All the fic recs

Yeah you- the person reading this. Stop scrolling for a second.

You’re going to be okay. You have to believe that. It might take a long time and who knows how much work, but you’re going to be okay.

You’re going to be okay.

well.

this year. the year of our lord two thousand and twenty four. she decided she was done cooking and it was up to everyone else.

so i got a phone call from my mom a few weeks ago being like hey so. you’re making the cake. got it? good.

the cake in question is a walnut cake. i was entrusted with my great aunts recipe about seven years ago. i’ve made it twice. the first time i fucked up the frosting quantity. the second time i fucked up the eggs. both times were passable at best and notably! my great aunt did not taste either of them.

and i have to make this cake. on christmas eve. it is dessert. for everyone. my extended family will all be eating the cake. the walnut cake. on christmas eve. even my great aunt.

so yesterday, december 23 if you are counting, i went on the annual Last Minute Christmas Food Shopping Trip with my father, watched him climb into the case to get his half and half like he does every year, and stressed about my cake as i made sure i had all of the ingredients.

then. we went to my great aunts house. where i was met with Trial Number 1: The Cognac

this cake has cognac in the frosting. not a big deal really. except for the fact that my mom hates that there is cognac in the frosting. (my mom is hell bent on making christmas eve dinner vaguely healthier. no one else agrees.) and i was to be making the cake in my moms house.

also important to note: we (as in my parents) do not own cognac. mostly because none of us drink.

so my great aunt is like oh i have to give you the cognac. cause she knows. i am baking the cake. the walnut cake. (my dad told her. he is a traitor). and i say okay. sure. this won’t be a problem at all.

so she gives me. a shot of cognac. and when i say a shot. i mean an Entirely Full Shot Glass of Three Hundred Dollar Cognac. in a jar. for the cake. the walnut cake. that i have to make.

upon bringing the cognac home my mom says no we’re not putting that in. the cognac sits on the counter in its jar. no one touches it.

then i was met with Trial Number 2: The Frosting.

this recipe requires a pound of chopped walnuts. first. i couldn’t even find the walnuts. my sister and i searched high and low and in every cabinet we could find but no nuts. i called my mom. and said mom where are the walnuts? and she said. “they’re in the nut bag behind the basement door.”

oh of course. how could i have missed the nut bag? a holiday bag full of bags of nuts that was half hidden by wrapping paper and also behind a door?

in any case. could i have used a food processor? absolutely. did i? no. half because i forgot and half because i didn’t want to accidentally grind the walnuts into a paste. so i enlisted the help of my younger sister to chop the walnuts By Hand while i embarked on the real devil: the frosting.

which remember. is supposed to have cognac.

so i cream my butter. i add my sugar. i’m careful not to over sugar. i taste it a million times. i add my coffee and my vanilla extract (instead of cognac. which is still sitting on the counter) and it was all going so well until. the butter rebelled.

now remember. one time when i made this. seven years ago. i made too little frosting. so i made more this time. and i thought i had all my conversions right but evidently i did not because suddenly there was too much liquid in my frosting and it split.

the frosting for the walnut cake that everyone was going to eat. on christmas eve. the very next day.

i felt like a contestant on great british bake-off getting smited by the tent.

so i did the logical thing and shoved the whole mess into the fridge hoping that it would sort itself out overnight.

then it was time to face Trial Number Three: The Cake Itself.

as i have said this cake is a walnut cake. the christmas eve walnut cake that has been at christmas eve longer than i have been alive. and it requires no less than ten egg whites. which i whipped and i added to my walnuts and shoved the whole thing into the oven in my two baking dishes.

only to discover no less than 40 minutes later that the batter in the pans was Not Even (despite my best efforts). so i cooked one longer than the other and hoped that i hadn’t monumentally fucked up the walnut cake. like i had the frosting. which was in the fridge. and i was ignoring.

which leads to Trial Number Four: The Egg Yolk Cake

see i had ten egg yolks. i didn’t know what to do with them. my mom said flush them. my dad said make a custard. i proposed making egg nog. my mom said she didn’t want it in the house cause it was too fattening (a blatantly incorrect statement. please, if you are reading this, go drink a glass of eggnog. or some other fun festive drink. food is for the soul.) so i produced a recipe for an egg yolk pound cake. i made it. i still don’t know if it came out good cause i haven’t tasted it. i hope it did. but that was not the point. the point is the walnut cake. the christmas eve walnut cake.

