to sharpen it. Not yet, anyways.

Millie passed his uncle a paper cup with his drink, “Hope you don’t mind, it’s just plain green tea.”

“Not at all, gracias (thank you) Millie.” He replied and took the cup gratefully, “It is nice to step out of the office and get a break from all the uppity Goetia and sinners who think they know the law better than me. The last meeting I got out of was a pain in the neck, a prince from a different branch of the family looking for legal counsel.” 

That piques Stolas’ interest mildly, “That is one thing I do not miss about my former place in the family. I loved my work, but the social politics that came with it was positively infuriating.” He responded.

“Do you not still deal with annoying customers?” Vassago asked, “I can’t imagine Sinners willing to call hits on those in the living world are a dream to work with.”

“Well, no they are not.” Stolas agreed, “But at least now I can tell them to go fuck themselves without the potential for social suicide or instigating a war within the family.” Stolas pointedly left out the part where his social status in the family was pretty much dead on its feet as it were before everything with the divorce. 

“I imagine that’s quite nice.” Vassago hummed and took a sip of his tea and relaxed back into the couch. 

Millie hopped back up onto the desk and sat next to Stolas, “Pardon me if I’m oversteppin, but I’m curious.” She looked up to Stolas, “What exactly was your job when you were still a prince?”

“It is no bother at all.” Stolas responded, “Outside of attending important festivals across the seven rings, I was tasked with reading the stars and recording prophecies I found in them. That part I quite enjoyed despite how magically taxing they could be at times, especially without the use of the grimoire I was bestowed with. Most of which happened around the full moon, which fortunately for me made things easier since I could draw energy from the celestial body.” He recalled, “The parts of which I did not enjoy was pretty much everything else. If nobility requested counsel with me, it was usually for tarot readings and more personal information regarding their futures. Those were easy enough tasks to carry out, but the readings were hardly ever received well; and a larger portion of those who were dissatisfied with the information I gave them would be angry with me as if it was my fault that things were destined to be what they will.” Stolas’ lips pulled down into a tight frown as he recalled an especially heinous experience with a friend of Stella’s friend, who nearly wrecked his study because he could not change the future, “They never seemed to understand that I cannot change it, and I did not hold influence over the original reading.” Then he laughed, “By Lucifer, if it were up to me I would have simply given them what they wished just to get them out of my face.”

“No shit?” Millie asked and tilted her head, “So who’s doin it now that you’re no longer dealin with that?”

“Well that should all fall to Andrealphus.” Stolas felt a mounting irritation towards his ex-brother-in-law, “Though from what Via has told me, he has not been carrying out his duties.” 

“Which will be good for our case.” Vassago added in, “Unfortunate for Via since that will all be at her expence, however all things considered within the family, she was allotted far more time without responsibilities being pushed off on her. I was 15 when father gave me my purpose, but I was given the ability to ease my way into it as I learned.”

“I have been teaching her spells, so she had the opportunity to learn without pressure being put on her shoulders. I went out of my way for that much, at the very least.” Stolas added in as his feathers fluffed up in irritation, “Father was not nearly as forgiving with me.”

“You were young when you performed at the Harvest Moon Festival.” Millie recalled, “I remember how annoyed my paw was when Paimon snubbed us off like that.” When she noticed the soft frown on Stolas’ face she added in, “Nothin against you because you did your job well, it was the fact you were just a little kid.” 

“I suppose I cannot be mad about it. I can imagine the disappointment your community must have felt when you expected a King and got a Prince who was only but a fledgling.” He sighed, “I was 13 at the time, it was not easy but if I did not do it then father would be cross, and I did not want to be on the other end of his anger.” Stolas absently rubbed the back of his head.

There was a look of guilt on Vassago’s face, “He did really dump all of that on you, didn’t he. Y no fue justo para ti, lo sé (And it wasn't fair, I know). ” It wasn’t a question, but a fact. Then he added, “I’m happy that you are happy now. Esa sonrisa te queda bien (That smile suits you.)”

Stolas’ expression softened and a smile tugged at the corners of his beak, “I am.” He affirmed and rested a hand over his chest. It was then that the portal opened up in the middle of the office and Sallie May, Moxxie, and Loona in her human disguise came waltzing through laughing, followed shortly by Blitzø who was looking rather unamused as he tugged off the long, blonde wig off the top of his head. 

“Oh dear.” Stolas fretted as he took in the sight of his boyfriend, who was covered in red blood, effectively ruining the pink sun dress and the wig he’d left wearing. Stolas quickly scooted over to the closet to nab a towel off the shelf, then paused as he took sight of the coark board and saw his picture already pinned, “Millie when did you print this?!” He called out.

“When you were busy with the tarp!” She responded, and Stolas could hear the grin in her voice.

“Print what?” Blitzø asked in a disgruntled tone, “And what the fuck happened to the window?” He called out, now noticing the tarped over window.

“Stolas broke it.” Millie responded, still grinning. 

“Oh I gotta see the picture.” Loona replied and walked over to the closet as Stolas was leaving to bring Blitzø his clean towel. Then she barked out a laugh, “Holy shit what’s with that face?” 

Blitzø couldn’t bring himself to even be mad about the broken window as Millie pulled up the picture on her phone to show him, actively having to fight back laughter that threatened to bubble up, “Why are you so pissed off in this?” He asked as he looked at Stolas, “I mean, yeah breaking a window sucks and all, but you looked like someone pissed in your cereal.”

Stolas only rolled his eyes and knelt down, “Millie and Vassago were bullying me.” He stated flatly as he began to clean the spray of blood off Blitzø’s face and horns, “I wanted to take another photo that did not reflect my response to that, but Millie insisted it be that one.” 

“Oh hush now.” Millie lightly punched his shoulder, “I’d hardly call that bullyin.” She continued, “I was teachin him to throw knives. Then his uncle popped in suddenly and startled him.”

It was then that Blitzø noticed the presence of the other Goetic demon in the office, “Oh shit, hey.” 

Vassago gave him an almost blank look as he took in the Imp’s appearance, then after a moment he responded, “Have you three been going into the mortal realm without human disguises?” 

Blitzø froze for a moment before responding, “We, ah, don’t have them.” Everyone else in the office grew very quiet as well, unsure of what Vassago’s reaction would be. Were they about to get in deep shit again? Fuck, Stolas hadn’t even thought about the legality of their work, too comfortable around his uncle to properly consider the ramifications behind going into the mortal realm without a human disguise.

