Chapter Text
January
Stolas had been living with Blitzø since November and it was now January. It had been two months and almost nothing had changed. He hadn’t spoken to his daughter since December. He hadn’t gotten a real job besides the pity job that Blitzø had given him as a secretary in his office. He had barely been out of the house in a week.
Hell, he had been sleeping on the same couch for the past two months—which was not helping his excessive back pain.
Stolas had made no progress since he had been disgracefully stripped of his royal status, powers, and wealth for the next century. The former royal had spent the majority of his sentence with his head on a pillow, wallowing and bathing in self pity.
Speaking of bathing, Stolas hadn’t showered in a few days. Another list of things to add to his collection of misfortunes.
Stolas awoke to the faint smell of coffee and bacon grease lingering through the air. His face was still buried in the pillow and his eyes were still closed but he could hear the popping and sizzling of bacon and the fan buzzing as Blitzø hummed a tune that Stolas couldn’t quite make out.
‘At least I have Blitz.’ Stolas thought to himself. He was the one good constant in his life. If he fell, Blitzø was there to catch him. If he cried, which was often, Blitzø was there to dry his tears. No matter what situation, Blitzø was there for him.
A twinge of guilt shot through Stolas’s heart. He didn’t deserve that man. They had saved each other's lives, which should’ve made them even. To be honest, Stolas was half sure that after Blitzø had saved him from his death, just as he had done for him, the imp would want him out of his house because they were finally even.
But Blitzø didn’t kick him out. In fact, he almost acted like he wanted him to stay. Stolas had no idea in Hell why he would want that. In the owl’s mind, he was just a freeloader, kicking the imp off his couch and eating his food and giving him another child to take care of. But alas, Blitzø decided to keep Stolas around for whatever reason, despite him having nothing to offer in return. He wondered how long it would take for the imp to come to his senses and kick him off his couch and into the streets.
Stolas figured he should get up before he overthank himself to death, which didn’t sound like a bad idea right about now. The owl turned his head, keeping his body in the same position and looked out the window. The sun had almost fully set over Imp City which meant it was almost eight o’clock in the morning. The pinkish clouds slowly drifted across the blood red sky above them. The ceiling fan spun quickly, blowing a cool breeze through Stolas’s feather which made him shiver slightly.
He turned his head around and flipped onto his back. Blitzø was too busy making breakfast to hear Stolas moving around on the sofa. The bird just laid there, looking at the ceiling for a moment. He memorized the patterns on the wallpaper in front of him like he did so many sleepless nights. He knew every detail on the wall by heart now.
Eventually, Stolas braced himself on his elbows and pushed himself up into a sitting position. The purple blanket that he had wrapped himself in last night slid off his torso and down to his lap. He glanced over to Blitzø, who was flipping a pancake in the pan over the stove. His faded graphic t-shirt was at least two sizes too big for him and hung loosely over his body. He wore a pair of black gym shorts that went down his knees. The imp’s red tail grabbed onto the handle of his coffee mug and brought it up to his mouth so he could take a drink of it. Finally, his dark eyes drifted over to the couch.
“Good morning, your royal sleepiness!” Blitzø greeted cheerfully, his tail wagging happily behind him like a hellhound’s would. Stolas certainly wasn’t a royal anymore but he was incredibly sleepy. “You were sleeping pretty hard last night, Stols. Must’ve been tired.”
Stolas shrugged. He was certainly tired but not from lack of sleep. In fact, he had been sleeping way too much lately. “Must have.” He replied, trying his best to be as absolutely vague as possible.
“Breakfast should be ready in a sec,” He informed the bird, sliding a pancake off of the pan and on top of a stack of pancakes on a plate next to him. “I may or may not have burnt the mice—twice.” Stolas’s eyes drifted to the open trash can which had a pile of charred mice at the top. He smiled softly. “Thank you, Blitz.” The owl replied.
“No problem,” Blitzø responded. He picked up a cooked mouse and placed it onto the plate that had a stack of pancakes and bacon. He turned the stove off with his tail and picked up the two plates with his hands and set them on either side of the table. “I hope you’re hungry because I think I’ve outdone myself with these mice.”
