Hi there!

I don't think this chapter needs any specific warning. There's mentions and hints of blood, torture, poor health and rape/sexual assault, but nothing graphic.

Chapter 27 – Slow uncovering

The bedroom was still empty, and Blitz couldn't help the breath of relief as he stepped inside, letting the others follow.

"Er, sir? Are you sure we should all wait here?"

"Relax Moxxie, we're not even sure he's going to come back here even if it seems likely to me…"

They had barely all entered, the last one closing the door behind, that the light of a portal glowed on the other side of the room, opening on a black void with barely a few stars visible… And a bloody owl on the verge of unconsciousness stripping over it.

"Fuck!"

Blitz rushed to him, despite knowing he was too far to have any chance to get to him before he hit the floor. Robotic arms sped past him and managed to catch the prince before he could fall, barely holding him up long enough for the assassin to reach him and take him into his arms, spikes already raised and stiff as he noticed the Goetia's state.

He was even worse than when he found him passed out in his bedroom, and the sight at the time had already been something. The portal closed, but Stolas didn't utter a word, didn't react to anyone's presence, not even Blitz holding him, eyes half closed and wheezing and breathing audibly difficult and painful.

"Stolas?" Blitz asked softly, as if speaking too loudly might hurt him further.

His eyes surveyed the owl in his arms and quickly landed on several dark spots on his torso, one of them definitely betraying a lung puncture, and he froze.

"Oh fuck, no no no. Stolas?!"

The others were respectfully standing back, but started to step ahead with worry when they realized the prince was unresponsive. Asmodeus was the first to react, signaling to the others to stay put with a hand gesture before carefully approaching the duo, holding up his arms in a placating gesture at Blitz's immediate defensive hiss.

"Don't tense like that, you're gonna hurt him", the Sin whispered. Blitz realized he had pressed the owl against himself and immediately relaxed, shameful. "It's alright, just stay like that. Let me see, I know a few healing spells. If he was able to handle it on his own until now, I'm sure I can manage without us needing to go to a hospital."

"But wouldn't it be wiser?" Fizz still asked from where he stayed with the couple of imps.

"If he truly needs it, I will take him to Sloth myself, but only if we don't have any other choice. Fortunately, these aren't from a blessed weapon. They're nasty, almost enough to put him in stasis to heal, but I should be able to avoid that."

As he spoke, magic started to glow all over the prince. Blitz frowned, tail lashing out in anxiety at seeing the magic's color was very different to Stolas', but as soon as he noticed the wounds start to close, he relaxed minutely, carefully watching the spell work.

"Sir? Maybe we should go stand watch around the palace while you take care of the prince?" Moxxie suggested timidly while the Sin was working. Blitz's gaze never left the owl as he pondered a bit and answered.

"Yeah, sounds good. Stay within earshot of each other just in case, I'll text if I need you."

"Do you need us to bring you anything before we leave?" Millie asked.

"Don't worry, I'm staying, I'll be able to give them stuff if they need", the jester assured them.

The couple nodded and left. As much as they wanted to support their boss, they knew that too many people in the room would only make him more tense, especially with the Goetia in this state. Besides, even if they had a Sin with them, given what was implied earlier, they would feel better making sure no one could sneak up on them, especially with the girls on their own in another room, however close to Stolas' bedroom it was.

Fizz watched the door close, but stayed away, unsure if Blitz would hiss at him too if he was to approach. He didn't know what he could do anyway, apart from supporting his friend. He knew Asmodeus was good at healing, some demons were into really, really intense pain and blood plays and even if they never engaged in anything remotely that dangerous, the rooster was also very good to relieve smaller pains and strains. He had no doubt he could handle this, and Blitz was still holding Stolas, watching the wounds close, hearing Stolas' breathing slowly return to normal as his lungs healed and the blood was chased away.

It was during times like these that Asmodeus was glad for these spells. It could seem weird for a Sin, especially the King of Lust, to be into healing magic, but it was handy for a lot of things, including checking someone's health. Unsurprisingly, a lot of his spells focused on sexual parts, for when demons fucked too rough, and he had to call in all his self-control to not let his mane flare as he kept healing the owl, because he didn't need his spells to know that Stolas' cloaca was also in need of healing, and not in the pleasant way. He could feel the energy coming from the prince, and it wasn't lust.

Suddenly, he remembered Loona's word, and he was pretty sure he knew what secret she had kept. He was already strongly suspecting it, given how she chose to come to him specifically despite having never seen him before, but the smells surrounding Stolas were another proof of what happened.

