Hey!

I'm posting a bit in advance, for a silly reason. Also, last chapter before we finally get Full Moon! =D

Speaking of silly, do you prefer I keep chapters around 3k words, or for chapters to have more variable length? I'm still on my "5 page chapters" rule, but it's starting to get not very handy, so maybe I'll stop doing that at some point, you tell me!

No warning for this chapter, enjoy!

Chapter 16 – Compromise

Being an assassin had its perks, including a good sense of observation. Sure, Blitz sometimes missed things, but he was pretty decent at his job. That was the minimum to be able to earn a living from it, and keep doing so for months.

To survive, in this job or in hell in general, one also needed a good instinct. Said instinct was already giving off bad vibes as he was driving everyone home, and he couldn't place why, but when he received the text from Stolas, suddenly canceling their self-defense lesson without any decent reason, he knew what he needed to do.

He should call, but if the owl wasn't even answering his texts, chances were he wouldn't pick up either, so he just pressed the pedal harder to get there.

Not wanting to lose time, he took the front door, another bad decision. He should have gone through the balcony, that was the most likely place for the owl to be, but he had wanted to check other rooms on his way, and he came across where they should have trained tonight, with several boxes unpacked, and not in the careful way Stolas would probably have done if he was the one who did it. Some items were also missing, and that only settled deeper the feeling of dread in his stomach.

All that to find the rich prick before his fucking mirror, in his big ass bathroom, looking surprised and even… Panicked by his presence.

Ok, something wasn't right. The long sleeve shirt was fancy, but it was still very different from his regalia or other fancy outfits he had. Maybe he simply wasn't done, but there weren't any more clothing nearby to add, and he obviously just finished buttoning, he didn't even slip the bottom of the shirt in his slacks yet.

But it wasn't just that. The distant attitude, it was back. Blitz had gotten good at noticing it, after being so blind to it's presence at the start, but tonight it was even more obvious than usual, and as he approached, beginning to chat with the owl to gather more information, noticing the slight strain in his voice, his gaze kept looking for hints.

It didn't took him long to realize the owl was like stuck in place, barely moving even for the simplest thing, and that reminded him of his visit to IMP, injured. But worst.

Stolas wasn't going to tell him what was happening, and he probably shouldn't pry, but something in his insides didn't give him a choice. So he just rushed to the owl to reveal a wound on his side, and from his low point of view, he was able to catch a glimpse of ruffled feathers in several places before everything was hidden back behind soft fabric.

"Stolas? The fuck is that?" Blitz asked with his tail whipping the air behind him.

"Nothing! Please, it's fine, really!" Stolas assured, gripping his shirt to prevent Blitz from pulling it up again.

"Yeah? Is that why you're not even stepping back? Are your legs injured too? That would explain the loose slacks, usually you wear tight fits."

The owl flinched again, mask cracking.

"Blitz, please…"

"Please what? Are you seriously asking me to turn a blind eye to your injuries? I thought you were handling it, whatever hurt you last time, but obviously not! I promise I won't complain about body-guarding, but please let me help!"

Stolas shook his head, still frozen in place.

"No, really, it's fine, I assure you…"

"How is this fine?! What, is someone threatening Via?!"

Immediately, there was a dangerous gleam in Stolas' eyes, as he looked directly at Blitz despite avoiding his gaze seconds ago.

"I wouldn't let anything or anyone live past threatening my daughter", he answered warningly, and even though Blitz knew it wasn't meant for him, he still felt a shiver run up his spine.

"Ok, but then… What? I don't see you hurting yourself, you'd ask for my help if it was the case."

Though the pain play they did wasn't anything hardcore despite Stolas' healing abilities, so seeing the cut was still present, it may mean…

"Wait, whoever hurt you didn't use a blessed weapon, did they? That's definitely a cut from a knife, and you usually heal fast from such a simple wound."

Stolas was avoiding his gaze again, but still wasn't moving away. Blitz frowned, and then realized the owl was putting his weight on his right leg. He sighed, and gently took the prince's hand.

"Ok, first, let's get you sitting down. You don't really have anything to do tonight, right? Not in that state. You just don't want to talk about whatever the fuck is happening."

