The Finale

by sneakyxthexclown

Summary:

Stolas receives bad news that causes I.M.P. to pull out all the stops in an effort to win against the Goetia just one last time.

--

This is the fourteenth, and final, installment of my Secretary!Stolas series, which tells the story of Stolas's life after he agrees to work at I.M.P.

Notes:

Here we go! Final fic of the series!!

Oh, yeah, but did I mention it's a two-parter? hehehe

Enjoy for now! I should be back fairly soon!

Chapter 1: The Wedding

“Now, once I’m done, you can’t move for at least fifteen minutes.”

“Why not?”

“You need it to fully dry; otherwise, you’ll smudge it. And the last thing you want after sitting patiently for so long is fucked up nails. Just ask Blitzø. He never sits still long enough for this shit to dry, and it always looks like a two-year-old painted his,” Loona explained.

“Or,” Blitzø interjected as he continued channel surfing, feet propped up on the couch. “Maybe that’s just the fucking look I go for.”

Loona rolled her eyes but otherwise didn’t respond.

“This is so exciting! I’ve never done anything like this before!” Stolas exclaimed, eyes focused on the small brush running over his talons.

“Yeah? If you like this, maybe next Friday night, I can dye a pink streak in your feathers,” Loona suggested. “And then we can get you a motorcycle and an ass tattoo.”

“No fucking way. I’m vetoing that,” Blitzø argued. “The pink streak would be hot. The motorcycle and the ass tattoo are signs of delusion. Save those for the midlife crisis, babe.”

“What’s a midlife crisis?”

“You know, you probably are entering your midlife crisis early because you never got a chance to rebel,” Loona added.

“Rebel against what?”

“I dunno, man. Your parents. The system. Your shitty high school teachers. It’s kinda just whatever you pick. But you miss curfew, break the rules, argue back against authority. Ya know, the classic teenage rebellion phase.”

“That sounds…loud,” Stolas complained.

“And that’s why you’re a bottom,” Blitzø explained.

“Ew! Blitzø!” Loona yelled while throwing a pillow at him.

Blitzø couldn’t believe he was about to say it, but life had actually been…pretty fucking good recently. Stolas was doing so much fucking better than he was back at Sinsmas, to the point where he and the bird actually had a real, solid relationship with fucking open communication and pet names and all that gross bullshit. He and Loona were closer than ever, Millie and Moxxie were expecting a baby any day now, and I.M.P. was rolling in fucking cash.

And last week, Stolas hung up a picture of the two of them on the wall, and Blitzø still hadn’t scribbled his face out. He certainly felt the urge, but he hadn’t given in just yet.

Him, Stolas, and Loona tended to spend Friday nights together now, whether it was playing board games, watching movies, or just hanging out. Tonight, they chose to just hang out. Loona was introducing Stolas to nail polish while Blitzø was in charge of their background noise, a.k.a. whatever shitty TV show he could find.

It was relaxing. It was fun. It was…pretty close to perfect.

Blitzø never once imagined that his life could be anywhere near perfect, but this was certainly within reach.

“And now, go like this.” Loona carefully held one of his hands and gently blew on the wet polish to help it dry. “It’ll dry soon.”

Stolas blew on his talons a few times before shoving his hand in Blitzø’s face.

“Blitzø, look! My fingers are purple and sparkly!” Stolas squealed.

Blitzø couldn’t help but smile softly. He delicately held Stolas’s fingertips to get a better view.

“That’s very pretty, baby.”

Stolas blushed and giggled while Loona pulled his hand back.

“I told you, Blitzø will ruin them with his toddler-like mindset.”

“Toddler is a tad harsh, Loona,” Stolas said. “He at least acts like he’s five. Most days.”

“I’m literally right here, guys.”

Stolas and Loona laughed to themselves. That was definitely a big adjustment for Blitzø; the two of them got way closer than he ever imagined. So close that they tended to gang up on him. But honestly, Blitzø didn’t mind. They were having fun, and he knew their teasing came from a place of love. And wasn’t that just fucking wild?

Besides, Stolas always made it up to him later.

Just then, their fun Friday night was interrupted by a phone.

“Oh, shit, it’s Gigi. I gotta take this.” Loona grabbed her cell phone and stood up from the floor. “She somehow ‘accidentally’ hooked up with her sister’s ex, and now he’s stalking her.”

“That sounds very concerning,” Stolas commented after Loona left and closed the door to her room behind her.

“Welcome to Hell, I guess.”

Stolas pulled himself up from the floor and rolled onto the couch instead, tucking himself into Blitzø’s chest.

“What about your nails?”

“I’ll be careful.”

Blitzø wrapped his arms around his bird, running his claws through his head feathers. Stolas sighed and nuzzled closer.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’m actually having a good day.”

“You sighed like you were upset.”

“Maybe I just needed oxygen.”

“No, those sighs sound different.”

“You analyze my sighs?”

“You want me to be your boyfriend or not?”

“Don’t get the wrong idea, darling. I’m honored that you study my breathing patterns.”

“Then tell me what’s wrong.”

Stolas relaxed more into his hold. “Tomorrow is Octavia’s birthday.”

Blitzø hummed in immediate understanding. “Do you want to send her another message?”

Stolas shrugged. “I want to wish her a happy birthday at least, but…I want to respect her boundaries, too. She hasn’t even unblocked any of us. I think she just wants to be left alone.”

“Don’t give up, Stols. She’s going to come around; maybe she already is.”

Stolas shook his head. “I don’t want to give up, but maybe just…give in for a while. She still needs time, and me breathing down her neck won’t help anything.”

“When’s the last time you messaged her?”

“Mmm, two months ago, I think.”

“Wish her happy birthday, Stolas.”

“I don’t want to be annoying. What if she happens to unblock me and sees all these messages pouring in?”

“The very worst is that she continues to ignore you, and you’ve already been handling that. But there’s also the possibility that she appreciates it and takes it as an opportunity to reach out.”

“You’re right.”

“Sorry, say that again?”

Stolas pulled his beak out of Blitzø’s chest slightly. “I said, you’re correct. Maybe she—”

“Can you say that one more time?”

Stolas grinned and playfully whacked Blitzø’s shoulder. “Shut up, you idiot.”

“Whatttt? I’m not doing anything! I’ve got bad hearing, Stolas, you know that. All those guns and badass explosions and everything…I’m just trying to listen to you while we have an important conversation.”

“No, you just want to hear me say that you’re right over and over again.”

“Sorry, can you say that last part again?”

Stolas erupted into laughter, and Blitzø followed soon after.

“Will you help me write to her tomorrow?”

“Yeah, birdie. ‘Course I will.”

----

Octavia sat on the edge of her bed, hands shaking as she checked the time on her phone again.

11:30 pm

Her birthday was officially in thirty minutes. Thirty minutes until the worst day of her life; thirty minutes until her life was over.

She didn’t want to get married, she didn’t want to socialize with the Goetia, and she didn’t want to be a fucking princess anymore.

What did her father feel like on the night before his wedding? Mother told her that they were arranged too, but did he dread it as much as Octavia was currently? She can’t remember if her parents were ever happy. She thought maybe they were, but now…

Well, she wasn’t sure what to think these days. About anything really. Her mother was forcing her to marry a man she didn’t even know, her uncle was certainly up to no good, and her father was the only person she genuinely wanted to talk to, but she just…

She couldn’t reach out. She couldn’t. She was still so mad at him, for lying to her, for almost leaving her, for all of a sudden caring more about that red asshole than her. He never told her the reality of anything, keeping everything such a fucking secret all the time. At least Mother told her things straight to her face. Sure, she was…frustrating, but at least Octavia got something from her.

But on the other hand, she so badly wanted advice and comfort, and she knew he was the only person in the entirety of Hell that could make things better. And that made her want talk to him, to text him at least.

But then, that led to another problem: what was her father even doing these days?

She blocked him on Sinsmas, and soon after, she blocked his stupid boyfriend, followed closely by Loona, who had sent her a message over Sinstagram asking her to reconsider what had transpired. She was quite upset about that one. She thought Loona was cool and even looked up to her a little, but she didn’t want to associate with anyone who took her father away from her. Since blocking Loona, she’s had no insight into her father’s life at all.

