Chapter Text
Octavia could only sit impatiently in the lounge as she waited for her father to return. It was their day today, he’d promised. No amount of him being ill was going to keep them from spending it together, so long as the doctor told him that whatever he had wasn’t contagious. It was bad enough that Stolas had been brooding and depressed for days after whatever happened between him and Blitz, and Octavia wanted nothing more than to make him feel better. They’d take it easy, have some tea, and watch a combination of horror movies and soap operas, where neither of them would admit they’re fans of each other’s tastes.
But the tea was cold. The doctor’s visit was going on far longer than it should have been, and while she was absolutely annoyed by it getting in the way of her time with her dad, she was primarily concerned. It should have been a simple visit, right? In and out, maybe a prescription, but it had been… hours. The only reason she was happy that the tea was cold was because she’d get to show her father the new spell she’d learned to warm it back up again. But she wouldn’t be able to do it if she was stressed.
She was checking her phone, seeing if she potentially missed a text from him, when the sound of reality ripping and the smell of ozone startled the aura of the house. Her relief was palpable. “Dad!” She called, tossing her phone down onto the couch to bounce to her feet. “I made some tea and got Hella-novella ready.” She walked through the doorway of the lounge, trying to hide her previous worry with smiles as her father approached. “Figured you’d like first dibs on the-”
Stolas marched right past her. Octavia blinked. He hadn’t even looked at her. “Dad?” She turned to regard his retreating form. She could make out the broken sounds of poorly hidden heavy breathing and began to follow him. Her concern had returned in full force. “What did the doctor say?”
Stolas continued to ignore her, shakily unbuttoning his overcoat before he pushed his bedroom door open. Octavia’s nerves were firing on all cylinders now. She followed her father into his room in time to see him attempt to hang the coat on a rack and not react when he missed. “...Dad?”
Stolas’s first target of whatever he was feeling was his bed. He gripped the bottom of the duvet and yanked it along with the pillows off to the floor. As he headed for the linen closet, Octavia could only watch as his breath quickened to the point of a wheeze, his thin arms yanking more pillows and sheets to add to the pile.
Octavia was about to try and get his attention again, maybe be louder, or maybe even throw something. But at the sight of more and more pillows being haphazardly thrown to the floor, she was suddenly assaulted by a memory of a passage she’d read once in a book. She remembered being ten, and sneaking some books from the higher shelves of the library down to peruse them. It was a memory of getting grossed out and turning pages too quickly, sheepishly reading passages she knew she wasn’t old enough for, even though the book was only about biology.
It was a passage she really enjoyed because of the sweetness of the idea of it all, about readying a home for a new member.
“Dad… are you… nesting?”
That was what finally brought her father to screech to a halt. There was a moment of silence before Stolas’s breath sped up and the hyperventilation really began. He dropped to his knees and gripped the feathers of his head tightly. Octavia didn’t even remember how she got to his side to keep him from yanking them out. “Hells, dad–breathe! What-... is this-? Are you-...?”
Stolas wailed. He crumbled against her like a compromised jenga tower, throwing his shaking arms around her like his life depended on it. Octavia held him in return, as tight as she could, realizing that questions were not what her dad needed right now. “It-... It’s all right,” She whispered, soothing his head feathers down. “You’re home, you’re here. It’s… safe here.” This was not her wheelhouse at all. She didn’t know how the fuck to calm somebody down who was having a panic attack, but here she was with her arms full of her trembling father, and she had to figure it out. “...I’m here, dad.”
Her efforts, however inexperienced, seemed to be working. The more she soothed her father’s frazzled feathers, the more his quaking ebbed, and his breathing evened out. She wasn’t sure how long they sat there, curled around each other so that her dad could take whatever comfort he needed from her. And honestly, there was something that felt good about it–about her father finally letting himself be vulnerable with her instead of just keeping it all in. This was healthy.
There was still the matter of his actual health though. “So,” she began, softly and tentatively. “Clearly the doctor’s visit… didn’t go as planned.”
Stolas’s laugh was half sob when it came out. “I’m not contagious,” he offered, trying for a joke to alleviate the stress of it all.
“Fuck I hope not.” Octavia laughed when Stolas sat up to give her a disapproving look at her language. “Especially since you’re-... I mean, if you’re-...” She flinched a bit, but kept her demeanor calm. “... Are you…?”
Stolas suddenly looked so small. Octavia had never really known her father to be anything but a pillar of strength in one way or another, and to see him look so vulnerable made her want to cry. But she needed to be strong for him now. She waited, patiently, squeezing his hand, until Stolas finally took a shaky breath. “...I’m carrying an egg.”
Octavia wasn’t expecting the news to hit like it did when she already assumed the answer. And yet, she found herself in awe. It had come up before that her father was intersexed. It was common enough in avian demons that it wasn’t even something her mother had given him grief for. “I’m… sorry, dad,” she said, holding his hand in both of hers.
