Chapter Text
Stolas
“Octavia, darling, are you busy right now?”
She pulled an earbud out and stopped walking, giving me an irritated look. “Uh… no?”
She’s sixteen now. She’s a teenager and teenagers are more distant. She’s withdrawn and she doesn’t want to spend time with her fathers all the time. So, I don’t take it personally. “Wonderful. Would you help me make some lunch? We can share, and, hopefully your father will be home by the time it’s done.”
She made a face, “Wasn’t Dad supposed to be home three hours ago?”
Yes. And I’m more than a little concerned about it. He isn’t answering his phone right now, but, I have faith in him. He did an over-night job this time, and he was supposed to be home for breakfast, then off to take a nap. Now, it’s too late for breakfast but I can work on an early lunch. And I can try to get him some quality family time before he crashes, so he isn’t so upset about coming home so late.
I liked it better when he was doing regular bodyguarding jobs. It isn’t that I don’t support his new free-lancing direction. I’m not particularly squeamish about violence or ‘assassin’s work’. He works for his own drive, and, he liked the career mobility in this more than bodyguarding. So, now, he does both. Sometimes at the same time. But when he was bodyguarding exclusively, he was always home on time.
“He’s running a little late, Starfire. Now, do you think we should have gnocchi with the tomato paste, or perhaps something lighter? A salad?”
She glanced around the kitchen, then took both of her earphones out to drape around her neck like a scarf. “You know he doesn’t like salad, right?”
“He likes the one with chicken and corn in it.” I opened the fridge to see if we had the sort of chicken I use for it.
“Gnocchi. I’m starving.” She went to take a pan out.
I accepted this easily, taking the butter out instead.
When the gnocchi finished and I still had no word from Blitz, I filled three bowls and put his serving into a container to reheat later.
“Want me to take that up to Loona?” Via pointed to the bowl I had set aside, when I sat beside her with mine.
“I’ll take it up if she doesn’t come looking for food while we’re sitting here.” I would rather she ate at a table, of course, but she may continue eating in her room so long as she doesn’t make a mess of it. She’s an adult now, she can handle her own space and I certainly don’t want to overstep, but, I also don’t want ants. It was only a problem when she first got here and she hoarded everything she could, and she had a habit of moderating her food as if she weren’t sure when the next meal was. She’s far from that now, and, at most I have to go in and take out some energy drink cans.
“Have you heard anything from Dad yet?”
I checked my phone. “No, not yet. But, he’s alright. He’s very capable, and, I would know if something’s gone wrong.”
I would. I’ve felt him get hit a few times, and I know very well what it feels like when he falls on his face. He does that frequently, despite being typically well coordinated and very graceful when he wants to be. I’ve felt every bump and bruise he’s ever gotten, all throughout our lives, and I know what all of it means. He hasn’t been hurt nearly enough to be concerning in any way, not even to be potentially knocked unconscious. He has a dangerous job, but, he is so very good at it that I’ve never had to have a problem with it. Of course I worry for his safety, but to be perfectly honest I worry for his targets’ safety far more.
“Right.” She rolled her eyes and took another bite. Then, tilting her head, she got a curious look. “What does it feel like?”
Octavia hasn’t shown any signs of a bond. Every bump and bruise and pulled feather has been her own doing, from playing rough or tumbling about in the gym. She doesn’t go there as often anymore, but, I can still find her climbing just about everything in the palace to ‘loom’, as she calls it. With her darkened clothes and her music.
“It feels just as it would if I were the one falling down, as it were. The only reason I know it’s him is because I know I haven’t.” I smiled fondly at her small laugh; she knows how Blitz will fall occasionally. “It also fades quickly. When he does get injured at work, when he’s wearing those bandages you know? Well, I don’t have any need to wear them because they aren’t my injuries.”
“Oh.” She ate the last from her bowl and tapped her fork on the edge. “I thought that’s just because he’s an imp. They heal slower.”
