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- Oh come on! It's the third time. - Stolas complained, after opening his empty lunch box, which should have contained three rats.
Someone at I.M.P was stealing his food a few days ago, but he didn't complain to Blitzø, nor did he ask who it was, he had been a headache for the last two months, crying and grumbling about Octavia, and about being poor.
He knew he was being annoying, and that he was probably acting like a privileged spoilt, but he didn't care.
His life had been turned upside down, and he had lost the only thing that gave his life meaning for years, so if Stella wasn't there to throw things at him, and no member of the Goécia family would judge him for his lack of class, who cares if he spills it all out.
The former prince's eyes fell on the box of happiness pills in the office desk drawer. Since Blitzø managed to find a way to get a higher dosage of this medicine, the rest of hell no longer felt so heavy on his shoulders.
And Loona had established a small friendship with Via, and promised that she would try to talk to her when the girl was ready.
So the least he could do was try to be less insufferable. Furthermore, Moxxie and Mildred welcomed him as a friend even after the arrogant way he had treated them some time ago.
If he could go back in time…
Suddenly a beam of light appeared in the room, opening a portal, from which her extremely excited boyfriend, her almost-stepdaughter, and the M&M couple as Blitzø liked to call them came out.
There was no blood on any of their clothes, a sign that there was not much violence.
- Take off your jeans, put on your thong, uau. - Blitzø sang, while staggering between dance steps towards the owl. - Oh my little bird, you are so sensual... - the little devil brought his hands to Stolas's face, placing a long peck.
A small warmth formed on the owl's face, he couldn't contain the smile on his face.
- Was the mission good? - Stolas asked, while Blitzø took his hand, intertwining their fingers.
- It was great, the client asked us to kill an entire group, but they were in a car so we had to roll everything over! - a small giggle escaped the little devil's lips, while a small sparkle accumulated in his eyes.
Stolas liked listening to Blitzø talk about the missions, he didn't understand much of the adrenaline that the little devil felt, but the little face that Blitzø made was reason enough for Stolas to listen to three hundred stories like that.
Mildred ran past them towards the bathroom, Blitzø narrowed his eyes and turned to Moxxie.
What do you hear with Mills? - Blitzø asked, and Moxxie just shrugged.
- She's been really sick lately, but she refuses to go to the doctor, and whenever I offer her some medicine she gets angry. - Moxxie explained, with his eyebrow raised, with his gaze pointed towards the corridor that led to the bathroom. - It must be the strange things she's been eating.
Feeling sick, uncontrolled feelings, hunger for strange things...
Stolas' Mind teleported him to the morning after Sismas's party, when Stolas found a pregnancy test in the trash can in the bathroom of Blitzø's house. He wondered if perhaps it was Loona's but she hadn't shown any signs that indicated a pregnancy other than Mildred.
He had no right to say that to Blitzø or Moxxie, if it were true Mildred would have to say it in her own time when she was ready.
But...
Maybe she needs some help?
- I'm going to the bathroom. - Stolas got up, kissing Blitzø on the forehead before heading towards the bathroom.
Fortunately or unfortunately, Blitzø never bothered to build two bathrooms for each gender. Stopping to analyze this, it was really bad, the owl made a personal note to talk to her boyfriend about it.
As he approached the door, Stolas stopped when a low sound of crying filled his ears. Should he really go?
They weren't even that close, why would she want to talk about it with him? Just because he was a father doesn't mean she wants his opinion or any advice.
Maybe he's being invasive?
He sighed.
The most she can do is send him the fuck home. Like it or not, he had a certain habit with sterile women.
Stolas slowly opened the door, the tiles that were supposed to be white took on a brownish tone covered the floor and half of the walls, the cracks in the mirrors, and the scribbles and swear words written on the cabins. Blitzø said this was what schools in the human world looked like.
And sitting on the floor against the wall, in tears, was she. The little devil's eyes widened as soon as she noticed the former prince passing through the door, she began to wipe her tears.
- Mildred? - Stolas approached slowly.
- S-Stolas, I didn't hear you coming. - She opened a crooked smile, as she finished wiping her tears.
The owl's gaze fell on her friend. Even though she hadn't been in the IMP for so long, Mildred was the most balanced of the group, she always seemed to have everything under control, and nothing seemed to shake her.
She takes care of everyone, but now she has no one to take care of her.
-Mild-
- I am fine! - she stated. - My sister sent me a video of animals dying, you know, they make us sad.
Stolas knelt down beside her, reaching into his pocket for a cell phone, where he had a photo of the pregnancy test he had found.
Is this yours? - he showed her the photo. - I found it in the trash at home at the Sismas party.
Her eyes widened, her face began to tremble as redness enveloped her eyes and tears returned to the girl's face.
- Don't tell Moxxie, please.- she asked with a trembling voice.
