I stared up at the ceiling of the hospital waiting room, Vivienne leaning on one shoulder and Hex leaning on the other, my face still frustratingly numb from the Godling blood. Maggie was getting her leg cast, as thankfully the break wasn't bad enough to require surgery. Once she was done, we'd be able to get out of here and return home to the Union, since the doctors were already finished with everyone else.
It was hard to keep track of the exact timeline of events, given everything that had happened and my general inebriated state, but from what I could gather, once the fighting died down and the evacuation was done, Viv came out to check on us, and brought us all to a hospital the next city over. Apparently, the Godling fled up to a low-Earth orbit after fleeing the fight, and hadn't moved since. Whether It would strike back or decide to cut Its losses and return to deep space remained to be seen, but I wasn't holding out hope. I knew how Sebastian Beaumond's mind worked, and he wasn't going to let the Godling give up that easily.
Surprisingly, I didn't end up needing any medical attention. The biggest injury I sustained during the fight was my dislocated jaw, and I already fitted that back into place myself while I was reforming my body from the shadows. It was a little weird that I couldn't fix my ribs the same way, but the exact mechanics of this new ability I'd uncovered still needed to be investigated. Considering that the bruise on my face from the Godling's grip remained as well, it was likely I just couldn't fix what was already broken, only things that were misplaced. More testing needed to be done before I could be sure, though.
"Um, excuse me?"
I looked down to find a nurse staring at us, eyes wide with excitement, though there was a clear effort to hide it.
"What's up?" I asked, my words still slurring a little.
"You guys are... the ones fighting the Godling, right? The de Vygon clones?"
"We're not here because we all simultaneously got hit by a bus," Hex snarked. I gently elbowed her in Maggie's place.
"We are, though... obviously, not all of us are clones," I replied, taking the lead since Viv appeared to be asleep, and Maddie and Rosalyn were too preoccupied with each other. Pregnancy announcement straight into battle-to-the-death had to be quite an emotional rollercoaster for them, so I didn't blame them one bit.
The nurse shook her head. "Right, right. I just meant, from what I heard, you clones were playing a really big part in the war. I don't really know too many details, though. Information about what's going on in Tombguard has been spotty."
"We do what we can," I said. "But really, the Union itself deserves the credit. Everyone's been pitching in to do their parts. If not for Vivienne here, we'd probably all be dead." I looked down at her and gently took her hand, careful not to wake her.
She nodded. "I just think it's really admirable that you're all still fighting so hard after everything you've been through. Andreas de Vygon released the Godling, but the clones he created are the ones fighting back against It. And- don't get me wrong, I know all of the Tombguard heroes and Union members are helping out, but... I don't know, you guys are like a symbol. They're calling you the 'True de Vygons' and the 'Daughters of Franziska' online. People have been really scared, but knowing you guys are out there fighting for us... keeps us hopeful."
Pride bubbled in my chest. Public scrutiny was hardly a foreign concept for me, but knowing that people all over the world were looking to us as their saviours... It was a lot to swallow. Definitely nice, though. I still hated fighting in any form, and it still made me feel like crap afterwards every time, but truly knowing that I was fighting for a good cause; that I had the hopes and dreams of every person on Earth behind me, definitely made it a lot easier to stomach.
"Wow, I... I had no idea."
The nurse smiled. "All that is to say, keep up the good work, guys. Humanity can win this thing."
I smiled back. "We'll do our best."
"Hey! Hands off the feathers!"
Vivienne awoke with a start at Maggie's annoyed yell. Hex just sighed.
"Sorry, Ms. Garcia. I was just trying to steady you."
"Thanks, but I'm pretty sure I can figure out crutches."
She came around the corner still frowning, dressed in an open-backed hospital gown. Madeline and Maggie had both left their armour at the Union, figuring that if the Godling did decide to come back down and fight us again, they were too injured to join in anyway.
"That took a while," Hex said as Maggie approached.
"Yeah, all these eggheads kept freaking out over my muscle density, which kept holding things up. Can we go now?"
Vivienne rubbed her eye and nodded. She was so cute when she was sleepy.
