Moxxie stood in front of the bathroom mirror, adjusting the crisp lapels of his black suit jacket for what felt like the hundredth time. His heart raced with nervous anticipation as he glanced down at the sparkling watch adorning his wrist. The ticking hands reminded him that time was ticking closer to his carefully planned evening—a special date with Millie. A very special date.

Everything had to be perfect.

He checked his hair again, then the fit of his jacket, his tie—everything. Tonight was supposed to be flawless. He had rented out the second most exclusive restaurant in the Lust Ring, next to Ozzie's that is, booked an elegant carriage ride afterward, and even planned for a private balcony overlooking the city to end the evening under the stars.

Yet, despite all his meticulous planning, something gnawed at the back of his mind. Something, or rather, someone.

Blitzø.

The thought of his boss, Blitz, looming somewhere in the shadows of this perfect evening gave Moxxie a knot in his stomach that he couldn't shake. It wasn't an unreasonable fear. Blitz had a history of showing up to Moxxie and Millie's dates uninvited, lurking behind menus, disguising himself as waiters, or worse, sometimes not even bothering to hide at all. As much as Moxxie valued their teamwork at I.M.P., his boss's invasive tendencies were something that never sat well with him, especially when it came to his personal time with Millie.

With a final frustrated grunt, Moxxie yanked his phone from the counter and furiously dialed Blitz's number.

"Yo, what's up, Mox? You on your way to that sexy romantic date or whatever?" Blitz answered in his usual brash tone, barely a second after the first ring.

Moxxie closed his eyes, fighting back the irritation that surged within him. "Blitz, I swear, if you show up tonight—"

"Whoa, whoa! Easy there, loverboy! What do you take me for? Some kind of obsessive stalker?" Blitz's voice dripped with mock offense, though Moxxie could almost hear the smirk through the phone.

"Yes!" Moxxie retorted. "You've done it every single time! Last month, you hid inside a salad bar, Blitz! A salad bar!"

Blitz's laughter crackled on the other end. "Heh, yeah, that was a good one. But c'mon, Moxxie, you're acting like I don't know how to give you some space." He paused for dramatic effect before adding, "Tonight, I solemnly swear on my 100% totally real horns that I will not crash your precious little date."

Moxxie narrowed his eyes, pacing back and forth in the bathroom now. He didn't trust Blitz for a second. "If I see so much as a glimmer of your spiky tail tonight, I'm coming for you. You hear me?"

"Yeah, yeah, message received, Captain Buzzkill. Go enjoy your night with Millie and try not to be such a paranoid mess, huh? You might actually have some fun."

Moxxie hung up, gripping his phone tightly in frustration. Blitz's words did nothing to ease his suspicions. Knowing his boss, there was a 99% chance that he would still try something tonight.

With a heavy sigh, he turned his attention back to the evening ahead. If Blitz did show up, Moxxie was going to make sure he regretted it.


A few hours later, Moxxie and Millie arrived at the restaurant—a lavish establishment nestled in the heart of the Lust Ring. The lighting was warm and romantic, casting a golden glow over the elegant tables adorned with candles and roses. It was perfect, just like Moxxie had envisioned.

Millie beamed up at him, her hand tightly entwined with his as they made their way to their private booth. She looked stunning, as always, her usual fierce energy softened by the intimate atmosphere. Her enthusiasm was contagious, and for a moment, Moxxie allowed himself to relax.

But only for a moment.

His eyes darted to the corners of the room, scanning for any sign of Blitz—no sign of his boss behind the bar, no suspicious figures lingering near the kitchen door, no overly energetic waiters with a familiar grin. So far, so good.

The evening proceeded without a hitch. The food was excellent, the wine was delicious, and Millie seemed to be having the time of her life. They laughed, reminisced about their early days in I.M.P., and talked about all the crazy things they'd done together. Yet, despite how perfect everything seemed, Moxxie couldn't stop glancing over his shoulder, his paranoia growing with every passing second.

