The Pompous and The Prick

Chapter 4: Two Can Play

Stolas had meant to ask Blitzø to be his boyfriend. He had meant to tell him he would put his own life on the line for his. He had meant to say what a great father he was, and that Via would eventually get used to having him around . . . probably. He had meant to say a lot of things, but very few came out and Blitzø had left anyway.

The whole idea of trying to date other people was meant to be a backup plan. He'd take some time for himself, then talk to Via about it, of course, but that was all only for if Blitzø really did think of him as nothing more than a sugar daddy. Which, he supposed, he must think so. Blitzø had sat there listening to him ramble for a good while, but the moment he mentioned love, Blitzø had run for the hills.

Admittedly, he did make the online dating account on Lustinder out of spite. He was upset and he thought it'd be a perfectly harmless way to express his frustration at how Blitzø had just left him standing there crying without so much as a goodbye. He swiped right on a bunch of fellows and went to bed crying, thinking he'd delete it in the morning and that would be that. When he woke up, his phone notifications were sounding rapidly. Turns out Stolas isn't as common of a name as he had thought and even with no pictures actually showing himself, and a different last name, someone had figured him out and spread the news everywhere.

The account was deleted almost instantly, but it was too late. Stolas tried calling Blitzø but he wasn't picking up. It only made sense if he had already seen the News. Or if he didn't care . . . Stolas was struggling to hold back tears when he heard a knock on his bedroom door.

"Oh, um- One moment!" He said, wiping his eyes and putting on his robe, "Come in!"

"Dad, what the hell is this?!?!" Octavia charged into the room, and shoved her phone in his face.

"Your phone?" He hoped his eyes weren't too puffy.

"Obviously, but what's on it?!" She shouted.

He took it from her hand and read was on the screen, "Oh! I'm so proud of you for reading the news, Via. As demon royalty it is very important to keep up with current events. Though this particular site may not be the best for it. It mainly deals with gossip and celebrity scandaaaaaaaallllssss. . ." He trailed off after he realized what she was actually trying to show her, "Oh sh*t."

"Yeah, I'm being sent this by every person I know. And even some that I don't. What the f**k, Dad?" She yelled.

"Language, my dear." He sighed, "Why don't you sit down?"

Via plopped down on his bed and crossed her arms, "Okay, I'm sitting. Now, talk."

Stolas sat beside her, "Well, um . . . You know how . . . my good friend Blitzø came over last night?"

"Ugh, Dad, please don't let this be a story about your s*x life." She pulled her beanie down.

"Oh, no, no, no! Actually . . . We kind of ended . . . things." He looked down and frowned at the bedding.

"What . . .?" She looked confused.

"Yes, well, originally I was hoping to start a real relationship with him, . . . but it seems he doesn't feel the same way." He tried to fake a smile to make it seem like it wasn't a big deal.

Octavia was surprised, but when she thought about it, it made sense. Her Dad was a foolish man, but he wouldn't have ruined their lives for just anyone. He did care about her, but she had seen him silently looking miserable for years, maybe all her life, though she didn't see it at first. And when she finally did, it was something easier to ignore and pretend she hadn't seen, then to face. Maybe if she'd had asked him why he was so depressed, things may have played out differently. Not that she had any control over the situation, but she loved her Dad, and wished she could've done something to make both her parents happy together. That, however, was the dream of a child, and she was not a kid anymore.