Vassago seemed to be deep in thought, his eyes moving from Blitzø, to Sallie May, then to Moxxie as he tapped a finger to his beak. When he stood up and approached Blitzø, it was more to take a better look at his disguise than anything else, yet Blitzø still shrank in on himself slightly. After another quiet, tense moment Vassago broke the silence, “And you have not been caught?” He asked and cocked his head to the side.

“The only people who see us are usually the target.” Moxxie piped in hesitantly, “We are very careful when we go topside, sir…” Everyone in the group that came back were all in some form of disguise.

Vassago chuckled slightly and waved his hand, “No need for sir, Vassago is just fine.” He responded, “I’m surprised Asmodeus did not provide you with one given the nature of your business. He did give you a crystal, afterall.” He settled, “Although you are permitted legally to travel back and forth to the living world, you really should be using proper disguises so that you are completely covered legally.” He continued, "Though I will admit, Humans tend to be rather simple and easily fooled. Have these disgueses actually convinced anyone?"

“Real human disgueses are a bit hard given we’re Imps. We can’t exactly do that on our own without help.” Blitzø replied as he relaxed a little and straightened up, “I can ask the big man about it if it’s really that big of a deal though.”

“No worries with that, I can assist you with that myself. I shall push forward some paperwork to get you five access to a magical focus.” The parrot dismissed, “For legal reasons, if asked by anyone, you have been using proper disguises to carry out your work. It will take some time, but I can have them arranged for you as soon as I can.” He settled.

“The five of us?” Stolas asked, “Loona already has a disguise already.”

“You will be in need of one as well, no?” His uncle asked him and arched his brow, “You do not exactly have magic of your own to pull from anymore, you will need a new source.” 

“Ah…” Stolas wilted, “You are not wrong…”

“But all of that aside, we have some things to discuss.” Vassago clapped his hands once before he looked back down at Blitzø, “We held off our discussion so you can join in.” 

“Oh, I, thanks.” His boyfriend responded then looked down at his still blood soaked clothing, “Would you mind if I get cleaned up? Unless you’re fine with the smell of blood, I know Stolas gets nauseous from it.”

“Please do.” Vassago responded with a light chuckle, “It would be best for everyone involved.”

His boyfriend took that as a cue to quickly nab his clean clothes from behind the desk and scoot over to the bathroom down the hall.

Stolas looked to his uncle, “Thank you for all of your help. Really.” He said with the utmost sincerity.

“That is what family is for.” His uncle responded casually. Stolas knew full well that they were being let off the hook very easy, and had they been anyone else Vassago would have dropped the hammer on them for their lack of proper disguises. He was also eternally grateful to have him in their corner. 

“Oh, let me introduce you to the others.” Stolas said after a quiet moment, “Everybody, this is my Uncle and Hellparent Vassago.” He gestured to his uncle then continued, “Vassago, this is Millie’s husband Moxxie, and her sister Sallie May.” 

The tension in the room dissipated rather quickly as his uncle eagerly went around to shake each of their hands, “It is so nice to finally meet all of you in a less tense environment.” He said in a lax tone, “Will you be at dinner this Friday?” 

“Yup!” Millie replied, “We’ll be there with bells on!”

“So that makes…” he counted on his hands everyone in the room, Blitzø and his husband, “Nine of us?” He looked over to Stolas for confirmation.

“Ten, actually.” He corrected, “Or I guess it is maybe on the ten since Octavia will try to make it, but given our current situation she cannot guarantee it.”

Vassago brightened, “Oh that would be lovely! I can also ask her a few questions regarding the case since her consent is very much necessary.” He began, “Have you told her anything regarding it yet?” 

“No, not yet. The right opportunity has not come up, but I was planning on doing so come Friday if she is able to make it.” Stolas began, “A lot of the time we have talked, it has been over the phone and I worry about Stella and Andrealphus catching wind of it before we are ready.”

Vassago only nodded, “Ah yes, that makes sense.” He replied, “All the more reason it is important for her to attend on Friday then.”

Blitzø finally reentered the room, the bloody clothes and wig nowhere to be found, meaning he likely binned it, “Alright I’m about as clean as I’m gonna be without a shower.” His boyfriend responded enthusiastically, “We can talk in the office and I’ll send the others home early.”

“But sir, we have one more—“ Moxxie tried to say before the taller Imp waved him off.

“Reschedule. We can tack it on to tomorrow’s line up and stay a little later. This will probably take a bit.” he tossed the keys over to his daughter.

Stolas almost thought he would hear Moxxie complain about work ethic, but the shorter Imp only nodded, “Ok.” He settled, “Then I guess we’ll see you guys tomorrow then. Goodnight sir, Stolas, Vassago.” He nodded his head politely. Stolas could see on his face plain as day how much of a struggle it was for him to not refer to the three of them all by sir.

“Yeah, yeah.” Blitzø waved his hand, “See you tomorrow Mox.” He said as he opened the back office door, “See you at home Loonie, night Millie, night Sallie.” Loona, with all the love in the world, flipped her dad off as she walked out of the office, followed shortly by the others. More goodbyes were said, and then it was only the three of them.

Blitzø hopped up to sit on his desk and gestured to the seats in front of him, “Feel free to take a seat, or stand. I don't really care.” Blitzø joked a bit nervously, “Thanks for coming by.”

“It is a pleasure.” Vassago responded and snapped his fingers. In a little puff of golden light, his work laptop appeared in his hands and he made quick work of opening it and setting it on the desk beside Blitzø, “So what was it you wish to talk about?” 

“We’re being followed.” Blitzø stated bluntly.

“Or at least, we have good reason to believe so.” Stolas tacked on, “Though we are a tad unsure when it started, and if they were originally only keeping tabs on us, or Via.”

Vassago looked up at them curiously, “Well, the two of you have been all over the internet and gossip magazines.” He stated like the answer was obvious, “Are you certain that Stella and Andrealphus hired someone to keep tabs? Or do you think they simply follow what gets published? Andrealphus does tend to invest too much of his time nosing into other people’s business.” He continued and let out an irritated chitter, “I swear he truly has nothing better to do to occupy his time. It is pathetic.”

“Well that may be an option, though what has us believing at least partially on the contrary is the fact she always seems to tell when Via is contacting me.” Stolas stated, “At least, that is what she believes.”

“You don’t think she may be monitoring her phone? Perhaps she sees your name on the caller ID and it raises suspicion?” He followed up, curiosity being piqued at the potential depth of Stolas' ex-wife’s control over their daughter.

“His name is Randy in her phone, so I don’t think that’s the red flag here.” Blitzø responded and gestured lightly with his hands, “I mean, sure the bitch might be suspicious of the new contact, especially if she takes two seconds to think critically on the texts between them, but that’s probably giving her too much credit.”

