peachcut‌   /    𝒎𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒚

If Alexis could, she’d hold her forever. She’d squeeze her tightly and never let go. But she’s pretty sure Astrid wouldn’t allow that… Not forever, anyway. Oh, she could babble on about how much she’d missed her, but instead, she’ll just stare down in admiration, hands cascading across her daughter’s arms, trailing down until they reach for her hands. 

           But the demon soon stops in her tracks at Astrid’s question. Her heart sinks and there’s suddenly a lump in the back of her throat.    “ Y-Yeah. I saw him. “      She smiled down at her, tears brimming in her eyes. Was it too much heartache to tell her daughter she could only see the love in her husband’s lips and not his eyes? Maybe. So she won’t tell her.     “ I-It just needs t-time, I think.. I-.. d-don’t know. “ 

The mother shrugs, briefly wiping away her tears. She wanted to be focused on her baby girl. Astrid knew how much she loved Ben. She didn’t have to explain to her.     “ L-Let’s sit down, huh? “      Nimble digits curl around her daughter’s, leading her to the sofa as she sighs softly, another smile escaping.    “ I-I’ve missed you so much…. “    Alexis leans in again, planting fresh kisses on her forehead.   “ S-So.. what’s been happening in the world o-of A-Astrid hunny? “

“Oh --- I’m  sorry.  I  didn’t  mean  to ---”     she purses her lips, feeling immediate guilt for bringing it up. She gives a little squeeze to Alexis’ hand. As much as she doesn’t want to be the reason to give her anymore pain, she feels the need to say one further thing on the subject.     “He  missed  you,  a  lot.  We  all  missed  you.  Don’t  worry,  mum,  it’s  just  all  his,  like,  dumb,  human  emotions.  I  don’t  even  know  what  you  see  in  him.  Humans  are  weak,  anyways.”      As if trash talking him is going to make her feel any better. It is more of a coping mechanism for Astrid.  Following her mother toward the couch, she wrinkles her nose at the forehead kisses.    “Stop  it,  you’re  being  so  embarrassing!”    she whines, but she is only joking. Settling herself down on the couch, she pulls Alexis’ hand to make her sit down beside her. Shoulders shrug slightly, leaning back in her seat and giving a small hum            “Oh,  well.  Um,  I’ve  just  been  spending  a  lot  of  time,  with  like --- other  rich  kids.  They  totally  know  how  to  party.  And,  hmm,  I  don’t  know.  I  spend  a  lot  of  my  time  at  home,  but  like,  trying  to  avoid  dad  as  much  as  possible.  And,  um,  oh!  I  have  like,  such  a  huge  following  on  Instagram  now.  I’m  pretty  much  famous.” 

How do you feel about the whole Ben and Emma situation? Especially with your mother back?

“I  dunno.”      She is inspecting a chip in the purple paint covering her index finger, trying to seem as disinterested in the questioning as she can. Somewhere deep down, she does care. All these people in her life that she loves so deeply, unconditionally. She wants them all to be happy, but they all fit together like jigsaw pieces from different puzzles. Not at all.           “Ben’s  been  in  love  with  my  sister,  for  like,  ever.  He  told  me  once  when  he  got  real  wasted  and  I  had  to  come  pick  him  up.  He  totally  threw  up  in  the  back  of  the  limo,  it  was  fucking  hilarious.  But – he  loves  my  mum,  too.  I  don’t  know,  it’s  all  a  bit  90′s  soap  opera  for  my  tastes.”      Astrid rolls her eyes.     “Not  that  it  really  even  matters.  Emma  is  with  Romain  now,  and  they  seem  happy  together.  Even  if  he  is,  like,  an  old  man.  And  dad  likes  him,  so – that’s  probably,  like,  good  for  Emma.  I  don’t  know,  I  just  want  mum  to  be  happy.  She’s  the  one  who  deserves  it  the  most,  you  know?” 

peachcut‌   /    𝒎𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒚

It was as if she’d never left and Astrid was never taken from her all those years okay. The demon couldn’t fathom what her daughter had gotten into since she’s been gone and a part of her was scared to find out. Alexis only ever wanted to protect her from the outside world, keep her safe and make her feel loved. But she had already failed once at that. 

