AN: Hey guys, here is the next update. Warning: There is cutting, thoughts of suicide, and depression in this chapter
Disclaimer: I do not own Helluva Boss or Hazbin Hotel
Moxxie had often wondered what his parents would say if they found out he was leading an assassination company with access to the living world. Then again, knowing them, they would tell him to kill his boss and instead focus on a more suitable set of targets in their mind. If it wasn't for the fact that there was a small part of Moxxie, the size of a peanut, that actually had some care for his mother and father, then he wouldn't mind putting a bullet in their skulls instead. Pushing aside his thoughts of kinslaying aside, Moxxie glanced over at the other employees that were temporarily under his command since their actual boss was still unable to work.
It had been a surprise to Moxxie when Loona suggested that he take over while her father was still recovering from his ordeal. The hellhound didn't want to admit it, but she had no leadership skills and wasn't much of a people person. There was a reason why most of her friends were just a bunch of strangers she knew online and not in public, save for a few like Octavia. And Millie, much as Moxxie loved her, was more of a killer than a boss, so it fell on him to take charge.
Currently, Loona was reading on her phone, as always, while Grimbeak was sharpening his set of knives as they prepared for their next hit. The owl demon had been a welcome addition to the team for his professionalism and skill set. Now that they had a more experienced assassin on the team, they could handle more challenging jobs that they wouldn't normally do, which increased their reputation by a lot these past few months. Of course, the Goetia Demon was only on loan from Prince Stolas until Blitzo returned, and Moxxie would still rather have his boss around if he had the choice.
Life at I.M.P. just hadn't been the same. It was funny. If you were to ask Moxxie a year ago if he would rather have a peaceful and non-stressful environment instead of the chaotic and headache-giving one he usually dealt with, he would say "fuck yes" in a heartbeat. Now without Blitzo, things were just...boring. It was dull, unexcited, and nothing zany happened. Sure, Blitzo often caused messes and got them into trouble with stupid shenanigans, but they were memorable and sometimes brought the team closer together as a family. Without him around, it almost felt more like nothing happened.
"Millie still in the bathroom?" Loona asked, looking up from her phone. She turned her gaze towards the company restroom, where the sound of hurling could be heard, making Loona wince. "Seriously, she's been like this for days. Did you cook that tripe shit again?"
"No, but I've been trying to convince her to see a doctor for the past few days," Moxxie stated as he shook his head. His wife could be so stubborn when it came to her health. "But you know how Millie is when it comes to the doctor. It took all three of us to drag her over to the clinic just to get her that required shot last time."
The bathroom door slammed open as Millie walked out while wiping her hands with a paper towel before tossing it in a waste bin nearby. With a smile, she stated, "All better! Let's go!"
"Millie, I think maybe you should sit this one out," Moxxie said, walking over to his wife while rubbing the back of his head. "I mean, you're clearly not feeling well and-"
"Mox, I'm fine. Just a bit queasy from some bad food. That's all," Millie chuckled, but the twitching of her tail made it clear she was lying. "Now, let's go kill some Neo-Communists!"
Moxxie opened his mouth to continue arguing, but he sighed and decided to save it for after the job. They needed to end this terrorist group today if they were going to make it in time for the deadline. Nodding to Loona, she got up and opened the portal to the living world where the three assassins rushed in and appeared on the other side in Moscow, Russia. It was still early morning, around 3AM in this area of the human world, so the cover of night was with them.
"Alright, just as we planned," Moxxie said as he nodded to Grimbeak, who spread his wings and started flying to the top of the apartment complex. He would start from the top and work his way to the bottom while Millie and Moxxie began on the first floor.
Placing the silencers on their CZ P-09 pistols, the imp couple entered the front hallway and stealthily made for the elevator while the security guard was snoozing at his desk. Pressing the up button, Millie and Moxxie waited for the elevator, got in, and headed for the next floor. From there, it was a simple manner of finding the right apartment doors, breaking in with lockpicks, and offing the residents inside in their sleep with a few shots in the head and torso. Quick and quiet with no resistance or trouble. Sometimes, Millie would slice open their necks and giggle, but Moxxie could only sigh romantically upon seeing his lovely angel of death cover herself up in human blood.