“Quite frankly, I am still convinced her reading comprehension is not all there.” Stolas said indignantly, “Or if she can read, she is incapable of thinking critically to save her own feathered ass. It took her a year to realize the issue of me lending out my grimoire to another outside the family, and even then I can imagine it was Andrealphus who pointed it out to her.” His voice was dripping with disdain, “She might be an expert at being a proper vindictive bitch, but outside that she is nothing more than a pretty face.” His feathers ruffled in growing irritation, “And since all my wealth was signed over to Andrealphus for the time being, paying someone to keep tabs on us isn’t out of the question. Especially if he aims to maintain his hold on that.”

“My biggest worry is the fact that Stolas could be killed at any moment.” Blitzø added, “If we’re being followed and watched by anyone who has incentive to take him out, I would feel comfortable with at least an idea of what the shit stain looks like. A name maybe?” 

Vassago typed away on his laptop as he listened, “Well I suppose it was to be expected. Especially if they have reason to believe there may be a challenge in custody in the near future.” There was a somber note to his uncle’s voice as he said this, “I am confident we shall win partial custody at the very least, however I get the strong feeling that something bad is around the corner.”

“Bad?” Blitzø asked nervously, his eyes darted from Vassago and lingered on Stolas before focusing back on the other Goetic male, “What kind of bad are we talkin?”

Vassago was silent for a moment as he focused on his laptop screen before he spoke up, “Si (Yes) . They have hired a hitman once already, I don’t doubt that they would do something similar again. Especially if there is strong reason to believe they are watching you.” His uncle looked up to make eye contact with Blitzø, “With partial custody, Stella still has a hold on Via. Should something happen to you,” he looked to Stolas, “then the case will have been for naught. But we can only be cautious of potential dangers, and perhaps stay out of the public eye when we are successful.” 

Stolas took note of the fact his uncle said when and not if. They would be successful, regardless of his own safety, he would get custody of his darling Owlete.

“In the meantime, I will have my people look into this matter more thoroughly and see what we can dig up.” Vassago continued, “If the least I can do right now is get any names or faces, I shall sleep easier at night.” His voice was weary, and gave Stolas the idea that this case was really troubling his uncle.

“I know I’ll sleep better at night too.” Blitzø sighed, then after a moment he spoke up, “Stolas mentioned the potential for full custody last night.” His boyfriend’s voice was a little nervous, yet confident in the decision he had made, “What are our chances of getting that? If we can get full custody, Stella doesn’t get Via back if something happens to Stolas, right?”

Vassago tutted as he focused back on his laptop, “First and foremost, given your current living situation, full custody will be difficult to achieve.” There was a note of resignation in his voice, “And secondly, it is true that Stella would have difficulty getting custody of Via back, but Andrealphus is still Via’s Hellparent so she would then fall back into his hands at the very least. Then there’s the chance for Stella to open a case again to contest for at least partial custody, which would be easy since Octavia would only have one legal guardian at that time. Or perhaps our biggest worry would be Andrealphus fighting for it since he would have a bigger stake in her life.”

“What if I adopted her to fill that role?” Blitzø asked bluntly, with absolute certainty in his voice. The look in the Imp’s eyes was void of any doubt. It was brimming with steadfast determination, every bit the protective parent that he already was with Loona.

Vassago looked up at him and blinked in surprise, then looked to Stolas for some kind of confirmation. When Stolas only nodded in agreement to signal that this was something the two of them had discussed, his uncle settled down. 

He seemed to be satisfied with that and finally replied, “Well, that could certainly help our case. And by the time they can do anything about it, Via will already be 18.” Vassago agreed, “I will have to pull strings to fast track the adoption process, but it would be doable under the right conditions. So long as Via agrees to it, that is. However that does not change the fact that your current living situation will serve as a problem.”

“What’s wrong with the apartment?” Blitzø asked defensively, “There are plenty of families with younger children living in the building. Imp city might be a shithole, but it’s a livable shithole.”

“The location isn’t a particular problem, no.” Vassago agreed, “However the apartment itself is too small, even for the three of you. There is only one bedroom, which is already occupied, and the two of you sleep on the couch. I might be good at my job, but making the case for the princess to move from the palace and into a cramped one bedroom apartment will get us laughed right out of the court.”

Stolas carefully watched his boyfriend’s face as he shifted into problem solving mode. Being in charge of the businesses finances, Stolas knew damn well they couldn’t afford to break their lease and move things on top of paying first, last and security on a new apartment who’s rent would be higher than what they have currently. This idea was pretty much dead in the water, but was a nice one while they had it. He watched that same realization dawn on Blitzø, and the Imp’s shoulders sagged in defeat. It was a bitch of a situation, but they needed to live in reality. 

“Would you guys be willing to move?” Vassago asked after a tense moment and sat back in the chair to observe the two. His expression was soft, that of a protective uncle wanting the best for his dear nephew and niece. 

“Whether we are willing to move or not, we cannot afford all the expenses that come with breaking our lease and—“ Stolas began to explain somberly before he was interrupted by his Uncle.

“I did not ask if you could afford to. I asked if you are willing to.” He reiterated.

Both Stolas and Blitzø gave him an odd look, “If we can’t afford to move then we can’t move.” Blitzø responded, “Rent in Imp city is cheap, but we don’t have enough—“

Vassago pinched the bridge of his beak in growing irritation and sighed, “Oh mi Satanás (Oh my Satan).” He mumbled under his breath, “I know of the money issue. I am not asking you about that. Are you willing to move?” He asked the question for a third time with a stronger emphasis. 

Blitzø’s tail flicked behind him, “I mean, I’d have to talk with Loona about it, but yeah if it means keeping everyone safe.” He stated, “We already had plans on doing that when the lease was up anyways, but that’s not until after Octavia’s birthday, which is the bitch of it. If I knew this would be that big of a deal I would have made the leap to get a bigger place when the lease needed to be renewed a few months ago. I wasn’t sure if business would stay as busy as it has been, so I didn’t want to bite off more than we could chew and wanted to save more money beforehand.” 

Stolas reached over and grabbed his boyfriend's hand and carefully rubbed the pad of his thumb over his knuckles, “We truly couldn’t have known Blitzø.” He murmured, “Whatever may come of it, we have done our best with what we have.”

“I will help.” Vassago stated.

“Vassago, truly I appreciate it but you are already doing so much for us already.” Stolas fretted. Logically, he knew Vassago could foot that bill without feeling any repercussions financially. He was a Prince, after all. 