“ H-He… “  She pauses, eyes flickering down at her not-so-little girl, hands resting on her cheeks, mirroring Astrid’s movements.     “ He doesn’t m-matter. F-Forget about wh-what happened to me, okay? I-I’m back now. Th-That’s all that m-matters, baby. “       She said it sternly, but full of love all the same. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Astrid everything, she’d figured most of it out for herself - more than Alexis wanted her to know. What if Astrid told him she knew what he’d done? Does he even know she’s out yet? Those thoughts were for another time.  

Little fingers curl around tresses of her daughter’s hair, eyes lighting up with each stroke. She was real. So real and full of life.       “ Y-You know.. I-I’ve been thinking a-about those times I-I cradled y-you to sleep, s-singing songs to you. “     It’s mumbled, something caught in the demon’s throat.      

Not having her mother in her life had been horrible -- but having absent parents was something Astrid had gotten used to over the years. It might be worrying how easily she accepts Alexis back into her life. Being an immortal being, years do not seem like such a long time to her. She had been in the Underworld for most of that time, another victim of her father. Astrid protrudes her lower lip out with a childish pout as her mother changes the subject. She wants to know what happened, but there is something about the stern, motherly tone that makes her submissive. For someone who spends a lot of her time being self absorbed and acting like a spoiled brat, she has never seemed more like a child.     “Mum ---”    she starts to protest, but she is taken aback by the love behind Alexis’ eyes. It is warm, and kind, and something she realises now she has been missing.       “I’m,  like,  way  too  big  now  for  you  to  try  and  rock  me  to  sleep.  But,  maybe --- maybe  we  can  still  cuddle  on  the  couch.”     She gives a little smile, trying to ignore the niggling questions she still has.     “Have  you ---”    a small tilt of her head, she isn’t sure how to ask her question.   “Have  you  gone  to  see  Ben,  yet?” 

peachcut‌   /    𝒎𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒚

Alexis freezes. She can’t fathom who she’s seeing. The last time she saw her Astrid barely came to her knees and now the demon is almost having to look up at her own daughter.  

She doesn’t even hesitate as the mother almost runs to wrap her arms around her babe.    “Y-You’re really h-..here?” She doesn’t even look at her, face already buried into Astrids hair, planting kiss after kiss on top of her head. The demon inhales, through all the smell of smoke and drink, she could still find comfort in the scent of her baby girl. 

Arms outstretch slightly to look at her daughter, eyes wide as look down in admiration.  “ I-I’m really. Really here b-baby girl. “   Alexis pulls her close once more.    “I-I’m never gonna b-be without you again, o-okay?”

Suddenly, everything feels so unimportant. She feels so small, so stupid. Astrid is disappointed in herself now, for letting herself become so jaded toward the world. It feels surreal, with her mother’s arms around her. For a moment, she wonders if she is dreaming -- maybe she fell asleep in the cab ride here and none of this is real. Burying her face into Alexis’ chest, she listens to the beat of her heart. It is soothing, she almost feels safe.  “Mum,  I  missed  you.  I  missed  you --”     she’s holding back tears. Astrid pulls herself away from the embrace slightly, a happiness behind her smile that is so very rarely seen these days. Reaching out, she puts her hands against her mother’s cheeks, as if she check she is really there. Suddenly, her expression falters, her brow knits.        “Where  have  you  been?  It’s  been  so  long...”    she pauses, turns to look around their surroundings as if trying to check no one is listening. Wide eyes, she turns back to look at Alexis.    “Dad  did  this,  didn’t  he?  Oh,  mum,  he’s  been  so  horrible  with  you  gone.  Did  he  hurt  you,  what  happened?” 

