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Stolas woke up with his throat dry and a crick in his back, but neither was anything new. Since moving into Blitzø’s apartment, there were some comforts he had given up. He slept on the couch that Loona had assured him — in a deeply sarcastic tone— ‘Not found next to the dumpster. Not at all.’
What woke him up? He looked around the neat but cluttered living room. Nothing caught his eye except the newest member of the family — a blueberry bush from the human world that looked like it needed water. Blitzø had found it for him while on a mission.
Figuring both him and the plant could do with a glass of water he stood and that’s when he heard the noise again. The noise that woke him up in the first place.
In the corner of the room, lay his … Blitzø… on the beanbag chair. Still in the clothes he wore the day before, his arms crossed over his chest and eyes closed.
Stolas watched him for a moment and then recognized the noise as a whimper. His brows came together and he whined. His chest rose and fell in quick, shallow breaths.
He’d heard his Blitzø whine before. Never like that though. Stolas rushed to his side and knelt down, gently shaking him. “Hey, Blitzy. You’re having a nightmare.”
Blitzø flinched as he woke and fumbled for a gun, Stolas hushed him. “It’s me. It’s me. Stolas.”
The cloudiness of sleep cleared from his eyes. “St-Stolas?”
“Yes, darling. I believe you were having a nightmare.”
Blitzø lay back. “You could say that again.”
“Let me get you some water.” He rose and tip-toed into the kitchen, filling two glasses and bringing one back to him.
“Thanks,” he murmured and drank from it.
Stolas stood pouring the other glass into the blueberry bush. He then returned to the kitchen for himself. Once he had finished he walked back into the living room to see Blitzø sitting up and pulling on his shoes.
“Where are you going?”
“Walk.”
“Oh. It’s so late though. Are you sure?”
Blitzø exhaled. “Yeah. It helps.”
“Well… then I should come with you.”
“What? No, Stols just stay put. If Loony asks—”
“We’ll leave her a note. Besides Blitzø, it’s nearly three in the morning. Who knows what hellians are out and about.”
“Nothing I can’t handle.”
“I’m not taking no for an answer, Blitzø.” Stolas tugged on a pair of pants he was borrowing from Loona, which read JUICY across the bottom.
“Fine.”
They had walked for a total of three blocks when Stolas finally asked. “What was the nightmare about?”
Blitzø shook his head. “Don’t really wanna talk about it right now, Stols.” He murmured, reaching for Stolas’ hand.
Stolas held it.
“Do you walk every time you have a nightmare?”
“No. Sometimes I find the closest person and bang them.”
“Oh.” Stolas felt color rise to his cheeks, but he kept holding Blitzø’s hand. Why hadn’t he done that with him? He wondered as they crossed into their fourth block.
“Something to just get that extra energy out, you know?” Blitzø reasoned.
“Yes.” It’d been at least a month since they’d last kissed. And longer than that since their last night of fornication. Not that Stolas had been counting… or trying for Blitzø to crawl onto the couch with him while Loona was away with friends.
They looked both ways before crossing the next street and Blitzø let go of Stolas’ hand about halfway through the crosswalk. Stolas pretended it didn’t feel like a punch to the gut.
“But since Loony’s there… you know. I don’t…” Blitzø cleared his throat anxiously.
“Of course.” Stolas wouldn’t want to offend the young girl’s sensibilities, either.
They walked in silence for a few blocks, and Stolas was shocked to see there weren’t that many hellians outside. Sure there were a few, but most of them looked like they lived there or they were too inebriated to do anything.
After walking a bit longer, it became peaceful for Stolas and he saw why Blitzø did this.
“I…” Blitzø stopped walking and it took Stolas a few steps to realize he wasn’t next to him. He turned back to him patiently. “They killed you.”
“Who did?”
“In the dream.” Blitzø shoved his hands into the pockets of his rumpled clothes. “The other royal fucks.”
“Oh!” He blinked rapidly.
“Then they made me… do things with your head…” He closed his eyes painfully and gagged.
“Blitzy.” Stolas went to him.
“And they were laughing at me, and they were going to kill me next. That’s when you woke me up.”
Stolas gently brushed the back of his claw against Blitzø’s cheek. Blitzø finally looked up at Stolas with wide wet eyes.
“They would’ve done it, too.”
Stolas directed them both to a bench and sat Blitzø down first.
As soon as Stolas sat next to him, Blitzø wrapped his arms around his middle and crawled into his lap. “Don’t you ever save my life again, okay?”
Stolas shook his head. “Blitzy. I’d do it again and again. Okay? As many times—”
“No. Don’t… don’t you dare.” His voice was thick with tears.
Stolas held him tightly. “Blitzø.”
They stayed like that for a moment, just holding onto each other. Stolas placed a kiss on his forehead. “You saved my life.”
“Ice monster was nothing. We would-a—”
“No, no. Before that.”
Blitzø sat back and thought. “The… cowboy fuck? That was M and M. The first time was me.”
“No, before that, too.”
“Loo Loo Land?”
Stolas laughed and cradled his perfect face into his hands. “Before that, Blitzy.”
He watched Blitzø flick through all the moments they had together in his head and he shook his head. “You got me stumped, Birdie.”
Stolas shrugged. “I had already filled my duty to produce an heir… Stella is horrible, but a fair enough mother… and no one — outside of Octavia— would have missed me if I were gone.”
Blitzø’s eyes became wet. “Stols.”
“Then you came… crashing back into my life.”
“It was honestly for the book, Stols. That stupid book.”
Stolas laughed and stroked his head. “However it started, it still gave me a reason to… wake up. Leave my soul sucking marriage, and to experience what it was like to be… to be…” He exhaled and pursed his lips.
“Fucked really good?” Blitzø asked innocently, but with a glint in his eyes.
Stolas chortled. “Yes.”
“Morning,” Loona said around a mouthful of cereal.
“Good morning,” Stolas greeted.
“I got an errand to run before I get to the office. I’ll see you guys at work?” She drained the last of her bowl.
“Actually, I believe Blitzy is coming down with something. Do you think, perhaps, you three can hold down the fort?” Stolas asked and hoped Blitzø wouldn’t open his mouth to disagree with him.
Loona looked between the two of them, and Stolas was sure she was going to call them out for playing hooky, but she just shrugged. “Whatever. Feel better, dad.” She called over her shoulder.
The door closed, and Blitzø looked up at him.
“So… what… did you want to do?” He asked apprehensively.
“Come.” Stolas gestured and stretched out on the couch.
“But… Loony could come back and…”
“I’m not looking for sex, Blitzø.” Stolas said firmly and held out his hand for him. He pressed himself against the back of the couch and watched as Blitzø sank in what little space there was. Stolas wrapped an arm around his Imp, and allowed Blitzø to press his nose into the downy feathers of his chest.
“Sleep, darling. I’m right here.” Stolas whispered and felt an electric shock as Blitzø gave himself permission to run a hand through the feathers along his ribcage.
After a while, Stolas was certain Blitzø had fallen asleep.
Then suddenly, Blitzø looked up.
“I love you,” Blitzø said.
His heart swelled and soared. He felt tears gather in his eyes and he blinked to release them and smiled. “I love you, Blitzø.”