Loona knew it was going to be bad. Like, seriously bad. She might not have known all the details of her Dad's past life, but you didn't need to be a mindreader to understand how fucked up it was. The fact that the Nightmare Parasite had made him want to die because of those bad memories was proof of how serious the situation was. She and everyone else had waited for hours outside the door until she heard his scream.

It was a scream that chilled her to the bones. The scream of pain and loss. Rage and sorrow. Of trauma so buried deep that the moment the band-aid was ripped off, it blood spewed out like a river. Blitzo was in hysterics for nearly an hour. Screaming, crying, and even scratching himself forced them to hold him. It was only after he tired out his throat that he finally calmed down and collapsed in their embrace.

There was something in his eyes when he finally stopped struggling and gave up beyond all the sorrow, rage, and guilt.

Relief.

Like something he had been holding back had been freed.

Loona had often heard that confronting tragedies was the first step to healing, and that was what this whole "Soul Walk" thing was supposed to do. Seeing that look in her father's eyes made her believe there was truth to it. It at least stopped her from reacting by finding that angel and ripping his wings off.

Everything else was a long, arduous process of getting her father to calm down and come to terms with what he had seen. Nobody gave him a drink, but Reginald gave him ice cream, which seemed to do the trick. He didn't say anything. Just eat in silence. Nobody even bothered to ask what he had seen or what had happened.

Even if Loona wanted to know very much.

When evening came, Stolas carried Blitzo to his bed chambers to comfort him. And that was that. Loona took the time to raid the liquor cabinet and drink under the stars in the gardens. Drinking her second bottle of whatever fancy wine she grabbed randomly, Loona stared at the stars in a mix of concern and frustration. Her tail whisking back and forth, all static-like, was a sign of her internal mood.

She hated this.

She hated being powerless.

It was like trying to find her father all over again.

Loona was a girl of action despite her perceived laziness. When she was motivated to do something, she was as wild as a canine hunting its prey. Especially when it came to her family. She always valued her father and the growing list of people in her self-made pack. The moment she met her so-called "real family," who utterly rejected her, it broke something inside of her.

Something that her father saved because of his declaration to her.

"Loona. I'm going to say this just once to you. So you better fucking listen well. Every day, hour, and every minute since we first met all those years ago, I have always thought of you as my daughter. Not once have I ever seen you as some kind of pet, animal, or beast. I've always seen you as my pride and my joy. I have spent these sixteen years working my ass off to make sure you were fed, educated, and safe. I threatened, blackmailed, and paid off those teachers and principals just to make sure you weren't kicked out. I didn't take those life-risking jobs, some that would give you nightmares, just so I could fill my wallet. I did it so I could give you whatever I could. I didn't fucking pray to God, something no demon EVER DOES, when you were sick with Kennel Cough when you were nine years old because I was bored! I did all of that because I FUCKING LOVE YOU!"

Her father never once gave up on her or abandoned her. And Loona vowed to do the same. Yet here she was. Powerless.

She heard a cough and slowly turned around to see Rachmiel, in a blue night robe, looking at her nervously. "Uh, hi."

"Hey," She muttered.

"...Can I join?"

Much as a part of her wanted to tell him to fuck off, she just snorted and sighed. "Sure."

Nodding, he sat down next to her, and they silently watched the stars.

"It's beautiful," Rachmiel said as he pointed to the sky. "You can even see Heaven from here."

"Home sick?" Loona asked.

"A bit," He sighed. "Honestly, I don't know how you can live in this realm with all this evil in the air. No offense."

"Whatever," Loona muttered as she looked away.

Things were quiet for a bit longer until he asked, "Aren't you going to ask me?"

"What?"

"What your father's memory was like?"

Turning to him, Loona raised an eyebrow. "I thought you couldn't tell us because of some client confidentiality bullshit?"

"Well, yeah. But since you are his daughter, even if adopted, and his reaction was based on the extreme situation we were in? I'm willing to bend the rules for you," Rachmiel said with a shrug. "Besides, I can tell you're worried."

Loona's expression softened for a bit, which made her consider it before she shook her head. "Dad will tell me when he's ready, and maybe it's best if I hear it from him."

"If you're sure," Rachmiel said with a nod.

"Just tell me. Was it really that bad?" She whispered while glancing at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah. It was fucked up," Rachmiel said, which made Loona snort. "What?"

"Sorry, I'm still getting used to the idea of an angel cursing," Loona answered.

Rachmiel rolled his eyes before hugging his knees. "Uh? Loona?"

"What?" She asked.

"I'm really sorry about the whole...you know...first meeting incident," The avian angel nervously muttered. "That was totally an accident, and I would never touch someone like that. I promise."

Loona raised an eyebrow upon hearing this. She didn't understand why he was making such a big deal out of something that had long since happened. Then again, I scratched his face when it happened and have been holding a grudge ever since.

And even despite all that, he was clearly showing care for her father. Not just because he was his patient, but he seemed to have sympathy for him. She half-expected whoever was going to heal her father to see it as just a job to do, but with Rachmiel, it was different. His tone and behavior, even his expression, were all too genuine to be fake.

Shaking her head, Loona replied, "Relax, Feathers. It's fine. Water under the bridge. Just don't do it again."

A great relieving sigh escaped Rachmiel's beak as the caladrius seemed to relax more. "Thank you."

"So what happens now?" Loona asked as Rachmiel straightened up a bit.

"Well, Blitz needs a few days to come to terms with what he just went through. Meanwhile, I'll work on the simulacrum. It's going to be a place in his soul where he can talk about his family, the ones he lost, with the exact personalities and behaviors based on what I saw in his memories. A means for him to gain closure. It will be like talking to the real thing in a way."

"How long will it take?" Loona asked.

