'Step one: act casual. It's another day.'
"Loona, I appreciate you trying to make me feel better, but taking a walk to the park doesn't really seem like it's gonna do jackshit."
The hellhound glanced back at Blitzo, who was currently several paces behind on account of his crutches.
"C'mon, don't they say sunshine makes people happy?" Loona asked. "Hurry up, you're taking forever."
Blitzo shot her a deadpan look. "Gee, I'm only on crutches. And who the fuck says that? Humans? The sun here barely counts as a god damn sun anyhow."
Loona sighed, "I'm trying to be nice here. You like outside."
"I guess. Maybe when I'm not limping around with a fucked leg and a broken rib." Blitzo huffed but continued following the hellhound. They were approaching the somewhat run-down metal fencing that enclosed the park.
"You're fine. Better than being trapped in your thoughts, isn't it?"
Blitzo went quiet at that. Loona was right; every second of time not spent actively doing something had left him stewing in his own juices. He wasn't doing it on purpose, but it was hard to not let himself get stuck on his feelings. He was trying his best to avoid the morose thoughts of his now ex.
Loona didn't say anything else either as they walked through the park gate. There was a handful of other imps and their children running about, but there was plenty of space for them as well. Blitzo spotted a wooden bench and made his way over to it.
"You brought it, right?" Loona asked, standing in front of the now seated imp.
With a small smile, Blitzo put his crutches aside and dug into a pocket on his coat. He pulled out a bright yellow tennis ball with a flick of his wrist and said, "Of course I did."
He caught the way Loona's tail began wagging and couldn't help the grin that spread across his face.
"Don't laugh at me, asshole," Loona grouched. Her lips curled in a snarl, but the way her tail was still wagging belied her good mood. "Throw the ball!"
"Loonie want da ball? You want da ball?" Blitzo asked in his baby talking voice. He shook the ball back and forth, her eyes following it the whole time despite her unamused expression.
"Just throw it already!"
Blitzo pulled his arm back and catapulted the tennis ball as hard as he could. The yellow object shot across the park, and Loona wasted no time in darting after it. She quickly grew smaller as she gave chase.
Blitzo smiled and leaned back on the park bench. He was content to simply wait there for his hellhound to return. It didn't take long for Loona to come running back, her hair messy and eyes bright. She dropped the now slobbery tennis ball into Blitzo's extended hand and sat down much like an actual dog.
The imp lobbed the toy again, this time in a different direction. Loona took off.
Blitzo was about to zone out when he heard a remarkably familiar laugh from somewhere nearby. He sat up, brows furrowed, and glanced around. He didn't see anyone he recognized, so he got his crutches under his arms and stood to track down the sound. His search was swiftly rewarded when he peeked around a row of bushes into a nice little shaded area.
"M and M! Fancy seeing you guys here!" Blitzo shouted. The imp couple glanced up from where they were sat on a picnic blanket, some sort of card game spread between them. They were both dressed in more casual attire.
"Oh, hey, B! What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be resting?" Millie asked.
"Well, Loona wanted me to get out of the apartment. I suppose I'm not upset about it," Blitzo replied. "It's not a bad day outside."
"It's good that she's with you. Where is she?"
Blitzo jerked his thumb over his shoulder. "Back that way. We're playing fetch."
"Sounds fun. Hey, y'all wanna join us?"
Blitzo blinked. "Really?" His eyes flicked to Moxxie. The smaller imp was smiling, no sign of an indignant glance at his wife, his almost ever-present scowl when dealing with Blitzo (especially outside of work) nowhere to be seen.
"Yeah. We were actually just about to grab lunch, if you wanted to come along," Moxxie said.
Blitzo nearly pinched himself to be sure he wasn't dreaming.
"W-well yeah, that sounds great! We'll just have to wait for Loonie—"
As if on cue, the hellhound appeared behind him, the tennis ball held in her hand.
