mythictold

[mythictold]

Ugh classroom shit is so expensive. If any teacher friends have hook ups on where to post an Amazon wishlist for people to gift, let me know. This theatre teacher about to be broke AF.

[mythictold]

new character incoming! (another oc, who's surprised)

amelia 'salt witch' hawthorne

fc: natasha o'keeffe

pirate during golden age of piracy in the carribbean, took on the name anne bonny during that time; 'disappeared' during the time she should have been executed

is actually a time traveling pirate

born as normal as normal could be, cursed by an artifact found during her travels

fandomless - she can be a regular pirate, she can be a space pirate, and in her main verse she's both. she raids various timelines for treasure, artifacts, and causes general mayhem because she ignores the laws of time

still being fleshed out :)

[mythictold]

i continue to be hyperfocused on some muses from my list but don't let that scare you away from interacting with the others :) :) :)

[mythictold]

moira thinks that if it were possible, she'd have been incinerated on the spot. turned into a pile of ash by the sheer force of her mother's presence and the ire accompanying it. she almost flinches when kate practically explodes, but she holds her own, staring into the depths of her terrible coffee as if it might hold the answers. pity that it doesn't.

"it wasn't supposed to be like this." moira syas, trying to keep her voice even. not that it matters - fact of the matter is she was precisely where she shouldn't have been. "i tagged along with the science team for the field experience. i thought if i just . . . - i wasn't trying to prove anything. i just wanted to try." because trainings could only do so much. and their task had been a simple recon mission - and ed had let her stay, even after discovering her intrusion upon the task.

"i was supposed to take photos and notes. we were in the caves and . . . some idiot bloke obsessed with alien tech wanted in on things and decided he'd hurt anyone in his way." she's already given her report at least twice, as per protocol, and she'll have to write a full statement back at headquarters. it sounds so stupid now, laying it out in front of the head of unit. moira is struggling more than she expected in trying to separate boss from mum - and failing.

"dad . . . pushed me out of the way. took the hit instead of me. i didn't ask him to and i certainly didn't want him to. but none of this was his fault - please don't be too upset with him." she runs a hand over her face, setting her cup on the table next to where she sits, not sure she can stomach the remainder.

she could throw it in her mother's face that gordy had been able to do things for unit by now. dangerous things. and while maybe a small part of her wants to prove that she can handle this, she knows she never should have gone about it the way she had. seeing ed bleeding out in front of her . . . he could have died.

"i know i shouldn't have . . . i'm sorry, i just -' her voice falters, breaking - apologies seem moot at this point. "i didn't mean for any of this to happen."

and then she does finally look up at her mother, leg bouncing again in her anxiety and a burning in the back of her throat - she has to do her best to hide her emotions. her panic, her fear, her own anger . . . it swirls in her like a storm.

"i don't know how you do it." she says, softer. voice warbling. "i never . . . i never realized how dangerous things were. how lucky i was to have you coming home every night. how you make these . . . insane decisions - i didn't understand. i still don't. so no. it wasn't worth it. i almost lost my dad."

❝ Yes finally. He's stubborn. Much like someone else…. ❞ She managed to keep her tone neutral, cold. The pure and utter shock she'd felt the moment she had taken that phone call two hours ago had passed. In the moments that followed that call seemed like a dream. Like she was in someone else's body, looking out into the world. Everything felt numb. She couldn't quite grasp any of the information that had been relayed to her over and over again. First the phone, then in person, then in the helicopter on the way over. Retired from active duty. Edward was retired from active duty, so why on earth had he ended up in a hospital bed with a bullet lodged in him?

And her daughter. Her daughter who was not cleared for fieldwork was somehow involved in all of this? Slowly, the numbness had given way to confusion, taking the pieces of the puzzle one by one and connecting them together until they made some sort of sense. By the time the UNIT helicopter touched down just outside the hospital grounds in a nearby field, Kate had enough of the information from the team to understand what had happened.

The more she stared at Moira now, the more the thoughts in her head seemed to whirl like a storm, threatening to break free and cause havoc at any second. It was always going to be a difficult line to tread between mother and boss. Gordy had been different. He was unlike either of them. Really, she didn't know where he got it from. His father had never been like that, that was for certain. But Moira was in so many ways, her carbon copy. Looking at her actions today, Kate could not see that however.

❝ Moira, what the hell were you thinking?! ❞ So much for neutrality. The words exploded out of her before she could help herself, folding her arms against her chest to hide the way the way her hands tremored with each words.

In her heart she knew Moira would never have intentionally caused any of this. She would never have wanted anyone to get injured, certainly not the man she thought of as a father. That didn't change the fact that it had happened.

❝ Ed could have died, YOU could have died and for what hmm? For-for you to prove yourself? Well, you've certainly proved something! Was it worth it?! ❞

[mythictold]

she is content in watching nick. whatever is going on in her mind she is not privy to, but she can see the shift in his demeanor and senses something but helen can't explain. it's merely a feeling, especially with his touch grounded to her. something about their bond, perhaps. she doesn't shatter the quiet to ask.

his hand is warm against her skin, his head even warmer when he reaches out to wrap around her. perhaps, at least, this child gives his mind something to focus on beyond a war, beyond the overwhelming silence now that kex is gone, beyond the negative thoughts that threaten to invade. her free hand slides into his hair, combing through the all-direction fly aways.

her smile comes softly, unbidden, an answer to her at least. i love you. she and nick use the words rarely, expression their love in other gestures or small ways; to hear him say it sets a warmth flooding her chest and pooling in her belly. while she does not share whatever bond he may have with the sekhem, she feels a sharp bond with their child already. a knowledge that she will do anything in this universe to keep them safe.

"oh." it's a soft whisper, breathless, perhaps a bit awe-stricken. normally heartbeats cannot be heard this early with medical technology, so it's a relief to know nick can sense their little flutter of life. to know this little one is thriving against a world that would already see them hurt or worse, helen is grateful nick has such senses. if not a tad jealous that she cannot share in it - yet. emotion wells in her chest, catching in the back of her throat and in the burn of her eyes. he's right - it is a new beginning. a chance for a better start. a revival of abnormals thought latent.