“That they do,” I was only half finished with mine, and I was checking my phone again. “But I assure you, if I were the one stabbed in the shoulder the way your father was last week, I would still be recovering too.”
She frowned before getting up. “Are you sure he’s alright?”
He has a dangerous job, and I’m not the only one that worries about him.
“I promise, my little Starfire, he is perfectly fine. He hasn’t answered his phone or told me what’s happening, but, he will. He’s likely very busy right now, and that’s all.”
“Yeah,” she put her bowl down into the sink and picked her headphones back up. “You sure you don’t want me to take that?” She pointed back to her sister’s bowl.
I’m still only halfway through mine. I slid Loona’s toward her, a little further from me. “I would appreciate it, thank you. I’ll let you both know when he comes home safely.”
“Thanks.” She took the bowl and left.
I took my time eating the rest of my lunch, and then I found a lid for Blitz’s food so I could put it away into the fridge. Then, I took my time cleaning the dishes, rather than putting them into the dishwasher. I had only just let the sink out and was patting my hands dry on the kitchen towelette when my phone buzzed shortly.
I leaped back toward the table, where I’d left it to make it more difficult to check it every few seconds. It was a message from Blitz.
Blitzy💜: dont pay that
What in the name of the stars is he talking about?
Before I could ask, the picture on my phone shifted from our chat conversation to an incoming call from a law enforcement office in Greed.
Has he… gotten himself in trouble?
I answered. “Hello?”
“Yes, is this Prince Stolas of the Ars Goetia?” A strict and no-nonsense voice asked.
I leaned into the kitchen counter, “Yes, this is he.”
“We have an imp here that belongs to you. Blitzo Buckzo, according to our records.”
Oh, shit, what has he done? No, that’s a very stupid question. The question I should be asking is, how has he gotten caught?
“Yes, that is my imp. Do you want me to come and collect him?” I picked at my talons in a sort of mindless way, because now that I know where he is and I understand why he isn’t here, I am no longer concerned. And of course he isn’t my imp, he is my husband, but we’ve gone quite some time without drawing unwanted attention and I didn’t want to start that now.
“Bail has been set and you can come to pay it if you would like him back. If you haven’t come to collect him in sixty days, he will be automatically processed as ‘unclaimed’ and sent to a more permanent prison. If you would like to waive your rights of ownership now, I can write that down.”
Well, Blitzy does not want me to pay his bail right now, so, he must have a plan. More than likely, he would like to escape on his own. I think him capable, certainly, and I also know this to be one of the tasks on his ‘bucket list’. So, I took a deep breath and considered how long I would give him to figure this out. “No, I don’t want to waive that right, but I’m busy today. I’ll swing by tomorrow, when I have some time. Would that be alright?”
If he can’t do it by then, I’m not really interested in letting him play this game for very long. I am interested in the sort of roleplay he’s going to be coming home with ideas about.
“That’s just fine, your highness. I hope you have a nice day.”
“Thank you, yes, I think I will.” I hung up and threw my head back to wail in frustration. “Damn it, Blitz! You better figure this out before tonight. I was not planning on sleeping alone again.”
Blitz
I had six different break-out plans before they opened up the bars to some cell that smelled like shit. Oh, this is going to be fucking good.
“You’re making a big mistake, my guy.” I resisted going in, for fun. Because that’s what you’re supposed to do when you get thrown in jail.
The hell hound that escorted me back here rolled his eyes and otherwise ignored me, shoving me in and making me fall flat on my face, the asshole. By the time I was getting up, the door was shut and locked. I lunged at the bars, sticking my tongue out reaching through to swipe at the guy as he walked past. He didn’t even flinch or move further away, he just kept walking.
“You know, you could really work on your customer service!” I called after him.
He flipped me off. I flipped him off back, even though he wasn’t watching.
Alright.
I took a long whiff of the place, inhaling the sweet, sweet sense of incarceration. Oh, this place is fucking miserable. Smells bad, cold, small, and there’s nothing but a sink, a toilet, and a bunk bed on the back wall with some schmuck laying on the bottom bunch trembling.