"You're not supposed to wander around when playing fetch," Loona grumbled. She noticed the imp couple and straightened up. Blitzo looked over his shoulder at her.
"Wanna get lunch with Millie and Moxxie?"
Loona shrugged. "Sure. Why not."
"Cool. I'm starving."
"We ate before we left?"
"But our food sucks!"
≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾
'Step two: isolate target (sorry Blitzo).'
Octavia pressed a small plastic baggie into Loona's outstretched paw.
"Pour it all into his drink," the princess said, closing Loona's fingers around the item. "It should take effect in less than five minutes. And with how I mixed it, he should be out for only about an hour."
"We're sure this is a good idea?" Moxxie asked hesitantly. He glanced between the taller demons.
"Well, I don't want Blitzo freaking out. He's smarter than he lets on—sometimes. If we just lead him into a dark alley or abandoned building, he'll know something's up. And I don't really want to smash his head in," Loona replied with a roll of her eyes.
"And roofies come with memory fuckage," Millie added as she popped up behind Moxxie. She set her hands on his shoulders. "This'll be the easiest way to get Blitzo to where we want him unharmed."
"Yes, I recall the conversation. But it still feels sleazy, drugging our boss," Moxxie said, arms crossed.
"It'll all be worth it—hopefully. If we can get those two lovebirds back together."
"As long as it gets Blitzo to stop acting like an emotional idiot, I suppose."
"Exactly, babe. Operation DILF Recovery is underway!"
Octavia deadpanned. "I'm really going to need you to stop calling it that."
≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾
They'd picked a shitty, low traffic area to find a hideout. There was no shortage of abandoned and condemned buildings in Imp City, so it had not taken long to scope one out and deem it good enough for their 'kidnapping.' The three I.M.P. employees had barged in, scared any homeless imps or tweaking druggies out onto the streets, and worked their way into the lowest levels to secure a holding location. With an unconscious now Blitzo in the backseat, the team's plan continued.
"Shit, I think he's waking up-!"
"Hurry then, sweetie, and make sure he's fully dearmed!"
Moxxie swiftly pat down the now shifting imp splayed across the floor.
"I think we got everything."
"Including his backup phones?"
Moxxie paused before reaching down again. He ran his hand up the insides of Blitzo's thighs, trying his best not to blush.
"All clear," Moxxie continued. He tried not to look directly into his wife's eyes as his face burned, but she didn't say anything and instead took him by the hand and pulled him to the door.
Once they were out of the room, Loona grabbed a piece of rebar (ripped from the wall by her and Millie earlier) and slipped it into the two notches on either side of the door.
"There, locked in," the hellhound said. She raised her hand and slid open the tiny slot at head level. It allowed her to see inside; Blitzo was coming around now. He was propped up on his elbows and blearily glancing around.
Blitzo groggily pushed himself to his knees. He sat there, wobbling, as he let the wooziness wear off. It was a sudden shift when he gave a panicked shout.
"Calm down, Blitzo!" Loona quickly yelled from the hole in the door. Immediately, the imp's head whipped in her direction.
"Wha-? Loonie? Where am I?! What happened?!" he asked hurriedly. He jolted to his feet and scrambled toward the door. He seemed to remember a second too late that his leg was injured because he fell almost immediately after standing.
"Slow your roll, dude. Don't freak out on me."
Blitzo looked up from the floor, his teeth bared in a look of discomfort and frustration.
"Why am I in here?" he demanded.
"It's for your own good, trust me," Loona replied.
"What the fuck does that mean?! Let me out of here!"
Millie, standing on Moxxie's shoulders, popped up. Loona scooted out of the way.
"You'll be outta here soon enough, B. Just trust in us; we've got you covered," Mille said.
"You . . . you were all in on this?" Blitzo scoffed. His eyes shone in the harsh artificial light from the bulb above.
"Oh, Blitzo, don't think you're in here because we're mad or anythin'." Millie's tone took on one of comfort. "I promise, it'll all make sense soon."
