Cover Art: Tejedora7 on Twitter
BOOM!
Blood and bone scattered across the room as the Vice president's head was blown to pieces. His broken remains crumpled to the floor, next to the growing pile of bodies that lay around the room. There was blood, organs, bone matter, and pieces of the dead spread around with no care or layout. To most people, the scene looked like something out of a horror film.
But to Blitzo? This was one of the best Mondays he had ever had.
Satan, did he love his job. This one was already ranking high on his top 10 hits. There was just something so damn satisfying about killing the rich. He tossed the VP's corpse aside and moved onto the shareholder, desperately trying to crawl away, happily bisecting the fat bastard with his knife.
It was a shame it couldn't last forever. Blitzo and his favorite pair of imps were just about finished now. This particular job had come from not one but a large group of sinners, who all wanted payback on their former working place after years of overwork, unsafe conditions, and unfair treatment, which eventually resulted in their deaths. They all pulled in their collective funds and were able to hire I.M.P. to take down several of the higher-ups, who had profited off of their treatment.
Sadly Jeff Bezos' death had been too fast for Blitzo's liking, but luckily the rest of Amazon's Board of Directors were much more fun to kill.
And as a bonus, it was a much-needed help to Blitzo and his income. He would never admit it personally, but as Loona had predicted, the sudden addition of Cyra was slowly starting to take its toll on their already fragile amount of money. They had just barely managed to afford their two-bedroom apartment, but the pup was starting to tip them over the edge. For the time being, they had managed to get through by cutting a few corners and doing a lot of shoplifting, but the imp secretly knew that would only get them so far. So hits like this one really helped to keep things from sinking.
Blitzo was crazy enough to take on King Lucifer himself if need be. But the IRS? Hell no!
With his current target dead, Blitzo turned towards his coworkers, who were both busy with their killings. Moxxie had just sniped one of the security guards through the brains, and Millie was using a fireman's axe to chop off the legs of one of the Executive Chief Officers as he attempted to escape through the door. Blitz smiled at them, while he went to gut one of the remaining shareholders. He could watch them kill forever.
"Hey, M&M!" He called out to them while moving on to his next kill. "Slaughtering up these rich pigs is fun and all, but ya know what it's got me thinking? We've got to do something together soon.! You know, just some little hangout after-hours friends thing? It's been a while, hasn't it?"
"I…I hardly think, now is a good time for this, sir!" exclaimed Moxxie as he struggled to fight off one of the Executives that had him pinned to the ground. Blitzo just killed the human with a bullet through the brain and continued.
"Oh, come on, Moxx, don't be such a prude. We hardly ever spend time after work!" He was interrupted by a gunshot. One of the guards had tried to shoot the imp, only to miss. Blitzo leaped on top of her before she could get another shot. As he pinned the guard down, he tried to stab her through the chest. "In…fact, I just… realized…." He struggled to say until he finally overpowered the guard and brought the knife through her heart. Once she went limp, he continued: "…That, in all the time I've known you two, you've never even been to my home before. Why don't the two of you come over tonight for dinner?"
"Ugh, this again?" Moxxie groaned in an annoyed whispered voice as he shot down three more oncoming guards, their brain matter splattering across the room. This had not been the first time his boss had offered them a visit to his home, and he was still in no way interested in it. "Sir, I thought we talked about this. I'm fine with having drinks together, but I'd rather we kept our relationship strictly professional. And that you'd stop forcing yourself into our lives outside of business hours."
"Aww, come on, Moxxie," Millie countered, emerging through the stomach of another guard, like a Xenomorph chestburster, covered in bloody & viscera, having somehow climbed inside of the body. "I wouldn't mind spending some more time with the boss after work."
"Yeah, you see, Moxx? Millie's all for it!" cheered Blitzo, delighted to hear that the female imp agreed to it. "Besides, It's the least I can do, after all the times you've invented me over to you guys' place. And you know, Cyra's been wanting to see you guys again." He finished the last sentence with a knowing hint to his smile, confident that the imps couldn't resist that. It seemed to work on Millie, who looked thrilled to hear that. But Moxxie was so easily swayed.
"First of all, sir, Cyra sees us almost every day. You always bring her to the office after school," Moxxie retorted, calmly blowing the brains out of the last guard, seemingly killing everyone in the room. "And secondly, we never once invited you over! YOU are always just breaking into our home unwelcomed! You've made us change locks seventeen times already!"
"How is Xander doing, by the way?" Blitzo asked, curious to know the status of their locksmith.
"Oh, he's doing great. I hear he's finally retiring in three weeks," answered Millie, wiping some blood off her face.
"Woah, really?" asked Bltizo surprised at the news. "Shit didn't think the old kook would ever hang up the keys."
"He's teaching his son his craft before he finally gives up the work. But yeah, it's gonna be weird not seeing him again. I am still happy for him though," The three shared a brief moment of silence, in remembrance of their old friend, before Moxxie continued from where he had left off with Bltizo. "As I was saying, I think Millie and I see quite enough of you as it is. So we're flattered by the invite but not interested."
"Uh, excuse me, mister, but don't you think that's a little harsh? You should give him a chance." A mysterious new voice suddenly chimed in.
"Gaaah! What the fuck? Who said that?" screamed Moxxie, surprised by the new unseen voice.
"Satan, damn it, Moxxie! Did you miss one again?!" Blitzo yelled out in irritation. "You know if we miss one of these capitalist shits, the clients will take that out of your pay!"
"Oh, sorry, I'm not one of the chairmen," The voice spoke out as the source emerged from underneath the shattered table. A few seconds later, a skinny man in a shirt (the words Super Team printed on it) slowly crawled from it, looking surprisingly calm despite the piles of corpses surrounding him. "Uh, hi. My name is Roger. I'm from a Team Building organization in Washington."