Sometimes, she thought about unblocking him just to see if he had said anything, just to see if he was still apologizing. On nights when she was really lonely, she thought about making a fake Sinstagram account and following him again to see if he had posted anything. More and more often these days, she found herself thinking about him, wanting to hear his side of the story. And somewhere in the back of her mind, she knew he didn’t mean to hurt her, so maybe she should give him another chance.

But the other part of her mind argued back. Even though he didn’t mean to, he still did. And sometimes, it just doesn’t matter how well-intended you are. He had plenty of chances, and he ruined all of them.

11:35

Was he thinking about her? Did he even know that tomorrow was her birthday? Or was he so wrapped up in his new life, so distracted by whatever bullshit spell Blitzø had him under, that he didn’t even remember?

She clutched her phone in her hand, gripping it tightly. She needed to make a decision now. Should she text him for help or deal with the consequences herself? Her mind raced, debating what she should do, options spinning around, making her dizzy.

This is what she wanted, isn’t it? Space to be her own person, distance from her father, the chance to be treated like the adult that she was. She didn’t want to be in the dark anymore, and this way, she wasn’t. She could be in charge of her estate and her powers. She wouldn’t have to listen to anyone anymore, other than her new husband. But there was always the chance that she was a gentleman, and Octavia could probably handle being tied down to a gentleman.

She stood from her bed and set her phone face down on her desk. No. She wouldn’t reach out. Mother said that all heirs had to be married. This was her responsibility. This was her fate. There was no running from it.

She was brave. She would face it head-on with no help. She could handle it on her own.

She didn’t need him.

She just had to keep reminding herself of that.

----

The venue was certainly prettier than he thought it would be, what with Stella no doubt making all of the décor decisions. She always had a taste for the…unique. Still, the light purple actually paired well with the soft blue, although he knew Stolas would’ve done a better job.

When he received the invitation, he almost skipped entirely. He didn’t know Octavia; he didn’t even really know Stolas. He certainly always admired him from a distance, though. He couldn’t be blamed for that; Stolas was so different from the rest of the Goetia.

He knew the only reason he was invited was because Andrealphus was now involved in Stolas’s affairs, which meant he was now involved in Octavia’s affairs. He knew Stolas would never let something like this happen to Octavia, so, wanting to do the right thing, he would be there for her when her father couldn’t.

Besides, there was always the chance that he got to embarrass Andrealphus, and that would make it worth it too.

He approached a small table that had a stack of pamphlets providing information about the young couple. Perfect, this would give me a chance to learn about the groom.

Kaddix (19) is a cockatoo demon studying petrology. He hopes to one day use his powers to make scientific discoveries and further Hell’s knowledge of the most important substance: rocks.

That was…slightly lame, but he seemed harmless. He looked closer at the picture of the cockatoo. He looked nice and gentle, like a sweetheart even.

Easy to manipulate.

“Ah, I see you made it after all,” Andrealphus greeted.

“Well, I couldn’t miss the opportunity to watch such a disaster of a wedding.”

“Take that back, Vassago! This will be the most important, most beautiful wedding for the next century!”

“I know what you’re planning, Andrealphus.” Vassago clutched the pamphlet tighter. “You think I can’t see what’s happening? What even is the meaning of all this? Where did you find such a pathetic fool to control?”

“That is no way to talk about a future Prince of Hell! He’ll be in charge of you, you know.”

“You mean you’ll be in charge of him. What kind of deal did you strike with him? What did you promise him?”

“That is for me to know and you to never find out.”

Andrealphus strolled away, looking as pompous as ever. Vassago took another look around. Guests were filling in, but Stella and Andrealphus were certainly selective with the invites. He noticed no press, which was odd for such an important wedding.

Well, the ceremony didn’t start for another hour. There was still time to get a story out.

----

Stolas laid in bed, scrolling hellfics.net, attempting to find a good Alejandro x Gabriella fic. He turned to his other side, still feeling anxious about today. He did message Octavia like Blitzø suggested, but he hadn’t heard a response. She hadn’t even read his message actually. He clicked the next page of fics, shoving his worries deeper down, until a news notification popped up on his phone.

Octavia of the Ars Goetia to be Married Later Today

Stolas froze, heartbeat thudding in his ears.

Married?! Octavia?!

She never expressed any interest in marriage! She never even expressed any interest in courtship! Stolas always pushed back when his father brought up such topics, partially because she didn’t want to and partially because he didn’t want her to suffer the same trauma he did. Thankfully, his father never seemed to care as much, given that Octavia was further down the line to inherit the throne. But with Stolas out of the picture…

Who would’ve pushed for this? Stella and Andrealphus no doubt. Who else could it be?

He clicked on the article and skimmed it, rolling his eyes at whatever suitor they chose for her. Thankfully, the article provided the information he was searching for:

The marriage ceremony is to begin in approximately forty minutes.

Another thing Stolas had to be thankful for was his boyfriend—his boyfriend, who was not only determined and fierce but also a deadly assassin with a plethora of weapons.

“Blitzø!”

Stolas ran out of their bedroom and immediately kicked open the bathroom door, ripping open the shower curtain.

“Jesus Christ, Stolas!” shouted a soapy Blitzø, who was obviously startled by the commotion. “This is not how you ask for shower sex! Beg nicely, and maybe I’ll cave. Maybe.”

“I’m not trying to have shower sex, you boor! Why would I be bursting in here if I wanted shower sex?! And I certainly wouldn’t have to beg either by the way; all I have to do is bat my fucking eyelashes and my wish is your command!”

“Did you come in here for a fucking reason?!” Blitzø growled. “Or did you just feel compelled to run in here and remind me that I’m a simp?”

“They’re marrying her, Blitzø!”

“What?”

“She’s eighteen!”

“Huh?”

“They’re marrying her off so she can secure an heir to the throne, and we have to go stop them because this isn’t what she wants!”

“What the fuck are you talking about, Stolas?!”

“The Goetia are marrying Octavia off.” Stolas took a big breath, slowing himself down. “I’m sure Stella and Andrealphus are behind in, probably for nefarious reasons; it doesn’t matter. We have to go stop them! Or at least ask Octavia if this is even what she wants because I’m not letting them put her through the same bullshit that I was put through.”

Blitzø shut off the water, a steadfast look on his face. “I’m not either.” He grabbed a nearby towel to dry off. “Call the gang; we’ll go see what’s going on.”

--

Ten minutes later, I.M.P. was in the van as Blitzø haphazardly drove down the streets of Pride.

“So what exactly is the plan here?” Moxxie asked. “We’re good and everything, but we can’t exactly take down the entire Goetia with one angelic weapon.”

“We need to catch them in the act. What they’re doing is illegal. In order to get married, both parents, so long as they live, need to consent to the wedding and the betrothed of their child, no matter how old. They didn’t ask for my permission; I never signed the official documents. Someone must’ve forged it,” Stolas explained.

“Hold on a second. No matter how old? So if you were a prince, and if you wanted to get married right now, you’d have to go ask your fucking dad for permission?” Blitzø questioned with a disgusted look on his face.

“Um, technically, you’d have to ask.”

“See, Blitzø?” Loona interrupted. “This is why he needs the motorcycle and the ass tattoo.”

“Ooo, you’re getting an ass tattoo?” Millie exclaimed.

“I’m not getting an ass tattoo! Can we focus for once, please?! We need to find the document that consents to Octavia’s marriage; it’s probably hidden in the palace somewhere with Andrealphus’s things. But the wedding is in less than thirty minutes! Who knows how long it could take to find it!”

“Ah, so you need a distraction? Well, good thing I’m one helluva distraction, babe!” Blitzø gleefully stated as he drove on the wrong side of the road to pass a slow-moving truck.

“I’ll go with him,” Moxxie offered. “Make sure he doesn’t do anything too stupid.”

“And I’ll go with you, Stolas,” Loona chimed in. “We can dig through paperwork quickly enough to find what you’re looking for.”

“And Millie can have the most important job of all! Which is pointing that fucking gun right at your ex-wife’s ugly-ass beak and pulling the trigger!” Blitzø exclaimed.

“No killing Via’s mother,” Stolas scolded.

“Fineeeeee. Kill the ice queen, Mills!”

“That I can turn a blind eye to.”

