She argued, and she begged, and she pleaded, but in the end Felicity Fesser could not convince either her son-in-law or her grandson to stay any longer in Phrodival. Brass was eager to get out and see how the world had changed in his absence, and Cobalt just wanted get out full-stop. It took her some time to come to terms with it, but after a prolonged sojourn in her office with a pink cigarette and a glass of sherry, the Matriarch finally decided to send them off with her blessings. She secured them a ride home in the truck of a Phrodival local, and promised to keep Lilith's existence a secret, though she admitted to not liking the idea of doing so.

Brass talked the whole way back on the road to Brimstone. After twenty years of isolation, he had earned that right. He sat up front, chatting non-stop to the slightly-perturbed driver, commenting on everything they passed. In the backseats, Cobalt and Karazelle sat in relative silence. The Succubus clutched a handcrafted crystal alembic in her hands; an apology gift from the Matriarch for such a poor first-impression on the Undercroft. She just stared at the window while Cobalt lay back against the headrest, drifting in and out of consciousness as the hours passed. He was exhausted, and far too tired to even begin to think about anything that had transpired.

At one point he glanced over at Karazelle, only to catch her quickly averting her gaze.

Neither spoke for the entire journey home.

By the time they reached the outskirts of Brimstone, night had fallen. Brass seemed entranced by how much the town had changed. He sat with his nose pressed to the glass as they passed through the town, staring in awe at the sight of an Oni man stepping through an automatic sliding door.

"Fuckin' Hell... They got magic doors now?" he murmured to himself.

As they approached the upper part of town, he gawked at a Nymph woman casually swiping through her phone as she waited at a bus stop.

"The fuck is that...?"

On and on this went, until finally the truck came to a stop outside of the Trayer household. The driver helped unload the wheelchair from the bed, and once Brass was helped down into the chair, she gave him a nod.

"I can take this one to the school, if you need," she said, nodding to Karazelle.

The Succubus in question rolled down her window and motioned for Cobalt to approach. He gave the driver an affirmative nod before stepping over to his student.

"Hey. We're gonna talk about all this, okay?" she said softly, looking deep into his eyes.

The Incubus looked away.

"Sure," he said in reply.

"Sugar. Don't block me out."

The driver's side door clanged shut. Taking a deep breath, Cobalt stepped back.

"I'll see you when term resumes, Karazelle," he said simply as the engine spooled up.

She opened her mouth to speak, but the driver suddenly gunned the engine, drowning out her voice with a mechanical roar. The truck sped off down the road, leaving Cobalt standing by his father on the driveway of his childhood home. Swallowing the lump in his throat, he looked down at Brass. He was staring up at the house, his eyes steely and his jaw set firm.

"What're we doin' outside some rich prick's house?" he asked, glancing back at his son.

"Dad, this is my..."

Cobalt thought for a moment.

"This is our home," the Incubus corrected, grabbing the wheelchair handles.

"Eh?"

He began to push him towards the front door.

"Mom moved back to Phrodival after having me. We lived there during the height of her career, until she was able to afford this place when I was sixteen," the Incubus explained, maneuvering the chair onto the garden path.

"No kiddin'... Shit, last I saw your mom she was livin' in a shitty downtown apartment. Had all the girls sleepin' in the only bedroom, and she had the couch."

"Well, things have changes. Careful, there's just some steps here..."

After dragging the chair up the front steps and almost tipping his father out by accident, Cobalt finally pushed the front door open and carefully pushed him inside, shutting it behind him. The house was dark and quiet, save for the sound of a TV coming from the living room.

"Everyone must be asleep. Mostly everyone, anyway..." he whispered, carefully locking the door.

Brass took a deep whiff.

"Oh yeah. This is home," he said, a smile breaking out across his face.

"You... can tell that by smell?"

"Can't you?"

"I... never really thought about it."

Brass raised his finger and took another deep sniff of the air.

"Smell that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

Cobalt took a second to smell the air. Sure enough, there was a faintly sweet undertone to the otherwise mundane scent hanging in the air.