It wasn't really a question, but the Goetia still nodded, following the imp's lead with a wince and unmistakable limping. He was right, it was his left leg which was injured.

The closest surface to sit on was the bed, so that's where Blitz headed. The only reason he wasn't carrying the owl was because he was afraid to touch injuries he hadn't spotted yet. But honestly, he was barely refraining himself, because even with the owl's mask on, he could see how difficult it was for him to walk.

"Easy, we're not in a rush", he assured him in an oddly soft and reassuring voice.

Finally they made it to the bed, and Stolas sit carefully with a wince, not letting go of Blitz's hand.

"Thanks… Sorry for the inconvenience."

"Hey, it's fine, I'm the one butting it. You okay?"

The owl nodded, but he still looked tense, like if he was trying to hide his pain.

"Ok, screw that. You're not okay. What can I do to help?"

Stolas blinked again, looking at the imp, seemingly lost.

"Huh? No, really, I just need to wait now…"

"Aren't you supposed to bandage your wound?" Blitz asked, pointing at the one he revealed earlier. "I can try if you want, I guess your right hand is hurt too?"

Seeing the surprise in the owl's eyes, the imp grinned.

"Hey, don't underestimate an assassin! I know you're right handed, and yet, I only saw you use your left hand since I got here. If your arm is injured, it's probably not easy to wrap your wounds. I promise, I'll stop asking questions and trying to understand what happened! Just… Please, let me help? Unless you have a good reason not to?"

Their eyes met again, and Stolas closed his two sets and sighed.

"Fine… There's gauze and bandages in the left of the top drawer in the bathroom."

Blitz let go of the owl's hand to rush back to collect what was asked, and blinked upon seeing all the medical stuff hidden in there, probably in a rush since it wasn't as tidy as everything else.

Which meant if he didn't decide to show up, Stolas would have hidden his injuries again… His spines stood in anger at the idea. Not against the owl, but against whatever was hurting him, and at the idea he had probably missed times when he was hurt, for being so long to reach out last week.

"There! I got everything. You sure you don't need, I dunno, disinfectant or something?"

"No, I already took care of that."

"So… You were planning on treating yourself all on your own? Must be tough without your right arm."

Blitz didn't even think of asking before unbuttoning Stolas' shirt, before glancing up when he realized how tense the owl was.

"Ah, sorry… Can I?"

"Yes, go on…"

Both felt a bit awkward as Blitz continued to remove the owl's shirt… Until he noticed the wounds and bruises the owl didn't have time to cover with preening.

His tail lashed out again behind him, and he even had to suppress a growl.

"Blitz, you promised", Stolas reminded him softly before he could talk.

The imp quickly looked up to meet Stolas' calm gaze, and he nodded, teeth gritted, as he set to work, not uttering a word.

These were wounds made with a knife, he was certain, but he could also tell pressure had been applied on them. There was the print of a heel clearly visible next to them, and it took everything in him not to start asking questions again.

He had to remind himself that Stolas wasn't withholding information on purpose. The owl was far too eager to ask for his help, has been before and after Ozzie's, so it wasn't it. He must truly not have a choice, but he still couldn't picture why. It had to be related to other royals, it couldn't be otherwise.

"I take it you don't want Via to know?"

"Absolutely not!"

"Yeah yeah, calm down, I get it! I guessed as much, since she told Loona you were acting weird, but she didn't seem to know about your injuries from last time either. It probably helped that she wasn't with you at the time."

The tall demon stayed silent, watching the imp work, so Blitz settled on silence too, trying to focus his mind on anything to avoid thinking about the wounds he was treating.

"Done! Your leg?"

"No need, I took care of it already."

"You sure?"

"I wouldn't have put pants on if I wasn't."

"Fair point", Blitz admitted. "Do you really need to put the shirt back on?"

"Yes, please. I still want to greet Via when she will be back."

"Are you sure it's wise? Shouldn't you be resting or something, with these injuries?"

"Well, she will tell me once they leave the festival, that should be enough!"

"So… You're gonna lay down with your fancy clothes?" Blitz couldn't help but ask.

"Yes, it's faster than having to dress up. They'll be a bit crumpled but it's fine. What about you?"

"What me? Of course I'm staying, I'll bring my Loony Toony back with me!"

"That's not what I meant. What do you want to do?"