“And I will continue to do more if I am able.” He quipped back, “If you are serious about adopting Octavia—” Vassago turned his attention entirely to Blitzø, who just sat there giving his uncle a blank stare, “Which if I’m being honest is probably our best and safest angle with getting custody at all, then the court will need evidence showing that you are both more than capable of taking care of and sheltering Octavia. They will be looking for your ability to love and care for her more than Stella and Andrealphus do already. The minimum requirement they will be looking for is three bedrooms. One for each girl and one for the two of you. Your current building has such accommodations, no?” 

“It does.” Blitzø responded in a neutral tone. His boyfriend wasn’t giving them a lot of outward cues on how he felt over the situation, which made Stolas nervous.

“If you can get me the price for breaking the lease, plus first, last and security of a three bedroom apartment unit in the building, I can write the check.” Vassago gave no room for argument on the matter.

Stolas felt Blitzø’s fingers wrap tighter around his hand, which was the only outward sign he gave that he was growing uncomfortable with the situation. Big grand gestures and presents have never been something his boyfriend took comfortably. Especially after decades of wishing for the bare minimum level of care and receiving peanuts in comparison. 

“Give us a little time to consider our options first?” Stolas asked on behalf of Blitzø, “It is not just our own lives being impacted. I would like to discuss things with Loona and Octavia first before we make any big steps like that. We may be willing to make that leap, but blindsiding them with the decision and giving them no room to think and decide for themselves is rather rude.” 

“A fair request.” Vassago acquiesced, “But please consider it. If not for the three of you, then for Via.”

“Ok.” Blitzø responded, “We’ll get back to you once we’ve talked things over with Loona and Octavia.” The inflection in his voice said that he wasn’t particularly pleased with the idea, but also that he knew it was an option they couldn’t afford to fumble. Quite literally.

“Gracias (Thank you). Is there anything else you wish to discuss tonight?” His uncle asked them.

“No, I think that was about it.” Stolas responded, “Thank you, Vassago. For everything.” 

“Of course.” His uncle responded as he closed his laptop and teleported it back to his office in another flash of golden light, “I am happy to help in any way that I can.” He stood up and flattened out his red suit jacket, “If that is all, then I shall see you on Friday for dinner.”

“Night Vassago.” Blitzø said at the same time Stolas said “Goodnight.” 

“Goodnight you two.” He said with a light hearted smile before opening up a portal and stepping through it. 

Once they were left alone in the office, Stolas looked back to his boyfriend, “Blitzø, are you ok—“

“I need a shower.” He stated and hopped off the desk and stretched, “Today was long.” 

Stolas watched him with worry as the Imp went to collect his things. It was a tactic of his which Stolas had grown quite familiar with. The topic made Blitzø uncomfortable, so he would push it aside for the moment in lue of lightening up the mood and carrying on, “Blitzø?”

“We can talk about it after.” He dismissed him loosely, “I smell like a beach during shark week and the blood I couldn’t wipe off is starting to crust over and chafe. Let’s just go home.” He said as he opened a portal into their living room. 

“Alright, fair enough.” Stolas settled. It wasn’t an outright dismissal, just a simple request to let him stew on it for a moment. He followed him through the portal and they let it close quickly behind them.

Loona must have gotten home already, as the bathroom door was open with the fan going, which told him she must have recently gotten out of the shower. The oven was also warming up, and the casserole dish with leftovers from last night was set on the counter to warm up before it would be placed back in to reheat. 

Blitzø kicked off his boots by the front door and set his glove with the crystal aside on the table there. Loona’s bedroom door opened up and the Hellhouse stepped out in a pair of comfortable pajamas and a towel wrapped around her thick head of hair, “Hey guys, how’d the meeting go?”

“Oh it went as well as it could.” Stolas responded.

“We gotta talk some things over.” Blitzø said to his daughter as he tossed his jacket over the back on a dining chair and stretched his arms over his head until he felt a satisfying pop from his shoulders, “You’re included in the ‘we’ because your feelings about it are important.” 

She froze, “How worried should I be?” She asked nervously as she started down her father.

Blitzø just smiled reassuringly at her and went to the dresser in the living room to nab a clean pair of pajamas, “Nothing bad, just a big family decision.”

She looked over to Stolas now, her eyes flickered down to his hand to look for something, still confused, “What the fuck are we talking over?” 

“Again, Loonie, it isn’t bad. I just want to shower quick and we can sit down. I have blood in places it shouldn’t be and it’s starting to crust over and get uncomfortable.”

She shivered in disgust, “Ew you’re so gross.” She complained and relaxed a little, “Fine, go shower or whatever.” She waved her hand dismissively as she pulled the plush towel off her head and unwrapped her still damp hair. She then turned to go back into her room, “I’ll keep an eye on reheating dinner.” She added before closing her door behind her.

As Blitzø made his way to the bathroom, his boyfriend hooked his hand in the crook of his arm and pulled him along, “You’re coming with me.”

Stolas chuckled lightly and followed, “You needn’t ask me twice.” 

After they crossed the threshold of the bathroom, Stolas quickly closed the door behind them, then lowered the toilet seat lid and took a seat. Blitzø started the shower then quickly stripped himself of his clothing. It was then that Stolas knew exactly what his boyfriend meant by blood still clinging to his skin. Although the crimson didn’t show up on the majority of his body, it colored the white scarring along his back, hip and legs a similar shade to his regular skin tone. Across his back, the red blood flaked and fell off like a layer of peeling dead skin. 

“So what exactly happened that resulted in only you returning soaked in blood?” Stolas asked as he accepted Blitzø’s mothers pendent when he passed it to him. Despite being made of metal, its hollow core made the accessory lighter than it would first appear to be. Holding it now, Stolas could tell it was very much a well loved accessory, subject to a little wear, yet completely scrubbed clean of any blood and polished.

“A lesson learned is what happened.” Blitzø grumbled halfheartedly as he pulled the shower curtain aside and stepped in, not bothering to pull it back in place before continuing, “Stabbed a bitch in the neck and didn’t move quick enough to avoid getting sprayed by a slashed arteries. That bitch had a lot of blood.” He explained as he began to lather bergamot and citrus scented body wash on a loofah. 

“Oh yes, that explains the front of you.” He commented, his eyes roaming up and down the curve of his spine as he watched the crusted red blood rinse away like little red pearls rolling across his skin.

“And I may have slipped in it.” Blitzø tacked on a little quieter, which earned him a light chuckle from his boyfriend.

“You are somehow both the clumsiest and most agile person that I know.” He chided. 