"Yeah... Yeah, just... everyone link up."
We all did so, and just like that, we were back in the Union, where Ashley, Brea, Steve, and the triplet clones were all waiting, having elected not to evacuate with the rest of the civilians after it was confirmed that we won the fight. In Andreas' case, we left him at the hospital. Frankly, it was a miracle he was even still alive in his state. He collapsed before we even made it back to the Union, running a nasty fever. He wouldn't be helping out anymore, no matter how bull-headed he was. And as soon as his hospital stay was finished, he'd be heading straight to prison, where he belonged. Alive, but out of my life; the perfect state to calm both warring sides of my mind.
Finally, despite the demi-god floating in orbit above us, it felt like I could just relax for a bit.
—
Brea, Viv, and I found a quiet corner in one of the dorm rooms and covered the floor in soft blankets and pillows, deciding against just using a mattress as there weren't any that were big enough for all three of us to comfortably cuddle on. The human contact was the goal here, and both Viv and I were exhausted enough that we probably could've passed out on any horizontal surface. As such, with a little padding, the floor would do just fine.
"I'm glad you guys are okay," Brea said as she helped me take my shirt off. "I just wish I could've helped out more."
"You did help out," Viv replied, taking her shirt off as well. "If you weren't there to help keep everyone calm during the evacuation, things could've gone a lot worse. You're amazing with people, Brea. Don't forget that."
Brianna hummed. "I know. I guess I'm just annoyed I never got a chance to show off what I can do except for against a couple zombies."
"Fighting's overrated," I mumbled, leaning back against Brea's chest. She gently wrapped her arms around me in response. "But I guess the grass always looks greener on the other side."
She chuckled. "Yeah, that's true. hearing how badly you guys get whooped every fight, maybe I'm okay sticking to street-level threats and talk therapy."
Brea laid down on the blanket, pulling me down with her as Viv cuddled up on her other side. Stripped down to just our underwear, we could enjoy the warmth of each others' skin without any barriers. After the day I'd had, this comfort was exactly what I needed, and I quickly found myself being pulled under by the temptation of sleep. The only thing missing was the lack of darkness, and that could be easily fixed by reaching out with my shadows and flipping the light switch. Ah, perfect.
For a while, the only sounds to be heard were the quiet whispers of our breathing. Vivienne broke the silence a few minutes later, speaking in a low, almost inaudible voice.
"Do you guys think there'll still be a need for heroes once this is all done?"
Oh, right. If we beat the Godling, there would be no more monster attacks. Heroes wouldn't have a purpose anymore. The Union would have to disband, or find another mission.
The thought scared me. The Union had been my sanctuary ever since Andreas let me join. It was the one place I could go and feel safe, be surrounded by friends. The idea of losing that, on top of everything else going on, was almost too much to bear.
"I think so," Brea said, breaking me out of my spiral with the gentle vibrations of her speech. "Yeah, we will probably have to downsize, and it might be a few years before there's much action, but as long as there are people with powers in the world, there will be a need for good people with powers. We never got many so-called 'villain' attacks in Tombguard on account of our larger hero presence, but they do happen in other places. I guess we'll just have to wait and see."
"No matter what happens, the three of us will stay together, right?" I asked, reaching out across Brea's stomach to hold Viv's wrist. "I don't wanna lose anyone, but... especially not you guys."
"We're not going anywhere, baby," Viv whispered softly. "Even if things change, we'll stick together."
"Hell yeah we are," Brea said. "Next time you guys find a new apartment, put me on the lease. I'm coming with you wherever you go."
"Sure," Viv replied. "Hopefully this time, it won't be destroyed by an angry god."
"They should really make an insurance clause for that."
—
Madeline and Rosie laid together on a bed in their usual dorm, Maddie's ear pressed to Rosie's belly, listening for any sign of their child. Rosie's fingers gently tousled Maddie's hair, stroking along the dirty-blonde locks in a slow caress.
"Hear anything?" Rosie asked in a whisper.
"All I'm getting is a whole lot of 'gurgle gurgle.'"
