Hey there!

Sorry, it's been a while, real life's been busy. But today's the one year birthday of this fic, so I had to update today :3

The only content warning would be mentions of vomiting and talks about eating disorder.

Enjoy!

Chapter 39 – Baby steps

They met with Millie and Moxxie before they had reached Octavia's bedroom. After a while, Stolas had calmed down and managed to finish his glass of water, but Blitz was still eyeing him carefully, walking close to him to be able to react in case he fainted or something. It was a good idea, seeing as he had to hold the bird back to prevent him from falling when the two imps appeared at the corner to access Via's room.

"Good lords, you two scared me!" Stolas said with a hand over his chest.

The imp couple exchanged a sheepish look before looking back at them.

"Sorry your highness", Moxxie started.

"We checked the whole grounds, everything looks normal!" Millie smiled. "I'm still surprised you don't have bodyguards all the time."

"No, we usually only hire them for big events, such as when Stella was throwing her big parties", Stolas explained as he regained his balance with a grateful smile toward Blitz. "It was kind of mandatory then, but I didn't feel it necessary to have bodyguards around the rest of the time."

"You may wanna change that Stol's", Blitz warned him. "At least until you feel better?" He added with big eyes, and Stolas scoffed.

"Fine. I already said I would call them back tomorrow, so your employees can be free to go home. Sorry for the inconvenience by the way…"

"It's no trouble!" Millie assured him with energy, beaming, but the prince still frowned, looking aside to the assassin.

"But you didn't work at all today because of me, I should at least compensate you…"

"Nah, it's fine, it's only a day!" Blitz shrugged, but Moxxie immediately frowned.

"Sir, I agree our finances are good, but still, not working for a full day unannounced like this is really not…"

"Shut up Mox, I'm the boss, and I decide we owed our benefactor at least that, alright?"

Stolas blinked.

"Benefactor?"

"Yeah! IMP wouldn't exist without you birdie, you lent us the book first, then gave us the crystal…"

"But you already saved me from Striker", the owl reminded with a look at said saviors, but Blitz ignored him, gently dragging him by the hand to bypass the couple and reach Via's room.

"It's barely compensation enough! Now come on, let's see how the girls are doing. Didn't they say they were working on something? I'm curious to see what it is they could be doing in there!"

"Well, then I won't spoil the surprise", Stolas smiled before waving at the two imps. "Do you want to accompany us or would you rather wait for us in the kitchen? We haven't decided the menu yet."

"I can think of something if you want!" Moxxie offered with a bright smile, that looked more sincerely excited that most expressions Stolas had seen him make in the past.

The owl only had time to nod that Blitz was in front of Via's bedroom door, having walked more slowly than usual for Stolas' sake. For a moment, Stolas feared the imp would just enter with the way his hand went for the handle, before he paused to look up at the owl.

"I guess she's like Loona and wouldn't like me seeing her space?" He asked with a wince.

"Just knock darling, it will be perfect", Stolas assured him with a smile.

The imp smiled back, tail wagging, and he turned toward the door again to do just that. His knocks were loud and more numerous than truly necessary, but at least it probably made it rather obvious who was knocking at the door, if the girls hadn't heard then already.

In fact, Blitz wasn't even done knocking when the door was thrown open, an annoyed hellhound in the way.

"For fuck's sake dad, can't you wait a few fucking seconds?!"

"Sorry sweetie, I just wanted to make sure you'd notice us, since you can both listen to your music pretty loud", he assured, and it sounded so sincere that Loona could only deflate.

"Yeah, okay, makes sense I guess", she grumbled.

"So, what are you girls working on?" He asked, trying to peek inside, only for Via to hide his view as she pushed everyone out in the hallway to close the door behind her.

"Aha, it's a secret!" She said, before casting a glance to Loona, who smirked back.

"Exactly!"

"Bullshit, Stolas knows what you're up to, why can't you tell me? I didn't hear any music so you weren't sharing your groups, so what can it be… You like taxidermy too, right? Stars? Plants?"

The owlet kept a straight face through all of the assassin's suggestion, smiling devilishly as she started walking toward the kitchen.

"Hm, I wonder. You alright dad?" She suddenly asked, looking at Stolas with a hopeful expression that couldn't fully conceal her worry.

"Yes starfire, I'm alright", he said, and for once, it didn't sound like a lie. Not fully at least.

