Work Text
After that whole mess with the slime blob monster, it took a while for the pool to be cleaned out properly. The slime from Stolas’s little experiment needed to go somewhere and the pool was unfortunately the only place that could fit all of it once it was cleaned up from the front hall. The ingredients Stolas had used were at least able to go down the drain without too much damage to the pipes.
Stolas did feel bad that Blitzo couldn’t swim that day but he did want to make it up to him. But no slime with magic boost this time. He’d invite Blitzo, Barbie, and Fizz for a fun day of swimming since it was becoming very hot in Hell for the summer months. He might not use it too much but if his friends wanted to, he’d be more than happy to let them come by for a visit.
And from what Blitzo had told him, it was a bit too hot to actually have performances so they would be taking a bit of a break.
“Father? May I invite Blitzo and his sister and Fizz to come over to use our pool?” Stolas asked at dinner one night.
“Oh that should be fine.” Paimon mused, for once wearing lighter clothes instead of his usual robes. “It’s too hot to do any proper work today so we should get proper use out of the pool.”
“Thank you, father. I’ll call after dinner.” the young prince smiled happily.
The king looked at his son, his father's instincts kicking in. “Stolas, are you certain you will be alright swimming in the larger pool?” he asked.
“I…I can use my floaties.” Stolas reasoned, not looking his father in the eye.
“That’s fine for right now but for any future possibilities when you won’t be able to use your floating abilities. Plus it’s for your own safety if you learn the basics in swimming.”
“Um…maybe…” he mumbled.
Paimon sighed; Stolas was always eager to learn in some cases but in others, it was like pulling old feathers. Maybe he should’ve had him do swimming lessons when he was younger but it wasn’t too late. Perhaps seeing his little friends in the pool would motivate him to want to at least try swimming without his floaties.
“Alright. We can talk about swimming lessons another time.” Paimon conceded, Stolas letting out a sigh of relief. He then gave his son a little smirk as he leaned over the table. “I mean, you still need to work on your chemistry if that slime experiment is anything to go by, right?”
“Father!” Stolas squeaked, puffing his cheeks out as the taller owl laughed lightly.
“I’m kidding, son. I know you’re quite skilled with your potions and experiments.” he reassured him before giving him a teasing smile. “Even if they don’t always work out.”
Stolas could only pout as Paimon patted his head. The whole incident with the darknut and homemade slime was sort of an inside joke between the father and son duo. Paimon had Stolas and Blitzo help the staff clean up the slime after cleaning off from the whole slime war he and the circus imp participated in. In the moment it was mortifying to lose his composure and act on impulse but the stupid clown laughing at him really ruffled his feathers.
But in the end, it wasn’t the worst thing in the world. Stolas was remorseful about causing the whole mess and was willing to clean up alongside the servants so that the hideous mess wasn’t in his home for too long. And it was a little fun not acting like a king for once and just playing with his son. He wasn’t going to go around playing with him outside in the dirt or mud–he wasn’t that crazy–but bonding with his son was quite refreshing.
And there was something to that imp’s idea of playful teasing of his children.
(...)
Evenings in Hell were normally cooler, much like on Earth. But summer evenings were only barely cooler since it was still too damned hot to even do anything. Even with the windows open, the circus family were splayed out in the family room, absolutely broiling. They were tempted to sleep downstairs since it was cooler than upstairs, if only by a little.
Buckzo and Tilla were in shorts and tank tops, laying back on the couch to try and stay cool. The kiddos were lying down on the floor, grateful for the wood being semi-cooler than the rest of the house. The AC unit they had in the window was only barely working so they weren’t totally dying but it still sucked.
It wasn’t Wrath Ring bad but still pretty bad.
“Fuck…I gotta call a guy about the damned AC…” Buckzo moaned.
“You did…he’ll be here by the weekend…” Tilla reminded him.
“Oh yeah…fuckin’ heat’s fryin’ my brain…” the ringmaster grumbled. No one would want to go out to the circus during a heatwave so not making any money was making him grouchy. The idea of being stuck with a stupid AC that was on the fritz was driving him crazy. And sticking his head in the fridge to cool off wasn’t a practical solution.