Stolas chuckled softly. “I’m sure they will be fantastic, Blitz.” He responded, standing from the couch, careful not to hit his head on the spinning ceiling fan, which he had done many times before. He wrapped the blanket around himself, letting it drape over his shoulders loosely. The owl sauntered over to the table and sat across from Blitzø.
Blitzø grabbed two mugs. One saying “Boss Bitch” and one with a detailed painting of a horse on it. He handed Stolas the horse mug, which was filled with tea instead of coffee. The owl hovered the palm of his hand and felt the heat from the drink warm up his hand. He brought his hand back to him and wiped the condensation off this hand on his leg.
“Dig in, birdie!” Blitzø told him, grabbing own fork and stabbing at his scrambled eggs. Stolas didn’t have much of an appetite lately but he knew Blitzø would get concerned if he didn’t eat, so he picked up his fork and picked at his pancakes.
Blitzø swallowed his eggs and took a sip from his coffee cup. “You know,” He said, setting his coffee cup down. “I was thinking that after work, we could go down to that bookstore you love and get some more books for you to read.”
Stolas blinked. “Blitz,” He said softly, setting his fork down beside him. “You don’t need to buy books for me. I enjoy the books that I get from…” He paused for a moment trying to think of the word. “Uh, what was that place called where you get free books?”
“The library.” Blitzø replied, biting into a piece of bacon.
“Right,” The owl said. “I’m perfectly fine with the books from the library.”
“I know, Stols but,” Blitzø began, placing his hand overtop of his talon. Stolas’s heart skipped a beat as he felt Blitzø’s touch. “We’ve gotten some extra clients so that means more money.” The imp rubbed his two fingers together.
“Blitz-” Stolas began before Blitzø continued talking. “Besides, you're gonna be here for a while.” He said, taking a sip of coffee. “Might as well have some things around here that you like.”
“Blitz, I can’t let you use your extra money on me.” Stolas told him. He thought about all Blitzø had done for him and he couldn’t let him just waste the extra money on silly things for Stolas. “Especially after you’ve done all this for me.”
He spread his arms out to show what Blitzø had done for him. In the process, his hand accidentally hit his tea mug and knocked it off the table. It hit the floor with a crash and tea and broken glass was all over the floor.
Fuck.
Stolas’s heart began beating out of his chest as he looked down at the mess he made. He had fucked up.
“Damn,” Blitzø commented, nonchalantly, jumping down from his chair to grab napkins. “I kinda liked that mug.”
Stolas heard Blitzø’s words but he didn’t really process them. His ears started ringing and his brain switched back to when he was younger.
He remembered being a little nestling having tea with his father. His hands were too small for the cup and he ended up dropping the teacup on the floor. Panimon’s voice rang in his ears. Scolding and yelling at him before his hand hit his face sharply, knocking the young Stolas on to the ground. He remembered crying so hard that day his cheeks stung.
“Oh fuck, Blitz!” The bird squawked, dropping to his knees and trying to pick up the pieces. The glass shook in his talon as he grabbed each shard. “I am so so sorry! Gods, I’m a fucking idiot!” His voice shook with every word and he could feel his eyes filling with tears. He was still that clumsy little bird all those years ago.
“Eh it’s fine, birdie.” Blitzø replied casually, grabbing some paper towels from the counter before looking back at Stolas. “You know, I actually stole that cup from- Holy fuck, are you okay, Stolas?”
Stolas didn’t really hear Blitzø. He just kept trying to grab the tea soaked pieces and placing them back together. He heard Blitzø say a few more words but they were drowned out by his panic.
Why couldn’t he do anything right?
“Stolas!” Blitzø finally shouted, snapping Stolas out of whatever mental breakdown he was saying.
“What?” The bird shouted back, more aggressively than he intended. Stolas was hunched over the mess, his whole body shaking with two pieces of the broken mug in his hands.
Blitzø knelt down and held his hands on Stolas’s. “Just breathe.” He told the bird, rubbing the bird’s talons with his thumb. Blitzø took a deep, exaggerated breath in, hoping Stolas would mimic him. “It’s okay, it’s just a little mess, I can buy a new mug.”
The warmth from Blitzø’s hands seemed to comfort him. A wave of relief fell over his body as he stared into the imp’s deep, stunning eyes. The owl could feel his cheeks getting warm.