----

“Oh, darling, you look glorious!” her mother shrieked.

Octavia looked at herself in the mirror, decked out in the full wedding attire, sleeves poofed up to her chin. Her mother stood behind her fluffing her veil out.

“Mother, are you sure I have to do this? I just—I never saw myself getting married.”

“Yes, Octavia! We all have to get married; we all have to participate in the Goetic rules! Your father protected you from this for way too long. You should’ve had a spouse chosen for you back when you were a child, just like everyone else.”

“You…were arranged when you were children? Isn’t that…kind of messed up?”

Her mother ignored her question. “This will be good for you, Octavia. Kaddix is a very nice man, and he’ll give your estate—protect, I mean! Protect your estate from all those scoundrels out there that try to marry just for power and riches!”

Octavia turned around to face her mother, torn between her affection and her suspicion. “Mother, this is what’s best for me, right? You wouldn’t lie to me?”

Her mother grabbed her hands and looked at her straight in the eye. “Of course not, Octavia. You’re my daughter.”

Despite the anxious pit in her stomach, Octavia decided to trust her mother.

--

She was soon dragged to the aisle where her uncle was waiting for her.

“Hurry up, Octavia! We don’t have all day,” her uncle scolded. “Someone must have leaked this to the press because they’re here now, so we need to do this quickly!”

“Okay, okay, I’m here. What’s the big rush anyway?”

“Nothing! I just want this to go smoothly! For you! Go take your seat, Stella,” he ordered as he linked his arm around Octavia’s.

Octavia looked up towards her uncle. “I can trust you, right, Uncle?”

“Oh, Octavia, of course! This is for your own good, I promise! If the king found out you weren’t married, he’d be so mad at you!”

Octavia swallowed hard and faced down the aisle, the ball in her stomach growing tighter and tighter by the second.

“Uncle? I…I don’t think I want to do this. I don’t feel ready just yet.”

Her uncle tightened his grip on her arm. “Grow up, Octavia! You are fucking doing this, and you’re fucking doing it right now!”

“No! No, I don’t want to!”

She attempted to pull herself free from his grasp, but he was stronger. She thought about using her powers, but suddenly, the music started, and her uncle was dragging her down the aisle. Before she knew it, she was at the end of the altar, standing in front of some random stranger whom she was supposed to kiss in just a few minutes in front of so many important Goetia and—

And she froze.

The officiant was saying something that she couldn’t quite focus on, and Kaddix was looking at her with some face she couldn’t quite understand, and her uncle was still holding her still with a grip she couldn’t break free from, and—

And she wanted her dad! She wanted to see her dad! He wouldn’t let this happen! He’d stop this, he’d protect her! Fuck, she should’ve called him! She should’ve listened to him, heard him out at the very least! Would she ever see him again? Would she ever get the chance to talk to him again?

She felt the tears build up and spill over, running down her cheeks as Kaddix stepped closer and—

BAM!

“Hey, hey, hey, you asshole chickens! I think someone forgot my invite!”

The entire venue paused, heads turning towards the entrance. There, standing by kicked-in doors…

Was Blitzø.

He…he came to save her?

“Oh, Lucifer!” her uncle yelled. “What the fuck is Stolas’s feral puppy doing here?!”

“I’ll take that as a compliment,” Blitzø said as he sauntered down the aisle, waving a gun around, another imp by his side. “You didn’t really think you’d get away with this, did you, ice cube?”

Her uncle let her go to step closer to Blitzø. “You can’t stop me. You’re nothing.”

“Yeah…but that’s not.” He used his gun to point to the rafters of the venue where another imp was stationed with an angelic rifle. She fired it once, the bullet whizzing right by her uncle’s head.

“Wha—where did you even get such a weapon?!” her uncle babbled.

“Oh, ya know, from that guy your bitchy sister hired to kill her husband. I took it from that shitty assassin after my team saved Stolas’s life.”

“That’s a lie!” Her mother stood from her chair. “I—I never would’ve tried to kill my husband! I’m sure this filthy creature bought that himself!”

“Psh, with what money? You know how much an angelic weapon costs?” the other imp interrupted. “We’re just poor, broke peasants of Hell. We definitely don’t have funds like that. You know, funds that royalty has.”

Her uncle grabbed Blitzø and held him up to his face. “What does Stolas even see in you, you charlatan? He’s regal and proper and intelligent! And you’re…you.”

“Awww, you mad he’s not in your bed or something?”

Her uncle growled and dropped Blitzø back to the ground. “Are you objecting to this wedding, imp?”

“Yeah! Yeah, as a matter of fact, I am!”

“On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that, uh, I mean—”

“Sir, are you pronouncing your love?” a news reporter asked as he shoved a camera in his face.”

“Mr. Buckzo, just how long have you been in love with the princess?” another asked, holding a notepad.

“Wait, what?!”

“That’s why you’re objecting to the wedding, right? Because you’re in love with Princess Octavia?” the reporter clarified.

“Oh, gross, you fucking pervert! She’s a fucking child! I’m not in love with her, dumb fuck, I’m in love with her dad—oh shit.”

Suddenly, the press surrounded Blitzø, now more interested in Hell’s number one imp instead of a royal wedding.

“But sir, didn’t the ex-prince frame you?”

“Didn’t he use you?”

“Didn’t Stolas send you to Earth illegally to wreak havoc and then force you to take the fall for it?”

A multitude of questions spilled from the reporters' mouths, definitely overwhelming Blitzø but causing a distraction nonetheless.

----

“Oh lords, what the Heaven happened to this place?” Stolas remarked as he and Loona stepped into the palace, taking in the repulsive paint job and gaudy self-portraits of his ex-wife and her narcissistic brother.

“Yikes. They did some serious renovations here,” Loona agreed.

“Whatever. Let’s start in the library where the main desk is and hope that Andrealphus was stupid enough to leave the documents there.”

The two of them ran to the library and began digging through the desk drawers and nearby bookshelves, looking for anything that resembled a forged wedding paper.

“So what exactly is the plan here, Stolas? We find the document, stop the wedding, and then what? Just hope your crazy family gives up?”

“Honestly, I haven’t thought that far ahead.” Stolas dumped out the contents of another manila envelope. “I’m sort of hoping that calling them out on an illegal wedding is enough to convince the Goetia to dethrone Andrealphus or at least file for a retrial.”

Loona stopped looking. “Wait, so you’ll, what, become a prince again? Take back everything that you lost?”

“Well, in a perfect world, perhaps. Again, I haven’t thought that far ahead yet.”

“A perfect world? Are—are you going to leave us, Stolas?”

Stolas ceased his own search and looked to Loona, whose ears were down, a frown on her face.

“You think you can just come into our home, come into I.M.P., come into our lives, and then just ditch once you get everything back?! You’re just going to leave Blitzø? Leave me?”

“What? No! No, I’d never do that to you, to any of you!” Stolas moved closer to Loona and placed a hand on her shoulder. “Even if I get my powers and my status back, I’d never abandon you all, especially not you and Blitzø. You’re…well, you’re part of my family.”

“We are?”

“I’d…like to think so. You both helped me at a time when I thought I’d never recover, that I’d never see the light again. You especially, Loona, helped me open back up, to let more people in, to have fun again. In a way, I see you as…well…”

“As what?”

“Sort of as another daughter.”

Loona didn’t respond, but she did smile softly, tail wagging behind her.

“Hey, look!” Loona pointed to a nearby bookshelf. She grabbed a book, the Grimoire, nonetheless, and grabbed a piece of paper that was hanging out of the side. She opened the folded document to reveal the forged wedding certificate.

“Loona! Amazing work!”

“Eh, classic villain move—hiding your important papers inside the magic book. A little on the nose.”

“Let’s get to the wedding! And hopefully stop your father from whatever crazed distraction he decided upon.”

----

“Look, can we all just stop talking about my crazy hot relationship with Stolas?! He didn’t frame me for anything, he didn’t force me into his bed, and he didn’t possess me and use my body as a demonic sacrifice. That last one doesn’t even make any sense,” Blitzø argued with the press.

“Then what did happen?” an imp reporter asked.

Octavia found herself asking the same question.

“Those two clowns set the whole thing up!” Blitzø clarified, pointing to her mother and uncle. “They knew Stolas would take the fall, and now they’re using Octavia!”