"Hon, you okay?" Millie asked, giving him a concerned look as he scanned the room yet again.

"Yeah, yeah! I'm just, uh... admiring the... architecture?" Moxxie forced a smile, but his eyes darted once more to the window behind Millie. Was that a shadow moving?

Millie raised an eyebrow but shrugged. "Well, you do that, sweetie, but personally, I'm admiring this dessert menu. Think I'm gonna order everything!"

Moxxie chuckled softly, but his mind was elsewhere. As Millie gleefully debated between a chocolate lava cake or a cheesecake, he leaned forward slightly, squinting at a table a few rows away. That tablecloth—it had a suspicious lump beneath it. Could Blitz be hiding under there?

Suddenly, the lump shifted, and Moxxie's heart leapt into his throat. Gotcha, he thought, preparing to march over there and confront his boss.

But before he could even rise from his seat, a small imp child crawled out from under the table, giggling as he chased after a dropped fork. Moxxie slumped back into his chair, feeling ridiculous. He was seeing Blitz everywhere, and it was starting to mess with his head.

The rest of the night continued much the same way. Every shadow, every flash of red or black, had Moxxie on high alert, certain that Blitz was about to spring out from some unexpected hiding place. Yet, as the hours passed, there was no sign of him. Not a single inappropriate comment or prank. Nothing.

By the time they reached the private balcony for the final part of their date, Moxxie was on edge, his nerves frayed from hours of waiting for the inevitable. The stars glittered in the inky sky above, the city lights twinkling below like jewels, but Moxxie couldn't enjoy any of it. His paranoia had completely taken over.

"Hon, you're really jumpy tonight," Millie said softly as she leaned on the balcony railing beside him. "What's goin' on?"

"I just... I..." Moxxie hesitated. How could he explain this without sounding insane? "It's Blitz. I just know he's going to ruin this."

Millie tilted her head in confusion. "Blitz? But he's not here. He wouldn't crash every date, would he?"

Moxxie opened his mouth to protest, but then stopped. Blitz wasn't there. He hadn't shown up at all. Despite everything, Blitz had kept his word. For the first time in... well, ever, Moxxie had been able to enjoy a night with Millie without his boss sticking his nose in where it didn't belong.

The realization hit him like a ton of bricks. Blitz wasn't coming. He wasn't spying on them.

And suddenly, Moxxie felt foolish for spending the entire night obsessing over it.

He sighed, shaking his head. "You're right. He's not here."

Millie grinned, wrapping her arms around him. "Good. Now can you relax and enjoy the rest of the night with me?"

Moxxie smiled softly, finally allowing himself to let go of his paranoia. He wrapped his arms around Millie, holding her close as they gazed out at the stars together. It was a perfect moment—no Blitz in sight, no interruptions, just the two of them.


The next morning, Moxxie walked into the I.M.P. office with a determined stride. The date had ended perfectly, but he still couldn't shake the weird feeling of not having Blitz crash their night. It was too out of character, and Moxxie couldn't let it go without some answers.

Blitz was already at his desk, legs kicked up and sipping his morning coffee as if he hadn't a care in the world.

Moxxie marched straight up to him, fists clenched. "Alright, Blitz. I need to know—where WERE you last night?!"

Blitz looked up, blinking in confusion. "Uh... at home? Watching reruns of my favorite horse show. Why? What, you miss me or somethin'?"

Moxxie scowled. "You promised you wouldn't crash the date. I just... I expected you to show up at some point!"

Blitz let out a loud cackle, slapping the desk. "Oh my Satan, Moxxie! You're telling me you spent the whole night waiting for me to pop out of a bush or something? Damn, that's rich!"

Moxxie's face flushed with a mix of embarrassment and frustration. "Yes! I did! Because that's what you always do!" His voice rose, betraying how rattled he was. "You've crashed every single important date I've had with Millie. So excuse me for assuming you'd pull the same stunt again!"

