Splinters & Feathers

by JumpyAngst

Summary:

Blitzø has always been loud enough to drown out the silence — until the silence starts fighting back. Between estranged voices, scars that refuse to fade, and a love too fragile to name, he stumbles through chaos, intimacy, and confrontation in search of something that feels like home.
This saga is about found family, broken crowns, and promises made in the dark — where smut can heal, laughter can wound, and trust is the only vow that matters.

Chapter 1: New Year, Same Breakdown

"You ready for the new year, Stols?" Blitzø grinned and pulled Stolas closer to him on the couch.

Loona, her friends, and M+M, were on the floor playing a board game. It reminded Blitzø of how Sinsmas went. Stolas, still crushed by losing Octavia, had hardly smiled or talked for weeks. Blitzø kept taking care of him and taking him out, telling Stolas trying new experiences would help him adjust to his new life. Stolas, being extremely passive, would tell Blitzø things like "that's fine, Blitzø". But Blitzø could tell Stolas was not himself.

Everyone started yelling the news year's count down and Blitzø tilted Stolas towards him.

"New years kiss, hmm Stols?" Blitzø said coyly.

Stolas appeared in a trance, but instead of full of wonder his stare just looked... empty.

After a moment of his Blitzø's smile faded and Stolas snapped back into reality, "Oh, yes. Of course darling."

Blitzø stroked Stolas's cheek and when the countdown hit zero he gave Stolas a tender kiss on the cheek.

"You know you're allowed to tell me no, right?" Blitzø told him softly.

Stolas sighed and spoke, "Yes, of course."

Blitzø laced his fingers into Stolas's, saying nothing. The party died down shortly after. Blitzø got up and told his friends goodnight and returned to Stolas sitting on the couch. Stolas was looking at... nothing. Just a blank stare at the floor, hands cupped in his lap. Blitzø curled up next to him and nuzzled his shoulder.

"Ready for bed, big bird?"

Stolas simply nodded and let Blitzø tuck him into bed. Blitzø then pulled the bean bag chair close to the couch and reached out for Stolas's hand. Stolas reluctantly took it and Blitzø made note.

"Maybe he's so devastated that he's not in love with me anymore," Blitzø thought but it was only moments later when Blitzø heard Stolas's soft, restful breathing. Blitzø gave him a kiss on the cheek and closed his eyes to sleep as well.

--

The next morning when Stolas woke up, Blitzø wasn't there. He looked into the kitchen. Not there either. He checked the bathroom, not there either. Stolas sighed and knocked on Loona's door. Loona answered after a few moments.

"Apologies for bothering you, Loona. But... I was wondering if you know where Blitzø ran off to?" Stolas said politely.

Loona checked her phone, "Said he was going to the sloth ring and he'd be back soon."

"The sloth ring?" Stolas questioned out loud, "What in hell would he be doing the the sloth ring?"

Loona shrugs and leaves her bedroom, moving into the kitchen. She opens the fridge and gets out a small snack and offers it to Stolas. Stolas hesitantly takes it and thanks her.

"So, how are things with you and Blitzø?" Loona asked casually.

"Oh, um, fine... I guess." Stolas rubbed the back of his neck.

Loona gave him a confused look, "Really? ... You know he loves you, right? Now that he knows you feel the same, he'll do anything for you."

Stolas melts into the nearby kitchen chair, "I know... and I love him too... I'm just..."

"Just what?"

"... Defeated, clouded... unsure?" Stolas ponders for another moment, "But its not about Blitzø, it's about me. He's been... nothing but a perfect boyfriend. But with losing Via." He inhales, "I feel... guilty."

Loona gives Stolas a tap on the shoulder, "Remember when Octavia took the grimoire and ended up in LA?"

Stolas nods and waits for Loona to continue.

"Back then she was so heartbroken you had forgotten about the meteor shower. I told her that all dads have their issues and she should cut you some slack."

Stolas processes this new information, "So... that's why she seemingly forgave me so easily."

Loona nodded, "She doesn't hate you, she just needs time to grow up a little to understand."

"I... that's exactly what Blitzø told me."

"Well, he's right." Loona laughs, "For once."

The doorknob of the apartment jingles and then the door opens. Blitzø walks in and hugs Loona.

"Good morning, Loony."

He then turns to Stolas, "Morning, Stols." Blitzø takes Stolas's hand and plants a kiss on it, "I bought us all breakfast before we go into the office."

Blitzø holds a bag of fast food out to Loona. Loona immediately grabs out what she knows Blitzø bought for her and takes it to her room.

"For you," Blitzø offers the bag with hasbrowns and rats, "I hope that's enough for breakfast."

Stolas gives him a small, fleeting smile, "Thank you, Blitzø. It's plenty."

Blitzø puts the bag on the table and grabs out what he bought for himself and begins to eat.

Stolas, who would normally have no issues chomping down on this kind of meal, picked at it, his face displaying that blank stare he frequented lately.

"Stols?" Blitzø asks, sincerely.

This breaks Stolas out of the trance, "Oh um... I guess I'm just not very hungry this morning."

Blitzø grabs something out of a different, smaller bag he brought in and puts it in his mouth.

"Come here."

Stolas obliges. Blitzø pulls him into a deep kiss. Stolas feels something in Blitzø's mouth and realizes Blitzø has given him something as Blitzø pushes it into his mouth.

Blitzø releases the kiss and holds Stolas's cheeks to keep his mouth closed, "Swallow."

Stolas's eyes go wide. It had been a while since Blitzø had acted so... dominate. He swallows quickly then opens his mouth to speak but Blitzø shushes him.

"You need it. I don't want to hear any arguments. I thought about it. You were taking Belphagore's happy pills, yeah? You're experiencing withdrawal. I think it could help." Blitzø seemed genuinely concerned for Stolas's health.

Stolas stand there, stunned. "I... Blitzø, how did you get these?"

"Hey, don't worry about it birdie, kay?" Blitzø gives Stolas a tender hug, "I'm going to take care you."

Stolas didn't know what else to say. There was no arguing with Blitzø over this.

"Figured we'd start with one pill and if you need more, I can get you more." He smiles at Stolas, "Now, we've got work to." He takes Stolas's hands and guides him outside to the IMP van.

Chapter 2: Soft Start, Long Road

Summary:

Blitzø tries to love loudly, Stolas struggles to accept it, and together they begin the slow, uneven journey of healing.

The day progressed as normal. Stolas was getting rather good at being IMP's secretary. Business seemed like it was going spectacular now that they had the crystal and Stolas. Stolas was extremely good at smiling for the clients, but everyone at the office knew he was faking it. Guess its something you get used to doing when your arranged marriage demands it.

The portal opens up in the middle of the office and the IMP crew come back from the human world.

M&M looked pumped and were covered in blood. Stolas heard them talking but their words were dulled by the loud ringing in Stolas's head. He didn't snap back to reality until Blitzø was standing right in front of him.

"Hey Stols..." Blitzø took Stolas's hands into his own, "How was the front while we were out?"

Stolas nonchalantly replies, "Oh, it was fine. Your appointments are all lined up in your calendar."

"Thanks, babe." Blitzø plants a kiss on Stolas's cheek. "I'm wiped from today, why don't we go home?"

Stolas says nothing and nods, letting Blitzø guide him like he had been doing the past few months.

When they get back to the apartment Loona goes to her room and calls her friends. Blitzø curls up on Stolas's lap, acting especially affectionate today. Stolas let it happen and kept his blank stare. Blitzø frowned.

"Stolas..." He said softly.

"... Yes, Blitzø?" Stolas replied after a few moments of silence.

"I... I love you. ... you know that, right?"

Stolas sighs, "Yes, I know. You've been telling me that everyday since Sinsmas."

Blitzø looks into Stolas's eyes, "It feels like you don't believe me."

Stolas is taken aback for a moment, "Oh... I... I'm so sorry I..." Tears begin to run down Stolas's cheeks.

"Whoa, whoa. Hey, hey. I didn't mean to make you cry." Blitzø tries to comfort Stolas.

What started as a soft cry turns into ugly sobbing. Blitzø holds Stolas and fluffs his feathers.

Stolas sobbed into Blitzø for a long time. Blitzø wasn't sure what to do besides hold Stolas close. Before long, Stolas had calmed his tears enough to cry himself to sleep. Blitzø didn't want to wake him, so he lied Stolas down on the couch and covered Stolas in his favorite blanket. He once again kissed Stolas's cheek, like he'd been doing every night since the trial. Blitzø, too tired to do anything else, curled up on the floor by the couch and went to sleep himself.

--

Blitzø was woken by Stolas touching him on the shoulder.

"Darling, what are you doing on the floor?" Stolas asked him.

Blitzø groaned and sat himself up, "I was too tired to grab the bean bag last night." Blitzø loudly cracks his back and moans, "Fuck, much better."

"I mean, that doesn't mean you should sleep on the floor." Stolas said, concerned.

"Not enough room for us to both sleep on the couch." Blitzø took Stolas's hands, "It's fine, the rug is actually very comfortable."

Stolas sighs, "That doesn't make me feel any better, Blitzø."

Blitzø shrugs, "Well, I'm going to make breakfast."

He stands up and enters the kitchen. Loona opens her door, she has a backpack strapped to her.

"Dad, I'm going to spend the week at a camp with my friends." Blitzø opens his mouth to respond to Loona but she was faster.

"No, you can't talk me out of it. Besides, it will give you and Stolas some privacy for once."

Stolas looks embarrassed, Blitzø walks over to Loona.

"Well, if that's what you want, sweetie. We'll be here." He goes to hug Loona but she stops him.

"I want you two to borrow my bed for the week. I put some clean sheets on the bed and cleaned my room. Just... don't do any freaky shit, okay?"

Blitzø nods and hugs Loona. She says her goodbyes and with that, she leaves the apartment.

"The whole place to ourselves huh?" Blitzø smirks, "What do you think of that, big bird?"

Stolas, at some point, spaced out during the conversation and returned to his blank stare. Blitzø walks over to the couch the waves his hand in front of Stolas's face.

"Hey, birdie?" Stolas briefly snaps out of it but says nothing. Blitzø sighs and goes to the kitchen. He returns to Stolas and gives him the same deep kiss he had given him yesterday.

"Swallow." Blitzø says after he breaks the kiss.

Stolas once again obliges and says nothing.

Blitzø takes Stolas's hands into his once again, looking deeply into Stolas's eyes.

"It's only day two. I was told they don't immediately start working for at least a week or so, and you might get worse before you get better, but I'm here birdie. Always."

Stolas smiles slightly when Blitzø says 'always'.

"I trust you, Blitzø." Stolas says softly.

Notes:

Blitzø’s clown affection vs. Stolas’s blank stares — the ledger of chaos begins. This is the “soft start” before the saga spirals into feathers and splinters.

Chapter 3: Horn Touch, Tear Drop

Summary:

Blitzø and Stolas find themselves in Loona’s space, where old memories resurface and new tenderness takes shape. Between recollections of trust hard‑won and moments of unexpected affection, the morning unfolds with humor, intimacy, and the kind of chaos only this ensemble can bring.

"So this is Loona's room," Stolas looks around. Loona's room looks like a teenager going through an emo phase. Lots of black clothes and furniture, band posters, and various trinkets. However, the bed looks very pristine with its white sheets and matching pillows.

Blitzø looks around the room, "I remember buying her most of this shit," He smiles then hops onto the mattress, "Still as comfy as I remember it being."

Stolas softly takes a seat, "I take it this was your room before?"

Blitzø nods, "Yeah, this mattress has been through a lot. I'm honestly surprised its in decent shape."

"So... you got yourself a one bedroom apartment and then adopted Loona... did you even consider how that would change your living situation?" Stolas asks, really questioning the impulse decisions of his boyfriend.

"Uhhhhhh," Blitzø starts, "Not really. I wasn't planning on getting a hellhound like Loona. But she just... looked so scared and lonely. I was signing the adoption papers long before I gave it any actual thought."

Stolas puts his hand on top of Blitzø's while he continues to recollect.

"I just threw my important shit in the living room and told her this was her new home," He sighs and ponders, "She thought I was going to do something disgusting with her or send her back to the pound. It took her a long time to trust me."

Stolas leans on Blitzø, wanting him to continue his story.

"I made every meal for her and put them by her door, telling her she didn't have to trust me, just that I wanted to take care of her." Blitzø taps his head, "The amount of times she tried to beat the shit out of me." He laughs.

Stolas gives him a 'you're fucking insane' look.

"I remember the first time she came out of her room to eat. I was on the couch, watching Spirit, and she was dead silent. Didn't realize she was sitting at the table until I went to clean my plate. She scurried out of the kitchen so fast."

"She has really come out of her shell since you adopted her, it seems." Stolas commented.

Blitzø nods, "Yeah, eventually we started eating meals together and then she got to meet Millie and Moxxie after I went to prison."

"Prison? When? Why?" Stolas says, concerned.

"Eh, don't worry about it. It's not important."

Stolas shakes his head in disbelief but drops it.

Blitzø pulls a pill bottle out of his pocket.

"Time for your pills, birdie." Blitzø purrs as he gets closer to Stolas.

"Blitzø, I'll take them if you just hand them to me." Stolas laughs.

Blitzø throws a pill into his mouth and then licks his lips, "Yeah, but this is way more fun."

Stolas pulls Blitzø close and lets Blitzø deposit the pill into his mouth via the kiss. Stolas swallows but doesn't break the kiss from Blitzø. After a while of tender kissing, Blitzø pulls back.

"We can't bone in Loona's bed, remember?" Blitzø jokes.

"Please, you started it." Stolas kisses Blitzø's forehead.

Blitzø flops backwards onto the bed, Stolas follows suit. Stolas seems more affectionate this morning, least when it came to kissing and hand holding. He took Blitzø's hand and ran his fingers over the top of it. Blitzø closes his eyes and simpy enjoys Stolas reaching for him for once. Eventually, Blitzø moves his hands across Stolas's torso and finally rests his hand on Stolas's thigh.

"You're so pretty..." Blitzø says without thinking, "Shit, did I say that out loud?"

Stolas blushes and giggles, "Blitzø, my, my. I don't think you've given me such a bold compliment before."

"Shut up," Blitzø retorts, now beginning to blush.

"Well, if that's what Blitzy wants." Stolas teases.

Blitzø begins to rub Stola's thigh and has his tail wrapped around the other. He goes in for another kiss on Stolas now that they are both lying down.

BRRZZTT

Both Stolas and Blitzø practically jump out of their skin.

"The fuck was that?!" Blitzø looks around the room.

"Cut it out, you horny pigeons!" Comes Loona's voice from what sounds like a hidden speaker.

The pair look at each other in disbelief and lie back down. A few moments in silence pass. Blitzø looks at Stolas with a cheeky grin on his face. He moves his hand slowly and gets a finger under the hem of Stolas's pants.

BRRZZTT

The alarm sounded, somehow louder than the last time. Blitzø removes his hands and looks at Stolas again. Blitzø begins to play with the hem of his pants.

BRRZZZZTTTT

"Dad, if you bone on my bed, I will skin you alive!" Came Loona's voice again.

"...Wait a moment... Can she see us?" Stolas asks, looking around on the ceiling.

"Yeah, dipshit. I'm the horny police." Loona over the speaker continues.

Blitzø bursts out laughing, "Ha! Classic. Beautifully done, Loony!"

"Shut the fuck up, dad!"

This only sends Blitzø into a bigger laughing fit. Blitzø laughter is contagious to Stolas, so he begins laughing simply because of how adorable his boyfriend is. Eventually, Blitzø runs out of breath and has to catch it.