"Ooookay…Roger," Moxxie said, slightly suspicious of the man's claim. "And what exactly are you doing in a room filled with coked-out board executives?"
"Oh, well, the higher-ups called us up to try and help the new employees to get more acquainted with their jobs. Mostly by encouraging teamwork, stick-to-itness, and other ways to distract them from their inhumane conditions, so they don't try to cause a fuzz about it." Roger admitted, looking somewhat ashamed of it.
"Please! He's just another rich pig in disguise. Want me to kill him, Blitz?" Millie asked, advancing towards Roger, axe at the ready and a bloodthirsty smile on her lips.
"Nono, not yet Mills," Blitzo held out a hand, stopping her, eying the man with some interest. And a suspiciously sly grin. "I wanna hear more about what he was saying earlier."
"Huh?" Roger was confused at first, until he remembered what he had said earlier, and quickly went to talking: "Oh, well, I was just saying that you shouldn't be so distant towards your coworker like that. Much less your boss. He probably just wants to spend more time with you."
"…What?" Moxxie exclaimed in disbelief at the man's words.
"I know, I'm not up to date on everything with you guys, but from what I hear, it just sounds like he wants to get to know you guys better." Roger continued, primarily out of dread that he might die if he didn't. "Having a good relationship with your boss is important in your workplace. It doesn't have to be something big or even recurring, but a few hangouts once in a while, could have drastic improvements on your work. At the least, you could consider his dinner offer."
"Are you fucking kidding me? Listen, mister; you stay out of this! You have no idea what he's like," Moxxie cried out, annoyed that the human was taking Blitzo's side in all of this.
"Now now, Moxxie, let the man talk. I think we can all learn a thing or two from him," Blitzo spoke, his sly grin growing more exciting as he egged the Team Builder on. Which only made his coworker more irritated.
Roger did just that, "Listen, I've worked with a lot of people, who were reluctant to spend more time with their boss. I know it probably sounds like a horrible idea-"
"That's the first smart thing you've said all day," Moxxie snarked deadpanned, glaring at the man with contempt.
"-but if done right, it can be a good thing. Spending time with your coworkers can be extremely beneficial to all of you. You'll grow closer with each other, which will help your working relationship immensely if all goes well. Not to mention the positive effects it might have on your work overall. Many of the people I've worked with have had good experiences from it."
"And did their include bosses, also stalk their employees after hours and break into their houses, for the purposes of watching them have sex?" The imp flatly questioned in turn.
"Oh…no," Roger admitted nervously, "Buuut, maybe if you do this for him, he'll do that less? Plus, he's probably just going to keep asking until you agree. Might as well get it over with quickly, right?"
Moxxie was still thoroughly unconvinced and unimpressed by the man's arguments, but the imp had to admit he had a point on the last part. Maybe giving Blitzo what he wanted, just this once, would finally get him to leave them alone at night. So with a tired sigh, he responded, "I suppose after that encouraging talk and since Millie doesn't seem to mind," he could practically feel his boss' grin grow wider by the second. And that only made him more pissed off about what he was going to say. Reluctantly, he did so with gritted teeth, "we would love to come to dinner, Blitz."
"Yeeaah! Fucking finally!" Blitzo cheered out in victory. He laughed at his win, fist raised in the air, thrilled beyond words that his wish was finally coming true. Moxxie stared at his boss, already regretting his decision, while Millie looked on happy for Blitzo. Roger just sat by the side and watched it all quietly.
"BUT-BUT-BUT! We'll only be there for dinner. Nothing else. And I want NO funny business while we're there! I want your hands kept to yourself and away from any inappropriate places at all times, sir!" declared Moxxie sternly as Blitzo finally calmed down.
"Yeah, sure thing Moxx. Whatever you say, pal," agreed Blitzo, only half listening to what the coworker had said. He turned back towards Roger with sincere gratitude in his eyes. "Hey, thanks for the help back there, Roger. I really appreciate it." He patted the shoulder of the team builder, thankful for what he did for him.
"Aw, don't mention it, mister," responded Roger, happy to be of help, and then asked a hesitant question: "So, does this mean you'll let me live?"
"Hehehehe…" Blitzo chuckled lightly… "NOPE!" …Then stabbed the man through the throat and tossed him out the window in one swift motion. "Welp, that should just about do it. Alrighty, guys, let's find a good dumpster to toss these dead weights in, and I'll go and call Loonie. We'll work out the dinner details later." The imp pulled out one of his endless amount of phones and dialed up his daughter. "Oh! And bring a gift!"
Moxxie & Millie sat quietly in the taxi as they drove towards the address provided by Blitzo. The male imp was carefully holding onto the gift his boss had requested. He had refused to go for something too intimate or expensive so that he wouldn't give him the wrong idea, so they picked something simple, affordable, and easy. A houseplant. Just to be on the safe side, they made sure to get one of the few non-poisonous ones.
Usually, the two would pass the time on a long ride like this with some sweet little chatter. But for once, the two of them spent most of it in silence, neither one trying to get a conversation going. Moxxie mainly dreaded the inevitable arrival and whatever Blitzo had in store for them. Millie, on the other, looked like she wanted to talk but was always hesitating or dropping any attempts at it.
Her husband had slowly begun to notice, but when he finally tried to say something, the cab had finally come to a slow halt as it arrived at its destination. Moxxie paid the driver his fee, grumbling over the high price, and stepped outside, remembering to open the door for his beloved. "Well, here we are," Moxxie muttered as he glanced at the apartment complex.