They both tiptoed around the elephant in the room, unsure how to broach the topic of his uncle’s offer, yet both knew it needed to be discussed before they spoke with Loona on the matter. Of course, there was more than just the change in their apartment, moving from the first place she ever had to call home. But there was also the adoption plan for Octavia which could go one of two ways with the rather possessive Hellhound. She would either react well and be open to the idea of having a sister, and would not feel as though she were being abandoned or replaced by her father. Or it could go the exact opposite and she could get upset and lash out, feeling as though she was being set aside in lue of what she may perceive as Blitzø’s replacement family.

Stolas would not blame her if she did feel as though that were the case. He knew her upbringing before Blitzø had been awful, and that it took a lot of time and patience for his boyfriend to earn her trust in the first place. Stolas could only hope that her close bond with his biological daughter would sweeten the deal, and that she would come around to it after giving her time to think it over some. 

“So…” Stolas began but trailed off in the hopes that Blitzø would help him rip the bandage off. The Goetic demon needed to know what was going on in his head. Stolas was in the dark, and that darkness was tying his stomach into messy and uncomfortable knots.

His boyfriend just continued to scrub off the blood from his body, the only sign that he’d been heard was the subtle way his shoulders tensed and the small flick of the tip of his tail. The Imp needed him to be patient and let him think. So he quietly sat there and waited nervously, allowing him to think and process the information Vassago had given him. 

Logically, Stolas knew full well that the offer from his uncle would put the older demon out none. It would be the equivalent of them buying their coffee in the morning. Something cheap, yet beneficial to themselves and those they interacted with. It was both a needed energy to wake them up, and made them more productive and receptive to others they worked with. For Vassago, that energy would be in the knowledge that his family would be safer, and that dissipated stress would make him more relaxed and receptive to those he worked with.

Yet Stolas knew Blitzø disliked handouts. He needed to feel as though he’d earned the things he got.

After another long moment of quiet as his boyfriend rinsed off the grime of the day, Blitzø began to talk, “Can I be vulnerable with you for a moment?” He asked, not looking at Stolas, “Tell you something about myself, and have you not look at me like I’m some dirty whore?”

Stolas’ expression softened and he reached out and grabbed the Imp’s hand, “Of course.” He responded quietly, “There is nothing you could have done that will make me see you as anything less than the man you are today.” He squeezed his hand in reassurance, “I love you, Blitzø.”

His boyfriend made eye contact with him, and the reflection in them was glassy and full of shame. The Imp looked away quickly, “Come in here first. Let me wash your feathers.” 

Stolas knew what he really wanted when he asked that. ‘Let me wash your feathers.’ was actually ‘Give me a distraction to help me talk.’

Stolas didn’t need to be told twice, so he stripped himself of today's clothes, stepped into the shower and closed the curtain behind him. The hot spray of water felt good against his body, and mingled with the pleasant scent of bergamot and citrus that clinged to his boyfriend’s now clean skin. He sat down a bit awkwardly in front of his boyfriend and faced the wall so Blitzø didn’t feel any pressure under Stolas’ heavy gaze as he talked. It gave the Imp a bit of comfort and privacy while he spilled out what he needed to say.

Blitzø grabbed the bottle of feather wash and uncapped it. He squirted out some of the vanilla and umber scented soap into his hands and carefully lathered it into his feathers. His fingers massaged the skin between the feathers on the top of his head, and methodically washed away the dander and dead skin that collected there since last he showered. The Avian demon closed his eyes and tilted his head into his boyfriend’s hands, soaking up every bit of physical touch he had to offer while he waited patiently for the Imp to talk.

Then Blitzø started, “There’s a reason I have so many exes who hate me, and it’s for things I’m not proud of.” He began after a moment of dithered silence, “It’s not the case for all of them, but still it’s a pretty large portion.” His voice was hushed, low enough that the spray of the shower and the barrier of a curtain and door would make it hard to hear from outside of the bathroom, sparing the lurid details from his daughter's sensitive hearing, “After the circus, I went to college for a bit. I didn’t focus on learning, not really, since I felt like I was too stupid for that book shit anyways. But being there, it put a roof over my head after I was disowned by my dad. I had a bed to sleep in, and I wasn’t some sad sack sleeping under overpasses or on park benches.” Although Blitzø’s voice was calm, Stolas could hear an undercurrent of nervousness in it, “But again, I fucking sucked at learning. So when my grades didn’t meet the standards the college was looking for, I lost the free ride and had to leave.” 

His hands slowly traveled from the top of Stolas’ head and began to scrub down the back of his skull, “The first few nights sucked. It wasn’t cold, not really. But I got into a lot of fights over territory, traveled around a lot, and never slept in the same place twice. That’s when I noticed people showing interest in me.” He hesitated for a moment, “In my body.” He cleared his throat uncomfortably and continued, “So to get a bed to sleep in at night, I started fucking around. I didn’t really hate it. It was what I had to do for any shred of security at night, and the sexual gratification did wonders for my ego. Tapped into my Succubus roots, yah know?” He tried to joke, “That solved the housing problem, but my clothes were dirty, and I was fucking starving all the time. So I started to steal from the people I was fucking and pawned off their shit for cash.” Stolas sat quietly and listened. He didn’t judge, but his heart hurt for the traumatized Imp doing whatever he could to survive. It was something he himself would never truly understand. Even in exile he immediately had a roof over his head and a couch to sleep on.

“I know it makes me a piece of shit, but at the time I felt like they owed me that much. These people had homes, beds, food and access to clean clothes and showers. I had none of that. Part of me felt good about what I did, like I was earning my place with my body. It was the only thing I had to give. The sex wasn’t always great, let alone good, but it felt nice to be wanted in a way. Of course, I never stayed with the same person twice. I’m not—I wasn’t a good person, and I can admit that now. As you saw on Halloween, there are a lot of people who hate me for being such a shitbag.” Stolas had to fight the frown that threatened to tug at the corners of his mouth. He had to beat down the guilt that threatened to bubble up, as he realized he had been one of those people to use him for his body. At the time, he’d seen it as a way to keep Blitzø in his life; but he could easily see now from his boyfriend’s perspective how that all might feel. 

“Once I had enough money, I bought a gun and started the part of my life as a bounty hunter. Soon enough, I didn’t have to sleep around for a bed, and I was finally able to get an apartment of my own. This one, as a matter of fact.” He sounded far off as he recalled everything, “When I started getting enough of a steady income, I adopted Loona. I hated being alone, and I saw too much of myself in her when I went to the pound. She was about to age out, and the idea that she might have to struggle the same way I had to was all I needed to know that she was the one. No matter what she did, or what she would do, I would and will never give up on her and send her away. I would never reject her like my family did to me.” His movements stilled for a moment, “But the point here being, I don’t like getting things handed to me. I’ve had to work for things my entire life, even as a kid my dad made me earn my keep. Big gifts and grand gestures make me feel… I don’t know. I feel like I don’t deserve it, and I still need to earn it. I’ve fought for so long, and I still feel like I need to fight and prove myself worthy of anything.” Blitzø began to scrub his feathers again, now massaging his shoulders and slowly traveling down his back, “So when Vassago offered to foot the bill, it just made me feel like I’m not enough…” Stolas almost didn’t catch the last part he said, his boyfriend’s voice had been so quiet.