and the following morning i was met with Trial Number Five: The Frosting Part 2

first i threw my failed frosting back in the mixer and it immediately secreted a brackish combination of vanilla extract and coffee so i did the only thing i could. facetimed my dad and said “father there are problems abound.” and he gave me the fatherly advice of “make it again.”

and so i did.

with more correct measurements. still scared it would split at any second.

though it didn’t.

and i didn’t add the cognac.

maybe no one will be able to tell???

my mom said that if anyone asks the first batch of frosting failed and i had to toss it. this is technically true.

but i had frosting. i had two uneven cakes. and it was time for Trial Number Six: Decorating

decorating cakes is easily in my top ten least favorite activities. decorating the christmas eve walnut cake is easily in my top three least favorite activities. because i am terrible at decorating cakes. and also because it has a filling.

the filling is jam. and i once again made the wrong choice because i put the jam on first before the frosting. which to be fair is what the directions say. but as everyone knows, the directions in recipes you get from your eastern european great aunt are not the real directions. so now i had to smear butter cream. on top of jam. for the filling of the walnut cake. for christmas eve. that we would be eating in a few hours.

and we didn’t have a cake plate. we had a large dish.

i had to use my fingers. i had to use three spatulas. i got jam everywhere. but i did it. and as soon as i set the top cake on top of the filling i realized my monumental mistake: i was supposed to trim down the cakes.

so now they were uneven. and lopsided. and there was nothing i, a mere mortal tasked with the impossible task of making christmas eve walnut cake, could do about it.

so i continued to spread my frosting. which i had enough of. and tried and failed to not get jam everywhere.

in the end it was almost presentable. not great. slightly lopsided. and definitely not as nice as any of my great aunts cakes.

which left me with Trial Number 7: Chilling It

our fridge was being taken up by other important christmas eve things (though not as important as my cake. the walnut cake) so i had to put it in the car. which was fine because there is snow on the ground.

i covered my cake. the walnut cake. in tin foil and hoped i wouldn’t accidentally squish it. and then i went outside. i tried to steal my moms shoes to walk outside. she was not impressed.

“you know, saph,” she said. “some of the time you’re pretty great. the other half of the time you’re really weird.”

i could not agree more.

i put my cake on the trunk. prayed to the cake gods and went inside.

on the one hand if the cake is good, i will be stuck making walnut cake for christmas eve for the rest of my life. on the other hand, if it sucks i will never have to make another one.

my great aunt peeked at it. she says it looks “very nice.” my aunt thinks i’m being too hard on myself with the cake.

it was time to taste the cake. the walnut cake. on christmas eve.

first i was given a giant bread knife to cut the cake. then a normal knife. then i cut it.

and then we ate it.

“so good,” said my great aunt. “you did a good job with the cake.”

she did not ask about the missing shot of 300 dollar cognac.

i am at peace. i am also doomed to a lifetime of making cake. walnut cake. for christmas eve.

i have recieved not one but two texts from my uncle waxing absolute poetry for the walnut cake. that we ate five days ago. on christmas eve. this uncle does not even celebrate christmas. he is jewish.

he said, and i quote, "Hey did I tell you that your cake was fantastic? Dare I say - better than [great aunt's] version. Not exactly sure why, but I liked it better."

and i, because i am terrified of my newfound title of official walnut cake baker, took an hour to respond. but i explained that the only real difference was the lack of cognac in the frosting.

to which, said uncle responded with, "The icing was great. But the cake itself was super good too. Not overly dense. More delicate overall. Brava!"

this is is terrifying news for me personally because now i need to somehow replicate this cake, the walnut cake, for Christmas eve, next year.

the 300 dollar cognac shot is still sitting in my kitchen. i do not drink. but it temps me more every day.

and for all of you asking for the recipe: are you daft? it took me seventeen years to drag this recipe out of my great aunt and another eight to be trusted to make it. she will curse me for all of existence if i dare share it. and also none of you want this recipe. it controls you in ways you cannot fathom. i wake up every night, haunted by walnut cake. for christmas eve.

change the color used to highlight text on your laptop

move the pictures on your wall

stack whatever clutter is in your room into piles even if you don’t have time to clean it all

slightly vary your commute, even just by one street

change where you sit and scroll aimlessly on your phone even if it’s only to the chair in your room instead of your bed

drink water or juice out of a wine glass in the morning because nothing is real

shower with the lights off, without music

buy $3 flowers at trader joe’s—they look bad next to the more expensive ones but they look so good in your room

start typing things you don’t post into your notes. your thoughts can be worth documenting even if you don’t deem them worth sharing

wake up super early just once. you don’t have to make it a habit it’s just extra satisfying to go to bed that night

The other day I was feeling miserable, so I hopped on a bus and rode it all the way back to where I’d started, and my brain, which had finally had some proper stimulation via new environments, was suddenly ready to go again!