Rosie laughed. "Yeah, I think it's a little early for it to make any noise."
"Well, when it does, I'm gonna be the first to know. I'm gonna listen every day, and there's nothing you can do to stop me."
Rosie hummed. "I think I can live with that."
In truth, Madeline's motivation wasn't entirely out of a desire to hear her child. It was more for the fact that a large part of her was still struggling to process the news of Rosie's pregnancy, and being able to explicitly hear a heartbeat or something might help the idea settle in. She was only just getting used to having Rosie back in her life, and still processing the loss of her leg, but now this? She was definitely excited about it, but it was also just so much. That wasn't even mentioning what a rollercoaster today had been.
Well, there was never a bad time to quit drinking and smoking, but now definitely seemed like a good time. If she wanted to be the best mother to this child she could possibly be, she needed to kick those addictions ASAP. She refused to turn out like her own mother did. This kid deserved the best parents that the two of them could be.
"Hey, c'mon. I'm getting lonely up here."
Maddie smiled, crawling up to lie alongside Rosie, being careful not to jar her broken arm in the process. The throbbing had died down a lot, but it was still quite sensitive to impacts.
"Is that better?" she asked with a teasing grin.
Rosie returned the grin in kind. "Absolutely."
Even with her nose purple and swollen, covered in a thick bandage, eyes blackened, she was still the most gorgeous person in the world. Madeline could spend all day just staring at her face and be perfectly content.
"What are you thinking about?" Rosie asked in a whisper.
"How much I love you."
Rosie hummed, her smile widening. "Even after all this time, you still flirt exactly like you did when we were teenagers."
Maddie scoffed. "What was wrong with what I said?"
"Nothing at all. I just think it's cute."
"You're damn right it's cute. I'm fucking adorable."
"Not right now you aren't. I'm feeling considerably un-fucked right now."
Madeline snorted at the crude wordplay. "Care to change that?"
Rosie raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure? Because I absolutely would, but... are you ready for that?"
Maddie knew why she was asking. It was because, in spite of the fact that she'd been cosmically gifted a brand-spanking-new deluxe pussy free of charge, she was yet to sum up the courage to actually test it out. She hadn't even touched herself yet, having been quite lacking in free time and privacy in the hub-bub of the past week.
But, right now? After the adrenaline rush of the day and their victory, coupled with the knowledge that either of them could die at any moment, Madeline was ready to experience this for the first time, with Rosie by her side.
"Yeah. I'm ready."
Rosie responded by leaning in, pressing their lips together in a gentle kiss. Maddie sighed into it, letting that familiar calmness wash over her. She made sure to let Rosie set the pace, not wanting to accidentally bump her broken nose and kill the mood. Thankfully, Rosie was more than adept at that by now, easing in a flicker of tongue along with the stroke of her hand under Maddie's shirt.
It took a moment to register that tingling feeling between her legs as arousal, mostly due to the difference in position compared to what she was used to. But, once she noticed it, the sensation was impossible to ignore. She squeezed her thighs together, sucking in a breath at the tiny spark of pleasure. Things were definitely more sensitive than before.
They took things slow, stripping off their clothing piece by piece in between long bouts of making out until there was nothing separating their skin. Through the process, Rosie found her way on top, straddling Maddie's hips. The slick warmth of her arousal rubbed against Maddie's abdomen like a branding mark. Between her legs, the tingle of Madeline's own heat had reached an excited throb. Anticipation bubbled in her chest. Oh, she was so ready for this.
Rosie broke off the kiss, leaning back just far enough to speak, breath brushing against Maddie's lips. "I'm gonna get started now, okay? Just, um... let me know if I'm doing alright."
Maddie frowned, gently stroking one hand along Rosie's hip. "Are you nervous?"
Rosie chuckled. "Uh, a little. I'm just now realising I've never actually done this before. I don't know if I'll do it right."
Madeline smiled, leaning up to plant a tiny peck on Rosie's lips. "Then we'll figure it out together."
Rosie smiled back, taking a deep breath. "Okay."