“To do what?”

“I dunno! Something evil, probably!”

“So this whole time that Hell has been singing your praise, we’ve also been dumping trash on your boyfriend?”

“Yep. So I bet you all feel like giant fucking assholes now, huh?”

Just then, the door burst open again, revealing her father and Loona. He held a piece of paper tight in his talons. He looked angry and sad but determined and confident at the same time.

She had never seen her father look like that before.

“Andrealphus, what is the meaning behind this?!” he shouted as he approached the end of the aisle.

“Stolas, Stolas!” a member of the press shouted. “Who’s the top in your relationship? You or the imp?”

“Excuse me?!”

Her father glared at Blitzø, whose smile dripped with guilt and tail twitched anxiously. “What! You said distract them!”

“I didn’t agree to this!” her father said as he directed his attention back to her uncle. “This whole thing is illegal!”

Gasps and murmurs erupted from the crowd and the press.

“Is this true?” the officiant asked.

“Just look at their ‘official’ consent document. They forged my signature!” He handed the paper over. “I would never sign a document with a little heart after my name.”

“Stella!” her uncle screamed. “I told you to do it perfectly!”

“What?! He’s gay; I thought he’d find that cute!” her mother replied.

“So this wedding is a sham?” the officiant questioned.

“No! No, it’s not!” her uncle yelled. “Yes, we forged the document, but that’s only because we didn’t know where to find dear Stolas. But he’s here now! He can consent in person! Right, Stolas?”

Her father turned towards her, acknowledging her for the first time. “Is this what you want? Do you want to be married to this man?”

“No! No, I don’t want this at all!” she cried.

“Then I don’t consent to anything,” her father told the officiant. “And everyone knows this wedding means nothing if both her parents don’t agree.”

“This, this, this is ridiculous!” her uncle screamed. “How did this even happen?! Who the fuck told the press?! This was supposed to be a closed event!”

“You really shouldn’t have invited me, idiota,” a parrot said as he stood up from the crowd.

“Oh, Vassago! What the fuck! You just can’t ever let me be happy!”

“No, I can’t! And I want to see Stolas win!” He took a step closer to her father, which caused a confused look on Blitzø’s face, followed by a growl.

“Fine! I’ll beat you all the hard way!” Her uncle powered up, growing in size, a snowy storm brewing around him. “After all, none of you have powers! All you have is one measly weapon!” But with a flick of his wrist, the angelic weapon in the rafters was frozen solid.

Blitzø, Loona, and the other imp all raised their guns at her uncle, which, granted, wouldn’t do anything against him. Meanwhile, her father stood in front of her, placing an arm out to protect her. She held onto his shoulder.

“Dad! Dad, I’m so sorry!” she cried as the snowstorm grew more powerful, guests now starting to run out of the venue.

“Just stay back, Via!”

“I can take him!”

She pushed past her dad and powered herself up, but the second her uncle saw, he blew cold air at her, freezing her hands, balls of ice forming around them.

“Stop it!” Andrealphus screamed, snow falling faster around him. “I’ve had enough of these shenanigans; Octavia, you will be marrying Kaddix, who already agreed to sign away your estate to me once he has full access after the marriage. I will be in charge, and I will be the most powerful demon of all the Goetia!”

“Wow…You got a serious complex, dude,” Blitzø insulted. “I know a therapist if you need one. She’s insane; I think you’d get along well.”

“So that’s what this whole thing has been about?!” Octavia yelled back. “You wanted me to get married just so you could manipulate some poor man into handing over my money?!”

“No! No, of course not! I’m not that shallow. I wanted your money, your palace, and your legions. Everything I rightfully earned in that trial. You know, that trial where your father admitted to illegally lending his Grimoire to a puny firetoad.”

“Oh, sure, and you’ve never done anything illegal. Like forging my signature on official documents,” her father said, rolling his eyes.

“Enough!” Andrealphus raised his arms, powers emitting from the tips of his fingers. His face was angry, brows furrowed, as he started forming an ice ball that would surely take them all out. Blitzø and his friends tightened their grips on their guns as her father pulled her closer to her.

Suddenly, a black portal formed in the center of the venue, swirling bigger and bigger until a form stepped out, stopping her uncle’s movements entirely.

“What in Lucifer’s red Hell is going on here?!” the figure yelled, the portal closing behind him. “Which one of you imbeciles called me on my day off? I was supposed to be getting a mud therapy massage.”

Everyone was silent. Some Goetia backed away slowly while others sprinted out of the venue. Eventually, the figure’s eyes landed on her father.

“Stolas!” The figure used his powers to pull her father closer to him. “What is the meaning behind all of this?!”

Her father laughed nervously, and Octavia noticed genuine fear in his eyes. Whoever this was, her father was definitely more scared of him than her uncle.

“Ah, Father! Um, so lovely to see you again after so long! Well, you see, oh, how do I explain this, um—” her father stammered.

“Stolas let an imp use his Grimoire!” her uncle tattled.

“Yes, well, Andrealphus ordered an assassination on me and then framed me in Satan’s court and now is attempting to marry off my daughter so he can steal her inheritance!” Stolas argued just as petulantly.

“I did not order that assassination! That was all your stupid ex-wife’s plan—”

“Andrealphus! How dare you rat me out, you moron!” her mother shrieked, shaking her fist at her uncle.

All Octavia could do was watch, the ice around her hands still solid.

Her mother…was going to kill her father?

“Look, I don’t fully understand what is going on here, nor do I care to fully understand. But it sounds like Stolas broke demon law all for what exactly?” her apparent grandfather asked.

Everyone in the room pointed straight at Blitzø.

“Wow, thanks, guys. Way to throw me under the bus.”

“You.” Her grandfather now brought Blitzø closer to him, black powers swirling around him. “Just what exactly were you using the Grimoire for?” he asked in a sinister tone.

“Uhh, to go to, uh, Earth, Your Majesty or whatever the fuck I’m supposed to call you. To…kill people?” Blitzø admitted anxiously

“You…created Hell on Earth for the puny humans?”

“Uhhh, well, I guess you could call it that. They did often scream in terror before I killed them so…”

“How admirable!”

Everyone in the room made a questioning noise.

“Well, isn’t that the point of being a demon? To spread hatred and violence and animosity? I commemorate you, tiny imp, for spreading Lucifer’s true message. And you, Stolas, you assisted the imp by sending him to Earth and monitoring his killings because  you, too, wanted to see the downfall of humanity?”

“Uh-I-Yes, definitely, that is 100% exactly what happened and the motivation behind my actions,” her father confirmed quickly.

“Well, I don’t see why Satan would have a problem with that. But then again, he’s always had such a fucking ego. He probably saw the first chance to punish you and took it because he gets off on the power trip. I suppose that’s why I received this in the mail.”

Beside her grandfather, a ball of black and red power appeared, the light twisting all around itself.

“He sent you my powers…in the mail?”

“It was express!” Her grandfather rolled his eyes. “You should take these back, though. I’m not sure what’s going on here with all this.” He gestured vaguely with his hand. “But it sounds like a huge fucking mess that I don’t want to be involved in.”

“Wait, Your Highness!” her uncle yelled. “I don’t think you truly understand the magnitude of Stolas’s sentencing! Satan took away his powers and his status; you shouldn’t even consider him to be one of your children anymore!”

“That fucking dick! He always thinks he can boss me around when he can’t! I’m in charge of the Goetia—not him! He takes away my son’s powers and gives his title and estate to some loser schmuck,” he spat in her uncle’s face. “When he doesn’t have the authority to do so! Satan can rule over the puny imps all he wants, but no one is going to tell me what to do.

“Marry your daughter off, don’t marry your daughter off. I don’t give a fuck what you do, Stolas, as long as you stay out of the fucking way, understood?”

Her father quickly nodded, fear showing in his eyes. “Yes, sir. I understand. Thank you.”

“I’m not doing it for you, idiot. I’m doing this for me.” He forcefully sent the ball of power towards her father. The second it reached him, it was absorbed into his body. He took a gasping breath and fell to his knees.

“Dad!” Octavia followed him down to the floor, watching as he regained his powers.