"Whew, that was great. That made me fuckin exhausted though. Wanna take a nap, pretty bird?" Blitzø flirts.

Stolas nods, "Of course, I enjoy anything we do together."

Blitzø kisses Stolas's forehead then makes himself comfortable to sleep, Stolas following suit and holds Blitzø close.

Chapter 4: Kiss Pills, Same Despair

Summary:

When Stolas spirals, Blitzø refuses to let him face it alone. With Loona calling in backup and M&M ready to steady the day, the apartment becomes a stage for care, chaos, and quiet resolve. Tenderness and determination carry the ensemble forward into their next outing.

"Alright dipshits, M&M are here!" Loona calls into the living room. She turns around and notices neither of the men she lives with are in the room at all. She sees the bathroom light on.

She goes to bang on the door, "Hurry up, dicks!"

Moxxie and Millie enter the apartment.

"It's okay, Loona, we can wait." Moxxie states, calmly.

"NO, no we can't." Loona gives the couple a glare that reads 'I need you to get them the FUCK out of this house now'.

Blitzø opens the bathroom door just enough so he can see out, "Christ on a stick, can we just have a FUCKING MINUTE!"

Loona loudly groans, "Fine, whatever,", she walks towards M&M and whispers to them, "Just get them out asap. The truck is going to be here soon."

M&M smile and nod.

"We'll be out here waitin' for y'all." Millie says as she takes Moxxie over to sit on the couch.

Meanwhile, back inside the bathroom, Blitzø is comforting Stolas. The entire morning he had crying, panicking, and heavy breathing. Blitzø had no idea why. Stolas wouldn't eat his breakfast, Blitzø couldn't get him to take his pill even with his special method. Blitzø squeezed Stolas's hand and kept his look on Stolas steady.

"Stols..." Blitzø keeps his voice quiet and low, "Let me help you."

Stolas returns back from his thousand year stare and locks eyes with Blitzø but says nothing as silent tears roll down his cheeks.

Blitzø sighs and uses his hand to gently wipe the tears from Stolas's face, "Can you talk to me?"

Stolas lets out a loud sniffle and then collapses into Blitzø's arms. Stolas starts heaving. Blitzø has no idea what to do except hold his boyfriend until he could manage to sit on his own again. A few minutes pass and Stolas goes quiet.

"I'm... sorry, Blitzø." Stolas says, his voice barely audible.

"Stolas, hey, you don't have anything to be sorry for." Blitzø immediately begins to stroke Stolas's feathers and holds him close.

Stolas lets out another small weep, "I can't do anything right. You're always working and yet still give me so much attention. How are you not exhausted?"

Blitzø pauses for a moment, "What do you mean?"

"I don't deserve your love, Blitzø, I'm just a burden."

Blitzø adjusts his hold on Stolas to look him in the eyes, "Stolas... is this about the lamp you broke when you were trying to dust?"

Stolas begins to shake, "It's not about the lamp, Blitzø! I've been pampered for so long I can't even do basic house chores right and you keep cleaning up after me and-"

"Shhh, birdie. I like doing the house chores, okay? It doesn't bother me."

"Yes, I know. But I figured out that you are the ONLY one who upkeeps this apartment. I just wanted to help and I just made more mess for you."

"Stolas, I promise it's not this big of a deal. You need to get out of this house, you're spiraling again."

Blitzø guides Stolas to stand. Blitzø unlocks the bathroom door. M&M look their direction and Stolas tries to hide his face, ashamed he was crying over something so small.

"Let's go gang, Stolas needs to get out of the house. Its been a couple of days, he's getting a little stir crazy." Blitzø says as he tosses his keys to Moxxie, "Can one of you drive?"

"Of course, sir." Moxxie says in his usual tone.

Millie does little excited foot stomps, "Ooo I'm so excited, we have a fun day planned!"

"We'll follow you lovebirds out, I gotta give Stols his meds." Blitzø says plainly.

With that, M&M go to start the IMP van while Blitzø grabs the happy pills and puts them in his mouth. Quicker than Stolas can anticipate, Blitzø picks him up bride style.

"You're not skipping today, birdie." Blitzø says in a serious tone. He then begins to kiss Stolas to transfer the medication. It's a deep kiss with Blitzø using his tongue to make sure Stolas can't reject the pills.

Blitzø breaks the kiss and holds Stolas's mouth closed as he'd done in the past,

"Swallow." Blitzø demands in a deep, commanding voice.

Stolas's eyes widen and he shivers, swallowing the pills in the process.

Blitzø opens Stolas's mouth to make sure he obeyed.

"Good. Now," Blitzø repositions Stolas to make him easier to carry, "To the van, princess."

Stolas doesn't fight or show any strong emotion. Blitzø buckles Stolas in the backseat and does the same for himself in the seat next to him.

"All passengers on board, get ready for the M&M field trip!" Moxxie says in an announcer-like voice. Millie giggles and pants a kiss on Moxxie's cheek from the passengers seat. Blitzø keeps his eyes locked on Stolas while holding his hand. Stolas still has his blank stare. Blitzø sighs and rubs the top of Stolas's hand. Nothing, no reaction. No indication whatsoever.

"I'm not giving up on you, birdie." Blitzø thinks as the van begins to roll down the road.

Chapter 5: Sharp Sarcasm, Sudden Surprise

Summary:

Loona’s surprises reshape the apartment, while Blitzø and Stolas navigate exhaustion, affection, and the rhythms of care. Between laughter, teasing, and quiet moments, the ensemble finds new ways to hold each other together.

It was dark by the time Blitzø was able to drop M&M off at their apartment followed by Blitzø driving himself and Stolas home. Stolas still in the moment but not really. Blitzø unlocks the door and hears a loud "Surprise!" from Loona and her friends.

"The fuck is all this?" Blitzø looks around and then he spots it.

"That's... not my couch!" Blitzø releases his grip on Stolas and runs over to couch, jumping and tumbling over it like he had done with his old couch.

Loona laughs when Blitzø falls on his face, not knowing this couch is bigger, "You like it, dad?"

"Like it? You... you did this for me and Stolas?" Blitzø looks on the edge of happy tears.

"Yes, dad. I figured you two needed a sleeping space you could share," Loona then moves closer to something by the wall, "We also put this in."

The room divider pops out, giving what area inside of it a cute, cozy look with the couch, tv, and beanbag.

"I know you don't want to bone on the couch buuuuut," Loona flicks a lever on the side of the couch, "It turns into a bed!"

Blitzø jumps, hugs, and plants kisses all over Loona's face. He squeezes her tight, saying nothing.

Stolas witnessed the whole display of affection between father and daughter, but it made him feel even more numb. He wanted to cry, but he couldn't even muster up tears. He was just exhausted. Stolas could hear Blitzø, Loona, and her friends talking and laughing but the voices reached his ears as muffled noise. Stolas slowly walks over to the new couch to not draw attention to himself and belly flops into the mattress. This sound spurred Blitzø to come over.

"Well Loony, thanks again for this... looks like I need to tuck my bird into bed." Blitzø jokes.

Loona sarcastically replies, "Alright, old man." She then walks her friends to the front door to walk them out.

Blitzø turns his attention back to Stolas. He was already fast asleep. Blitzø ruffled his feathers and gave him a kiss on the cheek. Continuing his ritual he did every night.

"Goodnight, Stolas."

--

The next morning, Blitzø was awake before Stolas as usual, cooking, cleaning, the works. Stolas woke up and stared at the ceiling. He was still exhausted from yesterday but felt ever so slightly lighter. He didn't announce to Blitzø that he was awake, so he just listened to the sounds Blitzø was making. Eventually, Blitzø came over to check on him.

"Stolas!" Blitzø jumps on the mattress and snuggles into Stolas's chest, "You sleep well, big bird?"

Stolas lets out a sigh, "... Best I could, I suppose."

Blitzø frowns and gets up, "Well, you know what time it is." Blitzø leaves and comes back a moment later. He positions himself on top of Stolas so they are looking at each other in the eyes. Stolas's eyes widened.

"Open wide." Blitzø says coyly then he begins to passionately kiss Stolas, moaning into the kiss.

Loona opens her door and enters the kitchen, "Fuckin' Satan's tits, I bought the divider for a REASON."

Blitzø releases from Stolas, "I was giving him his fuckin drugs," Blitzø looks up from the couch at Loona, "Breakfast is on the stove, sweetie."

Loona grabs her plate and walks over to close the divider, "Mmhm, sure you were dad." She rolls her eyes but its obvious she's teasing. She closes the divider and goes back to her room.

Blitzø looks back down at Stolas, "Maybe today will be better?" Stolas realizes Blitzø is still on top of him and blushes.

"Ooh there's an improvement." Blitzø flirts as he begins to brush his hands across Stolas's chest. Stolas doesn't resist but he doesn't show further signs of interest either.

Blitzø sighs, "Want to watch a movie?"

Stolas nods slowly, "That would be nice."

"On it!" Blitzø leaps off Stolas, picks a movie, starts it, and then runs back to Stolas, finding any position he can take so his body is touching as much of Stolas as possible. Arms around his chest, tail around his waist, legs intertwined.

"I think you'll like this one." Blitzø says softly as he squeezes Stolas more.

Chapter 6: Gentle Hands, Heavy Guilt

Summary:

Blitzø and Stolas rediscover intimacy after time apart, navigating hesitation, tenderness, and the weight of unspoken fears. What begins as physical closeness deepens into vulnerability, reminding them both of how fragile — and how vital — their connection truly is.

Notes:

** Chapter contains explicit sexual content **

Later that evening, Blitzø interlocks his hands with Stolas's and begins to kiss him. This continues until Blitzø starts moving his hand down Stolas's chest. Stolas breaks the kiss but says nothing.

"... I can stop, if you want." Blitzø says with concern in his voice.

"No, no. You can keep going. I just... it's been a long time since we were... intimate like this." Stolas says, sounding apologetic.

Blitzø touches Stolas's cheek, "Well, now that we have some privacy I figured ... maybe we could revisit that?"

Stolas says nothing and nods. Blitzø, taking this as an invitation to continue to re-explore Stolas's body, begins kissing Stolas's neck while fluffing the feathers on Stolas's chest. Blitzø lifts the hem of Stolas's shirt to begin to remove it. Stolas tenses slightly. Blitzø stops immediately.

"Too fast?"

Stolas exhales, "I... I don't know. I want this... I just..."

"Don't force it, if you're not in the mood, its okay." Blitzø says as he strokes the feathers on Stolas's head.

Stolas shakes his head, "You've done... so much for me. This is the least I can do for you."

"Stolas, stop. You don't owe me anything. But... it feels like you're distancing yourself from me to punish yourself."

There's silence between them as they look each other in the eyes.

"I... suppose you are right."

Blitzø squeezes Stolas's hand, "You deserve to be happy, that includes love and pleasure."

Stolas squeezes Blitzø's hand in return, "Okay... I'm ready to try again."

Blitzø smiles and gives Stolas a kiss, he moves his hands slowly and deliberately across Stolas's arms until he gets back to the hem of Stolas's shirt. Stolas stops him again.

"You first."

"Oh, alright." Blitzø takes his shirt off and plays with the hem of Stolas's shirt again.

Stolas sits up from the position he was lying in and removes his shirt. Blitzø admires his boyfriend like it was the first time all over again. Blitzø closes the distance and begins kissing Stolas again. This time, Stolas reciprocates and even deepens the kiss. This encourages Blitzø to begin touching Stolas again. He guides Stolas's hands to his chest as he continues to kiss him. Blitzø then slowly moves his hands to Stolas's waist and hips to massage them. Stolas softly moans into their kiss and starts touching Blitzø for himself, stopping at Blitzø's pj bottoms. Blitzø takes Stolas's hand and moves them to the fabric in front of his bulge. These simple touches were enough to turn Blitzø on. Stolas took this as a sign that Blitzø was serious about pleasuring him.

"Shall we... take off the rest?"

Blitzø pins Stolas down on the pullout couch, "I thought you'd never ask."

He greedily pulls down Stolas's pj bottoms and starts feeling for Stolas's cloaca. Stolas reciprocates and slides his hand down Blitzø's boxers and gives what he feels a squeeze. Blitzø moans and pulls down his boxers to free his erection. Stolas blushes.

"It... really has been a long time, hasn't it?" Stolas points out.

Blitzø smirks, "About six months. I have been very pent up."

Stolas moans in anticipation but Blitzø decides to surprise Stolas as he begins to eat out Stolas.

"Oh fuck!" Stolas cups his hand over his mouth, suddenly remembering Loona is in the other room.

This doesn't stop Blitzø from pleasuring his bird though. Stolas covering his mouth in fact motivated Blitzø to make him moan more. Blitzø stops sucking and starts to finger Stolas.

"Mmmm, squawk for me, birdie." Blitzø purrs into Stolas's neck, making Stolas shiver.

"Please Blitzø... put it inside me," Stolas begs.

Blitzø gets a sadistic smirk on his face as he teases Stolas, sending him over the edge in a moaning fit. Blitzø, pleased with this response, sticks the tip in and then bites Stolas's neck.

"More... more." Stolas moans.

Blitzø, feeling confident and dominant, boldly says, "What's the magic words, birdie?"

Stolas moans and shivers again, weighing his responses to the question.

He gulps, "D-daddy..."

Blitzø's eyes widen, he wasn't entirely sure what he was expecting Stolas to say, but this made him even more sexually aggressive. He shoves himself deeper inside of Stolas. Stolas is using both hands to cover his mouth while wildly moaning, trying to be as quiet as possible. Missionary was tame compared to positions they had done in the past but to Blitzø, it had never felt better. Stolas could sense this as he continued to give into Blitzø's control. Once Blitzø was satisfied with the amount of time in that position, he lift and contorted Stolas into doggy so he could be deeper inside. This made Stolas lose his grip on his mouth and loudly moan into the open air. Blitzø continued his relentless pounding.

"Fuck... Stols I'm gonna..." Blitzø stated, panting heavily.

"Give it to me!" Stolas begs. He wraps his legs around Blitzø to shove them as close together as possible. Blitzø's tail tightly grips one of Stolas's legs.

Blitzø gives one more big thrust before releasing inside of Stolas. This made Stolas moan as he could feel the warmth coming from Blitzø. Blitzø stopped moaning and began to breath heavily but he hadn't pulled out yet.

Stolas was also catching his breath, "... Blitzø?"

Blitzø catches his breath and moans, "I don't want to pull out yet."

Stolas shutters, "Oh my..."

They continue to heavily breathe until Blitzø finally collapses onto the mattress.

"Fuuuuuck." Blitzø heaved, "That was a lot of cum."

Stolas rests his head on Blitzø's chest, "I missed feeling so full."

Blitzø wraps his arms around Stolas. "I missed this," Blitzø snuggles into Stolas, "Post-sex cuddling."

Stolas nuzzles his head into Blitzø's chest, "You lasted shorter than usual."

Blitzø laughs, "I can't recall even masturbating between the time now and the last time we fucked."

"Oh? No masturbation at all?"

"I mean, I tried but, fuck, I didn't... it didn't feel right." Blitzø admits, "Especially when we were broken up. I kept thinking about you and I'd start crying."

"Oh... Blitzø." Stolas says, sympathetically.

Blitzø lets out a large exhale, "But that's in the past. I'm here with you now, and that's all that matters."

"Right..." Stolas softly agrees.

The pair lie in silence, holding each other in the dark on their pullout couch. It feels more tender than any other cuddle session before.

Blitzø breaks the silence, "Stols... thank you... for having sex with me."

Stolas looks at Blitzø with confusion, "That's a new one."