Millie was all too aware that of the two, she was the only one genuinely enthused about the dinner date. She made a mental note to make it up to Moxxie later. For now, she did her best to try and lighten the mood. "Well, if nothing else, I have been curious to know how Blitz and his hellhounds live."
"I suppose… have to admit; it's better than I thought." Moxxie agreed, looking at the building. It was nothing spectacular. Even by Imp City standards, it was pretty rundown. But it still impressed Moxxie that his boss could even afford a two-bedroom apartment. What with his impulse purchases and the company's constant red zone. From what the imp could remember, Blitzo lived in a single bedroom apartment with Loona for a while. It wasn't until they started their killings in the Living World that he moved into his current one. Likely due to the sudden increase in finances. All things considered, this seemed to be a good step up. However, it did little to increase his enthusiasm.
His wife put a comforting hand on his shoulder and carried on: "Look, Moxxie, I'm sure it's not gonna be that bad. If you don't like it, we can leave a little early. Let's just give Blitz this one chance, okay?"
That seemed to finally cheer her husband up, even if it wasn't by much. He sighed and gave her his best smile: "Of course, Millie. I'll make it through this. We've already made it this far, right? And, besides, I would be good to see if Cyra's doing well at her home."
Millie didn't respond for a second, a frown almost forming on her lips, before she gave her husband a silent nod in agreement as she walked beside her husband towards Blitzo's home.
But as they walked, Moxxie began to notice she had a somber gaze on her face. Like she was lost in her mind, not fully paying attention to the world around her. She had a similar look during their ride, and he had noticed it once or twice when she was with Cyra. "Hey, Millie, is everything okay?"
"Of course, Moxxie. I'm perfectly fine. Why wouldn't I be?" Millie brushed off, trying to sound like her usual happy self. But, Moxxie could always tell when something was up with his wife. He hoped it was nothing, but he didn't want to chance anything.
"Honey, you know you don't have to lie to me. Whatever's going on, you can always be honest with me," the imp said softly, looking at his wife in concern.
After a few seconds, Millie sighed: "I know, Moxx. It's just, ever since Cyra showed up, it's gotten me thinking about…you know, having one or two little ones of our own."
Moxxie almost smacked himself upon the head for not realizing this sooner. He should've known Millie would start thinking about this, with the sudden new kid appearing in their lives. Now he felt like shit for not noticing sooner. He looked at her tenderly: "Oh Millie…"
From there, the female imp started pouring out her heart to her husband, letting out all her thoughts on the matter. "I know what you're going to say, Moxxie. I know now's not a good time, we can't afford another mouth to feed, and our house isn't big enough, but…I just can't help it. Every time I see that sweet little hellhound happily bouncing around with Blitz, I wish that were us. You, me, and our own little tot together like that.…" Moxxie didn't say a word through her lament, content to allow his wife to let out all her frustrations on the matter. Millie looked forlorn by the end of it, her previous happiness fading.
Once she was finally done, he carefully put the potted plant on the ground and held her hands in comfort. He looked into her eyes with a sad but consoling smile. "I understand, honey. You know, I want kids just as badly you do. Having that wound reopened with Cyra showing up must have been so rough on you. But we'll have our own children someday. It might not be for another year or two, or even several, but I promise as soon as we're more financially stable, we can give it a go. For now, let's just try to work on our savings and get through it one day at a time. Okay?"
Millie didn't respond at first but soon sighed quietly and looked back at the male imp, with a bittersweet smile: "Okay. Thanks, hun, I-I needed to hear that." She gave him a gentle kiss on the forehead, receiving one herself from her husband.
"Anything for you, Millie." They looked at each other adoringly before the female bruiser broke the silence.
"Well, that's enough sad stuff for now, don't ya think? Come on, let's not keep Blitz and his family waiting any longer." It was almost as if Millie had never been sad in the first place. She merrily picked up the plant gift for Moxxie and carried it right onwards to her boss' residence. Her husband, relieved to see his wife happy, quickly followed her.
Once they were outside the apartment, Moxxie reluctantly went to knock. However, he never got the chance as the door swung wide open before his hand even touched the frame. As expected, Blitzo was there waiting with an excited, toothy grin on his face. "M&M! Glad to see you guys finally made it." To Moxxie's surprise, he had dressed up for the occasion. Rather than simply wearing his business suit or even something casual, he had gone with a fancy-looking jacket and what looked like a new pair of jeans. And he could've sworn he had some make-up on as well.
"Blitz! Thank you again for inviting us over," Millie greeted back with a sweet grin.
"Forcing us over is more like it," Moxxie muttered quietly under his breath, making sure Blitzo didn't hear him. Then, forced on a tried smile, "Yes, good afternoon again, sir. Very kind of you, to have us-" the imp stopped, as a sniffed a strange fragrance coming from the air. One more sniff confirmed what he suspected. "Are you wearing cologne?"
"Oh, Moxxie, we're not in the office, you dumb goose. Please, just call me Blitz," Said his boss with a light-hearted chuckle, completely ignoring the question, as he led them inside. "Now, how about we get off this cold-ass air, huh? Come in, come-come. Welcome to my humble home!"
The imp couple stepped inside, Blitzo closing the door behind them. "Here, this for you," Millie handed the potted plant to her boss.
"Nawww, guys, you shouldn't have," cooed Blitzo in fake surprise as he reached for his requested gift. But, upon seeing it was a plant, his expression dulled a bit as he looked at the plant with a bit of fake enthusiasm. "A plant. Oh, cool. That's nice. Thanks!" He took the pot from her hands and went to put it by the living room table, still thankful that he was receiving a present from his coworkers. "I'll be sure to give it plenty of sun & water."
