Rain fell from the sky, so thick it was practically a solid wall of water emanating from above. It struck buildings, sliding down concrete and metal; it washed over trees and plants, choking them at the roots; it flooded the streets, running in makeshift rivers over asphalt and cement, scrubbing dirt and oil and carrying them into the sewers. The wind howled, the rain fell, and the sun was a distant memory. 

Nicole watched the rainfall from the safe side of her living room window, cuddled up under a blanket on her couch, a steaming mug of coffee with cream and a stack of comic books on the table in front of her. Candles dotted the apartment, pinpoints of light and heat, illuminating everything in a warm orange glow. 

Amy walked over from the kitchen, a fresh pot of coffee in her hands. She placed it on an oven mitt atop the table, and sat down on the nook of the couch, by Nicole’s feet. 

“Pass me my Guardians comic?” she asked. 

Nicole obliged. The previous night had yielded a great haul- Amy had picked up new trades of Guardians of the Galaxy and Daredevil, while Nicole had picked up new volumes of Wonder Woman, Batgirl, and Ms. Marvel. Nicole placed her feet atop Amy’s lap, and Amy pulled the blanket over them both. 

“How’s your comic?” Amy asked. 

“Oh, fantastic. You?”

“Not bad- this run has to come after a wicked good one, so it’s got an uphill battle.”

“Ah, that’s never a fun position to be in.”

“No it is not.”

“Mm. This is, though,” Nicole said. “This right here, I mean.”

“Oh yeah, it is,” Amy smiled at her. “Ugh, I was gonna go patrolling today though.”

“Yeah, I don’t think that’s a great idea- looks like we’re getting the tertiary of a hurricane out there.”

“I’ve flown in blizzards!”

“You have?” Nicole said, leaning forward. “Amy! That’s so dangerous!”

“So’s fighting demons,” Amy said. 

“... Okay, point.”

“But I promise you, today I am not leaving my apartment unless I absolutely have to,” Amy said. “I got everything I need right here, and if I can help it, I’m not even getting up off the couch the rest of the day-”

A knock tapped on the door. 

“Dammit,” Amy said. 

“I got it, I got it,” Nicole said, grinning and pulling the blanket off herself. She ambled over to the door in her basketball shorts and her old, newly oversized jersey, her breasts bouncing about freely as she walked. She liked wearing a bra, but sometimes it was nice to let the girls go free. She opened the door, and found Debbi and Heather on the other side, both soaked and shivering. 

Nicole ushered them inside and quickly shoved hot mugs of coffee into both their hands, while Amy fetched them some fresh towels from the bathroom and turned on all the lights. 

“We were meeting up for breakfast,” Debbi explained. “I figured we could meet halfway before the storm got bad, but I was wrong.”

“Yeah, I got that,” Amy said, chortling. 

“Oh, shut up, sis,” Debbi said, throwing a towel at her. Amy caught it and stuck out her tongue. 

“You guys need to wait out the storm?” Nicole asked. Part of her was annoyed at having her day with Amy interrupted, while another part was relieved. 

“Looks like it, yeah,” Heather said, rubbing the back of her head. “Sorry to crash your… Um….” Her face took on a look of unbearable awkwardness, as if she were realizing in real time she had no idea what this was she was crashing. 

Amy waved a hand. “We were just hanging out.”

“Okayyyy,” Heather said. 

Heather, please please PLEASE do not make this awkward- it literally just stopped being awkward yesterday, Nicole thought. 

Another knock. 

Nicole got up and answered. She found Cass and Matt on the other side, in a similar state of affairs to what Debbi and Heather had been. 

She brought them in and tended to them. 

“So what were you guys up to?” Amy grinned. 

“Nothing,” Cass said hurriedly. “Well, now nothing. Just-”

“Waiting out the storm?” Debbi asked. 

“Yeah,” Cass said.

“How you doing, Matt?” Amy asked. 

“I’m alright. Nice to be indoors for a change when this happens,” he said, gesturing to the storm. “Beats the hell outta huddling under an awning!”

“I bet,” Cass said, looking at him affectionately. 

Good for you, Cass, Nicole thought. And then she said it. Out loud. Didn’t even realize it until after it happened. Oh. Right. His powers.

“Um, what’s good for her?” Heather said. 

The words starting sprinting out Nicole’s mouth before she could stop: “The fact that she’s doing such a good job- mmmphhh.”

Amy slammed a hand over Nicole’s mouth. 

Matt sighed. “Maybe I should go.”

“No please, I don’t want you to leave,” Cass said, and then winced. 