I cleared my throat and went to inspect the sink. “You’re first time in?” I tried to initiate conversation, because, a partner will make my favorite escape plans more viable.
He pulled in on himself and sounded like he was crying. Yeah, probably his first time in. I mean, I’ve been in once before, when I was a teenager and fucking around, and I thought for sure Cash was going to beat my ass. No, they called Paimon instead and the next thing I knew Mr. Butler was there to collect me and Paimon never fucking mentioned it.
I rolled my eyes and turned the water on. I cupped some in my hand and brought it up to sniff. Gross, I don’t think this is eatable. I flicked the ‘water’ off my finger tips and pat my hands dry on my pants.
Let’s try this again. “What are you in for?” I turned around and crossed my arms, leaning back into the sink to watch the guy on the bed that looked like he wanted to roll over and die. There’s definitely a story here. I went closer to lean on the bed post and get a look at his face, which was all sad and crying. He pulled his tail up over the bed and around him. “Okay, not much of a talker, are we? Yeah, the names Blitz. I’m sure we’re going to get along just fine.” I moved in closer and held a hand out to shake.
He sat up and watched me quietly, like I was a confusing kind of bug, which is how Loona looks at me when I start talking about horses again, but whatever. He accepted my handshake and I slapped my other hand up to clasp it, shaking vigerously, then let go.
He’s tiny and has weak wrists, he has to be a gun guy. And if I’m any judge of character, which I am, I think I can make this work. “So what’s your deal? Who’d you do? Who’d you dittle? You look like someone who’s good with a gun, you look like someone who would shoot up an office, and I hope you are! Cause I got a plan to get us out of this dump, but I’m going to need some help. Think you can give me a hand?” I stopped, arms out, maybe a little too excited about this game, to gauge his reaction. He’s just staring at me still. “Look, I need to get out to my daughter. My h-uh, uh, babysitter is going to kill me if I don’t get back soon, okay? Do you like kids? I got two, they’re a-fucking-dorable. You don’t want to let them go another night without their dad, right? So come on, are you in or are you in?” I rounded on him again only to see he was smiling.
Huh. Fucking weirdo.
“Sure.” He wiped one of his eyes and took a deep breath. “Yeah, what’s your plan?”
“My plan is cool is what it is, okay? But listen, I don’t trust strangers, I can’t tell you shit until we’re on first-name-basis.”
“Moxxie.”
“Okay, Moxxie, I’m going to have to run this by you first so I know you got the right details, okay? Come on, listen up because I don’t have all night. Fuck, that fucker’s probably going to be coming in here after my ass if I’m not back by dinner, so we’ve got to make this quick. Okay?” I slid in to sit beside him on the bottom bunk and started going over plans E through H.
For actively crying like a little bitch when I first came in, Moxxie got his shit together and followed instructions really well. He knows something about breaking out of places and stealing shit, because I didn’t have to explain too much and he caught the gun I stole for him easily, shooting the security guy that was coming up behind me without hesitation. Fucking sweet, this guy’s already got my back. We got my shit out of some locked closet and high-tailed it out of there smoother than I even expected.
I threw my arms up in the air while we ran down the street, the sound of a bunch of officers dealing with the mess we left behind us music to my ears. “Ha hah! That was fun, you really know your stuff, Moxxie. How the hell did a guy like you get caught?” I turned to walk backward, tossing him the gun I stole too, because I don’t need that shit. My gun, the one Stolas got for me a few years ago for Sinsmas, is in the bag over my shoulder, along with my clothes and hopefully whatever else I had on me when they took my shit away.
“I got stuck.” He checked the ammo and put it in his pocket, still following me instead of running off to whatever other business he’s got going on. “An honest mistake. Could happen to anyone.”
“I bet it wasn’t all that honest.” I smirked at him. “Where you going after this? Want me to buy you a drink? Celebrate our first mission together?”
He looked up to me in startle, “First? I’m sorry, but, what are you talking about?”