Suddenly the phone rang, making the imp family groan.
“I’ll get it…” Blitzo decided, peeling himself off the floor as he hobbled into the kitchen. He clambered onto the stool to pick up the phone. “Hello…?”
‘Hello Blitzo! How are you?’
“I feel like a boiled lobster…it’s hot as Satan’s armpit.” Blitzo told him before straightening up. “What’s up?”
‘Well, I was wondering if you would all like to come over swimming tomorrow?’
“Swimming?!” Blitzo gasped, gaining the attention of his entire family in the family room. “Are you serious?!”
‘Yes! The heat must be unbearable so if your parents are okay with it, would you like to come over to swim?’
“Dude! You are my hero! Yes!” Blitzo grinned, giving his mom the phone since she stepped into the kitchen to clarify things.
“Hello? This is Blitzo’s mother. Are you sure your father’s okay with us coming over?” Tilla asked, trying to keep her tone calm though she was excited about the idea of not being stuck in an oven all day.
‘Yes! My pool is rather large so I figured it would be best if you and Mr. Buckzo came over to keep an eye on Blitzo, Barbie, and Fizz.’
“We’ll be over first thing tomorrow. Thank you so much again!” Tilla smiled, handing the phone back to her son so she could tell the rest of her family the good news.
“You have no idea how much we needed this! Our house is like an oven!” Blitzo told him before whispering into the receiver. “And since we couldn’t last time, I’m happy we can swim together.”
‘Yes I’m looking forward to that too! See you tomorrow!’
“See ya!” Blitzo grinned before hanging up, looking at his very excited family. Stolas’s pool looked so much better than those dinky plastic pools from the store. Even the public pool was like being in a bowl of soup on a crowded day. But a personal pool at the palace?
Tomorrow was going to be fun!
(...)
Paimon was a little less than enthused about the pool being used by Blitzo and his noisy family for the day. But since the children were still rather small, it would be best to have more adults on hand to keep an eye on things. He still had some work he needed to get done so he’d only pop in and out occasionally to check on things.
“Stolas I realize I gave you permission to invite the imp boy’s family but please make sure they don’t cause too much chaos.” Paimon pleaded with his son.
“Oh I’m sure they’ll behave. It is rather hot so they probably just want to cool off.” Stolas reasoned.
“Yes well…I’ll have Mister Butler watch over you all and I'll check in from time to time.” the king stated, mentally cringing when he heard the doorbell ring. “Let’s just get them directly to the pool area.”
Mister Butler soon answered the door, revealing the circus family. “Greetings Mr. Buckzo, Mrs. Buckzo, Miss Barbie, Mister Blitzo, and Mister Fizzarolli.” Mr. Butler bowed.
“Hey Butler-dude.” Blitzo smiled before looking at his bird buddy. “Stolas!” he smiled before running up to him.
“Hello Blitzo!” Stolas smiled, fluffing up a bit as he looked at his friend. “I’m so happy you could come over!”
“Hey, we should be thanking you.” the imp boy told him. “Our AC is kinda busted so we would’ve boiled at home.”
“Thanks for having us over!” Fizz smiled brightly. “It’s so cool we can hang out here today!” Barbie added.
“You are allowed in the pool area but I don’t want you wandering the palace on your own.” Paimon warned them, looking pointedly at Cash. “We don’t need anyone getting lost in my home.”
“Hey I ain’t up for exploring shit today, alright? I just wanna get in that pool and not feel like a sweaty pig.” the ringmaster reasoned.
“We are very grateful for this invitation, your majesty.” Tilla bowed, prompting the rest of her family to do the same, albeit a bit awkwardly.
“Yes well it is rather hot this time of year. And Stolas has been wanting your son to come over for a swim.” Paimon replied. “I have some more work to do in my office so I won’t be joining you until later.”
“Aw come on ya don’t wanna take a dip?” Buckzo teased. “A shitty hot day like this and ya ain’t tempted to jump in your pool?”
