Hey!

I don't think I really need to put a warning for this chapter, just, remember last chapter's warning.

Chapter 18 – Denial

Oh fuck, he was tired.

They used to go on jobs without Loona for so long, Blitz really didn't think it'd make much of a difference to go without her. Turns out, it freaking did, especially for such a big job. Her sense of smell was particularly handy, but not only that, of course, his Loonie was also very skilled.

M&M and him managed to get the job done, but it took more time than initially planned, so Blitz was glad to be able to go home and rest once he had dropped the couple home. He took out his phone, almost sending a text to Loona, before he decided against it. She was having fun, with friends her age, and she seemed glad he wasn't as much on her back as he used to be, he probably shouldn't ruin that.

As for Stolas… One part of him wanted to reach out too, but he didn't really dare. If the owl was resting, and he damn well looked like he needed it even after he left after what he hoped has been a good night's sleep, he didn't want to wake or disturb him. He should be fine, right? At worse, he didn't lay as still as he promised, but he would soon find out about that.

So he decided to just laze about until Loona asked to be picked up.

On the road, his thoughts came back to the prince, and his tail lashed out.

He had done a good job of avoiding to think of what may have happened to the Goetia, but he couldn't completely put his curiosity aside. He didn't broach the topic with his employees yet, but he considered doing so next week, because even if Stolas wouldn't tell him what was going on, there was no way he could just sit by and let it happen. There had to be something he could do.

If his suspicions were correct, it may have to do with other royals. If it was the case, then maybe Stolas didn't want to ask for his help because he didn't think imps could harm royals, or there were politics involved. Either way, he considered telling the owl about the blessed rifle they still had from their first encounter with Striker. But if he asked questions, it would also mean telling him about the assassination attempt on him at the Harvest Moon Festival, and explain why Blitz didn't tell him before, and face the guilt that maybe, if Stolas had known, the cowboy wouldn't have been able to kidnap him later.

The imp shook his head to focus on the road. He'd think about that later. First, he had a daughter to pick up.

Well, two daughters actually, but one of them wasn't his. The girls were chatting enthusiastically as they seated in the van, and Blitz had no trouble butting in to ask how their day was and all.

"It was so cool!" Via exclaimed with a bright smile. "We played several board games. I didn't think I would enjoy these, but it was fun!"

"The music was cool too, they have good taste", the hellhound smiled, already taking out her phone. "I've noted down the band names to check out later."

"Remember to send me the list! Oh, and they had these cool plants, I've taken pictures to show my dad, I'm sure he knows all about these. One of them is sick, he can probably tell what's wrong from the picture alone. The movie was… Well, a bit silly, but it was fun watching it together! Oh, and we went out to buy snacks, it was so fun!"

"You sound like you never went out to buy snacks!" Blitz laughed.

"He he, yes, unless I go out shopping with dad, we don't exactly go out just to buy snacks, usually we have a lot of them or the staff takes care of it." The owlette explained.

"Eh, makes sense I guess."

He wasn't gonna judge – well, not too much – since he'd be the first to take full advantage of it if he could ask people to go groceries shopping for him. He tried to get Moxxie to do it for him once, but it wasn't easy to convince him, and he mainly bought a bunch of strange stuff, so he didn't try again. Millie seemed to find it funny when they went together though.

The girls were still talking, but he had stopped paying attention for a few seconds since they were recollecting today's events. He piped up during a break.

"It's the late afternoon, you sure spent a lot of time there! I almost though you were going to spend the night too."

"Well, I'd have loved to", Via explained, a bit embarrassed. "But it was complicated. I don't think dad would have been comfortable if I asked him last minute too. I'm going back to my mother soon, I guess he'll want to spend time with me."

Usually, Blitz would agree, but he suddenly remembered the prince's injuries as Loona and him exchanged a glance.

"Oh, don't worry, as long as he knows where you are and with whom, I'm sure he wouldn't have minded that much! You never had a sleepover outside his or your mother's place I guess?"

"Well, there was that time with Loona too, I slept at your place. It was my first time, and it was fun!"

"If you want, we can do it again", the hellhound offered.

