I got my first comment! Thank you to whoever you are for the kind words, and here's a new chapter just for you!
Stolas's palace was enormous, especially considering the only people who lived there were the Prince and his daughter. There were too many rooms to count and hallways upon hallways to navigate through. Having never had much reason to venture beyond Stolas's bedroom, Blitz would have been lost if Octavia wasn't leading the way.
They walked in silence, the young owl clearly daunted by the task ahead of her and Blitz fighting off the return of his nausea. The feeling grew stronger the further they ventured into the palace, his stomach rolling and a burning creeping up the back of his throat.
Blitz studied the pictures that lined the hallway to Stolas's room. One of them depicted the Prince with the grimoire, a tall, imposing figure with a haughty air of indifference about him. Blitz found himself quirking a smile when comparing the owl in the picture to the one who blushed endlessly at the slightest compliment thrown his way.
So distracted, Blitz nearly ran into Octavia, who had stopped in front of her father's chamber door.
"Well, here we are, kiddo." he needlessly announced.
The teen shifted in place, glancing over at him apprehensively.
"What if he's asleep?" She asked, "Maybe I should just wait til later."
Blitz gave a thoughtful hum as he pulled out his phone, texting Stolas to ask if he was awake. The response was almost immediate.
Pretty Bird: I'm afraid so.
"You're in luck," Blitz replied, turning his phone around for her to see, "Looks like he's up."
Octavia made a face as though this was terrible news but nodded.
"You got it from here, Princess?" Blitz asked, ready to leave and search out the nearest trash can to empty his stomach in.
The teen blinked, mouth set in a determined line as she nodded again.
"I got this."
Blitz gave her a thumbs up, about to turn and leave, when the door nob started to turn from the other side. Octavia shot him a wide-eyed look of panic, which he was sure was mirrored on his own face, and with a low curse, Blitz darted behind one of the tall plants outside the door before it could open.
"Octavia," Stolas's surprised voice said, "What are you doing out here, my owlet?"
Octavia glanced nervously at the plant Blitz was crouched behind before clearing her throat, facing her father again with as much calm and control as she could muster.
Stolas looked tired, his top hat with his crown was absent, and he was running a hand through the feathers on his head, clearly trying to compose himself before his daughter. Even so, he could not hide the puffiness of his eyes, which confirmed to Octavia that he had been crying.
"Dad, I-" She lost her voice for a moment, guilt churning in her stomach, "I wanted to talk to you about earlier."
"Oh?" Her father tilted his head, "And what would you like to discuss?"
"I don't want to move in with mom," she replied, getting right to the point.
Stolas's eyes widened, his eyebrows lifting.
"You don't?" There was surprise and hope in his voice, "Not that I'm not relieved; truth be told, I would have missed you terribly, but why the change of heart?"
"I only said that because I-" She paused, shaking her head, voice suddenly rushed, "I thought you'd be happier if I wasn't around."
Stolas looked visibly taken aback by the confession.
"Why on earth would you ever think such a thing?" He asked, brows furrowed in obvious distress.
Octavia winced as she looked down at her feet.
"Octavia?"
"I heard you and mom," She admitted quietly, peeking up through her bangs at him, "That night on the balcony."
Blitz knew he shouldn't be listening; this was obviously meant to be a private conversation, but curiosity got the better of him, and he found himself peeking over the foilage to see Stolas's reaction. Blitz didn't know what that night on the balcony meant, but Stolas clearly did, a pained sort of recognition on his face.
"Octavia...I," The Prince struggled to find his words and lost the battle to silence.
"I know that your and mom's marriage was arranged and that you never loved her," Octavia continued, her voice strained, "And I know the only reason you had me was because you had to. That you needed an heir."
"Octavia-"
"I'm just some political obligation," The teen continued, tears burning in her magenta eyes, "So when you told me about the baby, I thought...I thought this was your chance to finally have the family you wanted. That you didn't need me around as a reminder of a loveless marriage, and I-"
A sob got caught in her throat, and she was pulled into her father's arms the next moment.