"i suppose i'll have to keep you two from ganging up on me, won't i?" she teases quietly, trying to diffuse the tension that threatens to rise - she expects it will feel far better once the cabal and section 34 are out of their hair. but she knows nick will do anything to keep her and their child safe, just as helen will do the same to keep him and the child safe. she had failed once, in keeping ashley safe - she would not allow it to happen again. not in any lifetime.

some part of her is hoping that having this child to focus on will help nick cope, to process things that have happened. to grieve a life he barely knew in favor of a new, abnormal one that had been thrust upon them. "whenever you feel overwhelmed or lost or uncertain," she continues softly. "listen for this. their heartbeat. and know that no matter what happens, we are here. this is ours. and no one on the face of this earth can take that. that tiny little heart beats because of, and for, you."

the sudden movement of her plate draws his attention, gaze following her as she rounds the table. hands on either side of his face, the gentle cradling that eases his mind and the many questions that linger there ⸻ the single touch that could calm the storm and bring him towards the eye of it all. he’s fighting the sting to his eyes as he’s staring into the ocean pools that are the eyes that plead with him to be okay, the same eyes that begged him to hold on out on the ice when the world around him was slowly turning to darkness. then there is warmth beneath his fingertips, but there is more. the same sense that came to him with khonsu ⸻ hand pressed against the cold glass of the vat in the hive. through the dark liquid that surrounded him. he felt the same beneath his fingertips, a subtle breath of life itself. something he’d never be able to describe to another living being. 

a connection to the very soul of life, a little mix of the two of them. helen was far from right ⸻ this was never their plans, it wasn’t something believed to be in the cards. his transformation left a lot of things uncertain. even as he had been thought to be human, it wasn't something he thought he needed to be concerned about. there was something more there, beneath his fingertips, as if it was reaching out to him. just as khonsu had when he pressed his hand to the cold glass. the tiniest hint of a scar across the knuckle of his ring finger from shattering the glass to get to him. lips part to say something but he is captivated by the presence beneath his fingertips. was it the sekhem dna allowing him this connection? his status to the sekhem? he didn’t quite understand it. 

her hand crossed his and everything seemed tenfold. the life he felt, seemed even stronger than it had moments ago. the connection hukter told him about had never described this. to anyone else it would have been a simple act. to nick ⸻ it had established a connection not only to helen, but to their child. hukter had explained helen’s place in his life but not this because there was no child then out on the ice, there was no possibility then that this was something he’d experience. in a way it was overwhelming, he had to blink to clear the blur from his vision as he stared at their hands across the tiny life still trying to form. for a brief moment, there is the flash of hot white in his gaze before the dark hue returns as her lips press to his temple. 

nick understood, this was theirs together. someone to keep safe, to cherish and care for. there was a life there that depended on the two of them. the hand that is laced with his, he moves pulling her towards him, his arms wrapping around her waist. pressing his head against her stomach, he sighs quietly. listening to a sound that has become soothing and calming to him. the sound of the beating of two hearts, the feeling of a newly established connection that wouldn’t have been possible had hukter not changed him. “i love you.” the first words he’s spoken in the amount of time he’s sat there feeling the breath of life beneath his fingertips. “i will never shut you out.”  his words are quiet, as if speaking any louder would chase the sounds away, or disrupt the moment. 

“when you were afraid…” his voice is a whisper, quietly spoken for her and her alone ⸻ even if they were the only two in the room. “that something had happened to them, i heard the beat of their heart. i knew they were alright.” he couldn’t very well had told her when her father and everyone else was in the medical ward. from the first moment etok had told him to listen closely, he’s been able to hear it but now ⸻ now it was stronger. “it is… a new beginning,” he agrees. it needs to be. he can’t allow the cabal to destroy him, they’ve spent two years trying to do so. “for all three of us.”

there was no doubt nick loved his wife, beyond anything in life itself. unbelievably for two people who did nothing but fight with one another, there was a deep connection there they spent years fighting until it had simply shifted. now, he felt a different kind of love for the gentle thud that echoed under her own against his ear. “i love you both, and nothing is going to happen to either of you. if i have to tear the cabal and thirty-four apart with my own hands. NOTHING is going to take either of you from me.”  nick wouldn’t hesitate to ring the human world to it’s knees. a world he had spent decades protecting and fighting for, a world he had no true place in. 

for helen, for their child ⸻ he would destroy the world above ground. if any harm was to come to either of them. the human world would see a rise of power they’ve never seen before. he’d give the world to them if he could do so. he hasn’t even seen their child but knowing they are there and hearing it with his own enhanced abilities he’s gained from hukter. it was a gift of being able to sense a life that would have gone unnoticed without it ⸻ he’d let the world burn for them. 

[mythictold]

"you and i both know our children are all yours. blood relations have little importance." far as helen is concerned, the kids have belonged to nick even before they'd been married, even before the kids had asked to officially be adopted by nick - and in turn she'd adopted ramon. the kids have looked up to him as a father figure even without blood to bind them; frankly sometimes even she forgets because they've picked up on habits from nick that in any other circumstance might make her truly wonder their parentage.

her nose wrinkles briefly.

"i can't imagine someone like dirk being involved with anything at the pentagon. he seems like too much of an idiot." she remarks dryly, glancing back down at nick's phone to make sure taylor hasn't texted again; he hasn't. her gaze shifts to the darkened landscape beyond the car, letting the cool wind brush across her face and into her hair. it was a beautiful night thankfully, no rain or storms - except the proverbial one on the horizon.