Well, given Blitz's reaction to his wounds alone, he also understood why the hellhound didn't want to be the one to break the news. She was right, there was no way he would react well.

But it was a concern for later. First, he had to take care of the prince. He wished he was doing this because Stolas and Blitz had gone overboard in some pain play, but sadly it wasn't the case, and he was feeling bad for the owl. Hearing it was one thing, seeing it was another. It wasn't how he expected to spend the day, but he was glad to have cleared his schedule so he could focus on this. Hopefully, he could wrap this up before tonight, because as much as he wanted to help, he knew he wouldn't be as free the rest of the week.

"You're not done yet?" Blitz asked, trying to find wounds that weren't closed yet.

"Not quite, but almost. Don't worry, once I'm done, he'll be fine, physically. Better than if he had been to the hospital, and faster too. Tho I won't be able to fully finish healing the wounds from the blessed weapon, and I can't do much about his fatigue or undernourishment."

Blitz winced.

"Fuck. He's so light… Always has been, but it's worse now."

"I don't doubt it. I am no specialist on these things, and my spells focus on wounds, but I can tell he has other health problems. Hopefully once we're done dealing with whoever is doing this to him, you'll be able to help him get better."

Blitz nodded, a fierce look in his eyes.

"Yeah, I'll do that."

The jester was still watching from afar, frowning at the blood stained clothes. He turned his head and used his robotic legs to reach the closet in a single step, rummaging inside until he found loose clothes that wouldn't hurt over a sore body. Asmodeus' spells were efficient, sure, but not perfect, and he didn't know where the blessed wounds they were speaking about were exactly.

He laid the clothes on the bed and neared the little group of demons, walking slowly in case Blitz was still jumpy, but the assassin didn't react, instead looking over Stolas as the magic finally disappeared.

"Here, I can't do any better than that."

Slowly, softly, Blitz put a hand on Stolas' cheek to caress the feathers here, a frown on his face. The owl has closed his eyes soon after crossing the portal, but his expression went from pain to something more relaxed, yet even if the wounds had closed, the blood remained outside, painting almost half of the Goetia's body black.

"If you're done, maybe you want to wash him up a bit? I got him a new outfit to change that should be comfortable. He'll feel better if he wakes up clean and in fresh clothes I'm sure, especially if we're going to talk about whatever happened to him."

Blitz nodded and carefully lifted Stolas like if he was still hurt to carry him inside the bathroom, leaving the rooster and the jester together. They exchanged a glance, and Fizz jumped into his arms, snuggling against his boyfriend. "Are you alright Fizzy Frog? I know you don't like blood too much, it must have been uncomfortable for you. Maybe you could have gone with the girls to entertain them?" "Nah, it's a bad idea to intrude between two young ladies, trust me! Besides, I know it doesn't look like it, but I'm sure Blitz needs me here more than with their daughters. He's all over Stolas right now, but once he wakes up and we start talking? Whatever is happening, I'm sure he'll be upset, and I'm the best person to get him to calm down."

Asmodeus nodded, returning the hug while nuzzling affectionately.

"I'm sure you are, and I am certain it will be needed. I think I have the complete picture, or not far from it, and I'm certain your friend will be angry, but I fear he'll also blame himself. Will you be there for him if that's the case?"

Fizz frowned, and stopped snuggling to move his head back enough from Ozz's chest to look up at him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, we've seen in the car how he seemed keen to blame himself for what is happening to Stolas, even when it's obviously not his fault. Given what I'm about to explain, there's high chances it will be worse. I'll need you there Froggie."

"Now you're worrying me Ozz. Can't you tell me what you found out quickly?"

Asmodeus hesitated, looking up at the bathroom.

Inside, Blitz had stripped the owl and put his bloody clothes aside. He didn't want to disturb Loona, because it would mean bring Via in too, and even if Stolas did look better, he would probably panic if he realized she was there. He'd ask the hellhound to sniff the evidence on his clothes only if they couldn't convince him to talk, but Blitz really hoped they wouldn't need to go that far.

He put the naked owl in the bath and started running the water. They didn't bath together often, but he knew enough to be able to rinse the owl and scrub to remove the blood without damaging his feathers too much. A lot of them were broken because of what he went through, but he didn't dare pluck them yet, for he didn't want the prince to wake up so soon. He wasn't even stirring through all that, and the Sin had confirmed he seriously lacked sleep, not that it wasn't obvious just from looking at him and the deep bags visible under his eyes despite the feathers.

