Moxxie's unimpressed gaze flickered from Blitz's left hand to his face as he surveyed the unconvincing grin his boss wore.
"And why did his highness give you this?" he asked in a suspicious tone. Millie simply looked on, smiling at the shining jewel affixed on Blitz's glove.
Blitz faltered but replied, "He, uh, needed his book back." He fought back a frown as he recalled the events that had followed Stolas asking for the grimoire. "But we can teleport into the shitty mortal realm with this bad boy, too."
Blitz held up his hand triumphantly and Millie bounced on her heels, clearly elated.
"Ooooh, I can't believe your boyfriend gave you some fancy jewelry!" she exclaimed, and Moxxie realized that she had a very different idea from what he did of what was going on.
Blitz frowned and hid the crystal behind his back. "It's not jewelry! And me and Stolas are definitely NOT…"
He trailed off, realizing that they weren't much of anything anymore, especially not boyfriends. He scowled as he thought of what that bird might be doing now, perhaps with the imp he had danced with at Verosika's party.
"We don't ever have to see that royal prick again now that we've got this crystal," Blitz continued coldly, and Millie's smile faded.
"Did something happen between you and Stolas?" she inquired gently. Loona's ears perked up from where she was sitting and reading at the reception desk; Moxxie still looked suspicious, albeit a tad concerned.
Blitz played it off, batting his hand at his coworkers.
"Pffff, what? No, I just… I mean, you guys never fucking liked that guy anyway, right?"
The three exchanged glances, then looked back to their boss awkwardly.
"I liked Stolas, sir," Moxxie stated, taking a step closer to Blitz. "He's supported IMP from the beginning, and it would be a shame to lose a backer of such high status."
"He's fine," Loona said boredly. "I like Via more."
"So we won't ever see him again?" Millie asked softly, bringing the conversation back to Blitz's comment from earlier.
"I don't know, okay?" he snapped in reply, feeling defensive. "IMP is better off without him, and…he's probably better off without me."
He trailed off. The air hung silent in the office; the other three were used to Blitz's outbursts, but this one felt very different, and more personal.
"I think Blitz and Stolas broke up," Millie whispered to Moxxie, who had thought along the same lines ever since he first heard Blitz explain the crystal.
"Alright, Blitz," Loona said, standing up from her chair. "Why don't you call it a day? You seem…upset."
"I'm totally fine," the imp responded, intentionally ignoring the worried looks on his colleague's faces. "And I'm way less stressed with that pompous feathered ass out of my–"
"Ooookay… why don't we just close the office for the week? Doesn't sound like we're gonna get any work done," Loona continued, trying to make things easier for her adoptive father.
"I told ya, Loony, we can do our jobs with the crystal," Blitz argued, poking the stone repeatedly with his pointer finger.
"And do you know how to use it?" Moxxie asked, not at all surprised as Blitz's face dropped.
"I can, uh…" He faltered.
"Doesn't sound like you can exactly go ask his highness for help," the other male imp continued, and Blitz massaged his temples with his fingers, clearly frustrated.
"How about we take some time off and do something fun?" Millie offered in a soothing voice, walking up to her boss. "We can do something as a family."
Blitz perked up at her suggestion, particularly at the word "family."
"How about Vassago Voyages?" Moxxie replied, pulling up a booking site on his phone. "I've heard rave reviews."
"Vuh-soggy what now?"
"Vassago Voyages, sir," Moxxie continued, holding up his phone screen to Blitz's still stressed-looking face. "It's the newest cruise line to launch in the Pride Ring."
Blitz squinted at the screen as Millie squeezed in to look over his shoulder; it showed a huge, luxurious looking cruise ship with bars, clubs, restaurants, pools, casinos, and an array of adult entertainment.
"Oooh, that looks amazing, Moxxie!" Millie exclaimed, wrapping her arms around her husband's waist. "I can't wait to go."
"Whoa, whoa, hold it," Blitz said, biting his lip as he observed all the images included on the site of couples holding hands while enjoying fine dining and the sunset. "I don't know if this is a good idea."
"C'mon, dad. It'll be fun," Loona said dryly, but that was all it took - Blitz turned to her, his eyes threatening to spill over with tears.
"Don't worry, Loony - we'll rent out the whole poop deck," he said enthusiastically, and Moxxie grinned from ear to ear as he began to book the trip.
