Work Text:
Stolas was sitting on the couch as Blitzø rambled about his day, head tipped back over the arm as Blitzø paced back and forth.
Blitzø's voice was slowly rising in volume, and, every time his voice peaked, Stolas grimaced and clenched his beak.
"-- And I can't believe we missed it! It was so fucking obvious!" Blitzø threw his arms up and turned, tail flicking.
Stolas rolled over to sit up, talons digging into his thighs through his shorts.
"Mills keeps tellin' me that it's not anything we did, 'it's just a one-in-a-million, B!', shit like that." Blitzø stomped to the other side of the living room to fall into his bean-bag chair, then stood again immediately to throw his arms up in anger and yell, "And another thing!"
Stolas flinched at the movement and volume, spine straight and talons buried in his feathers.
"Hey, whoa. What's up?"
"Nothing! I'm okay."
"Why're you panicky?"
"I'm not!"
Blitzø reached out to tug Stolas' hand away from his leg, but Stolas shot up from the couch before Blitzø could touch him.
"Hey."
"I'm fine!" Stolas laughed manically, swiping the tears from his eyes with the insides of his wrists. "With the day you've had, it wouldn't surprise me if you haven't eaten. Have you eaten? I can make you..." Stolas looked through the pantry, reached towards the back, and emerged with a can as he proclaimed, "Soup! I can make soup!"
"Stols--"
Stolas bustled around the kitchen to find a pot and pour the soup in it.
"Stolas, I ate already," Blitzø piped up from the edge of the kitchen.
"... Huh?"
"I'm not hungry."
"I can still make you something--"
"Stols, can you just... c'mere?"
Stolas set everything down carefully and knelt in front of Blitzø so they were eye-to-eye.
"What's up?"
"Nothing's up!" Stolas squeaked, eyes wide and head shaking from side to side.
"Why are you panicking?"
"Not panicking! No panic here!"
"You are."
"I'm fine."
"Was it me yelling?"
"You didn't do anything wrong!"
Blitzø sighed and knelt in front of Stolas, tipping his face up with one gentle hand. "Look at me."
Stolas' eyes darted anywhere but Blitzø's face as he whispered, "I can't."
"Okay. Y'don't have to. How 'bout we go sit on the couch?"
Stolas shook his head again.
"Are you stuck?"
"No. I just... I can't. I can't move."
Blitzø nodded in quiet understanding and shifted to sit cross-legged in front of Stolas' knees. "D'you want some water?"
Stolas shook his head.
"Something to eat?"
"I can't."
Blitzø nodded. "Do you need t'go quiet?"
With only a few seconds of hesitation, Stolas nodded.
"Okay. First, a glass of water, then you can go quiet. I don't want you shrivelin' up." Without waiting for an answer, Blitzø stood to fill a glass of water from the tap. "Here."
Stolas drank about half of the glass, then handed it back to Blitzø.
"There's a good Birdie," Blitzø whispered, scratching Stolas' shoulder gently. "We'll sit here 'til you're ready t'move."
"You don't need to--"
"Shush. Be quiet, don't make yourself talk. I'll sit with ya."
Stolas stared at Blitzø's knees, reaching out to stroke the smooth skin of his scars.
"Hey, Babe."
Stolas took Blitzø's hand and dropped it onto his head, where Blitzø immediately started to play with his crown feathers.
"D'you want me t'keep this up?"
Stolas nodded, tongue seemingly glued to the roof of his mouth as he tried to force words out.
"Okay." Blitzø scratched between the pins of Stolas' feathers, then whispered, "D'you want me to talk?"
Shrugging weakly, Stolas leaned into Blitzø's touch.
"I'll be quiet." Blitzø stood to position himself behind Stolas, claws massaging his scalp, shoulders, and neck. "You've just... I've just gotta tell ya that you're allowed t'go quiet here. We won't get upset; we just wanna be able t'help ya."
Stolas turned around to hug Blitzø close and nuzzle his beak into Blitzø's shoulder.
"M'kay," Blitzø chuckled. "Good Birdie. You think we could move to the couch? Or the carpet, at least? We can put all the pillows 'n cushions on the floor 'n make a nest."
Nodding, Stolas used the counter to pry himself off of the floor and to his feet. He stared absently at the tiled floor.
"C'mon," Blitzø whispered, large hands wrapping around one of Stolas' to guide him to sit on the couch. "Siddown, Stols. I've got ya."
Stolas allowed Blitzø to lay him down on the couch, nuzzling the imp's hip when his skull met Blitzø's lap.
"There's my guy." Blitzø smoothed out Stolas' puffed-up feathers with gentle fingers. "Just relax. Listen to me, 'n the traffic outside."
With one shaking finger, Stolas poked Blitzø's chest.
"Just me, then. Focus on my voice, 'n what I'm sayin'."
Stolas nodded against Blitzø's lap.
"I'm sitting here on the couch, and you're laying with me. Your head is in my lap, and I'm playing with your feathers. They're soft, since we just oiled them yesterday. I helped you, remember?"
Stolas nodded again.
"We sat on the floor, the windows were open, and we were watching Horse Show. Loona's music was blastin', even though she was snoring. We laughed whenever the ads popped up, 'cause they'd wake her up and she'd swear at 'em real loud."
Snickering, Stolas nodded again.
"I preened your feathers, 'n put 'em in a jar when they fell out. I kissed you all over, made you do that pretty laugh'f yours, the one where your eyes get all scrunchy 'n you can't stop your lil' hoots." Blitzø carded his claws through Stolas' feathers yet again.
"Mm..."
"There's a storm rollin' in, and we can smell it. Smell it?"
Stolas inhaled deeply, the corners of his beak turning up in a weak smile. He nodded.
"Are you excited for the rain?"
Nodding, Stolas squeezed Blitzø's knee once.
"That's good. It gets pretty loud in here, especially with the thunder, and especially compared to the palace, whenever it rained. You remember how quiet it was. But here..." Blitzø sighed. "It's loud. the building shakes, and sometimes we lose power. Loona and I make sure t'have candles on-hand, so we can see in the dark. Well, more so I can see, 'cause she's pretty good without 'em. She's a good kid, like that; makin' sure I can see, even if she doesn't need the candles."
Stolas nodded with a smile. He pressed his beak to Blitzø's thigh through his pants.
"Thanks, Babe."
"Mm."
Blitzø smiled down at Stolas, holding his face in both hands. "Do you have any idea how much you matter to me?"
Stolas hesitated, then nodded once, resolute.
"That's good. 'Cause I wanna keep you around a while."
Stolas beamed, surging up to kiss Blitzø properly.