Stolas looked at the imp like a deer in headlights and then blinked hard. He laughed awkwardly and tried to shake the feeling of his father’s hand. “I’m sorry, Blitz.” He chuckled softly. “I’m not sure what came over me. Let me just go get a broom to sweep this mess up.” He rose from the floor.
“Stols.” Blitzø said softly, looking at him with concern. His eyes ran up and down his face and body, examining every detail about Stolas. He looked like he was searching for something comforting or helpful to say but he couldn’t find the words.
“I’m fine, Blitz.” Stolas replied, grabbing a broom from the side of the room. “I just got a little worked up, that's all. It’s really no big deal.”
Blitzø still didn’t seem convinced. He stood up straight, his eyes still focused on the owl. “Stolas-”
“Seriously, Blitz, I said I’m fine.” Stolas told him. Blitzø didn’t look totally convinced but he decided to drop it and wiped the spilt tea up with a paper towel.
Stolas continued to pick up each broken piece of glass, but he could feel the imp’s eyes on him the whole time. He didn’t need Blitzø to worry about his feelings, he had so much other stuff going on. His business needed to be his main focus, not Stolas.
Blitzø tossed the tea soaked paper towels into the trash can and looked back up at Stolas. His eyes darted all around the owl’s face, trying to get some understanding on what was wrong with him. Before the imp could analyze him too quickly, Stolas tried to change the subject. “My, shouldn’t we be getting ready soon?”
“Ready soon?” Blitzø repeated absently, still looking at the bird with concern. “For work, right?” Stolas prompted, throwing the broken glass into the garbage and straightening up.
The imp blinked hard, as if to snap himself out of some kind of trance he was in looking at Stolas. “Oh, right.” Blitzø replied, nodding. “You go ahead and get ready, I’ll clean up.”
“Are you sure?” Stolas asked, looking at the half eaten food on his plate. He felt so guilty that Blitzø had been preparing whole meals for him and he hadn’t even had the appetite to eat more than half of it. “Yeah, get your feathers nice and ready for the day.” Blitzø assured him, picking up the plates from the table and scraping them into tupperware for later.
“You could use a good cleaning.” He added, turning back towards the bird and looking up and down. “When was the last time you had a bath?” He tried to play the question off in a joking manner, but it was obvious to Stolas that it was a genuine question. “No comment.” Stolas replied, with a slight smile. Blitzø returned the smile and turned back around to the sink to wash the dishes, his tail flicking behind his back in a calm manner.
Stolas reached into a small closet and grabbed a blue towel and entered the bathroom, making sure to duck his head as he walked through the door frame. One accomplishment that he could say he achieved was knowing that the majority of door frames in IMP City were much too short for him.
A wins a win.
The bird took a quick bath, making sure not to use all the hot water for himself, and dried his fluffy feathers with the towel and tied it around his waist. His face was still dripping wet as he looked at himself in the mirror.
Stolas never really liked how he looked in the first place. He never liked how lanky and scrawny he was compared to everyone else around him. He could ignore those things about himself when he had power over the cosmos and had more money than he knew what to do with. But now he didn’t have either of those things, so he was forced to despise his reflection even more.
The bird looked extremely exhausted in the mirror. His pupils were on full display which he despised most about his face. The bathroom lighting didn’t do him any justice with the way it showed on his face. Stolas looked as miserable as he felt.
He opened the cabinet door behind the mirror which thankfully gave him a break from his own reflection. Stolas reached his talon out to grab his medication before quickly stopping. Inside of the cabinet was an empty tube of toothpaste, a small bottle of shaving cream, and horn cleaner.
“Oh,” Stolas mumbled, closing the cabinet. “Right.” He hadn’t been able to have access to his medication that he had been taking since he was at least seventeen years old. He didn’t want to ask Blitzø about it because he didn’t want to be a burden and he didn’t want the imp to know that he relied on a pill to keep him happy. So he suffered in silence.
Stolas slipped his clothes on and sauntered out of the bathroom. “It’s all yours.” He told Blitzø, with little emotion in his voice. “Thanks, Stols!” The imp replied, with his clothes in hand and grabbing a red towel from the closet. “I’ll be out in a jiff!” He called out before closing the door behind him as he walked into the bathroom. Stolas sighed and slumped down on the couch.
