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Stolas stood, appraising the still-unfamiliar kitchen. Everything looked shiny and new. In their old apartment, Blitz had started to teach Stolas how to cook. Nothing fancy, just simple things. Stolas had wanted to start being more helpful with the household chores. Blitz was doing so much for everyone already. At the time, he figured cooking would be simple enough.
He very quickly learned that cooking was quite a bit harder than he had initially envisioned. Blitz was always encouraging and reassuring. He told him that Fizz could quite literally burn water, and at least Stolas had never done that. So he was ahead of the game.
Over time, Stolas became much more proficient at it. He would assist Blitz in making different things. However, he had not, as of yet, ever attempted to cook a full meal on his own. Now here he stood in the kitchen of their new apartment. The apartment they had gotten as theirs, not Blitz and Loona's that he was staying at, but theirs. Blitz, Loona, and Stolas, with room for Via, if she ever decided she wanted to come visit or, dare one hope, live with them.
Blitz had announced that Stolas should cook the first dinner in the new apartment. “You are the one who found the place after all. And it’s kind of poetic, or something. Your first dinner being the first one cooked in the kitchen. Feels right, don’t you think?” Blitz had been so excited by the idea.
The truth was, Stolas did not necessarily agree with Blitz’s assessment. What if he messed up the dinner? Would that set up the tone for all the dinners to come after? What if he burned something and the house would smell of it for hours, reminding everyone of Stolas’ ineptness? What if the dinner was disgusting, or he wound up undercooking something, making everyone sick? This had the potential of being a disaster.
“You're overthinking it, pretty bird.” Blitz came up behind him, gently taking him into an embrace. He poked his head out from under Stolas’ elbow to look up at him. “Tell me I’m wrong,” he said with a smile.
“What if I mess this up? Maybe I could simply help you…” Stolas began but was interrupted.
“If I didn’t think you could handle this, I wouldn’t have suggested it.” He wound himself around Stolas, never letting go. Standing now in front of him, he gazed into the owl's eyes. “You are capable of so much more than you think.” He leaned in and tightened his embrace.
Stolas had to fight back the urge to cry. Blitz never once, since the awful fight they had that horrible full moon and the consequential fallout, ever made Stolas feel like he was not worthy or that he was incapable. Blitz always supported him and cheered him on.
Blitz slowly let go and backed up to get a better look at Stolas. “Listen, we have had a busy day unpacking and setting things up. So tonight, keep it super simple. Don’t make anything overly complicated. Make something that you can do quickly and easily. A regular dinner. The kind we would actually have any old day of the week. That is the best way to go, if you ask me.” He then blew the owl a kiss and headed back to the living room to do more unpacking.
Blitz was right; he could do this. A regular, everyday meal was exactly what they needed. Stolas grabbed a pot and started boiling water. He went into the freezer and pulled out a bag of rat nuggets. He filled the air fryer with the amount he thought they would need for dinner and started them up. He then went to the pantry. It was narrow and not even that deep. Pretty small, really. However, they didn’t have one in their previous apartment, and the novelty of one pleased him more than it should have. He pulled out a box of mac and cheese and placed it next to the pot. Once the water started to boil, he added the noodles. He then proceeded to wash the lettuce and cut it up, along with carrots, cucumbers, and tomatoes. Placing them in the refrigerator until they were ready for it, he pulled out the hot sauce.
The fact that Blitz put hot sauce on anything cheese always made Stolas smile. He stirred the noodles as he thought about the first time he had seen Blitz put a dollop of hot sauce on one of the fancy cheeses Stolas had brought into the bedroom in the palace for after their full moon activities. He was appalled that Blitz had done it. White Stilton Gold obviously did not need any kind of enhancement like lowly hot sauce. Blitz told him not to knock it before trying it. So Stolas gave in and tried it. He had to admit it was a lot better than he had expected it to be.
Now it was not an oddity for Stolas anymore; now it was a pleasant little certainty that Blitz would want his hot sauce with his cheese, no matter what kind of cheese it was. The fact that Stolas was one of the few people who knew that Blitz's love for cheese and hot sauce went so deep that he always had a bottle of hot sauce on him, just in case of emergencies, filled him with joy.
The ritual of cooking, cleaning the lettuce, and cutting up the salad ingredients, occasionally shaking the food in the air fryer, stirring the noodles, draining them, then adding the cheese sauce, milk, and butter. All of these things reminded Stolas of a ritual. Sure, this was not a magical ritual, but it was extremely similar.