“Yeah, I’m gonna make this wicked awkward- I can tell. It’s not a problem- I’m used to this,” Matt said, getting up and shrugging his shoulders. 

“But where will you go?” Debbi said. 

“Yeah, do you even have a place to stay?” Heather asked. 

He cracked his neck. “I, uh, sleep in the loft above the garage I work at. My boss gives me free room and board, and in exchange he gets to pay me under the table for below minimum wage. Dammit- see, this is the problem: I always wind up oversharing.”

“Then why not lean into it?” Cass said. “The truth will set you free.”

“Cass,” Heather started. 

“We can’t exactly send him out in the rain,” Debbi said. 

“Okay, but this isn’t our apartment,” Heather said. 

Amy and Nicole, sitting next to each other on the nook, turned their heads towards one another and exchanged a glance. Nicole saw on Amy’s face that she felt letting him stay was the right thing to do, even if things got awkward. And Nicole agreed. They both stared at the stack of comic books they’d been trying to read- they were gonna trade off books and read each other’s hauls all day- but that could wait for another time. 

“Well, my Dad always says when the storm starts blowing, you bring all the ships into harbor, even the ones you don’t recognize,” Nicole said. 

“Of course he does,” Amy snickered.

Debbi glared and said, “Amy-”

But Nicole laughed as well, and Debbi let it slide. 

“So,” Amy said, standing up and clapping. “You all are our guests today! What would you like to do?” 

Heather’s hand shot up instantly: “Smash Tourney!”

“Oh hell yeah!” Debbi pumped her fist. 

“I’m down,” Nicole said.

Amy and Cass nodded. 

“I haven’t played a video game in five years,” Matt said wistfully. “So yeah, that sounds good!”

“Cool,” Amy said. “I’ll set up.”

And thus the stage was set for the most epic magical girl (and one guy) Smash tourney in human history: Nicole played Peach, Amy was Kirby, Debbi was Zelda, Heather was Pikachu, Cass was Samus, and Matt was Link. 

Round 1: Amy v Debbi, sister versus sister, pink eldritch abomination versus fairy maiden. Debbi won after a grueling twenty minute struggle, and called her sister a scrub. 

Round 2: Nicole v Matt, battle of the new kids on the block. Nicole took out all five of Matt’s lives within five minutes, and the young gentleman hung his head in shame. 

Round 3: Cass v Heather, a face-off between the heavy hitters. It was an even battle for most of it, but Cass ultimately pulled through. 

Round 4: three way brawl, Nicole vs Debbi vs Cass. Debbi fell first, leading to a Nicole v Cass showdown, blonde vs brunette, Rhode Island versus New Hampshire. 

“I’m gonna make you eat shit, Nicole!” Cass shouted. 

“Rude.”

“It’s a video game, what do you- oh, dammit!” Cass said as Nicole claimed one of her lives. 

“You get wicked competitive, don’t you, Ortiz?” Nicole grinned. 

“That’s not true, I just hate losing- oh come on!”

“Hahahahahaha,” Nicole said in a deliberately flat tone. 

“Hey, you have come a long way, kiddo,” Amy assured Cass. “She used to be so much worse at these-”

“Amy, please don’t-”

“As your big sister it’s my job to embarrass you in front of boys. Sorry, them’s the breaks.”

“Ahhhhhhh!” Cass screamed. 

“Matt, I am so sorry you have to deal with this,” Nicole said. 

“I mean playing video games with a room full of cute girls isn’t exactly a tough break, all things considered,” Matt said. Then he groaned: “Crap, I’m sorry-”

“Relax, boy,” Heather said. “Everyone here’s got eyes, don’t worry about it.”

Down to one life each, Nicole charged, but Cass outmaneuvered her and sent her over the edge. 

“HAH!” Cass proclaimed. “SUCK IT, NYGAARD!”

“God, Cass,” Heather rolled her eyes. 

Nicole giggled, and the giggle flowered into a belly-laugh. “Gosh, I needed that.”

Cass smirked, then patted Nicole on the head. “Glad to hear.”

Noon passed, and the storm showed no sign of letting up. Nicole and Amy made pancakes for everyone, smothered in butter and real maple syrup, and served them all in the living room. 

“Ah man, I haven’t had flapjacks in ages,” Matt said. 

“You call them flapjacks?” Cass asked. 

“Yeah. I mean, my older brother always did anyway.”

“You have an older brother?” Cass asked. 

“Eh… Kinda.”