He looked at his phone again and gazed at the ‘No New Notifications’ text at the bottom of his screen. He knew that Octavia wouldn’t text him but there was a small, idiotic part of him that had hope. And the more he looked at the text, the less hopeful he was.
He pulled up his texts with his daughter. Every text from Sinsmas didn’t go through on account of her blocking him. After a while, Stolas had given up on trying to reach her, even though he missed her so much. He tapped the side of his phone rhythmically as he heard the bathroom door behind. He turned his head around.
Blitzø stood at the door with a towel wrapped around his waist. His horns were still dripping wet from the shower and steam followed out of the doorframe. Stolas could feel his cheeks warming up.
“Clothes.” Blitzø said blankly. Stolas blinked hard and looked at him with confusion. “Excuse me?” He asked. The imp nodded over to the pile of clothes sitting on the coffee table. “Can you hand me my clothes, please?” He asked again.
Stolas took a minute to process his words before snapping back into reality. “Oh, um, yes of course.” He said quickly, reaching for the stack of clothing. “Here you go, Blitz.” Blitzø nodded, taking the clothes from his talons. He smiled slightly as he took them. “Thanks.”
Blitzø walked into the bathroom and quickly slipped on his clothes before coming back out in his usual outfit. Just the way Stolas liked him. “Ready Stols?” He asked. “Hm?” The owl replied, still spaced out. “To head to work?” The imp asked again.
Stolas stood from the couch. “Oh yes.” He replied, smiling down at Blitzø. “Of course.”
Blitzø reached into the fridge and grabbed two brown paper bags. They both had each other's names written on the front in big red markers. Stolas grabbed his from the imp’s hand and then looked around. “Where is Loona?” He asked. “She stayed at a friend’s house last night.” Blitzø replied, gently kicking the fridge door shut with his foot. “She said she’d be at the office a little later.”
Stolas nodded. Loona was usually out of the house most nights with her friends or at a party, leaving Blitz and him alone. He didn’t mind that of course.
The two headed out of the door to head to work.
Stolas and Blitzø were the first ones to arrive at the building that morning. Stolas still got the occasional stares from people in the building that he had gotten way back when he had not so gracefully fallen from power. Although, the looks had softened a bit and were sometimes accompanied with a smile and a soft ‘good morning’ that made him feel less out of place. He wasn’t sure if it was genuine kindness or a threat from Blitzø. Either way, he appreciated it.
The owl assumed his usual spot at the desk as he had been given the unofficial title of secretary at the office. Blitzø had even gotten a small plaque for the desk that said: Secretary in bold. It was spelled wrong but the gesture was appreciated nonetheless.
A picture sat in a small frame of Stolas and Blitzø. The imp was covered in blood from a recent mission but he still wore a big smile on his face. The owl had a slight grin on his face, a bit of the blood was dripping onto his pants. Loona was the one taking the picture. Blitzø wanted to commemorate Stolas’s first week working at IMP with a last minute picture. It was one of the few printed images where the imp’s face wasn’t scratched out.
Moxxie and Millie arrived shortly after. Millie looked absolutely exhausted, her hair was messy and dark circles appeared under eyes. She held her arm over her stomach like she was going to throw up. She had been looking like this for the past few weeks or so. She had tried to chalk it up to a cold but Stolas could tell it was something more than that, but he couldn’t put his finger on what it exactly was.
“Mornin’” Millie greeted unenthusiastically. Her husband followed behind her with a smile, but it was easy to tell his eyes were filled with concern about her. “Morning, M&M.” Blitzø replied, sifting through files on the desk.
Loona followed behind them a few moments later. She was holding a tray of coffee cups. She handed her father a cup that had his name on it. The ‘o’ was scratched out with a red pen. She handed one to Moxxie that said ‘Roxie’ with a long list of orders on the side. Millie was handed one with her name missing an ‘L’ on the side. They all thanked her.
“Looks like we have a couple of clients already booked for today.” Blitzø informed them, taking a sip of his coffee as he looked at some files. “How you feeling today, Mills?” Millie opened her mouth to speak before her husband quickly cut her off. “Millie, you still aren’t feeling well, you can’t go out in the field today.” Moxxie told her.