It was the steps to giving everyone pleasure and enjoyment, giving them sustenance and nourishment. It was a way for him to care for his- his family. That is what Blitz and Loona were after all. There was no denying it. They were his family. He was helping to take care of them through the ritual of cooking. The only thing that could have been more satisfying would have been if there were three members of his family he was providing for, not just two. Someday, he told himself. Someday, she will be ready to forgive him. Someday his family would be whole.
He set the table. The new table was actually big enough for everyone to sit at. It could comfortably fit all of them, and even had room for more. He carefully set out three sets of plates, silverware, and glasses.
He brought out the salad to the table. He found Blitz putting out a fourth place setting.
“Are we expecting someone?” Stolas asked, a bit confused.
They had been so busy with moving. It was entirely possible Blitz had forgotten to mention if someone was coming over. However, usually he was very good about letting Stolas know things like this. Blitz understood that Stolas simply needed time to mentally prepare himself for a guest.
“Nah. Not really. Just figured it looked better with a setting at each side.” He looked over at Stolas. “Don’t some people have settings up all the time? Supposed to be fancy or something, right?”
Stolas giggles. “I suppose they do.” The smile he gave to Blitz was brimming with the affection he felt for him. “It really does look nicer with the fourth setting.”
Blitz took a step back from the table, assessing it before giving an approving nod. “Yep. Definitely better.”
Stolas returned to the kitchen so he could drain the noodles and add the cheese packet, milk, and butter. He stirred everything up before transferring the noodles into a big bowl. The nuggets were also transferred to a bowl, and then both were brought out to the table.
Stolas imagined how truly nice it would be if they ever actually needed the fourth place setting. Blitz, Loona, himself, and his little Owlet. His family truly complete. That would be an absolutely wonderful dinner. He would never entirely give up hope. Even though his logical mind reminded him of how unlikely that was to happen. The hope remained.
He rinsed out the pot he had made the macaroni and cheese in when he heard a knock at the door. He wondered who it could be. Their first visitor to their new apartment. It was exciting. Even if the timing was not ideal.
He grabbed the bottle of hot sauce to set on the table as he said, “I will get it.” Both Blitz and Loona were already sitting at the table.
They must both really like the new apartment a lot, Stolas was thinking to himself as he headed towards the door. They were both smiling. Granted, Loona's smile was much more reserved than Blitz’s bright ear-to-ear grin, but it was still there.
Stolas opened the door and froze. There had been so many possibilities as to who it was. A new neighbor introducing themselves, the landlord checking that everything was alright, possibly even Moxxie and Millie coming to see if they might need a bit more help with the unpacking. All of these things, Stolas would have taken without batting an eyelash. But the person who actually stood there? He would have never guessed.
“Via?” he whispered, as if saying her name too loudly might spook her away. She stood in front of the door, gaze cast downward, arms protectively crossed in front of herself. When he said her name, she peeked up at him. Her hair had gotten longer, and he was fairly sure she had lost weight. While the weight loss was a bit concerning, she looked good. He had to fight back the desire to reach out and pull her into an embrace.
“Hi, Dad,” she said shyly. That was all it took for Stolas to lose his resolve. The tears started running down his face, and he pulled her in for the biggest hug he could muster. If he could have, he would have never let go.
“Via, my darling. Is it really you? Am I dreaming? Oh, Via, sweet sweet Via. I have missed you so much.”
“Then maybe let her in the apartment, so she can have some dinner,” Loona said from the table, suppressing a chuckle.
“Of course, Via, please, do come in.” Stolas released her and stood back so she could cross the threshold. Via tentatively walked into the apartment, looking around, taking in the surroundings.
“So this is your new place? It’s nice, but it needs plants.” She said as she slowly made her way to the table.
“Why- I mean how- I- I am very surprised to see you, dear. Extremely happy, just very surprised.”
“Loona invited me. She said you had gotten a new place and she asked if I wanted to see it, and if I wanted to have dinner.”
Stolas whirled around to face Blitz. “You knew. You knew that is why you set the fourth place. Why wouldn’t you tell me?” Stolas was too thrilled to actually be mad.
Blitz shrugged, “Via wasn’t sure if she was coming. I didn’t want to break your heart if she didn’t.” A fresh stream of tears ran down Stolas’ face. Blitz was trying to protect his feelings.
Stolas directed Octavia to the setting that Blitz had set up. Then he excused himself, saying he needed to freshen up a bit. He rushed into the bathroom to splash water on his face. He had to be careful not to blow this. He couldn’t come on too strong. He didn’t want to overwhelm her. He also couldn’t be too aloof. He did not want her to be under the impression that he did not care. He needed to strike a good balance. Could he dare hope this was the beginning of more dinners? Best not to get one's hopes up too high. However, he was going to make the best out of this dinner.