“Whatever for, darling?”
“I mean… carrying a nonviable egg seems-”
Stolas’s grip on her hands tightened so abruptly that she had to stop talking. His beak trembled into a weak and terrified smile. “...It’s alive, Via…”
Her eyes went wide. The odds of an intersexed avian producing an egg at all was already extremely low, but to grow a viable one…? The odds were astronomically small. “You-...” She took a quick breath when her father looked down in shame. She had to rework how to approach this. “I’m-... going to be a big sister?”
Stolas finally looked up. He gave a soft sob of a laugh and pulled her into a hug again. She embraced him back with every promise she couldn’t put to words.
But there was definitely still more to this that was stressing her father out. Stolas was a father in a way that he seemed to be made for it, much to her young unwillingness to admit it outloud. So why was the prospect of another child so much that he seemed distraught at the idea?
She could only think of one reason. “...It’s Blitz’s, isn’t it?” She asked into his shoulder.
Stolas only held tighter. “...There’s nobody else it could be.”
She pulled back so that she could see her father’s face, moving her hands to hold his. “...What are you going to do?”
“I can’t… keep it from him.” Stolas lifted one hand to wipe at his eye, trying in vain to dry the feathers there. “But I’m terrified that he-... After the last full moon, I-” He sucked in a short breath and held it to prevent himself from sobbing again. “What if he doesn’t want-... P-Perhaps it would be best if I-”
“Absolutely not.” Octavia’s feather’s ruffled as she realized where this was going, and her eyes glowed, bits of her demonic form whispering at her edges. “Do you want this?”
Stolas startled but didn’t let go of her hands. “W-...What? I-”
“Do you want the baby or not?”
“O-Of course I do.” Stolas’s voice was so small, but his sentiment was clear.
Octavia nodded. “Then what Blitz thinks doesn’t matter.” She squeezed his hands. “If he wants nothing to do with it, then he doesn’t get to have anything to do with it. End of. This is your decision.”
Stolas took a deep, shuddering breath before lowering his head. “...But I… I must tell him. Especially since I’m keeping it, I can’t just-...” He sighed, hands trembling. “He has to know.”
“And we can tell him once we get you and the egg settled.” Octavia stood and carefully helped her father from the floor to his shaky feet. “Come on. Let’s finish this nest and clear your schedule. You’re going to need far more pillows than this.”
~
Blitz kept his office dark. They hadn’t gotten any jobs today, so the office was quiet. Millie and Moxxie were waiting in the meeting room, and Loona was reclined at the reception desk as usual, scrolling on her phone.
Blitz knew they all were avoiding him, and he didn’t blame them; he hadn’t exactly made a point to be good company recently, so it was just as well they stayed out on one side of the office door, and he sequestered himself away on the other.
He lifted the trinket he’d been idly rolling between his fingers and set it point down on the desk, balancing it and watching the way it flashed in the light that couldn’t be blocked by his blinds. It shone bright orange, gleaming and promising as he twisted it. He let it drop flat, and it simply sat there, undamaged, on the wood.
He’d already chucked it at a wall once, but Asmodean Crystals were extremely tough. One wouldn’t want to be caught without one on the other side after all.
Blitz sighed again and folded his arms on the desk, laying his head upon them.
He’d been surprised that he’d kept so calm when Stolas had gifted it to him. He’d taken the box and gazed within it like he’d been handed an eviction notice that he knew was coming. He heard Stolas explain that he was now free from their deal. Blitz had managed enough control to say a simple ‘okay’ and then walk out without the book or another word.
He’d made it to his van and even gotten it down the street before the dam finally broke, and he had to pull over to scream. He’d climbed into the back seat and just held himself through every emotion that was pouring from him at once, until his throat was raw and his head was pounding.
He’d held a meeting the next day, teaching everyone how the crystal worked, and then retreated to his private office.
And that was how it had gone ever since. They’d gotten a few jobs here and there, but they worked them quietly and efficiently. If Moxxie had tried once or twice to talk to him, he had ignored him to lock himself back in his office once the jobs were over. They were worried about him, and he knew it. But they didn’t have to be. He’d be over this eventually.
The fucking owl was not supposed to mean this much to him. He knew the other shoe was dropping now, as he’d been waiting for it to do for months, but why did it have to come when he’d gotten used to the routine? Why did it have to come when he thought that… maybe-...
Blitz balled his hands into fists and smacked the crystal off of the desk again. It hit the wall and landed, unharmed, on the floor. Shit, Ozzie made these fuckers durable.
But it was just as well. If Blitz had broken it, it wasn’t like he could just go back to what he’d had with Stolas. The prince had made it clear that he didn’t want anything to do with him anymore, so trying to make a new deal with him was out of the question. He stood blankly to follow the crystal and retrieve it from the floor, planting it back in the top drawer of the desk and locking it away.