Of course, not every apartment was holding a dirty commie, and Moxxie had requested the specific ones from their client to make sure they didn't hurt any innocent people. This was a different method from Blitzo's typical actions of simply killing whoever and letting God sort it out. Hopefully, it would stick around when he came back.
"Alright, the last one on our end," Moxxie whispered as he turned to his wife after unlocking the door. "You ready?" He didn't get an answer as Millie kept her hair down and held her stomach with one hand. "Millie?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah, I got it," Millie said as she entered the apartment complex.
Their last target was passed out on his couch with vodka bottles all over the floor. Millie quietly moved closer to the target before getting close enough to aim her gun right at his head. Suddenly, a gurgling noise echoed in the room, and Millie dropped her pistol while covering her mouth with both hands. Moxxie was about to ask if she was alright when suddenly she vomited all over the human.
Only this wasn't normal vomit. Normal vomit didn't start dissolving flesh and bone like sulfuric acid. The human screamed in agony as his entire body started melting slowly like the Wicked Witch of the West. His skin turned red before evaporating to show his muscle and bone while his organs began to leak out into the floor in melted piles of gloop. Millie groaned as she fell to her knees, still holding her stomach.
Realizing that they needed to get out of here fast, Moxxie grabbed his wife and carried her out bridal style. He rushed for the elevators as fast as he could, just as humans started coming out of their apartments upon hearing the noise. A few were already calling the police. Once the elevator hit the bottom floor, Moxxie didn't bother wasting time and just bolted for the exit. He continued running once he was outside until he saw Grimbeak waiting by the portal. "What happened? I heard screaming as I was descending from above."
"Just hurry back to the office!" Moxxie shouted as he jumped into the portal with his wife still in his hands. Grimbeak soon joined them, and Loona closed the portal once they were back. With haste, Moxxie placed his wife on the couch and helped her sit up as she moaned.
"Loona, quick! Get some water!" Moxxie ordered as Loona shrugged and walked towards the kitchen. Holding his wife's hand, she rubbed her stomach while looking a bit pale. "Sweetie, you okay?"
"Uh, I think so...what's wrong with me?" Millie moaned in frustration. Once Loona came back with the water, she drank it all in one gulp. "I feel like I'm turning inside and out."
"That's it, you are going to see a doctor! No buts, missy!" Moxxie shouted before she could interrupt him. "I am putting my foot down on this one, Millie! I will not let your stubbornness get in the way of something as serious as your health!"
Loona coughed into her paw to get their attention. "We're going to see Dad tomorrow, so we can also get Millie checked out over there. Don't worry about expenses. We'll have Stolas cover it."
"Is relying on my master for your financial needs going to be your solution to everything involving money?" Grimbeak asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Is it really gonna dent his overweight money bank?" Loona asked, which Grimbeak didn't give an answer. "Yeah, thought so."
"Fine, I guess, but I'm not gonna get a shot!" Millie proclaimed with a huff as she folded her arms.
"How can you be afraid of shots and yet like knives, daggers, swords, and other bladed weapons with pointy ends?" Grimbeak asked, tilting his head.
"It just feels weird, is all! Besides, everyone knows that vaccines are secretly the government's way of inputting nano-machines into our blood to try and watch our every move!" Millie proclaimed.
"Oh, for fuck's sake! Millie, stop watching Alex Jones on the Internet!"
If there was one good thing that had come out of the whole "Kidnapping Fiasco," it was that Stolas found himself spending more time with Octavia than he had in years. With Stella gone, it was just the two of them, along with the servants and Blitzo's family, that had to rely on one another. Neither Stolas nor Octavia wished to be bothered by their noisy fellow nobles, who had been asking questions ever since the divorce. Truth be told, it was one of the things that both Octavia and Stolas agreed on: That they didn't really love their fellow noble kind that much. Too many of them were like Stella, Natasha, and Alexander except not as harsh or cruel save for a few that they could name. It was why the two had so many friends outside of their own demonic race. They were charming, unique, and most of all, they felt more civilized than the so-called "elite" of their society.
Sipping his tea, Stolas looked over at Octavia, who was eating a butterscotch crumpet before she wiped her mouth and asked, "So what is it that you wanted to talk to me about, Dad?"