"I felt like you were pushing me away. You haven't been kissing or hugging me back and I know that's not... anything to do with me. But my stupid brain won't get it out of my head. I just... felt like we weren't as connected anymore."

"Blitzø, I'm so sorry I made you feel that way, that was never my intention."

"Save it, I don't want to make you cry again. I just wanted you to know that feeling is in the past. This... physical shit just reminded me of the start of our... situation. Back when everything was new... I mean that in a good way."

Stolas interlaces his fingers with Blitzø's, "You... you didn't make me cry. I just... needed to cry."

"I know. You've... been through so fuckin' much in these last few months."

"Well, so have you." Stolas retorts.

Blitzø makes a clicking sound with his lips, "Shit yeah, guess you're right."

Stolas continues, "I'm... not used to having this. You know?"

"Fuck, course I know. This shit scares me, Stols. I don't want to mess this up... again."

Stolas cups Blitzø's face, "Blitzø, we're scared together. You've been so brave and so... patient with me."

"You've been so patient with me this entire time we started... all of this."

"I wanted to give you a choice."

Blitzø shrugs, "Yeah, I know. But fuck, I am bad at making decisions," he sighs, "Point is, you've given me more chances than I ever fucking deserved. I... I'm honestly glad you didn't give up on me and stop loving me."

Stolas kisses Blitzø's cheek, "And I'd give you infinite chances if it meant we would be together."

Blitzø hugs Stolas tightly, "I love you."

Stolas pauses, "... I love you, too."

Chapter 7: Lost Lighter, Quiet Tease

Summary:

The morning after brings teasing, tenderness, and truths too heavy to ignore. Between cigarettes, sunrise, and quiet embraces, Blitzø and Stolas confront vulnerability in new ways, finding comfort even in the cracks.

The next morning Blitzø woke up to Loona knocking on the divider followed by her yelling, "Pants on, assholes. I need to take a piss!"

Blitzø pulls on his boxers and makes sure the still sleeping Stolas is covered under the blanket. Blitzø goes over to the divider and lets Loona in.

"Looks like you two had fun last night." Loona teases as she quickly runs to the bathroom.

Blitzø starts pulling on the rest of his pjs and pulls some clothes on Stolas. He, surprisingly, hadn't moved a muscle and was still sound asleep. Fluffing Stolas's feathers, Blitzø gives him a kiss on the forehead then goes to find his lighter. Loona exits the bathroom.

"Looking for this?" Loona tosses the lighter to Blitzø.

"Oh, shit. I didn't mean to leave it in the bathroom again."

Loona grabs a couple of cigarettes out from a pack, "I will take some of your cigs and we'll call you leaving your shit everywhere even."

Blitzø gives a small laugh and a smile, "You say that like you weren't going to steal them in the first place."

Loona shrugs, "Guess I learned from the best."

She gives Blitzø a shit-eating grin as she shoves the pack into Blitzø's hands and then returns to her room.

Blitzø shakes his head and laughs to himself. He pulls a cigarette out of the pack and then shoves the pack back into his pocket. He goes to the balcony. The old lighter Blitzø always used was in bad shape but it still somehow always worked. Once the cig is lit, Blitzø takes a long drag followed by a large exhale. He looked at the skyline, the Pride sunrise was as red as it usually is, but something about staring at it gave Blitzø some peace.

"Mind if I steal?" Stolas says while coming up from behind Blitzø.

Blitzø rolls his eyes, "I'd say 'when have you ever asked' but... you're much better at asking than me."

Blitzø holds out the cig to Stolas. Stolas takes it and does a similar drag routine like Blitzø had done earlier.

"No breakfast? Usually you've got a whole meal made by the time I wake up." Stolas teased.

"Oh? Uh, I guess I was just having a cigarette for breakfast." Blitzø laughed.

"Perhaps I should try making breakfast?" Stolas casually suggested.

"Ha! No. No fucking way. I've already lit my apartment on my fire way too many times. YOU would manage to burn the entire building down." Blitzø nudges Stolas with his elbow.

Stolas pretends to pout, "Well, what if you teach me? As much as I like being your pillow prince, I feel like I... don't contribute anything to your household." He says genuinely.

"Please, you know I like you submissive." Blitzø smirks, "But in all seriousness, you don't have to 'contribute', Stols. I don't see you as a burden."

Stolas stays silent and ponders Blitzø words.

"Besides, you're doing a lot more than you think."

"How so?" Stolas asks.

"Well, you're here with me. I haven't felt so... warm before." Blitzø looks like he's trying to gather his thoughts.

Stolas tilts his head to signal to Blitzø to elaborate.

Blitzø exhales, grabs the cig from Stolas and takes another drag.

"I... don't have a word to tell you how I feel. It's more than happy." Blitzø sighs, "That's... the only way I can describe it."

Stolas puts his hand on top of Blitzø's that was already on the balcony railing.

"You feel like home to me." Stolas admits.

"Yeah! That's it!" Blitzø exclaims, "I'm home, I'm... safe... when I'm with you."

Stolas gets closer to Blitzø and rubs his hand.

"Also fuck I did not realize how touch starved I was," Blitzø put his hand on top of Stolas's, "I've been craving this shit for... years. And all I did was run away from it."

"I feel the exact same way, Blitzø," Stolas pauses to take a deep breath, "I knew this was what I wanted the moment you came back into the palace the second time. You were covered in dirt... so cute."

Blitzø blushes, "No, no. I was an asshole back then. But I also thought you were going to kill me the second we got to your room."

Stolas grabs Blitzø and cups his face into Stolas's hands, "Never, darling. I loved you the moment I saw you performing at the circus on my birthday."

"Really? The circus?" Blitzø laughs, "You were the only one who laughed at my legless horse."

"Yes, I love that joke."

Blitzø gives Stolas an 'are you serious?' look.

"Yes, I'm serious. I've had a crush on you for years, that only made me like you more."

Blitzø clicks his tongue, "You have some low standards."

Stolas retorts back, "Blitzø. Take the compliment."

"Fiiiine." Blitzø says sarcastically.

Blitzø flicks the cigarette off the balcony, "Speaking of birthdays, what did you want to do for yours? ... I mean, do rich people do birthdays?"

"Oh darling, I don't need anything except you by my side." Stolas squeezed Blitzø hand.

"I think... I think I might take you on a nice date on your birthday."

Stolas's eyes widened, "... Like, a real date this time?"

Blitzø sighs, "Yes, a real date this time. ... Probably not at Ozzie's though."

The pair hold hands in silence for a few moments while watching the sun finish its rise.

"In that case, I need to start thinking about ideas for what we'll do for your birthday." Stolas spoke.

"Oh Satan, no. Not even Loona knows when my birthday is. I don't... I don't really do birthdays." Blitzø admitted.

Stolas looks Blitzø in the eyes, "Really? I thought you were the type to want to party regardless."

"Oh no, my partying days are behind me," Blitzø recollects, "For good reason."

"Is... there a story behind that?" Stolas asks, genuinely curious.

Blitzø rubs his chin, "More like stories. Half of them I don't even fucking remember. I'd just wake up in a ditch or something the next morning."

"Really? Interesting," Stolas takes in this new information, "Your life is so fascinating, Blitzø."

Blitzø stretches and takes a darker tone, "Well, when you ruin your own life, you just gotta fuckin' make do."

Stolas sees Blitzø's body language change from the openness he displayed earlier to the closed off stance he was now taking.

"We... don't have to talk about your past anymore, Blitzø. I'm sorry if I upset you."

Stolas reaches for Blitzø's hand but he pulls away.

"We... I..." He turns away from Stolas and gives him a 'give me a moment' gesture.

Stolas says nothing and waits patiently. He can see some tears forming under Blitzø's eyes.

Blitzø exhales, "It's... going to take me some time to... to talk about my past, okay?"

Blitzø holds out his hand for Stolas to take it. Stolas takes Blitzø's hand and plants a kiss.

"...Darling, you're shaking." Stolas pulls Blitzø into a hug.

Stolas hears some small sniffles from Blitzø followed by an aggressive tone. "Don't... don't fucking look at me"

"Blitzø you can cry in front of me, it's okay. You let me cry and you held me. I want to do the same for you."

"I just don't like crying in front of people, okay!?" Blitzø's crying gets a little louder.

Stolas nuzzles and holds Blitzø who was curled up in a ball, his tail tightly wrapped around his waist. They stayed on the balcony for an unknown amount of time. Both stuck in their embrace until Loona opened the backdoor. She tilts her head and looks Stolas in the eyes as her way of silently trying to communicate. Stolas silently raises a finger at her for once again the universal sign for 'give me a sec'. Loona gestures to her phone and then towards the door. With that, she leaves the two of them alone again.

Blitzø, a little calmer now, finally speaks again but this time in a soft, sad voice, "I didn't mean to snap at you."

"No, no, darling. You don't need to apologize. Let's... get back inside though, shall we?"

"...Yeah."

Chapter 8: Lonely Silence, Fragile Vow

Summary:

Blitzø’s nightmares bring fragile truths to the surface, and Stolas finds himself caught between vows and revelations. With Loona’s blunt honesty and the weight of the past pressing in, the morning unfolds in silence, trust, and uneasy promises.

Notes:

** This chapter contains references to abusive parent dynamics. **

Stolas wakes to soft sounds of Blitzø. He looks over to Blitzø's side of the bed. He's curled up in a ball, his horseshoe blanket wrapped tightly around him

"Blitzø?"

It becomes apparently to Stolas that Blitzø is crying,

"Stolas... don't... don't look at me." Blitzø voice cracks and hitches.

Stolas immediately goes over and hugs Blitzø from behind. This makes Blitzø sob louder. When his sobs calmed a little bit after an uncertain amount of time Stolas spoke again.

"Blitzø, I'm here... do you want to talk about it?"

"Can't... I can't..." He says, trying to take deep breaths between sobs.

Stolas squeezes Blitzø harder, he knows he can't do anything more to comfort his boyfriend. The pair sit in relative silence, just Blitzø sobs slowly ceasing.

"... Stolas..."

"Yes, Blitzø?"

"P-promise me... promise me you won't leave me," Blitzø lets out another sob, "I don't want to be all alone again."

Stolas goes wide eyed and Blitzø's words hit him like a gut punch. The same promise he made to his daughter that he couldn't keep. He didn't want to break that promise again so he did the next best thing.

"Blitzø... I... I'll stay here with you... as long as you need me to."

Blitzø stays silent for some time, "Okay..."

Stolas grimaces. He didn't want the possibility of lying to Blitzø. Clearly, Blitzø just needed someone to stay with him in this moment and the future. Stolas thought, "Well, he has at least the next 100 years with me."

Blitzø eventually went quiet, the only sound coming from him being soft, sleeping breaths.

Stolas slowly releases Blitzø and goes to the kitchen. He grabs himself a mug and fill it with tap water. He sits at the kitchen table and takes slow sips.

"Hey," Stolas hears Loona from behind him.

"Oh, hello Loona." Stolas says with his most positive voice he can muster,

Loona takes a seat in the chair across from Stolas, "You can quit the shit. I know you were comforting Blitzø during one of his nightmares."

"Nightmares?" Stolas says with genuine concern.

"Yeah, he's always had them. He pretends like he doesn't though. He won't tell me anything. I just know sometimes he wakes up in the middle of the night or morning, crying his eyes out. The first time he had one I was scared because I had never seen him fall apart like that."

Stolas sighs, "I bet he made up some excuse, right?"

Loona nods, "Yup. I don't remember what it was because I knew it was bullshit. Maybe its fucked, but seeing him vulnerable like that just... made me trust him. I clocked that he adopted me because he was lonely years ago."

"Oh? Does that bother you?" Stolas asks.

"No, not really. You spend enough time with him you put together the pieces. He saw me, probably reflected on his own daddy issues, and adopt me way before he even thought about what he was getting into."

"Oh... yes. I remember his father..."

"Is a sack of shit? Yeah. I couldn't figure out why the name 'Buckzo' was so familiar, so I looked it up. The Buckzo circus, infamous even after it burned down. Every article about it says most of the main family survived. I asked Blitzø about it and his face... he looked horrified that I figured out who he was. He left the apartment for three days. When he came back, he had bought me all kinds of food and shit, apologizing for being a 'bad father'. I knew he wasn't going to talk about it, so I haven't asked him about it since."

Stolas sits with this new information, "So... I take it... that's where Fizzorali got his scars from. He said Blitzø told him the fire was an 'accident' he caused."

Loona seems surprised, "Oh shit, I didn't know that. The news never clarified why or how it got burned down. Shit, no wonder he doesn't want to talk about it."

Stolas picks up Blitzø phone and does an internet search, "Yeah, you're right. Nothing about why or how. Well, if we can conclude Fizz is a reliable source then..."

"His sister and dad hate him because he started the fire." Loona finishes Stolas's sentence, "Also, he doesn't talk about his mom, but check this out."

Loona takes Blitzø's phone from Stolas and shows him the picture of Blitzø, his sister, and his mom.

"See anything familiar?"

Stolas stares at the image for a moment, "Oh! The red skull he's always wearing."

"Mhm, I think that's all that's left of his mom," Loona says bluntly.

"Hearing about Blitzø's life most... certainly puts mine in prospective." Stolas has a worried look on his face, "No wonder he didn't believe me when I first told him I cared about him. It seems like he's either been abandoned or he abandons people before they can do it to him first."

"Bingo." Loona gets up and grabs a drink from the fridge, "But he doesn't know I figured that all out. So, uh, you didn't hear shit from me, okay stepdad?"

"S-stepdad?" Stolas states, surprised.

"By technicality." She laughs then returns to her room.

Chapter 9: Shaking Rage, Steady Arms

Summary:

When the past walks through IMP’s doors, Blitzø’s rage collides with old wounds and fragile strength. Between confrontation, collapse, and quiet arms, the day becomes a test of fury, family, and the vows that hold them together.

Notes:

** This chapter contains abusive parent dynamics, verbal abuse, gun violence, blood/injury imagery, and emotional breakdowns. **

Blitzø's spiral had him asleep for a number of hours. Stolas kept going over to make sure he was still breathing, even tried to wake him a few times. Stolas sat next to him on the mattress, feeling his forehead. He felt colder than usual, even with the extra blanket Stolas covered him in. Stolas stayed, squeezing his boyfriend's hand, hoping he'd wake up soon.

Blitzø let out a soft groan, "... Stols...?" He said, weakly.

"Blitzø!" Stolas looked Blitzø in his eyes. He did not look well.

"I feel like shit... more than usual." Blitzø tried to joke but it was obvious he was in pain.

Stolas put his other hand on Blitzø's forehead, "You feel freezing, darling."

"Yeah, I know," Blitzø pants, "I... honestly feel really hot though."

Blitzø tried to sit up but grimaced in pain.

"Darling, don't rush yourself. We're not even sure what's ailing you right now."

"Neither of you are going to eat unless I make something," Blitzø looked Stolas in the eyes, "Oh, shit, your medicine."

"I already took it, darling."

"Mm, damn. I was hoping to get a kiss." Blitzø tries to keep his cool and make Stolas feel better.

Stolas rubs Blitzø's cheek, "Loona already ordered some food. You need to stay lying down."

Blitzø groans again, "...Lay down with me?"

Stolas's eyes widened, "You..."

"I want you near me," Blitzø said weakly, "Please."

Tears formed in Stolas's eyes. He wasn't sure if Blitzø was trying to make him feel better or if Blitzø was actually asking what he needed and wanted for once. Stolas kisses Blitzø's hand then lies down next to him, as requested.