He didn’t want to look at it right now.
He didn’t want to think about it.
…But there really wasn’t enough alcohol in hell to achieve that for Blitz. ‘Overthinking’ may as well be his middle name. He dared to allow himself a single, bitter smirk. Blitzo Overthinking Buckzo. Call him Bob.
A light knock on the office door broke him out of his thoughts, and he checked the time, glowering at how late it had gotten. Who the fuck was coming in for a job when they were fifteen minutes from leaving for the day?
He stomped to the door and put his best furious face on. “This had better be a quick job, or I swear to fuck I’m gonna-” He yanked open the door.
A worried looking Millie was there, but behind her was Octavia Goetia, looking every bit the picture of exhaustion and resolve.
Blitz’s stomach leapt to his throat. “What happened?” He scampered right past Millie until he was a few feet from the princess. “Via, is he okay?” He reached for her upper arms gently without a second thought.
Something in Octavia’s eyes shifted, and despite her expression remaining largely unchanged, she felt lighter. “I need you to come to the palace,” She said, keeping her gaze steady on him. She sounded calm.
Blitz frowned deeper. “Is Stolas-”
“I have a limo waiting outside,” She interrupted, pulling away carefully to make for the door. She only paused to regard the reception desk with a tired smile. “Loona? Can I ask you to come too?”
Loona blinked at her, but shoved her phone into her pocket. “Oh. Uh. Sure.” She stood up and made her way to Blitz’s side. Unlike Blitz, she was hiding her concern well.
“We’ll close up here, sir,” Moxxie said, not waiting for instructions. “Go.”
The limo ride was unsettlingly quiet for Blitz. Loona hadn’t even taken her phone back out to pass the time, and Octavia wasn’t offering anything in the way of answers.
“I take it by the limo ride, Stolas isn’t in any danger?” Blitz tried as they grew closer and closer to the palace. It was taking a lot not to be annoyed if that was the case. It was low for Stolas to send Octavia to do his legwork.
Octavia didn’t answer or lift her head. “What does my dad mean to you, Blitz?”
Blitz went dangerously still and turned his gaze out the tinted window. “...Via, you’re a little too young for me to explain this to you.”
“I’m really not. It’s a simple question.”
Blitz bit his lip and crossed his arms. “He was… like a complicated business partner, all right? But he broke off that partnership, so. We’re amicable, I guess-”
“Augh, Blitz, can you stop!?”
Blitz startled at Loona’s sudden outburst. He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts that he hadn’t even noticed her bristling beside him as he spoke.
“You have been a fucking wreck for weeks,” she continued, her fur on end and her ears back. “You think we can’t hear you throwing shit and crying just because you close the door? You won’t talk to us, you don’t smile for real, you don’t want to do anything but work anymore! I am watching you fall apart, and now you’re just gonna lie to her and say you don’t give a shit?”
Blitz stared with something like dread in his chest. Of course Loona would be more observant than he’d hoped. She always was. “Loonie-”
“Do not ‘Loonie’ me! You’re always trying to get me to open up more, but what about you, huh!? What happens when all the shit you’ve got going on in there eats you alive!?” Loona bit back a growl. “Answer her honestly, dad!”
Octavia carefully lifted her hands. “Loona, it’s fine,” she offered, the tired smile having returned. “He doesn’t have to say anything.”
She made it sound like she’d already gotten her answer.
Loona crossed her arms and leaned back in the seat again. Blitz could only regard her with an apology stuck in his throat. He turned his gaze back to the floor of the limo and took a breath.
He didn’t know if he was ready for whatever the fuck he was walking into.
The three of them entered the foyer of the palace just as a staff imp was leaving. “Have a good night, Impington,” Octavia smiled at the white haired imp and waved. She received a soft bow in return before he made his way out of the door. Octavia locked up behind him. “We’ve had a bit of a skeleton staff for the past week. It’s best to keep dad from getting too stressed out.” She turned and began to lead the way up the stairs. “It’s better for when the doctor’s here as well. It makes the visit far easier.”
Blitz was nervous. Octavia was being extremely cagey about something that was clearly about Stolas’s health. “Look, I know you’re probably doing this on purpose, but… sweetie, is he sick? You still haven’t told me what’s wrong.”
“It’s something you should see for yourself,” Via said in lieu of a real answer, pausing just down the hall from her father’s bedroom door. “He’s in his room. I think he may be sleeping, but it’s very important that you talk. Loona,” she turned to the hellhound who’d been tagging along a few feet back. “Would you mind coming with me to the library? I’ll explain everything, but… Blitz needs to do this alone.”
Loona gave her father a look of unease, but nodded. “Yeah. I can do that.”