Soon, I will be, he found himself hoping. He knew it was just the beginning, but even if accepting help was hard when you had to go through all your hardships in life alone, now that the prince was starting to realize and accept these people were truly here to help him, he didn't see how it couldn't get better.

The youngest straightened up, beaming at seeing her father's smile and how he was walking, even if it was still slower and more careful than usual, and she winked at Blitz.

"Okay, if my father says you were nice, maybe I'll show you what we were working on after dinner!" She finally announced.

"Of course I was fucking nice, what do you think?!" Blitz asked, faking indignation.

"We'll see", she sing-sang as they were already reaching the kitchen.

It quickly became obvious that she would also count dinner, but it was only implied. They quickly changed subject to not risk making the owl uncomfortable by having bets around how he would do. Of course, they all wanted him to get better and ideally eat, but they also knew pressuring him wasn't the right way to do it.

At least Blitz didn't want to try for now, since Stolas admitted that being with them already acted like a pressure for him, but it didn't solve anything so far. Would it change since they now all knew the problems he was facing? Maybe, but the imp wanted to try a softer approach first, to give the owl some agency back, give him some choice, as much as possible at least.

Everyone was showing willing to help, but since it was the first meal where they could truly take the time to focus on Stolas' eating problems, of course the solution wouldn't come so easily. It wasn't that Moxxie didn't try to find a recipe that would work for the owl, but it quickly became obvious that anything too elaborate seemed to be an automatic no for some reason.

The prince quickly insisted that Moxxie start cooking for everyone else, since by then they had found a few ideas that pleased everyone but him, and Blitz decided to take matters into his own hands to help Stolas review everything he could try to eat.

"So… What about fruits, maybe? It's more of a snack, but I guess if you haven't eaten in a few days it's best to start by something light anyway, it's not just a matter of quantities." Blitz was pointing out, trying to search the palace for said fruits while the others either helped Moxxie cook or just waited for it to be ready by chatting. Stolas and Blitz hadn't wandered far for now, they were still in the same room, but Blitz quickly decided it would be better to be just the two of them for this, and the others quickly understood and didn't insist, having already given their own suggestions.

"Maybe", Stolas answered in a clipped tone.

That had the assassin raising a brow as he turned from his thorough search of the cupboards to turn toward the bird.

"You don't sound that enthusiastic about it."

"Well, it's truly one of the most appealing options I think, from everything everyone suggested, it's just… There's the smell of what Moxxie is cooking, and we've been talking about… Ingesting things since we got there, and…" the prince's shy demeanor was slowly giving way to his usual wide hand gestures, but before he could accidentally knock into anything, Blitz winced and grabbed one of his hands to squeeze it reassuringly.

"Oh shit, yeah, sorry, I didn't think about that. I guess talking about food for too long isn't helping with your nausea?"

Stolas firmly closed his beak and nodded, and it was all the confirmation Blitz needed. He frowned, pondering for a moment.

"Then… Would you want to go elsewhere while they eat, change our mind a bit, maybe watch a movie, then I'll bring you some fruit to try out when you're better?"

The owl almost pouted in response, which would have made Blitz laugh in any other situation.

"I… I don't know. I don't want to be cut from the others while they eat just because I have trouble myself, and you need food too. Watching others eat isn't a problem as long as they eat normally I guess. Just, maybe if we can find a few of the things that were suggested that I may like, I could eat on my own while the others are busy?"

The idea made Blitz raise a brow, intrigued.

"You mean, seeing others eat can, like, incite you to eat too, but you don't want to be the center of the attention when you try?"

"I suppose it sums it up nicely, yes", the prince nodded.

"Okay, I can do that. I mean, I'll tell the others, maybe we can still eat all together while watching something, what do you say? Finding something that everyone will like will probably be a bitch, it was already difficult enough when it was only the four of us, but hey, you get to choose if you want!"

"Oh, no, I…" Stolas immediately declined, shaking his hands before himself. "I fear my tastes can be a bit boring, and I do want everyone to enjoy themselves…"

"Come on Stol's! Just don't pick a documentary and I'm sure it'll be fine! Tho, I'm gonna be honest, if you pick one on horses, I'd totally be down."

The owl smiled softly, his gaze following the imp as he ran around the room to try and prepare a selection of the things Stolas said he'd be okay to try out, that were also things at least one other person could finish if needs be.