Stolas sighed as he motioned for the servants nearby to leave. Even though all the staff knew of his plan to help Blitzo, he still wished to just tell Octavia the truth personally on his own and in private. "Well, before we begin. How are things with you?"
"Fine, I guess," Octavia shrugged as she leaned back against her chair, teacup in hand. "Most of my friends have stopped asking what's been going on. It's been...difficult if I'm honest, but I'm moving on. Loona's been a big help."
"You're lucky to have such a loyal friend," Stolas said with a slight smile.
"Yeah, she and I talk a lot in our rooms about...her Dad... that woman ," Octavia muttered, glaring at the floor upon mentioning the one whose name she refused to say. "And a few other things."
Stolas bit his lip. Ever since he kicked Stella out and divorced her, Octavia had refused to even mention her former mother's real name even once. It was always "that woman" or, in cases of extreme anger, "that bitch". Stolas had no intention of stopping her from doing so, but he'd be lying if he wasn't worried about Octavia keeping it all bottle in. He had meant to talk to her about it, but, in all honesty, even mentioning her name or hearing it made him want to shatter something around him with his power. Even after six months, the wounds that Stella left on their family were still fresh for both of them. It was her fault that Blitzo was struggling with his mental and physical trauma that tore not only his family into despair but also their own.
He had heard the numerous whispers behind his back in parliament about his divorce from his wife. It was known that there was no real love between the two, but there was respect and even friendship to a certain extent. Stella was someone that Stolas trusted, even if they had their issues because he thought they had something after nearly a thousand years together . And yet she had his lover kidnapped, tortured, raped, driven into near insanity, and almost killed. Stella may not have wanted it to happen. She may have regretted it all and did what she could to save Blitzo when it went further than she wanted, but it was still her actions that were the catalyst for it all.
Hurting his lover was painful and unforgivable, but not as much as the pain it made Octavia suffer from. The first three months were a haunting time as Octavia often visited his room, crawled into his bed, and hugged him as she cried herself to sleep. He did what he could to soothe those tears with songs and whispers, but even he found himself crying on various nights. They had once been a family. A family that had its issues but was slowly working through them. Now? The nest was shattered, and it was taking so long just to heal up.
It was for that reason that Stolas truly couldn't forgive his ex-wife.
"But I'm guessing you didn't walk to talk to me about how I'm feeling," Octavia said, putting her teacup down as she folded her leg and placed her hands on it. Narrowing her eyes, Octavia turned serious as she asked, "Dad, what are you planning?"
It was almost scary just how much Octavia looked like her mother right now. Stolas sighed and calmly leaned back against his chair. "I guess I shouldn't be surprised you figured it out."
"Not everything," Octavia admitted with a slight shrug. "I've seen you talking to the servants a lot, and they all seem to be determined and nervous about something. Plus, I overhear them sometimes talking about how you have a dangerous idea of saving Blitz. Whatever this method of yours is, it has to be very dangerous if you haven't done it yet."
Taking a heavy sigh, Stolas slowly got up and walked around a bit to admire the gardens he had worked so hard on before turning his back to his daughter. He collected his thoughts and tried to think of a way to explain this to her. "This...this is more than just dangerous, Octavia. This could be the end of us and everyone we know if it gets exposed to anyone. Every demon in every ring will come after us, and we will be destroyed. Nothing will save us. Not even escaping into the human world."
He turned around and stared at her straight in the eye. "If it was just me, I would do this without any hesitation to save Blitz. He's...important to me. Honestly, I love him so much." Stolas closed his eyes and let a tear drop down his cheek for the imp he was powerless to save. For all his magic and experience, there was nothing he could do to heal him. "But you are the light of my life. Ever since you came to this world, I have done everything to make you happy and loved. Sometimes I screwed up, I admit that, but none of my love has ever changed since the day you hatched from your egg."
"Dad..." Octavia whispered with a small smile.
"I cannot risk you. That is why I have been so hesitant. I honestly kept asking everyone under my service, hoping that they would say no so I could have another excuse not to go through with this." Stolas chuckled. "But I guess I'm too good of a boss since they all said they are with me to the end."