“No.” Paimon replied flatly. “Just because it’s hot doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try to do some work. I will take breaks if needed but I will not be swimming today.”
“Allow me to show you all to the pool area.” Mr. Butler bowed before guiding the strange imps away. Stolas and Blitzo followed first with Barbie and Fizz next and Buckzo leading up the rear. Tilla was about to follow her husband when Paimon stopped her.
“Sire?” she blinked.
“You seem like you have the most common sense of your family. Please keep them in check.” Paimon begged her quietly.
“I will do my best.” she nodded, knowing the Goetia king was a bit…high strung around strangers.
(...)
“Whoa! Look at this pool!” Fizz gasped.
The pool was able to convert from being an indoor pool in winter to an outdoor pool if they had wanted in the warmer months. There were plenty of plants around to decorate the pool area, giving it a more tropical feel. There were a few beach chairs surrounding the pool which Tilla took to setting their supplies on.
“Alright this should be a nice spot.” Tilla mused before pulling out a sunscreen bottle. “Kids! Cash! Come put on some sunscreen!”
“Aw but that stuff smells like coconut.” Barbie complained, shivering when her mother began to put some on her arms.
“Better to smell like coconut than to peel like a snake later.” Tilla reminded her kids.
“She’s right. You think shedding on your horns is bad? Feh!” Buckzo scoffed. “Sunburns are a BITCH and you’ll itch like crazy.”
Blitzo, remembering how painful his first horn shedding was, immediately covered himself in sunscreen before heading into the pool. Fizz and Barbie did the same even though they weren’t thrilled about smelling like coconut. Buckzo was the last to start putting on sunscreen, not exactly enjoying the goopy texture.
“Dammit…this stuff is so friggin’ cold!” he grumbled, trying to reach his back.
“How about I help you put the rest of that on.” Tilla offered before giving him an impish smile. “Maybe then you can help me…cover up?”
Buckzo felt his face heat up before sitting in front of his wife. “Yes ma’am!” he grinned, his tail swishing excitedly as Tilla began to rub some sunscreen onto his shoulders. He still didn’t like that cold goop on his shoulders but Tilla’s hands rubbing on him felt so damned good.
(...)
“Cannonball!” Barbie and Fizz shouted, jumping into the water with a splash.
Blitzo laughed as he got splashed by his sister and friend, looking over at Stolas. “You ready to swim, buddy?” Blitzo asked.
Stolas waddled over in his swim ring, looking proudly at his friend. “Yes! I’m quite ready to swim with you!” he smiled.
The young friends decided to walk into the pool using the stairs, Stolas reasoning he didn’t want to look like a drowned chicken after coming out of the water. Blitzo used a pool noodle to swim around since he was feeling a bit lazy but he couldn’t help but notice Stolas was sticking close to the stairs.
“Stols? You okay bud?” he tried.
“Huh? Oh yes I’m alright. I just…don’t want to drift too far, you know?” he laughed nervously.
“Are you scared of the water? Dude I’m sorry. We don’t have to swim if you don’t like it.” Blitzo reassured him.
“No no! I like water! I just…don’t swim very well.” the young prince confessed. “I’m a bit afraid to learn…but I love water a lot.”
“I could teach ya a bit.” Blitzo offered.
“You can?” he blinked.
“Sure. We don’t even have to leave the shallow end. I learned a bit from our trips to the lake and the public pool. It’s scary but fun.” Blitzo smiled.
“Um…could we wait on putting my head under water?” Stolas requested.
“Sure buddy. Now, come on over by the wall and we can practice kicking.” Blitzo suggested before looking him over. “You might wanna take that off. I’ll have it right there if you need it but let’s try without it, okay?”
Stolas nodded as he climbed onto the stairs, carefully removing his ring before clinging onto the wall. He inched himself away from the stairs and near Blitzo who was holding onto the wall as well. “So…where do we start?” he wondered.
“First, ya gotta get used to kicking.” Blitzo told him as he started to kick the water behind him. “Like this.”
Stolas slowly began kicking before rapidly splashing water behind him as he kicked. “Am I doing it?!” he shouted.