“Now, everyone, just go back to the way things were, where I was in charge and you all listened to me and didn’t get wrapped up in things that involved a fucking Sin. I’ll handle that big-horned dickbag this time because he pissed me off, but next time, I’m leaving everyone to die on their own!

“Except for that one.” He pointed to Blitzø. “I like you, you little psychopathic, murderous freak. Continue to terrorize the humans!”

“Uh, haha, whatever you say, dude,” Blitzø nervously replied.

And with that, her grandfather stepped through a portal, leaving the scene.

After a moment of silence, one of Blitzø’s employees spoke up. “Well, that felt like a very anticlimactic conclusion.”

Her uncle growled. “Satan dammit, Stolas! Why do you always have to ruin everything!” Ice shards flew from his fingertips, forcing everyone to shield themselves. “You weren’t always like this, you know. You used to be complacent and agreeable and restrained—all good traits of a royal! And now, because of that imp, you’re brash and annoying and loud and—and—”

“I think the adjective you’re looking for is strong,” her father interrupted.

Her uncle let out a scream of frustration before powering up once more and creating an army of four-legged ice creatures, all snarling and baring teeth.

“Just give up, Andrealphus. This is already over,” her father said. “You lost.”

“You may have foiled my plans, Stolas, but I am not done yet. I am going to fucking kill you.”

The army charged forward, but Blitzø and the other imp immediately started fighting, firing guns and swinging swords at the ice creatures, all while having way too much fun. Loona started throwing fireballs, instantly melting much of the army. Her uncle transformed into an ice monster while her father transformed into his eldritch form, the two of them charging at each other, colliding midair. All Octavia could do was watch as the remainder of the wedding guests and press ran away while she attempted to ignite her powers to melt the ice around her hands.

Her father threw her uncle to the floor, beating him quite quickly in battle, and half-transformed back. “I’m not going to let you kill me, Andrealphus. Or my daughter or my friends. I will do whatever it takes to end this.”

Her uncle breathed heavily, spitting black blood out of his mouth “Then do it, pussy.”

Her father raised his arms, a swirl of wind built up around the venue until a glow of light appeared in the corner of the room. It grew larger and larger until Octavia finally realized what it was.

It was a portal.

That led to a black hole.

Blitzø and his crew screamed while holding on to a nearby pew to avoid being sucked in, while Octavia had to stand up and hold onto the altar, afraid of being blown away herself.

Her father stomped a large claw on top of her uncle’s back and slid him across the floor straight towards the hole. He was mostly sucked in, still hanging on to the foot of a pew by the tips of his talons.

“You may have beaten me, Stolas, but I’m not letting you get a clean sweep! I’m not letting you be happy!” her uncle shouted against the wind.

Just then, a large arm made of ice charged towards Octavia, her eyes wide with fear as she shook her hands in a last-ditch attempt to free her hands and fight back.

But she was too late.

The hand reached for her, seconds away from closing around her body and dragging her into the black hole as well.

And then suddenly, she was pushed out of the way and landed harshly on the floor. She looked up, the ice hand clenched tightly, but instead of her it—

Was Blitzø.

He had pushed her out of the way, getting caught in her uncle’s grip instead and was now being dragged towards the whirl of power.

“Well, not who I was aiming for…but you’ll do,” her uncle sneered.

And then he let go.

He fell into the black hole, and with him went the ice arm, his army, and…and Blitzø.

His friends shouted for him, firing their weapons at the ice hand, which was just too hard to penetrate. Octavia watched in horror as the red dickhead who really had no reason to protect her at all just…just died for her. A tear streamed down her face as she looked towards her father, whose pupils were showing despite his returned powers. Half a second later, he was fully transformed again and flying in after Blitzø, the portal to the black hole closing behind him.

And then they were gone.

The wind stopped, and everyone let go, standing up in the quiet stillness.

“Dad!” Loona ran forward to where the portal to the black hole was, looking around frantically. The other imp was joined by the one in the rafters with the angelic rifle, stunned looks on both of their faces.

“Fuck, where the fuck did they go?!” Loona shouted, banging on the wall.

“There’s no use,” Octavia whispered. “They’re dead.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?!”

“They’re dead. That was a portal to a black hole. It’s massive and dense and unstoppable. Gravity will suck you in and keep you there forever. There’s no light, no oxygen, and no power. There’s no escape.”

“We need to try! We need to get to them before it’s too late!”

“It’s already too late! Besides, I don’t know the spell; I don’t know how to open a portal to a fucking black hole!”

“What do you know?! This is all your fucking fault anyway! We never would’ve had to come here if you hadn’t been stupid enough to side with your mom! We never would’ve had to save you, and my dad wouldn’t be fucking dead!”

“Guys—” the female imp interrupted.

“Why are you blaming me?! I had no idea any of this was happening! And by the way, my dad’s dead too!”

“Girls, girls, please no fighting!”

Octavia looked over to see one remaining wedding guest: the red parrot—Vassago.

“Octavia, are you able to open a portal? They might be near the black hole, and we may not have much time to get to them,” the parrot said.

“I already said, I don’t know the spell! And everyone screaming at me isn’t helping!”

“Um, guys—”

“We’re just trying to help you, Princesa.”

“No, we’re trying to get Blitzø and Stolas back,” Loona snapped. “I need them back.”

“I don’t know how to do it! I need my father; he never taught me how! There were so many things he never taught me how to do!” Octavia cried.

“Guys!”

They all looked over to the female imp who was clutching her stomach. She looked…

“I think the baby’s coming.”

Chapter 2: Into the Black Hole

Notes:

I cried five times while writing this chapter. This means so much to me, and I hope I've written a satisfying ending for you all.

Enjoy <3

Blitzø squeezed his eyes shut, the grip of the ice hand growing tighter around him. Besides, he knew he was in space, probably seconds away from being sucked into a fucking powerful abyss, and he really didn’t want his last sight to be traumatic.

Before he pushed Octavia out of the way, Blitzø stole one last look at Stolas, who looked as beautiful as he always did—his perfect feathers, his caring eyes, his hot ass…

He’d much rather have Stolas as his last sight than the wannabe Ice King or whatever space monstrosity awaited him.

So he kept his eyes closed until a force knocked into him, freeing him from the ice hand. The cold was replaced by warmth, feathers tickling his whole body. A large wing wrapped around him, keeping him close to the body that had saved him. Blitzø, now knowing that Stolas must’ve flown into the portal after him, grabbed onto the feathers tight, crawling up until he could keep his arms around Stolas’s neck. Or as best as he could around Stolas’s giant-ass neck.

Suddenly, something stopped the pull of the crazy whirlpool of space power. Blitzø finally dug his head out of Stolas’s feathers and opened his eyes. He looked down to see a huge whirling darkness that was pulling in everything close by.

“Stolas! What the fuck is going on?! Where are we?!” he yelled over the sound of the powerful (and scary) space portal thingy.

Stolas, who had dug his claws into whatever space rock they had landed on to keep them from moving, transformed his face back to normal.

“We’re at a black hole! It eats everything in its vicinity, destroying everything in its path! If you get sucked inside, there’s no escape!”

“Great! Cool field trip! Now, portal us back before we fucking die!”

“I can’t!”

“What do you mean you can’t?! You got your powers back!”

“I mean I can’t! I’ve been trying, but I can’t make a portal! Probably because we are so close to the black hole that it’s sucking away my power as I use it! It’s already difficult enough to maintain a field of oxygen for us!”

Blitzø looked back at the black hole. It swirled faster and faster, sucking in nearby rocks and space debris. He huddled closer to Stolas, clawing into the red and black feathers as he pushed the fear in his body back down.

“So what do we do?!”

“I…I don’t know!”

Blitzø turned back towards Stolas, whose eyes were wide, pupils showing even though he had his powers back.

“I’m sorry, Blitzø. I think…I think I killed us.”

----

“You have to give birth now?!” Loona yelled.

“Hey, you don’t get to choose! The baby does!” the pregnant imp shouted back.

“Well tell the baby to choose later!”

The other imp ran over to the pregnant one. “It’s okay, honey. I’m here,” he comforted as he helped her stay steady on her feet.

“We need to save Blitzø,” the pregnant imp stated.

“Octavia, can you do the spell?” the parrot—Vassago—asked.