"i agree. i don't want the kids around the fallout. they'll be confused enough - i'm hoping we'll be able to distract them with the news that they get to live here permanently." their children were clever though, easy to pick up on things around them. they'd have to tread carefully, figure out a narrative to tell them. much as she tries to be transparent with their children, there are still some things she and nick try to shield them from. whatever is happening with flint, with grand falls - they don't need to be involved.

as nick talks of wilbur, the kindness shown compared to flint - helen is starting to get a clearer picture of things. one that she isn't sure nick will handle well. it's just an inkling of a feeling, but the way he talks of his childhood, the weird and stunted conversations from wilbur and reggie now, plus the situation with flint . . . there is no proof to her idea, outlandish as it may seem. but not impossible. tomorrow would likely prove it one way or the other, and helen knows nick will need her more than ever if there's any kernel of truth to the matter. her hand slides across the center console to grab his, lacing their fingers together.

"i respect whatever your decision is. and i support it. we'll come up with an excuse for the kids but we can steer them away. besides, it seems your father would rather live in the city than on the farm anyway. you never have to see him again, if that's what you want. we'll make it happen."

nick could only help that was the reason behind it. the favoritism was not something he enjoyed. the first thing flint had asked to do was to hold his grandson. it didn’t sit right with nick. he made no other attempt to refer to the others and was quick to point out the fact that amelia looked like his mother. wilbur and reggie were more than happy to welcome all of the kids with open arms. “old dud or not, i don’t like if he’s playing favorites to the two that are mine  ⸻ you know all of them are mine. Ollie and lia are the only two that share any blood relation to me. i won’t allow him to treat the other four like second class. if he can’t be fair with all six of them, he doesn’t get to be around two of them. i’ve had ramon since he was a couple of months old. wilbur, betty, my mother, reggie and his wife all doted on him. chased him around the farm. dad wasn’t around much to see him. was always in town working on deals for the farm.” 

his brows pinch together, he glances over towards her for a moment in consideration. “honey, we are nearly an hour away from any medical facilitiy and if you break a leg coming down from the attic in the middle of the night ⸻ i’m afraid my medical expertise only goes as far as the field training i had before the gulf war and every other requalification after that.”  her last draws a chuckle from him. “he’s going to have a lot to answer to. i want to know why he’s keeping the hands at arms length. something tells me it has something to do with whatever my general friend had found in the files he sent. he mentioned something about the pentagon and dirk.” nick considers his last trip to the pentagon, it had been for a briefing and even then it was crowded and far too busy for him. 

“i think it will be best to have taylor and nicole take the kids out for a little drive to town for some ice cream at the diner tomorrow when we get home. i don’t want them at the house when we confront dad and the hands. we know wilbur and reggie have been trying to tell us something for the last two days but dad is keeping a tight hold on them. i don’t know why. wilbur has been trying to tell me something now but dad is always around the corner.” nick turns down another road, they were nearing the location taylor had sent him. it was quiet, nothing like old city. it was oddly peaceful even with how dark it was. 

“you know…” he gives her a brief glance. “dad was gone a lot when i was growing up. wilbur and reggie taught me a lot more than dad did when it came to the farm. the first time i got through from a horse, wilbur was there to pick me up. ended up pretty scraped up, crying ⸻ i was a mess. i ripped my favorite pair of jeans, and my shirt was covered in dirt. wilbur picked me up, used his sleeve to dry my fave and dusted me on and told me. ‘it’s okay to cry, son. you pick yourself up when you’re down. but don’t let that horse get the best of ya.’  i remember coming inside and mom had ice cold lemonade and my favorite cookies waiting for me. the first time dad seen me fall… he yelled at me ‘get your ass back up and be a man. that horse a’int gonna break itself.’  i remember him and wilbur fighting that night. heard it from my bedroom window. i couldn’t hear what they were saying, mom came in and closed the window, tried to distract me ⸻ i thought it was fault.” 

a long sigh falls from him after that. “i guess i never really got along with dad like i thought i did. the more time we spend here, the more i remember how much he wasn’t around. i never asked ⸻ i didn’t want to upset mom.  wilbur and reggie were there when i needed help. when i broke my leg climbing that tree dad was talking about. it was wilbur and reggie who carried me inside and ran for the doc. dad had business to handle in town he couldn’t get out of, but brought me home a new pair of boots as an apology for not being there when the doc got there. i guess… i just wanted to think that dad was the guy i wished his was. instead, he’s trying to settle me with his debt. i… don’t want him around the kids, honey. i know what you said, but i won’t regret it. i can’t have him hurting them the way he did with me growing up.” 

[mythictold]

Drink up, brothers, you know how And spill a drop for Orpheus Wherever he is now...

[mythictold]

every time he mentions the tiny creature she has been harboring for roughly nine weeks so far, it makes it all the more real. there is no back up plan because they're not ready - not this time. helen had been afforded the luxury of putting her role as a mother on hold when james had been able to freeze ashley's embryo for later implantation, when she felt more stable and more comfortable. sure, they could probably manage it if they tried - but helen isn't so confident given her decades of aging and the combination of genetics. this is something they'll have to face head on.

"i think that's the secret to adulthood in the end." helen remarks quietly. "none of us know what we're doing. what we're meant to do. two hundred years later and i still don't know that i get it right. you don't have to have answers to what you're supposed to do, nick. because there isn't a concrete answer. your life is in your hands now . . . you can do anything with it. and whatever you decide, i support you." helen continues.

however she can sense that nick is devolving into his thoughts again, the dangerous ones that threaten to take him a million miles away. helen nudges her plate away and moves to stand, rounding the table to him. she cradles his face in her hands, thumb stroking his cheek. he's been so strong for so long, he doesn't know how to be anything else. she doesn't say anything for a moment, before her hand slides down to take up one of his own. she slides it beneath the fabric of her top, pressing his fingers to the soft expanse of her belly.