Octavia smiled and walked to Loona’s side, leaving Blitz closer to the bedroom and confused. She turned back to him. “Make sure you close the door behind you or you’ll let the heat out. Oh–and I’ve put a protection spell on his room.” Her gaze grew dark, and tiny wisps of her inherited demonic power licked at the air surrounding her. “If anything happens to either of them, I’ll know.”
Before Blitz can even recalibrate at the threat, Octavia had taken Loona back down the hall and disappeared around the corner. Blitz stood there blankly with no answers and even more questions.
Who was… them?
Well, he wouldn’t learn anything by just standing here. With a deep breath and a swallow of his nerves, he turned to Stolas’s familiar bedroom door and stared at it. It had been weeks since he’d been here. He hadn’t even left through this door the last time, having chosen the faster escape off of the balcony as usual. Anything that got him away from the source of his grief faster. As his hand touched the doorknob, that dread in his chest thumped again. Did Stolas even know he was coming? Or had Octavia orchestrated all of this?
That dread, and the fear that Stolas was ill, or dying, or in a coma, was churning itself inside him like an echo chamber. He pressed his lips together tight and steeled his resolve. Answers were inside, and they certainly weren’t coming out to meet him. He pushed open the door and stepped through.
The first thing he noticed, along with a dim, orange light, was that it was incredibly warm. He did as he was told and shut the door before turning to regard the room.
Stolas was not in bed. Then again, nothing was on the bed–no pillows, no sheets, or blankets, no anything. Stolas’s robe was hooked over one of the four posts, but aside from that, the bed was clear. The source of the light was on the other side of that empty bed, beckoning him with its answers, and so he walked. He stepped carefully, reminded of Octavia’s words that Stolas may be sleeping.
The first thing that came into view was one of what seemed to be several heat lamps. They were the source of both the temperature and the comfortable, orange glow. Next was the edge of a pile of craftily stacked pillows and blankets secured in a large, upturned fitted sheet and some straps, answering the question of where the bedding had gone.
Finally, in the middle of the mound of pillows and duvets, curled in a ball, was Stolas. He was nude, and his feathers were unkempt. His chest was rising and falling deeply in his sleep, much to Blitz’s relief, but the sight of him alone was not what made Blitz freeze in his tracks.
Stolas was curled around something.
Stolas was curled around an egg.
Blitz’s throat closed as he took in the visage of the little thing, with its black shell that shone with a red iridescence in the light. It was covered in little white speckles like freckles, and it was cradled in Stolas’s arms like it was the most precious thing in the world.
Blitz had never seen anything so beautiful before in his life.
His heart thudded in his chest as he carefully turned away from the pillows–a nest, he realized–and began shuffling off his jacket. He made his way to the coat rack and lobbed his blazer at it without a second thought. It missed, and he threw his boots at it for its trouble.
The noise was enough to stir Stolas on the other side of the room. His instincts pulled his egg to his chest as he lifted his head to scan the room, but the familiar shadow of Blitz’s horns facing away from him made him freeze.
He knew Blitz was coming. Before he’d curled up for a nap with his precious egg, Octavia had told him that she’d be heading out to collect him. Stolas didn’t have a reason to deny her either, as his body had healed from the laying, and it was something that had to be done. Blitz deserved to know.
…Though he wasn’t sure why he was watching Blitz struggling to yank his overshirt off.
“...Blitz?” His own voice felt far away.
Blitz didn’t answer as he managed to finally free himself from his shirt and toss it to the pile, which also gained his belt once he’d yanked it off. He made his way back around the bed to the edge of the nest and sat next to it on his knees. “...Hi,” He offered, his eyes wide with an emotion Stolas couldn’t place.
Stolas remained curled around the egg, inquisitive but on edge. “...What… what are you doing?” He let his eyes roam over Blitz’s state of dress to punctuate his question.
“I uh–” Blitz seemed nervous. “I don’t wanna come in there with any pokey bits. Your daughter’ll peck my eyes out.” He planted one hand on the edge of the pillows, as if preparing to join him, but waiting. “Can I…?”
Stolas pressed his beak shut, running his hand along the warm shell of his growing child, nodding softly.
Blitz crawled over the straps securing the nest, stumbling a bit as his hand sinks into the pillows and plants his face in them momentarily. Eventually, after a strategic and careful roll, he’s a foot away from Stolas and the egg, eyes locked on it in something Stolas couldn’t find a word for. Perhaps wonder?
He made no move to reach for it, but Stolas could tell it wasn’t from a lack of wanting to. He watched Blitz’s tail swishing and curling behind him in what he’d learned over time was a pleasant feeling–something like excitement.
Blitz was waiting for permission.