“Easy buddy! You’re gonna tire yourself out!” Blitzo called, giggling at Stolas’s tired face. “Go slower, okay?”
Over in the deeper part of the pool, Buckzo was relaxing on a pool ring. He was drinking out of one of those coconut drinks, lazily watching his kiddos playing around. Barbie and Fizz were pretty good swimmers so he didn’t have to worry about them too much. He then caught his son holding the prince’s hands as he helped him get used to the water without his floaties.
“Hey babe looks like the student’s become the teacher.” Buckzo commented, waiting for his wife’s response but got nothing back. “...babe?” He turned around trying to spot Tilla. Where was she?
While he was looking around, a black mass of hair started moving towards Buckzo, the long hair creeping towards him. He yelped at the strange thing in the water touching his hand but when he turned to look at what brushed against him, his confusion turned to horror as he saw something that looked like the Ring girl rising up and staring at him.
“AIEEE!!!!” He screamed, falling over off his pool ring. He then pouted as Tilla giggled at him, clearing the hair from her face. “Tilla!” he whined, rising up from the water with a grumpy look.
“Sorry hun. I couldn’t resist.” Tilla laughed, squealing when her hubby pulled her into a hug.
“Oh you are a devious minx…and I love that about you.” he grinned, peppering her neck with kisses.
(...)
Stolas’s impromptu swimming lessons were going fairly well. Blitzo never made him feel uncomfortable or like a baby for not swimming as well as he should’ve been for a boy his age. And holding onto his shoulders while he kicked was quite nice. Maybe swimming lessons wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world.
If he had a nice teacher like Blitzo, maybe he could swim out further into the deeper parts of the pool.
“Master Stolas? Master Blitzo? It’s time for lunch.” Mr. Butler told the young boys.
“Aww but we’re having fun.” Blitzo moaned, swimming towards the steps as Stolas tagged along behind him. He hated to admit it but he was getting hungry so a little break wouldn’t hurt. Stolas seemed quite excited to tell his father, who would be joining them for a brief lunch break, about the progress he made with learning how to swim.
“Mister Butler! Did you see me swim?” Stolas smiled proudly.
“Yes, young master. You are doing quite well.” the older imp replied, giving Stolas a towel to wrap himself in as he ate.
There was a spread of light snacks and sandwiches that Mister Butler and the cooks had worked on. Barbie and Fizz were happy to scarf down anything while Buckzo could only be impressed by what they had provided.
“Damn…this shit is way better than the crap at the public pool snack bar.” the ringmaster commented as he picked up some watermelon slices. “Wow they ain’t slimy at all.”
“I’m sorry…slimy?” Paimon frowned, popping a grape in his beak.
“During summer we try to get a melon to share but if we don’t eat it fast enough, it doesn’t stay very tasty,” Tilla explained, picking up some vegetable slices.
Buckzo turned to the kids and smirked. “Bet ya I can spit one of the seeds in this bad boy and hit that tree over there.” he grinned, taking a big bite of melon.
“Oh you will NOT be doing that here! That’s disgusting!” Paimon told him sternly before giving him a smug look. “Besides, these are seedless watermelons.”
“Whut?! Oh you’re not fun!” Buckzo grumbled, swallowing with a pout.
“When you come over next, we’ll show ya how to spit seeds.” Fizz whispered to an excited Stolas.
“Father! Blitzo’s been teaching me how to swim a little!” Stolas told him proudly, smiling when the taller owl patted his head.
“Ah so it’s not as scary as you thought, eh?” Paimon commented before looking at Stolas with a serious look. “But don’t push yourself so soon, okay?”
“I’d say let’s bring him to the public pool in Imp City but you’d molt at that suggestion.” Buckzo chimed in, the kids giggling at Paimon’s horrified look.
“Are you insane?! A plastic pool at the circus grounds would be better than that!” Paimon rambled. “All those demons in one place–they rarely shower before going in–and no doubt the younger ones are doing disgusting things IN the water! It’s a fucking glorified toilet!” The owl king then started to look a bit green as he immediately stood up. “Excuse me…I need to go lie down…”
Buckzo snickered as he watched Paimon disappear back into the palace, Mister Butler following behind to make sure he didn’t throw up. “If he thinks public pools are shitty, don’t tell him about movie theaters. THOSE are germ factories!” he joked.
