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It is a calm rainy Friday night, when the portal activates. Blitz´s human disguise hair stands at the intrusion, and it takes five seconds for the ex-assassin, who was looking at the school report the teacher sent about his youngest tendency of biting others, to have his gun with celestial bullets ready and pointing to the door that has not opened in the last 8 years.
He points at the door while mentally checking for the whereabouts of his children: Morgan, M&M´s child and the only surviving member of M&M's family after Heaven´s first attack is probably asleep, since there has not been any request for a story to be read, Octavia and Loonie are out, one studying for final exams in the University´s library, the other at her job in the mayor´s office.
With a movement he takes out the charmed collared that makes him look human, even if he has trained to get used to fight in his human body, Blitzo stills feels more comfortable fighting in his imp form. His spines and tail give him some advantages. It has been a while since anyone from Hell has pay a visit, and Blitz is not in the mood for a long fight.
The door opens. Blitz loads the gun.
“Blitz” the newcomer says as a greeting, hands up, and damn fucking Lucifer again to hell. Before Blitz can really think about it, his arms are surrounding the solid form of the asshole that tricked him to this forgotten corner on Earth just to leave and go fight a war that was lost before it started.
It is a calm, rainy Friday night when Stolas of the Ars Goetia comes back home. And for all Blitz fantasies of slamming the door on his face and telling him to fuck off, the only feeling Blitz is capable of is relief.
Stolas, hoots in surprise, and drops to his knees, enveloping Blitz in a tight hug, smashing the shorter demon against a chest full of feathers, that smells like Stolas but also something new, like smoke and something cosmic, like starlight or some ethereal shit like that. He hears Stolas taking a deep breath and then a hoot that sounds like a sob, and Stolas trembles from feather crown to his talons.
After seconds or an eternity, of just feeling his stupid, trickster, self-sacrificing idiot of a husband breathe, Blitz opens his mouth to call him off all the insults that he has not dared to scream the last 8 years, because Morgan picks everything up, the damn kid.
“I am so glad you are alive” Blitz says instead, and because he has a reputation to maintain, he adds “you motherfucker stupid asshole”.
That earns him a hoarse laugh and a tighter hug, Stolas resting his big head between Blitz horns and kissing the top of his head.
“Oh Blitz, it is so good to be home”
They stay hugging for minutes or centuries, Blitz is not sure. And then Blitz looks up to see Stolas´ face and startles when he notices an additional pair of eyes looking at him. They're red like his usual four, and they don't show any pupils like before, but these new ones seem to be full of constellations. They shift and swirl like living galaxies, and Blitz slowly untangles from Stolas to take a good look at his bird.
To the casual observer, besides the two additional eyes, Stolas may look almost the same as he was when he left, but Blitz is an assassin and the devil they say is in the details. This is how he can tell Morgan ate that additional strawberry jam sandwich or that Octavia has been kissing with the mother of that girl in Morgan´s class, again.
The elaborate robes of a Goetian prince and the casual ex-prince sweater and pants are gone, replaced by a severe black military uniform. Stolas´ insignia sits at his collar, marked with symbols that make Blitz's eyes hurt to look at too long.
Stolas has always been thin, but now his frame looks lighter. His feathers are not preened, and they're a little bit longer than usual. But the most striking thing is his smile. It is sincere, but it looks torn, ravaged by time and suffering. Blitz searches for his kind and gentle husband, the one who used to get excited over a new sapling or will explain patiently to Blitz how to fill the tax forms they need to get some returns for IMP and finally fix the fucking van. He finds Stolas, oh yes, but there is a new wilderness in him. It is like his eldritch form, the one that is all nightmares and flame, all feral and infinite is hiding between that smile.
“Are you hungry? I have some left overs from dinner” Blitz asks, because in the last years he has developed what Octavia calls “Grandma syndrome” where he feeds everyone, all the time, like it may be the last meal. And hahaha, princess, the joke is on you, because Blitz remembers the days he almost died of hunger, after the angels blown up the Pride ring. Without waiting for an answer, he tries towards the fridge to takes out some mouse burgers he has left.
But Stolas strong talons tense and hold him back. “Blitz, I..” he says again, and he opens and closes his beak, words getting stuck, and the smile is gone, and Stolas looks older than he was when he left.
“How long it was for you?”
“Time got funky; it broke at some point. But I will say it was almost 300 years” Stolas says, in a soft way, in that way he has when he wants to minimize something as it should not matter, but it does. That he knows exactly how much time It was for him.
“Did we won?”