Stolas felt his smile blooming and didn’t bother to stop it. He reached forward slowly, as if toward a startled prey animal, and took Blitz’s hand with his own to bring it to the surface of the egg. He took in the sight of Blitz’s eyes widening, feeling that same warmth for the first time. Stolas recalled how it had felt when he’d first held the egg–the same as when he’d first felt life thrumming through Octavia’s egg before she’d hatched–like the world was inside the shell, and he needed to protect it.
He watched as Blitz’s face broke into a smile, and it made Stolas’s heart skip a beat.
“...It’s yours,” he finally whispered, unsure of how else to ease him into the news.
Blitz didn’t say anything for a moment, only running his thumb over the iridescent shell. “...I figured,” he said simply, but he didn’t lift his gaze to meet his eyes.
Stolas wasn’t sure if his subdued reaction was worse or better than what he was expecting. He ran his own hand over the warm egg and gave a soft, solemn smile. “...I apologize. I had forgotten… what a wonderful father you are.”
Blitz finally lifted his head, that strange, unknown emotion in his eyes. He took a slow breath and turned back to the egg. “...How… How’d this happen?” He asked, seemingly ignoring Stolas’s statement. “I mean I know we talked about how you might lay an egg, but… I thought they’d never be viable?”
Stolas felt himself blush, finding it easier now to look upon the egg as well. “...They aren’t, usually. But… Via found in her research that there’s a chance I influenced it myself.” He swallowed a lump in his throat. “...That my magic may have… wanted this. Because of how much I-...” He frowned and stopped. Instead of finishing his thought, he only pulled the egg close and curled his body around it. “...I’m sorry.” He couldn’t force his voice above a whisper.
“Are you-...” Blitz’s voice sounded shaken. “Are you… ashamed, or-”
“No!” Stolas’s head shot up to look at him. He flinched at how loud he’d been, retreating back again around the egg. “I’m not ashamed… Not of you. Or this beautiful little egg.” He felt his chest aching as his eyes began to burn. “I’m only ashamed of the way I’ve treated you, and Blitz, I’m so sorry.” He took a preparative breath. Now was as good a time to do this as any, especially since Blitz had left before he’d had the chance to say it all those weeks ago. “I’ve been so… selfish with you ever since we met. With the arrangement, and never once considering what you might have wanted because I couldn’t-... I couldn’t shake this crush I’ve had on you since we were little.” He smiled weakly. “I let it bloom and grow, and I fell for you without so much as considering how it might affect you.”
He did nothing to stop the tears from trailing down his warm face, unable to lift his head. He closed his eyes tight. “You must know that this-... I-I have no intention of letting this child be a new grimoire for you. If you want nothing to do with me, I accept it, and I won’t let you feel obligated to see me because of-”
Blitz’s hand covered his mouth before he could continue. Stolas’s eyes were drawn to Blitz’s own. “I’m gonna need you to shut up for a minute, okay? Lemme say this before I lose my fucking nerve.”
Stolas responded by saying nothing when Blitz removed his hand and took a breath.
Blitz sighed. “I… don’t know what the fuck I’m doing. Alright? I was raised by a greedy shitstain for a dad, and all I learned from him was how to fuck people over. How to use them for what I needed. It’s why I-... It’s why I came here for the book, and it’s why I took advantage of your feelings when we made the deal.”
Stolas couldn’t help himself. “But you needed, Blitz. I took advantage of your needs for my wants.”
Blitz huffed in frustration, but instead of reacting in anger, he covered Stolas’s hands with his own. “We both fucked this up, okay? We used each other.” He took another breath, like a wind-up. “...And then you got us out of it. And now we’re not stuck like that anymore. And there’s not a world where I’m not all over taking care of this kid.”
Stolas flinched, lifting his hands to return the hold as best he could. “Darling, please don’t stay if only for this child’s sake. I’ve… been in a loveless relationship for the benefit of a child, and I don’t want that for you. I want you to find happiness without being dragged down by me.”
Blitz frowned, and Stolas dropped his gaze to the bedding of the nest, his bravery to face his rejection waning. But Blitz’s hand found his chin and gently raised his head back up, as if pulling him from underwater. “Stolas, I have fucked up every relationship I’ve ever attempted. What our deal gave me was… like filling a space in me that felt safe to mess around in because it wasn’t real. It didn’t mean anything.
“...But fuck if it didn’t start meaning everything.”
Stolas felt Blitz’s thumb brush a tear from the pale feathers of his face. “Y-...You’re not… just saying that…?”
Blitz smiled, tired and shaky, but sincere. “Well, Loona kinda read me for filth earlier, so I’m doing this new thing where I try to be honest with how I feel no matter how much it makes me wanna deepthroat a shotgun.”
Stolas gave a wet laugh and leaned into Blitz’s hand. “I’d prefer you didn’t do that.”
Blitz grinned. “Yeah, you’d prefer I deepthroat something else.”
