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The morning after the trial, news of the Goetian prince’s banishment seemed to have spread throughout the seven rings. The media is filled with hate posts, as to be expected.
Blitzø, “impkind’s hero”, internally found this heartbreaking. Stolas’ punishment was cruel enough on its own, and he did not need anyone else to turn against him on a whim. Nevertheless, I.M.P. is at its peak because of the same story. The imp still feels guilty thinking about how his business’ newfound fame came at the cost of his beloved’s happiness. Still, this change brings a new wave of challenges and opportunities alike, both of which he welcomes with open arms. Each day just serves as a reminder for him to do something for the owl until he slowly, but surely, brings back his old smile.
The former prince in question, however, remains a shell of his former self, seemingly unaffected by the public’s opinion. He stays planted on the sofa. Only standing up to go to the bathroom every now and then. He stays mostly unresponsive, speaking only when absolutely necessary. He avoided the media, as per Blitzø’s request, not that he cared either way.
Blitzø wanted to stay with Stolas 24/7, but with I.M.P.’s sudden rise to fame and M&M’s endless calls, he knew that he needed to go back to work eventually. To compromise, he took turns with Loona in looking after the owl.
The owl sleeps throughout most of the day, making it hard for him to sleep when the night comes. It also didn’t help that nightmares became a nightly occurrence, causing him to wake up in the middle of the night. Although Stolas tries his best to stay quiet to avoid waking the imp up, his heaving and crying eventually make his efforts useless.
On the first night, Blitzø attempted to calm the owl down with only words. He avoided touching him given their unresolved issues. Lucky for him, his soft whispered promises were enough to soothe the other.
On the second night, words proved to be insufficient. So, with a nod of Stolas’ head, the imp got his unspoken consent to touch him. Blitzø ran his right hand up and down the owl’s back. And with his left, he drew small circles with his thumb on Stolas’ palm.
On the third night, Stolas was too shaken up to give his consent. Blitzø was running out of ideas when he remembered the box of teabags that a client gifted him earlier. With an “excuse me” that the other probably did not even hear, the imp got up and found the box on the kitchen counter. He made quick work of boiling the water with a kettle. He got his favourite mug adorned with horses, placed the teabag in, and poured the water once it finished boiling. By the time he went back to the sofa, Stolas had calmed down a bit and was hugging himself for comfort.
“Hey, I got you tea,” the imp said, offering the mug he was holding.
And with the owl aware enough, Blitzø was finally consented to touch him. The imp took no time to cuddle next to him on the sofa, where, they remained silent save for the occasional slurp of tea. It wasn’t the best tea that Stolas tasted, but he appreciated it. Especially because Blitzø made it.
With the tea finished, Stolas made himself more comfortable on the sofa, holding onto the already sleeping imp tighter. He had slept peacefully for the first in a long time.
From then on, the two developed a habit of sharing a cup of tea after dinner. Some nights, they watched movies to go with it. Sometimes, it was Stolas’ hell-a-novelas. Occasionally, they’ll have small talk. But more often than not, feeling each other’s presence was enough that they sat silently until they finished their drinks.
Blitzø always waited for Stolas to give a signal that he wanted to try going to sleep and never the other way around. It was for the owl that they started this in the first place anyway.
After their mugs had been cleaned, they lay down on the sofa together, their limbs a tangled mess, holding onto each other for dear life.
Blitzø wakes up to the sound of his alarm. The owl beside him was still sleeping soundly. As much as he would love to stay like this, it was Loona’s turn to look after him. He knew he had to move or he’d be late. He carefully stood up, gave a peck to the other’s cheek, and went to the kitchen to start with breakfast.
He was almost done setting the table when he heard Stolas yawn.
“Mornin’ Stols, you’re just in time, I made pancakes! Come eat with me while they’re still warm,” the imp said with enthusiasm. He heard a hoot in response and some shuffling before Stolas made his way to the dining table.
The pair ate in silence, just as every other breakfast. His pancakes were just as fluffy and delicious as ever. His coffee was sweet as fuck. The imp was ticking all the boxes to their normal breakfast, but Blitzø couldn’t shake off the feeling that something was off. That is until he properly looked at the owl that he knew, something really was off.
The bags under Stolas’ eyes were darker and the expression he wore was grim. In this light, his beloved owl looked awfully older. He watched the other pick at his food until he decided to just go with it.
“You alright? Are you not feeling well?” he inquires as his hand makes its way on top of the other’s.
The owl just stared at him with knitted brows, eyes filled with longing. He was supposed to ask more when Loona’s bedroom door slammed open. The teen looked disheveled but otherwise uncaring for her appearance at the moment. She went straight towards the pair and stole a pancake from the stack.