"Can... can you hold me?" To which it takes Stolas no time at all to comply with this request.

Blitzø exhales and snuggles himself as close to Stolas as he can. He closes his eyes and quickly falls back to sleep.

--

Blitzø insisted he was fine after not being able to move for hours. He insisted he could work. Loona insisted she drive them all to work. Everyone got to work, clients coming in and out. There was a dry spell in the late afternoon. Blitzø doing whatever he considered "boss work" at his desk. Stolas organized his desk between phone calls. Moxxie, Millie, and Loona in the conference room, taking stock of their inventory. Business was booming after their encounter with Satan in the courtroom. They began getting strategic with where their hits were located to knock out as many targets as possible.

The IMP door slammed open.

"Oh, good day sir. Welcome to IMP." Stolas kindly greeted the stranger.

"Yeah, sure. I'm here to see your boss." An older imp flatly stated.

Stolas looked this imp up and down. He had a striking resemblance to Blitzø. This set off alarm bells in Stolas's mind but he figured it could be a coincidence.

"Do you... have an appointment?" Stolas returned the flat tone the imp had given him.

"Well, no. But I have a business proposition. It's pretty important." The imp gestures to Blitzø's office door, "I'll just go talk to him."

Stolas stands up, "That's not how this works, sir. You need to listen to me and follow protcol. Blitzø is a very busy man."

"Blitzø, huh?" The imp smirks, "Tell him Cash needs to talk to him over your fancy phone, bird."

Stolas did not appreciate the tone this imp was taking with him, but he pressed the intercom button on his desk anyway.

"Blitzø there's a guest here... says his name is Cash?"

Both Stolas and the imp hear Blitzø's door slam open.

"What the FUCK are you doing here, asshole?!" Blitzø comes in hot yelling.

Stolas looks at Blitzø posture. He'd never seen his entire body look this angry.

"Calm down, son," Cash started, "I just want to talk."

"Well I don't have SHIT to talk to you about. Get the FUCK out of my office! Now." Blitzø yelling could be heard all the way in the conference room. Moxxie, Millie, and Loona come into the lobby to see what's wrong but are all silently shocked.

"Blitz-o, please. Goodness, your temper was always like your mother's."

Blitzø grabs Cash by his collar, "YOU don't get to FUCKING call me that!"

"Well, it's your name. Satan called you that at the trial. And its, you know, the name I gave to you." Cash, seemingly unfazed by Blitzø demeanor, retorts back.

Blitzø pushes Cash to the ground then takes his gun out of his inner jacket and cocks it.

"I should should put you in the fucking dirt, old man."

"Now, now, Blitzø, you wouldn't shoot your old man, would ya?" Cash stated confidently.

Blitzø doesn't hesitate and shoots Cash in his right shoulder.

"Fucking try me, bitch!" Blitzø yells, dead cold.

Cash holds his shoulder, now bleeding out. His bravado now slipping, "Wait, wait. I have something for you, something of ya mama's."

Blitzø loses some tension when his mother is mentioned, he puts his gun back into his jacket and Cash takes this opportunity to stand back up.

"What is it?" Blitzø states, still clearly angry but calmer.

"You still got that fire in ya, just like ya mama." Cash stalls.

"Quit your shit! What IS it?" Blitzø gets some of that anger back in his tone.

Cash, still holding his arm but seemingly got his bravado back, "I liked you better when you would say 'yes, papa, anything for mama'." He laughs.

"Don't bring her into this," Blitzø growls.

"This is why I always liked Fizz and Barbie better. They actually knew how to behave. Treat their elders with respect. All you do is curse and complain. 'Papa, I don't want to do that, I'm so scared.'" Cash mocks. This clearly strikes a nerve with Blitzø, so Cash keeps the fire coming.

"Fizz really was always the better son." Cash's words hit like venom. Blitzø is visibly shaking, "You've always been fucking pathetic. Then you just had to drag everyone down with ya when you set my fuckin' circus ablaze! Killed the only bitch who ever actually loved you."

Blitzø's hands are in fists but he's staring at the floor, still visibly angry but looks like he's about to fall apart.

"Now that you understand your place, Blitz-o, I'm not here to talk about your mother. I wanted to talk business. So let's just put all this petty bullshit behind us and work somethin' out."

Blitzø laughs but it sounds closer to a cry, "Is that all you fucking came here for? I get an ounce of fame and your fucking greedy, selfish, piece of shit just wants your slice of the pie? Fuck you."

"You know I've got more experience in business than you. Let ya pops handle it." Cash says coyly.

"No. No, no, no. Everything I have is because YOU abandoned me when I needed you the most! This business is mine. I built it myself. You don't have control of me anymore."

Cash rolls his eyes, "Alright, Blitz-o. Have it your way," Cash heads to the exit, "But you'll come crawling back when you inevitably fuck everything up again."

With that, Cash slams the door shut, signaling his exit.

Blitzø immediately sinks down to the floor in front of the lobby desk. He's hugging his arms so tight his nails pull on his skin. His tail tightly wrapped around his torso. He's shaking, wide-eyed. Torn between crying and screaming.

The IMP crew snaps back in from their trance. Stolas gets on the ground next to Blitzø and just holds him, feeling Blitzø's labored, shaky breathing.

"Blitzø... I think you need to go home for the rest of the day. Millie and I can handle closing up for the night." Moxxie being the first to speak in moment.

"Y-yeah. Dad, let me drive." Loona is cross armed, similar to the stance her dad was currently in. Clearly that entire argument struck a nerve in her too.

Blitzø says nothing, still staring blankly at nothing, but he pulls out the van keys. Loona walks over and takes them. Loona nods at Stolas and they both help Blitzø stand up.

"Be safe y'all, text us when you get home, okay?" Millie states as they head for the exit.

"Yeah, we got it." Loona says softly.

They walk with Blitzø all the way back to the van. Stolas picks up Blitzø and puts him in the backseat. Stolas sits in the seat next to him and holds Blitzø hand. They drive home in silence. Stolas, glancing over to see Blitzø's sullen, almost unreadable face. The trio finally get inside of their apartment. Loona gestures to her room to Stolas. Stolas nods and Loona goes to her room. Stolas then walks Blitzø over towards the couch. Blitzø simply stands there, his breathing slow but steady now.

"Blitzø..." Stolas begins to speak.

Without warning, Blitzø turns around and punches the glass of the photo of him with two horses at the circus. The glass cuts his hand but he doesn't seem to care. He leaves his hand there long enough that blood is dripping onto the photo. Stolas, momentarily stunned, locks back in and grabs Blitzø's hand to stop the bleeding. Blitzø's face is full of anger but he doesn't resist Stolas. Stolas takes this as his cue to guide Blitzø to sit down on the couch. Blitzø doesn't resist this, nor when Stolas grabs a rag to tighten around Blitzø's hand. They sit in silence for an unknown amount of time.

"I hate him." Blitzø finally speaks, his voice still full of rage, "I hate him. I hate him. I HATE HIM!"

Stolas squeezes Blitzø's uninjured hand.

"How dare he come to MY fucking office talking to me like that." Blitzø is shaking with rage. Stolas hugs Blitzø, which seems to throw Blitzø off.

"Stolas..." His shaking slows and he exhales, "I'm... I'm sorry I scared you."

Stolas shakes his head, "No, no, Blitzø. You're fine. You didn't scare me. I'm just worried about you."

Blitzø exhales again and starts to cry. He doesn't try to hide himself from Stolas this time.

Stolas doesn't change in his concerned reaction. He just tolds Blitzø tighter. Blitzø sobs into Stolas's chest. Eventually, he calms from this too.

"I... I probably would have destroyed my entire apartment if you weren't here to stop me." Blitzø tries to joke but it doesn't land very well.

"Darling, I'm here for you. I would still be here even if you destroyed everything." Stolas states.

This seems to strike a chord with Blitzø, who nuzzles into Stolas more, "Thank you... for staying with me."

"Always."

Chapter 10: Exposed Heart, Gentle Control

Summary:

In the aftermath of recent turmoil, Blitzø and Stolas navigate exhaustion, intimacy, and fragile trust. Between moments of care, laughter, and vulnerability, their bond deepens as control shifts and new layers of closeness are revealed.

Notes:

** This chapter contains explicit sexual content, panic/anxiety attack, minor blood/injury imagery, and themes of vulnerability/trust. **

Blitzø couldn't sleep. How could he? He hadn't seen his dad in years and he had the nerve to insert himself into Blitzø life for selfish reasons. It made Blitzø's blood boil. He looked over at Stolas. The bird had fallen asleep hours ago while they were snuggling. Normally, Blitzø would fall asleep too. Stolas was warm, safe, comfortable... home. But the ache in Blitzø's being was just too much tonight.

Blitzø sighs and gets closer to Stolas and shakes him a little.

"Stolas... ?" Blitzø then stopped. "No, that's a shitty reason to wake him up," Blitzø thought.

"Mmm?" Stolas groggily responded.

"Shit." Blitzø whispered.

Stolas sits up and stretches, "Something you need, darling?"

"No, no. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have woke you up."

Stolas puts Blitzø's hands into his, "I don't care, love. I mean, I do care. I don't care what your reason is, I'm always happy to be with you."

This causes Blitzø to blush.

"What is it, Blitzø?"

"It's... it's nothing..."

"Blitzø." Stolas takes a serious tone, "Don't make me coax it out of you."

Blitzø lets out a deep sigh, "Shit... fine. I... woke you up because... I'm horny."

Stolas seems surprised, "Oh? Now?"

"I told you it was stupid."

"No, no, love. Just... with everything that's happened recently... but, if you don't want to think about it and sex helps, of course I'll help you."

Blitzø takes his hands, takes his arms and wraps them around himself, "I... I don't know if it will help. I just... want to feel something else."

Stolas can see the hurt in Blitzø's eyes. It breaks his heart. He just wants to take all of Blitzø's pain away. Of course, it doesn't work like that.

"Well... we can take it slow like we did the other night?" Stolas sheepishly suggested.

Blitzø appears to ponder this for a moment but suddenly pins Stolas down to the mattress, putting Stolas's arms above his head, holding his arms down with one hand and Stolas's face with the other. Blitzø had a wild look in his eyes now that Stolas wasn't sure what to make of it. Blitzø hadn't done anything he hadn't already done in the past before, but this felt different. Blitzø's grip was tighter, he was more aggressive but not in a kinky kind of way. Blitzø's tail wrapped around Stolas's left leg and pulled tightly like a rope. The spikes on Blitzø's tail were... oddly painful.

"Wait... I can't be hurt like this? ... Unless...?" Stolas thought.

Blitzø must have read this change in body language in Stolas and loosened his grip, "Are you okay?"

Stolas nods, "I just had an... odd sensation. That's all."

"... What do you mean?"

"Your... spikes. On your tail. They feel... pinchy?" Stolas tries to tell Blitzø a half truth.

"Pinchy?" Blitzø takes a second to process this, "... Wait... wait does it hurt?!"

"I... Maybe wouldn't..." Stolas stumbles over his words.

Blitzø panics and immediately fully releases himself from Stolas and gets off of him. Blitzø puts some distance between them. He starts to hyperventilate and he's looking at his hands as if they had blood on them.

"I... I hurt you..." Blitzø starts to shake and cry.

"Blitzø," Stolas sits up and starts to move towards Blitzø.

"S-stop, I'll just hurt you more!" Blitzø says as he moves back. His eyes catch a glance at Stolas's leg, "You... you're bleeding."

Stolas looks down at his leg, "Oh. I... suppose I am." He looks at Blitzø who is fully experiencing an anxiety attack.

"Blitzø, its fine. It's just a scratch." He touches the blood on his leg. He isn't wrong. It's not a deep wound. Just enough to release a little blood.

Stolas stands up and grabs a bandage for his leg, "See Blitzø? I'm fine."

"You're... mortal now." Blitzø states.

"I... suppose that is the case here. But its fine, Blitzø. I'm safe with you."

"No, you're not!" Blitzø snaps, "I hurt you."

Stolas sighs, "You're not listening to me. Blitzø, please. Come here and let me hold you. I'm fine."

Blitzø doesn't respond. He continues to stare at nothing while hyperventilating. Stolas closes the gap and holds Blitzø to where he can't easily escape. Blitzø feels like if he moves, he'll injure Stolas more.

The pair stay sitting on the mattress, Stolas tightly holding Blitzø, unwilling to let him go, least until he's calmer. Blitzø's breathing eventually returns to normal but Blitzø looks mentally wrecked. Stolas kisses Blitzø's forehead on his heart marking.

"My love." Stolas whispers to Blitzø, "I'm not leaving you alone. You are stuck with me, whether you want me to or not."

Blitzø doesn't have a response, he just sighs and leans into Stolas. There was no point in fighting anymore. Blitzø was exhausted and it was really starting to hit him. Within moments he was asleep. After listening to Blitzø's sleepy breathing, Stolas lied him down on the mattress and lies down next to him. Stolas holds Blitzø's hand as he drifts off to sleep as well.

--

The next morning, Stolas sees Blitzø staring at the ceiling.

"Good morning, my love." Stolas calmly states, "I already had Loona order us some breakfast, so just sit tight and I'll feed it to you."

"No, no. It's fine. I'll cook." Blitzø starts to try to get up but collapses right back down on the mattress, "... Fuck... I feel like I have a hangover."

"You're exhausted, Blitzø. You're used to constantly going and your body is trying to tell you to rest. So please listen to it, love."

"Bullshit, I'm fine." Blitzø grumbles.

"Blitzø. Your usual coping mechanisms won't work right now. What you need is more sleep and something to eat," Stolas tells him, "Unfortunately, love, you're going to have to face your trauma. But not right now. Rest, darling."

Blitzø lets out a sigh but doesn't argue, "If I'm on my ass all day nothing is going to get done."

"Then so be it. We'll survive, Blitzø." Stolas tells him bluntly, "Let Loona and I take care of everything for right now. Then, when you actually feel better we can decide how to move forward."

"Fine, fine." Blitzø sighs again and closes his eyes to rest as Stolas commanded.

Blitzø still couldn't sleep but also couldn't deny that just letting himself lie down and think about nothing was oddly peaceful. Blitzø opened his eyes and glanced around for either the tv remote or his phone, whichever he found first. Neither seemed to be in range.

"Stolas...?" Blitzø softly called out.

"Yes?" Quickly responded Stolas from the kitchen table where he was writing in his journal.

"You have my phone?" Blitzø asks nonchalantly.

Stolas sounds like he's placing his pen down, "Uh, great question."

"It's fine, don't worry about it." Blitzø quickly adds.

Stolas is standing above Blitzø moments after he finished his statement, "Bored are you, dear?"

Blitzø shrugs his shoulders, "Something like that."

"It's as I thought, it's nearly impossible for you to stay still." Stolas smiles at Blitzø, "Well, I have some ideas, if you'd be open to that."

"Sure." Blitzø responds flatly.

"Well, I believe Loona told me breakfast is almost here. We could read, or snuggle, or watch a movie..." Stolas begins.

Blitzø stretches, "It's whatever you wanna do, birdie."

Despite Blitzø lack of enthusiasm, Stolas still looked down at Blitzø with nothing but love in his eyes and Blitzø knew it. Blitzø still looked exhausted and guarded. Stolas was hoping he could bring back some of that energy Blitzø was giving to him before the meds helped even out Stolas's mind. It would be hard, the trauma Blitzø had experienced in the last few days was heavy, even for someone who had lived through it for years at this point.