Meanwhile, Loona was tapping away on her phone, delivering a very important message to her friend:
Can you and your dad go on a cruise this week?
Octavia, who was currently staying with her father, picked up her phone as it lit up with Loona's text.
Uhhh probs. Why tho? she replied. She glanced over her shoulder at her dad's bedroom door, which hadn't opened all day despite the fact that it was almost noon.
It'll be fun. Don't tell your dad I'm going though.
At this point, Loona received a call from Octavia, who was then debriefed on the apparent situation.
"Ugh, that must be why he's been in bed all day," the Goetia girl replied, resting her head in her palm. "It might be best for him if your dad's out of his life, to be honest."
"Yeah, well…I'm not so sure it's best for Blitz," Loona replied from the lobby where she had taken her call; she peered in to see Blitz standing by the whiteboard, seemingly staring at the words "full moon" scrawled in the corner from weeks ago.
"I do owe you one, and I wouldn't mind a vacation," Octavia relented, currently scrolling through the cruise's website. "We'll be there."
"Thanks, Via," Loona said before ending the call. "I'll buy you lunch once we're there."
Octavia smiled softly as she put her phone down and then stood up, making her way to her father's door.
She hesitated and then knocked firmly, calling out, "Dad?"
She heard some movement and the rustling of sheets from within the room, and then a hoarse voice replied with, "Yes, Via, dear?"
"Pack your things," she ordered, hearing her dad finally climb out of bed from behind the door. "We're going on vacation."
"Now sir, there's a couple's ping pong tournament tonight that Millie and I are going to be entering," Moxie explained, reading his itinerary as the IMP crew explored the cruise ship. "You can come watch, but I think it'd be best if you found something else to do. We can't throw off our focus."
They had recently boarded and the boat was set to embark in about an hour; various demons, imps, and hellhounds were exploring the ship as well, with even some royal demons seen enjoying champagne in their private cabanas.
"Whatever you say, Mox," Blitz replied, his hands in his pockets. "I know you just don't want me to see you get carried by Millie."
"There's a hellhound meet by the pool, so I'm gonna go hit that up," Loona announced, putting on a pair of sleek black sunglasses. "Blitz, why don't you, uh…"
She hastily fished her phone out of her pocket to look at Octavia's texts; the bird girl had informed her that she was going to convince Stolas to have a drink at a bar on the top deck.
"Go check out the Lust Lounge," Loona continued to say to her adoptive father, reading out the bar name Octavia had texted. "I think there's something you'd like there."
Blitz arched an eyebrow, not too pleased at the idea of going to a lust-themed bar.
"Is it beelzejuice? Cuz I'm not messing with that stuff aga-"
"Just go," Loona replied, waving to the group as she headed to the ship's elevator. "See you guys later tonight."
"Pour one out for us," Millie said to Blitz as she linked hands with Moxxie, who was carrying their ping pong paddles and some emergency guns in his tote bag.
"Sure, but you guys better not lose," Blitz warned, watching the couple walk towards the elevator after Loona. "I bet all our stocks on you."
"You what?" Moxxie called after him, but Blitz was already on his way back to his cabin.
He sighed and looked around to ensure IMP was out of sight; he knew Loona wanted him to have fun at the bar, but he just wanted to lie down in bed. He stared down at his wrist with a pained expression, his fingers lightly touching the Asmodean crystal that now sat there.
Things hadn't been the same since Halloween, when Stolas had effectively written him out of his life; the two hadn't seen one another nor spoken for the past two weeks, save for one text that Blitz had sent and been left on delivered.
The imp plopped onto the bed in his private cabin and took out his phone, opening the text conversation with Stolas to see that his message had still not been read:
Txt me wen ur rdy 2 tok :(
He frowned, annoyed that he was being ignored but also fully aware that he brought it on himself this time. All those nights he had left Stolas on read were biting him in the ass.
Maybe Stolas really had moved on, and there would never be a time he was "ready to talk"; maybe Stolas's feelings were a phase, and he had realized that royalty like himself could never be with an imp like Blitz.
Blitz sat up and rubbed his forehead, willing his anxious thoughts to go away.
"Maybe I do need a fucking drink," he muttered to himself as he threw on his leather jacket, steeling himself to go back out and to the bar.