"Just hang in there, Sir!" Moxxie's voice was muffled on the other side of the door.
Blitzo snarled. "You guys better let me out!"
Loona glanced down at the imps by her side.
"We better get going. We don't need him going nuclear before Stolas gets here," the hellhound said lowly. Millie and Moxxie nodded in agreement. Quickly, Loona shut the peephole. Blitzo shouted again from the room, obviously pissed, but the trio scampered down the dark hallway before they could decipher any of it.
'Step three: set the lie.'
Octavia checked her phone when she felt it vibrate.
Loona: Target is in position. Your turn.
Octavia sent back a quick thumbs up before slipping her phone back into her pocket. She stood from her desk and opened her bedroom door, giving the hallway a swift scan for any sign of her mother.
The coast was clear.
Octavia padded down the hallway toward her dad's room. His sequestering still had not stopped, even at five nights after the initial argument between him and Blitzo. It was worrisome, of course, but would hopefully be coming to an end soon.
"Hey, Dad? You awake?" Octavia called after knocking on his chamber doors. There was no answer, but she heard the faint rustle of fabric.
It was more than frustrating and concerning that Stolas was so worked up over Blitzo that he seemed to be ignoring his own daughter. Octavia knew he wasn't—even if it came off that way. She knew if she truly needed him, he would not hesitate to step out and assist. The first night they'd talked had made that clear, but it was obvious that his mental state had continued to suffer (even more so) since then.
"Have you spoken to Blitzo recently?" Octavia asked. She let that sink in, hoping to get his attention. There was still no answer, so she continued, "Loona told me she hasn't seen him in a few days. She's pretty worried."
A long pause followed before a hoarse, "Blitzo is missing?" came from the opposite side of the doors.
"From what Loona is saying, yeah."
"I . . . I'm afraid I have not had any contact with him in close to a week."
Octavia made her voice sound disappointed. "Oh. Okay. Well, I'll let Loona know."
With that, Octavia walked away again, her phone already in her hands and typing out a message.
≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾
Stolas sat there for a long moment after he heard Octavia's shoes pattering into the distance. He felt numb; his hands lay limply at his sides, his legs seemingly unable to work to pull himself from the bed. Despite this, his heart was pounding like a drum against his ribs, and his mind was racing.
Blitzo is AWOL?
Stolas' vision blurred with tears.
Oh Satan, I hope he's okay. What if he was so upset, he ran off? Stolas dreaded. No, no, Blitzo is dedicated to his daughter. There was no way he'd vanish, leaving Loona to fend for herself (even when she easily could). If he'd disappeared, he wouldn't have done it voluntarily.
Stolas' heart squeezed frightfully. Something awful must have happened! Maybe his kidnappers came back for revenge?
He wiped at his eyes with a hand and reached for his phone with the other. He'd barely touched the thing all week; he couldn't stand the thought of seeing anything that reminded him of Blitzo. But right now, he needed to see for himself. Fuck, he shouldn't have gone into his sulking spiral. He should have checked in even if it wasn't his place.
Blitzo's phone went right to voicemail. Stolas swallowed, his throat dry, and then promptly switched contacts and texted Loona. He'd gotten her number a while back, when Blitzo had last been abducted, along with the other members of I.M.P. just in case of another emergency.
Stolas shot off a text that read, Blitzo is missing? How come you didn't tell me?
Loona responded quickly. Blitzo came home fucked up and said you guys broke it off.
Stolas: Yes, Blitzo . . . decided he didn't want to be together. But that doesn't mean I stopped caring! I want him safe and sound!
Loona: Well fuck me I'm supposed to know that? I thought /you/ dumped /him/.
Stolas: No. I didn't. Please, I want to help find him. Has anyone made any demands? Do we have any leads?
Loona: We ain't got shit
Stolas: That is . . . upsetting. Please keep me updated. I need to make sure he's okay!
Loona: K. I guess.
