-ˋˏ[•Familial Bonds•]ˎˊ

:Arc 1:
✧*̥˚Chapter One*̥˚✧
•A startling revelation•

x

"Sir, are you coming or not?" Moxxie asked, standing beside the portal with Loona by his side, Millie having already made her way through.

"Oh—" Blitzø replied, blinking at the receptionist and weapons expert as if he just noticed they were there. "Yeah...I'm coming." He quickly made his way to the portal, ignoring the questioning looks Loona and Moxxie gave him as he jumped through.

It's been about two months since his 'meeting' with Stolas and the unexpected run-in with Striker and Barbie Wire. Yet despite that, Blitzø was still stuck thinking over that event whenever he had time to. It just wouldn't leave him alone. The fact that he got to see his sister again after so long and immediately seeing that she was with the guy that tried to kill Stolas was a lot for Blitzø to process.

He already accepted that the imp he saw at the time was his twin, yet why she was even there to begin with and why she tried to attack Stolas was a question that kept nagging at his brain. Why was his sister even around? Wasn't she suppose to be in rehab...?

"Blitzø," Millie said, snapping Blitzø out of his thoughts. "You've been spacing out a lot recently. What's wrong?"

"Oh, uh—Nothing! I'm fine." He replied, forcing himself to grin at her. "I'm just...tired and stuff!"

Millie frowned, but before she could question him any further, Moxxie made his way through the portal, landing on the grass below him with a small thud, before promptly falling over and onto his side.

"Ugh, sorry." Moxxie grunted as he got back up. He was never really good at landing. "Now where exactly is our target located at?"

"Mox, you okay? You didn't hurt yourself, right?" Millie rushed over to her husband's side, brushing his coat off and adjusting his bowtie. Moxxie gave her a grateful smile as she did so. "Thanks Sweetie~ I'm alright."

Blitzø frowned at their display of affection, feeling left out as usual as he watched. "The bastard we need to kill should be around here somewhere—let's just look around." He grumbled, walking off without waiting for the other two.

Moxxie and Millie shared a look with each other, wondering briefly what was up with Blitzø before making their way after him.

.

-o0o-

.

Ever since they returned from the Pride Ring all the way back to Wrath after the failed attempt to end Stolas's life, Barbie Wire found herself more often than not, laying down whenever she could.

She let out an exhausted groan, trying to ignore the feeling of nausea that was creeping up on her. She's been trying to fight this bout off for the past couple of hours or so, and Striker wasn't around to help her since he went out for a ride on his horse for whatever reason. He said something about it, but she couldn't remember exactly what.

"Shit." She mumbled, shifting uncomfortably in place. "What the fuck is wrong with me...?" It was one thing to be sick; but it was a different matter altogether if said illness left her tired and queasy at random intervals of the day and kept coming back to bother her when she least expected it.

Awhile ago, she would try to brush it off as nothing and just hope it went away, but now she was starting to worry about it since she's been feeling like this for a few weeks.

Barbie rubbed at her curled horns, trying to give herself some comfort and ease over the headache she had as she mused to herself over what could be the cause of her affliction. Thinking back to when she started feeling ill.

"..Oh fuck." Barbie said aloud to herself as realization hit her. This technically began about a month ago if her memory served correctly here.
Which meant only one thing...

.

-o0o-

.

"Wow, good job, Mils! You really showed that fucker who's boss!" Blitzø cheered as all three of them made their way through the portal that Loona opened up.

Their mission went smoothly, and despite the various attempts that Millie and Moxxie made to get Blitzø to talk, they weren't successful in that regard. But at the very least, Blitzø seemed happy over the killing they've done.

"Hey," Loona said, grimoire in hand as the portal closed behind Moxxie, eyeing her adopted father with a blank stare. "You gonna return this to your crazy bird fling or what?"

"Oh, yeah, sure..." Blitzø replied to the hellhound, reluctantly taking Stolas's spell book from her paws. It seemed like his happiness was short lived; as the mere mention of Stolas made him remember what exactly he was trying not to recall.

Loona quirked an eyebrow at her father as he rushed off, glancing over at Millie and Moxxie with a confused expression. "Why the fuck is Blitzø acting so...weird?"