"No, No, No, My owlet," He hushed her gently, petting her hair as he held her tight, "You are nothing of the sort. Your mother and I may not have felt love for each other, but we both love you endlessly. Please believe me when I say that you are the best thing to have ever happened to me, and being your father is one of the greatest joys of my life."
Octavia hugged him back, sniffing into clothes, overwhelmed.
"I love you, my little Starfire," Stolas continued, his voice soft but earnest, "And there is nothing in all of hell that could ever change that."
After a few moments, he pulled back, reaching down to wipe the tears off his daughter's face.
"There now," he said, a gentle smile on his face, "No more of these sad thoughts."
Octavia chuckled wetly, sniffling.
"I love you, dad."
"And I love you, always."
In what can only be described as the worst timing in history, Blitz gagged, losing the battle against his nausea as he heaved into the pot of the plant he was crouched behind. The taste of bile was thick on his tongue and triggered him to gag again. He clutched at the outer edges of the pot as he heaved onto the soil inside it again, stomach clenching. Finally, when it let up, he allowed himself to fall back into a seated position, leaning his back against the wall as he shuddered.
"Blitzy?"
He looked up at the nickname, finding Stolas's wide-eyed gaze upon him. Octavia was beside him, her beak pulled into a grimace, obviously grossed out by the display.
"Uh...Hi?" he gave a feebly little wave in reply.
"Are you alright?" Stolas asked concern etched on his face as he crouched down in front of him, "What on earth are you even doing here?"
Octavia answered for him.
"I caught him outside about to scale the balcony," She said, "He's the one that convinced me to come to talk to you."
Stolas was evidently surprised to hear this, looking from his daughter and back to Blitz.
"Is this true?"
"Yeah, well, what can I say? I'm a nosy little bastard," Blitz replied, "Sorry about the plant, By the way; I know how much you like those things, but-"
"It's fine, my dear," Stolas interrupted, "I'm far more concerned about you now."
Blitz rolled his eyes but was sure that he was blushing.
"I'm-" he had been about to say he was fine, but his stomach clenched again, the acidic taste of vomit still at the back of his throat.
Blitz let out a small groan as he placed his hand over his middle, briefly closing his eyes against the unpleasant feeling.
"Fuck," he cursed softly.
"Are you still feeling ill, my darling?" The owl asked, his voice going soft and gentle.
"Even after all that vomiting?" Octavia asked, still wary of getting too close.
Blitz forced himself to sit up straight, not liking the unwanted attention.
"I'm fine," He replied, pulling his knees up to his chest defensively, "I just need a minute to let my stomach settle."
Octavia's eyes lit up, "Crackers."
When both adults sent her confused looks, she blushed at her outburst.
"You used to give me those little saltine crackers when I was a kid," She explained to her dad, "Whenever I got a tummyache, remember? Maybe some of those would help?"
Stolas smiled suddenly.
"What a wonderful idea, my owlet," he replied, "Would you mind going to fetch some for us?"
"Sure, no problem."
Before Blitz could protest, she was already hurrying down the hallway. He sighed, closing his eyes as his stomach tossed and turned. When he opened them, it was to find Stolas now down on his knees in front of him.
"Is the medicine no longer helping, my dear?" he asked softly.
"Must be wearing off," Blitz replied, frowning, "And I can only take the damn pill once a day, so I'm fucked."
Stolas reached out to place his hand over one of Blitz's. Usually, Blitz would pull away from such a display of concern, but he turned his palm around, gripping the owl's hand in his and giving it a reassuring squeeze. Stolas's worried expression softened.
"Thank you," The Prince said, "For getting Via to come speak with me."
"It wasn't exactly planned," Blitz admitted, "I was actually coming to see you."
The owl tilted his head.
"Is that so?"
"Thought I could maybe cheer you up," Blitz shrugged, embarrassed. "But then the kid caught me, and well- you're sure you're not upset? It wasn't really any of my business and-"
This time Stolas squeezed his hand.