Stolas was lost in Blitzø eyes, Blitzø looking up at him. The look on Blitzø's face soft but unreadable. Blitzø broke their gaze to adjust his position from lying to sitting up, using a pillow to wedge his back. He grimaced in a pain briefly but ceased when he fixed his position. Stolas looked on with care. Blitzø tilt his head back.

"I'm fine, Stols," In a moment of softness, Blitzø spoke softly, "I... I love you. ... I'm sorry."

Stolas reached down and planted a kiss on Blitzø's forehead, "I know. I love you, too. You have nothing to be sorry for."

"But-"

"Blitzø." Stolas stopped Blitzø in his verbal tracks, "I forgive you, but I was never hurt or angry to begin with. I'm fine. I mean that."

 

Blitzø sighs and drops the subject, "Okay."

Blitzø holds out his hand for Stolas to take. Stolas accepts it immediately. Their fingers interlock and they look into each others eyes once more. Stolas takes this as an opportunity to kiss Blitzø upside down like Spiderman kissed Mary Jane in Spiderman 2. This catches Blitzø off guard, but he doesn't pull away, he kisses back. His posture relaxes as he enjoys the feeling of Stolas's lips on his. They kiss for an unknown amount of time. They can hear Loona putting down and opening fast food bags in the kitchen but this doesn't break their kiss. Loona doesn't even call out to them. She could sense Blitzø needed this moment.

Stolas breaks the kiss and squeezes Blitzø cheeks. Blitzø gives Stolas a small smile and a little laugh. Stolas's face brightens, seeing some joy come back to his boyfriend.

"I have a stupid request."

"Oh? What might that be, darling?"

Blitzø goes quiet for a moment, "Can you help me stand up?"

"Of course, love. Not stupid at all."

Stolas helps Blitzø stand and braces him. This seems to have taken more effort than Blitzø expected.

"Damn, I really am a bunch of deadweight right now." Blitzø jokes, clutching to Stolas to keep him from falling.

"Darling, why do you need to get up right now?" Stolas asks with concern.

"Gotta piss," Blitzø says bluntly, "You were already over here so... ya know."

"Oh well in that case." Stolas picks Blitzø up and carries him to the bathroom. He puts Blitzø down so he could lean against the sink while Stolas locked the door behind them. Stolas lifts the toilet seat and braces Blitzø again.

"This is so embarrassing." Blitzø jokes, "I need my boyfriend to help me take a piss."

Stolas gives a short chuckle as he walks Blitzø closer to the toilet. Blitzø pulls down his pants to do his business. Stolas tries not to stare, but he does keep stealing glances.

"You're acting like you've never seen my penis before." Blitzø teases.

"Well, its usually erect when I see it." Stolas is blushing.

"Well, sorry its not as impressive soft." Blitzø flicks any remaining urine off his cock and pulls his pants back up.

Stolas helps Blitzø wash his hands then picks him up bridal style to take him back to the couch. Even after Stolas sits him up on the couch, Blitzø doesn't release Stolas. Stolas can tell by the look in Blitzø's eyes that he wants to be tender and held. Maybe he's even enjoying being taken care of like this. Loona walks over, throws some plates of the takeout on the coffee table, and rolls her eyes.

"Ugh, dad love. Disgusting." Loona teases while playfully rolling her eyes.

This gets a small laugh from the pair as Stolas goes to sit next to Blitzø to see what they had to eat for breakfast.

The day stretches on mostly the same. Stolas helping or doing tasks for Blitzø, and Blitzø trying to act offended or bothered that he gets to be babied by his boyfriend, even though he's slowly learning to like it.

Stolas and Blitzø were watching a movie. At some point, Blitzø had dosed off leaning on Stolas, which made Stolas's heart swoon. He loved seeing a peaceful, sleeping Blitzø. Being able to hold him where no one or nothing else could hurt him. Stolas had more photos in his phone of Blitzø sleeping than he'd ever admit to. Stolas simply kissed or touched different areas of Blitzø's bare skin, which didn't hurt a sleeping Blitzø.

After some time, Blitzø moaned and stirred awake. He sounds groggy.

"Stols..." He said, his voice soft and low.

"Yes, my love?"

Blitzø's voice, still sleepy and low, spoke again, "I think I'm actually horny this time."

Stolas stifles a laugh, "Really? You woke up hard?"

Blitzø doesn't talk, he just guides Stolas's closest hand to his pants. Sure enough, Blitzø was indeed hard.

"I either gotta fap this one out or you have to help me." Blitzø maintained his sleepy tone, "It won't go away otherwise, its that kind of boner."

Blitzø let out a sleepy moan again while pulling down his waistband. His boner sticking straight up. Stolas's eyes widen and he quickly gets up and puts up the privacy divider.

Blitzø glances Stolas's way, "Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Fuck."

Stolas returns to the couch, "Well, how do you want me to uh... help you with your problem?"

"I'm too weak to top." Blitzø states, "Think you can fuck me and stroke me off?"

Stolas blushes at his blunt request, "You... you want me to top?"

"It's part I feel bad for last time, part I'm too tired, and part this is me showing you that I trust you, Stols." Blitzø's tone is less sleepy and more serious, "I've... never let myself bottom before. Makes me feel... too exposed."

Stolas realizes now this means more than just sex to Blitzø. It was Blitzø being vulnerable. He was trusting Stolas to take control, physically and emotionally. This was huge for Blitzø, who always felt weak if he wasn't always in charge. This one one of the last walls Blitzø had before letting Stolas in completely.

"I understand if you don't want to... but if you do, I have a strap-on under the sink." Blitzø states plainly.

Stolas, fully understanding the mission, goes to grab the strap and comes back to stroke Blitzø. Blitzø moans softly, letting Stolas have his way with him. Stolas continues to feel different parts of Blitzø's body while removing the rest of his and Blitzø's clothing until they are both completely exposed. Stolas then finds Blitzø's hole and begins to finger him. Blitzø lets out a moan Stolas had never heard before, exciting the bird more. Stolas lies Blitzø on his back and lifts his legs up to expose more of his ass. Blitzø doesn't flinch and lets Stolas continue to take control. Stolas puts on the strap and positions himself to penetrate Blitzø. He looks into Blitzø's eyes before continuing.

"Put it inside me." Blitzø whispers.

Seeing Blitzø submissive was surprisingly attractive for Stolas, who absolutely loved when Blitzø would dominate him. Something about how small and fuckable Blitzø looked when giving up control made Stolas crazy about it. Stolas pulled closer to Blitzø to kiss him while he began to penetrate his imp. Blitzø moaned into the kiss and began stroking his own cock. The willing consent turned Stolas on even more as Stolas channeled the dominance he'd seen Blitzø display many times before. Soon Stolas was fucking Blitzø so he could hear Blitzø's hot and bothered moans. He locked hands with Blitzø as he pound him into the mattress.

"Stols," Blitzø whispers into Stolas, "I'm gonna cum."

This encourages Stolas to fuck him harder until he hears Blitzø come undone underneath him. Stolas could feel Blitzø's sticky semen on his stomach and chest as Stolas applied his last few thrusts as he also came.

The pair breathe heavily. Blitzø strokes the last few drops of semen out of his cock, moaning loudly in the process. Stolas kisses Blitzø some more before they disconnect from one another.

"That was... amazing." Stolas said, breathless.

"Yeah..." Blitzø breathes heavily, "Where'd you learn how to top like that."

"Oh, only from the best top I know." Stolas says coyly.

"You were definitely taking notes." Blitzø breathily laughs.

Chapter 11: Public Storm, Private Collapse

Summary:

As the outside world grows louder, Blitzø struggles under the weight of public attention and private fears. Between relentless noise and fragile moments of comfort, he learns how easily the storm outside can become a collapse within — and how vital protection and love are when the walls close in.

Notes:

** This chapter contains public harassment, emotional distress, family trauma references, verbal abuse themes, and breakdown imagery. **

The phone at IMP was ringing off the hook. Stolas was trying his best to schedule appointments, since IMP did need the money. However, it had been a full week since Blitzø had his encounter with his father, he was up and walking now but couldn't handle being at the office right now. He lent out his crystal to Moxxie and Millie, who were working serious overtime to keep up with the surge in interest in the business. Every so often news reporters would try to stop by, wondering why the banished prince was suddenly the secretary of Blitzø's business and asking where Blitzø had seemingly disappeared to. He was making frequent appearances post trial, but he had stopped after dealing with his dad, and everyone noticed. Course, they didn't know why per se, but Cash started making his presence known, trying to cash in on Blitzø's found fame one way or another. Everyone started to see that Blitzø was a circus clown before, even pieced together his friendship with Fizz. Everyone was prying their eyes in Blitzø's past and Blitzø was none the wiser. He muted his phone, used it to order takeout, and call Stolas while Stolas was working when he got lonely. Blitzø wanted to shut out the world for a while. He was used to the chaos and noise, but this was different.

Another reporter banged on the door. At some point they had to make a shittily drawn sign that read "if you have an appointment, call first and we'll let you in". It was a temporary measure, but it worked, for now. Stolas ignored the door, even Loona was using her phone to help with the amount of calls they were getting in, trying to filter out legitimate requests from the spam.

Since they were no longer just letting anyone into their office, they started banging on Blitzø's apartment door. He'd dose off and then get woken up by banging. Blitzø groaned. It really started to dawn on him that being the most famous imp at the moment wasn't as great as Fizz made it look.

"Christ on a stick." Blitzø grumbled as he looked for his phone in the mattress. Once he found it, he had thousands of calls, emails, and messages, "Fuuuck me." Blitzø said with disdain.

Blitzø opened his main social media app, thousands of new followers and eyes all over his personal and business pages. Blitzø rubbed his temple. There was no way this was dying down anytime soon unless some other imp did something even crazier. Blitzø scrolled through his feed. There was pictures of him leaving his apartment with Stolas as they held hands. Tons of gossip around their relationship, loads of theories about why Stolas had "framed" Blitzø stealing the grimoire. Blitzø could tell everyone the truth, but that would be complicated and messy. He didn't care that they knew he and Stolas were a thing, he was afraid for Stolas. Cast out, now the gossip of thousands of people. Stolas was a private individual, Blitzø knew he wasn't going to take this well. Hell, Blitzø wasn't taking this well either and he loved attention.

Blitzø starts a live. He doesn't give it a title, what would he even call it? This was going to be totally improvised. He almost chickened out and closed it, but once people caught on that he was live, the viewers and commenters started pouring in. People were even donating money to get Blitzø attention. Blitzø had his front facing camera covered with his finger. He released a large exhale and uncovered the camera.

"H-hello everyone." Blitzø was trying his best to fake a smile but he realized this was going to a lot harder than he thought.

Tons of chats were coming in. It was a bit overwhelming.

"Hey, it's Blitzø here. The 'O' is silent, as I hope you all know." He continued, "It's uh, been a crazy last couple of weeks, huh? You know, with the trial and, ya know, me almost dying and all and then not... uhhh... I figured I'd get on here and answer some questions."

Questions flooded the chat.

"Christ on a stick you guys are fast. Uh," He tried skimming through some, "I-I guess I'll start with why I haven't been making public appearances as much. That's because I came down with Satan knows what and I've been sick in bed for the last week. Guess that kind of thing can happen when you have a near death experience, amiright?" Blitzø tried to joke. He knew his jokes weren't landing. He felt like a clown at Lu Lu Land again.

"A-Anyway, um. Next question." He scrolls through the responses, "'What's the deal with you and Stolas'? Oh boy... Satan's tits. I feel like its obvious but, I guess I'll clarify. We... we're a thing. I'm not going to get into it now, it's complicated, but uh... the trial made us both realize some things. So, yeah, he's my bird boyfriend."

Chat starts to go crazy. Someone chats, "I recall seeing you guys at Ozzie's".

"Ozzie's? Oh fuck, right. That... yeah that... that was a long time ago."

He sees a chat from Verosika and verbally replies to her, "Oh, hey Ver. How's it going?"

She replies, "Congrats on your relationship. You hurt Stolas though, I will break you. <3"

"Gee, thanks, Verosika." He replies verbally again.

The chat blows up with "you know Verosika?" "How many famous people do you know?"

"Satan's taint this is a lot of chats..." Blitzø states, continuing to scroll through replies, "Let's see... uh... next question."

"Do I know..." He pauses and reads the words in his head, 'do you know Cash Buckzo? He's been claiming you're his son.'

"Hey don't... don't listen to a word that Cash guy says, he's a scammer and a con artist, always has been. ... Trust me."

The chat starts to blow up about how Blitzø and Cash look related and it would take an idiot to believe they weren't.

"Christ on a stick, fine. Yes, Cash is my dad. We don't... talk though. Okay? He's got his thing going, I've got mine. I'm not a circus clown anymore, kay? Those days are long over. I've got IMP now, I'm following my dreams, not... doing some stupid clown shit."

The chat fills with various responses, one of which being "that means you know Fizzaroli?"

"I do know Fizz, we're friends. We did clown shit together back in the day at my dad's circus. Then Fizz got his thing with Mammon, then his thing with that Lust guy. He's got a good gig for himself. Even though he doesn't really even do clown shit anymore either."

Chat keeps going, Blitzø keeps talking, "That means I'm also at least acquaintances with almost all of the 7 sins which is... wow. Now that I say that out-loud that's kind of incredible. I beat Bee in a drinking contest. That was pretty badass. Oz calls me directly sometimes. Mammon is still a sack of shit and can go fuck himself, but you know, everybody knows that, right?"

The chat continues to go wild, "I've got plenty to say about Satan but... I think I'll keep those thoughts to myself," Blitzø laughs, "Wouldn't want to get arrested again."

Blitzø starts to feel like he's getting the hang of this live thing, but then he gets some rude comments about his relationship with Stolas, his appearance, and lots of other things that spiked his insecurities a bit.

"H-Hey now, chill out you fucks," Blitzø tries to maintain composure, "It's not that deep. No need to insult Stolas. You... you guys don't know him like I do, kay? He's... he's a great guy, I'm very fortunate to have him in my life."

The chat blows up with "but he accused you of using his grimoire illegally"

"Stolas didn't do that, that was Elsa ice queen bird bitch guy." Blitzø shakes his head, "I don't fucking know his name. He's my boyfriend's ex wife's brother, I think. If Stols and I get married he is definitely not getting an invite."

The chat goes wild about the marriage comment.

"Satan's tits I gotta stop putting my foot in my mouth. Marriage isn't... technically on the table but it's also not... not on the table." Blitzø rubs his temples, "Fuck that sounds stupid."

The chat starts going off about "tell us how you two met" "how does an imp get with demon royalty like that, anyway?"

"Oh shit, I really fucked myself with this chat," Blitzø fiddles with a horse plushie on the couch, "We... met as kids." Blitzø tries to say as casually as possible, "He saw Fizz and I performing, then we got... uh... introduced?" Blitzø shakes his head, "It's slightly more complicated than that but I won't get into it. Anyway, after that I... happen to be in the neighborhood a good 25 years later and crashed his party that his wife was throwing."

The chat is filled with more questions.

"Look, the reason I was there is not that important, kay? Just... figured I'd stop by."

Some chats say 'he was probably there to steal the book'.

"I didn't steal shit! I mean, as I said at the trial, I tried. But yeah, was allowed to use it. I already established that. I didn't make Stolas do anything he didn't want to do."

Blitzø is visibly getting flustered, "Look, as I said, my whole past with Stolas is complicated, just know that now that we know that we would literally die for each other it's all cool now!"

He sees some comments "I was at the anti-Blitzo party"

"Fuck, right. Uh, that was when we were having a moment. As I said, we're fine now."

Chat tries to dig for details, some people explain their experience with Blitzø.