Conversation clearly over, Stolas sank down in his bed. He was the opposite of relaxed, but his nerves were jittery, and he found it impossible to stop his trembling. He didn't want to just sit there and do nothing now that he knew Blitzo was missing. But what could he do? Last time his little imp—
No. Not his.
Last time Blitzo had been kidnapped, Stolas had not been the one to find him. He'd tried to track him down, but ultimately, it had been Blitzo's mystical horse that had saved him.
Stolas curled onto his side, dejected.
"You think he'll be mad when this is all over?"
Loona glanced up at Moxxie, who was standing in front of her. She was leaned back in one of their armchairs, her paws crossed and propped up on the coffee table.
"Eh, I think if this works, and they manage to get back together, he'll get over it quick enough," the hellhound responded.
"I suppose that's true," Moxxie continued with a considerate tap on his chin. "And he'll only be in there for another few hours."
"At the most."
"Depends on how quick Stolas swoops in and saves Blitzo like a knight in shinin' armor!" Millie swooned, falling dramatically against the doorway to the kitchen. The wooden spoon she was holding dripped cheesy sauce onto her forearm, and she happily licked it off as she straightened back up.
"Dinner is ready, speakin' of," Millie continued with a smile. "After we eat, we best get ready and head off to the rendezvous point."
"Remember to pack some food for Blitzo. We can shove it through the door," Moxxie said.
"As if I don't already have a plate ready for him." Millie sent a good-natured wink her husband's way. With that, she sauntered back into the kitchen.
'Final step: tell Stolas where Blitzo is and let them - confess their undying love for each other - hopefully make up.'
Loona stood outside the condemned building with her back pressed up against the wall. Night had descended, and in this part of Imp City, the glow from nearby lights was considerably lessened.
"'Kay, everything's set," Millie said as she emerged from the rundown building. She pocketed her phone and glanced back at her husband. Moxxie cocked his gun and nodded.
"We'd better get this show on the road. Blitzo, despite being fed, is understandably not in a great mood," he added sardonically.
"I'll text Stolas then," Loona said. She switched apps on her phone and pulled up her conversation with the prince.
She started it up again with a, we managed to track down Blitz
Stolas responded immediately: YOU DID?
Loona: Yeah, but the kidnapper's got the place crawling with guards
Stolas: Do you require my assistance?
Loona: I mean. We aren't getting in there without a fight.
Stolas: Send me your location at once!
Loona did so. No longer than ten seconds passed before a vibrant spark swirled in the air across the street. From the blue-and-purple portal, Stolas stepped onto the cracked asphalt. He appeared just as put together as always, if not more manic.
The prince came at them like a rush of wind, his cloak billowing behind his person.
"He's in there?" Stolas asked quickly. He was obviously not wasting any time on pleasantries.
"Yes, your Majesty," Moxxie replied.
"Where are the guards you spoke of?"
"Well, they're mainly on the lower floors—"
"Blitzo is being held in the basement?"
"Correct. But we were thinking of waiting and having a stakeout to—"
Stolas cut off Moxxie's words with a wave of his hand. His red eyes were glowing intensely.
"No need. I'll go get him," Stolas said firmly.
"But if you and Blitzo aren't together, then why-?" Millie interjected.
Stolas softened for a split second. A flash of vulnerability shot across his face.
"I—ugh, there's no time! Those dastardly thieves could be doing Satan-knows-what to him as we speak!"
Stolas didn't let himself be hindered for even a second more. He clenched his fist, and his whole body became transparent in a shimmering of blue. The I.M.P. trio watched in awe as the prince dashed through the wall into the building.
"Well. Seems this is gonna work," Millie said with a smirk, her gaze still on the wall Stolas had just disappeared through.
Moxxie blinked. "Yeah. Oh, crumbs, we better get out of here!"
"Don't need to tell me twice. Let's go before someone dies or cums," Loona said. The three demons hurried down the dark alley toward the company van and absconded, hoping their plan would come to fruition.