"Oh yes, I'd love to! But… Not next week, I won't be able to. Mum would ask too many questions. But maybe… We can ask dad if you can stay tonight again? It's still the weekend after all!"

"You do realize it means I'll be alone with your dad again?" Blitz couldn't help the smirk on his face.

"Ew, gross! I don't care what you two are up to, as long as you're decent when we're around!" Via added.

That made the imp pause. He didn't truly mean to imply that, he knew Stolas was in no shape for sex and they weren't quite there yet, but did that mean his daughter wasn't… Opposed to the idea?

There was a strange warm inside him at the thought, and he quickly decided to focus back on the road rather than dwelling on things he was not ready to face yet, especially with this mysterious threat surrounding the Goetia.

"I promise, we'll behave! But you better behave too, we won't be far."

They kept bickering for the rest of the trip, and the warmth was back, and Blitz was truly having trouble to stop thinking about it. Because it felt like family life, with Stolas' kid that wasn't looking at him with disdain, and, well… That was making him imagine things he really shouldn't start dreaming about, for it was way too likely to get crushed.

But… Stolas didn't seem to truly mind getting closer to him. Whatever the problem was with what was hurting him was probably what was making him keep his distance. So… Maybe, if he helped him without fucking up, they may have a chance? Stolas' behavior during their first self-defense lesson… Oh yes, the bird definitely wasn't tired of his dick, and Blitz was more than willing to make him sing again…

He shook his head to stop the thoughts as the van finally pulled up in front of the palace's entrance.

"Ok, girls, here's what we're going to do! I'll keep Stolas company while you two do your girly and teenage things…"

"Hey, I'm not a teen, I'm an adult", Loona interrupted with a deadpan stare.

"Oh yeah, sure, like if hanging out with Via didn't release your inner child! I've seen how you acted with your friends earlier, that's definitely…"

"Yeah, ok, shut up, whatever! We'll be on our way!" Loona cut with a slight blush as she dragged Via behind her to the owlet's bedroom.

"Have fun girls! Text us when you're hungry!"

Stolas would probably want to come check up on his daughter before that, but it was better if he was the one to meet Via than the other way around. The young Goetia had talked about warning him of their return, but better be safe than sorry, maybe the owl wasn't ready or something.

Though… Thinking back about all this mess, Blitz realized how much of a bad sign it was that Stolas was still hurt this morning. They were definitely wounds from a blessed weapon, or something similar, or else everything would have already disappeared overnight, especially with all the ointments and stuff the prince seemed to use. He wouldn't have bothered that much with wounds from normal weapons, to his knowledge at least.

He was stopped in his musing when he reached the prince's bedroom, only to find it empty.

"The fuck?! Where did he wander off? He's still hurt!" He grumbled.

Still, he checked the bathroom to be sure, but no, it was empty.

He was about to search the whole palace before remembering how big it was. Sure, he had a few ideas of places to check out first, but he probably didn't know all the rooms Stolas used on a regular basis, so he decided to text him instead to know his whereabouts, while he headed for the kitchen just in case.

Nope, not here either. Should he keep looking around until he got a response? He was starting to grow worried. Hard not to, with what he discovered yesterday. Octavia said her dad had answered her text, so he was probably fine, but since the imp still didn't know what was going on… It wasn't even like if the owl could still be sleeping, he wasn't in his bed. It wasn't like him to be busy either when he knew his daughter was on her way back.

He was saved from his fears when his phone rang with a text, and he let out a long exhale at seeing who it was from, before frowning.

What the fuck was the owl doing in his study?!

He managed to find said study and barged in, annoyed.

"The fuck are you doing out of your bed?!"

Stolas flinched at Blitz's loud arrival, before forcing himself to relax.

"Well, I wasn't going to lay in bed all day. Don't worry, I'm doing better, and I didn't overdo it."

The imp stopped before the desk, openly glaring at him and his… Oddly casual outfit, it didn't really match the fanciness of the room, but it was good at covering up the bandages he was sure the owl still had on.

"Really? You sure don't look to be in pain, but… Is that dirt on your sleeves?"

Stolas blinked and looked at said sleeves.