"I'm sure you would darling. Let's discuss this all together, shall we?"

Of course, Blitz was quickly proven right when by the time their meal was almost ready, they still hadn't settled on something that would please everyone. Stolas tried not to influence their choices too much, but they were doing it for him and were still regularly asking for his input, each demon trying to suggest something that they and the owl liked that was quickly rebuffed by the others, before slowly forgetting about their imperative to find something he'd like, even Blitz, and turning the discussion into truly finding something suitable for everyone.

Needless to say, when they all sat down in the living room, they had to pick at random. It took several tries, for when the result on Voxflix ended up being something only a few liked, there was always one to scream injustice.

Then, they finally picked something none of them would have chosen, and they ended up watching that instead.

Blitz had spoken to everyone before dinner started, with Stolas by his side, and everyone seemed very willing to try and help him. Now that the warmth was gone from Stolas' chest, he was feeling like a burden again, hence why he let the imp do the talking.

It started rather well. Stolas either ate while everyone else was busy with their own plate, or grabbing something when no one was looking. For some reason, he liked better to not have people watching him, and he truly felt like it worked. No gazes were on him from the corner of their eyes, not that he could notice at least despite being sure he wouldn't be able to be discreet enough to escape the notice of assassins.

Even Blitz was playing innocent, despite Stolas being absolutely convinced the imp was, along with Via, the two demons in the room who were probably the most concerned about his food intake. But they didn't comment what he picked, his quantities, nor complimented him when he did eat. Exactly as he asked.

Yet, less than half an hour later, the nausea was back and strong enough that he knew he wouldn't be able to ignore it. Stolas got up, excusing himself and reassuring everyone that he would be back, holding up a hand when Blitz looked up at him with a curious look to not risk worrying him.

When he returned from the bathroom, he was hoping they would continue like initially planned and just ignore him, but instead they were all watching him, the movie still on pause, and he froze.

"You're still throwing up, huh?" Loona said, but it wasn't truly a question.

"Shit, I thought you were eating well", lamented Blitz. "Maybe you tried to eat too much at once? But fuck, you really didn't take much at all, and only bits by bits."

Stolas' eyes widened, frozen like a dear caught in headlights.

"How… How do you know I threw up?"

Of course he knew people were still watching him even if they did a great job at pretending not to, mostly ignoring him or trying to include him in the discussion, which was still difficult for him, but why where they all assuming it failed? He technically could have got up to use the bathroom, with all the water he kept drinking all day, even if it was partly to make up for the blood loss, it was a plausible enough explanation too.

"Dad", Via said, deadpan. "You went to the nearest bathroom from here. Loona and I aren't deaf you know."

"Oh dear", Stolas whispered, realizing that since he wasn't trying to hide anymore, he went to the nearest bathroom indeed and didn't even bother to fully close the door to be able to return faster. "I'm sorry you heard that, I didn't realize…"

"Hey, it's okay Stol's", Blitz quickly assured him, getting up to gently grab his hands. "Do you want us to get all the food back in the kitchen? If you feel up to it, you can always try again later."

"Actually, it may be best if he tried again right away", Moxxie's voice sounded. "Not that I'm saying that you absolutely have to of course your highness, just that if you feel like it…"

"Ooooh, it's true, I'm sure you never tried that before, right?" Millie asked, beaming.

Loona and Via exchanged an uncertain glance, and Blitz glared at Moxxie, before slowly starting to consider the idea and turning back toward the owl.

"It's your call Stolas. Do you still feel too nauseous to eat or do you think you can try? It doesn't have to be much, just a fruit, or maybe even just a slice and it's all!"

"He's right, maybe it'll be best if you try for really small quantities first?" The owlet suggested, handing out a small fruit.

The owl considered it, a hand against his midsection, but now that he already threw up, he didn't feel particularly nauseous. Maybe it would work, at least he hoped.

"I suppose there is only one way to find out", he said with a small smile before taking the offered fruit. It went down without trouble, and everyone smiled at him, some more widely than others, before he went back on his place on the couch to continue the movie they had started.

Half an hour passed, and no new sign of nausea. This time, Stolas did notice Loona glance at her phone and Via look at the time and then check on him. Blitz did the same with a clock in the room while the imp couple sometimes watched him as if assessing his state, and while it was a bit annoying to feel like everyone expected him to get up to go vomit again, the care and concern in their demeanor was helping a bit.