She shifted to Maddie's side, kissing her neck and letting her hand trail across her abdomen. Madeline shuddered, whining in excitement. Rosie's soft touch travelled down, through short straw-coloured hairs below her navel, passing the space where Maddie's dick used to be. The confirmation that there was truly nothing there was like a hit of euphoria straight into her veins. Finally, Rosie's fingers dipped between her legs, slipping right where Maddie needed them.
"Fuck," she hissed, arching her hips to add pressure to Rosie's touch as lightning arced below her skin.
"Good?" Rosie whispered against her neck.
All she could manage was a broken "Mhm," as Rosie's fingers circled her clit, dipping lower every now and then to tease her entrance just to make her squirm and twitch.
"You're so wet," Rosie chuckled.
"Ssshhhh-uuhhtthefuckup."
"Aw, don't act like you're not enjoy-"
"Hey, do you guys want- Oh damn."
A familiar voice snapped Maddie right out of her stupor; Rosie's hand frozen in place. She turned her head to look and found Ashley standing in the doorway, his hand still on the doorknob.
"Um..." Rosie mumbled.
"Hkg-" Maddie sputtered, because Rosie's hand was still firmly pressed against her cooch.
Ashley squeezed his eyes shut and took a deep breath. "Sorry about that. Really should've knocked, that's my bad."
"What do you want?" Rosie asked in a small voice.
"Just, um... The internet's back up now that the Godling's gone. I guess It must've been blocking the signal or something. Anyway, I was thinking about ordering some pizza and asking Viv to pick it up later. Do you guys have any preferences?"
Rosie looked at Maddie. Maddie looked back at Rosie. Someone's stomach rumbled. Pizza sounded fucking divine right now.
"Peh- p-pepperoni?" Madeline stuttered.
Rosie nodded, looking back at Ashley. "Yeah, we'll split a pepperoni between us."
Ashley threw a thumbs-up. "Alright, cool. I'll, uh... leave you guys to it. Have fun- or- I mean not in like a creepy way- Oh just fucking kill me."
With that, he closed the door and left them in peace.
The two stared at each other for a moment, processing what just happened.
"Wanna keep going?" Rosie asked, eagerness clear on her face.
"As if you have to ask."
—
"Jordyn? Where'd you go?"
Oh. Whoops. I phased into the shadows again. Apparently that was something that could just happen now, if it was dark enough and I wasn't paying attention.
It was an odd sensation, being totally formless. I still had intelligence, and though I couldn't exactly see, I still had full awareness of my surroundings, so long as they were touched by shadow. It was like my body had grown to encompass the entire room. I had no limbs, and I had an infinite amount of them, darkness coming together under my will to form tendrils whenever I wanted. It was strangely comfortable.
Not as comfortable as being sandwiched between my two favourite people, though.
Willing the shadows to take shape, I phased back into the physical world, right in between Brea and Viv. Both of them yelped in surprise at my sudden appearance.
"Sorry. I accidentally turned into shadows again. I'm still trying to get used to this."
"Oh. It's alright," Viv said, accepting her new position and wrapping an arm around my abdomen.
"I used to struggle with that as a kid," Brea said. "You'll get the hang of it."
"I hope so."
We napped in silence for a few more minutes, until Viv's hand started slowly creeping upwards. I knew where she was heading, and I had absolutely no qualms about it. Sex itself seemed like far too much of a high-energy activity right now, but some simple handsy fun to add flavour to our cuddling sounded fantastic.
"Oh. You're naked," she said once her hand had fully reached my boob, cupping the flesh.
"Yeah, that tends to happen when your body becomes intangible."
"Well, I'm not complaining," Viv replied, lightly squeezing. I sucked in a breath, giggling slightly.
"You horny motherfuckers," Brea muttered.
"You're more than welcome to join in," I replied, a little breathless as Viv tweaked a nipple.
"Yeah, you'd like that, wouldn't you?"
"Mhm."
"You make a compelling argument, Jean Shorts."
