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Helluva Boss

The Pink Moon

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Written by Arian Mabe (Amethyst Mare)

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Stolas paced back and forth, back and forth, across his balcony, though his body ached to stop, to get his demonic form out of the glow of the pink moon.

It wasn't even pink, he thought venomously, flinging his robe out as he spun on his heel at one end of his balcony, only to stride back, with purpose, the other way. What a name to give the moon, though, of course, it had another meaning in the name: the coming of the spring blooms. Already, tiny, green buds and more were showing in his gardens from the Earth plants that he had carefully tended to, on his knees in the fragrant loam, everything that he had cultivated so dearly.

The full moon came around so quickly and yet...things were not settled. How could they possibly be settled? Things were still wrong - all wrong!

He growled under his breath, sweeping his hand out to the side, black claws delicately tipping his fingers. It took no effort at all for Stolas to open a portal to the human realm - or the galaxies above them, to be exact. The deep, rich blue of outer space and the stars twinkling in its depths, exactly where they were supposed to be, the outer edges of the portal sparkling and crackling ever so faintly with magic that could only come from his hand.

"Damn it... Damn it all!"

It was not like him to be so vocal, not when it did not come from a good place. His sadness had been tucked away for so many years, though it was a part of life, even while the owl strove to live every day with a leading of joy. He wanted to bring lightness to those around him, to see his daughter smile, genuinely, but it was harder than ever after Stella had moved out and the divorce was moving into the initial stages. Of course, he had to pay her the Hellish version of alimony, but, even with his fortunes, that was not a high price to pay.

It was everything else in the wake of it that made him doubt himself, that had stirred him up into a frenzy of glaring at the full moon that night, a night that, before, had brought him so much joy.

He was still friends with Blitz, maybe more than that, maybe less than that, there was no way for either of them to tell without time being allowed to pass. And yet it had taken its toll on Stolas, being apart. That little moment of joy, that night of fun and passion, had slipped away from him, but there was no way that he was ever going to force Blitz into sleeping with him ever again. Whereas he was quite sure that the imp knew his desires when it came to the bedroom, he wanted to take the time to invite in the other sides, the friendship, the companionship, the "laughing until their bellies ached" familiarity filtering through.

But Blitz had been busy and, although he had his Grimoire back for his full moon duties, they had not met up as they had used to. There were no trips to the Wrath ring for any festivals or any visits to Loo Loo Land, though he had run into the imp once in Stylish Occult, when he had been taking Octavia shopping. At least then, he had been able to get a coffee for the imp, teasing him lightly over his choice of iced coffee during the colder, greyer months of being in Hell (it was never truly "cold" in the Pride ring) while Stolas, of course, had a steaming brew.

Blitz had given as good as he'd gotten with his sharp tongue and heart-stopping smile, but that was all it was. It had ended there, Octavia and Loona exchanging numbers so that they could stay in contact, saying farewell and...no more. Blitz had been busy, their Voxtagram feed showing the company heading out on more and more missions to the living world, which was something that warmed Stolas' heart to see too. Even if Blitz did not want to be there with him (or could not be there with him, he was mature enough to consider a variety of options), Stolas was immeasurably glad that business was booming. There was little he wanted more than to see the imp's business, so ambitious, grow with every mission they went on.

To see Blitz succeed, even then, would fill him with joy.

But, alas, it was one reason, perhaps amongst many, that the imp could not meet up with him as frequently as before, which was a shame indeed, a twinge of darkness in Stolas' heart that made it difficult for him to feel genuinely pleased, wholly pleased. He didn't like that touch of jealousy, casting his gaze, once again, from the pink moon above, the full moon of Hell, all that reminded him of the turn his love life had taken.

"Maybe I deserve it," he said with a sigh, turning back to his quarters, although he did not quite close the doors on his heels, in case he wanted to go back out there again, his pacing as restless as ever, feathers moulting. "Maybe this is my due. I should just be happy with him, even if he is not...around anymore."

For that was the way of it and that was something that Stolas had to accept. He couldn't control Blitz' affections with the Grimoire and, truthfully, it was not something that he should ever have sought to do. Yet things had happened and then there had been the deal and things had spiralled and spiralled, all as if it was twisting and turning far out of his control.

To love someone, he had to let them make their own choices too. He could not make those decisions for them, even if it was a choice that, ultimately, would break his heart.

The owl hung his head, leaning on the end of his bed, shoulders rounded as if the weight of the world was laying over them, though it was not as if he could let it slide free. It was the waiting that was the worst of all, not knowing which way things were going to go.

Love wasn't fun, he thought venomously, eyes darkening to a rich crimson. Love wasn't anything like what he'd thought it was supposed to be, not with Stella and not with Blitz. But it had been all-consuming when Blitz had taken him, when he had held him, when he had made him forget that there was a world outside them at all.

"I have to be patient," he said to himself, grinding the edges of his beak together, straining to regain his composure as his robe hung from his lean, lanky frame. "I can't... I can't force this. Have composure, Stolas, you are of the Ars Goetia... You cannot fail now."

His greatest challenge forever would remain in giving Blitz space. And he would have to hold true to that, huffing softly, smoothing down his feathers, though his eyes crinkled sadly at the corners.