And time makes it harder, I wish I could remember

But I keep your memory, you visit ME IN MY SLEEP

Here for another fic rec post, Hellaverse edition. I hope the links work and are correct, it's always a struggle for some reason.

To the authors - if you would prefer not to be tagged/included, please reach out to let me know.

i love the new merch drop

Think not

James shares a little Irish culture with his love.

Just a sweet little story bc I love and missed my boys.

 After a fruitful day of work, both Blitzo and Stolas come back to their small but comfortable enough apartment. Stolas seems to have catched on to his secretary duties so their day went smoothly, and as a little treat for him Blitzo stopped by a popular coffee shop to get them some cake and eat it together with Loona. This time he assured no one messed up with Stolas while waiting in line, and never stopped chatting with him during it

   While the three of them were eating the cake Loona receives a phone call.

   ‘Ok, I’ll take the cake to my room, my friends want to have a video call. See you in the morning’

   ‘Ok Loonie, say hello to them from me then! Good night!’

   After Loona entered her room Blitzo turned to see Stolas slowly and quietly eating his piece of cake, but Blitzo could tell there’s a lot going on inside his head to the point he wasn’t actually tasting the cake for sure.

   ‘Sooo…what do you think? Isn’t this cake top tier? I went a couple of times before, and the best thing is that I never got kicked out from there. Impressive, don’t you think?’

   ‘Uh, is it?’ Stolas lifted his head and stared at Blitzo’s eyes for the first time since they sat on the table ‘Why?’

   ‘Welp…’Blitzo scratched the back of his head.’ You know, I can have a strong temper sometimes, especially if I don’t get a good coffee in the mornings, hehe. 

   ‘Oh, I see. Ok then’. Stolas gave him something close to a smile and then kept eating.

   For Blitzo that wasn’t good enough.

  ‘Hey, I bought a nice bath bomb that has Lavender and your name in it. Why don’t you try it out? You can take a bath before me if you want’.

   ‘Oh, Blitzo, you didn’t have to! With the cake it was good enough!’

  ‘Well, you know, you’ve been working hard these past couple of days so I wanted to give you a little reward. Go relax and enjoy some ‘me’ time, you deserve it!’ He gave a very cheerful smile to Stolas, waiting for a reaction. It took all of his power not to propose to go take a bath together, as tempting as it was.

   ‘Blitzo, thank you so much. I’ll take a bath then’. Stolas offered a wider smile to Blitzo and seemed appreciative of the present.

   Still, it wasn’t a good enough smile for Blitzo. He could still see it was forced by seeing Stolas’ small frown while doing it.

   After some minutes Stolas went out from his bath, half wet feathers and with a delightful flower aroma. Blitzo again did his best not to get turned on at the sight of his beloved and jump on him at that very moment. He instead went to take his turn to try the bath bomb and came back to see Stolas already resting on the couch.

   ‘I must admit that the bath bomb was something else! Now I smell like a fucking bag of herbs and tea!’

   Stolas chuckled at the comment but quickly silenced himself. It was like when you do everything in your control not to sneeze in public.

   ‘I really enjoyed the aroma of it too Blitzo, thanks I think it will help me to sleep a lot better tonight’.

   ‘You’re welcome! I can also get you some Lavender tea for you to drink at night if you want’, Blitzo replied, giving him a thumbs up.’Anything for my big owl!’.

   ‘Erm, Blitzo…’ Stolas began paying with his fingers while saying this. Blitzo knew he was struggling to let out what he wanted to say, so he patiently waited for him to finish the sentence. ‘If there’s not too much to ask, could I ask you for a favor?’

   ‘Yes, of course! I just said ‘anything’ a moment before, didn’t I?’