"you're right." she murmurs. "part of you is here. but do not think i won't move heaven and earth to protect them. the cabal can try, but they'll never succeed. and your nemesis is certainly not just a cloud. you've saved my life half a dozen times; i am more than confident in your abilities to keep this child safe. because you're not the only line of defense. the cabal can try as they like, but they will never take me, or this baby away from us. i know it wasn't in our plans - far from it. but i won't regret it, not for a moment. because it exists as tangible proof of our love. how fiercely devoted we are to one another. and that's something they can never take away. for all we know our genetics could simply cancel one another out and we be left with one very average human child. but it could come out with a hundred abnormal abilities and i'd love them no less. as you said - part of you is here. in this child. and i love them all the more for it, because i love you." her hand covers his, fingers lacing together over her middle.

"you don't have to ask me to carry your burdens, nick. because i carry them willingly, i take them on without asking. your fight is my fight. your joy is my joy. i know it will take time, and no one on this earth expects you to just accept the changes you've been dealt. but i can support you while you adjust. hold you up when the universe feels too much. remind you that above all else, you are still nicholas boyd. you have been dealt so much in such little time - you said so yourself, this is the first time in ages your mind has been your own. it will take time. i only ask that in that time, you don't shut me out."

she bends, pressing a kiss to his temple and resting her head atop his for a moment.

"i love you. that will never change. and in the moments you feel lost, uncertain of your own mind, remember it. i will forever be in your corner. and this child - our child - will know nothing but love and safety from you. no matter what your mind or memories want to tell you. this is real. we are real. and it will take something far stronger than the cabal or section 34 to take that away. i don't ask that you simply fix yourself overnight. i only ask that you not bottle it up, and let me help you however i can. for all three of our sakes." she lifts her head, only so she can look down upon him again. "you said so yourself - this child is a new beginning. let it be a new beginning for you, too."

i would have brought you home. would home really have been home? kex had him believe so many wrongs ⸻ etok tried to undue so much of it but there were times nick had to block him out as well. saddled with so much responsibility and thrust into a role he didn’t understand but took in strides. everything he had ever know was nothing more than lies, he’d begun fighting for the abnormals the moment he was ordered to work with thirty-fours' most difficult agency.  nick had begun to realize that something wasn’t quite right with the organization he spent decades helping to build. now he knows. ⸻ knows they realized the abnormals responded to him differently, there was something more to him they weren’t saying. they used him to capture the abnormals. nick began to ask too many questions so he became an unwilling experiment of the cabal through hukter’s actions. 

Khonsu's name brings his gaze to hers. the infant was his responsibility, his to protect. what if he couldn’t protect him? what if he failed him just as he had anias, vusai, a lalku? nick is listening, but remains quiet. there is a part of him that wishes things had been different ⸻ wishes that he could go back and change the choices he made. then, there is the other part of him that knows things are the way they are for a reason. it’s not only about him anymore; he has a wife and will soon be a father. bringing his child into a world where it will be hunted simply because of what he had passed on… he isn’t sure how to accept that, but he knows it can’t be changed either. had it only been him, had he not had the sekhem to fight for, a wife who is doing everything she can to help him and soon a child that will depend on him for everything ⸻he may have simply given himself to thirty-four and suffered whatever fate was waiting for him on that side of the fence. 

“ ⸻ i don’t… want to be strong.” he says after a long moment. “i want things to be the way they were. normalcy and not trying to figure out how to navigate everything. there hasn’t been a moment since we left for antarctica that my life has been in my own hands. now that it is… now that i have these voices in my head telling me what is right and wrong, what to do. i don’t know ⸻ i don’t know what i’m supposed to be doing.” dark gaze returns to the food in front of him, the sight making him nauseous. he didn’t want it anymore. it was one of his favorite places to get food but he hasn’t had an appetite since they had left for antarctica in the middle of the night. since the hive was destroyed. nick feels terrible knowing his wife set this up for them to eat, she wants him to eat but he doesn’t feel like it. 

“the cabal know i exist, they have come after me already and tried to kill me ⸻ they nearly succeeded. they have a weapon that can kill me and cause harm that is almost irreversible. that same weapon… it can harm our child.” his gaze lifts again. “how can i protect a child who is going to rely on me to keep them safe when all it takes is some cloud to stop me? it’s not just you i have to worry about now. it’s both of you. part of me is in there, it’s why etok can hear it before we even knew about it. i can’t  ⸻” he sighs. “if they find out that you are carrying someone who will be the ultimate abnormal hybrid, we might not be able to stop them and i can’t lose either of you to the cabal.” 

nick had a lot riding on his shoulders and has for the last two years. “i can’t ask you to carry any of this. i know you want to but… we don’t know how this baby will affect you either. ⏁⍙⍜ ⍜⎎ ⎍⌇ ⏚⟒☊⍜⋔⟒ ⍜⋏⟒, ⏁⊑⟒ ⊑⟒⏃⍀⏁ ☊⍀⟒⏃⏁⟒⌇ ⏃ ⌰⟟⎎⟒. two of us become one, the heart creates a life. that life is ours to protect. it is ours… our child. the future of the abnormals and the sekhem. if there is an extinct line in my genepool. it’s no longer extinct once that life is created.” they had no idea exactly what that species of abnormal is either.  “kex… had said a lot of things, had done far more than she should have been able to. i let her believe she had more control than she did. those things she said on the plane, she tried to make me believe i was the one who said them to you. i would… never disrespect you in a way that would hurt you, ever. we always talk things out, we don’t walk away angry.” and that was a promise they made to each other. 

there was something nick was certain of. “no matter what, i will come home at the end of every mission. we always talk about what ifs and scenarios. at the end of the day, i have a wife waiting for me on the other side of each and every mission. now, it’s my wife and my child waiting for me. we can’t reverse what’s happened. i can’t… fix my head overnight. i can’t change the past or predict what the future will hold, i just know that i’m ⸻ i’m not alright. not right now. i don’t know when i will be. this is the first time in two years my mind is my own. my entire life is changing again, i didn’t get to understand it the first time. i don’t know how to accept it this time.” 