Nicole winced as the question forced its way out of Cass’ mouth: “what happened to him? How could he let you wind up how you did?”

“... When I was thirteen, the day after I got my powers, my brother, who wasn’t out to our dad yet as a trans guy, wound up getting thrown out of the house. We were at the dinner table one night, my dad asked my brother if he had anything he wanted to tell him, and because of my abilities, my lack of control, he outed himself. Dad took it badly, like he takes everything, and threw him out. I haven’t seen him since then. Then, a couple years later, he threw me out as well after he heard I’d been getting into fights at school. I thought about looking for my brother, for Mike, but… I dunno. I just felt so damn ashamed of myself that I couldn’t bring myself to face him. Doubt he wants anything to do with me after what I pulled.”

Nicole’s brow furrowed. This poor boy… “That can’t possibly be true.”

Matt shook his head. “That’s very nice of you, but-”

“No, Matt, please listen to me.” She explained to him about Zack, what had happened between them, who they’d been before and who they were now. “You know why older siblings are born first, don’t you?”

He gave a tiny, fragile little smile. “Why?”

“To keep the little ones safe,” Nicole said. “I’m paraphrasing something, but that’s the gist of it.” 

He shook his head, and his hands trembled.

Nicole continued, “If he’s half the big brother you seem to think he is, then he still loves you. I promise.”

Matt gulped, and he whispered, “Thank you for saying that.”

“You’re welcome.”

“You okay?” Cass said, putting a hand on Matt’s shoulder. 

“I’m fine. Just feel like I made things awkward by oversharing.”

“Don’t worry about it,” Amy said. 

“Yeah, seriously, you’re all good,” Nicole said. 

Heather kept conspicuously silent, and Debbi steepled her fingers together. “If you want, we could all do some oversharing.”

Matt laughed. “Are you sure about that?”

“I have weed, if that helps,” Amy offered. 

“I’ve, uh, never gotten high before, I dunno.”

“Nothing you’re not comfortable with,” Cass said. 

“It’s a lot of fun,” Nicole said.

“You are not the person I expected to say that,” Matt said. 

“I get that a lot,” Nicole said. 

Amy busted out the flower, grinder, and pipe. She packed it, took the greens, and then passed to Nicole. The weed wafted through her, lifting her up and far away from all her problems and all her anxieties. Maybe everything would be fine after all. 

They passed the piece around and cleared the bowl shortly. Matt coughed, and then laid on his back and started singing. “WHEN I WAS, A YOUNG BOY, MY FATHER, TOOK ME INTO THE CITY-

Cass joined in: “TO SEE A MARCHING BAND!”

“He said son, you grow up-”

Nicole joined in: “Would you be, the savior of the broken, the beaten, and-”

“The damned!” Amy finished.

They all joined in. Amy and Debbi both sang beautifully, Cass and Nicole somewhat less so, and Heather not in the slightest. Matt’s baritone, however, was rich and full, and took them through all the low notes. By the time they’d finished the song, another bowl was packed and smoked rapidly. Nicole’s head was light, and she placed it on Amy’s lap. Amy started stroking her hair while the others spoke about their favorite anime.

“G Gundam,” Debbi said. 

“Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood,” Heather said. 

“Paranoia Agent,” Cass said. 

“Hey, same,” Matt answered. 

“Sailor Moon,” Nicole moaned. 

“Of course it is,” Amy smiled. 

“Isn’t that yours, too?” Cass asked. 

Amy laughed. “Yeah.”

The conversation flowed like an undammed river during monsoon season. Outside, the rain struck the ground, sounding across the city, connecting it to far-reaching sea through the shared sky. Hours went by. They wound up putting on a Ghibli movie and watching it all together, Debbi resting on Heather’s shoulder, Cass and Matt coming close to but not quite holding hands, and Nicole and Amy cuddling under the blanket. At some point, Nicole drifted away from consciousness. 

When she woke up, there was a new source of noise, out of tune with the rainfall: a harsh knocking on the door. 

“I’ll get it,” Amy said, getting out from under the blanket with a heavy sigh of reluctance. 

“Noooo,” Nicole whined.

“I’ll be right back, I promise,” she teased her. 

Amy opened the door. Nicole poked her head over, and saw on the other side a woman in her late twenties with short dyed-red hair, wearing a hooded blue raincoat. 

“Hello, Amanda,” the woman said. 

“Um… Hi,” Amy replied. “Who are you, exactly?”

“I’m your mother.”