Stolas turned his head up to look at the Imp and reached a hand up to caress his cheek and make eye contact, “Blitzø…” he said softly, “You are far more than enough for me, you know that, right?” When he remained silent, Stolas sighed and asked gently, “Could you explain to me how you feel you are not enough?”

Blitzø’s mouth pressed into a thin line, and Stolas couldn’t tell if he’d begun crying or if it was only the shower, but his eyes were glassy, “I mean, Stols… we’ve been sleeping on a couch for the past few months, the apartment is a one bedroom shithole in the slums of Imp City, and yeah the business is doing better than ever, but I still can’t afford to do dick to change our situation.” The strain in his voice was another indication that Blitzø was either crying or on the verge of it, “I’m here saying I’ll adopt Octavia to keep you two safe, but it feels like it’s all just fucking words when I can’t even provide a proper home and—“

“Blitzø, please may I speak?” Stolas interrupted and asked quietly. When he didn’t say anything, Stolas gently rubbed the pad of his thumb along the white of Blitzø’s cheek, “All of those things are more than enough for me. Simply being with you in any fashion, Blitzø you mean everything to me. There is no monetary value that could change that.” The flat line of his boyfriend’s lips tugged upward ever so slightly and in turn so did Stolas’, “And sure the springs of the couch may try to integrate with my ass from time to time,” Blitzø chuckled and it spurred the Goetic demon to press forward, “And I can hear the neighbors to our left having raucous and passionate intercorse every night. But that does not mean that you are not enough. You are not the things you can provide, you are—well—you Blitzø. I could not ask for more, because there is nothing more I could ask for.” 

“Cheesy bird.” His boyfriend deflected and averted his gaze, “It’s not what I meant.” 

“Am I not enough?” Stolas asked, and although he managed to sound unbothered, there was still that little part of him that always worried that he was just too different to give Blitzø what he deserved and needed in a partner.

The Imp pouted down at him, “Don’t do that again.” He mumbled.

Stolas tilted his head in question, “Do what again, exactly?”

His boyfriend’s cheeks puffed up in mild annoyance, “Do that thing where you ask me the same question and make me admit that I was wrong.”

The bird nuzzled his beak beneath his chin and cooed, “It isn’t to invalidate you, my love. Only to provide an outside perspective. You are feeling the way you are for a reason, and even if I may find it mildly hypocritical, you are still valid.” 

“Ok, but still…” Blitzø said and redirected Stolas’ face back forward.

“But still?” He asked patiently.

Blitzø let himself focus on Stolas’ back for a moment, causing a shiver to go up the bird's spine as claws carefully picked away residual wax fragments off newly opened pin feathers. After the imp was satisfied he finally talked again, “The offer Vassago made. I know logically it would be peanuts to a guy like him. But for someone like me? Some dirty Imp who had nothing for so long?” He paused, “That’s so fuckin much money. That’s over two months of income—two months of busting my ass day in and day out and hardly making ends meet. I know he’s not like the others, but there’s still this small part of me, this shitty little thing ingrained in the back of my head that keeps searching for whatever the catch here would be.”

Stolas tilted his head back up to make eye contact, “You know he would never hold it over you, right?” The Avian demon asked quietly. Stolas reached up again and lightly touched the Imp’s cheek. 

Blitzø pressed his lips into a flat like and averted his gaze, “I mean, I know you know that. Probably.” He mumbled, “And I know I should trust you on it, but I can’t fully wrap my head around the idea that someone would do something like that and have there be no catch. He’s already doing so fucking much with the court case and shit. Shelling out that amount of money on top of it just feels like too much.”

Stolas was quiet for a moment as he mulled over his boyfriend’s confession. He tried to find a solution, or a happy medium to put Blitzø’s mind at ease with their situation, “May I clarify something for you?” He asked, “Or more so, explain what I feel is going on with my uncle?”

Blitzø nodded his head, “Sure.”

Stolas turned his head back to face the shower wall, “You know my father was hardly involved in my life. I could count on one hand the amount of times he’d visited me during my childhood. I was raised by the palace staff, more so my father’s head butler. I wish I knew his real name now, but I knew him back then as Mr. Imp.” He felt shame in the fact he did not know the true name of the man who actually raised him, “Vassago was involved in my life, sure, but he was always so busy I would maybe see him a few times a year. For him, after learning everything in my life he was in the dark about, I believe he feels that he needs to make up for all of those years of unhappiness... I am the only thing he has left of his sister, my mother, and he feels like he could have done more to avoid what Stella put me through. Or minimize it at any rate. For that, the offer he made makes me uncomfortable too…” Stolas nervously ran his hands over his sodden tail feathers as he spoke, “I do not like people pitying me, especially if they feel as though they are somehow responsible for the ways in which others have failed me, or I have failed myself.” He took a deep breath, “But… with everything happening currently, I need to consider Via’s safety and what is needed of me to ensure that. This does not make it easier, but I have failed her so many times already, Blitzø. If doing right by her means swallowing my pride and accepting a check, I would.”

Blitzø’s hands stilled again, then Stolas was pulled into a loose hug and the Imp buried his face into the still soapy feathers on his shoulder. The Avian demon turned his head to face Blitzø, then pressed his beak to his temple in a light kiss and held it there for a moment. He rested his hand over the arms crossed over his chest and soaked up the attention and affection. 

“I want to see what money I can scrape up first.” Blitzø said after a quiet moment, “I need to feel like I’m actually contributing something to it. That would make me feel better I think.” He added as he lifted his face from the sopy feathers and rinsed it under the spray of the shower to avoid suds getting into his eyes.

“I will do so as well.” Stolas responded, “Vassago can help with the difference.” 

“Stolas, you don’t have to.” Blitzø's voice was hesitant as he reached over him to nab the shower head to rinse down his feathers. He tilted Stolas’ head up to wash away the soap from his scalp and avoid getting it in his eyes.

“It is all for my daughter’s safety. I should and will be contributing what I can.” He said matter of factly as he watched his boyfriend.