With that statement, Brea shuffled around, getting comfortable in front of me before grabbing my hip and leaning in for a slow kiss, right as Viv began kissing the back of my neck. I reached out, stroking Brea's thigh, as my shadows wrapped around Vivienne behind me in the way I knew she liked, slipping down between her legs to tease her through her underwear. Her whimpering over my shoulder was like music to my ears.
"Guys, you will not believe- Oh, for fuck's sake."
The sound of the door opening and Ashley's voice broke the blissful illusion I was buried in, ripping all three of us straight back into reality.
"You okay, Ash?" Viv asked, lifting her head from behind me.
I peaked over Brea's body, and saw him covering his face with his hand exasperatedly. "I'm fine. It's fine. Just wasn't expecting to walk in on people having sex twice in a row."
"Sex is a strong word," Brea replied, not bothering to turn her body around. "We were just cuddling."
"Jordyn's naked," Ashley stated matter-of-factly.
"She just does that sometimes. Don't worry about it."
"Can we help you with something?" Vivienne prompted.
"Yeah, what kind of pizza do you want? I'm ordering from that place in Clearwater. Viv, would you be cool to pick it up when it's ready?"
"That's fine."
"Gimme a supreme with anchovies," I said. "And make sure they don't forget the pineapple this time!"
"Meatlovers," Brea stated curtly.
"Just cheese is fine for me," Viv said.
"You got it," Ashley replied, noting it all down in his phone. "Viv, I'll come let you know when it's ready to be picked up. And I'll knock next time."
"That would be appreciated."
Finally, Ashley left us alone again. I let out a breath, and we all fell back into our previous cuddling formation. For a while, no one said a word. At least, until something odd occurred to me.
"Wait, what did he mean by 'twice in a row?'"
—
Ashley rubbed his eyes, making his way back to the rec room where Maggie, Hex, Steve, and the triplets were waiting. What a harrowing series of events
He kept his ears open as he approached. Despite how unlikely it would be given the room's occupants, he really didn't want to make the same mistake three times in a row.
"Are you guys all decent?" he called.
"The fuck kind of question is that?" Maggie's voice returned.
Phew, crisis averted.
"Sorry," he said as he came around the corner, finding everyone where he expected them. Hex and Steve in opposite armchairs, and Maggie stretched out on the couch. The triplets, for their part, were sitting in a circle around the coffee table, playing a card game. "Just had a few really uncomfortable moments in a row. Wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. Placed the pizza order, though."
"There's a story there, I'm sure," Steve said as Ashley flopped onto the couch next to Maggie. She wordlessly passed him a beer from the unplugged mini fridge next to the coffee table; a little treat Steve found on his supply run with Ettie this morning. Yeah, it was warm, but alcohol was hard to come by, and Ashley wasn't picky.
He cracked open his drink and took a sip, preparing to recount the tale. "So, first I went over to Maddie and Rosie's room to ask what they wanted. Really, it was my mistake, I should've knocked, but I barged right in there."
"Ooh," Maggie hummed, her voice pleasantly low and gravelly. "They were fucking, huh?"
Ashley took another swig. "Yep. And I made a fool out of myself trying to act normal about it. So after that's done, I rushed over to the room Brianna, Viv, and Jordyn were using, thinking I'm gonna tell them about this funny thing that just happened, and once again, I don't knock."
"Twice in a row, man? Come on," Steve heckled.
"Well, I didn't think I'd have the bad luck to walk in on naked people twice in a row!" Ashley returned.
"I dunno, I figured out pretty quickly that you should always knock when entering an occupied bedroom," Hex said, looking pointedly at Maggie. "Learned that one the hard way."
"No comment," Maggie replied, drinking her beer. "So, what'd'ya see?"
"Jordyn, naked. Sandwiched-"
"I'm gonna stop you right there," Steve said. "I really don't want to hear about my niece's sexual exploits, thanks."
Ashley chuckled. "Fair enough. Really though, what are the odds of that happening twice?"
"Pretty high when you forget to knock," Maggie replied. "And there's lots of adrenaline going around right now. I know we won today, but that fight was pretty close. We..." She sighed, looking down at her drink. "We could've died. We could die tomorrow. I can't blame them for wanting to find some comfort in each other. Hell, if Diego was still here, you probably would've walked in on us, too."