"Oh, dear, I must have gotten these smears while I was watering my plants."

"You did what?!"

Seeing the assassin's growing concern, Stolas tried to muster a placating smile.

"I only did the bare minimum, I promise! While it is true I am not fully healed, I assure you I am truly doing a lot better."

As a way to prove himself, Stolas closed the book he was working on to stand up and walk around the desk. Blitz keenly observed his steps and finally nodded.

"Ok, looks like you're right. But still, calm down okay? It's the weekend, take it easy!"

"Do not worry, all I have left to do is study some books."

"Really? Well, I guess it's fine…" The imp mumbled.

Stolas smiled.

"I shall accompany you before you leave then. I hope Loona and Via had a lovely day with their friends!"

"Oh yeah, they had fun, trust me, they were both excited about it! But, er, Via didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" The owl asked, tilting his head.

"Their friend wasn't available tonight, and Via was a little sad not to be able to do another sleepover, so Loona suggested to stay tonight. I thought it was a good idea, so your daughter had less risks of noticing your injuries. She was supposed to ask you, but I guess she got carried away in her discussion with Loonie…"

Stolas pondered for a moment, and Blitz frowned, the tip of his tail flickering in anxiety.

"It's not a problem, right? Or you had plans with her?"

"Oh, no, it's alright, it's probably best if she spends as much time as she can with Loona, since she won't be able to next week! It's just that… I was planning on studying for most of the evening for duties I have at the start of the week."

"Come on, can't you do that tomorrow? Let's watch movies! Maybe the girls can join too? Not to do a sleepover together, of course, but, just spend time together, if you're up for it?"

Stolas was hesitating. On one hand, it felt way too much like endangering Blitz. On the other hand… It was his last evening with Octavia for a while, and despite Stella's threats, he doubted she'd kill Blitz for this, she was enjoying this way too much. But the whole point of this was to keep the imp safe, and he shouldn't put him at risk for his own selfish desires. Blitz was probably doing this out of some kind of moral obligation anyway. But he couldn't just send him away either, not if he could help it.

"Hey? Just say if you don't like the idea. Or is something else the matter?"

The owl blinked back to reality, realizing he stayed silent for too long. Seeing Blitz's intent stare, and the serious gleam in them, he decided to lead the discussion to less dangerous waters, just in case Stella or her goons were still watching their moves or listening in.

"Sorry, I was thinking how to arrange my schedule. I should really focus on my work, but I'm not going to sent you home while Loona is here… Let me think for a bit. Do you mind if I make a stop at my room to get changed?"

"Sure!"

Somehow, the owl managed to keep the discussion light, still hoping to find a way to quell Blitz's worries so the imp wouldn't stick around, but not wanting to artificially create an argument with him for that if he could help it. The assassin hadn't asked yet to reschedule their canceled self-defense lesson, but it would come up too eventually.

Loona groaned as she looked up from her phone only to find herself in a completely unknown part of the palace.

That was on her for focusing too much on her scrolling, but still, she had no idea how to find the two dumbasses that were their dads if she wasn't even following the right path. Not that she was even sure in which room they were to be honest. She had let Via prepare the living room for the movie night Blitz had suggested by text, and was on her way to them, officially to decide on where to order for take out, informally to make sure his dad hadn't found Via's dad with new injuries. He would have probably told her already, but better be safe than sorry. After all, the owlet was still feeling something was going on despite all their efforts, and Loona agreed that she would probably worry a lot if she was to find out what the hellhound and the imp knew about her father.

Back to present, that was definitely a path mostly used by staff, but as she was about to turn around, something caught her attention.

She wrinkled her nose at the smell in the air. What was that? Her ears flattened against her head on instinct, teeth slightly bared, and she knew she should probably just go away and mind her business, but…

She kept going, following the stink to a laundry room whose door opened without any resistance.

Here, in a basket, was the dirty laundry awaiting to be done. It was probably brought in too late in the day to be done right away, especially considering it was Saturday, and Loona was almost certain Via said the staff usually left early during the weekend, and sometimes they weren't even there at all.