“I said, I'm fine, Mox.” She protested with irritation in her voice. “I’m just a little nauseous, I can do this.” Moxxie furrowed his eyebrows. “That’s what you’ve been saying for the past week and it’s only made you worse.” Her husband reminded her, placing his hand on her shoulder.
Millie shrugged her husband’s hand off her. “I know how I feel, Moxxie, and I told you that I’m fucking fine.” She snapped, her eyes turning a little red. Moxxie backed away from her. Everyone in the office stopped what they were doing and fell silent. Millie opened her mouth to speak and then sighed.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at ya.” She apologized. “If you think I should sit out today, I will.” Moxxie looked at her with pity, which his wife obviously didn’t appreciate. “You deserve some rest.” He replied. “I just want to make sure you’re okay.” She nodded.
“It’s fine, Mills.” Blitzø finally said. “You can help Stolas with some extra paper work.” Millie looked up at the owl. Stolas could tell she was still angry about the whole situation but she still nodded. “Yeah, sure.” She said, blankly.
Blitzø picked a file up off the desk. “Alright, Mox and Loona,” He said, his eyes darting all around the paper. “Looks like we’re heading to somewhere called Miami.” Moxxie grabbed an already loaded gun and cocked it and he tossed another one to his boss. Loona already held a small hand gun. “Let’s fuck shit up!” The imp announced, spitting on the Asmodian crystal on his glove and rubbing it. Stolas felt his cheeks getting hot.
“See you in a bit!” Blitzø called out jumping through the portal, his daughter following closely behind him. Moxxie gave his wife a peck on the cheek. “Love you, honey.” He said sweetly, before jumping through the portal. It shimmered and closed. Millie let out a sigh. “Love you too.” She replied, too late for Moxxie to hear it.
“Is everything alright, Millie?” Stolas asked carefully, trying not to upset her. Millie shrugged. “Yeah, I’m good.” She replied unconvincingly. “Where’s that paperwork you needed help with?”
Stolas wanted to ask more, but he decided to restrain himself. He slid a small stack of papers across the desk as Millie pulled a chair up and began sifting through the papers. After sitting in silence for a while, Mille finally spoke.
“Sorry if this is overstepping but,” She began, her eyes still focused on the paperwork. “Have you managed to get in touch with your daughter yet?” Stolas looked up slowly from his papers. He was tempted to pick up his phone and check his messages but deep down he knew his daughter hadn’t texted him. The owl shook his head.
“I’m sorry.” Millie replied, with a look of pity. “I know that must be tough.” Stolas shrugged his shoulders. “Blitz says she’ll come around eventually, but I’m not so sure.” He confessed. The imp nodded. “You never know.” She replied. “Sometimes things come when you least expect them.” She
spoke like she knew from experience.
“I suppose you’re right.” Stolas responded, with a slight smile. “You never really know with Octavia.” Millie tapped her foot anxiously against the leg of her chair. “Yeah I guess kids can be unpredictable sometimes.” She fiddled with her thumbs nervously. “Was she difficult to raise?”
Stolas looked confused at her. “My, you sure have a lot of questions about children don’t you?” He asked in a joking manner. Millie looked up at him nervously. His eyes widened as he realized. “Oh.”
Millie’s tails flicked anxiously behind her. “How long have you known?” Stolas asked carefully. “I took the test that night at the Sinsmas party.” She confessed. “I’m kinda surprised Blitz didn’t dig through the trash and find the test himself.” She joked.
“Does Moxxie know yet?” The owl asked. She shook her head.
“I haven’t exactly found the right time to tell him yet.” Millie replied. “I’m not exactly sure how he’s gonna react.” “Have you and Moxxie ever discussed having children?” Stolas asked. The imp shook her head again. “Not really.” She admitted. “Moxxie didn’t have the best relationship with his dad so it was always kinda a touchy topic.”
“I see.” Stolas replied. He never really had a choice on whether or not he had a child. His whole marriage was centered around the fact that he was supposed to sire a precautionary heir to the Goetia family. Millie had a choice about her pregnancy. “Do you want kids?”
Millie shrugged. “I guess I’ve never really thought about it.” She admitted, fidgeting. “I enjoy life with just me and Mox. I don’t even know if I would be a good momma.” Stolas smiled softly, thinking about his own mother. “I’m sure you’d be a wonderful mother, Millie.”