Nicole shot up in her seat, channeling a pulse of Holy Light and sobering up. She rushed over and stood behind Amy. Debbi and Heather were passed out on the couch, but Cass and Matt were both wide-awake. Cass put an arm across Matt’s chest as he started to get up, then held up a finger to indicate he should hold off a second. 

Nicole stood behind Amy, while Amy’s fists pulsed white. She stood up straighter, kept her fists balled, and breathed in and out through her nose. Nicole wished they weren’t still wearing pajamas, but they were somewhat past the point of being able to do much about that. 

“No,” Amy said, “You’re not.”

“Amanda-”

“Whoever you are, you’re not my mother. Let’s get that settled right away. Maybe you carried me, sure, maybe I came out of you, sure, but you’re not my mom. I already have one of those, and you will never replace her. Do I make myself clear?”

The woman furrowed her brow. “If you insist, then fine, I’ll allow you to call Victoria-”

“You’ll ‘allow’ nothing,” Amy snapped. “Victoria Donahue is my mother. You… I don’t know you. I’ve got a lot of questions for you, but don’t pretend that we’re family.”

“Of course we’re-”

“You left when I was a baby. You do not have the right to say that,” Amy said.

Anger flashed across the woman’s face like a lightning bolt, but it soon faded, leaving only a bemused specter in its place. “Very well. She must love you very much, for you to be so loyal to her.”

“Yes,” Amy said. “Now. Why did you come here?”

“Can I come inside? It’s cold out here.”

“You-,” Amy started, but then Nicole tapped her shoulder and gestured to Matt with her head. “Yes. Yes you may. Sorry about the mess- we have people over.”

They sat the woman down at the kitchen table, her back to the living room. Amy poured her a cup of coffee, then pulled up a chair and sat down and glared at her ‘mother.’

“So,” Amy said, “Astra.”

“Yes, that works. Amanda-”

“Amy. Everyone calls me Amy.”

“... Don’t you think that’s a bit childish?”

“No. I don’t,” Amy said. 

“Yeah!” Nicole said, trying to be forceful. It mostly sounded awkward. 

“... I’m sorry, who are you?” Astra said. 

“Nicole,” she answered.

“She’s my roommate. And also one of my best friends,” Amy said. When she tried to be forceful it worked, unlike Nicole- not fair. 

“Ah, yes. The tranny.”

Nicole felt the proverbial dagger rip through her chest. Amy just slammed her hand on the table and lit it up with White Light. “Call her that again and I’ll kill you,” Amy hissed. 

Astra rolled her eyes. “Fine. ‘Nicole.’ Do you mind giving my daughter and I-”

“I do mind,” Nicole said, gritting her teeth.

“I mind as well,” Amy said. 

“Same here,” Cass said as she stood up, Matt right behind her. 

Under the table, Nicole gave Matt a thumbs-up; when she looked at him, he had recognition on his face. Good, he knew what they were trying- that would make this easier, if only infinitesimally so. Nicole sat down next to Amy. “Anything you have to say to my friend, you’ll say in front of all of us.”

Astra stared at Nicole flatly, then looked back at Amy. “Seriously?”

“What?”

“This is the one who you’re throwing everything away for?”

“What?!”

“She’s not throwing anything away,” Nicole growled. “Now tell us what you’re doing here!”

Astra sighed. “Fine. I’m here to parley. Aman… Amy. You know what I am, don’t you? You know about your heritage?”

Behind Astra, Cass nudged Debbi and Heather awake, and put a finger over her lips to keep them silent. 

Amy snarled, “Yes. I know what you are. A demon. A succubus. Explains why I’ve never had any trouble getting laid. So thanks for that one, if literally nothing else.”

Astra stared at her daughter with narrow, disgusted eyes. “You use your body for such banal matters- repugnant.”

“I’m sorry, what?”

“That’s not how you’re supposed to use what you have. Engaging in carnal actions for no reason besides your own pleasure? What’s wrong with you? That’s not what it’s for, not what we’re for- it’s a weapon, girl, a means to an end. To simply use our gifts for pleasure alone isn’t just unnatural, it’s disgusting.”

“... I cannot believe I’m hearing this. From a literal sex monster, no less.”

“If you’re using your body for no reason other than to act like a whore-”

This time, it was Nicole who slammed a hand on the table, as Astra was shaming her daughter, as Amy was fighting back tears of shame and loathing. “Call her that again, and I’ll-”

“You’ll what? Kill me? You don’t have it in you, boy.”

Nicole’s hands glowed white. “Try me.”

Astra chuckled. “I don’t even know why I’m saying all this. It’s the truth, but it’s not what I came here to talk to you about.”