   ‘Could we sleep on the sofa together tonight please?’, Stolas asked with the sheepiest eyes he had ever done before. Blitzo’s heart skipped a beat, he stood there for a second, surprised by Stolas’ sudden request

   ‘Oh, sorry, did I ask for too much? It’s fine Blitzo, you don’t have to…

  * Sudden loud sound*

   ‘Whoa! Blitzo?!’

   Blitzo had just jumped on Stolas’ body like a cat, who had already accommodated himself on the sofa. He just crawled high enough to lay on Stolas’ fluff chest, tail wagging and enjoying the softness of it. Oh, how much had he missed this.

   Blitzo lifted his head to see Stolas’ surprised face and gave him a big smile. ‘Well, if you ask it that way, I guess I’ll have to make the sacrifice’. He then proceeded to do some biscuits over Stolas shoulders while rubbing his face on his chest.

   Stolas snorted and let out a huge laugh.

  ‘Ahaha, Blitzo, what are you doing? You’re acting  like a weird cat right now!’

   ‘I’m just comfty, that’s all. Deal with it’

   ‘You’re so silly Blitzo, I lo…’

   Stolas suddenly stopped himself from saying the end of the sentence. He made a really uneasy face, which made Blitzo worry. 

    ‘Uhm, Stolas, are you ok? I didn’t want to say anything, but lately you haven’t smiled as openly as before

    Stolas sighted. He tried to choose the correct words to explain his feelings, and Blitzo just waited patiently until

   ‘Blitzo, I’m so sorry, it wasn’t my intention to make you feel worried. It 's just that I…’

   ‘Yes?’

  Stolas’ throat started hurting while trying to talk, he covered his face with both arms to hide the fact his eyes were starting to get blurry.

   ‘Blitzo, it’s just that I…I…*sob* …I don’t know if I deserve to smile at all.

   ‘Stolas? Why?’

   ‘If I do, wouldn’t Via be right? Wouldn’t that tell her I don’t need her anymore and that I forgot about her? If I laugh or even smile, wouldn’t that make her sad? Wouldn’t that make her hate me more?

   Stolas’ words hit Blitzo’s heart like a ton of bricks. It hurted so much the fact that Stolas believed he didn’t deserve to be happy just because he couldn’t stay forcibly married to someone for much longer, decided to save his life by choosing his fate for the first time in his life and because of those decisions his daughter felt betrayed by him.

  ‘Stolas, from the moment you had your child you did your best all by yourself, and despite feeling lonely you worked hard to make her happy. All this time I was able to see how much she meant to you, how proud you are of her. And if I was able to see it in such a short time of knowing you, I’m sure she’ll see it someday too’.

   ‘Really? Do you really believe that, Blitzo?’

   ‘I do’ Blitzo then gently held Stolas hands and brought them to his own chest. ‘I don’t know how yet, but we’ll figure it out together. Until that day comes, and even after that I’ll stay here with you, ok?’

   Stolas started sobbing again and laid his forehead on Blitzo’s chest. Blitzo stayed quiet until Stolas seemed to calm down and started talking again.

   ‘You are not alone anymore Stolas, I’m here. Moxxie, Millie and Loona are here with you too’.

   Stolas lifted his head and with teary eyes stared directly at Blitzo’s. ‘Thank you Blitzo, I really appreciate that you’re all here for me. Sorry if I don’t show it all the time, but I do’.

   ‘Nah, don’t sweat about it!’, Blitzo replied, patting Stolas’ fluffy head. ‘You can’t be all happy like a Disney Princess all the time! Even if you sing like one often.

   Stolas finally giggled a little again, making him feel some relief for now. But he wasn’t satisfied yet. He wanted to try out something else to make Stolas’ worries disappear for a little longer.

   ‘That’s better! Who’s my fluffy big bird?’, Blitzo cooed at him while squeezing both Stolas’s cheeks and then giving him soft scritches.

   ‘Hehe, Blitzo, stop! You’re tickling me!’, Stolas said while squirming and giggling a little.

   ‘Ohhh, is that so? So what about…this!’

   Blitzo then started softly scribbling his fingers over Stolas’ sides while holding him on the couch with his weight over him. Stolas started squirming more, but not that much that would make them fall from the couch.

   ‘Ahahaha! No Blitzo, nohohoho!’

  ‘Yeeees! Blitzo cooed again. C’mon, you know you need this!’ 

   ‘I dohohohon’t! Stahahahp!’ Stolas kept giggling while weakly trying to hold Blitzo’s wrists to stop the attack, but that’s hard to do when you’re not really into it. 