Nightfall had come on the ship, and LED lights reflected everywhere off of the luxurious interior. There was a DJ somewhere, because dance music reverberated through the stairway as Blitz made his way to the top deck where the Lust Lounge was.
The lounge was dimly lit and had more of a quiet vibe than the hall he had just walked down. A live band was playing smooth jazz and the bar was decently full, with only a few seats open around the bartender.
"Lemme get something strong," Blitz ordered as the worker came up to make his drink. "And fruity."
He tapped his fingers on the counter and looked around boredly before a familiar hat caught his eye; Blitz felt his stomach drop as he registered who it belonged to.
None other than Prince of the Ars Goetia, Stolas, sat across the bar from him, absent-mindedly stirring the umbrella in his martini.
Blitz instinctively ducked, not knowing what else to do; his heart was beating a million miles a second in his chest, and he can't say he liked the feeling.
"What the fuck is Stolas doing on this cruise?" he thought to himself incredulously, peering over the top of the bar; Stolas clearly had no idea that Blitz was there, as he was tapping away on his phone with an unamused expression on his face.
Where have you gone, dear? Stolas was currently texting to Via, who had brought him to the lounge and abruptly disappeared. He was feeling quite awkward sitting there alone.
Blitz gritted his teeth, as it was quite clear that Stolas should have read his text, seeing as he was so absorbed with his phone that he didn't even notice him. He shook his head, trying to push the whole message thing out of his mind.
Even if Stolas might not ever be ready to talk, this could be their only chance to. Blitz wasn't exactly ready either, but he knew he wanted to try their conversation from the Halloween party over again.
Sighing, the imp stood up, grabbed his drink off the counter, and approached Stolas, who was now scrolling through Sinstagram.
"Hey, Stolas," he started sheepishly, startling the taller demon.
"Blitz? What in the world are you doing here?" the Goetia responded, shocked and a bit embarrassed to see the assassin while he was sitting all alone with his drink.
"Family stuff," Blitz mumbled, his gaze falling as he struggled to find the words for what he wanted to say.
Stolas hadn't stormed off, nor made a scene, so things were already going better than he had hoped. He just had to make sure he kept his own cool and did his best to actually do what he said he would – change.
"Look, I know you don't want to see me," the red imp continued, scratching the back of his head. "I was a huge dick. A massive one. One the size of a hors–"
"What is it that you want?" Stolas interrupted, bringing his drink to his lips. He looked down coldly at Blitz, but he was still listening.
Blitz hesitated then inhaled deeply, locking eyes with the taller male.
"I want you to not get on that train."
Silence stretched between the two and Blitz turned away, a prominent flush worn on his face.
Stolas looked at the imp with confusion until his drunk memories began to fade back, and he found his mouth agape as he surveyed Blitz's embarrassed face.
"What do you mean by that?" the demon prince pressed as Blitz still refused to lock eyes, but outstretched his hand instead.
"Can we not fucking do this here?" the imp replied in a hushed voice, motioning for Stolas to take his hand. "I just…it needs to be a private conversation, alright?"
Stolas was wary but gently placed his hand in Blitz's; he felt butterflies beginning to form in his stomach at the familiar warmth of their fingers entwined.
Blitz led Stolas back to his cabin and took a seat on the bed while the other sat in the chair across the room, still unsure of how he felt about seeing Blitz.
On the one hand, he was elated – he had certainly missed him and had wondered how he was doing. However, the hurt and pain that the imp had caused him still stung his heart.
Blitz's reaction to his confession was about as bad as he could have imagined, and the events following that night had been even worse. Stolas had been so sure that the imp would reject him and when he had, he shut him out. He was wrong in that regard.
"Please do explain yourself," the prince began, crossing one leg over another. "You've already told me you're sorry and told me how I feel, that I could never care for someone like you. I fear I don't want to hear anymore from you about my own feelings."
He furrowed his brow and Blitz fidgeted in his seat, his brain scrambling to form the words he needed to not fuck this up again.
"Well, do you?" he said tentatively, his yellow eyes meeting Stolas's red ones.
"Do I what?"
"Dammit, Stolas! Do you still fucking care?"
Blitz again broke eye contact, his gaze falling to the floor as he bit his lip.
"I need to hear it. I won't be able to figure out any of this feelings bullshit until I do."