"Oh fuck me," Blitzø sighs, "They're multiplying. ... L-Look, enough about my love life, kay? It's simple now. Everything's fine now." It sounded more like he was trying to convince himself more than anyone else.

A comment sticks out at Blitzø, "I know you killed your mother."

Blitzø visibly flinches as he reads the comment, but he doesn't say anything.

"I know you burned down the Buckzo Circus."

The comments keep coming and Blitzø can't look away.

"You just ruin people's lives. You're a disgrace."

"N-no, shut up." Blitzø looks away from his phone screen, "I-I... I'm gonna go now. That's all the time I have, kay bye!"

Blitzø ends the live and immediately curls up into a ball on his couch.

"Fuck." Blitzø whispers, "Fucking... stop haunting me."

He starts heavy breathing and the tears start coming. There's a loud knock on the door.

"SHUT UP! LEAVE ME THE FUCK ALONE!"

The knob jingles, Stolas and Loona walk in, shoving reporters away.

"Stols?" Blitzø cries out, he sounds scared and childlike.

"Blitzø." Stolas runs over to the couch, "Are you alright?"

Stolas knew the answer to this question, it was more to see if Blitzø wanted to talk.

Blitzø jumps into Stolas's arms and begins sobbing. He's shaking all over, his tail wraps around Stolas's arm. Stolas, to keep his balance, sits down while holding Blitzø. Stolas holds Blitzø close, this seemed to be the best medicine for his broken mental state for now. Stolas says nothing and glances over at Loona, who is looking at her phone with concern.

"I'm... gonna run some damage control. Blitzø, stay off your goddamn phone!" Loona yells and then slams her bedroom door shut.

Blitzø whimpers into Stolas, "I'm sorry."

"For what, darling? You haven't done anything wrong."

"I should have just said I love you and left it at that."

Stolas, who hadn't seen the live, looked at Blitzø confused but continued to console him, "You don't always have to say it for me to know that you love me."

Blitzø doesn't respond. He continues to cry into Stolas until he's silent. Stolas lies Blitzø down on their mattress and then himself lies down to hold Blitzø, who was now silent and staring at the wall. Stolas strokes Blitzø's horns.

"We'll be alright, my love. Always."

Chapter 12: Father's Venom, Brother's Truth

Summary:

When venomous words threaten to unravel Blitzø, unexpected truths and long‑buried confessions bring both pain and comfort. Between family fractures, brotherhood, and love, he discovers that even in the shadow of the past, bonds can be reforged and promises renewed.

Notes:

** This chapter contains abusive parent dynamics, verbal abuse, emotional distress, blood/injury imagery, family trauma, and themes of confession and vulnerability. **

Another week passed. Blitzø hadn't left his apartment once. He was physically perfectly capable of returning to work, but it was hard for him to grab the takeout at the door, much less drive to work. Blitzø knew M+M, Stolas, and Loona were running the business for him, but he didn't realize how much they were drowning due to his sudden fame and even more so because of his live the other week. But the IMP crew didn't bother him. They were worried he might spiral at the office again, cause another scene because Blitzø always liked being the center of attention, regardless of the intent of that attention. Instead of staying off his phone like Loona told him to, Blitzø doom scrolled. Seeing the narrative of him and Stolas getting out of control, way more eyes poking into his past. Accusations, some true and some false, making the news everyday. Blitzø knew his silence wasn't helping but he couldn't help but feel him speaking up wouldn't be much better. Given how well that went down last week.

Blitzø sighs again and reads some headlines, "IMP CEO Homewrecker?", "Blitzo manipulating demon royalty? The real mastermind?", "Blitzo using Prince Stolas for notoriety?", "IMP CEO Blitzo's Circus Past".

He shakes his head, so much truths, half-truths, and straight up lies. There was no way Blitzø could say anything that could calm this media storm he himself caused. He dropped his phone on the floor and didn't bother picking it up. He hugged a horse plushie close. Stolas was at work. His demon prince boyfriend was doing work at Blitzø's business. Those words would have been absurd to Blitzø a year ago. But this was his new reality. Blitzø finds the TV remote and flips through channels until he sees a familiar face.

Cash.

The tagline read: "Blitzo Buckzo, circus clown turned CEO, the full story from Cash Buckzo."

"FUCK." Blitzø used his tail to launch the TV remote at the screen, but this does nothing. Blitzø can't help but look and listen in.

"So, Mr. Buckzo, you've stated that Blitz-o is your son, what can you tell us about that?"

"Well of course, he's my own flesh and blood. He, uh, performed along our top performers, you, know like Barbie Wire and Fizzaroli."

The interview continues but Blitzø's head is spinning and he's tuning in and out what he's hearing.

"Yeah, and when we lost his mother, Tila, Satan rest her soul, he didn't want to be a circus clown anymore. Can't really blame him, the fire was his fault, after all."

Blitzø feels like he's about to throw up. He starts shaking.

"Really?!" The reporter seems genuinely shocked, "Blitz-o started the fire?"

"Yes, sir. He still won't tell me why." Cash continues to act like the victim but he can't help but make a sadistic face.

"Looking back though, he was also a spiteful little shit. Horrible manners, no respect for his elders. Never listened. It's why Fizz's shows always sold out and Blitz-o's didn't. He didn't have that same spark as Fizz." Cash was going to keep milking that connection to Fizz fame long as he could.

"My guess is he was jealous of Fizz and thought 'if I can't have the spotlight then no one can' and then blew up poor, poor Fizzy." Cash deflects any sort of harm he caused. "So, really, his mom dying was his fault." Cash says the last line coldly.

Blitzø stares at the floor in horror. Every word from Cash felt like a hammer. Blitzø's heart reeled, his skull begging for a wall. Cash turned one of the worst moments in Blitzø life into an accusation of spite. Instead of the truth: a complete accident he deeply regrets. There's nothing Blitzø can do. Who's going to take his "side" of the story after this?

"Yes but, it appears that Blitz-o has some scars from that event, do you think he did it on purpose to look like the victim?" The reporter asks, playing into Cash's narrative even more.

Cash smirks and reviles in this line of thinking, digging in his heels to wound Blitzø in the worst possible way.

"Oh, for sure. Blitz-o loves the attention. Still does." Cash said with disdain using large hand gestures to emphasize his real thoughts towards his son.

"When poor mommy died he went off the deep end. The fact he came back years later as 'Blitzø', tells you everything you need to know. He never stopped running. Ran right into royalty and made them play his sick games."

Cash's words felt like daggers right into Blitzø's soul.

"I bet you he's using that demon prince now for only Satan knows what." Cash laughs, a cold bitter sound.

Blitzø's tail curls around his leg, tightening pinches his skin. One of his spikes catches some skin and he starts to bleed but he doesn't care. He's stuck in time, reliving the worst moment in his life over and over.

"I'm willing to bet that whole trial was a sham. He found a way to manipulate the royals so he could be famous for surviving the trial so he could bury his past. Well, I'm not letting him."

Blitzø grabs for his phone but can't locate it without looking away from the TV. He gives up looking for it, and now he wanted to give up all together. Cash knew exactly what to say to hurt him. Cash never changed, he was still the manipulative asshole he grew up with.

Suddenly, Asmodeus and Fizz crash into the TV set where Cash and the reporter are.

"NO, NO, absolutely not. I'm not letting you treat Blitzø like this!" Fizz grabs the camera, "I'm going to tell you what really happened."

Cash tries to intervene but Oz stops anyone from moving.

"Blitzø started the fire, yes. But it was an accident!" Fizz begins, seemingly ashamed on Blitzø's behalf, shows that what he is saying is true.

"I thought for years he had abandoned me, but he was trying to get help! And then... and then he found his mom and it just... broke him." The pain in Fizz's voice is palpable.

"Cash threw Blitzø away like a popped balloon." Fizz aggressively points to Cash, "HE kept Blitzø and I apart when I was recovering in the hospital. I thought Blitzø didn't care, but he tried, many times, to come and see me. But Cash told Blitzø that I didn't want to see him!" Fizz's anger, rising in his chest and voice.

"So, eventually, Blitzø stopped trying because he thought that I didn't care. That was 15 years of manipulation and lies keeping us apart. But he never stopped being my best friend. Even when I tried to convince myself I hated him, I would always hear his words of encouragement, telling me I could be whoever I wanted to be. And he was right! Here I am now, better than ever, happily living my life!"

Fizz pauses to catch his breath, clearing starting to get choked up thinking about Blitzø. "Blitzø didn't ruin my life. It hurt, yes. But I wouldn't change my life, Blitzø is the reason it got better."

Blitzø hadn't told Fizz why he accidentally started the fire. He never told Fizz that he had feelings for him. His confession had burned away in the fire. Tears streak down Blitzø face. His first ever friend was defending him. Putting himself through trauma just to shut down the lies Cash was spreading.

"And another thing." Fizz gets into Cash's face, "YOU left out some important details, sir." Fizz says 'sir' with spite.

"When Blitzø shows didn't sell, because YOU undermined them, you sold Blitzø off to the highest bidder, or hell even the lowest bidder sometimes." Fizz pauses to let the gravity of his words sink in.

"You were a shitty dad! You always favored Barbie and I, and I'm not even your biological son!"

Cash tries to retort.

"SHUT UP. I'M NOT DONE." Fizz raises his voice and hands at Cash, "Do you know how many times you've hurt Blitzø? Do you even care?! He's Blitzø now because he gets to choose who he is, not you!"

The room is stunned to silence. It's hard to not believe such a heartfelt confession from Fizzaroli. All 7 rings are involved in this family affair now.

"You kicked him out. You left him all on his own and he wasn't even 18 yet! He had to do everything himself, without you, or anyone else guiding him. Has he made mistakes? Sure, everyone has! But that does not give you the right to shit on his name like that! Blitzø is the strongest demon I know. And that means something coming from me, I'm dating a deadly sin!"

Oz blushes.

Cash looks furious, betrayed by his favorite, "Well, you still owe me some royalty checks."

"Like I give a shit about the money, Cash! Go fuck yourself, assface!" Fizz stops yelling and takes a deep breath, "So, I hope that cleared everything up. I think I'm going to go check on Blitzø now. Oz?" He looks at his boyfriend and they teleport out of the studio.

"Blitzø?!" Fizz and Ozzie teleport into Blitzø's apartment. They find him hugging himself on the floor in front of the TV, crying.

"Blitzø!" Fizz jumps off Oz's shoulder to comfort his friend, "Are you okay?"

"No, but I will be. ... thanks, Fizz... you didn't have to defend me like that." Blitzø says softly, still crying and shaking from what he witnessed.

"Course I did, you're basically my brother!"

Blitzø's voice hitches, "Your brother, huh? That feels weird to me, considering..." He laughs, but it broke halfway into a sob. "I accidentally started the fire by chickening out confessing my love for you."

Fizz's eyes go wide, "Huh?? Wait, you were serious about the make out thing?! I thought you were doing a bit!" He reaches out to touch Blitzø's shoulder.

"No, I wasn't. We've both got our boyfriends now but, I love you, Fizz." He sniffles and looks Fizz in the eyes, tearful, "I'm sorry I never told you and started that fire. I never wanted to hurt you like that."

Fizz hugs Blitzø. Fizz's arms were tight, almost desperate, as if he could squeeze the years of distance out of them, "You know... thinking back on it... I feel like I always knew you had a crush on me." Fizz laughs, a laugh that cracked under the weight of memory, "But uh, I love you too, but in a friend way."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." He presses his forehead against Fizz's shoulder, hiding the tears that wouldn't stop, clinging to the half‑truth like it was the only way to keep his best friend close. Blitzø hugs Fizz back, hoping Fizz believes his half truth. He would do anything to keep Fizz in his life, even if it meant lying to himself for it.

"Better a brother than nothing at all," Blitzø thinks, even as the lie burned in his chest. He and Fizz continue to hold each other.

Oz and Fizz sit with Blitzø until Stolas and Loona come home then offer their goodbyes. Stolas notices that Blitzø has a new bandage on his leg.

"Blitzø..." Stolas says softly, "What happened?"

"My dad." Blitzø says, resigned.

"No, no, not that. Your leg."

"Oh... I scratched myself with my spikes... it was an accident." Blitzø says sheepishly.

Stolas places his hand on it and gives Blitzø a kiss on the cheek, "If you say so."

"... I love you, Stols." Blitzø says, and it sounds genuine.

"I love you, too, Blitzø." Stolas interlaces his fingers with Blitzø's, "Always."

"Always."

Chapter 13: Haunted Past, Radiant Present

Summary:

Haunted by the weight of old wounds, Blitzø finds unexpected light in the present. Between difficult conversations, laughter, and tender affirmations, he discovers how love and humor can outshine the shadows of the past.

Notes:

** This chapter contains references to abusive parent dynamics, emotional distress, family trauma, and themes of depression. **

Blitzø still hadn't returned to work. Even though Fizz defended him, he was still raw from what his dad said. Framing the accident as intentionally starting the fire and playing the victim just hurt hearing it from his dad. Every syllable still clung to him like ash, refusing to burn away. Blitzø knew in his heart that his dad despised him for not being as funny or talented as Barbie or Fizz, but also for killing his mother. Accident or not, it's not something even Blitzø was ever willing to forgive himself for. A moment of weakness caused not only him, but so many others years of pain. So, while yes, it hurt to hear it, he felt his dad was right in some ways. He had to decide if he was okay with these feeling or not.

Suddenly Blitzø's phone rings.

It was Octavia.

He paused, this was the phone call Stolas was waiting for... but Stolas was at work. He shook his head and answered the call.

"... Octavia?" Blitzø answered the call, waiting to hear her reply. The line was silent for a moment.

Octavia speaks in a hushed tone, "My dad's not around you right now, is he?" Her voice trembled, as if saying it out loud might summon him.

"Nope. He's off playing CEO with my hellspawn and the married murder muppets. Why?"

"...I saw what your dad did. I just... I don't want mine to ever do that to me." She sounds like she's been thinking and crying about this for a while now.

Blitzø coils into himself at the mention of his dad but gains a fiery anger at the accusation of Stolas being anywhere near as awful as his dad.

Blitzø jumps to Stolas's defense, "No, no, your dad is NOTHING like mine. That verbal abuse you saw is probably the least of his crimes." Blitzø starts stumbling over some words. His voice cracked, anger bleeding into exhaustion, like he was dragging the words out of old wounds, "M-my dad SOLD me, okay? M-Many times... Stolas would never, could never."

Blitzø growl as he makes his next statement, "And if for whatever reason he did get that idea in his stupid fuckin' bird brain I'd beat it out of him." Blitzø's tail lashed against the couch, like his body was already prepared to do what needed to be done.

He pauses to take a breath and regain his composure, "Point is, your dad is a saint compared to mine, okay? You have nothing to worry about. Also, your dad misses you. A lot." He pauses again to let those words sit with Octavia a moment before continuing.

"I've... been dealing with a lot of bullshit, so I haven't been giving him as much care as I should. He's on his anti-depressants now, he's getting better." Blitzø's tone softened, the fire in him dimming into something almost pleading.

Blitzø pauses then says in a singsong voice, "...And he'd love if you came to visit."

Via deflects, "He needs those pills? Even with you?" She scoffs.

"Yeah, he has depression, that's how it works sweetie. You take pills, you learn to live with it sucking slightly less, and you keep going." Blitzø says casually because, well, that really was the reality of the situation.

"So," she sounds like she's getting choked up, "He was miserable because of me."

Blitzø shakes his head, not that Octavia could see him but it gave him a second to think.