     @peachcut   /    𝒎𝒖𝒎𝒎𝒚?    

She couldn’t believe it when Emma told her, or maybe she didn’t want to believe it. Distant memories of being sung to sleep, of warm embraces and a soft voice telling her that she is loved. Astrid hasn’t been home in days, she had been out partying with the kids of other rich parents when she had gotten a phone call from her sister. Strung out, days of no sleep and getting high -- she is a mirror image of her father, now. She knows Alexis will be disappointed with who she has become. Her only saving grace has been Ben, the only thing that keeps her connected to the memory of her mother.  But here she is, standing in the doorway of what had once been her childhood home. Before Nero took her away. Manicured fingernails are digging into her palms, heart beating with nerves as she pushes open the front door. The house seems dark, empty -- she wonders if she had imagined the entire thing.  “Mum?”      she calls out, her voice echoes against the walls. Suddenly, she feels small again. All she wants is to be held.     “Mummy,  are  you  here?” 

fuckingvictus‌    /   𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴.

                   lazarus doesn’t really know the details. all he knows is that he’s apparently set up for great things and that he better enjoy his life as a star quarterback now because he has more important duties. even his uncle bubba had been very straight forward and explaining that he’d have more duties with the underworld as well as hell considering xaphan’s high status as well. these were things lazarus, of course, was no longer interested in ( not like he was ever interested in the first place ) a heavy sigh, a roll of his eyes. “yeah, but like why the fuck would he do that?” eyebrows furrow together with disbelief. “what’s he have to gain to pit as all together? that’s, like—…not chill. none of that even makes sense,”

Astrid usually chooses to hide her emotions behind a distant attitude and a pretty smile. Talking about Nero makes her stomach curl, she tries her hardest to ignore the feeling as she traces the pattern of her skirt. A heavy sigh passes over her lips as she finally pulls her attention back toward Lazarus.      “Well,  like.  Because  I’m  pretty  sure  he  is  just  totally  crazy.  I  don’t  know,  it’s  just --- so  stupid.  And  like,  I  suppose  he  reacts  this  way  because,  like,  of  how  he  was  raised?”       She shrugs, bowing her head for a moment before she looks back up at him. Reaching out, manicured fingers find his own and give a small squeeze.      “He  doesn’t  have  anything  to  gain  by  coming  between  us,  so  we  can’t  let  him  do  it,  yeah?  We,  um,  just  have  to  stick  together.” 

fuckingvictus‌   /   𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴.

                     lazarus tried his best to ignore nero’s words about, you know, being a demon prince. being the one to run the germanicus family if anything were to happen to him for any reason. needless to say, lazarus ignored it. he rebelled by trying to live a normal life. as normal as someone with two very powerful demons as parent’s can live, of course. he doesn’t have a hard time controlling his abilities, but he has a hard time not using them for a his gain. how else do you think he’s star quarterback? how else can you explain the spontaneous fires? “um, well—…i know i wouldn’t be dumb. cause one of my dad’s is really smart.” he’ll tap at the side of his head. “xaphii is in medical school ‘cause he’s bored.” a shrug of his shoulders, dark eyes shifting away from his elder sibling. “i mean, dad has alluded to it.”

Astrid would never admit it out loud, but she knows if anyone should take over from the empire Nero has built, it should be Emma. She tries not to think about the whole thing -- every time she does, she has flashbacks of the night she swears she and her sister were going to die. On the other hand, Astrid hasn’t completely found out her powers. Her drug habit comes from her need to shut out the voices she hears in her head, swears she is going crazy half the time. Brow knits together as she looks over toward him, and she shakes her head slightly.    “Uh,  okay,  first  of  all.  Don’t  ever  listen  dad  because --- well,  he’s  a  fucking  idiot.  And  he’s,  like,  the  worst  dad  in  the  world,  and  he  just  likes  to --- I  don’t  know ---”      she falters, fiddling with a loose thread on her bedspread.      “He  just  likes  to  make  us  fight,  I  don’t  know.  It’s  some,  like,  sick  game  to  him.” 