"I'm quite relieved, actually," The Prince said, "If not for your interference, then it's quite possible she would have gone to live with Stella, thinking she was unwanted here."
"Yeah, I guess that would have sucked."
"Yes, it would have, indeed," Stolas said, bringing the back of Blitz's hand up to his beak to bestow a small kiss, his eyes never straying from the imp's face.
Blitz found himself blushing again.
"I'm not interrupting anything gross, am I?"
Blitz looked up at the sound of Octavia's voice, and Stolas turned, rising to his feet in one graceful motion to cheerfully greet his daughter.
"Found the crackers," The teen replied, holding up a sleeve of saltines, "And I brought a bottle of water, too; I know how dry these things are."
She stepped forward to hand them down to Blitz.
"Thanks, sweetie."
"Yes, thank you, Starfire."
"No problem," Octavia rubbed the back of her head, "Listen, I'm going to head to my room; let the two of you spend some time together."
Stolas's smile slipped from his face, but it was Blitz who protested.
"No, don't leave. I'm the one who was interrupting your father-daughter bonding shit, " the imp moved to push himself to his feet, "I should-"
His stomach clenched, and a wave of dizziness assaulted him at the abrupt movement. Blitz closed his eyes and gritted his teeth as he rocked forward off balance.
"Bitzy!" Stolas caught him under the arms, holding him up.
"fuck," Blitz cursed, opening his eyes as the world righted itself, "Shit."
He managed to get his feet back under him, pulling away despite the Prince's reluctance to let him go.
"Are you certain you don't require a doctor?" The owl asked.
"I can call an ambulance," Octavia stated, already holding up her phone.
"Whoa, both of you calm your tits," Blitz replied, "I just got up too fast. I'm fucking fine."
"But you're still in no fit state to be driving," Stolas replied, "I insist you stay and rest."
Blitz frowned, shooting a worried look over at Octavia.
The teen rolled her eyes.
"I'm fine with you being here," She said, gesturing behind her with her thumb, "I was planning on heading to my room after I talked to dad anyway. Plus, he's right; you should rest."
Blitz sighed, "Guess I'm outnumbered then."
"It would appear so," Stolas replied, smiling as he turned to his daughter, "Thank you for being so understanding, Via. Perhaps the two of us could spend some time together tomorrow?"
Octavia smiled gently.
"I'd like that, dad."
"Me as well," he leaned down to kiss the top of her head, which the teen instantly complained about.
Stolas wasn't fazed by her embarrassment and happily said he would see her later, telling Octavia again that he loved her.
The teen returned the sentiment, looking back at Blitz before she turned to leave.
"I guess I'll be seeing you around more too."
"Guess you will," Blitz answered, a smirk coming to his face, "Later, Octapie!"
Stolas blinked at the name, and Octavia groaned, rolling her eyes one last time before marching away.
She was barely out of sight before Stolas turned back to Blitz.
"Octapie?" he questioned curiously.
"Just a little joke between us," Blitz shrugged.
"How delightful," Stolas beamed, "It's good to see the two of you bonding."
"Yeah, whatever, let's-whoa" before he could finish his sentence, The owl had scooped him up in his arms, almost causing him to lose his grip on the bottled water and crackers in his hands.
"Damn it, Stolas, I don't need you to carry me," Blitz complained.
"Nonsense, Darling," The Prince replied, "Now, where would you like to go? Of course, the bedroom is always an option, but we could also go to the sitting room if you like? Maybe watch a movie?"
Blitz sighed, resigned.
"The bedroom's fine, " He said, "So long as there's no hanky panky involved."
"I simply want you to rest, my dear," Stolas answered, "I have no ulterior motive, I assure you."
"Don't get me wrong," Blitz said, "I'd tear that ass up in a second if I didn't feel like my stomach was turning inside out."
Stolas blushed.
"Perhaps another time," The owl suggested a hopeful glint in his glowing red eyes.
Blitz smirked, "It's a date, pretty bird."