By the time the movie was over, Stolas was still feeling normal. He accepted a new glass of juice to still try to give him some more nutrients without pushing their luck, and everything was going well so far… Well, apart from the fact that he was almost dozing off in front of the TV, and yawning more often than anyone else, which is probably why Blitz was quick to turn the TV off, not even letting the end credits roll until the end.

"Okay, gotta admit, it's not my thing, but hey, it was rather fun?" He said, putting the remote away.

"You mean it was a fun movie to make fun of", Loona scoffed.

"I would have agreed with you, but that ending truly changed my opinion on the movie", Moxxie said, frowning as if deep in thought from the movie's moral.

"Can't we watch another one?" Via asked.

"It's true that it's not that late, even for children", Millie admitted.

"I'm not a child!" The owlet pouted, which had the black haired imp pat her arm apologetically.

"Sorry honey, I wasn't saying that for you!"

"Eh, it was a long day, I think it won't hurt to go to bed early!" Blitz said, stretching out.

"I guess so", agreed Stolas, yawning again. "Besides, I fear we'll have trouble to pick a movie again."

Via looked disappointed.

"Maybe next time we can watch one movie per person?"

"It would require to spent the day watching movies then, we can't fit a movie per person in one evening", Stolas pointed out.

"Or we could each write a movie on a piece of paper and pick at random from that list", suggested Loona.

"Now, that's my girl, always coming up with great ideas!"

"I suppose it's a nice idea indeed", Moxxie admitted, even if it sounded difficult to say for him.

"Thank you everyone for the evening, it was lovely", Stolas finally said as he got up to help everyone clean the table. "I wouldn't mind to do that again, when you're free, and if you want to, of course…"

"Sure", smiled Millie. "I'm sure Moxxie can get you into musicals real quick, given your tastes."

"Ha! Just say you can't wait to not have to go with him anymore", Blitz smirked.

"Like if you're any better", she winked back.

"Yeah, okay, I admit, you'd probably love musicals Stol's, you already watch similar shit, it's a wonder you're not into that already."

"Really? Then I look forward to it", the prince shyly said to Moxxie, who looked awkward for a moment before excitement shone through.

"I'm sure you'll love them too, your highness!"

The imp couple was the first to retire to the room that was prepared for them for the night once they were done in the living room. Then, it was Via and Loona, with the hellhound having her own room as well but leaving with the owlet, probably for some more serious discussion or exchanges on their hobbies.

"Okay, I guess you earned to see my project", finally announced Octavia as all four of them neared her room.

It took them all a while to realize what she was referring to, but it quickly became obvious when they realized she was staring at Blitz.

"Really?" The imp asked, all hopeful and pupils blown wide, tail wagging.

She snorted.

"Yeah, sure. It's nothing impressive thought. We worked on it almost all afternoon with Loona, it's not done yet, but it already looks good I think."

She let the assassin in her room, and he quickly started to gush about their creation, congratulating both girls. Via blushed, clearly taken aback, while Loona rolled her eyes, but she still seemed touched as well.

Stolas silently watched at first, before adding his own compliments. His were more generic, since he wasn't into taxidermy and didn't particularly like or knew that hobby, but Blitz's words were way more on point.

Then, Blitz and Stolas were finally alone as they reached Stolas' bedroom. The owl couldn't hide how exhausted he was by then and barely went through his night routine, going on autopilot while Blitz followed him quickly and silently, not wanting to disturb him but also worried he'd just collapse before he could reach his bed.

Once the owl was tucked safely under the covers, Blitz smiled at him and kissed his forehead, gaze loving.

"Rest Stolas, you need it", he said. Stolas hooted back, before chirping questioningly when Blitz returned to the bathroom instead of joining him in the bed.

"Sorry pretty bird, I just need to get ready too. I'll be quick!"

He got ready in record time, yet when he returned, the prince was already asleep. It made Blitz smile softly, and he barely hesitated before sliding under the covers as well to hug his bird and close his eyes for what would hopefully be a long restful night for both of them.

16.02.2025

I think you can expect a rhythm of one chapter per month now, since I'm also working on other stuff (some I can't/don't post here ^^'), but we'll get to the end, slowly but surely!