Work Text:
This had taken Blitz a while to put together. He was very excited about the idea. However, had to do his best not to ruin the surprise by letting it show how excited he was.
It had started with a simple idea. A Sinner had mentioned the mortal tradition of setting off fireworks at midnight on December 31st to ring in the new year.
Blitz thought Stolas would love getting to see that. So he had packed a nice picnic-style dinner of roasted rat with kale salad, along with a delicious cheese platter and a collection of hot sauces. He also picked out a nice bottle of wine that was fancyish but still in his price range. Wine wasn’t too romantic, right? It was fine. It just went well with the meal.
He grabbed his favorite fluffy horse blanket for them to drape over their legs if they got cold. The human realm could get quite chilly in the winter months. He also grabbed a larger flannel blanket that they would use to sit on.
He roped Moxxie into helping with paperwork that day to ensure that he and Stolas would be able to leave on time.
The Sinner had mentioned that humans tended to kiss someone they cared about at the stroke of midnight. This was supposed to bring good luck.
Stolas was living with him, and he thought they were in a pretty good place. However, he wasn’t really sure if they were in a place to really start dating. He wanted desperately to be in that place, but he also didn’t want to rush Stolas into anything he wasn’t ready for. Stolas was so fragile.
He wasn’t sure if he would mention this tradition of kissing. But he was sure that having a nice picnic under the stars and then getting to watch fireworks would be absolutely fine. Friends and roommates did that kind of thing, surely. It didn’t mean anything.
When the workday ended, Stolas rose from the desk. “Should we head home?” he asked, glancing at Blitz before grabbing his coat.
“I was thinking we could maybe go out for dinner tonight?” Blitz said, desperately trying to sound unbothered and cool about it.
Loona had been told about the idea already and knew that even if he didn’t come right out and say it, Blitz was hoping that this would bring him and Stolas closer together. In other words, this would not be a three-demon dinner.
Stolas made Blitz happy, and Loona wanted Blitz to be happy. He deserved to be happy. He could never seem to understand that he did. But he did. To that end, she had made sure to have plans for this evening. “Count me out. I am meeting up with Russ tonight. Heading over there right now as a matter of fact.”
She went over to Blitz and gave him a hug. “Don’t blow this, Dad.” She whispered into his ear. Then pulled away and loudly declared. “I’m out. You Loosers have a good night.”
Blitz tried hard not to look too excited about this. He had not given any thought to the fact that Loona normally would be eating with them. Sometimes, details, such as who all would be around for dinner, were things he forgot about. He could get very single-minded when it came to plans, focusing on the end goal and forgetting certain details. He was so grateful Loona was able to think ahead.
“Oh, that is a shame,” he said, trying to sound sincere. “Guess that leaves just you and me, Stolz.”
Stolas shrugged. “Honestly, I am very tired. A nice, quiet evening at home sounds divine.”
Loona stopped with her hand on the door and glared at Stolas. He did not notice the look. He did, however, notice the deflated look on Blitz’s face. He had missed something, obviously. When he finally looked at Loona, he had no doubt she would fill him in on what that something was.
Blitz’s face fell. “He hadn’t thought about the fact that Stolas might not be interested in going out. He went into his office and stared at the basket. What was he going to do now? Maybe he could convince Stolas to go anyway? He really hated forcing Stolas into things. It seemed like Stolas' entire life was dictated by others. He wanted to give him the opportunity to make his own choices.
There was a soft knock on the door. “Perhaps a quiet dinner out would be nice,” Stolas said. Then glanced over his shoulder at Loona, who was now giving him a thumbs up as she headed out the door. Stolas briefly wondered if Blitz was at all aware of how protective of him Loon really was.
Blitz’s whole face lit up at Stolas’s change of mind. “You sure, Stolas?”
Stolas only shrugged. “We can always go home if we are not having fun, right?’
“Hell yeah,” he activated the crystal before taking Stolas's hand in his and grabbing the basket with the blankets stacked on it with the other. “You’re going to love this. I just know it.” And with that, they stepped through the portal.
—---------------------------------------
In the human realm, they found themselves on a low-sloping hill that appeared to be centrically situated a few miles from several small towns. Stolas noted that they must be in Europe. They also happened to be in a pasture with two horses grazing nearby. The sky was clear and filled with stars. The moon was just a thin sliver winking at them. It was cool but not cold. It was perfect.
Stolas looked up at the sky and their surroundings before saying, “Oh, we appear to be in Europe. How ro…nice.” he hoped Blitz had not noticed his near blunder.
Blitz laid out the flannel blanket and gestured for Stolas to sit down. Stolas looked at him for a few moments before finally sitting.
Blitz laid the horse blanket over Stolas’s legs. He then pulled out the food items, the cheese platter, the roasted rat, and the kale salad. He left the hot sauce in the basket, figuring he could pull them out as needed.
They began eating the food. “My compliments to the chef. This is delicious.” Stolas said after swallowing a bit of rat.
“You always say my cooking is good.” Blitz waved a dismissive hand towards Stolas. He was pretty sure the low light hid the blush he felt bloom across his face.
The two talked a bit about their day, and Stolas updated Blitz on the Hell-a-Novella he was watching. All in all, it was a beautiful meal.