[mythictold]

"play your cards right and i'll give you a reenactment tomorrow." helen says dryly. she'd noticed the favoritism with oliver but had chalked it up to imagining things; hearing nick say it aloud reminds her that perhaps she's not crazy after all. thankfully the other kids haven't noticed, or they might be put out - or asking questions neither nick nor helen is prepared to answer. it had been awful enough when her ex-husband had his field day on the telly, leaving her to try and explain he hadn't meant it to a distraught henry. it still makes her heart ache to remember even an ounce of it, and she's worked hard to make sure that particular clip is scrubbed from any existence. for her son's sake.

she is patient while nick explains the baby monitor to wilbur, hiding her smile in soft amusement. bless wilbur and his wife, kind as they've been to the children. no favorites there, clearly - they adored all of them regardless. the way grandparents should, frankly. her gaze flickers between wilbur and nick again as they speak - the pair are close. almost closer than nick is with flint. helen chalks it up to reading into things that aren't there.

"they're happy to be here." helen chimes in warmly. "and thank you again for welcoming them. and me. two days in and i'm already in love with the place."

at her husband's insistence, she takes up his hand and leaves the hands and their children behind. she climbs into the passenger's seat and settles in - thankfully taylor and nicole aren't far. though she is absolutely going to rib taylor on his lack of ability to change a tire (even if it was the rental company's fault in part).

"he's just being an old dud. taking his frustration out the way he can after you chided him for asking those questions in front of the kids." helen offers. "it's a bit childish, frankly." and she'll be sure to tell him such tomorrow when they confront him.

she takes his phone, typing out a brief text to taylor that they're on the way (though it does cross her mind to tease him about some other scary creature in the fields). she glances back over to nick as he continues.

"no - i agree. i really hope he's moved them, or the leak hasn't gotten to those albums. i'd be furious." she murmurs. "i could sneak up there tonight if you wanted, see what we could find - but knowing my luck i'd break a bloody leg coming back down the ladder. we can sort through the attic tomorrow if you wanted, after we get home? something to distract us after i verbally bury your father?"

a brow raises, now that he wasn’t expecting. “you mean to tell me, i missed that show? you telling my father off? damn.” his lips tug into a grin. “one thing he doesn’t realize is i’m not the same kid i was before i left for the air force.” leaning down he presses his lips to hers with a smile. “you are truly amazing, have i ever told you that? if the roles were reverses, i don’t think i’d be able to hold myself back. he’s been disconnected from the kids as well, he’s only held ollie and i’m not much a fan of that. i won’t have him playing favorites. i promised to never let any of them feel the way henry had after john pulled the stunt he did” it was a promise he had also made to the children the moment john went on tv and said he had no concern for henry, only ashley. something all three of the oldest had witnessed. “we better get going before i get another wild text from taylor because it’s dark out there.” 

if it were up to taylor, he’d have a nightlight if nicole would let him. the man can go face to face with a gun toting lunatic but let a bug or a strange noise happen and he’s nearly jumping into nick’s arms or lap, depending on the situation. nick takes the lead down the stairs stopping on the porch where the others were sitting. “kids are all tucked in and sound asleep.” handing wilbur the baby monitor receiver he pointed to the screen. “you can see the two kids sleeping there. if they make any noise you’ll be able to here it. the boys are sound asleep and im sure the girls will soon follow. we really appreciate you guys for keeping an eye on them, not just now but for taking to them.” 

“it’s really no trouble nicky. the farm’s been needin’ a good few days of kids laughing and runnin’ around.” wilbur says taking the receiver and handing it to his wife. “‘sides, we’ve enjoyed havin’ you, your wife and the kids around. it really means a lot you brought them all with you.” nick’s gaze lifts briefly to his father who remains quiet. 

“we are glad to be here, if you need anything, call us. the kids know you are down here. we need to get going before my friend decides he needs to start walking to town and dragging his wife behind him ⸻ then again, it might be too dark for him to do that.” nick’s lips tick upward at his own joke. poor taylor is never going to hear the end of this one. “we will be back shortly with two more in tow. honey.” he says to helen, taking her hand to head down the steps towards the car.  nick waits until they are in the car and driving on the dirt road heading for talyor and nicole before he says anything. “he didn’t even acknowledge the kids or any information i was giving to wilbur.” 

the tires hit asphalt, nick hands his phone to helen. “let the scaredy cat know we are on the way.” chuckling he rolls the windows down now that dirt wasn’t plumeing up around the car. “we now have a leak to add to the list of things that need to be done. i don’t know about you, but i get the feeling the albums are up there and so is something else he doesn’t want me to see. there is no way in hell i wouldn’t run to save every photo of the kids we have. that’s just asinine. it really doesn’t make any sense, but we both know nothing that has come out of his mouth since we’ve arrived has been the truth. he really laid it on thick yesterday.” 

[mythictold]

helen snorts, shaking her head. she wouldn't put it past taylor to shoot a scarecrow - and if he does, she'll never let him live it down. she trails after her husband and leans in the doorway to the girls' room as he goes through his usual routine with them.

she can't help her smile; even with all the nonsense going on, nick devotes his full attention to their girls. she moves behind him to press kisses to both their foreheads, glad ashley still isn't old enough to think it's gross that her parents tuck her in at night.

"they do tend to try and outdo the boys." she hums, slipping out as nick closes the door behind them. "but two days in a row might be pushing it. especially getting that much sun. i'm still surprised they lasted as long as they did." she has to stifle another laugh as he reads taylor's text aloud.

"if i recall correctly, nicole once told me she had to kill a rather large roach once because taylor nearly had a mental breakdown when he learned it could fly." helen muses. nicole had described it rather terrifically and helen had dissolved into laughter (even if she's certain that she would react much the same, in truth).

as he stops, helen nearly runs into him, catching herself just before. her head tilts up and she offers a faint smile at his praise.

"here i was worried you'd snap before me. but i admit i did get after him when we were on the porch having ice cream. nothing to reveal our plans, but i wasn't kind." she admits, a sheepish expression coming over her features. "i won't have him treating you the way he has been, nick. in any capacity. quite frankly depending on what we find out tomorrow, he'll probably wish i never came with you here at all by the time i'm through with him."