"Is it...is it really that bad?" Octavia asked nervously.
"...My own parents would be probably killing me if they knew what I was planning on doing," Stolas answered, which made Octavia gulp. "Because this is treason of the highest order. For you see, there is one group of people who can help Blitzo. Ones who are experts in healing beyond all expectations. They can not just cure physical wounds but mental and emotional ones. They can go deep into your very soul and help you deal with the darkness inside of you so that you can be renewed again. They do this on those who come to their realm with depression, anxieties, schizophrenia, and other mental illnesses. Even spiritual ones too."
Octavia's eyes widened as she shot up with a shocked expression. "W-Wait a minute! You mean..."
" The Spirit Healers," Stolas spoke with reverence. Even in Hell, they were known for their incredible power. "The greatest healers in all Heaven and the universe."
"Y-you want to ask an angel...not just any angel but a Spirit Healer to cure Blitz?! One of the highest-ranking Virtues in their hierarchy?! Those guys are practically taught by the Archangel Raphaelpersonally! The Archangel who could cure diseases with just a flick of his wrist!" Octavia asked in both shock and horror. "Dad, are you insane?! Heaven would never agree to let one of them come down here to help a demon! Especially an imp! Not to mention, if this is known, then Lucifer would send every Overlord, Noble, General, and Bounty Hunter after us in less than a heartbeat! He would even come to kill us ourselves!"
"I know that, but what other option is there?!" Stolas shouted as he smashed his fist into the table, breaking a part of it off. Octavia jumped a bit as Stolas tried to calm himself. "Octavia, he's getting worse. There is nothing we can do to help him that is in Hell. He will further deteriorate until he becomes so insane that they lock him up in an asylum...or he kills himself."
"W-Well, he'll come back, right?" Octavia nervously pointed out, even if she felt terrible for saying this. "B-Blitz will come back to life if he dies. After all, only an angel weapon-"
"The memories and pain will still be there, Octavia," Stolas whispered, shaking his head. "Just because a demon dies and comes back doesn't mean that they forget what happened to them. What happened to Bltizo, especially with the parasite, will ensure that those scars stay with him forever. The only way to end that would be to permanently end himself with an angel weapon or let himself be killed by one. That is what I saw happen in the Eldritch-Devil War. When those infected with it realized that death was not the end of their suffering, they went for a permanent solution and ended their lives via weapons from Heaven. Why do you think some suicide sinners just let themselves be killed on Extermination Day? Because no matter how many times they kill themselves normally, their pain never goes away here." He looked at his daughter with fright in his eyes and near tears coming out. "There is no cure for Blitzo if he goes that far. Only an eternity of suffering or death. This is...this is the only chance we have..."
Octavia took a few deep breaths and sighed before looking deep in thought. Stolas knew that such a choice would be a burden on them both. He was well aware of the risks, and he wanted Octavia to be mindful of them too before she made her choice. It all came down to her decision on whether or not to save Blitzo from himself. Stolas had never seen the Spirit Healers work in action before, but he found they were that good from all the tales and knowledge. Humans who were once plagued with mysterious psychological issues sometimes found themselves cured of them for good with aid from these powerful beings. And should one with mental or spiritual problems enter Heaven, they were treated by the Spirit Healers so they could be burdened no more by them.
He didn't know the process, nor did he know the means or power they used to do such a thing. Miracles from Heaven were unknown in how they worked, save for the Fallen Families. Even then, they could not use such means anymore due to being demons now instead of their once divine selves. However, if it was like anything of the power that Stolas had seen from angels in his time working with them in Purgatory to build the new Heavens and Hells, then it would be the only hope that they had of healing Blitzo.
"...How would you be able to do it?" Octavia asked, folding her arms. "Who would agree to this?"
"Metatron," Stolas muttered, which made him look around just in case he was spying on Stolas those infernal eyes of his. The so-called "1000" eyes that he was rumored to have were somewhat accurate. Even in Hell, he had eyes everywhere, and they informed him of all various events going on in Heaven, Hell, Earth, and Purgatory. In many ways, he was like Lord Beelzebub with his flies, only more annoying. Stolas still could recall how embarrassed he was that Metatron's eyes found out that he liked singing Ricky Martin in the shower. "He is...perhaps the only angelic friend I have. We've worked together for so long...even if he doesn't think of me as a friend, I know he respects me greatly to hear me out."