“Speaking of, we should probably use the restroom before we wait an hour after we eat.” Tilla suggested.
“I don’t have to go. Can I wait here?” Blitzo asked.
“Sure sweetie.” Tilla smiled as she guided Barbie and Fizz inside. “Come on Cash. You too.”
Blitzo and Stolas watched as they disappeared into the palace, leaving them to look at the pool. It was really peaceful watching the water. Even watching some of the pool toys floating by was relaxing. Blitzo looked at Stolas before giving him a sheepish grin.
“Dad’s only half-kidding about public pools being gross. They can be pretty fun. Some of them have water slides and lazy rivers. Even wave pools!” Blitzo told him excitedly.
“That sounds fun! If I make sure to properly clean up before and afterwards, maybe I can convince my father to let me go.” Stolas clapped.
Blitzo laughed before looking over at the pool. “Oh crap you floaty ring!” he cursed as he trotted over to the deeper end of the pool. He wrapped the end of his tail on the railing of the ladder before reaching for his floaty ring.
“Blitzo! Be careful!” Stolas fretted.
“I-It’s okay, Stols!” Blitzo grunted as he felt his finger tips touching the pool ring. “I almost got IT?!”
Stolas gasped as Blitzo fell in the water, his tail loosening from the ladder. “Blitzo!” he yelled, running to the pool’s edge. “Are you alright?!”
Blitzo bobbed up in the water, giving his friend a sheepish smile. “Oh I’m okay! I’ve been pushed into pools and thrown in water before. I’ll be fine–OW!” Blitzo stopped treading water as he started to flail in the pool. “Cramp! Cramp! I got a friggin’ cramp!” he cried, rapidly splashing to try and keep himself afloat before he began to sink.
The door to the palace opened, revealing Blitzo’s family as they gasped in horror seeing Blitzo drowning. Buckzo was ready to jump in to save his son but Stolas dived in the water first. He was silently grateful Blitzo hadn’t pulled the ring out of the water; he needed to be able to swim Blitzo back to the edge of the pool.
Due to his demon eyes protecting him from the chlorine in the pool, Stolas was able to swim down to where Blitzo was. He felt his heart beginning to sink as he saw him fading in the water. Panicking, Stolas swam to his side to try and swim him up but he was heavier than he thought.
‘No…I can’t lose him!’ Stolas thought, feeling worry coursing through him. Though as he tried to struggle, he felt a surge of energy that gave him the strength to pull him up. He couldn’t explain it but he wouldn’t question it.
Right now, Blitzo’s safety was more important.
Not wanting to waste this, Stolas grabbed him under the arms and swam him to the surface. The prince let out a gasp before hauling him onto the ring. “Blitzo! A-Are you okay?” Stolas panted, kicking the both of them to the side of the pool. Blitzo could only cough, not able to talk properly.
Tilla scooped the boys out of the water, patting her boy’s back. “Sweetie? Talk to me…can you breathe?” Tilla fretted as she kneeled next to her son.
Blitzo could only cough up pool water before throwing up his lunch on the pool deck. It was disgusting but better than having pool water in his stomach and lungs. “Bleh…I’m sorry…” Blitzo moaned, letting his mom pat his back.
Barbie and Fizz wanted to hug Blitzo but Buckzo held them back. “Cripes give the boy room to breathe!” he told them, worry in his voice. “Blitzo? Are you good?”
“Y-Yeah…I slipped…” Blitzo moaned, leaning against his mom’s knee.
Mister Butler went to check on Stolas who was breathing heavily. “Young master, are you well?” he asked, his eyes widening in surprise as he saw Stolas’s feathers were darker than usual.
Stolas caught his breath, slowing his breathing before he changed back to his normal gray appearance. “Y-Yes…I-I’m sorry for worrying you all but I couldn’t just let him drown and–OOF!” Stolas was immediately tackled on both sides by Barbie and Fizz.
