The further down Stolas got in the partially crumbling building, the more apprehensive he became. At first, he'd been hellbent on storming down and murdering anyone who got in his way. The only problem was there was nobody.

There were no imps nor any other demons to be seen. Had Loona not said the place was crawling with guards? And Moxxie had corroborated that story.

Something strange was going on. Stolas could have sworn even an army wouldn't be able to stop the I.M.P. team from destroying anyone and anything they wished. A supposed group of kidnappers should have been no exception.

Stolas reached the final floor of the building. The halls were dark, some parts damp where water dripped from leaky and unused pipes. He regained his solid form, releasing the hold on his magic, and began walking swiftly down the hallway. Despite his suspicions about the situation, he wasn't about to leave without searching for Blitzo.

Stolas turned a corner and came across a small backpack leaning against the wall. The door nearest to the bag was barred with a piece of rusty rebar. A small sliver of light shone from underneath the door.

Stolas bent and picked up the backpack, his eyebrows furrowed. Upon unzipping the bag, he was surprised to discover Blitzo's phone, gun, and a small horse figurine. Puzzled and concerned, Stolas shouldered the backpack and turned to the barred door. He ripped the rebar off, breaking the clamps that held it to the wall, and opened the door. Light flooded the hallway from the singular bulb swinging from the ceiling.

"Blitzo!" Stolas exclaimed. His eyes widened, and he clasped his hands together in joy. "You're okay!" He couldn't help how he rushed forward and fell to his knees in front of the now startled imp sitting against the wall.

"Wh-what are you doing here, Stolas?!" Blitzo asked, mouth hanging open at the sight of the owl. His tail curled around his feet.

"I'm here to save you!" Stolas' eyes flicked over the bruises on Blitzo's face and the bandages around his leg, along with the pair of crutches tossed to the side. "Oh my, you're hurt!"

"Huh? No, these are from a few days ago. And wait, I don't need saving! I need—well, I, uh, I don't know," Blitzo trailed off uncertainly. Stolas cocked his head at him. The imp shook his own to realign his thoughts. "How did you find me?"

"Loona told me she hadn't seen you in a few days," Stolas began explaining. "Then, mere minutes ago, she texted me that they'd found you. That you'd been kidnapped and held here."

Blitzo's face contorted in confusion. "What? No, Loona and the others just locked me in here earlier this afternoon." He paused, shrinking in on himself and crossing his arms. "Fucking assholes."

"Huh? Why would they do that?" Stolas frowned, looking down at his hands in his lap. "I don't . . ."

Unless-?

"They . . . wanted me to come and see you," Stolas said softly as he put the final pieces together. He lifted his gaze and met Blitzo's wide eyes; the imp swallowed. "I suppose I see what's happened here."

"You thought I was in danger and came to . . . get me?" Blitzo asked quietly. The grip he had on his biceps tightened.

"Yes. There's no way I could ever leave you to a such a fate."

"Even though I-?"

Stolas' furrowed eyebrows softened, his expression becoming more one of resignation. He reached out, brushing a featherlight touch against Blitzo's knee.

"Yes," the owl murmured.

"But we—I," Blitzo's words were choked, "I walked out. Left."

"And?"

"You still came when you thought I was in trouble."

Stolas' mouth curved into the smallest of smiles. "Of course, I did."

"Why?"

"Because I . . ." Stolas trailed off, his eyes flicking to the side. He floundered for words, mouth opening and closing twice without anything coming out. Flustered, the prince ran a hand through his hair.

"Because," Stolas admitted, "I love you."

The room went cold. Blitzo froze, breath catching in his lungs, and his eyes widened. Stolas could only stare with his own multitude of eyes at the imp before him. It became so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

"You, y-you," Blitzo finally managed to stammer out, tears pricking at the corner of his eyes, "y-you don't mean that." He was holding tightly onto himself and shaking minutely.

Stolas whispered, "I do."

"You can't." Blitzo was more forceful now. His voice was choked and cracking at the edges. Stolas reached forward and placed his hands over the imp's, firmly cementing himself in his personal space.

"I can."

"You're lying!"