“Then why are you here?” Amy whispered, eyes red and puffy.

Astra exhaled. “What do you know about Winona? Her goals?”

Nicole reiterated the information they had been given. “Is any of that remotely true?”

“It’s all true,” Astra said, her facing twisting with shock as she said it. Behind her, Matt’s eyebrows shot up- Astra was probably starting to catch on to the fact that something was off. Regardless, she continued, “Winona cannot be allowed to conquer Hell.”

Amy folded her arms. “And you should?”

“Yes.”

“Why?”

“To which part?”

“Both.”

Astra sighed. “Because of what Winona wants to do to make it happen. She told you about her father, Samyaza, and how his corpse is trapped beneath the Floodwater? She wants him back. All the Soul Energy she’s been harvesting- that’s the real reason she wants it. She knows that if she can resurrect her father, they’ll be able to conquer Hell and remake it however they want.”

“Putting aside the fact that she has to murder people to do that,” Amy said, “I’ve yet to hear why you’re a better option. Why do you want to take over Hell? What do you gain from it?”

“Everything will finally be as it should be,” Astra said. “I was with Lucifer when he Fell. I was a General in his rebellion. I’m still loyal to his vision: a Great Machine with an Infernal Engine, fueled by the souls of the damned, able to burn away the sins of the universe. If it runs properly, perhaps it can even cleanse my sin.”

Amy… Amy just laughed, shoulders slumped, disbelief in her eyes, bitterness self-evident. “What, you mean all the child support you owe?”

“You mock me, girl? A wretched, promiscuous dyke like you-”

“I think I’ve heard enough,” Debbi said. She stood behind Astra and gripped her shoulder tight. “Hi, I’m from Amy’s real family, and on behalf of us all, fuck you, bitch.”

White light began to hum out and burned the flesh on Astra’s shoulder. 

“You wouldn’t dare- I’m the only thing you have on Winona,” Astra snarled. 

“Then keep talking, but maybe stop being an asshole about it,” Debbi spat. 

“Tell us something useful, or we will send you packing,” Amy said simply. 

Astra grimaced, but said, “I lead the Army of Monsters. Leviathan, the Dragons, the Hellhounds, the Succubi, and the other Manifest are all loyal to me. If Winona succeeds in resurrecting her father, which she is very close to doing, you will need my help. Winona doesn’t know her father as well as she thinks she does: if Samyaza returns, he will not be content to rule over Hell alone. He will set his sights on the Earth, and eventually on Heaven as well. What I want is order and stability: a place for everything, and everything in its place. No coloring outside the lines, so to speak.”

“And what if she fails?” Nicole asked. “What will you do if we stop her?”

Astra blinked, as if she’d legitimately never considered that. “Then all this ceases to be an issue. You can simply help me deal with the other threats to my rightful rule-”

“What’s my place?” Amy asked. 

“... What?”

“Your grand design. What’s my place in that?” Amy asked. “Me and the others- I can’t be the only kid you’ve sired over the eons. I know you only came to me because I’m useful to you. So where do you see me, when everything is in its place?”

Astra smiled, completely sincere, with a spark of hope. “In Hell, with me, fulfilling your duty as a succubus, of course. We are the arbitrators of sexuality- we can prevent deviancy from occurring any further through careful control. No more adultery, no more sodomy, no more promiscuity, no more lust. We’ll be free. We’ll not be whores anymore, Amanda- we can finally be free and pure, purged of these hideous carnal desires. You won’t have to feel the pain of your attraction to this abomination you call Nicole any longer; nobody will. Everyone will be free and clean, and under control.”

“Under whose control?” Amy asked. “Yours?”

“Of course,” Astra said. “Mother knows best, after all. Now, I normally wouldn’t be this candid- I’m guessing one of you has some sort of truth compulsion ability. Is it you, mongrel sister to my beloved daughter?”

Debbi’s hand glowed. 

“That’s what I thought,” Astra said, grinding her teeth through the pain. “I’ll see myself out. Think about my offer, though. I’m around whenever you need me. Momma’s always here.”

In a plume of black and purple flames, the General of the Monsters vanished. 

Debbi let the light fade from her hand.

Nicole, eyes wide, chest pounding, stared straight ahead. 

Amy slumped over on the table and buried her face in her hands. 

Outside, the rainfall tripled in intensity, and javelins of lightning flew across the cloudy sky. The lights in the apartment died alongside a thunderclap, leaving the team to huddle together for warmth and safety in the rising dark.