Stolas’s feathers fluffed in embarrassment, and he placed his hands over the egg. “Blitz! Not in front of the baby!”
Blitz laughed, and Stolas felt so light that he laughed right along with him. He brought a sleepy hand to Blitz’s cheek and leaned them both forward, resting his head against Blitz’s own, both of them hovering over the egg now. Blitz didn’t fight him, or pull away, and only closed his eyes and sighed.
“How long have we got?” Blitz asked, finally breaking the silence after a moment or so.
Stolas blinked. “Oh. About a month,” he answered, turning his attention back to their little one. “Octavia has ensured my schedule is clear so that I can be here with it for the duration. It must be kept warm and turned with some frequency after all.”
“That why you’re naked? The heat?”
Stolas, as if for the first time, realized just how exposed he was and blushed, ducking his head. “Y-...Yes.” Of all things to be embarrassed about, especially with what they’d been up to before in this very room.
But Blitz only nodded. “Makes sense.” Blitz moved his hands back to the egg, leaning down and pressing an animated kiss to the crown of it before moving to stand. “I’ll call Millie and let her know I’m outta work for a while.”
Stolas watched after him in wonder. “Y-... You’re staying?”
Blitz began his struggle back out of the nest of pillows. “Obviously! I don’t wanna miss it when it hatches.” He grunted as he scrambled over a particularly fluffy pillow. “Besides, I’ll bet Via could use a break from taking care of your needy ass.”
Stolas beamed at the struggling imp, hugging their egg to his chest. “I’m happy to cover any expenses you may need for work while you’re away.”
“Easy mister money bags, Millie can handle being in charge of the biz just fine without me. And if she can’t, there’s always Loonie. Oof,” He grunted as he rolled over the edge of the nest and stood up again, dusting himself off. “And if she can't, there's always the parking attendant. Anyway,” He tugs the robe from the post of the bed and lobs it at Stolas. “Put this on. There’s somebody else this little fucker’s gotta meet.”
~
Loona liked to think that she was good at pretending. She could put on an uncaring facade with the best of them, and no one would be the wiser. She’d gotten good at it. It was her built-in defense mechanism that served her well for years.
But the last few years of letting those walls drop had clearly made her lose her edge.
When the subject had shifted from Blitz and Stolas and their mother fucking baby, Octavia had decided to fill the void with chatter about anything else–her favorite shows, her favorite books that she recommended, which ‘Fuck You Dad’ album was still in her vintage record player.
Loona let her. And she said nothing. Octavia was rambling for Loona’s sake, holding her hand between them in a means of comfort that Loona had only just realized she was projecting the need for. Her walls were already down, and she was vulnerable now. Octavia knew it and was trying to help.
Blitz was about to have a kid.
A biological kid.
Loona had never felt so insignificant in her life.
A soft knock on the doorframe brought Octavia’s rambling to a halt, and Loona’s head snapped up like a cornered animal. Blitz was standing there, missing half his suit and his boots, looking absolutely elated.
Loona hated how her stomach sank.
“Sorry to interrupt girl-time,” Blitz said, beaming at them both. “Loonie, honey, can you come with me?”
She may as well get this over with. She felt Octavia squeeze her hand before she stood, making her way to Blitz and trying hard not to let her gait stutter. When she was within reach, however, Blitz grabbed her hand and squeezed it tight. “Did Via tell you?”
Loona nodded. “Y-...Yeah. I’m aware.” Blitz grinned, and Loona forced a smile. “Congratulations, Bl-”
“You’re gonna be a big sister!” Blitz, ignorant of her shock, tugged her forward and hugged her tight.
She stared down at Blitz’s head, her arms shakily raising to hug him back. His hold felt… like a promise somehow. His words were the receipt. They welled inside her and took root. She was going to be a big sister. That was how Blitz saw this.
When Blitz finally pulled away, he snatched her hand again and began leading her to Stolas’s room. Octavia followed close behind, clearly wanting to be some sort of emotional support for her, or just for everyone involved. Loona could feel Blitz’s hand trembling in hers, even if he was visibly excited. It was his way of telling her without saying anything that he was nervous–his way of asking her for encouragement without admitting that he needed it aloud. It was him trusting her with a vulnerable part of himself.
…She really needed to stop doubting this stupid idiot.
Her fears were all but gone by the time the bedroom door was opened and she was assaulted by the heat within. She winced, but followed where her dad was leading. One Stolas came more fully into view, she watched him beam up at her, looking tired and content. “Hello, my dear Loona,” he said as she approached. He was sitting on the edge of a pile of pillows and blankets clearly meant to be a nest. He was wrapped in a light robe and holding the little egg carefully in his lap.
Loona slowly sank to her knees in front of the egg, looking at the tiny thing in wonder. To think that Octavia had started out so small, and now she was so big, and so powerful…
Oh she could not wait to see this kid grow up.