Stolas hesitated and then took a deep breath, looking down at his hands interlaced in his lap.
"Do you think my affection is so fragile?" he began softly, his tone icy but also tender. "Of course I still care for you, Blitz. I'd still want to try to make things work if you were willing, but it would take time – you hurt me."
Blitz felt his heart skip a beat as relief flooded his senses, but he also felt a pang of guilt; he turned away, not wanting the other to see the dejected look he wore. When his confession was met with silence, Stolas could feel that familiar anger and regret welling up inside of him.
"Well? Did embarrassing myself again help you figure out your 'feelings bullshit'?" the demon continued, clenching his fist on the armrest.
Blitz stood up and made his way over to the chair the Goetia was sitting in, a pained expression on his face.
"It's fucking embarrassing for me too, alright?" he pleaded, placing his hand with the Asmodean crystal on the armrest. "What I said, what I did on Halloween…I was a jackass. I know I should've given you space, but I was so desperate to get things back to how they were…"
He brushed his fingers against Stolas's, who did not pull away; the bird gulped, sitting silently and listening.
"Change sucks, and I didn't want to have to deal with it," the imp continued, regaining some of his usual snark. "I still can't fathom why you'd want to be with someone like me other than to get a taste of commoner dick, anyway."
"There you go, self-sabotaging again," Stolas chastised him, putting his hands back in his lap and away from Blitz's. "Why on earth can't you trust that you're important to me beyond sex?"
"Because I thought that's what this whole fucking thing was! I even confronted you about it, and you didn't deny dick," the imp exclaimed, holding back tears as he thought back to their date at Ozzie's. "And yeah, I still can't believe your sappy bullshit, especially when all this time, I thought this was a sick game to you."
Stolas surveyed Blitz's broken expression and couldn't help but place a hand on the imp's shoulder, who flinched slightly at the contact but did not break away.
"Darl-...Blitz," he began tenderly, nearly slipping back into his old habits of addressing the imp. "I know I sprung my feelings on you suddenly, and I should've given you more time."
Stolas paused, reflecting on the times he had referred to the assassin as small, impish, or any other demeaning word. He mentally kicked himself for being so out of touch and not realizing that those words might hold much more weight over Blitz than he thought, as Stolas wasn't the only one he heard such remarks from.
"I'm so sorry," he continued, his voice barely above a whisper. "It's not a game, it hasn't been – I let you go that night thinking those things because I was scared of what you'd say if you thought otherwise."
"So why did you decide to tell me now, asshole?" the imp replied tersely as a small tear rolled down his cheek, and Stolas stood up too, motioning for the other to follow him to the bed. "Made things so damn complicated when it was fine before."
The two sat side by side on the mattress, their thighs flush against one another; Blitz shifted awkwardly at the contact, though did not move.
"It wasn't fine before," Stolas pleaded, removing his hat and placing it on the side table; he had a single stripe of silver in his feathers like before, Blitz noticed idly. "Our arrangement was, as you put it, 'fucked'. I gave you the crystal because I wanted you to see me, free of obligation."
"Then just let me plow your ass for the crystal," Blitz countered, and Stolas crossed his arms over his chest, a scowl on his face.
"No! Not everything has to be transactional. You owe me nothing – I gave you the crystal because I care about you, with no expectation that I would receive anything in turn. You no longer have any need to perform those acts with me."
"Then when would I ever see you since you broke off our deal, jackass?"
"I want you to see me because you care!"
Blitz groaned, trying to come to terms with the fact that when Stolas had taken away the grimoire, he had taken away his excuse;if he went to Stolas with no strings attached, then that would mean that he was doing it because he wanted to, and that would mean being vulnerable and showing his feelings.
He knitted his eyebrows, realizing the only way he was going to resolve things between the two of them was if he would finally, at last, let his walls down. Let Stolas see who he really was, what he really wanted – and he finally had a semblance of a grasp of what he wanted clear in his mind.
"Stols, I…" Blitz trailed off. He rested his hand on the prince's thigh, and Stolas's hand grabbed his hand this time, holding it tightly.
"I know I made it seem like it meant nothing to me," he continued, thinking back to the song at Verosika's party that had made him feel so guilty. "But the truth is, it's because it meant so much to me that I was terrified of you wanting to change things, and I made an ass of myself."