So Blitz did his best to keep his gestures smooth. It took a long time, but he couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the two demons waiting in the other room, barely thinking about them at all as all his focus was on the prince.

The wounds from the blessed blade were still there, but they looked better than the last time he had to change Stolas' bandages. The Sin's magic probably helped, even though he was sure the wounds were re-opened earlier by whatever Stolas endured.

He waited until the water was clear again before finally getting Stolas out of the tub, drying him softly, checking his breathing from time to time to make sure he was alright. He had lost a fuck ton of blood after all, Blitz could only be worried. The soap he used was efficient to remove the blood, which probably wasn't innocent, but even like this, the water running down stayed a dark color for a long time before it started to get clearer, and there has been several dark spots, some of them Blitz had filed away in the back of his mind to question later.

He was particularly worried about the blood on Stolas' legs, because there weren't that many tears in his pants, and there wasn't too much blood on the clothe itself, but as soon as the imp removed it, it was another story entirely underneath. He particularly didn't like that a lot of blood stains seemed to be coming from between the prince's legs.

But… They weren't exactly that close now, so he didn't dare to pry. Almost. He still made sure his bird was all clean and dry, tried to arrange his feathers a bit, before he realized the clothes Fizz picked up were still on Stolas' bed.

The imp winced, looking around in the hope to spot the owl's red robe, but he wasn't that lucky. He finally gave in and ventured near the door, cutting whatever discussion the other two seemed to be having.

"Hey, I'm almost done. Fizz, can you bring me the fresh clothes for Stolas?" "I was wondering when you were going to notice you forgot these!" The jester snickered. There was a wiring sound from Fizz's limbs before there was a knock on the door. Blitz opened it enough to take the clothes the jester gave him with a "Here" and a big smile that quickly dropped when he noticed Blitz's expression.

"You all good in there? Is Stolas alright?"

"Yeah, he's fine, still sleeping. Let me dress him up and I'll join you."

He closed the door before making his way to the still unconscious owl, frowning. Should he worry that he was still so dead to the world? Surely he should wake him up to at least make him drink, right? Well, and eat, but Blitz had an inkling that Stolas wouldn't be too keen on that.

A quick look at his phone told him it was almost lunch time anyway, so he could still bring that up later. First he finished dressing the prince before carrying him out of the bathroom and onto his bed, not minding as Asmodeus immediately took his place, thinking maybe he needed to piss. Surely there were plenty other bathrooms in that place, but whatever, he probably didn't want to go too far.

"So, you all good? Do you want to wake him up?" Fizz asked.

"I don't know… It doesn't feel like a good idea. I'm sure he didn't have any good night's sleep since at least Saturday. But I know you probably have better things to do than wait around, you already helped a lot…"

"Hey, do not fret", Asmodeus said, posing a calming hand on the imp's shoulder and the assassin blinked, not remembering hearing the Sin come back from the bathroom. He saw him put Stolas' phone on the bedside table and nodded, realizing it was probably why the Sin went in the bathroom in the first place.

"Yeah, I told you, Ozz and I cleared our schedule for the day! Stolas spent hours helping Ozz with the contract when we were kidnapped, we can do the same know that he needs us."

"Wait… What?!" Blitz asked, eyes wide.

"You didn't know? Ozz said it earlier! The day we made up was also the day Stolas had a meeting with Ozz to ask for your crystal. I thought you'd have talked to him about it."

The assassin sighed, looking away.

"No, I, uh… I didn't inquire about the crystal, as for the rest, I dunno, it just never came up. It's not really important anyway, what counts is now and here! How the hell are we going to convince him to tell us who's behind this? I doubt Via's uncle and mom are innocent, the timings are weird, but they wouldn't go as far as… Do that to him, would they?!"

Blitz's gaze was unfocused as he was thinking hard. He didn't know what said uncle looked like, and he had seen Stella only once. She didn't exactly gave the best impression, but would she really do that to Stolas? Why? He was Via's father too, how could she?

"Hey, I can hear you thinking from here", Fizz cut his thoughts. "Mind sharing with us? We're here for that, after all!"

"No, I… I was just thinking. With what Via said, it's obvious Stolas was at this palace, right? Via's uncle's one. I'm sure if big man here was to pay them a surprise visit, there'd be a room all bloody from what they did to him, but I still don't understand why or how. Stolas told me himself he'd fuck up anyone trying to threaten his daughter, and I have no trouble to believe him on that! But if they're not using Via, why else would he let them do as they please? It doesn't explain why they'd do it either."