“I’m saying,” I moved to walk normal again and slung an arm over his shoulders, “you and me, we make a pretty good team. That was some good work back there. I could use a guy like you. And judging from the fact we’re not being chased anymore, haven’t been for a minute or two, and you’re still walking with me, you don’t have anywhere better to be. So, how about that drink?”
He dry swallowed and leaned away, “I’m sorry, sir, but I’m not interested…”
I shoved him off and laughed, “Pffft, no. Look, you seem very fuckable and sweet, but I’m talking business. Yeah? I’m just getting on the scene and you have no idea how flooded the imp-assassin biz is already. Actually, maybe you do. I don’t know where you come from. Whatever. But if we work together, I think we could pull it off. So what do you say, you in? We stop for drinks to celebrate, I drive you home, and tomorrow we start killing people. Sound good?”
He looked uncomfortable. He hadn’t after I shoved him off, but by the end of that he did. “Oh, uh, actually… I mean that sounds great, but, maybe… tomorrow’s a little early? I’m going to need some time.”
“How much time? I’m not waiting forever, my guy, I’ve got shit to do. I’ve already been work-shopping a name, tell me what you think: Immediate Murder Professionals.” I spread my hands out in front of me, picturing the whole poster I doodled up to show Stolas and the kids.
He squinted. “I.M.P.?”
“Yeah.” He isn’t immediately laughing, so, that’s already an improvement. “The one-and-only imp owned-and-run murder-for-hire business. You and me, Moxxie, doesn’t it sound great? I’ve already got some pretty high profile contracts under my belt, you’d be fucking stupid not to cash in on this. So what are you waiting for?” I punched his shoulder.
He flinched from my punch and rubbed the back of his neck, “Um, I mean, I’m going to have to…” he hesitated and looked toward me, then down at the sidewalk, “I’m going to have to figure out somewhere new to stay. I can’t really… go back…”
Holy shit this guy is so fucking sad. Like a wet kitten. I looped my arm into his and made him cross the street, because we’re almost back to the van. “Nah, you can come stay with me until the paychecks start rolling in.”
He was reluctant to let me have his arm, but, now he let me drag him toward the van easily. “You can’t be serious. We- you barely know me. Why are you being so nice?”
“Because hell’s tough for an imp.” I put on the straightest face I could. It is, and even though I know I have a hell of a lot of privilege bonded to a Goetia, I’m not becoming his pet husband. I did the stay-at-home dad bit, but the girls are too old and I need to make this for myself, and the only reason I’m still here to do any of it, to keep trying, is because I have Stolas to support me when jobs go sideways and start drying up. I can always find a Goetia or two that aren’t complete stick-in-the-muds that are willing to pay for a bodyguard somewhere or are bored and want someone dead, but, they sure aren’t my main clientele.
“Yeah. And, you and your daughters don’t have space for me.” He said it like he knew this for a fact, and I guess that’s a pretty safe assumption.
But, shit, if I’m bringing him home, he’s going to see everything. He’s going to see Stolas, and Octavia, and the palace, and… fuck. All the Goetia know about me and him, but I don’t think it’s left that circle much. They wouldn’t want the rumors reflecting on them, and so long as I dress nice and mind my manners, they mostly just ignore me.
Well, I’m going to have to try to ease into this. Maybe I can still somehow pretend I’m just Stolas’s bodyguard around this guy, until he gets his own place? Then, fuck, I don’t know. I keep business and home separate pretty well, I’ll just keep doing that.
“Daughter.”
“But you said you had two-”
“No, I definitely said one. I’ve got a daughter. She’s pretty great. Her name’s Loona, and, I adopted her about, uh, nine years ago? She’s an adult now, actually.”
“You,” he paused and got a weird look on his face, like he didn’t understand, “you broke out of jail in less than three hours because you want to get home to your adult daughter?”
“Yeah.” And also my almost-an-adult daughter, and also my anxiety-ridden husband that would have come and gotten me out of there it I took too long. I pay my pockets for my keys, unlocked the van, and stopped in my tracks. “Shit.”
