"What?!"
"You fucking heard me!"
"You're full of shit! My dad's been locked in his room for two days now!"
"Well, mine is throwing his fucking life away because of yours!"
"That's—whoa whoa whoa whoa whoa, what?"
Loona stopped screaming into the phone as Octavia suddenly paused.
Her fur still standing on end, Loona snapped, "What?!"
"Our stupid dads," Octavia said, and then she laughed.
"What's so god damn funny?!"
"Don't you see, Loona? Both our dads are acting out because they're hurt that they fought."
"Okay, and? Blitzo said he and Stolas broke up."
"Yes, I had figured as much. I didn't talk to my dad much about it, admittedly. As I mentioned, he's been locked away.
"But that's not the point. The point is that they're both upset," Octavia continued.
"So . . . you're saying that because they're both dipshits, they're showing their true feelings?" Loona asked slowly, the gears in her head turning. Her hackles lowered as she caught up to what Octavia was saying.
"Exactly. So, I'm thinking that they obviously would like to be together."
"But neither of them knows it because they both think the other isn't mad it's over?"
"That's what I'm guessing."
". . . Except I don't expect Blitzo to tell anyone that. When I asked why he was so upset about it, he just got all flustered."
"I doubt my dad would come forward either. He seems too distraught to take any action."
Loona sighed, "You'd think they'd know already, with all the shit they've done together."
"Well, I think it's because very few beings in Hell have any concept of emotional intelligence," Octavia said with a laugh. "But considering this, I think we need to give them a push in the right direction."
"We suggest they talk?"
"I doubt it'll be that simple."
"Agreed. Blitzo is a stubborn bastard. He really proved that today." Loona snorted. "Stupid fuck."
"Hmm. I'm assuming that they both think that neither of them wants to talk it over."
Loona felt her phone vibrate against her cheek, and she glanced at the notification that popped up.
Fatty: We're at the hospital. See you soon?
"Listen, Tavi, I've gotta go meet the others at the hospital right now, but let's hang out later and do some plotting, 'kay?" Loona asked.
"Alright, sounds good. Let me know what's up," Octavia replied. "And Loona . . . sorry about this whole thing."
"Huh? It's not your fault?"
"I know, I just . . . my dad. I dunno." There was a long pause.
". . . We'll talk later, okay? I gotta make sure Blitzo is okay."
"Right, yeah. See ya."
Blitzo could feel Millie and Moxxie's piercing eyes on him. He refused to look over; he didn't want to see the disappointment in their faces.
His left foot up to his knee was wrapped in thick bandages. The pain meds the doctor had given him were working their magic, and Blitzo was thankful; that trap had hurt like a bitch.
"Sir, we're not going to just pretend this didn't happen," came Moxxie's voice.
Suppose I couldn't ignore it forever, Blitzo sighed. He finally glanced over at the imp couple. They were sitting in the chairs next to the bed, mirroring each other's positions. They both had a leg crossed over the over, arms folded.
"I didn't mean to get hurt," Blitzo said. He stared down at his hands in his lap.
"That's not the issue, Sir. You'd agreed to limit your role in the field after the past few days, and you completely disregarded that! You didn't follow the plan at all, and despite the fact we told you to wait, you still ran ahead and got injured!" Moxxie exclaimed. "It was a complete lack of self-control!"
"Not to mention a total lack of self preservation," Millie added.
"I know, I know, but—"
Moxxie didn't let Blitzo finish. "Not buts, Sir! If either of us did that, you'd have our heads. Just because you did it does not make it okay."
Blitzo didn't know what to say. He felt so overwhelmed, what with his emotional fragility and now his multiple injuries. He fought to stay calm and not lash out at his employees despite their chastising.
It was then that Loona appeared in the doorway to his room. Her eyes lit up upon seeing her parent awake and seemingly fine.
"Blitzo! How are you feeling?" Loona asked as she padded in and then crouched at his bedside.
"I'm okay," Blitzo replied quietly. "Nothing broken."
"That's a lie; X-rays showed he did, in fact, have a fractured rib from the other night," Moxxie chimed in, still sounding less than impressed.
"R-right, but I meant from the hunt." Blitzo swallowed nervously. He shied away from Loona's intense red eyes.