"Perfume. Jezzy's perfume."

"Oh yeah, you're right."

"Used to make it herself because she couldn't afford the expensive stuff. Good thing too; her's was always way better."

Over two decades of hellish isolation, and he could still recognise and remember the smell of his wife's perfume... to be told about how close Brass and Jezebel were was one thing, but to see that bond in action was another thing entirely. For a moment, Cobalt wondered if it was a good idea, bringing him straight home like this. What if the shock was too much for her?

"This the livin' room?" asked Brass, wheeling himself down the hall and haphazardly shunting the door open.

"Ah! Dad, wait...!"

But the older Incubus could not be stopped. He barged into the living room, practically vibrating with excitement. The room was dark, save for the light given off by the TV, which was tuned to some sappy soap opera. Jezebel, in all her ladylike refinement, was sprawled out on the couch, dressed in a pair of underwear, a baggy t-shirt and not much else. She was snoring softly as one hand loosely clutched a half-empty wine glass, while the other was buried somewhere within a box of chocolates. Cobalt winced and looked away from his mother's sloppy display, but his expression softened upon noticing the look in Brass' eyes.

He was marveling at her as though she were the most beautiful woman in the world. And in his world, she absolutely was.

Cobalt decided to keep out of the way as Brass slowly rolled up to the couch, taking care not to make too much noise. Extricating his wife's hand from the box, he held it tenderly, caring not for the melted chocolate that got smeared all over his fingers.

"Hey," he whispered, leaning in close.

She grumbled and idly swatted at him.

"Ngh... Not now, snookums... Mommy's... busy..."

"Snookums...?" Brass asked, turning to Cobalt with an eyebrow raised.

He felt his cheeks burn a little.

"That, uh... That's what she calls me."

"Heh. Well ain't that adorable."

Turning back to his wife, he reached forward and gently prodded her cheek, earning him an irritated groan. Slowly, the Succubus' eyes peeled opened. The blinked a few times and looked around the room before her gaze settled on the face of the Incubus before her. She sighed, lifted her wine glass to her face and took a deep sip.

"No... Not in the mood for dreams..." she mumbled, shutting her eyes again.

"Good thing this ain't a dream then, huh?"

"Not having this argument again..."

Brass rolled his eyes.

"Alright then. Could a dream do this?"

Leaning forward in his chair, the Incubus gently held Jezebel's face and kissed her on the lips. As her eyes slowly widened with realisation, the wine glass slipped from her grasp, shattering into half a dozen pieces on the living room floor. When the kiss was broken, she just lay there, completely dumbfounded as Brass sat back down, grinning wildly.

"I'm home, darlin'," he said to her.

Sitting up on the couch, the Succubus shakily leaned forward to touch his face. She was shaking, afraid that he would just disappear. But he was real enough.

"B- B- Brass...? I- Is that you...?" Jezebel breathed, eyes wide and fearful.

Brass smiled and lightly touched her hand. Cobalt had only seen him wear an expression of boundless confidence, but that facade seemed to slip for a moment, revealing a tender sheen to his eyes.

"Yeah... sorry I'm home so late..."

"B- But you're supposed to be... to be..."

The Incubus took her hands.

"Supposed to be with you, darlin'. And lemme tell you; now that I'm back, I ain't ever goin' nowhere again."

Cobalt had seen his mother cry before. All things considered, it didn't take much to set her off. But it always seemed practiced. Like she was acting out the ideal of crying, like an actor upon a stage. The closest he had ever gotten to seeing true tears from Jezebel Trayer's eyes was that day last year when she finally told him who Brass really was. But when she threw herself off the couch in order to sweep her husband up into her arms, he saw his mother cry like he had never seen her before. Loud, wet, but joyous, she held him close and bawled into the robes he had taken from the Undercroft. The emaciated Incubus just clung to her, his feet dangling off the ground as she squeezed him tight.

"Brass! Oh, honey, I- How?! How is this possible?!" she guttered, peering into his eyes.