"I'm not." Despite his shaky voice, Stolas' words were firm. "I love you, Blitzo."

Blitzo stared. His breaths came in small bursts as he processed what he'd just been told. His lungs felt tight; his heart hammered in his chest.

…

Blitzo lunged forward and secured his arms over Stolas' shoulders. The prince jolted at the sudden action but was quick to wrap his own arms around Blitzo and hold onto him. The imp's body trembled as a sob wracked his form.

"Sh, sh, it's okay," Stolas murmured, running one of his hands up and down Blitzo's back. The imp's face was buried in his shoulder, claws digging into his royal cloak.

"I-I'm sorry-!" Blitzo sobbed.

"You have nothing to be sorry for, my little imp." Stolas settled into more of a sitting position, crossing his legs beneath himself and cradling Blitzo in his lap.

"I f-fucking ruined everyth-thing and—" It was hard for the imp to get much else out coherently through his tears.

"You didn't. I promise." Stolas' throat was tight as he fought back his own tears of sorrow and joy at the fact he was rocking Blitzo back and forth as he tried to comfort him. The imp tried to splutter something else out, but Stolas shushed him gently again. This time, the effort seemed to work; Blitzo fell silent (in terms of words, anyway) and was apparently content to simply allow the prince to whisper sweet nothings in his ear as he calmed down.

The two remained there for a half hour, with Blitzo eventually slipping further into Stolas' lap to end up with his head resting on the prince's chest, his arms tucked into his lap, and Stolas' own wrapped around him. Sometime during the embrace, Blitzo's tail had curled around the owl's upper arm.

Blitzo began tracing small circles into Stolas' chest. The prince hooted softly, not expecting the motion, and glanced down.

"Blitzo?" Stolas murmured.

". . . You can call me Blitzy. If you want," the imp replied quietly with a slight shrug of his shoulders.

Stolas smiled and continued, "Blitzy, are you okay?"

Blitzo allowed his head to fall back onto Stolas' arm. There, he looked up into the owl's face.

"What part of me do you . . .?" the imp trailed off, his face burning as his eyes flicked to the side.

"All of you," Stolas said matter-of-factly.

Blitzo met his eyes again.

"Why? I thought this was all just . . . sex. For the book."

Stolas sighed softly and moved to set Blitzo on the floor. The imp frowned at the movement but allowed himself to be deposited.

"I'm sorry that was ever what you thought, Blitzo," Stolas began. "Truth is, it was never just about sex. Well, maybe the very first time we met, but even then, however, there was something so intriguing about you. That's why I wasn't upset over your attempted robbery. I'd known immediately that I'd wanted to see more of you."

"Then why the deal?" Blitzo asked.

"Because I was a fool. The deal I proposed was an . . . act of desperation." Stolas shifted uncomfortably. "I thought that by arranging for one night a month, I would always get a chance to see you. That you'd see I wanted you around."

"Oh."

"It was atrocious for me to have lorded my status and property over you to get you to see me. I don't want our relationship based on falsehood. Unfortunately, it seems that failed."

Blitzo scraped a claw along the ground. "I thought it meant you'd only give me the book if we had sex, and that you didn't want me for anything besides my dick."

"That was the opposite of what I was trying to convey," Stolas admitted. "But you were pulling away from me, and, and I was worried I'd lose you. Do you remember that night when you came in and stayed with me? After you were kidnapped for real?"

"Yeah," Blitzo said, swallowing.

"I never understood why you'd went silent after that. I was worried I'd scared you away."

"I . . . I was fucking scared. Scared of us. Scared of letting my guard down." Blitzo wrapped his arms around himself.

"Of us? Why?"

"Because nobody I've ever let in has been good to me! I've been used and stepped on my entire life. Been unwanted, always the one getting fucked up, and . . . and I was terrified, okay? Of getting attached to you. B-because I, I really like you, too. And this whole you and me thing really, really scared me because I've never wanted anything that bad." Blitzo wiped an arm across his face with a sniff. "S-so I ran away like a coward. Couldn't face you after I was so . . . vulnerable."