It wasn't really what was worrying the hellhound though. The stench was coming from the bed sheets in the basket, and there were suspicious stains on it. Given the color and pattern of the sheets alone, Loona knew these were from Stolas' room and not Via's, and she would have suspected the Goetia to have had a very eventful and kinky night recently, and not investigated further, if it wasn't for how much the sheets reeked of stress and pain. Along with the various bodily fluids, mainly jizz and blood, it wasn't hard to guess what that meant, and her fur bristled.

The smell of stress definitely belonged to Stolas, along with the blood and feathers, but the cum stains and hair belonged to several hellhounds. More sniffing settled their number on three, and on instinct, Loona's tail curled around her midsection.

She knew even three hellhounds were absolutely no match for a Goetia, especially someone as powerful as Via's dad. She still remembered when he saved them from the humans, there was no way low hellborns could harm or restrain him… Unless they used blessed items, like Striker had. But to be able to assault him in his own home?

Even if he was still hurt, something definitely wasn't right. Until then, she hadn't thought too much about it, it wasn't her business after all, but this… This was Via's dad, Blitz's… Something, probably future boyfriend if the two morons managed to talk seriously. Either way, Loona knew the imp enough to know he would be seriously pissed if he knew, but he hadn't said anything through text, so he probably didn't even know about this, despite the event not being much more than a couple hours old judging from the smell.

Turning back, she closed the door and followed the smell to Stolas' bedroom. She didn't know exactly what she wanted to do about this, it still felt like none of her business, but she had seen the owl yesterday night and this morning. She knew he was seriously hurt, had already been the first time she smelt blood on him a while ago, and… Fuck, it was normal to want to hide this from his daughter, but from Blitz? It wasn't. She knew firsthand how difficult it could be to trust others, but Stolas had never struck her to be that kind of person. Plus, he obviously needed help with that shit, and well… She didn't want to leave him in his own shit. Not just for the sake of Blitz and Via, but for the owl himself too.

He didn't deserve that. No one deserves that.

It was now official, Stolas was a fool.

Not advancing much on the matter of Stella during the week he had been so down was understandable, still doing nothing on the first few days of Via's return was excusable, but he spent the whole week ignoring the problem, despite the panic attack he had in the middle of it, under the pretense to put up a good enough facade for his daughter. Now, she was almost back with her mother, and all… This, happened, and Stolas just decided to stop thinking about it to regain his composure by doing small tasks around while Blitz was driving the girls, ending up in his study to gather books on medicine for different species, and here he was, back to the place of all his current pain and problems, trying very hard not to panic again.

Last time he went to his bedroom with Blitz, he didn't even think about it. He should probably have remembered why he fled his bedroom as soon as he could earlier, but that would have meant thinking about what happened, and, well…

There was just too much going on. He was still supposed to find a way to send Blitz home tonight, and then he'd be able to think about everything else, but even that, he couldn't process. He was distracting himself by looking into his closet, but he knew his thoughts weren't fast enough, and Blitz would end up wondering what the hell he was doing.

"Do you have so much clothes that you can't decide what to wear? Just put on something casual… Oh seriously, you still have the Loo Loo Land T-shirt?!"

The imp came from behind to look with him, and snorted at said piece of clothe. Knowing his thinking abilities were limited right now, Stolas went for an outfit chosen by Via on their shopping day two weeks ago, and blinked when he realized he didn't want to strip in front of Blitz.

It was silly, it had never been a problem before, and the imp already knew of his injuries, but… He knew he wouldn't be able to keep it together if he did.

"Hey, you two in there? Via's setting up the living room, butt we need to decide on what to order! Care to join us?"

"Oh, Loonie! You came instead of texting us, how sweet!"

"Shut up, I just wanted to make sure everything was alright on your side. You ready?"

"Let me just get changed quickly", Stolas announced as he slipped in the bathroom with his clothes, closing the door to leave Blitz with Loona, hoping the imp wouldn't find that strange.

But just as he was closing the door, he caught Loona's stare on him, ears flat, and he tensed.

That couldn't be good.

12/06/2024

I haven't written much for this story since I'm currently still working on Lonely path, but don't worry, I still have a bunch of chapters in advance!