Helluva Deal

126. The Promise, We've Given Each Other

The Extermination Day in Pentagram City comes and passes by, once again, without any of the other rings of Hell and the hellborn really noticing or paying attention to.

Except of our demon family, still spending every second at the hospital in close environment of the comatose Blitz. They notice and care, because of Alastor, who suddenly announces that he will meet Husk in the sinners' city at the same day, it takes place.

There's arguing and even a short, verbal fight. Between Alastor...and Fizzarolli and Stolas. It ends with Stolas actually forbidding the radio demon to go and Alastor spatting at him that he's not his father and disappearing through the shadows.

The moment, he's gone, Stolas, who's been standing in front of the armchair that has become his home over the past weeks, suddenly collapses onto it, barely able to breathe and with his head spinning.

Moe and Ozzie immediately give him something to steady his circulation, while Fizz tries to help him through his panic attack.

Via and Loona each try to call Alastor, but the other already shut off his phone.

It takes over half an hour until Stolas has finally recovered a little and calmed down. Half an hour during which he never let go of Blitz' hand even once.

But afterwards, he's running a fever and it's obvious that his body has reached its limit.

So Moe doesn't even start any debate, he simply orders for Stolas' armchair to finally be replaced by a second bed. Something, he tried to talk the owl-demon into for weeks already.

But the other refused because he didn't want to appear sick or also weakened. He wanted to at least seem strong. For their kids. And now one of their kids...

"If anything happens to Alastor, I will never forgive myself..." whispers Stolas with tears in his eyes and curls up on himself on the bed, holding on tightly to Blitz' hand, "You would've been able to stop him and keep him here..."

"Wrong. If Blitz would be able to stop him, he'd be awake and THEN, Alastor wouldn't have left in the first place, anyway," contradicts Asmodeus now firmly but gently, while carefully taking the owl-demon's temperature again, "Alastor is trying to deal with what he's feeling. In his own way. But that doesn't mean he's going to be careless. I am sure he will return safe and sound. Safe for a few scratches maybe."

"Hm... Ow! This hurts, Oz!" whimpers Stolas weakly and tries to curl up even more on himself.

"I'm...sorry?..." Asmodeus exchanges a worried look with Fizz and Moe while very carefully retreating the thermometer from Stolas' cloaca.

The owl-demon whimpers softly and squeezes his eyes shut.

"Stolas... May I check...what is hurting you?" asks the King of Lust very carefully and softly now.

A moment of silence, then the owl-demon weakly shakes his head and blindly reaches for a blanket to pull over himself, "It's nothing. I'm just..." he doesn't finish his sentence and just looks at Blitz again, lovingly rubbing his thumbs over the knuckles of his fingers, "Do you really think...Alastor will return to us? Unhurt?"

"Yes. But Stolas..." Asmodeus shows Moe the thermometer and they exchange a nod, then he says lowly, "Stolas, please. You can be honest now. Your kids are outside and..."

"Just leave me be..."

"Stolas, you..."

"I said I'm FINE!" hisses Stolas and then there's a low crash of the cup of water falling to the floor because of a sudden magic burst from him. The next second, the owl-demon whimpers again.