   Stolas would usually tickle Blitzo during his sexy meetings everytime he realized he seemed to be down or had a bad day at work, and Blitzo would in response retaliate a hundred times worse, tickling the poor bird to death. Stolas would end up exhausted and very sleepy, and Blitzo would act all proud for defeating a powerful royal demon with his bare hands.

   But this time it was different. Blitzo’s tickles were this time very light and tender, not as he was trying to win a competition, but as he really wanted to cheer him up the same way he did. 

   Stolas felt very moved about this, so he just took it. Blitzo then started walking his fingers from his waist to his sides several times, making Stolas’s laughter come out in different tones, as his upper body was more sensitive.

  ‘Aww, listen to that silly laugh of yours! You really like this, don’t you?’

   ‘Ahahaha, stahahap, that's not true!’

   ‘Oh, really, what about those cute hoots you’re making right now?’

   ‘What? I’m not hooting right no…ahahaha! *hoot* Stahhahahap! *hoot* Don’t do thahahahat!’

   Blitzo was vibrating his fingers over Stolas’ upper ribs, making him hoot between laughs. ‘God, how much I missed this’, Blitzo thought to himself. Blitzo always acted cold with Stolas even during intimate times, and after he finally understood how dear he was to him he deeply regretted not being honest to his own feelings until then, not showing more affection to him, hurting him. He really wanted to make up for that lost time and start over.

   Stolas squirmed and laughed harder when Blitzo started pinching and squeezing his ribs, stomach and sides randomly. Stolas started wheezing and hiccupping so Blitzo stopped his attack and let him catch his breath interrupted by some short giggles before laying dead flat on the couch.

   ‘Ehehehe *hic*...,ehehe…’. Stolas’ face was all pink and his feathers all puffy and cute.

  ‘Well, that wasn’t that bad, wasn’t it? Blitzo said with both hands on his hips full of pride. ‘Better now?’

   ‘I think so.’ Stolas replied. ‘Thankfully it wasn’t that rough as the past times’.

  ‘I can be rougher if you want me to, you know I don’t hold back’, Blitzo said while menacingly wiggling his fingers over Stolas’ torso.

   ‘Oh, nonohohono! No more for today please!’, Stolas answered while giggling and putting both hands in front of Blitzo. 

   ‘I’m joking, I’m joking!’ Blitzo assured him while patting his head. You’re safe for the rest of the day’.

    Stolas blushed a little, but his heart felt a little lighter. Blitzo’s playful behavior was still new to him, but he didn’t dislike it at all. He decided to push that fact a little further.

   ‘So…, did you start tickling me to make me feel better, or just to punish me for something?’, he asked.

   ‘Punish you? Nah! I just wanted to have a little fun with you, just like before, you know? I mean, I always felt much better and relaxed after you…oh, oops!’

   Blitzo suddenly realized what he had just said, putting both hands in his mouth, and his face getting redder than usual.

   Stolas made a surprised face.

  ‘Oh nonono! Just forget I said that! Don’t stare at me like that, I just…UGH, THIS IS SO EMBARRASSING!’ He let himself fall over his back and now covered his full face. ‘Shit, I wanna die now!’ 

   Stolas’ shocked face quickly changed to a mischievous smile, and lowered his body low enough to stare at Blitzo’s eyes when he finally put his hands away from his face. Blitzo’s heart started racing. Stolas’ eyes now looking at him in an almost seductive way always made something in him that no one had ever done before.

   ‘Did you just admit you enjoyed being tickled, Blitzo?’ Stolas asked.

   ‘Erm, I, I…’

   ‘Come now, tell me the truth’. Stolas insisted. ‘I promise I won’t make fun of you or anything’.

   ‘No, I don’t want to!’, Blitzo said firmly, pouting his mouth and crossing his arms while looking away as a shy maiden. 

   ‘Oh, is that so? Maybe you need some encouragement to admit it!’ Stolas said, menacingly wiggling his fingers over Blitzo’s head.

   ‘Oh, nononono, don’t you dare! Stay away! No, NONOHHOHOHOHO!

  Stolas quickly reached Blitzo’s ribs and dug his fingers there, more aggressively than usual. Now that Blitzo had kind of confessed he had fun while being tickled he decided he wouldn’t hesitate this time. He was curious about what’d happen if he tickled Blitzo with all his might until he became putty in his hands. A little sadistic, yes, but if Blitzo could, why couldn’t he?