“What? What’s wrong? You said you were taking me, right? I mean, I don’t have to-” Moxxie thought I was throwing a fit about him opening the passenger door.
“Yeah, shut up, get in the van. They took my phone, it wasn’t with my stuff.” Which means I can’t warn Stolas I’m bringing a friend back. That’s fine, he’s not going to care.
“Oh, do you… want to go back and look?”
“Nah, I’ll just get a new one. Alright, change of plans, Mox.” I slipped in and started the van, throwing it in reverse and getting the fuck out of here. “We’ve got to head back now, otherwise my-” fuck, what did I call him earlier? “My babysitter’s going to freak out on me.”
He held on as if I were driving like a maniac. Which I am. Then, once we were on the main road, he calmed down a little and gave me a weird look. “You have a babysitter for your adult daughter?”
“She’s a handful, alright? What’s with all the questions, you a fucking cop?” I glared at him.
He jerked back and faced forward, clutching his seat belt like it would save him if I ran full-speed into another car. “It’s alright, sir. It’s none of my business.”
“Damn straight.” I need to get back now.
I was honestly just kind of hoping he’d stop asking questions. He can stay in one of the guest rooms until we drum up enough for him to have a down payment on an apartment or whatever. I’ll even weigh the paychecks in his favor, since I don’t actually need it. I’ll keep enough for van upkeep and ammo replacement. If he finds out, he finds out, I guess. He seems like a good guy, at least. Probably not going to go apeshit over finding out I’m married to a Goetia. But if he doesn’t ask questions, I don’t have to deal with that. If he does, well, I can try to come up with something. Not sure what explanation I can give for living in a Goetian palace with a moody Goetian teen and her hellhound sister calling me ‘dad’ and a dorky Goetian prince hanging all over me, but, I can try, I guess.
He definitely got suspicious when we pulled into the ritzy neighborhood. He eyed the big mansions and shit as we went past, everything looking a million times better than my van; evidence to suggest it doesn’t belong here and neither do I. Which I don’t. I belong in that specific palace ahead of us, far enough from the rest that we didn’t really have to deal with nosy neighbors.
I parked on the side, where I usually do, and that’s how far we got.
“What are we doing here?”
“This is where I live, numb nuts. Get out of the van or I’m locking you inside.”
He followed me out and looked around the grounds. We’re at a weird angle, because of where I park the van, and I think we’ll just skip the fancy stairs at the front and head in through the back, by Barbie’s room. He hesitated to follow me, then rushed to catch up.
“Do you… work here?”
I groaned and rolled my head back, why does he have to be asking questions? I glared at him and fixed my posture, slowing down so we got through this before we got inside. Please, for the love of fuck, Octavia do not be between the back door and the nearest guest room. If Stolas finds us, he’s going to bounce off me no problem. Loona finds me and calls me ‘Dad’, that’s fine. That’s already a part of the story. No way Moxxie would believe Loona is Stolas’s kid, so she can be mine. And so long as he doesn’t figure out we’re married, we can pull it off.
I am not coming back from Chicken Nugget calling me ‘Dad’, though.
“Yeah. I work here. The asshole that owns the place has me on as his personal bodyguard and hit man. Great gig.”
He only looks more confused. “And he lets you live in there with your daughter? I thought you said your business is yours, an ‘imp owned’ business?”
“Yeah, it is. Got nothing to do with this pretensions fuck. He barely ever goes out and spends most of his time reading and shit, so I have plenty of time for a side business, you know? He doesn’t mind.”
“Wow.” Holy shit he’s buying it. “That is…” shit, no, the look he’s giving me now doesn’t feel like a ‘buying it’ kind of look, but he’s still impressed. “That’s really impressive, sir.”
That’s it? He just, stopped asking questions? No, he’s suspicious, he sucks at poker faces, but he’s not asking any more questions. So… that’s good. I guess. I didn’t want him to ask questions to begin with. I just expected him to either buy my shitty story or keep pushing.
