𝐂𝐎𝐒𝐌𝐈𝐂 𝐋𝐎𝐕𝐄, stolitz

𝒐𝒏𝒆, he loves me not

blossoming flower petals littered the covers of the prince's comfortless hospital bed. demons from all seven rings of hell came to wish him a speedy recovery. and though he appreciated the concern following the news, there was one imp who had yet to visit. blitzø, one of the only sinners that he wants to see during his recovery. stolas found himself wishing the imp would care enough to at least check in, even if it was only for a moment.  every time a visitor came to see him, there would be a short-lived moment of happiness, knowing that one of these times it was bound to be his knight in shining armor. and yet, week after week passed and his glimmer of hope faded with each passing night.

stolas watched as the world went on from the comfort of his hospital bed. he sat on the edge with his talents hanging limp off the side. today is his last day being cooped up in this hellish place, according to the doctors his wounds should've healed by now. the owl reached over to his nightstand and picked up his phone. dozens of worried texts from friends and relatives which he made sure to reassure. when he got to blitzø's there was an abrupt pause followed by a velvet petal landing on his screen.

a short-winded sigh came from the prince, the last message they exchanged was almost a month ago. stolas has tried multiple times to reach out, but his attempts turned out to be in vain. maybe blitzø never wanted to see him, maybe he was just a burden after all. stolas caught himself in deep thought when his phone vibrated in his hand. hoping to find a message from blitzø lighting up his screen. but even then he was filled with such false hope.

the prince reached over to the nicely placed vase and plucked a singular flower from the bouquet. the stem of its velvet-shaded petals laid in the palm of his hand, careful not to anger any of the sharp thorns. the flower reminded him of a game he used to play when he was a young owlet, alone plucking away at the beautiful petals till only one remained. he loves me, he loves me not.

sure playing a silly game like this was childish, but if it meant giving him closure he figured it was for the best. stolas removed the petals one by one, muttering the phrase he loves me, he loves me not every time one was plucked. when it came down to the last three there was no denying the fate of the game, he loves me not.

well, that settles it then. the prince couldn't hold on to this one-sided love for the rest of eternity. in that moment he felt so unlovable, so weak. but once it was all said and done, he managed to convince himself that this was for the best. feeling a sense of sorrow stabbing at his heart as he clutched his hand around the thorns. counting on the pain of the flower to nullify the pains radiating from his beating heart.

and though he wanted to believe his feelings towards the small imp boy were deceased, there was still a stubborn part of him that refused to let go.

***
after being released from the careful care of the hospital staff, stolas returned to his palace without much hassle. a couple weeks had flown by and for the most part, everything was running smoothly. the prince was enjoying his morning cup of coffee after waking his daughter for school. octavia sat at the dining table, eating breakfast while rock music bled from her headphones.

stella was out on vacation to who knows where, claiming she needed a break from her husband, and stormed out of the house with her luggage in hand. and stolas wasn't one to complain, not only did he have an extended break from his bitch of a wife, but he also got some quality time to bond with his daughter.

this new reflection on himself helped to clear his mind of uncertainties. not obsessing over how he should greet blitzø in the morning or whether or not he should call and bother the imp. he sipped his steaming cup of freshly brewed coffee, taking a seat across from his daughter. with the flick of his finger the morning newspaper levitated and flipped to a random page.

stolas hummed to himself while reading the article, not expecting to be disturbed by a door slamming open. one of his security hounds entered the room and informed him of a suspicious imp trying to sneak in through a back window.

stolas stood from his seat and closed the paper. "please take me to him." the prince asked and the hound complied. as much as he wanted to avoid having this discussion altogether, he couldn't put it off any longer. they walked side by side to the front gates of the palace where blitzø was threatening security.

"do you fuckers know who the fuck you're talking to? you better let me in or so help me satan." the moment he laid eyes on the owl walking towards him he bit his tongue. a look of relief flashed on his face. after not getting the constant messages and calls from stolas he wasn't sure what to think. he thought something might have happened to him.

"i trust that you have my grimoire?" stolas asks, not bringing up the elephant in the room. no senseless chatter or inviting him inside for a hot beverage. blitzø was taken aback by the stern expression on the prince's face. he wasn't like his usual cheery self.

"yeah.. yeah i have it." he took the book from under his arms and handed it to the prince.

"thanks, now if you'll excuse me i have other matters to attend to." stolas spoke uncaringly, knowing that the imp must've had a ton of unanswered questions.

"hold on a minute," blitzø started, "i have some very important clients that need someone fucked in the living realm, so if you could be quick with whatever business you have." the prince let a sigh fall from his lips. his crimson eyes filled with sorrow.

"blitzø.. we've been doing this back and forth for some time now.. i think it would be better for the both of us if we took a break from each other." the bird stated.

blitzø wore a look of confusion, "what so you're telling me i have to put off several clients because you're in this piss poor mood?" he asked, his whole business relied on stolas grimoire, without it they wouldn't have access to the living realm. and yet the prince narrowed his cold gaze.

"not once did you come and visit while i was cooped up in that god-awful place. you could've at least called once in a while." as he spoke there was an obvious pain in his voice.

"i was busy alright? when will you blue bloods learn the world doesn't revolve around you." the imp boy growled, his words like venom in the prince's ears.

stolas went to rebuttal, he was in that hospital for months, and in all that time blitzø wasn't able to make time for him. however, the prince bit his tongue, finding this senseless bickering back and forth to be pointless.

"goodbye blitzø." he gave a swift head nod to the guards and they blocked the view of the imp. the prince turned his back on the gates and walked forward. every step feeling like a needle being shoved into his chest.

"what so we're over just like that?" blitzø called out hoping to get the owl's attention, but stolas kept walking without even batting an eye.

blitzø felt he needed to explain himself to keep the prince from leaving for good. but before he could take the first step onto the forbidden grounds he was stopped by the hellhounds. "fine then! i don't need help from a privileged asshole like you anyways."

stolas felt his heart aching. wondering with each step if this was the right thing to do. even though he was hurting, he continued into the palace without so much as a meaningful goodbye.