"Actually, you shouldn't water too much, or it'll drown!" Moxxie cried out to his boss, who didn't seem to hear it. As they walked deeper into the apartment, the M&Ms took the time to admire Blitzo's home. It was slightly average, all things considered, if a little cramped. Luckily, there seemed to be just enough room for the three occupants.
There were small horse dolls & furniture around the room and plenty of pictures & drawings on the walls. Most prominently were the two adoption certificates framed and placed right next to each other. However, they couldn't help but notice that while there were dozens of pictures of Loona, Cyra & them, they couldn't find any of Blitzo himself. Stranger still was there were noticeable gaps in the wall, where it looked like there had been pictures previously. Moxxie thought about asking but decided against it. He had no business trying to pry into his boss' personal affairs, even if Blitzo had no cares about prying into theirs.
"You guys are in for a treat! The kids and I spent the whole afternoon making dinner, dessert, and anything else. Isn't that right, Cyra?"
"Uh, right, Mr. Blitz," Cyra's shy voice called out from the kitchen. She was wearing a chef's hat that was clearly too big for her head, tending to what Moxxie guessed was supposed to be vegetables but looked gradually more like small pieces of burnt fungus. Beside her were several pots and pans on the stove and something cooking in the oven. It looked like, at any second, the kitchen was going to burst into flames. Cyra didn't seem to notice, however. Instead, the hellpup beamed at seeing Blitzo's coworkers enter, giving them a polite wave: "H-hi, Mr. Moxxie! Hi Mrs. Millie!"
"Hey Cyra!/Hello Cyra," the two imps greeted back. Despite the circumstances, Moxxie was glad to see Cyra, looking quite happy and healthy. When Blitzo had first introduced the young child to them, she was close to skin & bone. But now, with more meals, she was slowly but steadily gaining a healthy amount of weight.
Mind you, the imp had no idea how anyone could stomach more than one plate of his boss' food. The thought alone made him quite afraid for her health & tastebuds. But he was still glad that Cyra was looking healthier. "Hey, Mr. Blitz, could I please get some help here? I don't think I can handle taking care of all these at once."
"I'll be right there, sweetie!" Blitzo called out to her, making his way to the kitchen. "Why don't you two make yourselves comfy by the table? Everything should be ready in about 10 minutes.… make that five. I'll just turn up the heat on the oven. That should get it done faster." Turning away from the couple, he then loudly called out: "LOONIE! M&M are here! Come out and say hi!"
"Drop dead Blitz!" a very annoyed and pissed-off yell shouted in response from another room, clearly Loona's judging from the voice and all the signs on the front door.
"Oh, don't mind her. She's just a little moody right now. She'll get better when the food's done," Blitzo quickly chimed in as he walked up to Cyra, still tending the vegetables. "So, how's my incredible little chef doing? You spiced up the greens as I showed you?"
"Yep! I used all the stuff you told me to," confirmed Cyra, pointing to the spices that were placed by the end of the stove. Those being salt, pepper, chili, garlic, vinegar, an unhealthy amount of shredded cheese, and a half-empty bag of sugar.
"That's my girl!" praised Blitzo, rubbing the top of her head with a proud smile. "Now, let me show you how to cook a chicken. The trick is to rub it with lots of oil & alcohol." Moxxie watched in horror as his boss pulled the already overdone bird with several highly flammable liquids. This night was already turning out to be a disaster.
To this day, Moxxie could still remember the first time he ate at Millie's house. It had been a while after they had started dating, and her family hadn't known much about him other than what Millie had told them. Naturally, they were none too thrilled of the idea that their rough & tough, bone-breaking, beautiful bruiser of a daughter was dating some skinny city boy. The whole thing was a nightmare for him. Despite promising to give him a chance, her parents kept giving him the cold shoulder and plenty of disapproving glares. Her siblings gave him several sly digs at him for his easy upbringing, and he was peer pressured into an arm-wrestling contest by Millie's sister Sallie May, which he lost. Badly.
He didn't quite know yet if this was worse. But if the current circumstances were any indication, it was certainly a good contender.
Not helping matters was the practically nonexistent personal space. Blitzo's table was just barely big enough to have room for three, but five was pushing it. Everyone was uncomfortably smushed together, barely able to lift a finger without awkwardly bumping into one another. It made getting the food pretty difficult. But given Blitzo's cooking skills, that was probably a good thing.
Speaking of which, out of all them, Blitzo was the only one happy about the seating arrangement, looking thrilled at the idea of having everyone so close to him. He & Millie didn't mind too badly, as they were sitting next to each other, but still found it incredibly troublesome. Despite trying to look happy, Cyra was beet red and uncomfortable being so close to everyone. And the already mad Loona looked to be on the verge of a meltdown over the whole ordeal.
"WATCH IT, FATTY!" She snapped at Moxxie after lightly bumping into her while reaching for the water. The imp squeaked a nervous "sorry" while filling up his glass. The adult hellhound made a short, low growl in response. Millie glared at her in return, and might've done something worse, had Blitzo not interjected.
"See Moxxie? This isn't so bad. The whole crew, sitting together, enjoying a lovely family dinner together. I can practically feel all of us growing closer already." Blitzo gestured to the whole scene with pride, either not noticing or caring about how miserable most of them looked.
"Yeah, so can everyone else," Loona muttered sarcastically, who couldn't even pick up a bottle of liquor without bumping into anyone. Even if only half of the times had been intentional.
"Exactly!" Blitzo agreed wholeheartedly, almost knocking over the gravy boat. "Seriously, we should've done this months ago. I mean, what's not to love?"
