“90 Days Later”
Blitzo x Stolas SFW
Stolas thinks that no one can understand what he’s going through. Blitzø reveals that that’s not entirely true.
——————
It had been a month and a half since Stolas’s entire world changed. Since the trial where he put himself between Blitzø and certain death in front of all of Hell. Since he lost all of his powers and titles and suddenly found himself living in a shoebox apartment in The Pride Ring with his insanely complicated relationship partner and his daughter.
And worst of all, just shy of a month and a half since that terrible Sinsmas where Octavia told him she didn’t want anything to do with him.
Stolas found himself alternating between being angry with himself and angry with everyone around him, but was careful to not lash out. He knew he was the cause of this, but that didn’t make it any easier.
One evening however, all those emotions bubbled over. Blitzø came in one evening, groceries in hand, while Stolas stood smoking on the fire escape. Blitzø had changed significantly since Stolas had moved in. The once aggressive, distant imp had becoming a doting, caring supportive man, which almost made this all the more frustrating. He didn’t deserve this grace, not after everything he did.
The window opened and he found Blitzø standing next to him. He gave him a shy smile and Stolas nodded back, handing him the cigarette which Blitzø took a drag of and handed back.
“How was the rest of your day after you left work?” Blitzø asked gently.
“It was fine. Quiet but fine,” Stolas said, taking another drag.
Blitzø could see that the owl wasn’t in the mood for small talk, so he took a breath. “Stolas I’m so sorry, again”
“Blitzo it’s still not your fault. I chose to do what I did.”
“I know but…I understand how it feels to-
Something inside of Stolas snapped. The dam he had built to keep all these big, negative feelings away from those around him came tumbling down and the words came spilling out.
“No, you don’t understand,” Stolas spat out harshly. You could never understand what it’s like to lose everything in a matter of moments.”
Blitzø’s glowing eyes began to fill with hurt, but he didn’t interrupt.
“Your sister hating you does not mean your whole life is in shambles,” Stolas continued, his voice beginning to crack, but he pushed on. “My entire world, my safety, my family…my Via. Gone. All gone, and the worst part is it’s because of me. I caused all of it with my own stupid, selfish actions. So please don’t tell me you understand what it’s like because you don’t”
Stolas expected a fight. For Blitzø to yell at him, maybe even kick him out. Their fights in the past before all this had been vicious. But to his surprise Blitzø was sadly smiling at him.
“Come on inside,” he said. “We need to talk.”
Confused, he offered one last drag to Blitzø who simply shook his head and climbed back in the window. Stolas nervously followed. What if Blitzø WAS kicking him out? The situation was messy, but there was no denying he still loved the man.
Stolas followed him inside and immediately started apologizing, before Blitzø kindly told him to just stop and sit. So he sat down on the couch, as Blitzø perched himself on the armrest.
“I’m not mad at you for what you said”, Blitzø started, his tone even and calm. “It hurt, I can’t lie about that, but I can’t be mad because you don’t know about my past, and that’s on me for not telling you, you couldn’t have known. But I think it’s time I do”
Stolas fidgeted nervously. Any questions he had ever had about Blitzø’s past were always quickly shut down or answered briskly. He didn’t even know why he and Fizz had originally fallen out.
The one thing he knew was that Blitzø’s brooch he wore every day belonged to his mother and that he’d only discovered recently due to some childhood photos strewn across his walls. Otherwise, he had never brought her up.
Then Blitzø told Stolas the story he’d avoided telling anybody for over 15 years.
The fire.
How it was a terrible, tragic accident that resulted from one, small misjudgment that got out of control so fast, no one could stop it.
How in Fizz’s desperate escape attempt from the tent, he ended up in the center of a major explosion; the one that blew his limbs off and burned him so severely. How Blitzø and ran for help, only to hear another scream in the distance.
His mother.
How it was too late too help her and by the time he got there all that was left of her was the brooch.
Blitzø had remained strong telling the story, until then, but suddenly his voice cracked and his eyes filled with familiar tears. Stolas held out his hand and Blitzø squeezed it, moving a little closer to him while he found the strength to continue.
He moved on, telling Stolas how he hadn’t even had a moment to process, when his father found him, and beat his freshly burned body in the middle of the wreckage, no one helping him despite his desperate pained screams.
How he had been painted the villain, a psychopath who was so jealous of his best friend, that he purposefully lit a fire with the intention to kill him on his birthday. That he left Fizz there to die. That the people he grew up with and considered family believed that story, not even taking a moment to ask Blitzø if it were true.
How his father lied to him and told him that Fizz didn’t want to see him ever again, knowing that was the one living person who would listen to and believe him when he said it was an accident and it lead to their 15 year long rift, because he also told Fizz that Blitzø never came for him and didn’t care to. That he abandoned his best friend on his deathbed.
How his father unceremoniously tossed him to the streets as a teenager, with no money, no support or family. Just alone, leaving him to rebuild his entire life by himself.
And finally, how worst of all, his sister hates him because she blames him entirely for the death of their mother. The only parent who actually cared for them. And honestly? He does too.
Stolas took all of this in, horrified. He could not believe what he was hearing, however, it made a lot about Blitzø make sense.
The avoidance.
The desperation for love, but difficulty accepting it.
The self loathing.
All of it clicked into place.
Blitzo didn’t know what to expect at the end of the story, but Stolas grabbed him and held him so close their hearts were practically touching as they beat.
He could hear Stolas crying, and he took the bird’s face in his hands.
“Hey hey no crying”
“You carried so much on your own, Blitzy. I cannot believe I spoke to you like that I am so sorry,” Stolas said through tears.
Blitzo gave Stolas a gentle kiss on the forehead.
“I didn’t tell you this to make you feel bad for me or upset, he said. I wanted to tell you so you know why, no matter how hard you push or try to carry it on your back, I will not let you go through this alone. Even if you want to, you don’t get to. We’re family now Stolas, whatever that means for us. We’ll figure that out as we go. But what I do know now is you will not suffer alone. That’s not an option.”
Stolas softly began crying again and Blitzø pulled him back into a hug.
“Thank you, Blitzø,” Stolas whispered.
They stayed there like that for a while, until Blitzø finally spoke.
You know, they had those cupcakes you like onsale so I got us a few boxes…you want one?
For the first time all day, Stolas smiled.
“Yeah. I would.”
Blitzø handed him the TV remote. “Put something good on for us, or at least something that has horses”
Stolas let out a genuine laugh at that, and Blitzø kissed him on the cheek before running into the kitchen to get their desserts.
Stolas watched him and while things would take a long time to get better, he realized that night that Blitzø’s help did not come from a sense of obligation or pity. It was that under the rough exterior, there was a sweet sweet boy who refused to let anyone he cared about feel unloved.
And most importantly, he realized that maybe he didn’t deserve to carry this alone.