“he has something on them, and we will find out what it is and why he’s so desperate to keep it under wraps. something else is going on in this house and this town.”  his lips tug up at the two youngest already asleep. it seemed all the kids had a very tiring day. “if he does start shooting, it’s not like there is any law in town to stop him. imagine ‘would be deputy fires at scarecrow in the middle of night, scaring the local wildlife away.’ what a headline.” he can’t help but laugh. taylor was so ridiculous at times. he was like a kid brother nick never had. stepping aside for her, he closes the door over quietly. “we can always tell him we ran the boogey man over four miles down the road. we got out to check and whatever we hit was gone.” admittedly, nick was having way too much fun with the idea that taylor was freaking out. he was probably driving his wife crazy by now. 

at the girls room, nick smiles at the pair. “the last one standing. everyone else is asleep and now it’s time for you two to follow suit. if anything wilbur and reggie are downstairs with their wives. you go to them, alright?” earning nods from both, nick’s smile widens. he grabs rosie’s favorite stuffed unicorn and hands it to her. “sleep tight, sweet dreams andddd?” earning giggles from her she grabs her stuffed unicorn and wiggles it above her. 

“unicorn screams!” she says, still giggling. giving helen a smirk, he pulls up her favorite blanket with dancing unicorns in fairy wings before moving to ashley, holding out his hand for them to bump fists. 

“five for night,” she gives a thumbs up and so does night. “and one for the morning light.” she replies with a laugh. nick gives a nod, setting the nightlight for rosie, he was glad ashley didn’t mind it or sharing a room with her younger sister. he wondered how they would feel once they learned everyone was going to be getting their own rooms. 

“night, girls.” he says, waiting for helen before closing the door over. “the girls managed to stay awake longer than the boys. i’m impressed. can they do it for two nights in a row? that’s the real question. wilbur and reggie taking them back out to the pond will be great for them until we get back from our ‘hike’ tomorrow.” his phone dings causing his lips to twitch. “something is moving in the bushes out there, boyd. can you hurry up? nicole says it’s a bird but that’s an awfully big bird.” nick reads the message out loud before laughing. “this is the guy we trust with our kids? he probably has oliver kill the spiders for him.” nick replies back they are on their way before shoving his phone back into his pocket. “we are so giving him a hard time when we get there.” 

checking his pocket he found the keys to the car. “alright, check in downstairs and head off to go get those two fixed up and following us back to the house.”  before heading down the stairs, he stops just short of the top. “i know how bad you wanted to say something to dad, and I absolutely love you for it, honey. you can have at him tomorrow once we get back. the gloves are off.”  

[mythictold]

"sounds like someone else i know. you both might benefit from one another." helen says pointedly. while she may not be able to help nick directly in his processing of his own guilt, she can offer resources. other avenues. she cannot offer a magical fix or something to immediately take away his pain, mental or otherwise. she's still trying to figure out all of his abilities and now how they might be passed on to their offspring, which is not something that should have been in the cards.

"i'll make sure the temperature controls are turned up on that room, then. and in the lower habitats we're outfitting for the other sekhem we're trying to bring home." she promises, twirling noodles from the pad thai (her favorite) onto her fork. she is quiet as nick explains - she's discovered for the time being, it's how she can help best; listening. offering silent comfort. the way he describes what the sekhem have been through only sends her blood boiling. they've been through literal hell and helen wishes she could take their pain away, the memories of their suffering erased.

the mistreatment of abnormals has always made her furious, and in truth it had been a large spur of why she'd wanted to take up her father's original work. the more she dug into the creatures, their histories, their present sufferings - how could she sit idly by while these innocent, misunderstood beings were being tortured, abused, and treated as inferior? she'd experienced a mere fraction of it while at school at oxford, ostracized by most of her peers for being a woman. faced with the reality of the sekhem and their trials and tribulations . . . to hear nick talk of it all - she doesn't know if she should be furious or sympathetic or some mix of both.

"just promise you'll be careful. i know you always do, i just . . . this feels different. it isn't just me you have to come home to anymore." she's noticed nick doesn't seem to really be enjoying his food - it's easy to pick up on. is it the stress or something else? he seems mostly going through the motions, which of course makes helen worry instinctively that he's going to lose himself to his own thoughts again. that's certainly the last place he needs to be given the mission tomorrow.

again, she listens. she doesn't doubt hukter is still somehow speaking to nick, connected in a way she can't quite understand that would only make sense for true sekhem. helen puts down her fork to reach across the table, resting her hand against her husband's arm as he clutches his coffee cup like a lifeline. her gaze is one of empathy, of silent understanding.

"whether you were meant to come back from there or not, i stand by what i said before. i would have brought you home." in what state he'd be in, she wasn't sure. hell, at the time she hadn't been sure he'd even make it back from antarctica. helen wasn't above rash decisions, truthfully - if she had to inject him with her own source blood derivative, she would have. it's a dangerous thought, but only speaks just how far she's willing to go to ensure nick is safe and alive.

"you are saving them. the losses are not your fault. but etok and nihi are safe. the ones you're going to rescue will be safe. khonsu is safe. you're doing what you promised, and you are succeeding." she squeezes his arm, imploring him to believe what she's saying, hoping he won't let his own mind twist or brush off her attempts.

"you are . . . the strongest person i've ever met. to go through what you have, nick, to still be dealing with it all while trying to take down an international might-as-well-be cult. i know you don't want to be so strong, that you wish the universe had dealt you a different hand . . . but sometimes what we think is best is not what is truly best. the universe has a way of working itself out in the end. i know it may not seem like it now. i just - i hope you remember that this isn't a burden you must carry on your own. hukter may have intended you to, but from my understanding even the strongest alphas depend on their mates to help shoulder the brunt of things. i know i can't help you with your thoughts, what you've suffered at the behest of kex and the others . . . but i will help you shoulder whatever weight is on your shoulders. you don't have to be so strong on your own - just . . . don't forget that."

he wasn’t exactly counting the last time he ate. “or the day before.” he admits. nod given to her question. “for the most part they have.” he answers joining her at the small table after turning out the bathroom light. pouring himself some coffee, he looks over the food for a moment. “nihi… is not doing so well with what has happened. she refused to speak about it ⸻ or acknowledge it. etok injured her pretty good in their fight. it’s why hukter had chosen him as his advisor. etok has a strength about him that the others don’t have, which is why nini was able to kill anias, vusai and lalku. it’s a guilt she will carry for quite some time.”  ⸻ much like his own guilt at destroying the hive with so many sekhem in it. 