"Three days for me. For him, I'm not sure. We'll do it when he's ready," Rachmiel sighed. "Until then, he's going to need you all."

Loona nodded. "That I can do."

The two leaned back a bit to watch the stars a bit more. With a sigh, Loona handed him one of the wine bottles. "So what's Heaven like?"

"Uh," He took the bottle and tilted his head, "you really want to know? From me?"

"Don't think too much of it, Feathers. I'm bored and curious, so take a sip and talk," Loona told him.

Rachemil blinked a bit, took a small sip, and smiled warmly before he began.

***

In their bedroom, Millie and Moxxie were staring up at the ceiling. Both of them are unable to really sleep due to what's happened. They were still hearing Blitzo's screams in their head, and the two of them wouldn't deny that they also shed tears during it all. It was still surreal to see their boss and friend in such a broken state. Even after the whole kidnapping situation, their version of Blitzo was always the devil, don't care, cocky, and charismatic assassin who was willing to do anything at any time without giving two shits.

Not the broken soul who sobbed like a child.

"... I'm gonna go check up on him," Millie said as she made to get up, but Moxxie grabbed her.

"Dear, stop," He said as he calmly brought her down to the bed and rested her head on his chest. "Stolas is looking after him. And I'm sure he's in better care than with us."

Millie bit her lip and slowly nodded. "I know I just... he's family..."

That word meant more to both of them now, considering all that had happened with Millie's family. I.M.P. and the Goetia were all she had left in terms of such a thing. If anything, Blitzo had proven himself to both of them with his actions. Moxxie wasn't kidding when he asked Blitzo to be their kid's' devilfather. He trusted nobody else. To Moxxie, he was the best friend he had ever had since losing Cassie and Nack back at the Academy. To Millie, he proved more care for her choices than her own father ever did.

He had been with them every step of the way, and it was only fair to be there for him.

"What do you think he saw?" Millie asked her husband as she nuzzled his neck.

"My guess is it had to do with his family. The one he lost," Moxxie whispered as he stroked his wife's hair. "Whatever it was, it had to be horrible for him to react like that."

"...You know something? We all have messed-up family lives," Millie chuckled. "Yours raised you to be a terrorist. Mine refuses to trust me. Loona's pack rejected her because she was born weak in their mind. Stolas and Octavia had Stella and all that other Goetia family bullshit. And Blitz lost his in a traumatic way. Rachmiel might be the only one who has a normal family life, but that's probably because he's not from Hell."

"Surprised you're counting him," Moxxie said with a tilted head.

"Well, he's been helping Blitz a lot, and I saw the guilty and horrified look on his face. I think he really does care about Blitz," Millie shrugged. "Besides, the guy acts way too nice to really hate."

"True," Moxxie muttered. "But do you want to know what really bothers me most?"

"What?"

"This was the first of the bad memories," Moxxie answered thoughtfully. "There are still more. Like, whatever happened with him and his wife. Plus, the kidnapping."

Millie sighed heavily. "So we're gonna have more moments like this."

"Yes," Moxxie said as he hugged her close. "And we have to be ready for them."

"Remember when the biggest worry about our lives was assassinating dumb humans and not getting caught?" Millie asked.

"Those were the days," Moxie said in nostalgic memory.

"Anyway, I need to get up," Millie said as she started to rise.

"I told you, sweetie. Stolas is taking care of him," Moxxie said to her, which made her shake her head and hold her stomach.

"Not that. Our son is acting up. I need the bathroom."

"Shit, go go!"

***

How many times have they been in this position? Stolas holding Blitzo in their bed? Letting his warm feathers feel the cold, scaled skin? They couldn't be more opposite in their appearances and behaviors, let alone the physical connections. For Stolas, holding Blitzo close to him was like feeling a cold fire that was surrounded by a shadowy mist of mystery. It was intoxicating, and he felt himself drowning whenever he was near him.

And yet holding him now felt so different.

It was like holding broken china that had been smashed on the ground so many times and glued together with each shattering. The more it shattered, the more cracks appeared on it, but it never lost its beauty despite the hardship. Yet it was clear that at some point, the shattering was becoming too much.

It didn't matter how many times you glued something together; it was still broken inside. And that's what Stolas felt about his Blitzy. He was broken from so much that it was a miracle he still breathed. Whatever he experienced in that memory had torn him up so much that Stolas had never seen him react in such a way. Not even during the worst days of the six months after they saved him from Stella's family.

It hurt to see him like this, but all medicines were bitter.

Stroking his horns, Stolas watched as his sleeping lover peacefully lay in bed. His eyes finally shut as the tear-streaked cheeks relaxed from what Stolas hoped were reactions to a good dream. Or at least a non-dreaming night for once, instead of the nightmares he was having regularly.

It was moments like these that Stolas didn't care how sorry Stella was or how hard she was trying to forgive herself. He would never forgive her for letting this happen in the first place. Wrapping an arm around his lover and dragging him closer, the Goetia Prince sighed as he wondered how far this would go until his lover was safe and sound.

He still needed to worry about what to do with his new allegiance to Heaven. So far, it was just helping with the Hazbin Hotel, but what would be next? All the sacrifices he was taking for this one Imp, whom he loved so much. Many would just try to get out of a scenario like this for their own sake, but Stolas was not like them. He followed what he thought was right, even if it was painful for him.

It didn't matter how many nights were coming as a result of this treatment. He would be there for Blitzo on each and every one of them.

"I promise," He kissed Blizo on the cheek. "I will never leave you."

There was a slight movement in Blitzo's form, but not much; it was enough for Stolas to notice. He saw his body relax even more, and soon the bird demon closed his eyes to join his lover in sleep.

Tomorrow would be a new day, but tonight was silent.