“I—no! I’ve never done it before; I don’t even know it.”

“Is it in the Grimoire?” Loona asked, handing the book over.

Octavia quickly flipped through the pages to locate the correct spell. She skimmed it briefly, already doubting herself. “There’s no way I’ll be able to do this. I’ve never done anything like this before!”

“Just try, dammit!” Loona yelled at her. “What’s so bad about trying?!”

“I could rip a hole in the fabric of the fucking universe!”

“Octavia, look at me.” Vassago turned her around. “You can do this! If Stolas were here, he’d be saying the same exact thing. You are powerful and strong and important. You need to save them, and it has to be now.”

“Ahh!” the pregnant imp screamed, still clutching her stomach.

Octavia took a breath, shut her eyes, and focused all of the power she had.

----

Killed them?

No. No, that couldn’t be right. Blitzø was just starting to enjoy his life! He finally figured out how to be a father, he finally figured out how to be a boyfriend, and he finally figured out how to be a fucking boss! He didn’t want any of that to end yet!

“Octavia can save us,” he tried.

“She doesn’t know the spell. I…I never got the chance to teach it to her.”

“She’s smart! She can figure it out.”

“I’m sorry, Blitzø,” Stolas apologized again, a tear rolling down his face. “I just wanted to get rid of him. I didn’t want him to be able to hurt any of you again, but I didn’t…I didn’t think any of this through. I’m so sorry.”

So that was it then. This was how it was all going to end. After everything they’ve been through…

He couldn’t blame Stolas, though. He never would. He was just trying to protect his daughter, and besides, Blitzø chose to save Octavia, just like how Stolas chose to save him.

“It’s okay, baby. Going out with you in a black hole is a pretty badass way to die,” he joked, trying to make Stolas feel better. He looked back towards his boyfriend, whose face was scrunched in pain as he attempted to readjust his talons buried in the rock.

“You can let go, Stolas.”

“No! We’ll die!”

“Dying with you ain’t so bad. Pretty romantic actually, right?”

“In a way.” Stolas let out a watery laugh.

“See? Glad I got one thing right: finally gave you your rom-com moment.”

“Oh, Blitzø…You got all of it right.”

“No need to lie; we’re about to die.”

“I’m not. I wouldn’t change one single thing about us.”

Blitzø kissed Stolas one last time, running a few of his feathers through his claws as he cradled Stolas’s face. “Yeah. I wouldn’t either.”

“Well! How fucking sentimental!”

A force collided with Stolas, knocking his talons from the planet. Blitzø quickly wrapped his tail around Stolas’s middle in an attempt to keep them together. Although Stolas lost his grip for a moment, he grabbed a nearby stone buried in the planet to try to keep them out of the black hole once more.

Fucking Elsa grabbed onto Stolas’s leg, attempting to crawl up to save himself.

“Get off!” Blitzø reached for his gun and fired at Andrealphus’s stupid face. “Don’t touch my boyfriend’s legs!”

“Just give up, Andrealphus! We’re all already dead; don’t make this worse than it has to be!” Stolas added.

Just then, Blitzø noticed a small spark of light close to where they were. It was slowly growing, but not by much. He squinted until the light became clearer; he made out Octavia’s face and the background of the wedding venue. It was a portal!

“Stolas! Stolas, look!” Blitzø tapped Stolas’s chest a few times before pointing to the portal. Stolas completely transformed again and flew towards the portal, holding Blitzø close to him. They made it through the portal, crashing onto the floor of the wedding venue. Unfortunately, Andrealphus, the slimy bastard, was still gripping Stolas’s leg with all of his might, and Blitzø sure as fuck wasn’t going to let this whole thing happen without somebody dying.

He shot again at the ice cube’s face, and although it wasn’t hurting him, it sure was distracting him. Stolas gave him one last kick with his freed leg, sending Andrealphus further into space, the black hole still growing and swirling with power.

“You won’t get away with this, Stolas!” he shouted. “I promise you, one day, you will have everything taken away from you!”

“Close the fucking portal already!” Loona shouted as she held on to Millie and Moxxie, preventing them from flying into the black hole.

“I can’t; I don’t know how!” Octavia admitted.

Andrealphus was barely hanging in front of them, screaming as one hand reached through the portal. Stolas summoned his power and took over the spell from Octavia, closing the portal and cutting off Andrealphus’s arm at the wrist.

The room was silent for a moment before the severed arm twitched, causing everyone in the room who had a gun to whip it out and shoot the hand several times until black blood spurted everywhere.

“Is he dead?” Blitzø asked hesitantly.

“I…think so,” Stolas answered.

“Are we dead?”

“Fairly certain we are not.”

“Well, great work, team! Another successful mission!” Blitzø smiled proudly despite the near-death experience that occurred less than twenty seconds ago.

“Ahh! Fuck, it hurts!” Millie cried out.

“The fuck is wrong with you? All you did was hold an angelic rifle and then not fire it.”

“She’s in labor, Blitzø,” Moxxie corrected.

“Huh?”

“I’m having the baby!” Millie clarified.

“What, now?!” Blitzø exclaimed. “I just got back from a black hole, and your little gremlin is clawing their way out now?!”

“Oh, sure, make it all about you, just like you always do!” Moxxie yelled back.

“I can’t help it if I’ve got main character energy, Moxx. Someone has to bring the personality to this dry-ass group!”

“Stop fighting!” Stolas interrupted. “Millie’s about to have a baby; she needs a hospital, not your annoying bickering.”

With a wave of his hand, he opened a portal to a hospital in Sloth. Moxxie immediately helped Millie through it, walking her to the front door of the hospital. Blitzø looked through the portal, wanting to follow them and be there for them during such an important time, but at the same time, so much had just happened, and he felt guilty about leaving.

Stolas knelt down next to him and smiled, his eyes harder to read without the pupils. “Go.”

“What about you?”

“Oh, I’m sure they want space. I’ll visit later, after all the excitement. Besides, I…I need to be here for a little while.” He gestured behind him towards Octavia.

“Will you be okay?”

“I think so.”

Blitzø stepped closer to the portal. “I’ll be back for you.”

“Well, I should hope so.”

----

Once Blitzø stepped through the portal, followed closely by Loona, who somehow looked both relieved and scared at the same time, her father stood back up.

“You murdered him,” her mother’s voice whispered. “You murdered my brother.”

“I did what I had to do,” her father responded.

“You’ll pay for this. You murdered another Goetia. You’ll—they’ll get you for this!”

“You don’t scare me anymore, Stella. You heard what the king said. I own everything again, not you and not your arrogant brother. So leave before I make you leave.”

Octavia thought her mother would put up more of a fight, but she didn’t. She frowned and huffed but turned around and stopped out of the venue.

Without even saying goodbye.

“Oh, amigo! I am so proud of you!” Vassago came closer, a smile on his face, arms wide.

“Oh! Thank you.” Her father smiled shyly. “Um, apologies, but do I know you?”

“Not exactly, but I’ve admired you from afar for quite a while!”

“Um…”

“It’s okay. He helped,” Octavia jumped in. “He’s not as creepy as he just came across as. Like he said, he leaked the story to the press. No one would’ve even known about this wedding if it weren’t for him.”

“Then I owe you my gratitude. Thank you for your support and assistance. You protected my daughter.”

“The pleasure is mine. As I said, I can’t stand Andrealphus. It’s nice enough to know that he got what has been coming to him for years, that imbecile.” Vassago pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it over. “But do keep in touch, should you ever need anything, Prince Stolas.”

Her father hesitantly took the card, watching as Vassago took his leave. Finally, he turned to her.

“You look beautiful.”

Octavia snorted. “I don’t feel it. And this dress is hideous.”

“Surely your mother’s taste, but you could make anything look beautiful.”

She smiled and took her veil off, dropping it to the floor before she sat down on the altar steps. Her father sat next to her.

“I’m so confused. About so much,” she admitted.

“I know. And part of that is my fault. But—” He reached towards her hand but stopped just shy of touching her. “I’d like to better explain myself. If you’re wanting to hear my truth, that is.”

Octavia joined their hands. “I think I’d like that.”

A second later, she lurched forward, wrapping her arms around her dad, who immediately returned the hug.

“Thank you. For coming to save me even after…”

“You don’t ever have to thank me for that. I’m your father, and I’ll always be your father.”