Blitz raised an eyebrow, a mischievous grin curling on his lips. "I did promise, didn't I? And for once, I'm a demon of my word. Maybe I thought you deserved a little peace and quiet for a change."

Moxxie stared at him, disbelief washing over his features. "You... actually decided to stay out of it?"

Blitz shrugged, his grin widening. "What can I say? I've got some boundaries, you know. I mean, I can be a stalker sometimes, but I'm not a total asshole." He paused, a glint of mischief still in his eyes. "Besides, watching you squirm was almost as fun as crashing the date would've been."

Moxxie's face fell. "Wait, what?"

Blitz swung his legs off the desk and stood up, leaning in close. "Oh yeah, I had the perfect view of your whole night."

Moxxie's heart skipped a beat. "You... you did spy on us!"

Blitz held up his hands in mock surrender. "Hey, hey! Relax, paranoid pants. I wasn't physically there, alright? I may have seen what was going on, but only through very professional means."

Moxxie narrowed his eyes. "Define 'professional.'"

Blitz grinned wickedly. "I might've hacked into a couple of cameras around the Lust Ring. But, in my defense, I only checked in once or twice just to make sure you weren't screwing up your big night."

Moxxie's eye twitched. "You hacked into the security cameras?!"

Blitz laughed, clearly enjoying himself. "Come on, Moxxie. It's not like I ruined anything! I gave you guys plenty of space. You should be thanking me for keeping my distance."

Moxxie's frustration hit its boiling point. "You invaded our privacy! Again!"

Blitz rolled his eyes, still unfazed. "Oh please, Moxxie. If it weren't for me making sure everything went smoothly, you'd probably still be out there tripping over your own hooves. Face it, I helped you, even if you didn't know it."

Moxxie opened his mouth to argue, but then shut it, realizing that Blitz's meddling didn't actually impact the evening at all. If anything, it had been one of the best dates he'd had with Millie in a long time. And Blitz... hadn't ruined it.

Millie, who had been standing quietly in the doorway listening to the entire exchange, finally stepped into the room with an amused smile. "Y'know, Mox, maybe Blitz's brand of help isn't so bad... as long as it's from a distance."

Moxxie's shoulders slumped, and he let out a sigh, realizing he had been beaten. "I just... I wanted one night without any interference."

Millie wrapped her arm around Moxxie's shoulders, pulling him close. "And you got it, sweetie. Even if Blitz was watching from behind the scenes, he didn't mess with anything. It was just you and me. That's what matters."

Moxxie grumbled under his breath, but deep down, he knew she was right. The date had been perfect. Despite his paranoia, despite his expectations, Blitz had let them have their night.

Blitz grinned triumphantly. "See? I'm not such a bad boss after all, huh?"

Moxxie shot him a glare. "You're still the worst."

Blitz chuckled and crossed his arms. "Yeah, yeah. But you love me, Mox. Admit it."

Moxxie rolled his eyes and started toward his desk, muttering under his breath. "One day, Blitz. One day, you're going to slip up, and when you do, I'll be ready."

Blitz smirked, watching as Moxxie and Millie walked away. "Sure, Moxxie. Whatever you say."

As Moxxie sat down at his desk, trying to focus on the pile of paperwork in front of him, he couldn't help but feel a strange sense of relief. Blitz hadn't crashed the date in person, but he'd still managed to be a part of it in his own twisted way.

And, as much as Moxxie hated to admit it, that was probably as close to "normal" as things were ever going to get in I.M.P.

That night, as Moxxie lay in bed with Millie, he reflected on the day. Maybe, just maybe, Blitz wasn't the total disaster of a boss he always thought he was. Sure, he was obnoxious, intrusive, and over-the-top, but in his own weird way, Blitz cared. That, or he just really enjoyed making Moxxie's life more complicated.

"Where were you?" Moxxie had asked Blitz earlier. And now he knew. Blitz was always there—just not in the way Moxxie expected.

And perhaps, for now, that was okay.