"No, no, not because of you. Because of his arranged marriage and fuckin' Stella." Blitzø sighs, "He never got to be just... a person until I reminded him that was a thing he could do. He chose to be happy. He didn't choose me over you, he chose himself."

He can hear Octavia softly cry through the phone.

Blitzø quickly continues, "And as I said, he's getting better and now he can be the dad you need right now... if you'll give him a chance."

Via is quiet then says in a neutral tone, "I... have to think about it."

"Take your time, your dad will still be here waiting for you. Always will be."

Via hangs up before Blitzø can say anything else. She can't believe how genuine he sounded. She knew in her heart he wasn't lying.

Blitzø stares at his phone's disconnect message and slumps back into the couch,

"Fuck me. I hope those were the right things to say, Stols." Blitzø says to the empty room.

He debates in his mind if he should even tell Stolas she called. He exhales deeply. He'd keep it a secret, for now. Stolas was getting better with his meds. Blitzø couldn't let Stolas spiral, then they may both end up spiraling. He wasn't sure he was stable enough to keep both of them from collapsing.

Blitzø groan and rubbed his temple, he hated when things got complicated because they always do. Feeling mentally exhausted still, Blitzø drifts off for an afternoon nap.

--

Stolas gives Blitzø a quick kiss on his lips. This stirs Blitzø awake.

"Stolas?" Blitzø says, opening his eyes. Stolas was already out of view.

Blitzø sits up, "Am I dreaming?"

Stolas gives a cute laugh from the kitchen, "Dreaming about me, darling. Awe."

"Just come over here!" Blitzø's tone came off rough, he realized how rude than sounded, "... please."

"Here, Loona and I picked up food from this new place. We made sure they put a lot of hot sauce on it." Stolas smiles as he puts the plate down on the coffee table.

"Oh, that actually looks pretty good." Blitzø opens his takeout and takes a few bites. Stolas simply watched him eat, still smiling at Blitzø.

"... What's up, big bird?" Blitzø pauses his eating.

Stolas starts blushing, "You're just so cute today."

"Heh, sure." Blitzø wants to say something more negative but seeing Stolas with a smile on his face was exactly what they both needed now. "You're the cute one, birdie."

Stolas curls up on the couch and nuzzles Blitzø's neck, "Am I now?"

Blitzø takes another bite of his food regardless and says with a mouthful, "I'm trying to eat, babe."

Stolas makes the most adorable squawk, "... did... did you just call me babe?"

"I haven't done that before?" Blitzø taps his chin, "I swear I have before."

"Well, maybe my memory is going bad."

"Here I thought you said you have a great memory, which is it, bird brain?" Blitzø teases.

"Hmmm, which do you like better?" Stolas teases back.

"Dumb and slutty or nerdy and horny... hmmm, decisions." Blitzø sarcastically.

Stolas pretends to be offended, "You can't say such mean things to me, Blitzy."

"Ah, I figured it out. You're the smartest, dumbest, sluttiest, horny... ist, whatever nerd I know."

"Horniest darling. You almost had it."

"That does not sound like a real word." Blitzø then pulls out a Stolas impression, "Hooooorniest."

Stolas lets out a small giggle. Blitzø could see how much Stolas was glowing with positive energy simply by saying stupid shit to each other. Honestly, it was enough to make him forget about his dad and Via's call for now. Blitzø puts his arms around Stolas and pulls him into a kiss. Stolas leans into it immediately, using his hands to touch Blitzø's arms and chest.

"Fuck Stolas, we just got home! Can you not hump my dad while he's trying to eat?!" Loona yells, her usual sarcasm intact.

This makes Blitzø break the kiss so he can laugh. This, in turn, makes Stolas laugh. Blitzø keeps laughing until he has to stop to breathe.

"Fuckin' Satan's ballsack, Stolas, did you miss me that much?" Blitzø gets back to laughing so hard he flops over on the couch.

Stolas catches a glimpse at Loona, she's smiling and it's real. Stolas makes eye contact with Loona and they both silently think "he hasn't laughed this hard in a long time". Eventually Blitzø has to catch his breath again and sits himself up.

"Shit that was funny." Blitzø picks up his utensil, "But she's right, I'm fucking starving. That laugh did not help."

Stolas watches Blitzø eat some more and Blitzø doesn't acknowledge it at first. Blitzø finishes his meal and then leans into Stolas, "Sooo, how was your day?"

"Oh? You're asking me that?" Stolas seems actually a little bit shocked, Blitzø rarely, if ever, asked that.

"What? Is it suddenly a crime now to ask how my bird prince's day was?" Blitzø teases.

"Oh no, love, of course you can ask I just... wasn't expecting that... it was nice." Stolas leans back into Blitzø.

"Well, you gonna answer the fuckin' question?"

"Much better now that I'm here with you." Stolas coos.

"Satan's asscrack, my boyfriend is such a fuckin' sap!" Blitzø continues to tease.

Stolas's face lights up when Blitzø acknowledges their relationship and Blitzø notices. Blitzø fluffs the feathers on Stolas's chest.

"My booooyfrieeeennnnd." Blitzø continues to joke.

"Blitzø you're going to make me melt." Stolas wiggles in Blitzø's arms.

"More like malt, look at all these feathers."

Stolas lets out a small chuckle then gently touches Blitzø's cheek, "My boyfriend."

Blitzø kisses Stolas's hand, "That's right, birdie. I'm your boyfriend."

Stolas freezes and looks like he's about to cry, but it's not sad tears. It's like the light in his eyes had come back. It was a beautiful sight. Blitzø interlaces his free hand with Stolas's. Blitzø met Stolas's gaze, tenderness spilling from him in ways words never could.

Chapter 14: Horse Boxers, Honest Bond

Summary:

Between embarrassing humor and heartfelt honesty, Blitzø finds unexpected connection with Octavia. Through banter, vulnerability, and shared scars, their bond begins to grow in ways neither expected.

Notes:

** This chapter contains references to abusive parent dynamics, emotional distress, family trauma, and themes of vulnerability. **

Blitzø takes a big gulp out of his horse shaped Slurpee cup, his eyes glued to the screen.

"Why won't you love me, Alejandro!" The imp actress cries on the TV screen.

"Yeah, fuckin' tell his ass, Gabriela!" Blitzø yells at his TV. He knocks over his bowl of ice cream topped with cheese, "Fuck! Goddammit!"

KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK.

"I swear to Satan's fuckin' left nutsack," He stands up, "If you're a reporter, I will shoot you through this door if you don't fuck off!"

"... Uh... I'm your Hellber Eats driver." Replies a timid sounding imp on the other side of his door.

"Oh, shit." Blitzø trips over various takeout boxes surrounding the couch, "Give me a sec!"

"Alright..."

Blitzø makes it to the door and opens it. The imp raises his eyebrows briefly. Blitzø had opened the door in nothing but his horse shirt and matching horse boxers.

"My nuggets?" Blitzø says, groggily.

"Yes, sir. And your alcohol." The imp driver holds out two bags. Blitzø takes them.

"Don't you have to check my ID or some shit?" Blitzø puts the bags inside his apartment.

"Well, yeah. But you're fine. I already know."

"Already know what?"

"You're... that guy from the trial, and the news special, and the-"

Blitzø interrupts him, "Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. Fuck off now. Be grateful I already tipped you." Blitzø slams the door and then brings his Hellber order over to the couch.

"Fuck me that was embarrassing. Just another fuckin' viral clip for Hell Tok." Blitzø grumbles to himself. He scrolls his phone with greasy fingers, already imagining the comments: 'Horse boy strikes again,' 'Boxer shorts menace,' 'Trial clown orders nuggets at 3 AM.' He groans, burying his face in his horse shirt.

The TV continues blaring melodrama in the background, Gabriela screaming about betrayal while Alejandro stares blankly. Blitzø mutters, "At least you get paid to cry, sweetheart. I do it for free." He takes another gulp from his Slurpee cup, the ice crunch echoing in the silence of his apartment.

Suddenly, his phone rings. Blitzø nearly drops it, fumbling between the nuggets and the remote. He squints at the caller ID, surprised. He answers.

"Octavia? Wow, uh... didn't expect to hear from you again. Everything okay?" Blitzø tries to sound composed like he didn't just embarrass himself.

She replies slowly, "Yeah. I just... I've been thinking. About what you said."

Octavia curls her talons around the phone cord, staring at the ceiling of her room, voice hesitant but steady. Blitzø shifts uncomfortably, wiping Slurpee condensation off his horse shirt, trying to act casual even though his heart rate spikes.

"Oh. Uh. Which part? The part where I trauma dumped on a teenager or the part where I said your dad's a saint?" He forces a laugh, clinging to his horse plushie for emotional support.

"Both." She shrugs to herself, rolling onto her side, feathers rustling against the pillow as if admitting more than she meant to.

Blitzø freezes mid‑sip, straw squeaking against the ice, caught off guard by her bluntness, "...Oh?"

"You're kind of a mess. But you care. Like, really care. I think that's what he needed. Someone who doesn't want him for his title or his power. Just... him."

"Yeah. That's the idea."

"I'm still angry at him though. I feel conflicted. Overall, I'm furious and never want to see his stupid face again." She sighs, "But there's also a small part of me that wants to have him back."

"You're allowed to feel that way. Doesn't matter if it makes sense. Do what you need to feel all of it. It's better to think and talk about it instead of just ignoring it." Blitzø states, "Trust me."

"Hmmm, I suppose. Oh also, nice boxers by the way." Via smirks into the receiver, covering her beak with one wing to stifle a laugh, enjoying the rare chance to tease him.

Blitzø bolts upright, tugging his horse shirt down over his thighs, groaning like the universe itself is conspiring against him, "Satan's taint, its viral already? Fuck me!" He flops back onto the couch, covering his face with a throw pillow, muffling his curses.

"No, that's my dad's job."

"I-" Blitzø pauses, "That's a good one, kid, that's a good one."

"Maybe I shouldn't be taking advice from a grown man who wears horse girl shirts." Octavia rolls her eyes dramatically, but her grin lingers, letting herself enjoy the banter.

"Well they don't exactly make 'horse man' shirts now do they?!"

Octavia laughs, "Alright, I think I get it." She leans back against her headboard, feathers relaxing, as if conceding a point she didn't expect to.

"Get what?"

"Why my dad likes you. It's extremely entertaining to watch you make a fool out of yourself." Octavia tilts her head, voice dry but amused, masking the fact that she's actually warming to Blitzø's presence.

"... Yeah, that checks." Blitzø leans back into his couch and sighs, "Well, at least you're getting some free entertainment out of my misery."

"Just a girl with daddy issues talking to a grown man who also has daddy issues. What a life." She sighs theatrically, but her tone carries a wry affection.

Blitzø laughs, "Yeah, sometimes it be like that."

They sit in silence on the phone for a moment before Blitzø speaks again.

"So, called me just to tell me you're still mad at daddy and laugh at me? Or was there anything else you wanted to talk about?" The sound of Blitzø's nuggets rustling in the bag when he leans back, undercutting his 'wise mentor' tone.

Octavia is silent but is clearly still on the line and thinking, "I guess... you're the only person who can understand what I'm going through." Octavia hugs her knees to her chest, voice quieter now, the bravado slipping as she admits something raw.

"Mom doesn't want to talk about it. She just keeps laughing and being like 'Stolas almost died for that pathetic little imp? Hilarious!'" She says her mom's quote in her best mocking Stella impression.

"Owch, even your mother knows my trauma, that's just sad." Blitzø says with sarcasm then changes his tone to neutral, "But hey kid, if you need to trauma dump I'm here. Free of judgement and I won't tell on you to your daddy, so long as you can do the same for me."

"Ew, why would I want to talk to your shitbag of a dad?" She recoils.

"Good, glad we could come to an agreement." Blitzø smirks, tossing a nugget back into the bag like he's sealing a deal with himself.

Via laughs, "Well, I hear my uncle calling me, I have to go. Night, Blitzø."

"Night."

Via hangs up the phone and Blitzø stares at the hang‑up screen. The apartment suddenly feels too quiet, nuggets cooling beside him. He drums his fingers against the Slurpee cup, the fizz gone flat. Talking to her felt like it might eventually bring her back to her father. If only Blitzø could manage the same with his sister.

Chapter 15: Shut Up, Exhausted Prince

Summary:

Exhaustion gives way to quiet bonds, as Stolas finds comfort in silence with Blitzø and unexpected trust with Loona. Between teasing, vulnerability, and a rare embrace, new family ties begin to shine.

Blitzø woke up to Stolas flopping onto the mattress. He looked exhausted.

"Hey, pretty bird." Blitzø raises his eyebrows seductively and speaks in a flirty manner, "How was work?"

Stolas looks over at Blitzø with 'are you serious right now?' expression on his face.

"Not much for talking right now, huh? Well let me have some snuggles instead." Blitzø says as he inches closer to Stolas, still maintaining his good mood.

Stolas pulls away from Blitzø and looks away from him, "Blitzø, I'm not really in the mood."

Blitzø is taken aback by this. Stolas had never rejected physical affection before. Blitzø sits up, twiddling his thumbs.

"Do you... want to talk about it?" Blitzø says softly.

Stolas stays silent, the thousand yard stare seemed to be back.

"... Shit, Stolas, have you been taking your meds?" his words tumble over each other, voice cracking as he wrings his hands, "I've been so caught up in my bullshit I haven't been giving them to you and I-" Stolas interrupts him.

"Blitzø, I have been taking them. I just had a long day. I don't need you beating yourself up right now." Stolas's tone is firm but not aggressive.

Blitzø pauses, "I... I'm sorry... I've been a really shitty boyfriend. You and Loona, and M&M have been running my business and I've just been... here. Doing nothing but feeling sorry for myself. I'm such a fucking selfish dick." His hands shaking as he speaks.

Stolas releases a large exhale then grabs Blitzø by the cheeks, "Blitzø. Stop it. If I dealt with even half of what you had to deal with regarding your father, I'd be in a way worse spot. All things considered, you're handling the public eye and your abusive father's bullshit way better than most would."

Blitzø searches Stolas's eyes, now that they were so close. He was glad Stolas was touching him, even if Stolas was intense and maybe a smidge agitated. Blitzø gathered that his boyfriend wasn't lying and that he really did just have a long day at the office. This didn't make Blitzø feel any better, however, he realized sulking in front of Stolas wasn't helping.

Stolas lets his shoulders slump, the tension draining as he releases Blitzø, "Sorry I got so... aggravated. I'm not upset with you. Just some bullshit at IMP. We can discuss it later."

"Well, I need to get back in the game, tell me about it." He scootches in again.

"No, darling. Not right now. We can talk in the morning. I owe you those cuddles you asked for."

Blitzø's eyes widened, "Stolas, if you're not in the mood you don't have to-"

Stolas grabs Blitzø and pushes him onto the mattress, "I can't believe I'm saying this but... Blitzø... shut the fuck up."

Stolas then begins to kiss Blitzø and hold him. Blitzø wants to protest, at first, but Stolas seemed dead set on shutting him up, so he obliged and began to kiss back. This continues for a while until Stolas gets off of Blitzø and lies next to him.

"Not a word, Blitzø. Not a word." Stolas hugs Blitzø close and puts his hand over Blitzø's mouth, "Please, I just want to hold you right now. No talking."

Blitzø relaxes his position and nods at Stolas to non-verbally tell him 'message received'.

Satisfied, Stolas takes his hand off Blitzø's mouth and uses a single finger to trace Blitzø's jawline while looking into Blitzø's eyes. Stolas was calming down, Blitzø could sense it. If this is all Stolas wanted right now, Blitzø figured it was the least he could do. Blitzø closes his eyes to relax more into Stolas's touch and falls asleep before he can stop himself. The warmth of Stolas's hand lingering against his jaw as he drifts off.