"What happened with that? I didn't realise he was joining the evacuation until it already happened."
Maggie shrugged, looking at the wall. "I don't know. I guess all the stress of trying to survive and the fighting and everything got to him. He told me before the evacuation, that he was gonna go and stay with his family until everything blew over. I... I don't blame him, I mean, he's just a normal guy, so he was probably feeling pretty helpless with everything going on. It just... sucks. Everyone else's partners stuck around. I wish he was still here."
"We're all still here, Maggie," Hex said. "With you. And I don't know about the rest of these bozos, but you and me are sticking together no matter what happens."
"This city has been my family's home for 700 years," Ashley added. "There's nothing that could happen to make me leave. So as long as you want to stay, you'll have a home with us."
"I can't say I've got such a noble reason," Steve said. "But, Viv's here, so that's enough for me to stick around and see things through. If my presence makes a difference to you whatsoever."
Maggie laughed quietly, wincing slightly as the mirth died down. "Well, none of that helps me get laid, but I guess I'm a little too sore for that right now anyway." She leaned up, shuffling around and switching her angle on the couch so that she could rest her head on Ashley's shoulder. "You saps will have to do. Come on, let's watch a movie or something."
Ashley smiled, something inside of him growing warm.
"Sounds good to me."
—
"Everyone! Wake up!"
I startled at Vivienne's voice, snapping awake from my dream. We were in the rec room with everyone else, having fallen asleep there after dinner on the various couches, blankets, and pillows scattered about.
"What? What's wrong?" Rosalyn asked, rubbing her eyes, with Maddie still wrapped around her.
"The Godling! It's landed! It's attacking!"
That got my blood pumping. Dread filled my body. "Where?"
She shook her head, all the colour gone from her skin. "I'm not sure. Somewhere really far away. But, I can feel It... killing people. So, so many lives, all at once."
"It's regaining energy," Ashley said, suddenly totally awake and on his feet. "We need to strike now, before It's back at full strength! Everyone, suit up and grab some weapons. Madeline and Maggie, that means you too. I know you're injured, but you can still fight at long range and perform rescue operations. Viv, you focus on triangulating Its position and prepare to teleport. This is an all-hands-on-deck situation. We are going to finish this fight tonight, people. Let's go!"
I really didn't need any more encouragement than that. What we got today after the battle; those few precious hours of rest and companionship, they were more than we could ask for at a time like this. And now, it was time to fight.
We proved today that with enough preparation and strategy, we could beat this thing. It was getting desperate, lashing out and attacking civilians on the other side of the planet in a frantic attempt to regain some strength and hide from us until It was ready. We weren't gonna give It the chance.
Never again would It steal the freedom from another population. Never again would loved ones be lost to the horror of Its attacks. Never again would the world live in fear of Its revenge. No more torture. No more pain. No more death.
Tonight, the Godling would die.
—
"I've found It," Vivienne said. "It's in New York of all places."
"Can you get us there?" Ashley asked.
"I've never been there myself, but I've seen it enough in movies that it shouldn't be too hard. Having the Godling to act as an anchor for the space helps too."
"Alright. Everyone ready?"
We all nodded, grim determination covering our faces.
"Link up. Let's do this."
We all held onto each other. Vivienne closed her eyes. The world around us changed with a flash of light and noise. All of a sudden, it was day, and our ears were filled with the sound of screaming, crashing, and the deafening churn of flesh that could only signify a monster.
Viv had taken us to a rooftop in Times Square. I ran over to the edge and looked out at the street below.
Tens of thousands of monstrous eyes stared back up at me from where the road should've been. In every direction, as far as I could see, pink flesh had consumed the ground, reaching up at the buildings with bony tendrils and razor-sharp claws. There were still people down there who had survived the change, but they were quickly being ripped apart and swallowed by the endless gnashing holes of teeth pockmarking the creature.
"What's the situation?" someone asked behind me. I turned around. This was so much worse than we thought.
"It's the entire city. The Godling transformed the entire city."