"Why weren't you careful like I asked?" the hellhound questioned.
"I . . . I was . . ." Blitzo found himself unable to formulate a response. The three pairs of eyes on him were so much to deal with. He wasn't sure he was mentally okay enough to handle the conversation. He already felt shitty.
"B, please just tell us what's wrong. We may be upset, but it's only cuz we care about you," Millie said. She had reached forward and set a gentle hand on Blitzo's arm while he'd been lost in his thoughts. The touch grounded him, and as he looked up at the assembled demons with wide eyes, he found nothing but concern in their collective gaze.
"It's . . ." Blitzo sighed and forced out the truth. "I just wanted to be included in our last hunt. In the human world."
"What?!" came the collective shout. God, Blitzo felt like such an asshole. He could see even Loona was shocked; he hadn't told her about that part.
"Sir, you're telling me we're done?" Moxxie asked, clearly distraught.
"With the humans, at least, Mox. I have . . . I have to return the book to Stolas," Blitzo admitted softly, his voice breaking at the mention of the prince's name.
"So, you guys broke up officially? We weren't sure or not; Loona only told us a few things," Millie said. Her tone was curious but gentle, as if consoling a child.
Blitzo felt his face warm; his eyes blurred with unshed tears as he stared down at his lap.
"Oh, Honey, it's okay." Millie stroked one of his horns in a soothing motion.
"W-we weren't d-dating," Blitzo mumbled even as he began crying because fuck, everything hurt and he'd nearly fucked the mission and his friends were mad at him and—
"It'll be okay, Sir. We're here for you, you know that," Moxxie said. He seemed more frazzled at the concept of consoling his now actively crying superior, but the fact that the smaller imp was now also standing at his bedside meant he was trying.
"I'm sorry—" Blitzo choked on his words and hiccuped.
"It's alright, B," Millie assured softly. "Breakups are hard for everyone."
Blitzo inhaled raggedly as he attempted to speak, to let them know he was fine, but even when he finally got words past the lump in his throat, all he managed was, "I-I thought he w-wanted me."
Loona, now on the opposite side of Blitzo's bed, put a hand on his. All three of who he considered his family were gathered around him in a display of consolation, and despite the fact his heart was broken, he felt like someone cared about him.
≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾
While the nurse prepped Blitzo with anything he'd need to recover before they checked him out of the hospital, the three I.M.P employees stepped out of the room to take a breather. Loona prepared herself for a barrage of questions, and it only took a few hurried paces down the white hallway for Moxxie to start.
"Loona, you didn't tell us things were this bad!" the imp said.
"Because I didn't know, genius," Loona hissed back, keeping her voice down because she knew if she yelled, the whole floor would hear her, and she really didn't want Blitzo knowing they were discussing him. "All he told me was that he and Stolas broke it off. He didn't even use the term, 'break up.' I wasn't even sure if they were together or not."
"We knew this was a possibility when Blitzo made that deal," Millie said. "But I would have guessed it wouldn't end like this."
Moxxie tilted his head at his wife. "What do you mean?"
The female imp rolled her eyes and put her hands on her hips. "You're telling me you've never caught the way Stolas wears his heart on his sleeve around Blitzo? It doesn't take a genius to know that man is infatuated with our boss."
"Hmm, I suppose so," Moxxie replied slowly, a hand on his chin in thought. "But either way, we don't know enough. Maybe Stolas got over it."
"No, he didn't," Loona said quickly. The two imps glanced up at her curiously. She sighed, crossed her arms, and shrugged. "Look, I've been talking to Octavia—"
"Really?"
"What's she saying?"
Loona curled a lip in agitation, and the imps settled down sheepishly.
"As I was saying, I've been talking to her, and she said that Stolas was upset and locked himself in his room. I don't know much besides that, but we're planning on meeting up later to, like, devise a way to get Blitzo and Stolas to work this out."
Millie and Moxxie's eyes went wide.
"So, she thinks Stolas didn't want to break up?" Moxxie asked.
"That's what she seems to think."
Millie raised an eyebrow and prompted, "And what do you think?"