Was it worth it? Blitz wants to ask. And hell, he knows why Stolas did what he did. After his exile, after Octavia won her right as heir, the legions of House of Stolas were hers. And when the war Heaven started against the singing Princess of Hell and her soul redemption attempt…well Octavia was supposed to go and lead those legions. And of course, Stolas did something to avoid it. He arranged everything on Earth, under the guise of a day outing to celebrate Blitz birthday in a farm with horses, and then blessed them so they could not go back home. Blitz guesses he sold the idea to the court that he was a better fit to fight, than a scared 19 year old. Self-sacrificing prick.
Stolas eyes go dark. “Nobody really wins a war Blitz. It is just…there is a new order. Charli…Princess Charlotte will be leading Hell for now and there will be a new relationship with Heaven. It does not matter anymore. Not to me.” He says and he goes a little bit to the side, exhaustion in every line of his body. “You and the girls and Morgan will be safe. And I am home. I am home, and I hope you will allow me to stay” he says with a slight tremble in his voice.
“Stolas..” Blitz says as he raises his hands to gather the owl´s face between his hands. There is fear in his lover´s eyes. Fear of what? Blitz was mad, of course he was mad. Furious, apoplectic, and scared out of his fucking life for him. The only reason he gave up trying to go back, was Morgan and the girls. But he understood Stolas because he was going to do the same. Stolas just beat him to it.
Stolas leans in Blitz's hands and the something seems to crack in him. The military bearing crumbles, leaving behind just a heartbroken bird.
“I…Blitz, I am not the same demon you loved. I am not your gentle and kind lover” he says, in a whisper, like a confession. “The things I have done”
Blitz holds Stolas heart-shaped face firmer, feeling the slight tremble. Those constellations swirl with something ancient and terrible.
"I commanded my legions into slaughter. I killed angels, but sinners and hell-born too. My strategies painted Hell´s soil black" Stolas's words tumble out like falling stars. "Cast spells that consumed whole stars, I devoured them while they screamed" His talons flex unconsciously. "Had to become stronger. Ate... ate angel flesh with the cannibals to seal alliances. Vassago... he offered his sight for a final ritual under the last battle. He said it was his choice but I let him..."
Stolas's breath hitches. "Gave away memories to pay for passage home. Via's birth. Our first kiss after the trial. The songs the plants used to sing..." His hands shake. "I can´t recall them. I paid Charonte to come back to you, to Via” A deep breathe, and Stolas voice breaks. "I let the violence in me burn. Let the thing I was born to be consume what I became with you. To protect you. To come back."
Blitz stays quiet, thumbs stroking Stolas's cheeks, letting him speak.
"My legions are gone. My powers have changed. The gentle prince you loved... he burned away in cosmic fire." Stolas tries to pull back but Blitz holds firm. "I don't know if you could... if you should..."
"Hey," Blitz interrupts softly. "Could you do me a favor? With all your fancy new evil cosmic powers?"
Stolas blinks in confusion.
"That gerbera diabolicus in the entrance. The one that acts like a damn t-rex on crack. He keeps eating my goats. Think you could take care of it?"
"Gladys?" Stolas looks bewildered, but his eyes drift to the plant. "Oh, but that's... that's the first one we planted together. She's difficult, yes, but her properties are fascinating. The way she produces venom only under moonlight, and her root system is quite remarkable for a hellish hybrid. She is a great protector. She just needs proper understanding and-"
Blitz laughs, more like a snort, and pulls him into another fierce hug, cutting off the familiar ramble about plant properties. “Devourer of stars or not, only my Stolas would defend that bratty flower like that."
A choked sound escapes Stolas.
"Listen to me, you overthinking feather duster," Blitz says against his chest. "I will fall in love with you over and over again. I don't care how you've changed, where you've been, or what you had to do to come back. You're mine."
"But-"
"No buts. Don't tell me you're not the same person. You're always my Stolas. And I've been waiting." Blitz pulls back just enough to meet all six of Stolas's eyes. "I'd wait a thousand more years if I had to."
"Even knowing what I've become?"
"Especially knowing what you've become. Because you did it to come home. To protect us." Blitz's voice roughens. "Your shitty plan to keep us safe hurt like hell, but I understand. You beat me to it - I'd have done the same damn thing."
A deep, resonant hoot escapes Stolas, somewhere between a laugh and a sob. "My darling, clever imp."
When they kiss, it tastes of stardust and tears and coming home. Different, yes - there's an edge of wildness to it now, cosmic fire threading through gentle love - but still undeniably them.
"I love you," Blitz murmurs against Stolas's beak. "Every version, every change, every moment. Got it?"
"Love you too" Stolas whispers back, and his smile reaches all six eyes.