"Oh, Blitzy. You're not a coward. And I would never turn you away just because you were vulnerable," Stolas cooed softly. He moved a hand to place over one of Blitzo's, but the imp met him in the middle, and they ended up intertwining their fingers together. They both glanced up after that, making direct eye contact. A soft smile crept across each of their faces.

"You really mean that?" Blitzo asked.

"Absolutely. I love every part of you. Not just the tough and strong, but also the quiet and sensitive side. The way you care about your daughter, your sense of humor, your passion for horses; I love that you make me laugh. That you're not afraid to be yourself around me.

"Admittedly, I'm no Casanova. I'm very . . . estranged from the concept of love. I haven't done well so far," the prince continued, gaze now down on their connected hands. "I'd always thought it would be like a game. And I suppose, with you, I was trying to play it."

Stolas sighed, "That was my mistake. I treated you more like a plaything than another demon. I never meant to make it seem that I only wanted you for my own sexual desires. I thought sex was just, well. How those in romantic relationships portrayed their love."

"Relationships are more than just sex," Blitzo said. He frowned. "I can't say much about it, I guess. Verosika and I based a lot of ours on fucking, too. Maybe that's why it didn't work out." His gaze strayed dejectedly.

Stolas squeezed Blitzo's hand through their grip to regain his attention. "I want to do better for you, Blitzy. If you'll let me."

Blitzo allowed another smile to cross his face, a blush creeping alongside it.

"I wouldn't mind that," the imp responded quietly. His smile faded. "The only reason I left was because I couldn't stand being somewhere I wanted to be wanted for more than my dick."

"You are wanted for so much more than that, I promise you," Stolas assured. "Let me prove it."

Blitzo was silent for a moment. "I've missed you."

"I've missed you so as well, Blitzy." Stolas was overjoyed to hear those words come out of his imp's mouth. "Come back with me?"

≿━━━━༺❀༻━━━━≾

Stolas gave Blitzo his things and opened them a portal back to the palace. There, they'd settled into Stolas' chambers.

"The fuck happened here? A bomb go off?" Blitzo asked upon seeing the state of Stolas' room.

"W-well, magic can go haywire if one is emotional enough," Stolas replied nervously. "And I was very upset that night."

Blitzo fell quiet, obviously hit by the words, but Stolas quickly swooped in and said, "But it's no longer a concern. I'll have the cleaning staff in here sometime tomorrow to tidy things up. What I really want to know is what happened to put you on crutches?"

"Uh, well, had a job to kill some crazy guy, and he had a bear trap in his yard. Stepped in the fucking thing," Blitzo explained. He was flopped on the bed, clearly tired.

"How dreadful! And the bruises? Are they also from that job?"

The imp hesitated, looking uncertain. ". . . No, after I . . . left, I got shitfaced and high and started a few bar fights." Abashed, Blitzo rubbed the back of his neck, looking up at Stolas.

"Blitzy! You should never participate in such self-destructive behavior!"

"It's fine! Just some bruising and a fractured rib, nothin' too bad—"

"That is not fine!"

"Hey, c'mon, don't worry about me," Blitzo said. Stolas frowned at him, clearly about to continue arguing, but the imp kept talking before he could get a word in. "Could we maybe just, I don't know, clean up and go to bed? I'm fucking beat."

Stolas softened, the smile returning to his face. "Oh, of course. I could honestly do with a bath as well; I haven't . . ." Suddenly, the bird looked stricken.

"What?" Blitzo narrowed his eyes.

"I . . . Admittedly, I have not been taking proper care of myself."

"Explains the room." Blitzo once again let his eyes roam the disastrous space; Stolas shrank at the examination. "You look normal, though."

Stolas began shedding his royal attire, starting with his cloak. "Well, I've not been entirely honest with you: I put a glamor on before I left. Otherwise, I would have looked quite a mess in front of your employees. I couldn't exactly come to a glorious rescue looking as I did."

Blitzo cocked his head and inquired, "A glamor?"

Stolas nodded wordlessly. A swirl of magic traversed his lithe form, and when the glow disappeared, Blitzo nearly recoiled at the change. Stolas' feathers were ruffled and lacked their usual sheen, and there were pronounced bags under his eyes. His clothes even seemed to hang off him.