"I can think of plenty of things," retorted Moxxie as he reluctantly ate off his plate. He went for a drink to help wash it down, only to be bumped back by Loona, causing the water to spill all over his clothes. Why had he agreed to this again?
"Do you like the food?" Cyra asked the imp couple. "Mr. Blitzo & I spent most of the day working on it. He taught everything I know about making food," the hellpup looked very proud of herself for it.
"Oh. Aaahhh…" Moxxie hesitated as he looked down at his meal, which was practically untouched since he had sat down. He couldn't tell which parts were food & which weren't. He had managed to eat a few pieces thus far after having to drown it down with a large gulp of water first. He could still feel them desperately trying to escape his stomach. Loona hadn't even touched her plate. Millie was eating it far better than him, which he chalked up to her harsher upbringing making her less picky with what she ate, but he could tell she wasn't enjoying it.
Eventually, he managed a weak, unconvincing lie: "Oh yeah, it's-" He stopped to fight back what he had eaten thus far. "It's great! You're a very talented cook, Cyra." Thankfully, the young hellpup had believed him as she beamed brightly at his compliments.
"Hey, if you want, you can have her as your private cook. It'll be perfect! She can cook up all the meals your fatass could ever want," Loona snarked after taking one last swig from her beer.
"That ain't necessary, hellhound. Moxxie's cooking is just fine, thank you." Millie responded coldly in her husband's stead, biting into a piece of chicken, despite the grimace emerging on her face. Loona snorted at the remark, while Cyra frowned, looking very uncomfortable by it.
"Hey, now, let's not rush to conclusions. I'm sure my little Cyri and I would love to cook for you. Right, kiddo?" Blitzo enthusiastically asked his daughter, who gave him a hesitant nod. "How about next time we come to your place and cook for you guys?"
Moxxie nearly hurled at the suggestion. "THAT is absolutely not necessary, Blitz! Besides, I don't think our apartment is large enough to house all of you."
Blitzo didn't let that stop him, continuing with a sneaky smile. "Well, then maybe we should just make it you me & Cyra.…or I could just come on my own-"
"So Cyra, how-*herk*-how is school going?" Moxxie, desperate to change the subject, asked the young hellpup. Almost throwing up midsentence.
"Oh, it's been pretty good," answered Cyra eagerly before Blitzo could get a word in. "I mean, there's still a lot of mean kids who don't like me and bully me and stuff…but it's not as bad as it used to be! Ms. Mayberry is really nice, and now I have my new best friend Abigale there to help me. She's the coolest." Loona nearly broke her fork as she listened.
"Aww, I'm happy to hear that you're adjusting," cooed Moxxie. "Especially after the rough first days."
"You sure, you don't want us to help you out, kid? Just give me one day, and I'll make sure their kids don't even breathe too loudly around you," offered Millie offered, a slightly maniacal look.
"No, it's fine. I mean, it does stink, but I think I can handle it for now. Especially now that Drako's gone." Cyra reassured Millie. She then started to frown at the mention of her main bully. "But, I am kinda starting to get worried about him. Drako went missing a few days ago, and still, nobody's found him yet. I heard he was abducted in the middle of the night by some weird imp guy and hasn't been seen since."
"Oh, that's terrible. Wait, Drako was one of your bullies, right?" questioned Moxxie. Cyra nodded, and the small imp turned to his boss with a suspicious gaze, a sudden idea of what might've happened forming in his mind. "Sir, you wouldn't happen to know anything about this, would you?"
"Moxxie, I have no idea what you're implying," Blitzo answered cooly, with a small smirk. "I'm sure, wherever that kid is, he's doing just fine. Trust me; they'll find him any day now."
Fearful tears rolled down Drako's cheeks as he dug through the soil. His muscles were crapping up, his arms hurt, and blisters were starting to form around his fingers. It was cold, he was far away from his home, he couldn't recognize anything, and he had been digging for what felt like hours. His underdeveloped body was getting tired, but he didn't dare stop. He just kept at this while quietly sobbing to himself.
In his frantic digging, Drako accidentally hit his knee with the shovel. Crying out in pain, he dropped the tool and clutched his leg in pain. Black blood was forming from the deep gash he had made. He whimpered in pain, fear & sadness, not knowing what else to do.
Click!
That stopped his cries as he let out a startled scream. He slowly turned towards his kidnapper, who looked at him with the most hate-filled looks and a gun aimed at his head.
"Keep digging," Blitzo ordered coldly.
"Yep, any day now…" Blitzo repeated with a malicious, knowing smirk, taking a long sip from his drink. Moxxie glared a while longer, unconvinced, before turning away.
"Anyway, what's this Abigale like? Is she another hellhound?" Millie asked Cyra, wanting to break the sudden silence.
Cyra quickly answered, getting excited to talk about her. "Abby's great! She's an imp from another class, but she's like one of the nicest people there, except maybe Ms. Mayberry. Plus, Abby's also really funny and strong and brave. She always tries to be there if I'm picked on.."
Cyra went on about her Abigale while M&M listened in. The three didn't seem to notice Blitzo gaining a tiny frown. And no one paid attention to Loona, who tried to ignore them, with a bitter sneer, her fork completely bent by this point. Of fucking course, she had to bring up that kid. It wasn't enough that she had to spend more time with her migraine-inducing coworkers at her own home. She had to listen to that damn brat yammering on about her new friend. Like she couldn't think of anything else to talk about.