“You saved him!” Barbie cried.
“Diving in like that was amazing!” Fizz gushed.
“W-Well I–EEP!” Stolas yelped as Paimon suddenly appeared, picking him out of the young imps' arms and looked him over. “F-F-Father?”
“Son! Thank Lucifer you’re alright!” Paimon panicked. “I sensed a strong burst of magical energy from the pool and when I got here, I saw you dragging your companion out of the water!”
Blitzo turned to the king, looking delirious but determinedly at the older demon. “My fault…slipped and got cramps…don’t be mad at him…” he droned, wiping his mouth on his arm.
“Easy kiddo…don’t want ya throwin’ up again.” Buckzo advised as he picked his son up.
Paimon looked at the imp boy with pity before turning back to his son. “Stolas we’ll need to talk about this later…but I am proud of you for taking action like that. That’s the mark of a good leader.”
Stolas blushed as he buried his face in his father’s shirt. Having so much attention on him was a bit much for the little guy. But he was relieved he wasn’t in trouble for putting himself in danger. And maybe he could learn about these strange powers still developing within him. He didn’t understand them but he was grateful that he had them. If they could save his friend, they couldn’t be all bad, right?
“I can attend to your son if you’d like.” Mister Butler offered.
Blitzo was set down by his dad, letting the older imp guide him inside. Stolas was put down by his father and was immediately embraced by Tilla. “M-Mrs. Blitzo’s mum?” he squeaked.
“You saved my son…thank you…” she whispered, tears streaming down her face.
“W-Well he’s my friend…” Stolas blushed, squeaking as he felt Buckzo ruffling his feathers before joining his wife in the hug.
“You really are a wild kid. Thanks princey.” Buckzo told him, trying to keep a joking tone in his voice but he was still very shaken seeing his kid nearly get hurt.
(...)
Everyone waited for Blitzo to return, the poor boy needing to lay down and take some medicine to settle his stomach from swallowing pool water and throwing up so suddenly. Barbie and Fizz ran up to him, hugging him a lot more gently since he was still recovering a bit. They didn’t want to make him sicker by squeezing him too hard.
“How ya feeling, bro?” Barbie wondered.
“Little sick…but I’m okay…” Blitzo told her.
“Stolas was so cool! He just dove in like a penguin and saved you!” Fizz gushed.
“I am not a penguin.” Stolas pouted, blushing as Blitzo moved over to him. He was a bit nervous seeing Blitzo after he had nearly drowned but if he was able to walk, that was a good sign. Stolas got off of the beach chair and met his friend halfway. “H-How are you feeling?” Stolas asked.
Blitzo said nothing before hugging him tightly. Stolas was stunned before hugging him back; if he was able to hug, that was a good sign.
“You saved me. I got my stupid butt in trouble again and you saved me. You really are my hero...” Blitzo whispered.
“Well…I learned from you how I could save you.” Stolas replied, patting his friend’s back.
Blitzo gave him one more squeeze before letting go, giving him a proud smile as he clapped a hand on his shoulder. “You’re a better swimmer than you think. Just be more confident.” Blitzo told him.
“I…I will do my best.” Stolas nodded before looking over at his friend’s parents shyly. “You…aren’t going to get in trouble for what happened, right?”
“Nah. Accidents happen. But I do get why they have that rule about not going swimming after eating. Cramps hurt!” Blitzo moaned, rubbing his side as Stolas giggled a bit.
“Well, how about I lend you some of my floaties and we can play in the shallow end?” the young prince suggested.
“Sounds good to me.” Blitzo nodded, looking over at Barbie and Fizz. “You guys wanna play with us?”
“Yeah!” They cheered.
The parents, tired from the sudden excitement, watched as the kids played a game of catch in the water with a beach ball. It wasn’t the day they had expected but overall it wasn’t the worst. Blitzo hadn’t swallowed enough water to be harmful and Stolas was slowly starting to gain more confidence in his swimming abilities and his demon strength.
And it was certainly better than frying at home with crappy AC.
[END]