"A disguise, of sorts, you could call it," Stolas explained. "Very useful when wanting to hide how disgusting one looks." He lowered his gaze, ashamed. Blitzo pushed himself to his feet carefully, grabbed one of his crutches, and hobbled the few steps to the prince.

"You're still a sexy bitch," Blitzo said as he grabbed Stolas' thigh and squeezed.

"Oh, Blitzy, you do know how to make me feel beautiful." Stolas smiled, bending down to pick up the imp. He pressed a kiss to the side of Blitzo's head, earning a blush, and headed to the bathroom.

Stolas began filling the bath, adding a variety of different salts and powders. Blitzo undressed himself in the meantime.

"Holy fuck, you're even scrawnier than normal," Blitzo commented once Stolas had also gotten naked. The prince glanced over, a hoot of surprise on his tongue, followed by another look of shame that had Blitzo growling.

"You're gonna get all mad at me cuz I had a fight or two, but then totally not care about yourself in the meantime?" the imp huffed. "You haven't eaten, have you, ya fuck?"

"I . . . no," Stolas admitted. "But—"

"No buts. If you won't do it yourself, I'll make you."

"Well, with you here now, I feel good enough to partake in a meal, Blitzy."

Blitzo gave him an unimpressed look. "Just. Get in." He limped the short distance to the edge of the massive bathtub. Stolas, standing right next to him and about to lift the imp into the tub, let out a yelp of surprise as Blitzo smacked him firmly on the ass. "Bitch."

The prince's face went red as he tittered, and he gently set Blitzo (who was smirking) into the satisfactorily hot water. He got into the bath right after, sliding down the side until the water reached his chin. His long legs folded up and left his knees poking out of the water.

"Ah, that feels amazing," Stolas sighed, eyes closing. Bubbles floated around their heads, one landing and sticking to Blitzo's horn.

"It does," the imp agreed readily. The water was up to his chin just kneeling, but it kept the pressure off his body and allowed his wounds to breathe.

Stolas smiled and ducked his head under the water. When he popped back up, feathers slick against his skin, Blitzo couldn't help but laugh.

"You look like a drowned rat!" the imp teased. Stolas gasped, feigning offense, and put a hand to his chest. Blitzo grinned and pushed a handful of water, splashing the prince with a wave of bubbles.

"You're so silly, Blitzy!" Stolas laughed. He shook his head, sending water droplets flying. Blitzo merely smirked and stuck out his tongue.

Stolas smiled warmly. "Here, let me clean you." He sat up and reached for something just beside the tub. Now with a textured loofah in hand, the prince sat with his legs folded under him and Blitzo waiting patiently before him. Stolas lathered up the loofah and began scrubbing the imp's striped horns. Blitzo hummed lightly at the ministrations. He relaxed, leaning into the touch with his head tilted back. The hum turned to a purr at some point.

Stolas continued bathing the imp, going down his back and chest. Once Blitzo was scrubbed from head to toe (and done giggling because his hooves were sensitive), he was practically glowing.

"There we go, all done," Stolas said happily. He rinsed the loofah and put it aside, then sunk back to his laying position against the end of the tub.

"What about you?" Blitzo asked. His tail swished.

"Hmm? Oh, I don't need to be scrubbed down. I'll just need to preen myself properly later."

"Mmkay." Blitzo fell silent. He pawed at a particularly large bubble casually. Stolas, eyes half closed in contentment, watched the imp from his spot. Blitzo glanced up; there was a mischievous glimmer in his eye.

"Ooh, Blitzy, fancy meeting you here," Stolas purred as Blitzo crawled forward. Their faces were now only inches apart as Blitzo straddled the prince's form.

Blitzo grinned, giving a small snort of amusement, and brushed his lips against Stolas' beak. The owl's breath caught in his throat, cut off by the tiniest of moans, and Blitzo went back in to press their mouths fully together. Stolas didn't hesitate at all when offered the kiss; this was the first time Blitzo had ever initiated one. Fuck, it was so hot and not just in a lustful way.