Fucking Abigale. That was all that damn pest could think about. Her amazing friend from school that she met while hiding. Using the advice she had given her. Loona nearly kicked the kid out of the window when she told her the story with a sickeningly sweet smile on her face. It was as if the universe was mocking her. Loona had never had one friend during all her years in school. Or even a kid who gave a damn about her. And suddenly comes Cyra, who just happened to find the one imp that not only didn't care she was a hellhound but was also her friend. How the hell was that fair? Why was the pest getting everything she ever wanted while Loona had received nothing but jack & shit all her life?!
Loona went for another beer, having enough of fucking Abigale. With a bit of careful aiming, she flicked off the cap right into Moxxie's eye, finally shutting the hellpup up. The imp cried in pain, clutching his eye, everyone looking at him in shock.
"Ooops. Sorry about that, fatty," Loona apologized flatly, without a hint of remorse before chugging the contents of her bottle. "I'll be in my room. Don't bother me," She stormed from the table and left, slamming the door behind her. Loona resolved that would be the last time she would ever help that brat out.
Moxxie grumbled as he rubbed his bruised eye. Thankfully, Millie had been quick to grab a cold drink from the fridge, which she began to apply to the bruise. "A-are you okay, Mr. Moxxie?" Cyra asked hesitantly.
"Of course, he's fine, sweetie. Moxx's takes on rougher hits than that all the time," assured Blitzo to his daughter.
"Blitz!" Millie glared at him, not appreciating her boss' disregard, no matter how accurate his statement had been. Once she was sure her husband was doing okay, the female imp turned back to Cyra. "Well, anyway, you're friend sounds nice."
"Yeah, she is. We've wanted to hang out more after school, but Mr. Blitz doesn't want me to spend time with her. He doesn't like her that much." admitted Cyra, looking at Blitzo, disappointed in him.
That finally managed to knock the smirk off Blitzo's face, as a deep frown replaced it in an instant: "Look, I'm sorry, Cyri, but that little imp girl's nothing but a bad influence on you." Moxxie shot him a deadpanned are-you-fucking-serious look, which Blitzo paid no mind to and kept on: "Trust me, it's all probably some kind of sick joke she's playing! She may act all sweet and friendly at first, but once you let your guard down, she's going to dunk in blood or spray pig semen in your hair or cut off your tail for her weird-ass collection or shave off all your hair. Kids are fucking monsters!"
"But Abby's nothing like that!" cried out Cyra, actually upset at her guardian for once. "Mr. Blitzo, I've told you she's very friendly. She's nothing like the other kids at school. Can't you just give her a chance? Please?" She looked at Blitzo with wide, pleading puppy-dog eyes. The kind, even a heartless monster, would find refusing.
Blitzo was starting to crumble under the weight of Cyra's pleading gaze. It almost looked like he would cave in, but after a tense internal battle, he refused firmly: "No! Can't do that, Cyra. It's for your own good!"
Cyra deflated at his response, disappointed. And she wasn't the only one, as M&M frowned at their boss's harsh refusal. "Uh, Blitz, don't you think that's a little too harsh?" Millie asked.
Moxxie soon joined in after swallowing down another round of spew threatening to come out. "Yeah, sir, if this Abigale is as friendly as Cyra claims, I don't see any reason why she shouldn't spend more time with her."
"Mind your own damn business Moxxie," Blitzo barked at his coworker, angry that they were siding against him. "How many times do I have to tell you I can handle my kids without your advice?"
Moxxie was taken aback by the sudden harsh remark, pushing back furiously: "Even if that were the case, you're being completely overprotective of her."
"The fuck did you just say?!" Blitzo cried back, rising from his seat. "I think I'm the exact RIGHT amount of protective! You should know by now how the shit she's been through."
"Which is why spending more time with her schoolmate would be good for her! She'd have someone else she could be close to. Even a friend!" Moxxie argued back, also rising from his seat.
"She doesn't need friends! She already has me, Loonie, and I.M.P.!"
"Do you even hear yourself?!"
"M-mr. Blitzo, Mr. Moxxie, c-could you p-p-please not f-f-fight?" stuttered Cyra, visibly nervous over the growing tension.
Blitzo was the first to notice, looking ashamed of himself. Moxxie, too, felt quite guilty of losing his temper in front of the young child. The two slumped back down on their seats, Blitzo glaring accusingly at the other imp. "Well, great job Moxxie. You made Cyra upset. I hope you're happy, you dickless troll."
"No, I-*Blaargh*" Whatever Moxxie wanted to say in response got cut short as all the built-up puke finally managed to break free from the little imp's stomach. And the poor guy had barely enough time to turn towards the floor before vomiting. The others reacted in shock at the display. He rushed quickly to the bathroom, knowing more was on the way. Millie followed to try and help. He could vaguely hear Loona in her room, laughing her ass out of his plight, having heard it all.
Yep. This was definitely worse than his first dinner with Millie's family.
"More gravy?" Blitzo offered Cyra, back at the table.
The dinner from Hell eventually came to an end. The leftovers had been saved up for later, with more than half of the food going untouched, the puke had been cleaned up, and all the dishes were stored in the kitchen sink, where they'd go unwashed for several days.
Blitzo was cleaning up the table when M&M started making their way to the front door, Moxxie looking very eager to leave. "Well, sir, thank you again for the wonder…goo…for the meal. It was certainly an…experience," said the imp, struggling to find the right words. "Anyway, it's getting late, so I believe it's time for me & Millie to go."
"What? Come on, Moxx, it's only 7:15! We still have plenty of time before it gets dark." Blitzo quickly interjected, eager to have his favorite imp couple around. "We could watch a movie, maybe some light Voxflix & Chill? Ooooor, how about a game night?"
"No. If you'll recall, sir, I promised we would join you dinner and ONLY that, and we have. Now it's late, we have an early day ahead of us tomorrow, and we would like to go home now," insisted Moxxie firmly.