   Blitzo’s whole body just jolted at the strong sensations and howled with laughter.

   ‘AHAHAHAHA! Stolas! WTF?!  Pleasehehehe! It’s too much!’

   ‘ Oh, is that so? But you always tickled me like this without mercy!’

   ‘ But you like it!’

  ‘Aww, so you did it for me? How sweet of you!’, Stolas cooed. ‘In that case why shouldn’t I retribute your feelings?’. Then he proceeded to scratch Blitzo’s stomach, making him squirm wildly and laugh.

  ‘Ahahahaha! Pleasehehehe cut it out!’ 

  ‘I’ll stop if you admit you like it!’

  Stolas stopped for a moment while Blitzo just laid there on the couch with his arms over his head gasping for air. He would usually get away quickly and act all grumpy after being tickled by Stolas, but this time it was different. This time he wasn’t moving away, he was just there gigging, wiggling his tail out of pure enjoyment. 

   Now that he fully trusted Stolas and accepted his feelings, he wasn’t acting tough anymore. His heart was completely open  to him.

  Stolas realized this and his heart was moved. He decided to keep having fun with it for a little longer.

   ‘So, will you finally confess, Blitzo?’

   Blitzo just stared at him, trying to look as serious and defiant as he could despite holding back a nervous laughter, anticipating what was about to come.

   ‘No’

   Stolas’ hands moved as quick as thunder and his fingers were now vibrating on Blitzo’s stomach. Blitzo happily cackled loudly, squirming right and left.

  ‘Tktktktktktkt!’

  ‘NAHAHAHAHA! STOLASHAHAHAHA! PLEASEHEHEHEHE!’

   ‘No, I won’t stop until you say you like it!’

   ‘OVER MY DEAD BODY!’ Blitzo replied while wheezing.

  ‘Speaking of body, do you have a favorite spot to get tickled, Blitzo?’ 

  ‘Of course nohohot!’

   ‘I’m afraid I don’t believe you. I guess I’ll have to do some research myself.’

  Stolas slowed down the tickling so Blitzo could get some air and slowly moved to his neck. Blitzo just tried to protect his neck with his shoulders while giggling uncontrollably.

  ‘Is it here?’ Stolas cooed.

  ‘Ehehehe, nohoho, put your hands away!’

  ‘Maybe here?’ Stolas then put his fingers under Blitzo’s underarms and squeezed them. Blitzo started cackling and trying to get away.

  ‘AHAHAHAHA! Not there! I cahahahant’! PLEASEHEHEHEHE!

  ‘Umm, I think you can’t stand getting tickled there. Maybe your hips are less bad?’, he said while squeezing Blitzo’s hips, making him jump from the couch.

   ‘PFFFF, AHAHAHA!’ Blitzo this time squirmed like crazy, doing his best to run away. Tears were starting to build up in his eyes. ‘PLEASEHEHE, NOOHOHOHO!’.

  ‘Oh, ok, another bad spot, sorry!’ Stolas stopped for a moment while Blitzo rubbed his hips a little trying to get rid of the strong sensations.

  ‘Maybe we just need to go back to your ribs and stomach?’

  Blitzo when hearing this started to giggle uncontrollably and put his hands in front of Stolas, but he didn’t try to run away. At the moment Stolas touched his ribs and stomach with both hands he left a happy squeal and squirmed from side to side. 

  His tail was also wagging harder than when his other spots were being teased, meaning those were his favourite ‘happy spots’. He was also hugging Stolas’ wrists with both hands, in a very weak attempt to stop the torture.

  ‘Oh dear Lord, he’s acting so cute right now’. Stolas thought to himself. He wished he could have seen this side of Blitzo ages ago. He wished he could keep tickling him like this forever.

  Stolas then proceeded to hold Blitzo in a hug, putting him between the couch and his body. He alternated both hands to tickle his ribs, neck and stomach. Blitzo was kicking the air wildly and started wheezing again.

 ‘STOLAS! STAHAHAHAP, I CAHAHAN’T TAKE IT ANYMOHOHORE!’

 ‘Only if you say you like this!’ Stolas said in the sweeter voice possible.

 ‘Ohohohokkay! I like it! It was fun! Just let me go now! PLEASEHEHEHEHE!’ Blitzo was hugging Stolas’ arms despite being tickled to death.