Alas, the owl was so caught up in his melancholy, steadfastly ignoring the moon through the windows out to the balcony, that he did not catch the scrape and scrabble of claws outside. Of course, the wards surrounding his mansion had been adjusted to ensure that those close to him could pass through at any time, keeping away enemies and those that were unwanted, so there was no real threat there... Still, Stolas could have been a lot more careful than he was.

"Unff... Satan, that vine... Hey, Stols, you gonna turn around there or what?"

His breath caught, freezing in his throat, a lump there that he simply could not swallow, not as he whipped around, beak parted in shock. For there he was, in all his red and white glory, the imp of the hour, of his life, grinning widely as he stood, perfectly poised, one hand held behind his back.

The owl choked on his own saliva: very fetching. While he coughed, regaining what little composure he thought he had left, the imp remained exactly where he was, not a single snarky comment or quip passing his lips. Truly, it was impressive that he held himself back for that long, though Stolas chanced that amusement danced in his yellow eyes.

Hell... How he loved those eyes...

"Blitz?"

Stolas pressed his hand to his chest, cursing himself. Was that really the best he could do, just the imp's name, no more than that? Why was he so tongue-tied all of a sudden? His heart turned over, something sinking into the pit of his stomach, palms sweaty, blood roaring in his ears. Good Hell, what was wrong with him? Was he simply no better than a demon of much lesser years and experience than he?

The imp, however, only smiled more gently than he had ever seen and offered him a bouquet: a small, modest one, though the blooms held within, as Blitz bowed lightly, with the grace of an acrobat, were a bright, vibrant yellow.

"I never know what to do with myself on the full moon," he said with a grin that could only be considered devilishly, looking up at the owl as he waggled the flowers at him. "And I found these on Earth, when we were cleaning up after bashing heads in today. Millie says they're daffodils, but I know flowers don't bloom all year round here and thought you might be looking for something to come a little earlier than you Hell plants and a lot of the Earth flowers..."

Blitz swallowed hard, rubbing the back of his neck, extending the flowers a little closer to Stolas, who finally took them tenderly between his hands, as if he was afraid of crinkling the cheap brown paper around the stems too much, not wanting to damage them.

"Yeah, I'm sure you have plenty of early blooming flowers but I'm not about to go skulking around your gardens with all those carnivorous, snapping plant things... Anyway, hope ya like them!"

He finished on a high note, though it lacked its usual bluster with the blush in his cheeks. For most imps, hiding heat in their faces was an easy matter, but with a white scar covering a good half of his, it was one area in which Blitz did not quite have that luxury.

"Blitz... These..." Stolas' beak opened and closed and yet he still could not find the words with which to finish the sentence. "These... I love them. I've never had daffodils before."

"Yeah, well, they're bright and sunny and pretty..." Blitz mumbled, looking away as he fidgeted, his tail snaking back and forth. "Kinda...yeah, like you. Don't let it go to your head or anything though, birdbrain."

Stolas smiled. He couldn't help it and he didn't try to hold it back at all, warmth blooming like the first rays of spring sunshine, spreading out from his heart, warming his whole body from head to toe.

"I'll be sure not to."

Warmth. All from a handful of blooms, though Stolas would be sure to preserve them, all so that they did not fade for eternity, always there, always a reminder of what Blitz meant to him, what he had done for him. He hugged them gently to his chest, abruptly self-conscious, fanning his tail fathers out behind him, though he couldn't quite bring himself to move away just yet, a cord of connection stretched out between him and the imp. To break it would have been to cast aside everything the imp meant to him, his heart and soul and so much more.

Perhaps the pink moon was not so bad after all.

"These are lovely, Blitz, thank you, thank you ever so much," he said, biting his beak at saying more, the uncomfortable shift of the imp's body giving away how he felt about such lavish praise escalating thusly. "Could... Could I offer you a glass of wine or perhaps some other beverage, if you would like to sit awhile? Oh, and you do know that you don't have to scale the wall to the balcony anymore, you can use the front door."

Blitz shrugged, giving him yet another toothy grin that made his heart flip over, doing weird and wonderful things.

"Whatever you say, princess. I think it's a whole lot more romantic to climb up to your window though, just saying. I might just take you up on that wine though. Shall we head to that fancy-ass kitchen of yours or what then, feathers?"

Stolas smiled more widely, if that was even possible, standing up tall, his tail feathers twitching.

"That sounds splendid, Blitz, truly. I stocked up on a few vintages in case you ever wanted to try them!"

As they walked, side by side, to the door, Blitz' tail flicked out, briefly touching the owl's. Without thinking, Stolas jumped and hooted, blushing even more fiercely.

Goodness...

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"Blitzy is fine, pretty bird," he muttered, avoiding the owl's eyes. "And, yeah, that sounds real nice. With you."

It didn't have to be a night of passion and it didn't have to be any more than exactly what it was: a moment between the two of them, something that was due to tease out, to become, perhaps, more than what it had been before.

With Blitz...Blitzy at his side, Stolas couldn't wait to see what lay ahead of them. One way or another, together.