After a moment of rinsing his head, Blitzø tilted Stolas’ face forward again and began to wash down his back, then added, “Well she might be my daughter soon, too.” He murmured. Stolas looked back up to see his face again and locked eyes with him, “And I’m not about to be a deadbeat dad.” 

Stolas cracked a large smile and cooed happily, “You are far from it, my love.” He said and nuzzled his face beneath his chin, “And neither do I, so we shall both contribute, and I will not take no for an answer.”

Blitzø chuckled and pushed his face away so he could finish rinsing him down, “Stubborn bird.”

“Equally stubborn Imp.” Stolas responded contently as he let his boyfriend’s hands run over his body to rid his feathers of sweet smelling soap, “I love you so much.” 

“I love you too.” His boyfriend responded. Stolas could hear the smile in his voice.

“Blitzø, may I ask a question?” He asked after a moment and focused his eyes back in the shower wall.

“Ask away.” The Imp responded in a more relaxed manner now that the serious topic had passed for now.

“If you do adopt Octavia…” he paused now feeling immensely nervous, “How would you feel if I adopted Loona in turn?” 

Blitzø’s hands stilled once more, then he reached over and hung the shower head back up. There was a tremble to his hands that made it a bit difficult at first, but when he managed that, the Imp sank down to his knees and wrapped his arms and tail around Stolas’s middle. He rested his forehead against his spine and let his fingers bury themselves in his wet feathers. Blitzø was quiet for a moment, but Stolas wasn’t nervous. Not anymore. So he simply rested his hands over his boyfriend's arms in reassurance and tried to ignore the way his own hands trembled as well.

“Could you really see her like that?” The Imp eventually found his voice, choked up though it was.

Without hesitation, Stolas responded, “Yes.” I already do.

Blitzø’s hold tightened momentarily before he finally let go. His hands came to rest on his hips absently, and his thumbs rubbed circles against the jut of the bone, “I don’t know what to say…” his boyfriend’s voice was soft and quieter.

Stolas’ head turned all the way around to look at him, then smiled warmly, “You do not need to answer now. It is ok to not have the words.”

His boyfriend audibly snorted then laughed, “Jesus titty-fucking Christ, Stols you’re so weird.” He grinned and pulled him into a brief kiss, “I love you so fucking much.” He said and nuzzled their faces together to break the tension.

“You are the only one allowed to call me that.” Stolas replied and cooed softly. He’d been called weird his whole life by people aiming to belittle him and bring him down. But Blitzø? Spoken with nothing but love and respect? Yeah. He’s the only one.

“We’ve been sitting here long enough I think.” His boyfriend stated but made no room to move just yet. 

Stolas hummed in response before he added, “Dinner is most likely out of the oven by now.”

Blitzø let out a sigh, then stood up, “And I don’t want Loonie to be left in the dark about everything for longer than she has already.” Without further ado, he cut the water off with his tail and opened the curtain, “Let’s go, Stols.” As he stepped out from the shower and nabbed his towel, Blitzø extended his hand out to help the taller man get up to his feet, and Stolas happily took it. His boyfriend quickly nabbed another towel from the closet and tossed it over to him, then dried himself and dressed before Stolas finished toweling off his head, “I’ll be right back.” Blitzø said as he stepped from the bathroom.

While he waited, Stolas dried himself off and puffed out his feathers to quicken the process. He was a man perfectly capable of showering on his own and keeping himself properly clean, but there was a special kind of cleanliness to his skin after his Blitzy took care of him. More so, preening and scrubbing the feathers on his back had always been a challenge for him, his arms needing to work at awkward angles to get the job decent enough. But Blitzø truly spoiled him in ways no other had with the loving and methodical way his fingers caressed and cleaned the skin around his feathers. The pleasant drag of his nails breaking up the waxy casings left behind after his new pin feathers came in, and the gentle way the pads of his fingers massaged the soap and oil between each feather. His back had honestly never looked or felt better.

Stolas nabbed a bottle of preening oil from the cart in the closet, and his eyes lingered on the kit Blitzø used to maintain his horns. It was a simple set of different files, some that scraped, some that buffed, and a bottle of mineral oil to polish. He picked up the bottle to inspect it a bit further and scanned the labels. 

Allopreening was never something he was able to partake in back when he was trapped in his loveless marriage, but perhaps there was another way Stolas could take care of his boyfriend that would work just the same? Something more than lotion and scrubbing. Something he could take great care of and bond with the Imp the same way Blitzø got to while tending to his feathers. It wasn’t the same as it would have been with another Avian demon, per say, but with his boyfriend it could be just as good. He would need to broach the topic soon, but that would come after he was able to research techniques and what the process entailed.

“Here you go.” Blitzø said as he popped back into the bathroom carrying a clean pair of clothes for Stolas. Stolas’ attention was drawn from the bottle in his hand and over to his boyfriend, who closed the door behind him and looked back at the taller man curiously, “Oh, I guess I do need to do some work on my horns soon.” He said as he set the clothes down on the bathroom counter and reached his hand out for the bottle of mineral oil, “It’s been a while, I wonder if this is even still good?” He said to himself as he wiped dust off the top of the oily cap with his thumb and popped it open to smell. When the Imp’s face scrunched up slightly he added, “Can this shit even go bad? That doesn’t smell right.”

“Not in the traditional sense, no.” Stolas began to explain, “However over time its properties diminish in a process known as degradation. If it smells off, then it likely has undergone it.” He recalled an article he’d read once when he’d had a similar question about the products he used to keep his talons clean and shiny, “When was the last time you used this?” He asked and began to inspect his boyfriend’s horns more thoroughly. They seemed to be in fine enough health to him, scuffed here and there as a result of his job, but ultimately they seemed normal. 

“Eh, I don’t really need to do them often or anything.” His boyfriend shrugged off before tossing the bottle into the bathroom trash bin, “I’ll have to get a new bottle though, because this smells like a men’s gas station restroom.” Stolas made a mental note to go out and get Blitzø some new mineral oil, and perhaps one of better grade to avoid spoilage. 

“Yes, perhaps not the smell you want following you around.” Stolas agreed as he peered at the offending oil in the trash. He grimaced as the scent wafted up towards him, faint and residual from the brief moment it was opened.

Blitzø then asked, “You want me to spray you down?” The Imp pointed to the preening oil bottle still in Stolas’ hand.

The owl looked at it as well, “If you could get my back that would be lovely.” He responded as he passed it over to his boyfriend. The smell of vanilla and umber would be much preferred.