“Dad, why are you still here? It’s 5 minutes ‘til 9 and you aren’t even dressed yet.”
“Shit, I forgot,” the imp admitted. He scarfed down his breakfast and beelined to the bathroom. Emerging two minutes later fully dressed.
“Bye Stols, bye Looney. Love ‘ya, be good,” Blitzø quickly said as he opened a portal to his office. It wasn’t until he was settled on his desk that he realized what he said. He blushed at the implication but shook his head upon hearing a knock on his door.
It wasn’t until lunch that he was reminded of Stolas. The TV was on as he ate with M&M. Due to the sudden increase in clients, they decided that it was more efficient to have their meetings as they had their lunch.
“Vaughn Peera, wants to get revenge on his neighbour whom he suspects is… a werewolf?” Moxxie looked at the information sheet confused. “Werewolves don’t exist…”
“Don’t question it, get on with who we’re killing,” Blitzø prompted through mouthfuls of his burger.
“Right… the name’s Lu Boh, the client said it’s urgent to kill him by tonight. Something about the full moon?”
If Mox was still talking, Blitzø didn’t hear. His mind repeated those two words that haunted him since months ago. Full moon. Of course, that’s why his owl was upset. He should-
“Blitz, are you fucking listening?” M&M were looking at him.
“‘Ya alright hun?” Millie asked.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah, come on. Let’s make quick work of this.” Ignoring Millie’s concern, Blitzø shoved the rest of his burger in his mouth and stood up to open a portal.
“Right now? I thought we should wait for-“
“Nah, I say we kill the bitch already,” Blitzø interrupted going straight into the portal.
The couple looked at each other before Moxxie went to get his bag of weapons while Millie told the interns where they were going. They then followed their impulsive boss through the portal to get their job done.
They never get to confirm if the guy really was a werewolf. Blitzø was so eager to finish quickly that he shot the man in his sleep with zero hesitation. Mox did not argue, it got the job done anyway.
“Alright, let’s close up early today because of our job well done.”
“Blitz, we still have 4 hours, we have a long line of clients you know?” Moxxie raised an eyebrow.
Millie immediately sensed that something was off with his boss. “Blitz, is something the matter?”
Caught off-guard, Blitzø was silent for a while. “Yeah, no shit. I just… miss him,” he admitted.
Millie glanced at her husband and sighed. “How ‘bout this? ‘Ya go back to your birdy and we close back here.”
“Yeah, I- I’d like that. Yeah.”
“Great. ‘Ya go straight home now, don’t worry ‘bout us.”
“Thanks, Mills, you’re the best.”
Blitzø waved his goodbyes before disappearing into a portal. He, however, did not go straight home. He needed to buy some supplies first for tonight.
Blitzø contacted Loona in advance, asking if she could leave the two alone for tonight. So when he got home, the hellhound made a show of telling her dad that she’d be out to watch a concert. Stolas paid no mind to the exchange and kept his gaze on the TV. Loona gave her dad a small smile before closing the apartment door. The imp then put his bag of supplies down on the counter and went towards the owl.
“Hey, Stols. I hope you’re feeling better.” The owl turned and saw the bouquet that the imp was holding. Following his gaze, Blitzø looked at his hands and offered the flowers to the owl. “I got you a little something. I chose the red ones, it matches your eyes.” the imp said affectionately.
It was a bouquet of red carnations. Stolas was touched. He accepted the flowers and cradled them to his chest.
The imp's eyes widened seeing the owl’s sudden tears. “Shit, is that too much? I-“
“They’re okay, Blitzø. I love them. Thank you.” the owl interrupted, bringing a hand to his face to wipe away the tears he hadn’t even realized were there.
Feeling a bit more confident, the imp gave a chaste kiss to the other’s forehead, painting both of their faces with the flowers’ shade. “You’re welcome. You keep your feathered ass there and I’ll get started on dinner.”
Blitzø had whipped up some pasta dish with mice, his best one yet. If Stolas has any say in it. Their usually silent supper was filled with lively chatter. They asked about each other’s day. Blitzø showed some memes he saw throughout the day. To say the least, dinner was nice.
Stolas insisted on washing the dishes so the imp could wash up before they had their tea. And by the time Blitzø got out of the bathroom, the owl was already finishing up cleaning the sink. The imp got started with boiling the water then rummaged through his bag and pulled out a small container.
“What’s that?” the owl asked, wiping his hands.
“Bought a new blend to try out. It has cornflowers in it,” the imp replied, handing the jar to the other. “You cleaned this pan nicely,” he added as he ran a finger through the pan’s surface, inspecting for leftover grease.