She smiled and lifted a careful hand to the side of the egg and couldn’t fight the urge to nuzzle the side of her nose to it. “Nice to meet you, lil’ dude,” she hummed, her eyes closing as she relished the warmth inside the shell.
But the sudden silence around her made her open her eyes again, regarding Stolas’s startled face first before looking around at the wide eyes of Octavia and Blitz. Loona blinked. “...What?”
Stolas was the one who could finally form words. “You-... You can tell it’s a boy…? Via and I haven’t even been able to get a reading yet…”
“Uh, yeah?” Loona gestured idly to her nose. “I can smell it.”
The next sound was the thud of Blitz hitting the floor as he fainted.
~
As night fell, the palace’s population had dwindled to Blitz, Stolas, and the little egg. Loona had invited Octavia to the apartment for the night, mostly to give her a break after everything she’d done for Stolas. And maybe a bit of an effort to bond with the princess. Either way, Blitz couldn’t be more proud of her.
He was humming with energy. There was stillness in the palace now that it was mostly empty, and it contrasted everything that filled Blitz so much that he felt like he could hear his blood rushing through his veins.
Stolas was about to have a baby. His baby. Because he’d loved Blitz so hard, his magic had decided to circumvent a biological improbability.
And that was exhilarating–
–As much as it was terrifying.
Blitz was in the Goetia kitchen, putting away dishes from the dinner the four of them had shared before the girls had left. He got Stolas and himself a couple glasses of water and made his way back to Stolas’s room as he felt the adrenaline wearing down and giving way to the same old darkness he was used to.
He was gonna fuck this up somehow. He knew it.
By the time he’d made it back to the bedroom door, his feet felt like lead. He leaned his forehead against the door and squeezed his eyes shut, trying to calm himself down. His skin felt like it was too tight. The home was so calm but his mind was working at a thousand miles an hour.
But on the other side of that door was a man who inexplicably loved him. On the other side of that door was his fucking son. For once, he just wanted to stop expecting bad things from very, very good things. He took a breath, forcing himself to relax, and just listened to the stillness of the palace, trying to keep its immense size from making him feel small.
But after a few moments, he realized that it wasn’t silent. Beyond the door he was leaning against, Stolas was singing. And all at once, the palace stopped feeling so fucking huge. It clearly wasn’t big enough to hold all the love this fucking bird prince had in him.
…Yeah, that was officially the sappiest thought Blitz had ever had about Stolas. He fought the blush on his face and tucked a glass into his elbow so he could quietly open the door.
Stolas didn’t hear him enter, but it was all to Blitz’s benefit, as he got to hear more of Stolas’s gentle voice from the center of the nest as he sang to the little egg in his lap. It sounded like a lullaby, and Blitz realized he wouldn’t mind listening to it for hours.
It hit him then how stupid he’d been. He’d pushed Stolas so far away–and filled his own perception with what he thought he’d meant to Stolas for so long–that he hadn’t been able to see the evidence to the contrary.
He’d been just a toy. Until Stolas’s love became so undeniable and tangible that it made his body create fucking life.
It all made Blitz a little breathless, if he was honest.
By the time Stolas had finally noticed him, Blitz was leaning dopily against one of the bed posts, smiling like an idiot. He watched Stolas blush and turn a sheepish smile back to the egg in his lap. “How long have you been there?”
“Long enough to know that I like even more sounds you can make,” Blitz answered, making Stolas’s blush grow even deeper.
“Oh honestly, Blitzy, I’m warm enough as it is.”
Blitz laughed and reached out one of the glasses of water to him, which Stolas took gratefully and sipped. Blitz sat outside the nest and leaned his elbow on his knee, taking in Stolas for everything he was. He was tired. He was glowing. He was beautiful. He was real.
It should not have taken a blessed baby for Blitz to see it.
“...Hey Stolas?”
Stolas hooted softly in response, his sleepy eyes finding Blitz easily.
Blitz forced his throat to allow the question. “...What do you see in me?”
Stolas’s sleepy eyes were suddenly alert. His feathers puffed up as he looked to grow defensive. Blitz hurriedly lifted a hand to quell whatever selfless indignation he was preparing.
“Don’t… overthink it, I’m not trying to convince you to hate me, just… I’m curious, I guess.” It was Blitz’s turn to look sheepish.
Stolas let his feathers settle, but the concern didn’t leave his eyes. He leaned toward Blitz after a moment to hand him his glass, which Blitz took so that Stolas could concentrate. Stolas returned to the safety of the center of the nest and sighed. “...I don’t… know that I can properly put it to words. But I’ll do my best.” He closed all four of his eyes for a moment, thinking harder than Blitz had meant for him to, and took a breath. “...You were furious with me,” He said, letting his eyes find Blitz and stay there. “When I gave you the crystal, I saw it. In your eyes, the way you carried yourself… You were devastated, and for the life of me I could not figure out why. I let you walk out because I felt that’s what you needed, but I knew as you left that I… I hurt you. And I deserved your ire.”