"Oh! I don't know… I'm not hungry yet, and you can't do much besides laying down, so… Movie?"

Stolas smiled.

"That sound lovely."

So a movie they watched, both laying above the cover, Blitz's shoulder against Stolas' uninjured one, the imp holding up his phone for them both to see the screen. It wasn't the best, but it had its own charm, and it wasn't like the owl could really move around. Or rather, he would, but he really shouldn't, so Blitz insisted on this solution, getting up to get them food or drinks when needed. He was worried to see Stolas wasn't eating much, but exceptionally, he wasn't going to comment on the prince dozing off in front of the movie. He probably needed as much rest as he could, especially if he wanted to appear normal in front of his daughter. Because, well, there was no way he would be able to fool Loona, but he didn't need to know that.

Though, just to be sure, Blitz sent a message to the hellhound, first to make sure she could read her texts without anyone reading behind her back, second to warn her about Stolas' injuries so she could help distract the owlet. Given his own worries upon discovering them, he couldn't help but agree it was better if Octavia didn't know, for if Stolas wouldn't tell him anything, same probably went for her too.

Despite appearances, Stolas wasn't sleeping much even when his daughter was with him. Therefore, he should probably be surprised or even worried to be able to doze off this easily with Blitz, when it wasn't even that late, but he needed all the sleep he could get so much, the realization never registered.

He woke up soothed by a loud purring, and blinked. Blitz was scrolling on his phone, still stuck to his side, tail around his waist, purposely avoiding the wound on his side.

He half expected everything to suddenly come crashing down and ruin his nap and good mood, but nothing came. He remembered what happened, sure, the torture, Blitz finding out about his injuries, but he wasn't as worried as he should be about it. He had stressed enough when Blitz burst in the bathroom, but now that the tension was down? It… Didn't look so bad. Blitz was obviously frustrated not to know what was happening, but he was… Well, he seemed to want to help. It really looked like he cared beyond work or old habit, and it felt so nice…

Plus, Stolas had to admit, he was really glad someone was here to wrap his wounds for him, because doing so one handed would have been doable but complicated, he knew from experience.

Now, here they were, next to each other, closer than they've ever been since… Well, he'd rather not think too much about it. Though, he couldn't help but notice that Blitz never stayed this close to him unless he was in distress. Last time was a panic attack, and now he was hurt. Speaking of which… The painkillers were already wearing off, if the increased pain pulsing around his wounds was anything to go by. Stolas tried to adjust his position, but failed and groaned in pain.

"Whoa, take it easy. I didn't notice you were awake." Blitz began, putting his phone away.

"Sorry darling, I didn't want to disturb you", Stolas confessed.

The imp eyed him skeptically.

"You okay? You… Sound and look to be in pain."

"I am", Stolas confirmed, knowing it was pointless to lie. "Can I ask you…"

"Just say where it is", Blitz asked, already up. Stolas couldn't help but miss the rumble that came with the purring, completely gone now that the imp wasn't touching him, and the sound was slowly coming to a stop.

Stolas blinked, before shaking his head.

"Wait, no need. Just bring me a glass of water, please."

Before Blitz's raised eyebrow, the owl opened a small portal directly in the drawer, where he took what he needed before putting the pill holder back.

"Oh, handy!" The small demon commented before going to fetch the water.

"Thanks darling."

Honestly, Stolas could have taken the pills dry, but he also knew he needed to drink to recover properly. The imp put down the glass for him and stepped back, unsure.

"Is there a problem?" Stolas inquired.

"Is… Did the purring hurt? I read somewhere it helps Earth cats to heal, so I thought it would help you too, but you woke up in pain…"

"Oh, so that's why you were purring so loudly? No no, don't get me wrong, it's so sweet of you! I think it was helping, but it's been a few hours since I first took pain medicine, it is normal for it to wear off when it did, don't worry!"

Blitz stayed lost in thought for a moment before nodding and carefully laying on the owl's other side, near his injuries. When the prince cast him a questioning look, he shrugged.

"I guess it works better if I purr next to your injuries."

This time, Stolas couldn't help a small amused hoot.

"I knew you had a caring side, Blitzy."

The imp blushed ever so slightly.

"Shut up!" He said without any bite to it.