"Geez, Moxxie, is this about that green card, Uno game we had at the office? Not my fault you're such a sore loser." taunted Blitzo smugly, further irritating his coworker. "But, if you insist, I do have some other board games we could try. Monopoly, Life, Clue, Trivial Pursuit, even this weird one I found that keeps drumming. What was it called again? Started with a J. Millie; you're up for a game night, right?"
Usually, the female imp would've gladly joined in for a game night. But Millie wasn't selfish, and she could tell her husband had not enjoyed the night at all. And right now, she couldn't bring herself to let him suffer much more. Especially after she had promised they would leave early. "Well, I am starting to get a little tired. We should probably start heading back."
"See? I told you it was late. So, if there's nothing else we…We'll-we'll…oh crumbs," Moxxie started when his face started turning green. "Excuse me," he rushed back into the bathroom, and upon closing the door, the sound of retching became audible from inside.
"Well, I better say goodbye to Cyra before we take off," sighed Millie. She went up to the hellpup's room, knocking on the closed door. Once Cyra had answered with a "Come in.", the imp stepped inside the room, finding Cyra sitting on her bed. She was leaning against the stuffed tiger she won like it was a pillow, concentrating hard on a book with a pencil in her hand. "Oh, hi, Mrs. Millie. Can I help you?" She asked, looking up from her book.
"Hey Cyra, just wanted to check on you before we took off," replied Millie, walking over to her bed.
"Aw, thank you," Cyra said before her expression turned nervous and a little guilty. "Is Moxxie okay? He sounded really sick after dinner. I-I didn't make him sick, did I?"
"Oh, Moxxie? N-no, of course not! That was just from something else unrelated," Millie lied. She couldn't bring herself to tell the truth to the hellpup.
"Really?" She asked to be sure, which Millie responded to got with an untruthful nod. Not that the young girl could tell the difference. "Well, that's good to know. I-it's not anything bad, is it?"
"Not at all, Cyra. He'll be right as rain any moment now," the imp assured her as she sat down next to the young Cyra. "So, anyway, whatcha working on?"
"I'm just trying to do my math homework. I'm supposed to have it done by tomorrow, but there's a bunch of it still left," Cyra admitted as she went back to looking at her additions & subtractions. After a brief pause, she turned back to Millie. "Hey, C-could you or maybe Moxxie help me out with it?" Cyra asked shyly. "I tried asking Blitz, but he isn't that good with homework stuff," despite Loona's previous warnings, the hellpup had tried to ask Blitzo for help on her school work. Sadly, her sister had been right. Despite his best efforts, Blitzo wasn't of much use, as half the time, he was just as lost as her, spending more time trying to find answers on the internet than assisting.
"You mean you've been doing your schoolwork all on your own?" asked Millie asked, impressed. Cyra nodded bashfully, which the wrath imp found cute, letting out little awe. "Well, look at you. Ain't you just a clever little hellhound."
She had said it politely, not intending any hostility behind it. But it ruined Cyra's previous good mood, as she looked very uncomfortable by the imp's choice of words. It was far from the first time she was called that, but it stung having it come from someone she cared about. "U-um, actually Millie, c-could you maybe not-"
Cyra was interrupted as her bedroom door opened up. "Oh, Millie. There you are," Moxxie said as he stepped inside. "So, are we ready to head home?"
"Hi, honey. I was just talking Cyra," The imp placed her hand on Cyra's shoulder, who didn't look comfortable by it. For multiple reasons. Millie didn't seem to notice, however. "She was wondering if you could help her with some homework."
That made Cyra feel a little better, and she turned towards him. "Uh, y-yeah, if it isn't too much trouble, I mean. Would you mind, Mr. Moxxie? It would be really nice of you." The hellpup looked at the imp with the same pleading eyes from the dinner table.
"Well, I uh…I mean-" Moxxie started hesitantly. He wanted to turn her down gently, but that was easier said than done. The way Cyra looked at him with those beaming puppy-dog eyes, it was starting to get to the imp. And unlike Blitzo, his will wasn't as easy to hold on to. It only took a few seconds before it broke. "-All right, all right. I suppose I could help a little."
Cyra lit up with joy as the male imp sat down beside her. Scooting close to him, she showed him her homework. Unlike Blitzo, Moxxie was incredibly helpful. He expertly explained the equations so that she would have an easier time solving them. He encouraged her when she made small mistakes and praised her whenever she got one right. Millie chimed in once in a while, but it was mostly just him & Cyra.
"Okay…let me try this one," Cyra softly said as she tried to solve one of the equations, using what Moxxie taught her. After carefully looking it over, she filled in the answer with a 78. Turning to the imp, she asked: "Is that right?"
"Yes, that's the correct answer. You're doing great, Cyra," confirmed Moxxie.
"Yes! Oh, thank you so much, Mr. Moxxie!" Cyra hugged the imp warmly, with caught him slightly off guard. "I think I can figure out the rest on my own now. You were really helpful."
"Oh, well, it was nothing, Cyra. I'm just happy I could help," Moxx answered bashfully at the sudden show of affection. The hellpup went back to her homework, able to solve them easily now. "By the way, I would like to say I'm sorry for losing my temper in front of you at dinner. I shouldn't have caused a scene in front of you like that," Moxxie apologized, his smile turning into an ashamed look.
"It's okay, Mr. Moxxie. Thank you for sticking up for me about Abigale. I really appreciate it," The hellpup turned from her math equations to thank him back with a grateful smile.