He laughed and wiped her face with his sleeve.

"Ease up there, Jezzy. You're gonna get me soaked."

"This can't be real... Any minute now, I'm going to wake up, and... and..."

"Ah c'mon, you're not gettin' rid of me that easy."

Noticing the slight strain in his voice, Cobalt quickly darted forward and tapped his mother's shoulder.

"Mom," he whispered, "go easy. You're gonna hurt him."

Nodding shakily, Jezebel carefully set Brass back down in his wheelchair and collapsed onto the couch again. She was shaking, completely overwhelmed by the sudden revelation.

"I ain't a candy ass, son. I can take it," the older Incubus sighed, scowling at Cobalt.

"Dad, you're still in a fragile condition."

"Pfft. Fragile, he says. Get real."

Jezebel took a deep, shuddering breath.

"It's... It's been so hard without you, Brass. I... we..." she stuttered, barely able to get her words out.

Cobalt sat down next to her and put an arm across her shoulders, encouraging her to lean into him. Likewise, Brass inched his chair forward and held her hand.

"Weren't no picnic for me neither, darlin'. I... I'm sorry I booked it without sayin' anythin', but I didn't wanna make it any harder than it already was."

"I- I know, honey. I know..."

"Just want you to know that I never forgot you. Not for a second. Everythin' was red, and I was damn near chewin' myself to bits, but it was the thought of you and the girls that kept me from completely losin' my mind. I... hope you realise how much you all mean to me."

He glanced over at his son.

"And Cobalt too. 'Course, I didn't know your name, but the idea of you kept me goin', too. In fact, Jezzy, he's the one who dragged me outta that hole. Don't know exactly how. Don't care to think about it. But he did. And damn if I ain't proud of him," he said, his teeth glinting in the dim light.

Jezebel turned to Cobalt. Blinking the tears out of her eyes, she sniffled and spoke in a quiet voice.

"How?"

"It really is a long story, Mom. Don't worry about it. Just, uh... expect a call from Gramma."

Nodding slowly, she looked from one Incubus to the other before enveloping the pair of them in another tight hug. Cobalt cried out as the wind was crushed from his lungs, while Brass just laughed.

"Oh my boys...!"

She held them there for a long time. Realising that there was no point into trying to fight it, the Incubus just hugged her back, deciding to just enjoy the moment with his newly-reunited parents. It was suddenly interrupted, however, when the light switched on and the door swung open. Turning around, he saw Azul standing in the doorway, dressed in her bedclothes as she blearily rubbed her eyes.

"What's the all the noise?" she grumbled, "Don't you know what time it-?"

She completely froze upon realising that she was seeing double. Raising a finger, she drew a line between Cobalt and Brass, blinking in an effort to clear her vision. Feeling the hairs on the back of his neck stand up, Cobalt raised both of his hands.

"Don't freak out," was all he could say, treading carefully.

Sensing the tension in the air, Brass carefully wheeled himself around his wife and into Scarlet's line of sight. Looking her up and down, he rubbed his eyes and laughed.

"Azul? You've gotten big."

Azul screamed.

Very, very loudly.

Just like that, the lights in the hall flashed on as a cacophony of slamming doors and pounding feet echoed from the stairs. The voices of Cobalt's sisters echoed off the walls as they all rushed into the living room, each apparently expecting some kind of burglary or home invasion. But as soon as they all laid eyes upon the Incubus sitting in the wheelchair, they went dead silent. He gazed at them all in turn, completely awestruck.

"Fuckin' Hell... You're all so grown up. Just look at y'all! Beautiful... just like your mother," he marveled, sighing with delight.

Viridi, pale as a sheet, pointed a shaking finger at him.

"Y- Y- You're...!" she stammered, barely able to speak.

With a laugh, Brass cast his gaze down and opened his arms wide. With a cheeky grin, he winked at the quintuplets.

"Yes, girls, 'tis I; thine wicked stepfather. One can only imagine the fear and anguish that mine presence brings upon your-"

But whatever melodramatic bit he had prepared to deliver, it was suddenly cut off as the quintuplets all cried out in unison.