The couple exchanged a look and Fizz shrugged.

"If they're the girl's family, maybe he doesn't want to harm them? It doesn't look like she knows too, but you're right, it's weird. I doubt that's it. Maybe it's time to explain your theory Ozz?"

The jester looked up expectantly as his boyfriend, but the Sin was frowning, deep in thoughts. The assassin straightened up, still sitting next to the lying owl, a hand distractedly petting his head feathers.

"You, you know something. Come on, the others all left, it's just us. Spill. Maybe it'll help convince Stolas to talk? If you already figured it out, all we'll need is a confirmation. There's no point keeping a secret that's already been found out, so…"

Asmodeus sighed. "It's not… Quite that simple. I think it's best if we wait until he wakes up. I'll get him some tea ready, it might help. It's probably best if he wakes up with only you, Fizz and I being there could scare him at first."

Blitz made a face but nodded.

"Fair point. Go make the tea together, I'll wake him up in the meantime."

Fizz patted his friend's shoulder with an encouraging smile before leaving with the rooster, following the indications Blitz gave them to find the kitchen. It wasn't far from the bedroom at all, and they took the opportunity to continue their discussion on how to best handle things once the truth finally came out, not only on Blitz and Stolas' side, but for Via and the others as well.

Fizz and Ozz had barely left that Blitz took the empty glass to go fill it with water before coming back, watching intently Stolas' sleeping face.

He was looking better, without the blood. More peaceful too, but still ill somewhat. Blitz couldn't help a look over his shoulder before he started purring, tail going to wrap around Stolas' waist as he kept stroking his head. Maybe he should have put the owl under the blankets, but he wasn't sure if he would want to stay in bed once he woke up.

He still wasn't sure how to wake the prince. He still wasn't stirring, despite the purring growing louder. Maybe it was a sign they shouldn't push? They were talking almost normally earlier, not even whispering, and it wasn't enough to wake him either.

Blitz looked up through the balcony, and frowned. He already chastised himself for waiting too long on their way here, what was the point if it was to do the same mistake immediately after? Yes, Stolas needed care. He needed all the attention in the world, and the assassin wanted to pamper him, without even a hint of shame or hesitation, but he would only be able to do that fully and freely after they were done with all that bullshit. So… He only allowed himself a few more seconds, before turning to the owl.

The other two would probably take their time with the tea, but not that long. He wanted to have a moment alone with Stolas before they were back. Not to start without them, just… To try and put him at ease, maybe?

Oh, fuck it. Blitz just blocked his thoughts and took Stolas' hand, squeezing it lightly while his other hand kept stroking the side of the owl's face.

"Hey, Stolas? I need you to wake up birdie."

No reaction at all. If Blitz's tail wasn't still around the prince's waist, the tip would probably have lashed out. The scarred demon frowned, and squeezed the hand a little harder.

"Come on, if you keep sleeping through the day you won't be tired tonight. Stol's?"

Finally, a reaction. It was small, a slight eye twitch, but it was enough to tell Blitz he was on the right path.

"Yeah, that's it, come back to me, please. There's a lot I need to ask you, and… I guess a lot I need to tell you too. I never got to apologize in the end, didn't I? Come on, wake up, you're starting to worry me."

He kept talking for a while, first almost whispering before his voice grew louder, until it reached his usual volume, hand either squeezing Stolas' talons or gently holding his uninjured arm, trying to vary his tone and touches but always being careful to not hurt the owl or do anything remotely threatening. All the while, he kept purring too, sometimes saying bullshit about his job, his horse drawings, other times spilling his guts, until he settled on stuff he was okay with Stolas hearing and remembering when the prince finally started to open his eyes and looked around slowly as if still half-asleep.

"Blitz?" He asked softly, as if he didn't quite trust his eyes.

"Yes birdie, it's me, I'm here. You're okay, you were healed…"

At this, Stolas' eyes widened and he looked down at his own body, Blitz pressing his hands to his torso in case the owl tried to sit up, but he didn't. Instead, he just glanced at himself, raising his hand and closing his fist, then moving each finger separately, before his eyes came back on Blitz, obviously puzzled.

"How…"

"Ah, yeah, I bet you expected to wake up with bandages. Let me explain real quick..."

21/08/2024

Hopefully see you next week! Take care.