"Well, it was the least I could do," Moxxie said and then gave her an encouraging look. "And don't worry, I'm sure Blitz will come around with time. He has similar issues with one of Loona's friends, but from what I've been able to catch, they still talk with each other on occasion. And there's little Blitz can do to stop them, so he just begrudgingly accepts it. Just give him enough pressure, and he'll cave in eventually."
"Thanks," Cyra thanked again, smiling brighter. Then, completely unprompted, she turned to her tutor and asked. "Hey, Mr. Moxxie? How come you and Mrs. Millie don't have your own kids?"
The question caught both imps entirely off guard. It took a while for either to respond before Moxxie nervously asked: "Oh, um, why do you ask?"
"Well, it's just, you two are married, and you seem to love each other lot. So I was wondering why you guys don't have any kids of your own. Do you not want any?" asked the hellpup innocently.
Moxxie started getting nervous, tugging at his collar. "Oh, no no no, we do, we do! I-it's…it's just uh-"
"We're not ready just yet for children," Millie answered for him with a hint of melancholy. Moxxie looked at his wife, a little surprised. After their previous talk, he didn't think she could bring herself to say anything on the matter. He placed his hand on her leg, giving his wife a comforting smile, and continued, knowing it was a sore subject for her:
"We have considered it, but right now is not a good time for that. But I know one-day things will get better, and we'll be able to do it. And even if that day is still far away from us right now, I know we can't wait for when it arrives," Moxxie explained to the young child, the two imps looking lovingly at each other.
"Oh, okay then," Cyra said, mostly understanding. Then, before going back to her homework, she chimed in one more time. "I think you guys would be great parents."
"Thanks, kiddo," thanked Millie.
"Hey Cyra, we're playing board games in the living room! M&M, last chance! Are you in or out?!" Blitzo's suddenly called out from outside, drawing the trio's attention.
"Coming!" Cyra shouted back excitedly, jumping off the bed, her book placed aside. Then on her way out, she turned back to M&M. "Hey, are you guys coming?"
Millie seemed eager to join in but turned to Moxxie, waiting for his decision. The imp, who had been adamant about leaving, was looking hesitant about it. Looking at Cyra's excited face after their time together had almost made him forget about the disastrous dinner from before. After a bit of consideration, he finally answered: "I suppose I could go for one game."
"Great! I'll go tell Mr. Blitz!" announced Cyra as she excitedly exited her room.
"Are you sure, Moxx? You don't have to if you don't wanna," Millie reassured her husband.
"It's fine, Millie, I want to," Moxxie softly smiled at his wife. He was mostly doing it for Cyra, but right now, that was enough for him. The two of them walked out to the small living room together. "Besides, I've actually got a good feeling about this one"
"MOTHER FUCKER!" Blitzo slammed his fists on the table as he drew another Go-To-Jail card.
"Now now, Blitz. No one likes a sore loser," For once, it was Moxxie who was looking at his boss in smug victory. Thanks to his expert money management and unofficial teaming up with Millie, the imp, was sitting pretty with most of the properties, several houses & hotels scattered across the board, and more fake money than he would ever need in his life. Meanwhile, his boss had barely one property under his belt, and his cash was starting to run dry. The wrath imp was not afraid to admit that he loved every second of watching his boss in absolute misery for once. "You still owe the bank taxes, by the way."
Blitz turned to Loona, half playing the role of banker, half surfing on her phone, looking at her with a desperate plea: "Please, Loonie, darling, I'm begging you. Can't you show mercy to your old man? Pleeease?"
"I warned you to be more careful with money, didn't I? This is your own damn fault," Loona coldly stated. Blitzo slumped down and handed the hellhound the amount required with a pitiful cry, leaving him with only $25 to his name.
"Hey, Mr. Blitz?" The imp turned to his daughter, holding out a card to him. "Do you want my Get-Out-Of-Jail card? I'll sell it to you for $25."
Blitzo was elated by the offer. Without even thinking, he handed her his money and even kissed her on the forehead. "Yes! Yes, yes, yes! I love you, Cyri!"
"…and you're bankrupt."
Moxxie's satisfied comment snapped Blitzo right back into reality. "WHAT?!" It took him a second to realize what he had just done, turning to Cyra with a look of betrayal. "Cyra, how could you?"
"S-sorry, Mr. Blitz. I-I couldn't help myself," admitted Cyra, looking ashamed of her actions.
"Well, sir, it looks like you're going to have to sell one of your precious properties. So, which one will it be?" Moxxie had a sadistic smile on his face as he waited for an answer from his boss.
And he got it. In the form of Blitzo flipping the board and storming off outside, "Fuck it! Dinner night's over! Game night's over! I'm going to fucking kill something!" Then, grabbing a gun, he slammed the door behind him. After an awkward silence, Loona scoffed and went back into her room, phone in hand, leaving behind the two imps & the hellpup. The trio sat in awkward silence for a spell.
"…so, anyone wanna play Trivial Pursuit?" Millie eventually offered.
"Eh, why not?" Said Moxxie.
"Sure, sounds fun." Cyra joined in.
I hope you all enjoyed the chapter. I wanted to do a shorter, more lighthearted chapter centered around the M&Ms. I particular, after mainly focusing on Moxxie, I tried to give some focus on Millie in this chapter. It might not be much or even that groundbreaking, but I hope I managed to do a good job on it. In the future, I'm going to try and give her some more love. I already have a chapter planned for her later down the line.
Also, if you want to know the fan cast for Cyra, I would have to go with either Dani Chambers and her role as Molly Blyndeff from Epithet Erased or Sarah-Nicole Robles for Luz (when she was a child in the flashbacks).
Next up, it's the Stolas + Octavia Playdate!