"DADDY~!"

They dogpiled him in an instant. Scarlet was the first to grapple her father, tipping his chair over as she hugged him tight. Amber quickly joined her, followed by Viridi, whose glasses were knocked off from the sudden movement. After a moment, Azul got over her initial shock and joined them, leaving only Violet standing frozen. Noticing her, Cobalt slowly sidled over to her. She was covering a hand with her mouth as tears streaked down her face.

"You okay?" Cobalt asked softly.

She shook her head.

"Tell me you're fucking with me. Please," she breathed, choking up.

He put a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm afraid not. It's... It's really him, Violet."

"You... You got him back...?"

"Yeah. Don't ask how; it's a whole thing. But-"

She hugged him. For the first time in his life, Violet showed her little brother a display of affection. She didn't swear at him. She didn't smack him. She didn't make him feel bad just for existing. She threw her arms around his shoulders and pulled him close, biting deep into her lip in order to prevent herself from bursting out crying.

"... Thank you..."

He didn't say anything. Cobalt just hugged her back.

 

-----

 

What followed Brass' return to the Trayer household was an hour of joyful tears, tight hugs and bewildered questioning. Jezebel clung to Brass the entire time, either holding his hand when he was in his chair or crushing him half to death when she pulled him back onto the couch. He didn't seem to mind, though. As for the girls, they incessantly barraged their father with the details of their lives, all at his request. Their voices began to layer on top of one another after a while, so Cobalt quietly excused himself and headed into the darkened kitchen to pour himself a glass of water. He winced as he drank it.

Even water tasted bad now.

"Feels weird," Lilith said as he set the glass aside.

"Tell me about it. Twenty-three years of living without a dad, and then... poof. There he is."

"Yeah. Still, at least he loves you. That much is obvious."

"I'm basically still a stranger to him, Lilith. You saw in there; everyone but me knew him from before. I..."

"You're still his son, kid. Besides, he's clearly eager to make up for lost time. Would that we could all be so lucky."

"But-"

"Only thing holding you back right now is you. Don't let doubt start fucking things up right out of the gate."

He looked down into the sink to see his own warped reflection in the metal, staring back at him. Cobalt sighed.

"Yeah... I guess you're right."

"Talkin' to your friend?"

Flinching, the Incubus whipped around, almost knocking a stack of dirty dishes to the floor. Brass had entered the kitchen unannounced, and was wheeling himself over to the cabinets.

"Y- Yeah. Sorry," he murmured, scratching the back of his head.

"What're you apologisin' for?"

"I, uh... I figured you weren't the biggest fan of Devils."

The older Incubus paused for a moment as he reached for one of the higher shelves.

"Hm. Can't really say, on account of only ever knowin' one. Still, I like to imagine they're like us; mostly alright with a few rotten apples scattered about."

Cobalt stepped over and handed him the glass he was reaching for, which he accepted with a nod of gratitude.

"You mean Diate."

"Yup."

Locating a half-finished bottle of whiskey in a cupboard, he poured himself a measure and sipped it.

"Ooh, fuck... Not as good as some of the 'shine I was used to, but after all that time off booze, you learn to appreciate what you've got," he sighed, swirling his drink.

He glanced over at Cobalt, his face softening upon noticing the look in his son's eyes.

"Your mom told me all about everythin' that's happened. With the Devils, mostly."

"I killed them," he replied sullenly, staring at the floor.

Brass sighed.

"Yeah. No pretendin' that you didn't. But you did what you thought was right."

"Was it right, Dad? Was there not another way? With Diate? With the others?"

Knocking back the rest of his whiskey, he shrugged his shoulders.

"Maybe there was. But you were thinkin' on your feet. If there's one thing I've learned, it's that with some folks you can try and talk sense to them until you're blue - well, bluer - in the face. But at the end of the day, there's only one answer they're gonna understand."