- No, of course not. - Stolas assured, sitting next to Mildred. - I just wanted to know if you needed any help or... if everything was okay.
She opened her mouth, her lips trembling and just mumbled a "fuck" and held her head, letting the tears fall.
Shit.
Blitzø was the only person Stolas actually had contact with outside the castle, he never had a friend, what should he do in this situation?
Should he do what he did with Octavia?
He reached out to touch the shoulder of the little devil who looked at him.
- Look Mildred, as a friend I'm afraid I can't help you as much as I'd like, but as someone who is a parent I can offer a safe space to talk if you want. - Stolas smiled gently, receiving a shaky but genuine smile from the girl.
- I... Well...
- Don't you want the baby? - Stolas asked.
- No! I mean yeah, I-I don't know. - She put her hands up to her hair, pushing her bangs back. - I just have no idea what to do, I wasn't planning on becoming a mother so soon, I mean I don't even know how to do it, okay I have younger brothers, but that's different, what if... what if I screw up.
Stolas' eyes widened. His mind teleported him to that day in the incubator 17 years ago, when his daughter was still an egg, all the fear and doubt he felt, all the questions he never received the answer to, the loneliness.
A fond smile spread across the owl's face.
- You know, I had Via when I was nineteen, and the day Stella finally glued the egg, it was-
- Best day of your life. - Mildred interrupted him, completing his sentence.
- The most agonizing and frightening day of my life. - She looked at him, raising her eyebrow. - I had no idea what to do, how to be a father, how to shape a future Ars Goécia, I didn't even have anyone to inspire me.
Stolas snorted subtly, he couldn't believe how long it took him to realize that his father was an asshole who didn't even care about him.
- I didn't even know exactly what to feel, sometimes I saw it as a job that I wasn't prepared to do, other times as the source of that damn marriage, I was young and I wasn't prepared for anything.- Stolas explained. - One day I found myself talking to her, just venting about Stella, and the egg moved. - A small muffled giggle escaped Stolas' lips as a tear threatened to slide down his cheek. - I didn't know if she had reacted to my voice, or if it was a normal kick, but I felt so happy.
Stolas wiped away a tear that had formed on his face.
- And when she was born it was the best day of my life. - Stolas said. - But even though I loved my daughter more than anything in this world, I still had no idea what I was doing, all I knew was that I wanted to make sure she was happy, even if it meant I had to pretend to like her shitty mother. - Stolas rolled his eyes at the memory, eliciting a small laugh from Mildred.
The little devil's gaze moved away from his, and her small smile faded. Doubts visibly filled his gaze.
Stolas couldn't help but feel a little déjà vú.
- But... - she sniffed. - And if I still can't do it, and if loving him or her isn't enough, and if I ruin everything. - Mildred's voice was trembling enough to break anyone's heart.
- Love is not enough. - Stolas just spat, attracting her friend's confused look.
- What?
- Look, I'm not going to lie, when it comes to being a father or mother, only love is never enough. - Stolas sighed. - When we are children, we see our parents as these supreme beings, who know everything and have everything under control, but the truth is that they don't, they never did, and that's okay. - Stolas gently held her hand. - Having children is something that will never make sense, you will roll your eyes when they ask to sleep in your bed and cry when you realize that they are too big for that; you will pray for a moment's peace when they don't want to be separated from you, and when they are old enough to leave the house you feel like you are going to die.
A muffled giggle escaped the owl's lips, which also managed to elicit a small smile from her friend.
- I'm sorry about your daughter. - Mildred lamented. - You seemed to be a wonderful father, from what Blitzø said.
Stolas swallowed the growing lump in his throat as his mind teleported him back to his last conversation with his daughter. No, he wouldn't start crying now, he was there to comfort Mildred.
- Thank you, it means a lot.
- If things went wrong even with you, what guarantees that I will do everything right? - she asked, resting her head on her hand.
- No, parents make mistakes, just as there are no perfect people, there are no perfect parents. - Stolas stated. - But you know, Mildred, I think you'll be a much better mother than me.
She frowned, confusion filling her eyes.
- I-I, why?
- Because there's something I didn't have, you're not alone. - Stolas lightly shook the little devil's hand. - You have a husband who loves you, a family who supports you, and friends who care about you. And I know you have enough strength to fight for your child.
She wiped her face, offering him a genuine smile.
- Thanks.
- Whenever you need it, big mother. - Stolas joked, earning a giggle from Mildred. - You can talk about this with me whenever you want, Mildred.
- Millie.
- What?
- Call me Millie. - she asked. - I know you're used to this rich people upbringing, but you're one of us now and you're my friend so you call me Millie.
A smile broke out on Stolas' face.
- It's okay, Millie.
Maybe he was more a part of the family than he realized.