I unlocked the back door and made a bee line for the nearest open room. Not Barbie’s, he can’t have that one no matter how unlikely it is she shows up again while he’s here. So, he can have the little one at the top of these stairs, that kind of looks over the van parking space.
All those nosy questions disappeared as I lead him up to his room. He was looking around, probably had a million questions and accusations to throw around, but he didn’t say shit. The palace was quiet, almost suspiciously quiet, but it looked like we were going to get there without encountering anyone.
“Blitz.”
My back stiffened and I froze immediately. Moxxie walked into me, then started apologizing nervously, quietly, and moved to hide behind me from the approaching angry-looking Goetia. Stolas stopped a few paces away, glaring, and crossed his arms.
“Hey, uh… your highness.” I glanced back to Moxxie with just my eyes, so he didn’t notice.
“How the fuck did you get yourself arrested?”
“Can we save this for later? I was just taking Moxxie here to the room he can borrow. That’s cool, right? He can borrow one of the guest rooms for a few days?” I pretended to grovel, and actually I was just begging him to play along.
“We can continue this discussion after you’ve dropped off your little friend here,” he conceded, but did not move out of our way, “after you’ve told me how the hell you managed to get caught. Caught doing what? What have you been up to?”
I flinched and glanced back to Moxxie, not really wanting to admit this in front of him, but even though Stolas is willing to play along, he is for-real pissed. “Yeah, uh, it’s a really funny story. Okay? Like, you’re going to hear it and you’re going to laugh, and you’re going to feel real stupid for getting so worked up.”
His glare narrowed more. “Well? What is this hilarious story?”
“So I was in Greed, right? Yeah, and, I was trying to go in and come out without making a scene. I mean, I could have stopped by, but I just wanted to get the job done. Obviously. If he finds out I was in town and didn’t stop by to say hello, he’s going to throw a fit. Anyway. I was in Greed on a job, and it’s not like-”
“Blitz, get to the point.”
“I broke into a doughnut shop a block away from the station because I didn’t want to wait for them to open.”
His angry face slipped into shock and, well, that face he gets when I do something really stupid and he has to ask himself if having me inside him is going to make him lose a few brain cells. “What?”
“Yeah, uh, it turns out that they make the doughnuts in store and there was nothing to eat and now I’m starving.”
He sighed and stepped to the side, waving me onward and pinching the ridge between his eyes. “I’ll reheat your lunch, Blitz. Is your friend hungry? I can put together a salad, or, a sandwich. I suppose.”
I laughed nervously, pulling Moxxie along the last few steps toward the room I’m giving him. “You mean I’ll fix myself and him a meal. Right?”
“Whatever. Just meet me in the kitchen when you’re done here.” He barely bothered to play any kind of game or role here, doing a shit job of convincing Moxxie the story I sold to him.
I shoved Moxxie into his new, temporary room. “Here, you can hang out here. Don’t explore, don’t get nosy, and I’ll bring you up something to eat in a minute, yeah? There are two Goetia in the place and my Loona. Avoid them all. Everyone’s nice, don’t me wrong, but, uh, just avoid them anyway. Alright?”
“Alright, Sir.”
I blinked and stared at the guy in shock. “Really? Just like that? You bought that bullshit?”
He looked back to me, a little smile, and didn’t seem surprised or confused. “I know there’s something going on here you don’t want to tell me, and I know better than to keep asking questions. You have powerful friends, and, I know what that means.”
I suddenly very much do not believe he knows what ‘that’ means. But, he’s accepting this shit and letting it go, so, cool. If he thinks there’s some kind of mafia stuff going on here, who gives a shit?
“Great. Anyway, just, uh, just stay here and I’ve got a meeting in the kitchen to make.” I gave him a thumbs-up and shut the door behind me.
I am so fucking tired. I hope this doesn’t take long, because after we’re done discussing the boring details, I’ve got a few new ideas for roleplay to try out before I pass out the rest of the day.