Chapter Text
Octavia tentatively pushed open the door of her dad’s bedroom. “Dad? Hello?” When he didn’t respond, Via stepped into the room. The curtains were drawn, and despite the fact it was mid-day, the room was shrouded in darkness and gloom hung in the air.
A despondent groan floated out of the covers piled on the large bed. “Dad? Are you okay? I haven’t seen you in days…” Via walked over to where her dad was curled up, hugging his knees to his chest.
“I’m sorry princess… I just… I just need some more time.” Stolas wiped away the tears that had been falling down his face.
“Oh- okay dad. I’m here if you want to… talk… or if you need anything.” Concern was painted on Via’s face. “I love you Dad.”
“I love you too Starfire.” Stolas almost whispered before turning away from Via and pulling the sheets up higher.
With a deep sigh, Octavia walked out of her dad’s room.
- - - - - - -
The next day…
Via knocked on her dad’s bedroom door, balancing a muffin and carton of “Choccy Milk” in her other hand.
“Dad? Are you up yet?” When there was no answer, Via pushed open the door to see that again, he was still in bed. With a sigh she went to go put the food on his side table. The bowl of cereal that she had brought him last night still sat there, untouched.
Concerned, she looked up to her dad, still on the bed but buried under the covers.
“Dad? Are… are you alright? You didn’t eat the cereal I brought you last night…”
“Hmmm?” Stolas’ voice floated up from the pile of covers. “Oh… thank you darling. I’m just not that hungry. I’ll eat later.”
Via looked skeptically at the full bowl of cereal, sighed, and switched it out with the muffin and milk.
“Okay dad… try and eat later, okay?” A vaguely affirmative noise came from the covers. Via looked at her dad’s shape under the covers a little longer before turning and leaving his bedroom.
She had hoped it wouldn’t come to this, but she realized who she had to go talk to. Time to go visit that weird red dickhe*d, she thought with a groan.
- - - - - - -
Blitzø was leaning back in his chair with his feet up on his desk, trying to think about anything but the one thing that had been plaguing his mind for days. The incessant chatter of the sinner sitting across from him was acting as a kind of white noise and blending into the background. Maybe he had come back to work too early… He couldn’t focus on a single thing this guy was saying.
“Fuuuuuck man, cut to the chase. Who do you need us to kill?”
The sinner was a bit caught off guard but shook it off, “Oh… right.” He went into the details of the hit, Blitzø barely getting the information written down.
“Okay yeah, we’ll kill the f*cker. Have a great day, give your money to Loona on your way out. Bye!” Blitzø ushered the sinner out of his office and slammed the door behind him.
He had barely made it back to his desk when he collapsed in the chair, his face buried in his hands, unsure how he was going to make it through the rest of the too-long day. With a long groan, he got up from his chair. Being boss had to count for something right? He had talked to one customer, it was time to go home. Moxxie and Millie could handle the rest.
He stood and as he was grabbing his jacket he heard Loona’s spit take followed by an exclamation of “Oh sh*t!”
He threw his office door open, “What!? What is it Loonie?!” He looked frantically around the office, but didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. Then, he noticed Stolas’ daughter, the princess of hell, Octavia, standing a bit awkwardly in the dingy lobby of I.M.P.
He froze and didn’t realize that he was staring until she cleared her throat. “Um… hi. Can- can I speak with you?”
Moxxie, Millie, and Loona were all staring at Blitzø, waiting for him to say something.
“Oh… uh yeah. Of course. Come in”, he gestured for her to follow him into his office. She walked past Blitzø and into his office. Blitzø looked to Loona who just shrugged, equally unsure why the owlette was there.