He raised his fist and clenched his teeth. Brass grunted in pain as his veins began to glow; not as brightly as Cobalt's, but with the same erratic intensity. The scarred flesh of his knuckles split as sharp teeth pushed through, forming rows of ivory spikes across his fist.

"Incredible fuckin' violence."

Cobalt swallowed hard.

"I'm not a violent person, Dad. I don't like fighting," he admitted.

Brass nodded slowly and flexed his fingers, wincing as the teeth clashed off one another.

"I know, son. World would be a better place if everyone was like you. But sometimes in order to keep the peace you gotta knock a few heads. That's just the way the world is."

He pulled up beside Cobalt and touched his arm.

"Endin' lives is one thing. But endin' lives to save others is a different beast entirely. Ain't no-one gonna look down on you for that, so don't start lookin' down on yourself," Brass said, prodding his chest.

Taking a deep breath, he nodded shakily.

"You... You're right."

"It ain't abnormal to hate the idea of killin' someone, y'know. Means you're still good on the inside."

"... Thanks Dad."

"Heh. Don't mention it."

He began to pour himself another drink, but soon decided to ditch the glass in favour of drinking straight from the bottle.

"Your sisters are goin' crazy in there. Viridi says she's gonna drive me to the hospital, get me all checked up and checked out, y'know?" Brass said, offering his son the bottle.

"I told you, you're still in a fragile state," Cobalt replied, declining it with a shake of his head.

The older Incubus shrugged and took a swig.

"Maybe you're right. Not as young as I used to be. Hell, I'm still gettin' used to this body. Last time I could think straight I was a strappin' young man like you," he laughed, giving him a sidelong grin.

Cobalt smiled back, but it quickly faded.

"... Dad?"

"Mm?"

"Can... Can you keep a secret?"

"Absolutely."

The Incubus took a deep breath.

"I didn't kill two of the Devils. I, um... took them captive instead. There's a friend of mine in the Nature Park who's been looking after them."

"Kid..." Lilith warned, though she went no further than that.

Brass raised an eyebrow.

"Huh," was all he said.

"I was wondering if you'd... I don't know... want to meet them? It's just that they've been attacking for a reason, and I haven't really been able to-

He raised a weathered hand.

"Don't gotta explain yourself, son; I'm in. Just gimme a few days, though, yeah? Gotta let the medical boys poke me half to death first, then I gotta get cleaned up. I dunno about you, but the mountain man look ain't suitin' me," Brass replied, running a hand through his tangled beard.

Cobalt nodded.

"Yeah... I've got to get back to the school, anyway. Need to try and settle down for the rest of term."

"Heh, good luck with that. Hey, d'you know who the current mayor is?"

Cobalt scratched his chin.

"Um... Mayor Hanlon, I think. Quincy Hanlon."

A devilish smile suddenly spread across Brass' face.

"Oh, so that smarmy weasel finally snagged the big boy's chair, eh? Listen, son; don't go blabbin' to no-one about me bein' back, alright? I wanna make an entrance on my own terms," he said, tapping Cobalt's shoulder.

He nodded.

"Of course. Take your time, Dad."

"Believe me, I will."

From the hall, they heard the sound of Viridi's voice.

"Daddy, come on! We're waiting!"

With a heavy sigh, Brass set the whiskey bottle down and gave his son a nod.

"Well, that's my ride. Can't say I'm lookin' forward to stayin' in a room that smells like dyin' old folks and disinfectant, but what can you do. Stay safe, okay?" he asked, wheeling himself towards the kitchen door.

"I will," Cobalt replied.

The older Incubus gave him a wink.

"Heh, good man. Love you, son."

"Love you too, Dad."

It felt strange to say that out loud. Strange, but... good.

Left alone in the kitchen once again, Cobalt turned around and stared out the window. The mood was high in the sky, shining brightly through the glass. His mind was still abuzz with all of his usual woes and troubles, but in that exact moment in time, the Incubus felt as though he could briefly forget about them.

Because for the first time in a long, long time, he felt right at home in the Trayer house.