fuckingvictus‌   /   𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴.

                 an eyebrow raises for a moment before he simply shrugs his shoulders. “um, hello? i could get you half price concert tickets.” not because of money, mind you. lazarus had a way with words. a certain kind of charm that got him whatever he wanted. plus, he had connections in the underworld as well as hell. having two different demon spectrum’s as parent’s paid off. you know, for him, to say the least. he never did rub that in astrid or emma’s face, of course. rudiger? was distant. never fully understood why but never asked. he’ll plop down next to her, running fingers through his hair and momentarily poking at one of the horns he normally had to hide with a powerful glamour. “we’re, like—…related so if i was dumb, you’d be dumb.”

Astrid rearranges on the bed as he joins her, tucking her legs up underneath herself.    “Uh,  wow.  You  totally  could  have  told  me  this  earlier!”    She supposes she could spend more time with Lazarus; she really doesn’t know much about him other than the fact he was supposed to take over the stupid, metaphorical throne of their family one day. Everything else she gathers from context, watching him around the house and with the occasional conversation when she happens to be home for breakfast. She wrinkles her nose.     “That’s  so  not  true,  like -- you  can  be  related  to  an  idiot  and  not  be  an  idiot  yourself.  I  think.  I  don’t  know,  that’s  all  stupid  genetics,  or  whatever.”       She waves her hand, dismissing the subject.     “Why  do  you  think  I  hate  you?” 

fuckingvictus‌   /   𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴.

                “um, no offense? you’re friend katie sounds like a dumb ass bitch.” eyebrows furrow together, his tone matter of fact. “like, that’s as bad as the time i thought fruit would grow in my belly if i swallowed a seed. ice cubes just melt, though. so like, what the hell?” a heavy sigh. he tends to ramble whenever he’s nervous which believe it or not? was more often than not. “well, just checking. i’m not dumb so—..”

Unlocking her phone so she can pause her music, she pulls out her other headphone and lets out a small snort of laughter.    “Yeah,  Katie’s  a  total  moron.  I  only  keep  her  around  because  her  brother  can  get  half  price  concert  tickets.”    Narrowing her eyes slightly, she considers her brother for a minute before she pats the empty space on her bed beside her.      “Hmm,  no.  I  suppose  you’re  not,  like,  completely  dumb.  C’mon,  come  sit  with  me.” 

fuckingvictus‌    /   𝘭𝘢𝘻𝘢𝘳𝘶𝘴 𝘨𝘦𝘳𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘪𝘤𝘶𝘴.

              “hey, just askin’ but like—…do you hate me or something?” // @thyunholy​ 

Astrid tugs out one of her earbuds and turns to look at her brother.     “Um,  no  offence,  but  that’s,  like,  the  dumbest  thing  anyone  has  asked  me  since  my  friend  Katie  asked  me  if  she  was  going  to  die  because  she  swallowed  an  entire  ice  cube.” 

𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙩𝙮   𝙙𝙞𝙢𝙨,   𝙙𝙚𝙢𝙤𝙣𝙨   𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙚   𝙖𝙣𝙙   𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙨𝙚   𝙢𝙚.     chase   me   into   myself.  there  we  stand,  sizing  each  other  up  before  the  fight.    it  will  be  a  long  bloody  battle,  we  know  that,  we  also  know  all  too  well    𝐓𝐇𝐄𝐑𝐄   𝐂𝐀𝐍   𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘   𝐁𝐄   𝐎𝐍𝐄   𝐒𝐔𝐑𝐕𝐈𝐕𝐎𝐑. it    is   understood    and    accepted.           -         chris   markoff                        [   𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘥𝘪𝘵.   ]