Suddenly, Blitz remembered the wine. He hastily pulled out the bottle and poured a glass for Stolas. Stolas took the glass, which meant he was now holding the glass in one hand and his plate in the other.
“Oh man, sorry about that,” Blitz said, realizing the predicament he had accidentally placed Stolas in.
“No worries. I only had a bite left.”
Stolas was about to set his plate down when Blitz suddenly reached forward. “I can help.”
He picked up the last morsel of roasted rat from Stolas’s plate and then lifted it to Stolas’s lips. What was he doing? This was definitely not friend territory anymore.
Stolas stared at the bite of food and then at Blitz. The moment seemed to drag on for eternity before Stoliz leaned forward ever so slightly and took the bit offered to him. Blitz’s fingers brushed against Stolas’s lips, and both felt a shiver run up their whole bodies.
“What about you?” Stolas asked barely over a whisper.
“What about me?” Blitz croaked. His throat had gone completely dry.
“Are you not going to eat any more?”
“Just one more bite for me,” he said as he used the same fingers that just brushed against Stolas’s lips to pick up a small piece of cheese and guide it into his own mouth.
Stolas swallowed hard before clearing his throat and saying, “Blitz?” Stolas interrupted his thoughts. “What are we doing here?”
Blitz took a deep breath. “I thought this would be a nice evening for you. Get you out of the house and lift your mood a bit.” He took Stolas’s hand back into his. “You have every right to be sad right now. You have been through so much. Lost so much,” he shrugged. “But I don’t want you to get lost in that sadness.
“Oh, Blitz.” Stolas squeezed his hand in response. “Darling, thank you for always looking out for me.” He looked around. “And this is a very beautiful place to spend an evening.” He lay back and looked at the stars.
Blitz moved the plates so he could lie down next to Stolas and also gaze up at the Stars. Stolas lifted the horse blanket and placed it so both of them were now covered by it.
Stolas sighed. “Honestly, I didn’t think I would see stars again. Not for the next 100 years,” he sat back up. “Thank you for giving me this.”
Blitz felt the color rising in his cheek. The moment was starting to feel too real, too much. He needed to break the tension. “Stars for you, and horses for me.” He laughed, gesturing at the two grazing nearby. “What could be better?”
Stolas glanced over at the horses, then at their surroundings, the food, and finally at Blitz. “There was a time, I would have thought this was a date,” Stolas admitted quietly.
There was something in Stolas's voice that broke Blitz’s heart.
“Stolas,” he said, rubbing his thumbs over the knuckles of Stolas’s hand. “There was a time when the thought of an evening like this would have sent me running for the hills.” He sighed as he sat up. “A time when I couldn’t let myself understand what was happening. The feelings I was developing for you.”
He released Stolas’s hand so that he could instead gently caress his cheek. He smiled just a little, noticing that Stolas’s cheeks were tinted a light pink. He was pretty sure it wasn’t the cold that had done it. “But now. I am scared for a different reason,” he added.
“Oh,” Stolas’s eyes were like pools of ruby liquid staring deep into his soul. “Why are you scared now?”
“I am scared that I have blown my chance. That I ruined any chance we ever could have possibly had. I am scared that if there is a chance and I move too fast, I will lose you. Or if I move too slowly, I will lose you.” He sighed. “I am scared of fucking this up. Because let’s face it. Somehow, I will fuck this up.”
“Oh, Blitz, darling,” Stolas leaned into the gentle caress of Blitz’s hand. “I share the same fears. I have never experienced the joys I experienced while we were together. But that was an arrangement we both were comfortable with. We both had something to gain from it.
“But now, there is no arrangement. I have nothing to offer you. Why would you want to waste your time with me?”
Blitz smiled, “That’s easy,” he said quietly, nuzzling his forehead to Stolas’s. “Because I want nothing more than to give you all of my time. I want to share all of my New Year with you. And every single day in between as well.”
Stolas felt a single tear roll down his cheek, and Blitz gently wiped it away. “Do you mean it?” Stolas asked, his voice thick with emotion.
Blitz smiled gently. “I don’t want to rush you into anything. I will honestly wait forever. And if this is not something you want, I will back off. You will still have a place to stay, a job to go to, and me in your corner. None of that is in jeopardy here,” he nuzzled closer. “I don’t want that to ever be a factor in the choices you make. But if you give me the opportunity for more, I am going to take it. I ain’t going to lie, Stolas.” he pulled away so he could look into his eyes. “I want to be yours and you to be mine.”
Stolas clasped his hand over his mouth. Before lowering it and whispering, “I want that, too.”
“Blitz?” Stolas asked, suddenly pulling away.
“Yeah?”
“Did you know that humans have quite an interesting tradition revolving around New Year's?”
“Oh really?” Blitz grinned. Of course, Stolas knew about this silly little human thing. “Enlighten me.”
“At the stroke of midnight, couples kiss for good luck in the upcoming year.”
“You don’t say?”
In the distance from all the little towns, they could hear the bells ringing out, welcoming the new year. They leaned into each other, kissing as the night sky was lit up by fireworks from all around.
“All of my New Year's will always be yours,” Stolas whispered after the kiss broke.
“All of mine will always be yours,” Blitzo responded.
With that, the two kissed again, their meal completely forgotten.