“Learned from the best, of course,” Stolas said proudly, puffing out his chest.
He then proceeded to measure the blend and made tea for both of them. Meanwhile, Blitzø filled a vase with water and placed the carnations in it. Setting the vase by the dining table. Soon enough, the two were settled on the sofa with their tea on the coffee table. Stolas gave a glance at the vase of flowers, gathering the courage to finally ask.
“Blitz, thanks again for the carnations. I truly do love them,” he began, smiling at the other.
“Of course,” the imp replied, smiling back.
“Do you… do you know what those specific flowers… symbolize?”
Blitzø was silent for a moment. “Nooo. Like I said, I got them because they match your eyes.”
“Figures.” The owl was, slightly disappointed but pressed on. “Is there any occasion, though?”
“Just felt like you deserve one.”
The owl can’t help but feel that the other is hiding something. “Just spill it.”
“Fine! Fine. For fuck’s sake.” The imp took a deep breath before he continued, “You looked down this morning. I found out at lunch it was the full moon today and I thought that’s why you were sad.”
Stolas’ previous disappointment dissipated as he gave the other a sad smile. “That’s sweet of you to do. Though the full moon does bring out some unwanted memories…they weren’t all unwanted.” He added, “No, I dreamt about Via last night. I guess I was still missing her when I woke up.”
The imp suddenly stood up. “You ruined it,” the owl thought to himself.
Moments later, Blitzø reappeared holding a stuffed owl, which he offered to Stolas. The owl took it with care as if it was made of glass. He inspected it and found the name “Via” printed on its left talon. “Passed by this toy store a while ago,” the imp said sheepishly.
It was a lie, he went through second hell looking for the store that customizes stuffies with his shitty navigator app. The store was jam-packed, and he was getting impatient. That was until an employee recognized him and permitted him to cut through the line, saying it was a “gift for the hero”. Cursing every kid and their parents he passed by, he went to the front where he was given a discount. He paid what he owed, and went about his merry way.
Stolas hugged the stuffed owl, immediately being reminded again of his owlet. He can already feel the tears stinging his eyes. “Thank you, Blitzø. For everything.”
“Always.”
Silence enveloped them for a while as Blitzø struggled to find the words to say. He knew they needed to talk about the elephant in the room sooner or later.
“Can we… can we talk about the full moon?” the imp asked hesitantly.
“I guess we’re doing this today. Seems fitting,” the owl replied, trying to lighten the mood.
“Right… I’ve been thinking, like, a lot. Since our last full moon together,” the owl’s breath hitched but Blitzø pressed on. “What I did was a dick move and I’m… sorry… for that.”
“I was at fault too, you know. I was quick to dismiss you and your feelings. I failed to see your reaction for what it truly was. So, I’m sorry too,” Stolas replied. “We both said and did some hurtful things we wished we could take back.”
“I didn’t mean to joke about your feelings.”
“I know that now.”
“I just thought, how can someone like you actually love someone like me.”
“Funny, I thought the exact same thing.”
The pair held each other’s gaze, and just as quickly looked away. Hiding the blush that dusted their cheeks.
“My heart aches for you,” Stolas said with newly found boldness.
“Huh?” the imp looked at him confused.
“The language of flowers. Red carnations are traditionally used to express deep love and passion for the receiver of these flowers.”
Blitzø’s eyes widened in realization. “I-“ the imp stammered, “I didn’t mean to- I didn’t know, okay!” He was lost for words and a blushing mess. How can he make such an embarrassing mistake?
Stolas merely chuckled at the sight, which seemed to silence the imp’s rambling. Was it really possible to fall in love even more?
The imp took a moment to compose himself before asking, “How did we come to be this way? From casual sex to drinking tea on my couch.”
“Time passed. Things changed. We grew up,” the owl said, “and so did my- our feelings.”
Silence enveloped them once more as they took in what was said.
“You know what?”
“What?”
“Fuck it.”
“Pardon?”
“Let’s make a new deal,” the imp suggested. “None of that contractual sex bullshit. Every full moon, I bring you flowers, then we cuddle the night away.”
“We already do that though. The cuddling, I mean,” the owl clarified.
“Yeah, but we’ll make it extra special,” Blitzø said, trying to sell his idea to the other.
“Perhaps, I can give you a gift as well. A token that says I care about you.”
“I’d like that.”
“Then it’s settled.”
The owl scooched closer as the imp snaked his arm through the other’s waist. The pair fell into a comfortable silence as they cuddled and only then did they notice their cold and forgotten tea on the coffee table.
“Do you want me to heat those up in the microwave?” Blitzø offered.
“I don’t really want to move,” Stolas whined.
“Me neither.”
“It can wait. We did it, so can they.”