She pulled back, tears lining her eyes. “I’m still mad at you. You made me feel abandoned.”

He nodded. “And I’m heartbroken that I made you feel that way. I am so, so sorry for the way I handled things. I kept many secrets, and that caused a rift between us. I’ve learned a lot over the past few months, and there’s a lot I should’ve done differently.”

Octavia rested her head on his shoulder. “Yes, well. There’s a lot I’d like to know about, if that’s okay.”

He trilled and put his arm around her. “Very okay. Let’s leave this place.”

“Yeah. Let’s…let’s go home.”

“Um, what about me?” a voice broke their comfortable moment.

Octavia looked over to see Kaddix peering out from behind a pew.

“You’re still here?” Octavia asked.

“I didn’t know what else to do, so I hid. But, um, if Andrealphus is dead then, um—”

“Everyone’s gone, Kaddix. We’re not getting married.”

“Right, right, right. Good. I mean, bad! Or, um, you know, I would’ve married you; you’re nice and everything. And pretty. It’s just, heh, I’m—we barely know each other. But perhaps one day? That is if you’re interested in me, and I might be interested in you—”

Her father transformed next to her, eldritch power spiraling around him as he growled.

Kaddix immediately turned and sprinted out of the venue.

Octavia laughed. “Come on, he wasn’t that bad.”

“He’s certainly not good enough for my daughter. He hid when you were in danger!”

She laid her head back down. “Oh, stop,” she said, still laughing. “He was just scared. I know I was.”

“You don’t have to be anymore. I promise, I’m not going anywhere.”

It was a promise he had made to her before, but this time, she could tell he was serious.

“Good. Because I really don’t want you to.”

----

“Awww! Look at those little claws! She’ll be killing in no time!” Blitzø gushed as he tail whipped back and forth eagerly.

“Sir, our baby will be doing nothing of the sort!”

“Yes, she will!” Millie argued back. “She’ll be deadly and violent just like us!”

“Just what every parent wants,” Loona muttered.

“Don’t be jealous, Looney!” Blitzø hugged her. “You’re still the cutest in the room!”

“Ew.”

“So what’s the kid’s name?”

“Molly Jo. MJ for short,” Millie announced.

Blitzø held in a laugh.

“What?! What’s so wrong with that name?!” Moxxie yelled.

“Nothing! Nothing! It’s just…your kid’s named after two different types of drugs.”

Loona shoved him over, shutting him up. “Don’t listen to him. It’s a good name. Besides, being named after a drug is badass.”

Blitzø stood back up and leaned closer to the baby, running his finger against her cheek. “Yeah. And her good looks make up for it.”

“Did you mean what you said?” Moxxie asked.

“When? I say a lot of bullshit that I don’t remember.”

“When you said you wanted to be her Hellfather.”

Blitzø’s chest tightened, his vision blurring slightly.

“You mean that?”

“Well, you and Stolas. Someone needs to be the responsible one,” Moxxie clarified.

“But you can be the fun one!” Millie added.

“And the one who will raise Hell for her if something ever happened to us.”

Blitzø clenched his hands into fists, doing his best to fight off the tears in his eyes.

“Course I will.”

MJ yawned, her limbs tightly swaddled, but she wiggled slightly, eyes blinking back at him.

Lucifer, she looked just like both of them.

“I love you guys,” Blitzø whispered. “You did good.”

Moxxie rested his hand on his shoulder.

“We love you too.”

“Fuck, okay, stop getting so sappy on me.”

“But, sir, you were the one who—”

“Well, I’ve got to skedaddle. My birdie is a prince again, which means I can go back to fucking him on his very nice, very plush mattress!”

“Blitzø!” everyone exclaimed.

“You can’t talk like that in front of a baby, dumbass,” Loona explained.

“Why not? She can’t even understand us yet. Besides, better she finds out about sex through me instead of walking in on her parents.”

“Just go,” Millie ordered.

“Alright, alright. I’ll come back tomorrow. And I’ll bring Stolas. He wanted to give you space tonight, but he’ll want to fuss over her soon.”

“We look forward to it. At least he’ll be appropriate in front of her.”

Blitzø rolled his eyes as he opened the door, but before leaving, he took one last look at his employees.

His family.

He was so goddamn proud of them.

--

After Blitzø confirmed that Stolas was at the palace and that it was okay that he came over, he traveled back to Pride, remembering that he had left his van at the wedding venue. Stolas offered a portal, but Blitzø declined, wanting the time to think instead.

So much had changed since the trial.

He had learned so much, mostly about himself and how to be in a real relationship, and not just with Stolas either. He learned to let people in, to rely on them, to trust them. He learned to let other people love him.

And he was so much happier for it.

As he sat on a bus to the palace, he pulled out his phone and opened his text thread with Barbie and scrolled through the messages he had sent over the years. Some were short, others were bricks of text (thank you, speech-to-text). Some were too incoherent thanks to alcohol, others were too manufactured and robotic. Some were desperate, others were scared. But none of them ever received a response.

Barbie left a huge hole in his heart, one that would never be fixed. But he at least wanted to show her that he was better now, that he was someone who could actually help her, be there for her.

He scrolled back to the last message he had sent her a few days after Verosika came to the I.M.P. office. He had a long message typed out, one that sounded sad and pathetic. Stolas helped him tweak it to something that showed he cared without being overbearing. And he spelled it correctly for Blitzø.

I’m thinking of you tonight. I hope you’re doing well.

“Sometimes, less is more,” Stolas told him that night, assuring him that the simple message was enough.

Despite the message going undelivered (he was still blocked after all), his thumbs were hovering over the keys, wanting to type out another message.

ik u dont wnna talk but if u do js let me no

And he left it at that. He’d wait for her to initiate a conversation. He can’t pressure her into it; he can’t shove himself down her throat. It would only make it worse. He needed to wait until she was ready.

He hoped she would be ready soon.

--

It was late, so Blitzø chose to sneak into the palace rather than barge in. It looked a lot like he remembered, but it was fucking hideous now. The snow was gone, but there were no blooming plants or pretty purple paint or stacks of books.

Stolas would surely be upset about that.

Instead of booking it to his bedroom, Blitzø moved to the kitchen first, knowing that Stolas probably wanted tea after such a stressful day. And now, he could make his boyfriend the fancy kind instead of microwaving water and soaking a teabag.

Blitzø dug through the huge-ass pantry until he found a bag of tea leaves that matched the flavor that Stolas always liked to buy from the store. He didn’t know what it was, but it smelled like dirt. But hey, if it made the bird happy then…

He began making tea the way Stolas was supposed to drink it. He only knew because Stolas had shown him a HellTube video of it after Blitzø suggested that he use the microwave. Stolas had been so offended by that idea.

“Stealing our tea leaves now?”

The voice startled him, but he relaxed when he realized it was just Octavia.

“For your dad.”

“That’s nice of you.”

“Yeah. He really destroys my tough-guy personality.”

Octavia leaned against the kitchen counter, head perched on her hand.

“You really do love him then?”

“I do. I’d do anything for him. Hence why I’m exposing myself to the gross dirt smell just so he can drink tea.”

Octavia hummed but stayed quiet for a few moments as the two of them watched the tea steep.

“Why did you push me out of the way? You could’ve died.”

Blitzø looked at her face, and all he could see was Stolas. Satan, they looked similar, but they acted similar too. She was just as strong as he was, determined and courageous too. She was smart and powerful and sweet. Of course, she was probably more deadly to him than Stolas was, but Blitzø could look past that.

“Because I love you.”

Octavia frowned. “You don’t even know me.”

“No. But I love every single part of him, and you’re a part of him. I said I’d do anything for him, and that means I’d do anything for you, too. You’re right; I don’t know you. But…I’d like to get to know you. If you’re okay with that.”

Octavia was silent as he poured the tea into a cup and began digging through the pantry once more.

“Ugh, where’s your honey?”

“Oh, um, we don’t have any.”

“Ugh, seriously? Your dad loves honey in his tea, though.”

“He doesn’t take honey in his tea.”

“He does now. He thought it was bizarre when he first moved in, but I forced him to try it, and now he’s obsessed.”