Millie shrugged. "No clue. He's been acting like that ever since he went out to visit the prince that one time."

"Do you think something happened?" Moxxie butted into the conversation. "Like, for example; They got into an argument, maybe?"

"Pfft, that's ridiculous, fatty." Loona let out a laugh at Moxxie's suggestion. "If anything I bet they're too awkward around each other after that whole Ozzie's fiasco to fuck each other and that's why he's being all strange."

"Loona, that drama with Ozzie's was 5 months ago, and I'm pretty sure Blitzø already forgave and apologized to Stolas for that." Millie retorted. "I'm sure that if it was as...'odd' as that; Blitzø would've said something by now."

"Whatever..." She rolled her eyes. "Let's just hope that when he gets back he'll actually say something about it." The hellhound snapped. "I don't like seeing him act like this." She huffed.

"For once, I actually agree with you on something..." Moxxie muttered as Millie nodded in agreement to Loona's statement.

.

-o0o-

.

"I'm pregnant."

Those words weren't what Striker expected to hear when he came back to the motel they were staying in.

"You're what?!"

"I'm pregnant." Barbie repeated, her tail lashing behind her, it was clear that she wasn't joking around. "And you're definitely the father."

"...Hm, I figured as such." Striker scoffed, getting over the shock surprisingly quickly. "No one else could've done it."

"So, What do you wanna do about this?" He gave her a uncertain glance. His tail rattling behind him.

Barbie didn't say anything as she pondered over her choices. She never really had any strong feelings about having kids, though she wasn't particularly keen on the idea of becoming a mother, she wasn't ever outright against it, per say. Right now; she wasn't sure how to really feel.

"Why don't we just check to make sure I'm right and then decide after that?" She asked, fidgeting with her claws. "Can't wait to see if we'll be stuck with our mistake or not." She jested, letting out a chuckle.

"I certainly don't see the harm in that~" The cowboy replied.

Their visit to the closest clinic took longer than initially thought, but considering this was the Wrath Ring, it wasn't all that surprising. Getting hurt was common after all, especially through fighting.

"—looks like I was right then..." Barbie muttered as the two of them walked off, hand in hand. Riding Bombproof out wasn't necessary, since it was close by, so they traveled by foot this time around.

"I'm fine with whatever choice you decide to make on this, just so y'know." Striker reminded her. "It's not like I'm the one who's pregnant here."

Barbie rolled her eyes, grinning. "Well, you better get ready for months of shitty preparation then. I've decided we should keep it."

"It's a good thing I never really gave a damn about killing that goetia prince completely." Striker admitted. "I was only really in it for the money—and because I hate bluebloods, of course—but that's about it." He would've said he still had a grudge against I.M.P for ruining that kill for him, but it was for the best that Barbie didn't know that. Especially now that they wouldn't really be able to act out another assassination attempt on Prince Stolas.

"So~you're saying we can make this work out?" Barbie purred. If Striker was going to give up on assassinating Stolas; then Barbie was willing to let go of her brother and try to move on with her life. Even if it meant knowing that she failed her one true goal as a sister. But that didn't matter, she was definitely completely happy now, she didn't need her twin anymore.

Yet the fact that she needed to keep reassuring herself of that probably meant that it wasn't as true as she wanted it to be...

Barbie quickly brushed off the doubts as best as she could. Now wasn't the time to think like that.

"Yep." Striker replied, a sincere sheen to his serpentine eyes. "That's exactly what I'm saying." He wasn't lying and that was really all that mattered to Barbie at the moment. "Stella can just hire a new assassin for all I care."

"Hmm, speaking of Stella; are you gonna tell her you quit?" Barbie inquired.

Striker shook his head. "Nope. She can just find out on her own. I don't need to tell her everything."

"I bet that's gonna bite you in the ass later on." Barbie joked, eyeing him with a heartwarming look.

"Yeah, probably. But what's the worst she can do? Peck at me?" Striker poked fun at the idea. "I'll be fine." He remarked, kissing her gently. Barbie Wire let out a soft purr in response to the affection, tail swishing to and fro in the air.

"You're gonna be a great dad~"

"I know."