“warmth. they need something warm. the cold subdues them. the cabal purposely chose antarctica for their hive operation. it was built with the intention of housing the sekhem and keeping them docile enough to put them into the the chamber pods and vats.” reaching for his favorite, chicken tikka masala. he put some of both of their plates as well as a couple of samosas for both of them. “i know… what they went through before antarctica. it’s nothing pleasant by any means. hukter had told me…” dark gaze leaves her, stares at the food now on his plate. “hukter had told me on the ice ⸻ they were hit by this weapon he called it. a loud weapon that dazed them and confused them. i don’t know what they used but it was painful he said. if they tried to fight back, they’d turn it up until they were passing out from the pain of electrocution.”  taking some rice onto his fork, nick doesn’t describe the memory in full detail, it’s gruesome and grim. 

his gaze remained on the rice on his fork for a long moment. he wasn’t exactly hungry but, if he didn’t eat he knew it would concern her. he’s caused enough concern over the last few days so instead he mixes it with some of the masala and eats it. 

“my main priority for the mission tomorrow is to reach hulie, khonsu’s mother. she is the most important asset to the mission and to his development.” another fork full of rice he stares at before repeating the actions again from before. “the temple will be different this time, it’s been opened and allowed for sand and cracks to form in the structure. it’s DANGEROUS.” and the reason he didn’t want anyone else on the mission with him and the two sekhem. less liability. 

oddly enough, he can sense her slight unease and listens closely for the tell tale sign of the second thud beneath her own. satisfied he reaches for his coffee, taking a drink to wash down the rice and masala, deciding not to mention he knew she was uneasy about the sekhem he’d be returning with. “i think we have something else to discuss.” he says, setting his fork down so he can take another drink of his coffee. it was warm and comforting. “hukter.” he says. “he’s not… gone fully. I don’t know how to describe it but he is in my head somehow.” as if he hadn’t uttered those same words several unbelievable times now. “he’s different now, a guardian of sorts.”  

it was the only way to explain it. it sounded so farfetched to him. “on the ice, he told me ⸻ i knew, helen.” he doesn’t reach for his fork, doesn’t lift his gaze from the plate of food in front of him. “the general knew as well. when he handed me to the mission for antarctica. he fucking knew i wasn’t going to be coming back.”  it had been played off as unplanned but planned at the same time.

“made me believe it was all my choice, as long as the target was destroyed, it didn’t matter if i came back or not. i made you stay in the station because i knew i was going to be face to face. hukter spoken to me after he…. gave me the mark. a life for a life… his life for mine.”  nick’s hand remained around his cup of coffee as he spoke. “he gazed into my eyes, like he was trying to reach into whatever was left of my soul. you know what he told me? ‘it’s not your time to sacrifice yourself, my child. they need you… i need you, nicholas.’. the things he told me… they knew he was hunting me and would hunt me, but he failed instead and became a failed experiment and for what? he wants me to save them and protect his son. i've already lost three of them.” 

[mythictold]

portrayal? 10000000/10 on every muse i have seen you pick up, whether it's our back in forth in discord or your threads with other people. i have never see you fail at any muse you have written. when i read our threads i hear the characters in my head. and sure, you can can im biased but oh well because i am. you have helped me shape so many muses but canon and oc through your writings of your canon muses. whenever you tell me you think your replies are bad or not your best, i want to jump through the monitor and tackle you to get it through that never have i ever gotten a reply that made me go "dude wtf is this?" lol. you're a fantastic writer and i love every muse you bring to life!

beep beep how’s my portrayal ?

brb sobbing you're so kind bestie

[mythictold]

"i spoil myself, too - i've had a craving for it." her lips twist into a fond smile, watching him go through his usual routine. she doesn't blame him for being too tired for a shower; she is too. settled in her favorite pair of silken pajamas, helen sits at the small table with one leg drawn up to her chest, chin resting on her knee. "besides, i was hoping it'd lure you to eat something. you haven't had anything all day, as i recall." granted she'd only had a granola bar herself, but that was besides the point. moreso she just wants nick to rest.

"i did - but who knows if they'll actually listen to me. those two have become like peas in a pod. i think my father likes having a protege of his own again." helen remarks as she sets about opening up the containers of food and plastic utensils. she's ordered their usual and thankfully it's still warm. she tears another piece of naan bread and nibbles while she waits for nick to join her. she is not without manners, after all.

"did the sekhem seem to settle in okay? i'm still trying to figure out their needs and preferences to make them comfortable. i had the team bring them a bit of everything." she needs to talk with etok and nihi about what more they could need, especially if more sekhem join them after nick's trek to the temple.

she knows they're likely to be confused about waking up to a world that hasn't needed them for centuries. she wants to ensure they have a safe space, and won't feel threatened back at the sanctuary. nick and etok seem convinced she will be respected because of her relationship to nick, but she needs them to trust her too, as well as the rest of the sanctuary team.

she reaches over the food to a pot of tea that's been brought up as well, pouring herself a cup. she can tell by the smell that it's not her usual blend and after a sip she identifies it as a green tea and ginger that is decidedly decaf - biggie's doing, she knows. though how he's figured it out, she doesn't know (granted, he seems to know things before even she does sometimes).

helen makes a brief face of displeasure but it's tea and she's determined to have at least a cup and a half of it before bed. thankfully biggie has brought up coffee for nick, too - and if she were desperate enough to ever drink coffee, she might have stolen some for the caffeine.