"But you realize that for Heaven to even agree to this, you would have to offer them something in return," Octavia pointed out.
"Yes..." Stolas said as he got up and walked over to his daughter before placing his hands on her shoulders. "And there is only one thing I can offer them..."
Blitzo hated talking to doctors of any kind. He was sure that half of the shit they spoke to you about was just a bunch of medical mumbo jumbo they said to make themselves sound smart. Blitzo wasn't dumb. Terrible with writing, sure, but not stupid. He knew this shrink that they had him talking to wanted nothing more than to just label him a lost cause, give him some happy pills, and take off with a nice fat check so she could spend it on fine dining and wine.
He didn't know why this was continuing after six months. Well, obviously, it was because he was damaged, but Blitzo had always been damaged goods. It had been that way for nearly a hundred or so years, and he wasn't going to become fixed just overnight. He had spent years keeping it all down on his own. Drugs, money, killing people, and eventually focusing on making the family he had come to love these past years.
And all it took was ten days to ruin it.
"Blitz!" The imp looked up from his seat on the couch where the shrink, a large female beholder demon, was glaring at him with those multiple eyes of hers while levitating a notepad and pencil. "Please pay attention. This service is being funded by Prince Stolas after all."
If Stolas was smarter, he would have spent the money on something more productive, Blitzo thought before reaching over for one of the chips that she had brought for them as a snack. Biting into one, Blitzo sighed and just looked out the window with a bored expression on his face. "So what were you saying?"
"I was asking you about the dream you had last night," The beholder asked, rolling her giant center eye. "It was about your sisters, correct?"
"Yeah...and I failed to save them again," Bltizo bitterly answered as he glared at his shrink. "At least in this one, I didn't see my older sister getting raped."
"Yes, you mentioned this a few times," The shrink said as she wrote down a few things. "Tell me, do you know who caused the deaths of your sisters? You've described in great detail, but what about the ones who caused it."
"They're dead," Blitzo answered, crossing his arms and legs. "I killed them. All of them. Took me years to do it, but I did it."
"And yet you don't seem to take any joy in it," The beholder pointed out. "Why is that?"
"...Because I lost too much getting it," Blitzo stated as he felt his lips tremble, and his heart began to beat faster. Already he was seeing her smile and feeling the touch of her warm scaled body against his own. The smell of her feathery hair and the sound of her soothing voice echoed in his ears.
Getting up, Blitzo made for the door. "We're done here."
"We still have twenty-"
"We're done here!" Blitzo shouted as he slammed the door open and stomped back towards his room. He knew that he was going to get an earful, but Blitzo didn't care. Fuck, it was hard to care about anything anymore.
He ignored the looks the staff was giving him and just made for his room, where he shut the door, locked it, and slowly placed his back against the wall before sliding down. Once he was sure that nobody was coming in to check on him, he rested his head against his knees and finally let his tears drop. The memories came in, along with regret. Every whisper of her voice was followed by a scream. The soft scaled touch of her warm skin was then replaced by the cold and lifeless limb in his arms. He had gotten his revenge, but the cost was too much in the end.
"Zella..." Blitzo whispered as he wiped his tears. "I'm so sorry."
He couldn't save his sisters. He couldn't save his wife. He couldn't save anyone, including himself. It was his fault that he was so weak that they captured him. All those servants of Stolas's who died trying to save him were his fault. Loona and the rest could have died as well. They keep saying he was worth it but was it really?
Slowly, Blitzo got up and made for his bed. Under the pillow, he slowly drew the razor blade with the red edges on it and sighed as he placed it in his right hand. Slowly, he lifted up his long-sleeved hospital gown and saw the scar marks under his left wrist. His demonic healing made it so that such things faded over time, but they were thin enough to still be retracted.
Blitzo began to re-cut the lines one by one with a deep breath, drawing blood to help ease the pain. Between the pain, he got cutting himself and the pain he felt in his heart, he would take the former any day. In fact, he wanted it.