She rolled her eyes. “You’re just saying that.” Millie replied with a sigh. “Besides, between Moxxie and I, we barely make enough for the two of us to make it by. With another mouth to feed…” Her voice trailed off towards the end.
Stolas cleared his throat. “Have you told anyone else about this?” He asked, trying to take her mind off the financial issues. She nodded slightly. “Just my sister. I called her on Sinsmas right after I took the test.” Millie replied.
“Did she have any words of wisdom?” He asked. Millie rolled her eyes. “‘Trust your gut.’” She echoed her sister’s advice. “As if there isn’t an actual imp growing in my gut.” She remarked, pointing to her abdomen. Stolas decided this wasn’t the best time to point out the baby wasn’t literally in her stomach.
“Well,” Stolas inquired. “What do you want?” Millie’s expression turned blank. “I dunno.” She replied, cracking a slight smile. “On one hand, having a little impling running would be kinda cute.” She began. Then her smile dropped. “But I’m not sure I could even raise a kid. They’re a lot, aren’t they?” She asked, looking up at the owl.
He nodded. “Children can be a bit much sometimes. Especially when your partner hates your guts.” Stolas admitted. “But you and Moxxie love each other very much.”
Millie placed her hand on her stomach. “It feels weird that there’s a little imp growing inside me.” She admitted, almost like she was going to be sick.
“It’s your body and your choice.” Stolas told her. “Whatever you decide, you’ll be supported here.” Millie smiled. “Thanks, Stolas.”
Just as soon as the words left her mouth, a portal opened up behind them. A few seconds later, Loona, Blitzø, and a blood covered Moxxie jumped out. “Take that you pompous rich assholes!” Blitzø called out, flipping them off as the portal closed. Stolas felt his breath hitch as he heard the imp call out those words, even if they weren’t directed towards him this time.
Millie blinked and then stood up from her seat. “Holy Satan, Mox, what happened to you?” She asked, looking at her blood covered husband. Moxxie shrugged. “We ended up having to beat the target to death with butt of the gun.” He explained, holding the blood rifle upside down. “It got a little messy.”
“Yeah, who knew Moxxie was good with a good in more ways than one?” Blitzø remarked, playfully slapping Moxxie on the back. The smaller imp almost fell forward from the impact, dripping a bit of blood on the floor. “Thank you, sir.” Loona grabbed a towel from the sofa and handed it to Moxxie, who then cleaned himself up with it.
Stolas looked over at Millie, who clearly looked like she was feeling left out. “Sounds fun.” She mumbled slightly. Her eyes drifted over to his and he could tell how disappointed she looked.
“Oh, by the way,” Moxxie began, digging in his pocket until he pulled out a razor sharp knife with a bit of blood on it. “Our target had a weapons collection and I thought this would be something you’d like.” Millie’s eyes instantly lit up.
“Aww Moxxie.” She said sweetly, her accent projecting when she said his name. She walked over to him and gave him a hug and a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.” Moxxie handed her the knife and she inspected it with a light in her eyes.
Stolas caught Blitzø’s eye and they smiled at each other.
Blitzø sat swinging his feet across from Stolas as they both ate their lunch at the secretary desk. The imp took a big bite of his sandwich. “Hey Stols.”
“Yes?” Stolas asked, swallowing a piece of a cooked mouse. He set his fork down and looked down at Blitzø. “Loona was telling me the Beelzebub was having some kind of party tonight.” He explained. “She wanted to know if we wanted to go, and M&M too.”
That took Stolas by surprise. He hadn't really been anywhere besides the apartment, the office, and occasionally places to run errands since Sinsmas. He had kind of gotten used to the routine, even if it wasn’t the best way to cope. Stolas let out a sigh. “I don’t know, Blitz…”
“I don’t want to, you know, force you into doing anything you don’t wanna do.” Blitzø started, setting his sandwich down. “But it might be good for you to get out of the house, a little.”
Stolas shrugged. Maybe it would be good for him to go out and actually have fun. Besides, Beelzebub was on Blitzø’s side during the trial, so the owl wasn’t holding an eternal grudge against her. It would be nice to attend one of her parties, since she was famous for her wild and entertaining festivities.
All these thoughts ran through Stolas’s head before and he finally gave Blitzø his answer.
“It’s a date!”