  ‘Ermmm, could you not yell out your kinks when I’m having a video chat with my friends?’

   Loona had suddenly appeared in front of them, asking them to be quiet.

   Blitzo lifted his head and tried to act as normal and cool as possible.

   ‘Heey Looney! Sorry, we were just hanging out, like male pals do hehe’.

   ‘I don’t care, just don’t be so loud’. 

   ‘Ok, I got you. Consider it done!’, Blitzo reassured by giving her a thumbs up.

   Loona just rolled her eyes and went back to her room.

   ‘What a pair of dorks’ Loona thought, smirking a little.

   ‘Well, that was close!’ Blitzo said, relieved. ‘You almost embarrassed me in front of my daughter Stol…WOAH!

   Stolas pulled Blitzo down, rolling so they both could see each others’ faces while resting on the couch. 

    ‘Uhhh, what?’

    ‘Nothingl, I just wanted to tell you I enjoyed seeing you like this. You’re just too cute’’.

  Blitzo violently blushed and covered his face while pressing on Stolas’ chest. ‘Ugh, don’t say those things about me!’’

  Stolas took Blitzo’s face with his hands, making him stare at his eyes. ‘You’re so cute Blitzo’.

   Blitzo’s blush worsened. 

  ‘Just stop it!’

  Stolas then put both their foreheads together, while still caressing Blitzo’s cheeks.

  ‘Thank you Blitzo, for everything. I feel much better now.’

  Blitzo’s eyes started tearing up a little.

  ‘Hey, anytime buddy’, he said, rubbing his eyes.

  ‘Hey, since when did you call me ‘buddy’?’ Stolas replied, while jokingly giving Blitzo some light tickles over his stomach.

  ‘Ehehehe, sorry, sorry!’, Blitzo said while giggling. ‘So, how’d you like me to call you then, Big Bird?’

  ‘I liked it when you called me Stols’, he answered.

  ‘Oh, ok, ‘Big Bird Stols’, Blitzo mockingly said.

  ‘Ohh, do you want to be punished again or something?’ Stolas said while squeezing Blitzo’s ribs, making him jolt and giggling harder.

  ‘Ok, ok! Stols, Stols!, Stahahahap’. Stolas stopped the tickling. ‘God damnit Stols! Are you gonna tickle me every time I open my fucking mouth?’

  ‘Maybe?’, Stolas playfully replied, winking one of his eyes at him. Blitzo pouted.

  Stolas then nuzzled their foreheads again, enjoying the warmth of their bodies holding each other. 

  Just for a moment, Stolas felt like everything could work out.

  As long as they had each other’s backs, they could do everything.

  Even fixing his relationship with his daughter. He needed to believe that.

‘Hey, the Lavender Bomb was very relaxing, what if next time...’

‘Huh?’

‘Could we try it together?’, Stolas asked shyly.

‘Eh, uh…yeah, if you’re ok about it!’ Blitzo replied.

The next day both of them were in the tiny tub, relaxing and hugging. They kissed, hugged, even had a fierce tickle fight until the water got cold. After that Blitzo started to doze off and laid his body on Stolas’ chest.

‘Stols’

‘Yes, Blitzo?’

‘I’ll always be here for you, you know?’

‘And I’ll be here for you as well Blitzo’

Blitzo fell asleep so Stolas dried up Blitzo with a towel and carried him to the couch. The tickles really tired him off, but Stolas didn’t regret it at all. He’d do anything to see his dear one laugh and smile like that again.

Stolas laid together with Blitzo on the couch and covered both with the blanket. He was getting very sleepy too. He softly held Blitzo on his chest, holding his hands from behind, and before falling asleep he whispers behind Blitzo’s ear:

‘I love you Blitzo’.

Thanks to everyone reading my work. It has been a few months since I started this one, but I was too stressed out I couldn't finish it.

Original work here in AO3:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/66941479

If you enjoy my work you can buy me a Kofi here:

I also have a Twitter account:

https://x.com/meimei7782

I also have some Stolitz' fanart in my Redbubble Shop!

Last 2 chapters are up! Apparently it is the nature of hunanity to constantly be opening up Pandora's box. At least when all the bad comes out, there is hope.

Angel is cleaning out some old stuff and facing a lot of bad memories.

(Kind of a sequel to my fic "It's Over?" Wherein Valentino dumped Angel/ended his contract and now he and Husk are dating)