When Blitzø turned around, Octavia was sitting in the chair in front of his desk, fidgeting. He walked around to sit in his desk chair. “Soooooo…” He said, unsure of what to say really. Had Stolas sent her? He couldn’t have, right? What if he was in trouble…
Via pulled him out of his panicked thoughts, “I- I needed to talk to you about my dad…”
“Is he okay??” Blitzø’s eyes filled with panic and fear, “Did something happen?” Blitzø realized that he was practically climbed on top of the desk and sat back in his chair again, forcing an air of nonchalance. “Not- not that I care.. I mean- that is… I’m not like, worried about him or some sh*t.” He looked to Via and saw that she was lost in thought, concern painted across her pale face.
“Why- Why did you come here?” He asked hesitantly, unsure he really wanted to hear the answer.
Octavia looked up, into his eyes. Blitzø was uncomfortable with the amount of raw emotion he saw there. “My dad…. He- he hasn’t gotten out of bed in days.” Blitzø’s eyes widened as Via continued, “He has barely been eating. I… I’m worried about him.”
Blitzø looked away, “I’m sorry to hear that, but… I don’t know what the f*ck that has to do with me… “
“Please…” Via’s quiet voice drew Blitzø’s eyes back to her face, “I- I know he cares about you. I think- I think he needs you right now. I don’t know what happened between you, but-”
“No.” Blitzø said quietly, almost to himself, before saying louder, “No. He doesn’t want to see me. I… I f*cked things up.. I-” A sob threatened to escape from Blitzø but he swallowed the emotion down. “He… he deserves better than me.”
Blitzø wiped his face and turned back to Via. “I wish I could help you, but I can’t.”
Via opened her mouth to say something but was interrupted by Moxxie poking his head into the office. “Ya know sir… he did seem pretty upset when I saw him the other day. I mean he-”
“You WHAT?” Blitzø whirled on Moxxie who looked from Blitzø, to Via, and back.
“I… I talked to Prince Stolas? You wouldn’t tell me where the book was and I-”
“GET. OUT.” Blitzø slammed his hands down on his desk. He looked to Via. “I’m sorry sweetheart but I can’t help you. I think you should go now.” Again, Via looked like she was going to say something but closed her mouth and gave Blitzø a slight nod, and left. Moxxie hung back in the doorway, looking like he wanted to say more, but the withering look Blitzø gave him had him shrinking back, out of the office.
Blitzø let his head fall on the table with a light thud. How could he have f*cked things up so badly. There was no way Stolas really wanted to see him. Not after what Blitzø had said to him that night. The look on Stolas’ face, again plagued Blitzø’s thoughts, as it had since the full moon.
I didn’t realize you think so low of me…
f*ck… f*ck f*ck f*ck. “Sir?” Millie’s tentative voice broke Blitzø out of his dark, spiraling thoughts. “Are… are you okay?”
Blitzø chuckled darkly at the loaded question. “No. No I’m not. I f*cked things up with Stolas. He isn’t going to want anything to do with me. He-”
“Now hold on B.” Millie ran her hand down her face. “Did you not hear what his daughter was just sayin’ to you?”
Blitzø looked at her blankly and she groaned. “Ignore for a second what he wants. What do YOU want? Do you wanna talk to him?”
Blitzø thought that over, and thought back to what Fizz said, about telling Stolas how he feels. “Yeah. Yeah, Mills. I do want to talk to him.”
Millie threw her hands up. “Then for f*ck’s sake go talk to him!” Her voice softened and she pulled Blitzø into an embrace. “Forget for a minute about what you think he deserves. YOU deserve to tell him your feelings, to talk to him.”
Tears threatened to spill from Blitzø's eyes as he hugged her back.
“Th-thank you Mills. I- I still don’t know if I’m good enough for him, but-”
Millie shoved back from Blitzø, cutting him off, so she could look him in the eyes. “Blitzø. You are a wonderful person. You can do this.”
The tears that had been gathering began to fall and Blitzø wiped them away with his sleeve. “Thanks Millie. I can’t tell you what that means-”
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I’m not the one you should be talkin’ too! Get outta here.” Millie said with a wry smile, not so subtly ushering Blitzø out of the office.