Loona hesitated, feeling put on the spot. She didn't really like all this intruding on Blitzo's love life, but . . . she wanted to help.
"I . . . I'm inclined to agree with her," Loona admitted. "Look, I know you guys have never seen Blitzo cry, much less like that. And the other night . . . he was such a mess. Not to even mention the shit he pulled on the hunt."
"If we're pretty sure Stolas wants to make up, why don't we just go and tell Blitzo that?" Moxxie asked. "Then they can go work it out themselves."
Loona shook her head. "No! I don't want to get Blitzo's hopes up or make him think I'm lying to make him feel better. I want to help, not make things worse."
"Besides, I think it'd be a smart idea for us to talk more to Octavia before we do anything rash. You know, collect intel," Millie added.
"Wait, 'we'?"
The imp couple grinned eagerly up at Loona.
"You think we're gonna stand by and do nothing?" Moxxie asked.
"When Blitzo needs us? No way!" Mille agreed.
"But I didn't think you guys really even liked Blitzo," Loona admitted.
"We could say the same about you."
Loona recoiled from that comment, her ears lowering. She sighed softly and said, "I know how I've acted about him before, but . . . you know, he's done a lot for me. We are technically family, and—whatever, d-don't worry about it." She flushed under their gazes. "Anyway, this isn't about that. We've gotta do something before Blitzo does something else stupid."
"Right. Well, keep us in the know. But for now, let's get back to Blitzo," Moxxie said.
After getting dropped off at their shared apartment, Blitzo had—with Loona's help—gotten into bed and passed out. She peeked in to make sure he was fine before turning to her phone.
Loona: Blitz's out. Are you available?
Princess 👑: Yeah, where we meeting?
Loona: There's a coffee shop a block down the street from me, let's meet there. It's called Hot Beans
Princess 👑: Okay, sounds good. Cya in twenty?
Loona: Yup
≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾
On the other side of the conversation, Octavia emerged from her room, putting an earbud in. She didn't bother going to her dad for permission, nor did she even consider the idea of asking her mom. She was positive Stella had left hours ago, and Stolas was still isolating.
Octavia had just given the request to Tamor and was about to head into the garage to get in the limo when she nearly ran into her mother walking through the same door.
"O-oh, Mom, I didn't think you were home," Octavia said as casually as possible despite her racing heart. Stella looked down at her.
"I just arrived," the older demon responded. Her pink eyes narrowed. "Going somewhere?"
"Uh, yeah, just out with a friend."
Stella let out a humph and put her hands on her hips. "Did you get permission?"
"Yeah, Dad was okay with it."
Fuck don't question it don't question it
Stella's frown deepened. "Your father," she said, saying the word like it was a crime to come from her mouth. "Speaking of that feathered cock holster, where is he? He's been avoiding his royal duties for days."
"He's, uh, just in his room. I-I think," Octavia responded, doing her best to ignore her mom's condescending tone and words about her other parent.
"Right. Well." Stella paused, glancing around the entryway. "If you're off, then go. No use milling about." She stepped around her daughter and continued down the hall.
Octavia swore internally, not taking her eyes off her mom even as she turned the corner. There was no way she wasn't about to go confront Stolas about his latest absences. Hurrying down the hall, Octavia followed Stella covertly, her boots not making a sound on the marble floor. Behind a large potted plant, the princess ducked down and waited.
"Stolas!" Stella shouted. She attempted to open the doors to his chambers but found them locked. She pounded her fist against one of them. "Open this door! Why are you hiding away like a little bitch?!"
From her spot down the hall, Octavia could not hear the response.
"I will not 'go away!' Get out here and do your fucking job!" Stella continued yelling. She was seething at the doors, her arms crossed and feathers ruffled.
There was a pause, and then a door opened. Octavia refrained from craning her neck into the open to get a better view. She could just barely see her dad's robe clad figure in the doorway.
"You look disgusting," Stella spat upon seeing him. "Know how to take a bath? Preen? Clean yourself at all?"
"Stella, I am not in the mood for this," Stolas said quietly.
"You're never in the mood for anything—especially your job! I have been doing my share of work, where have you been? Locked away in this rat's nest? God, the room is a disaster. What the fuck is wrong with you? Have you no dignity? What? No answer?" Stella was still going, her words harsh.