Stolas double checks that Blitzø is asleep before getting up off the mattress to go write in his journal at the kitchen table. Loona happened to be sitting in one of the chairs, drinking who knows what out of a mug. Stolas takes a seat. The kitchen light hummed faintly, Stolas's quill scratching against paper while Loona sipped her mug Loona then speaks up.

"That was pretty funny there, Stolas. Telling my dad to shut the fuck up. You are one of two people who can say that to him without him getting mad. The first being me, of course." Loona speaks jests with Stolas.

"He really does like to talk, doesn't he? Oh Lucifer, I hate how much I love that man sometimes." Stolas shakes his head then rubs his temples.

"Nice fantasy novel by the way. Does he know you write about him like that?" Loona teases.

"Wait a moment, you read my journal?!" Stolas plants his hands on the table defensively, looking completely mortified. His quill rolled off the page, ink blotting the margin as if betraying him too.

"Yeah, when you went with Millie to get coffee the other day. You left it open at your desk and I was bored at the office, for once." Loona says nonchalantly then takes another sip out of her mug.

"I really need to stop leaving this out if I don't want anyone else reading it, I suppose." Stolas says, cheeks turning red.

"If it wasn't dead fucking obvious that your characters were self inserts of you and Blitzø, its actually not a bad story Stolas. Maybe you should get into writing... maybe about things other than how much you like my dad's dick though."

Stolas, who was taking a sip of water, chokes on it with Loona's last bit of statement and coughs, "That's... that's not all I write about!"

Loona laughs, "Yeah, I know, dumbass. You're so easy to tease. Least dad gives me some resistance and jokes back."

"Oh, is that what you want? A common jest?" He playfully teases back.

"Hey, if I have to live with two idiot lovebirds, it might as well be entertaining, right?" Loona snarks, "I have a feeling dad's going to eventually propose to you. You know, assuming your divorce is finalized and all that."

Stolas starts blushing like crazy, "He... he wants to marry me?" His feathers puffed involuntarily, betraying his composure. He pressed his palms flat against the table, trying to anchor himself as his mind spun.

"I played back his livestream his dumbass did a while back. He made some joke about your brother-in-law not being invited to the wedding, he back pedaled a little bit and then said well its 'not not off the table,'" Loona does her best impression of a spiraling Blitzø then continues, "Usually what he actually means to say comes out when he spirals. Figured you might want some good news today."

Stolas looks down at this hands on the table, imagining Blitzø proposing to him and what a ring on his finger may look like. He was stuck in a trance. Blitzø getting Stolas a ring to publicly lay claim to him made Stolas's heart sing. He loved being Blitzø's boyfriend... but his husband? Swoon.

"Also, Blitzø is secretly a hopeless romantic. Just let him spoil you, he communicates his love better through actions than words. Wasn't sure if you were aware." Loona says, ignoring Stolas being lost in his thoughts.

Stolas pops back into the conversation after daydreaming, "Yes, it's been a few months of us living together now. I have picked up on some of his habits. He does all the house chores and errands. He's never made you do it once. And all we do is order him takeout. I feel like I am letting him down. I've been so pampered my entire life and I just don't know how to do anything!"

Loona shakes her head, "Welcome to the real world, jackass," Loona jests, "But honestly, Blitzø had been on his own for years before he adopted me, so he probably doesn't even think of the house stuff as 'work', probably just sees it as everyday nonsense."

Loona and Stolas sit in silence for a moment.

"I mean, if you want, I could teach you. Blitzø doesn't really let me do chores. But I can do them." Loona admits, "Which is why I figured you shouldn't bother either."

"Well, I mean, we could clean up this mess." Stolas gestures to the dirty kitchen and takeout boxes strewn everywhere, "Might help Blitzø not spiral as much. That's at least how a clean place affects me."

"We can just grab some trash bags and take them out on the way to the office in the morning before Blitzø wakes up." Loona says as she sends a text on her phone, "Honestly this house has looked worse."

"How could it look worse than this?" Stolas gestures around.

"Whenever you two had your little 'break up'." Loona states bluntly flicking to scroll down on her phone.

"Oh... I guess that makes sense." Stolas ponders this for a moment, "I'm sure he was just as much of a mess then as I was, huh?"

Loona puts her phone down, groans, and looks at Stolas, "That's underselling how bad he was."

"You haven't seen me at my lowest, dear." Stolas somberly says, shrinking into his chair.

Loona loses her sarcastic demeanor for a moment, "Well, that doesn't matter. It's not a competition, dad."

This breaks Stolas out of his temporary funk and makes him smile, "You're... kinder than you give yourself credit for. I guess Blitzø raised you well." Stolas teases at the end.

"Psh, whatever." Loona teases back but then returns to a serious tone, "But seriously, I'm here for both of you. Seeing dad almost killed and then you giving up your life for him in return? It all hit me pretty hard. I'm grateful you saved his life. I owe you my life as much as he does." Loona looks away just like Blitzø did when being vulnerable.

Stolas is taken by surprise. Loona was grateful that he saved Blitzø? They hardly knew each other and yet they were talking like they had always been father and daughter. Loona felt safe to confide in Stolas. Stolas was only now realizing the gravity of the situation and how huge that was for her.

"You don't owe me anything, sweetie. I... I'm glad you see me as your step-dad. It makes me overjoyed that you see yourself as my daughter." Stolas pauses to take a breath, "I just hope I can be a good father to you."

Loona stands up, "You already are. You've been a positive influence in not just in Blitzø's life, but mine too," she shifted awkwardly, scratching the back of her neck. "Look, I'm not good at this mushy shit... but do you, uh, want a hug or whatever?"'

Stolas blinked, surprised, before immediately standing up. "Yes, I would like that."

Loona rolled her eyes but stepped forward anyway, muttering, "Don't make it weird." She wrapped her arms around him in a quick, stiff hug.

Stolas's composure cracked, a few tears slipped free as he held her tighter than she expected. Loona sighed, softening just enough to hug him back properly.

"...Fine," she said quietly, "but only because you've actually been good for him. And for me."

Loona was only just beginning to trust people outside of Blitzø, but she was confident in her choice to trust Stolas. Blitzø may be an idiot, but he hadn't shown to have a poor choice of people's character. That was enough for her. Stolas enjoys the hug until Loona pushes him away.

"Alright, I think that's enough touchy-feely shit for us tonight." She tries to joke, "Don't tell dad about this, I don't think he'll let either of us live it down."

Stolas smiles, "Of course, dear."

Chapter 16: Haunted Voice, Hidden Guilt

Summary:

As Octavia confronts painful truths, Blitzø becomes her confidant — but the weight of his own words leaves him haunted. Between hidden guilt and silent collapse, he struggles with the fear of pushing her away and the burden of secrets he cannot share.

Notes:

** This chapter contains themes of abusive parent dynamics, emotional distress, family trauma, references to hired violence, breakdown imagery, and self‑loathing. **

Blitzø woke up to an empty apartment. The silence pressed in, broken only by the faint hum of the fridge. The absence of Loona's footsteps or Stolas's feathers brushing past the couch made the place feel hollow. Looking around the room, his mess of takeout boxes and other trash he had gathered up around the couch had been picked up. He winced. That meant Loona and Stolas had taken all the trash out.

"Shit, maybe they should have taken me out with the trash. Least then I'd be useful." Blitzø thinks to himself, "Fuck, I don't have time for my self loathing bullshit today. I need to do something."

He looks around again. The place is still a mess. He gets the idea to clean the entire apartment. It had been a while since the place had been fully cleaned, and that was his fault. There's no way he'd let Stolas and Loona clean his apartment, especially not the mess he made. It was bad enough he made enough of a mess that they took out the trash for him. Blitzø sighs and gets off the mattress. His joints popped as he stretched, the kind of ache that came from sleeping half‑curled on a pullout couch too many nights in a row. He folds he and Stolas's blankets and then folds the pullout back into its couch form. Blitzø turns on some background music and gets started. The tinny speakers filled the apartment with noise, but it only made the emptiness sharper.

He was in the middle of vacuuming when his phone started to ring. Blitzø stops the vacuum and answers.

"Hello?" Blitzø says tentatively.

"Hey..." It was Octavia.

"Oh, Octavia," He clocks the sad tone in her voice, "Are you okay?"

"You said I could call you if I needed to vent." Her voice hollow.

"Yeah, that offer still stands."

She's silent for a moment then she sounds choked up, "My mom really does hate my dad."

Blitzø isn't really sure how to respond to this. Based on the little Stolas had told him about Stella, this revelation didn't come off as a surprise. It did occur to Blitzø though that this might be a surprise to Octavia though. Thinking he should play it safe he simply responded.

"What makes you think that?"

Octavia sounds like she's fighting off heavier tears. Blitzø pressed the phone tighter to his ear, pacing in a tight circle, tail twitching like it wanted to lash out.

"I got to talking to her and my uncle over dinner and she started going on and on about how much she hates him. In her own words. Saying things I'd never heard her say before. I'm not sure what is true or not." She curls her knees up to her chest, voice trembling, the dinner replaying in her mind like a scene she can't escape.

Blitzø pauses to collect his thoughts before giving her any sort of response. It clicked in his mind that Stolas may have hidden this part of his wife from Octavia to retain some level of normalcy. Blitzø hadn't dealt with parents like that before. For as much of a piece of shit his dad was, he never recalled his mom ever seeming to dislike or hate her husband.

"I'm going to be honest, Octavia. My responses might be biased, because I know your dad way more than I know your mom. So, you can take my answers however you want, but, it's possible now that Stolas isn't at the palace, your mom may feel more empowered to say whatever she wants. You might be seeing sides of her you've never seen before." Blitzø rubs at the back of his neck, pacing a few steps across the living room.

"But how come I never noticed it before? I know she'd make jabs at him, but I thought it was in jest. I didn't think she was serious. The way she was talking with uncle, you'd think my dad committed a serious crime or something with how she talked about him." Octavia's voice wavers, feathers rustling as she curls tighter into herself, talons tapping against the phone like she's trying to steady her own pulse.

Blitzø stays quiet, he can tell this is a lot for her to process. Made him think of how real the world got when he was disowned by his dad and left all on his own. Granted, this situation was very different from his, but the same deep understanding of 'everything you thought you knew was a lie' vibe was the exact same.

"And then she said she's glad she called off the hit man?! That 'seeing him poor is way more entertaining than burying his twig ass'." Octavia's voice cracked, talons scraping against the desk as if she could claw the words out of existence.

Blitzø immediately puts two and two together. Stella had hired Striker. Both times. Blitzø balled his hand into a fist. His claws dug into his palm, the sting grounding him just enough to keep his voice steady. He hadn't really had a major reason to hate Stella before, but knowing how much pain she had caused Stolas suddenly made his blood boil. He tries to keep his composure for Octavia. Learning your mom hates your dad that much as a teenager cannot be a good feeling.

"She was just laughing at it, like she didn't just tell me she signed dad's death warrant." Octavia sounds distraught and angry. The cracks in his marriage that Stolas didn't want Via to see were becoming painfully clear.

"I... No wonder dad had to take happy pills. Did she treat him like that all the time and I never noticed?" Her voice cracks, talons clutching the phone tighter, feathers trembling as if her body was rejecting the truth.

"He was protecting you." Blitzø lowers his voice, staring at the floor, tail curling around his ankle like he's trying to anchor himself, "He wanted you to have a happy childhood."

"What good did that fucking do? If he didn't cheat on her, would he still be hiding this from me?" Octavia's words spill out sharp, but her breathing hitches between syllables, anger and grief colliding in her chest.

"... Probably." Blitzø says sadly, "Stolas didn't even register that tolerating her abuse wasn't normal." His claws drum against the couch arm, each tap betraying the sadness he's trying to keep out of his tone

Octavia goes dead silent. The silence on the line feels heavy, Blitzø pressing the phone harder to his ear as if he could will her back into speaking.

"... Abuse?" She says like she is comprehending the implications of the word, "You... you think she's always been like this?" Her voice is thin, almost hollow, like she's testing the weight of a word she never wanted to carry.

"Coming from someone who's been abused... yes." He exhales through his nose, the admission scraping raw against his throat, claws flexing involuntarily

"W-what do you mean?" Octavia's words dissolve into tears, muffled sobs bleeding through the receiver, her composure unraveling completely

"I don't think my mom knew my dad was abusing me. Thinking back on it. He was good at hiding it. And, in your case, if your dad was covering for her... wouldn't surprise me if she's always been like that."

Octavia makes a visceral sound. Anger? Sadness? Both? The sound tore out of her throat raw, half‑snarl, half‑sob, like her body couldn't decide which way to break. A deep ache that would take years to heal.

"Ev... Everything I thought about my family was a lie." Her voice wavered between brittle and sharp, like glass about to crack but refusing to shatter

Blitzø is trying even harder to be the one who keeps his emotions in check. His claws dug into the couch cushion, tail twitching violently before he forced it still. He wanted to run over to the palace and put a bullet in Stella's skull for hurting not only his boyfriend, but someone Blitzø was starting to consider his daughter as well. It would be an easy hit, but that's not what Octavia needed right now. She needs an adult who was on her side, without letting anger cloud him.

"You... I'm sorry you had to find out this way." Blitzø continues to try to remain calm and be there for Octavia. He pressed the heel of his hand against his forehead, forcing his tone to stay level even as his chest burned

He can hear her sobbing on the phone. He knew what that felt like. This wound was fresh for her. Each sob echoed through the receiver, hollow and jagged, pulling Blitzø back to nights he'd tried to cry quietly enough not to be heard

"Fuck," Octavia croaks, "I had everything all wrong."

Blitzø doesn't respond yet, seeing if she'll elaborate.

"I was never going to have happy parents who love each other... I'm never going to have that... am I?" Her words landed heavy, the silence after them stretching like a void Blitzø couldn't fill

Blitzø covers his mouth so he doesn't externally voice how visceral of a reaction he just had to that. He tries to steady his breathing. He had never been more grateful that she couldn't see his face right now.

"That's not true." Blitzø finally manages to speak in a neutral tone.

"... What?" Octavia says softly.

"It's not over. You can have a happy family. ... you just need to give your dad another chance."

Octavia goes silent, not even a sniffle could be heard. The two remain in silence for an uncomfortably long time.

"Are... are you suggesting I could have parents who love each other... with you and dad?" Her tone was fragile, almost childlike, as if she was afraid the question itself might break her.

Blitzø covers his mouth again so she doesn't hear the fact that he's starting to cry and getting choked up. Just the implication was enough.

"... Y-yeah." Is all Blitzø could mutter. He had hoped Octavia didn't catch the hitch in his voice.

It's silent again for another moment.

"I... I have to go." Octavia flatly states as she hangs up the line before Blitzø can even respond.

The flat buzz of the dial tone rang in his ears long after he dropped the phone, the silence of the apartment pressing down like a weight before he collapses onto the couch.

"Fuuuuck." Blitzø mumbles to himself.

His thoughts are racing so hard he can't even pin any concrete thought down. All he knows is he really hopes he didn't just push Octavia away by implying he could be her family. Did he speak out of turn?

"I... really fucked up this time." Blitzø notices that he's been shaking and can't stop, "Fuck, Stolas. I'm sorry... I'm so sorry..."

He hugs himself to make himself as small as possible. His claws dug into his own arms, tail coiled so tight it throbbed, but the pain was grounding the proof he was still here, even if he felt hollow. The worst part about all of this?

There was no way he could tell Stolas about any of that.