“Sit.” The Imp commanded and tossed his towel over the toilet seat lid for him to sit down. Stolas complied and sat facing away from his boyfriend. He sighed contently as his back was lightly misted, then squeaked in surprise as he felt Blitzø’s fingers card through his feathers and search for damaged feathers. Blitzø used his tail to pull the trash closer so he could discard the feathers he carefully removed. While the Imp continued to preen him more thoroughly than he was expecting, his calloused fingers massaged the oil into his skin and picked away more waxy remnants he’d missed in the shower. 

“You are stalling.” Stolas concluded as he swiveled his head around to face Blitzø, “Not that I do not appreciate you helping me with this, but I was expecting you to simply mist my feathers."

Blitzø frowned but remained focused on the task at hand, “You’re back needs to be taken care of more.” He deflected. To emphasize his point, he removed a bent contour feather and showed him, “See?”

“Perhaps we could do this… later?” Stolas asked hesitantly, “I am sure the talk will go fine. We will both do it together.”

“Look, Stolas.” He sighed, “Loona can be a little… passionate when it comes to certain things.” He all but whispered. Stolas agreed. He had seen her passionately punt a reporter pretending to be a client down the stairs, and then passionately chase them down the rest of the way to throw them out the office building's front door. “She has her reasons for it, and I understand why, which is what has me stressed.”

Stolas could sympathize, as they would need to talk about this with each of their girls, “She seems to be in a good mood today. And you told her before we came in here that we needed to talk about something important. We should just rip the bandaid off.” 

“Fuckin fine.” His boyfriend grumbled and set the oil aside on the bathroom counter. 

Before the Imp could step away, Stolas tilted Blitzø’s chin up and gave him a sweet kiss. When he pulled away, he kissed his forehead and said, “It will be ok.” 

“Ok.” He only nodded, passed Stolas his change of clothes, and collected all the clothes off the floor for the laundry hamper. His bloody work clothes got put in their own basket, and Stolas’ was taken out of the bathroom and tossed into the one in the hall closet.

When Stolas finished getting dressed and left the bathroom, he found Loona lounging on the couch watching TV while Blitzø was in the kitchen getting the two of them their own bowls. The Imp looked up at Stolas nervously, so he nodded in encouragement and walked over to the couch.

“You guys gonna finally spill what’s going on?” Loona asked in a board tone and she lifted the remote to pause whatever it was she was watching on the TV. She didn’t appear pissed off, but she also didn’t look happy either.

“Yes.” Stolas confirmed as he sat on the opposite end of the couch and waited for Blitzø to come over. Once again, Loona seemed to closely inspect Stolas’ hand, looking for what? Stolas wasn’t particularly sure.

Blitzø carried the two bowls over and passed one to Stolas before he sat on the coffee table and faced his daughter, “It’s nothing bad or anything.” Blitzø said once more, “We just don’t want anything catching you off guard.”

“Ok, and?” She responded impatiently, “Spit it out already.”

Blitzø nervously stirred the contents of his bowl and his tail twitched, “Well, we were talking with Vassago about some things regarding Octavia, and the steps we need to take to get custody of her from her mom.”

Loona seemed to bristle, “Yeah?” 

Blitzø looked from his bowl of food to Stolas, then set his bowl aside and faced his daughter, “Well, for us to get full custody, we need a room for Octavia.”

“Are you kicking me out?!” Loona growled out, anger masking fear as she asked.

Blitzø blanched and quickly waved his hands and shouted, “No!” His whole body was tense, “No absolutely not that, I would never do that.”

Loona seemed to relax a bit at that, but she still appeared on the defensive, “Ok, then what?”

“To get custody of Octavia, we need more space.” Blitzø repeated, “And we would need that before Octavia’s birthday, and hopefully before her royal pain in the ass and Elsa do anything drastic. So we’d need to break our lease and move to a three bedroom space.”

“I’ll pitch in.” Loona said and surprised the two men. She seemed to be compleatly unbothered, and actually relaxed compleatly.

“We are not asking that of you.” Stolas said before Blitzø could respond, “Your father and I are going to see what we can scrape together, and Vassago has agreed to cover the difference. We only wanted for you to know so you would not be taken off guard when we look into places.”

“Rent is gonna be a lot more than what we have right now for a three bedroom.” Loona stated, “You’ll need help covering all that.”

Blitzø frowned, “Loonie, I would never ask you to pay rent. I appreciate the sentiment sweetie, but we can handle—“

“Blitzø, I’m 26. I can contribute.” She insisted, mild irritation seeping into her words, “Especially if it means I don’t have to hear you guys screwing every night.” She responded with a smirk.

Stolas’ face heated up and Blitzø looked like he saw a ghost. Beleth and Baby Bell seemed to chirp and gurgle at the expence of their owner, as if they were laughing at him.

Loona scoffed, “Guys, the fucking walls are paper thin.” She nudged her head in Stolas’ direction, “And he isn’t exactly discreet. Bee gave me ear plugs that help some, but they can only do so much.”

Stolas buried his face in his hands, completely mortified. He thought he did such a good job at keeping his voice low all those times, the knowledge that his boyfriend’s daughter could hear them having sex was almost enough to have him going celibate.

Almost.

“We get a bigger space, you guys get a room, and we get some soundproofing shit. Spare Via’s poor baby ears from the experience.” Loona pressed, “How soon are we moving?” She asked, completely brushing aside the fact she’d just shamed and embarrassed the hell out of the two grown men in the apartment.

“Well, we, ah—” Blitzø stammered out, “We still need to look around and shit, so it will be a while I think.” He looked over to Stolas, who was still covering his face with his hands in mortification, “I’m gonna see if I can work something out with the complex owner and see if there’s a way we can move into one of their three bedroom units. It’s still an affordable building and Stolas and I can cover rent and utilities.”

One of Loona’s ears flicked, “Again, I'm gonna help.” She responded, "At the very least, I can contribute to groceries and shit if you're really gonna get your panties in a twist about it." She shrugged before asking, "Does Via know about the plans?"

"No, not yet." Stolas finally pushed aside his embarassment and responded, "We are planning to talk on Friday. I don't trust talking over the phone in case Stella and Andrealphus catch wind and turn this case on it's head."

Loona seemed to accept this and lifted the remote to play whatever movie it was she was watching, "Makes sense."

The conversation had gone much better than they worried it would, but they still had one more big thing to adddress: the potential adoption of Octavia. The look in Blitzø eye's told Stolas he would push that off for a little bit longer. One step at a time. Whatever may become of it, Stolas just repeated to himself that everything would be ok.

They would all be ok.

Songs I listened to while writing this:

Ruler Of My Heart (English Cover AmaLee)

Mary On A Cross (Ghost)

New Constelation (Toad The Wet Sprocket)

Paparazzi (Lady Gaga)

Fint me on Tumblr and BlueSky