“Stols-”
“Please…” Stolas sucked in a breath like it was a prelude to a sob. “...Let me finish?”
Blitz bit his lip, but he nodded. “...Sorry.”
Stolas steadied himself and looked back at their egg, running his fingers over its iridescent surface. “...Octavia told me how you reacted when she went to retrieve you. In the midst of your own pain, and your anger at me, you,” He gave a wet laugh, “worried. She said that you switched from bitterness to fear the moment you thought that I might be… endangered.”
Blitz pursed his lips at that. “I mean… you know why. I told you already that I’m… ya know, attached now… I don’t think I deserve praise for being selfish.” He really needed to get better about using the actual words.
But Stolas didn’t seem to mind and only smiled in response. “You really don’t know how much people speak of you, do you?”
Blitz winced visibly. “Eugh, I don’t think I want to. I’m sure everybody’s got dirt they wanna dish on me…”
“Ah yes, the ‘dirt’ that is you, staying behind in the living world to try to save Moxxie from the humans.” Stolas tilted his head, and he was beaming at Blitz. “You, dropping everything to pick up your dear daughter from a party when she was upset, you, saving your old friend Fizzarolli despite years of animosity. And I’m sure there are so many little nuggets I have yet to unearth.”
Blitz could only stare. “...How-... How the fuck did you-”
“Moxxie, Loona, and Asmodeus,” Stolas said, ticking each name off on his fingers. “Respectively.” After a moment of letting Blitz sit with that information, he leaned toward him again to extend his hand to him. “The trail you blaze, my darling, has touched so many who care about you. Who love you.” Blitz can’t help but reach out to take that extended hand as Stolas continued. “You robbed my family when we were little, and yet, you still made my birthday one of the greatest days of my life.”
Blitz balked at that, to Stolas’s laughter. “You knew-”
“We never saw those items again, my dear, you weren’t subtle. But I didn’t care. You made me smile and laugh, and you taught me what it felt like to finally have… a friend.” That smile softened considerably in a way that made Blitz’s chest ache. “Is it really any wonder? Do you really think you’re so unlovable?”
Blitz was biting his lip so hard, he knew if he kept at it, he’d draw blood. His fingers laced with Stolas’s own before he let go only to begin the journey back into the nest. Stolas carefully guided him to his side in the last few struggling steps, and as soon as Blitz was settled, he sat up on his knees and took Stolas’s face in his hands. “I’m gonna fuck up.”
“Oh Blitzy-”
“I’m gonna. I react without thinking, and I assume the worst. All the fucking time. So… C-Can you-...” Blitz pulled in a shaky breath. “Just be… patient. With me. Fuck, it’s gonna be hard, and I’m sorry. It’s gonna take a while for me to… fix myself. I’m a fucking handful, alright? I really… really need you to be okay with that.”
Stolas chuckled , of all things, and freed one hand from the egg to cover one of Blitz’s. “I have two hands, my love.”
If Blitz’s heart beat any harder, it would explode. Happiness hurts, he decided. But it was fucking worth it. He leaned down without another word–which would have failed to escape his emotionally tightened throat anyway–and kissed Stolas Goetia with a desperation he refused to be ashamed of.
Stolas wasted no time in kissing back just as eagerly, sliding his free hand to the back of Blitz’s head. Beneath Blitz’s fingers, Stolas’s feathers bristled with excitement, and he could feel his smile. Blitz pressed himself closer, careful of their egg, and felt his tail curl around Stolas’s waist, causing Blitz to swallow the giggle it brought out of the prince. His face hot, his facade destroyed, his mind exhausted, Blitz pulled away and wrapped his arms heavily around Stolas, burying his face in his neck. “... I think I love you,” he whispered, shaking like he was afraid of the answer.
Stolas settled the egg in his lap so that he could wrap both of his arms around Blitz, nuzzling the side of his head with a warbling laugh. “I love you,” He said, arms trembling as much as Blitz was. “So much, I don’t have the words…”
Blitz laughed into Stolas’s neck. “My bird brain, speechless? All your books, and you’ve got nothing?” He teased.
Stolas laughed in return, covering his face with his hands over Blitz’s shoulder. “I’m afraid even my library has its limits.” He pulled away and cupped the side of Blitz’s face, looking at him in love and awe. “It would likely take centuries to truly say how I feel.”
Blitz found that, even with all his lingering doubts, he could only beam back at him. “Well, you’ve got my undivided attention for a whole month.” He brought his hand idly to the egg again. “I’d say that’s enough time to get started.”
~