"Did you get some sexual disease from that little mongrel you've been fucking?"
That seemed to trigger something. Stolas growled under his breath, his eyes flashing.
"He's not a mongrel, and I will not have you bad mouthing him," Stolas seethed.
"You've lost your bloody mind; it's an imp! A loathsome creature that scrapes the bottom of the barrel, even in Hell. Each time you fool around with that gross thing, you bring more shame to this family," Stella ranted.
"You will be quiet." Stolas' voice was ice cold, his eyes glowing red hot as shadows grew in the corners.
Stella was seemingly appalled. "I will not! And I am not about to stand here and let you try and intimidate me with your powers! Stop being such a spoiled brat and attend to your duties."
Stolas made to close the door on her, but Stella reacted quickly and shoved her way in. Octavia could hear her mother screaming, but now that they were in the room, her words were harder to make out. She heard glass breaking; Stella was throwing things again, most likely at her dad. Octavia crept forward from her hiding place.
". . . are a damn disgrace! No true noble acts like this!" Stella was screaming. "No noble goes around canoodling with the rejects of society!"
"And who are you to tell me off?!"
Octavia recoiled, her eyes widening. She'd never heard her dad yell like that. He typically just let Stella throw a fit and chastise him for whatever, getting in the occasional defense, but he had never raised his voice like this.
It was evident from the pause that Stella was just as taken off guard as Octavia.
"Excuse me?! Don't you fucking yell at me!" her mother screeched. The sound of another item breaking was heard.
"And why the Hell not? You're always screaming at me about whatever the fuck you want—I can choose to defend myself!" Stolas raged back.
"Well, someone has to tell your stupid ass off for doing foolish things!" Another item was thrown.
"I can do whatever I please! I don't need your permission!"
"You are ruining this family's name while you gallivant about riding cock!"
"The only thing I'm ruining is our loveless marriage!"
"Maybe if you weren't such a useless twink!"
"Maybe if you weren't such a classist bitch!"
Stella screamed incoherently, obviously furious at the last insult. There was the crashing of more thrown about objects and glass shattering.
"Enough!" Stolas roared. In the hallway, Octavia flinched. "I am sick and tired of your abuse. Get out."
"Fucking baby," Stella snarled. "I haven't even touched you."
"Leave me alone, Stella."
"So you can get back to being useless?" Her tone was cold.
"You have no idea what you're even talking about. I'm not sorry for having emotions."
"You've always been a drama queen. You're such a desperate whore." Stella scoffed in disgust.
"Better that than a heartless shrew."
"You are absolutely distasteful. I'm glad we've had our obligatory heir already because I'd never touch someone that's had an imp cum inside them."
"Must you keep bringing him into this?" Stolas snarled.
"Like you brought it into our lives? So we have to deal with your mistakes?" Stella spat.
"He is not a mistake!"
"It's an abomination! No self-respecting demon would ever fraternize with imps, and yet, here we are!"
"Stella, I—"
"Just how desperate are you for love? Couldn't you have just taken a normal consort like every other fucking noble down here? Maybe it's because no one could ever fucking love your obnoxious, air-headed self besides the lowest scum in Hell."
Octavia jumped back as a sudden rushing of wind roared from her dad's bedroom. She nearly tripped backwards but retained her footing and once again retreated to the end of the hall. Stella was flung through the doors in a burst of blue magic, her face contorted in anger. Her feet skidded on the marble flooring with a shrill shriek as she fought to regain her balance before she hit the wall behind her. As soon as the woman was out, the doors to Stolas' chambers slammed shut. The outside of the doors shimmered as several circles of warding appeared on the surface, locking everyone out.
Stella shouted in disgust, her pink eyes glowering at the closed doors. She straightened herself up and stormed away in a flurry of white feathers.
Octavia's eyes were wide, her mouth nearly falling open. Now that was something she'd never seen before. And she really hoped to never see it again.
Hurrying back to the foyer, Octavia whipped out her phone.
Octavia: I'll be a little late,,,my parents just had a huge argument
Loona: You good?
Octavia: Yeah, I'm fine. Let's just fix this shit.