"Darling, things will be changing for the better," Stolas assured him, bringing his free hand up to cup Blitz's face, which was still wet with tears. "We will still see each other; we can still do everything we did before."
"Yea, but screwing you for the book was our thing for so long," Blitz explained, trying to ignore how much he had missed the feeling of Stolas's touch. "I needed to think about screwing you not for the book, and everything happened so fast. I mean, you kicked me out–"
"And I was wrong to do that," the Goetia interjected, rubbing his thumb across the imp's cheek. "I know I should have given you a chance to talk."
"I get it, I was acting like a dick," Blitz replied, feeling himself calm down a bit now that Stolas's guard wasn't up so much. He was acting more like he had before, like when he had so badly wanted the imp's attention – he couldn't deny the fact that it felt good.
"Well, darling, this is our chance," the prince continued, his voice wavering. "I'm…I'm ready to talk."
"So you did read my text, you bitch!"
Stolas shot Blitz an annoyed look and the imp rolled his eyes, realizing this was not the time. He took a deep breath, ready to finally unleash the emotions he had been keeping behind doors for the past two weeks – and, admittedly, maybe since their first full moon together.
"Let's fucking do it," Blitz stated matter-of-factly, evoking a confused look from the owl demon beside him.
"Pardon?"
"Let's do the boring relationship thing, or whatever it was you wanted," he muttered, realizing belatedly that his phrasing sounded a bit sarcastic.
Silence stretched between the two, and Stolas wasn't exactly sure what to think; Blitz's words certainly meant his feelings were reciprocated, but the way he said it felt off.
"Blitz, I'm trying to let you talk and to understand," the prince began, taking both of Blitz's hands in his. "Are you saying you care for me as well? You want to enter into a romantic partnership?"
"Ugh, hang on a sec. I am not great with words," the imp explained and he awkwardly took his hand out of Stolas's grasp to grab his phone out of his pocket, opening up the Notes app to a few paragraphs full of spelling errors.
Blitz cleared his throat and looked Stolas in the eyes, glancing down at the phone screen every few seconds.
"I don't need the book, okay? I don't even need the fucking crystal," he began, his voice more confident than before. "What I need…what I want …is you. I care if you stay or go, Stols. You're one of the only good things in my shitty life. I don't want to give you up, even though I know I pushed you away – I push everyone away."
Stolas sat with his full attention on Blitz, his cheeks flushed and his heart racing in his chest. He thought back again to his words to the smaller demon from Halloween night, and realized that he had actually taken them to heart.
"But I'm trying to, ya know, pull things back. I mean, obviously I care about you, Stolas," the imp continued, his face also a few shades darker now. "I followed you to a party dedicated to hating me, for Christ's sake."
Wordlessly, Stolas wrapped his arms around Blitz, holding him tightly against him; the smaller demon slowly reciprocated, his hands running through the soft feathers covering Stolas's back.
"Still can't believe you went to that shithole, by the way," the imp added, and Stolas clicked his tongue in turn, pulling back to face Blitz but keeping his arms around the other's waist.
"Clearly it wasn't that terrible if it helped mend things with my boyfriend," the Goetia chuckled a touch sarcastically, nervously awaiting Blitz's reaction.
Blitz opened his mouth to snap back but then thoughtfully closed it, scratching his chin.
"I fucking guess," he relented, and Stolas couldn't help but coo at the imp's response.
Blitz took the prince's face into his hands, climbing onto the Goetia's lap so that they were eye-level. He surveyed Stolas's flushed face before swiping his thumb across the demon's lower lip, earning a slight shudder from the taller male.
"Now let me kiss that stupid beak of yours," he demanded, grabbing Stolas's face and leaning in, closing the distance between the two. "It's been too damn long."
Stolas's eyes slid shut as he felt his partner's warm mouth press against his; Blitz's hands moved from the prince's face to the back of his head, deepening the kiss as he pulled him in tighter against himself.
The imp's tongue found its way to Stolas's lips and the bird eagerly parted them, allowing Blitz to feel and taste him more as he hungrily reciprocated. Blitz could feel himself growing excited as he desperately pulled Stolas closer, craving more contact – he didn't realize how starved he had been for this until he had finally held that familiar, soft body against his.