Blitzø created a small portal to Earth using the crystal and stole a jar of their honey from a grocery store. He used the fun wooden spoon to disperse honey in the cup.

“I’ll give you a chance. You did save my life and everything.”

Blitzø looked up to see Octavia watching him pour the honey in.

“That’s all I’m asking for.”

“Yeah, well, he told me a bit about living with you. Sounds like you did a lot for him. I owe you one.”

“Nope. Don’t owe me anything for anything. How about a clean slate. A fresh start.” He closed the jar of honey and walked over to her, jumping up to sit on the counter and sticking his hand out. “Name’s Blitzø, the O is silent.”

Octavia chuckled a hooting laugh. “Octavia. It’s a pleasure.”

“Pleasure’s all mine, kiddo.”

--

Blitzø carefully carried the cup of tea up to Stolas’s bedroom and pushed open the door to reveal the owl making the bed. It looked exactly like how his bedroom always looked, so Blitzø assumed he was able to magic it back to the way it used to be.

“Darling! You startled me. I thought you’d burst through my balcony for old time’s sake,” Stolas greeted.

“Nah, decided to be dignified and enter through the front door like a gentleman. And look.” He set the teacup down on the nightstand. “I made you tea.”

“Aw, you’re so sweet.” He sat on the bed and patted the space next to him, indicating that he wanted Blitzø to sit next to him. “How is Millie? Did everything go okay?”

“Oh yeah, just fine! Baby’s real cute; she’s gonna be a heartbreaker for sure. I told them we’d come by tomorrow.”

Stolas clapped his hands. “How wonderful! I can’t wait to meet her!”

Blitzø kept the whole Hellfathers thing a secret for now. He wanted Stolas to be surprised tomorrow.

“So, did you talk to Octavia?”

“Yes! We talked for a long time, about a lot of things, things that I never imagined telling her. But I think it’s good for her to know, especially because it sounds like she was subjected to some of Goetia mindset whilst I was away. I think it’s something we’ll need to keep talking about, though. It will take more than one conversation to better understand each other, but I feel hopeful. And I think she does too, so I’d rather just focus on that for tonight.”

“That’s great, birdie. I’m happy for you. Does this mean you’re moving out?”

Stolas’s smile dropped. “I…hadn’t really thought that far ahead, I guess. I suppose I should. Octavia needs me, and this place is a wreck, and I have to continue my duties now that my powers are back…”

Blitzø was slightly disheartened by that. He adored living with Stolas. Sure, he got in the way sometimes, hogged the couch for the first few months he lived there, was shit at chores, turned the balcony into a forest, but secretly, Blitzø loved all of those things.

“I hope I don’t see you any less, however,” Stolas clarified. “I loved living with you.”

“Yeah. I liked you being there, too. But you’re right—sounds like you need to be here. We’ll still see each other, though. Can’t get rid of me that easily. What about your job?”

“Now, that I want to keep. No doubt you’ll fall apart without me.”

“Hey! I was doing just fine before you got there.”

“You were constantly misplacing documents, never took inventory, misspelled all of your case notes, and only accepted jobs based on ‘vibes.’”

“Okay, okay, fine, I need you, happy?”

Stolas nodded enthusiastically. “But maybe part-time? I need to prioritize Octavia for a while, as well as catch up on my own duties that have probably been neglected since the trial. But I’m not leaving I.M.P. I like you all too much.”

Blitzø nuzzled his head into Stolas’s arm. “But you like me the most, right?”

Stolas hummed. “I suppose so.”

“I’m so fucking proud of you, ya know. I know what that’s like, to lose everything, to live a life completely different from the one you used to have. You handled it way better than I did.”

“That’s because I didn’t lose everything. I had you. I don’t like to think about where I would be right now if you weren’t there for me. You were patient and encouraging and supportive. You taught me so much, you all did, and that’s something I fear I can’t ever repay you for.”

Blitzø crawled into Stolas’s lap. “You don’t have to repay me, Stols. There’s so much that you taught me, too. Ya know, Loona and Moxxie and Millie, they’re my family, and they love me, and I love them, but you…You’re my heart, Stolas. You taught me that all that sappy shit is okay, that I…deserve it even though I spent so long telling myself that I didn’t. So don’t pretend that what we have is one-sided. We don’t owe each other anything.”

Blitzø looked up at Stolas, watched the tears form in his eyes. “Hey, come on, don’t cry, silly.” Blitzø hugged him close, brushing his claws through Stolas’s chest fluff. “We’re supposed to be happy right now. Everything’s working out for us for once.”

“I am happy.” Stolas moved them so that they were lying down on the bed, still wrapping together. “I just never thought that I would be this happy. I didn’t think I deserved it.”

“Yeah, well.” Blitzø swallowed the lump in his throat. “Me neither.”

Stolas pecked at his horn. “I love you so much.”

“I love you too, baby.”

They held each other for a little while longer before Stolas suggested getting into bed, snuggling together again once they were under the sheets.

“Are you worried that too much is changing?” Stolas asked him.

Blitzø thought for a moment. A lot had happened, and Stolas had a point—even more was going to happen. It was scary to think about, the uncertainty about what was to come. But Blitzø had his family, he had his business, and he had hope. For once in his shitty life, he actually looked forward to the future instead of running away from it.

“Nah, we’ll be okay. It’ll be different, but we’ll be there for each other. We’ll figure it out,” Blitzø assured him.

“When did you get so wise?”

“I’ve always been this wise, bitch. People just never listen to my fantastic ideas.”

“Like your suggestion to sell your van so you can buy a horse instead?”

“In theory, that’s a wonderful idea! Imagine how much more fun it would be to get to work.”

“You wouldn’t be able to fit all of us on a single horse. You’d have to be so many of them.”

“And? What’s the problem with that?”

The two of them erupted into a giggling fit that lasted a few minutes before they finally settled down, Blitzø resting on Stolas’s chest, continuing to card his fingers through his beautiful feathers.

Stolas fell asleep fairly quickly, which was good because he needed to relax. Blitzø, on the other hand, was still trying to recover from the rush of the almost-wedding and then the terror of the near-death experience and then the excitement of the new baby. He scrolled on his phone, trying to distract himself.

The one thing he kept seeing was a new appreciation for Stolas. Apparently, the press, instead of writing a story about the overall suckiness of the Goetia and their determination to force a child to get married, decided to focus on the “unlikely” relationship between an imp and a prince. And now knowing that Blitzø and Stolas were dating, practically everyone was changing their tune when it came to the owl. They were all sharing positive words, saying how they knew the whole time that he wasn’t such a bad guy.

Yeah, right. Said the same people that threw a full egg carton at him just last week.  

Blitzø set his phone down next to him, curling closer to Stolas and hiding his face in the feathers, attempting to rid himself of the remaining images of the black hole.  

One thought that kept circling back in his head was how different they were, how much they had changed, how much they had grown. They both had come so far from that night in Blitzø’s shitty one-bedroom apartment where Stolas promised to live and Blitzø promised to show him that life was worth living.

He felt like they both did a pretty good fucking job at their ends of that deal.

Ding!

He cracked his eyes open at the sound of his phone. He reached over to grab it, worried that it might have been Millie or Moxxie needing something.

Instead, he saw a text, a response to a message that he was so fucking confident would go unanswered.

But things change. Feelings change. People change. Blitzø had the chance to learn that not only firsthand but also secondhand through Stolas.

His heart beat faster, his eyes widening in shock at one simple word that meant everything to him:

When?

Notes:

WOW!

I cannot believe that such a wild ride is over! Secretary!Stolas meant *so* much to me, and I was honestly shocked by how many people enjoyed this universe as much as me. Thank you all so, so much for your kudos, bookmarks, lovely comments, and overall support. I genuinely loved recognizing more and more usernames as time went on.

This is it for this universe for now! If you liked this series, please check out my other work! And stay tuned!! I've got more coming...if anyone is interested in a stolitz human AU, definitely check back here in a few weeks hehehe

Thank you all so much for reading!

Find me on Tumblr: @sneakyxthexclown

Notes:

Ah, gotta love a good cliffhanger. Or two. Or three.

 

Thank you all so much for reading!

Find me on Tumblr: @sneakyxthexclown

Series this work belongs to:

• Part 14 of Secretary!Stolas