The red demon had barely started purring again that they both received a text from their respective daughters, informing then the girls were on their way back.

"Well, it's almost the time she said it would be over, she's quite on time!" Stolas smiled at his phone.

"Oh yeah, she gave you a time? Loona wasn't even sure she'd be back for the night!" Blitz added.

"Maybe she wanted to sleep here again? That would be sweet, I'm sure they want to chat about this concert they just saw!"

Indeed, Loona asked exactly that a few seconds later, earning a snort from Blitz and a small laugh from Stolas.

"See?"

"Well, she knows I can't refuse anything to my Loonie!" He grumbled back. "But I'd appreciate if she asked me those kind of things beforehand, so I don't worry! Good thing I'm already here!"

"Well, she knew you would be", the owl reminded him.

"I almost wasn't! Ok, let's all sleep here. But no sleeping in the living room this time!"

"Oh, I wouldn't have suggested it!"

Since the girls had already eaten, Stolas just had to warn the staff to prepare another room. Blitz insisted that he didn't need one after checking with Stolas that he could sleep with him, so he could help him with his injuries. The other reason was to stand guard, but the assassin wasn't ready to admit that one out loud, though Stolas could guess from his behavior alone.

The Goetia was glad for his medical supplies and the healing spell he practiced for the few minutes remaining, that allowed him to put up a decent facade in front of his own daughter. If Via suspected anything, Loona was quick to distract her, and the girls didn't stay long, exhausted and preferring to keep chatting with each other. Blitz complained on principle, but was quick to give up.

So the two dads went back to their room, slow and easy, and were quick to go to sleep. With the imp by his side, Stolas didn't even acknowledge the area in his room where he was tortured in the previous days and weeks, ignoring everything to instead focus on the man by his side.

It felt like a dream, yet here he was, despite everything. They didn't talk much more, only about mundane things, Blitz making him laugh with the story of his kills of the day, and complaining how he'd need to go topside tomorrow too despite being the weekend because some clients payed them twice the price to off their targets quickly. But it was fine, Monday was often slow, they could take it off to compensate, if needed.

Laughing wasn't really good on his side injury, but Stolas let Blitz tell his silly stories, because the warm it created in his heart and belly was worth everything else, until the imp stopped, saying he needed to get up early, and the owl needed to sleep.

It's only in the morning that the assassin finally broached serious topics again after bringing the breakfast to bed.

"So, it's still the week end, right? I met Via in the kitchen, her and Loona have plans already, with their friends from yesterday, so I'll drop them on my way to work. I'll be with M&M, she can go and have fun, don't you think!"

"I'm sure you'll handle that perfectly on your own", Stolas purred from the bed, doing his best to hide the pain pulsing again.

"You bet I can! You, you better stay in bed! Don't worry, Via won't mind not seeing you this morning."

"I can't let her leave without at least saying hello! Plus, one need to move around to heal too."

"Not too much, you hear me? You can't even say you need painkillers right now, how can I trust you, hm? And I was serious yesterday. I don't care if I can't kick the ones doing that to you, you better call me if it ever happens again, so I can help you get patched up, alright? Think of it as a way to spare Via if it helps!"

Stolas didn't seem convinced, but half promised anyway. He managed to stand to wish a good day to his daughter and Loona, who took a few seconds to sniff him again before nodding to Blitz and leaving with Via.

"What… Was that about?" The prince asked.

"She says you're fine to be left alone, but I'll come by after work to make sure you didn't do anything stupid, alright?"

"Alright, if you're sure…"

"Of course I'm sure, I'll need to drop back Via anyway! Then, see you, rest well!"

"Be careful at work!"

"Ha! Tell that to the poor unsuspecting humans we're about to slaughter!" He laughed off.

Stolas waved them with his good hand before portaling back to his room to rest some more, smiling softly.

If that was what awaited him once his Stella problem was solved, he'd have to work even harder to settle things quickly! Right now, sadly, all he could do was rest. It took almost a week to recover from the first torture he endured from Striker, so he should expect a similar healing period, even with the spells, since he didn't go to a hospital. He was already doing better than expected, maybe thanks to his imp's help, but he knew better than to push too much. Now that he was alone, there wasn't any reason to.

28/05/2024

See you next week!