The Goetia found himself pressed back onto the firm mattress of the cruise ship cabin as Blitz mounted him, his lips now tracing a path down to his neck. He arched his back into the contact, their chests pressing against one another.
"Oh, Blitz, you don't know how I've missed–"
Knock, knock.
"Are you FUCKING kidding me!?" Blitz snarled, pissed that they had been interrupted by the oldest cliche in the book.
He hastily climbed off of Stolas, who was now sitting up, and made his way to the door, flinging it open.
Loona and Octavia stood before him as they peered into the room, not at all surprised to see both demons there.
"Via? I'm so sorry, I wasn't checking my phone," the Goetian prince apologized, walking up to the door next to Blitz, who was still annoyed but also excited that Loona was visiting.
"You're fine, dad," the younger girl replied, looking awkwardly from her father to the imp at his side. "I kinda knew you'd be here."
"We set you losers up," Loona revealed, a small smirk worn on her face. "Whole trip was planned."
Blitz stared blankly at the two girls and Stolas frowned, wanting to scold his daughter, but also somewhat grateful to her.
"So, looks like things worked out," the hellhound affirmed, her eyes flickering from the two men to the disheveled bed behind them.
"Not quite, Loony Toony, cuz you girls are cockblocking me hard right now," Blitz retorted, beginning to shut the cabin door. "We can talk all about it in the morning after I'm done plowing this feathered ass."
"Ugh, please keep it to yourselves," Octavia groaned, turning away from the other three. "Dad, just text me when you're ready for lunch tomorrow."
Stolas waved meekly as Blitz slammed the door shut, turning his attention back to the taller demon, who gulped in turn.
"Can't promise you'll be able to sit for lunch," he breathed against the bird's ear, earning a soft moan from the prince. "We've got lots of full moons to catch up on."
It was a brisk but sunny day as the cruise ship sailed through the open ocean. Moxxie, Millie, and Loona were currently lounging by the pool, which was a bit too cold for swimming but still relaxing to watch as the water swayed with the movement of the boat.
"So…third place, huh, Mox?" a familiar voice called out and Moxxie whipped his head around, nearly spilling his frappuccino in the process.
Blitz was approaching the trio with none other than Stolas in tow, the two holding hands as they made their way to the pool. Moxxie and Millie exchanged excited looks before turning back to their boss, who wore something between pride and anxiety on his face.
"There were professional ping pong players there, sir," Moxxie replied, defending his loss. "Some were even sponsored by royalty. Speaking of which, it's good to see you again, your highness."
He smiled and nodded at Stolas, who seemed beside himself with joy at Blitz parading him around, hand in hand.
"Charmed," the prince replied, acknowledging Millie and Loona as well.
"Wish I could roast you losers more, but we have a tournament of our own to get to," Blitz replied, wagging his middle finger at Moxxie, who scowled intensely.
"Ooh, what kinda tournament?" Millie asked and Blitz froze, his grip around Stolas's hand tightening.
"It's, uh… fuck it, it's a couple's tournament."
"We kinda figured, moron," Loona replied, looking up from the issue of Hellebrity Special she was currently reading. "She meant what sport."
"Oh," the imp replied awkwardly, stealing a glance up at Stolas, who stifled a laugh. "It's a horse race."
"What? They have a race track on the ship?" Moxxie asked in bewilderment, looking around the ocean liner; it was big, but not horse racing big.
"I may have pulled some strings," Stolas admitted, and Blitz was clearly ecstatic about the horses.
"Don't wait up," the imp called over his shoulder as the pair turned to leave. "And you better not hang that fucking bronze medal up in the office."
"There was no medal anyway!" Moxxie yelled after Blitz, but he was already out of earshot.
Loona grinned, happy that her plan had apparently worked.
"I knew he would be back around," Millie remarked, squeezing some sunscreen into her palm and rubbing it on Moxxie's back, which was already looking a little redder than usual. "The boss really likes him."
Meanwhile, Blitz and Stolas were taking an elevator back up to the top deck for a quick drink at Lust Lounge.
It took Blitz all but one second after the elevator doors slid shut to pin Stolas up against the wall behind him, and the demon prince promptly picked the imp up so they were eye to eye.
"Yeah, I guess I really like him," Blitz thought to himself as his lips met Stolas's again, and for once, he was glad things had changed.