He returned to the dining room, and his heart melted seeing his family sitting around the table laughing and talking. This moment, he was going to hold this moment in his memory forever. A perfect moment.
Via heard him approaching and looked at him, laughing. “Blitz is trying to tell me you cooked this dinner.”
Stolas felt the blush creep up on his cheeks. “I can imagine just how silly the idea of me cooking must be.” He gazed lovingly at Blitz. “However, Blitz here is an excellent teacher.” Stolas sat down. He was seated across from Loona, with Blitz on one side and Via on the other. “Of course, if this dinner is subpar, then that only means I am a bad student.” Everyone laughed, and Stolas’ heart soared.
Dinner was going well. Everyone seemed to be enjoying the meal. The conversation, which was light, flowed easily. They mainly discussed the shows they were watching on Television. Blitz was excitedly explaining how he had gotten a copy of an animated human movie about a free-spirited horse. Stolas adored how enthusiastic Blitz was about his horse shows. It made Stolas feel more comfortable about his own enthusiasm and excitement for his Hell-a-novelas.
Blitz’s hand was resting on the table. Without thinking, completely automatically, Stolas placed his own hand over Blitz’s, and they interlocked their fingers. Blitz continued to talk about the movie but never moved his hand. Stolas watched him and was filled with love. He looked around the table and suddenly realized that Octavia was staring at their interlocked hands.
Stolas quickly withdrew his hand, suddenly feeling very self-conscious. He did not want to throw his relationship with Blitz in Via’s face. He knew it was a subject of contention for her. “I am sorry.” Stolas nearly whispered.
Via slowly looked up at him and then at Blitz, Loona, and finally back at her father. “It’s Okay, really.” She looked at everyone again, and her eyes started to water with tears threatening to spill over. “You are so happy here, and I don’t want to take away from that. I don’t want to be the cause of your pain in any way.”
Stolas jumped up and dropped to his knees next to Via’s chair, wrapping his arms around her. “You are and always will be the source of my greatest joy, Star Fire.” he pulled away just enough to be able to look in her eyes. “Via, the truth is that for so many years, you were my only reason for still existing. Yes, I love Blitz and Loona, but that love will never diminish the love I feel for you. Nothing will ever be able to extinguish that. Not even if I will never get to see you again.”
He suddenly got up and extended a hand her way. “Come with me. I want to show you something.” She looked at Loona, who gave her an encouraging nod. Uncertain of what to expect, Via got up and followed Stolas. He led her to one of the rooms off of the main living area. “It is silly, I know, but one of the reasons we chose this apartment was because of this.” He opened the door, turned on the light, and then stepped aside so Octavia could have a better look.
The room was done in mostly purple, with glow-in-the-dark stars, moons, and planets stickers on the ceiling. The bed, which was also purple and blue, had a sheer Purple curtain draped at the head of it. There was a guitar case leaning up against a desk. There was a singular poster of “Fuck You Dad,” Via’s favorite band, hanging on the wall. While the room had a very unlived in it feeling, it was obviously decorated to suit her. She looked at Stolas with a stunned expression. “What is this?” She asked.
Stolas shrugged. “As I said, it is silly. However, I thought if you ever needed a place to stay- or even wanted a place to stay - well, you will always have a place here.”
The tears Octavia had been fighting back won the battle and started to freely run down her cheeks. She flung herself at her father, giving him a very big hug. “Oh, Dad,” she cried. “It isn’t silly at all. Do you really mean it? You’d let me stay?”
“Darling, of course, I mean it. I would be the happiest demon in all the seven realms if you decided to say.” Stolas was apparently in competition with Via to see who could shed the most tears.
The two gazed at each other for a few more moments before hugging again. “Thanks, Dad. I need to think about it. But thank you.”
Stolas whispered. “No. Thank you for saying you would even think about it.”
They pulled away and laughed nervously, both wiping away their tears. “I still can’t believe you cooked,” Via said, shaking her head. “And it is good, too.”
“Thank you. I am full of surprises. Shall we?” he said gesturing to the dinner table where both Blitz and Loona sat watching the two of them. Via nodded and they returned to the table. Stolas looked at each member of his family. All of them, each with a piece of his heart, sitting here together, enjoying a meal. This was the absolute perfect first meal in their new home. It had set the perfect tone. This was true happiness.