"Blitzo," Stolas breathed once they parted for air. A heat was building in his lower abdomen, a tingle starting between his legs.

"Yeah?" Blitzo murmured. He moved his lips across Stolas' cheek, teeth bared so the prince could feel them against his skin. It wasn't the only thing Stolas could feel, either; the imp's erection was beginning to press against his stomach. Stolas didn't say anything else as Blitzo kissed him again, and their tongues licked into each other's mouth. Blitzo let out a small growl and grinded his cock right above the owl's pelvis.

"F-fuck, we shouldn't—Blitzy, you're hurt," Stolas gasped, pulling away slightly.

"No, it's fine," Blitzo said, capturing his lover's chin in a firm hand and forcing them to look at each other, "I want this."

Stolas gazed into Blitzo's intense eyes, seeing nothing but desire. Both their faces were red, their lips parted slightly.

"I'm not about to say no," Stolas replied after a moment, a small smile on his face. He spread his legs farther apart. Blitzo scooted back to line up; Stolas moaned as the imp pressed in.

"Fuck, Blitzy," the prince whimpered softly. He arched his back, pushing his hips into his lover's. Blitzo slowly began moving, seemingly content to take his time. They were both breathing hard despite the conditions; this was the slowest and most relaxing way they'd ever had sex, but it seemed so much more intense than before.

Stolas didn't play up his moans or let himself cry out. It wasn't that it didn't feel good (because it felt amazing), especially after the week they'd both had, he just felt that he didn't need to make any loud noises this time. He was content to just allow Blitzo to fill him up and use him.

"Blitzy, fuck, please, I want all of you," Stolas begged, voice still barely raised. His arms were thrown over Blitzo's shoulders. The imp leaned forward and connected their mouths again; this time, it was less of a make out session but even more intimate. Blitzo made a point to punctuate each methodical thrust with a kiss.

Despite the lack of their usual intensity, both demons were reaching their highs. Stolas' soft, breathy moans grew more pitchy, and Blitzo's fine-tuned thrusting was becoming more sporadic.

"F-fuck, Stolas," Blitzo groaned, his eyes closed and teeth biting into his lip. He was incredibly close. He pressed a messy kiss to the corner of the prince's mouth. "I-I love you-!"

Blitzo came, hard, a moan breaking from his throat as he went rigid. His tail slapped the surface of the water. Stolas, having not expected to hear those words quite yet, let out a higher pitched squeak as the burning inside him flared. The sensation of being filled and the strength behind Blitzo's words stoked an entirely different fire inside him, and Stolas squeezed the imp between his thighs and tossed his head back as he came.

Stolas slowly recovered, his eyes glazed over and hair messy from how it was drying. He picked his head back up to look at his lover. Blitzo was still panting, both his hands holding onto Stolas' hips. He glanced up and met the prince's eyes. They both smiled wearily.

"I love you, too, Blitzy," Stolas said. He couldn't help the tears that welled up in his eyes.

"Aw, c'mon, ya fucking softy," Blitzo snorted, though his tone was light.

"Can't help it. I'm just so thrilled to hear those words~"

Blitzo rolled his eyes good naturedly and finally pulled his softened cock from Stolas' hole.

"I think my dick is wrinkly from how wet you are."

Stolas laughed out loud, not expecting the rather crude joke. "I'm sure it has absolutely nothing to do with the fact we're in the tub, hmm?" he mused with a smile.

"Totally," Blitzo chuckled. "Speaking of, we probably undid everything we just did to clean ourselves up."

"Well, let's just hop in the shower for a rinse. I'm exhausted."

Blitzo agreed, and together, the two demons emerged from the bathtub and scurried, sopping wet and naked, to the shower. They gave themselves a quick rinsing and then wrapped themselves in fluffy towels before heading to the bedroom.

Blitzo, now dry, bandages changed, and back to completely naked, crawled across the large bed and made himself comfy underneath the blankets. Stolas joined him, just as nude, and snuggled up to the imp.

"Goodnight, my darling Blitzy."

"Night, Stolas."

Content for the first time in days, the two drifted off in each other's arms.

A/N: I hope this reunion was worth the build up! Story ain't over yet. :)