it doesn’t take long to reach the residential floor with the two sekhem in tow and the one in his arms. “you three will be a lot safer nearby. we aren’t expecting anymore attacks ⸻ or anything to happen to you. nihi, try not to blame yourself for actions that were not yours. i know… more than anyone that is hard but all of this was no fault of your own.” as they reach the door, nick opens it. pleased to see it had been set up perfectly for them. food was in the center of the room, comfortable places for them to sleep and it was warm. stepping inside, nick places the sleeping khonsu on one of the large cushions. the infant sekhem stayed asleep. turning to etok and nihi he offers a smile. “we have one hell of a mission tomorrow. i will get your armor on you after the briefing so we can make sure it’s perfect. we will be flying in under the cover of darkness. there will be a trek across the sand but ⸻ we can handle it.” 

etok, who had remained silent had sighed a long sigh before plopping himself on one of the cushions. “nicholas.” he says, glowing eyes meeting nick’s own dark gaze. “you may be met with resistance at first. hukter was… the one who had slept beside them. it will be strange for them, you must show them the mark so they understand.” a hand moves to the scar on his side with etok’s words. “there is reason it has not healed ⸻ it is the mark left behind as proof of your lineage in a way. the new beginning is going to be strange for them, but they will understand. if not you will need to assert yourself.” before he is able to question it, etok continues. “i do not expect that to be the case, but you must be prepared either way.” nick nods in understanding. 

“i will. i’ve spent the last two years with you and kex in my head. im sure this will be a lot easier than that.” lips twitch with his words, kneeling he sat beside etok, his gaze watching nihi as she ate. “the priority is to reach hulie and reunite her with khonsu. he’s already lost his father ⸻ he needs a parent with him.” etok rests his head in nick’s lap. “we will bring them home, etok.” he promises, placing his hand between his ears. “no matter the cost. so many have been lost, we won’t lose anymore to the cabal.” nihi limps her way to the other cushion, nick wants to say something to her but isn’t sure what he should say. he knows the struggle she is dealing with all too well, there isn’t a sure answer to make anyone feel better or words to make that guilt disappear. it’s something she’d have to deal with on her own and in her own time, much like himself. 

nick sits quietly for a long while, he watches nihi drift off, glad she is at least resting. it means she would be able to heal far better as she is resting. looking to his lap, etok was asleep too. nick moves slowly, pulling himself from under etok’s head so he can slip out quietly. before closing the door, he turns the light out ⸻ it had been one hell of a day for all of them, hopefully the rest would do them all some good.  

down the hall, he opens the door to his shared room with helen. a smile crossing his features at the indian food set on the table. it smelled amazing and perhaps he was far more hungry than he thought he was. there was still lingering traces of red on his clothes, and his hair. nick removes his shirt tossing it in the hamper with other dirty clothes, thankfully the red from the cloud hadn’t seeped onto his skin that was covered by his clothing. “i think i’m too tired for a shower,” he says stepping into the bathroom to turn on the shower with warm water so he can stick his head under it and get rid of the traces of it from his hair. it would do for now. using soap, he could see the red as it flows down the drain, his guess was there was too much of some compound in it. 

with towel in hand, he turned the water off ⸻ using the towel to dry his hair off the best he can before setting it on the edge of the tub to dry off. “indian food, you spoil me, honey.” he teases. not wanting to get red anywhere else, he removes his boots and remain articles of clothing changing into a pair of gym shorts and a sleeveless shirt. “the sekhem are nice and tucked away for the night, did you tell ramon he better get some sleep tonight and not stay up all night pestering your father?”  the question is asked as he tosses the rest of his red stained clothing into the hamper with the rest of the dirty laundry.

[mythictold]

helen takes her husband's offered hand and heads upstairs to start the modified version of their usual night routine. once she's sure the older ones are brushing teeth and washing faces, she continues down the hall to put amelia to bed, who is fighting sleep now that she has her belly full.

she makes quick work of changing her into a comfortable onesie pajama set before putting her in her crib, satisfied she's soon to be asleep. she lifts her head as wilbur appears with the bottle for oliver, watching him and nick for a moment while she pretends to fuss with amelia - mostly because she's intrigued by the interaction as a whole.

"that was very weird." she agrees quietly when wilbur leaves, her brows furrowed as she looks over at nick. "hopefully it's just your father's influence on him. he and the others should be more open tomorrow, once they understand what we've done." namely buying the farm, the town, erasing the debts, and the slew of other things she can nick already had planned.

"flint must really have something on him and reggie if they're still hiding his secrets." she remarks, still trying to find some shred of context for the conversation that's just happened in front of her. it was indeed strange, but she doesn't have much time to dwell on it - mostly because they still need to see the girls to bed and then handle a flat tire in the middle of nowhere before taylor had a mental breakdown.

"these two are out, too." she answers to nick with a faint smile. "let's get to the girls and then go rescue our friends before taylor starts shooting into an empty field thinking the boogeyman is out to get him."

“helen’s right,” nick replies following her words. “the kids are usually not ones to take to people they don’t know. ramon did put in a good word for you.” he chuckles and stands to pull oliver and his messy little self from his high chair. “hurry up now, you heard your mum.” ruffling henry’s hair as he follows the other three, nick knows they will be asleep the moment they hit the pillows. it’s not going to happen every night ⸻ but for now, as long as they were on vacation he will cherish it. “honey,” he says holding out the hand not holding oliver for her to follow the oldest four, he gives a nod to wilbur and reggie before he too makes his way up the stairs.  

nick, knowing the hall bathroom would be full, opted for taking oliver into theirs to clean him up. with giggles and protests, he was soon clean of roast and potatoes ⸻ as well as red coloring from the cake and his juice. poking his head into the bathroom, he made sure the others were following instructions. satisfied they were, he found his way to the room the youngest two were currently using. oliver was changed into a blue set of footie pajamas. “oh damn…” he comments. “i forgot his night time bottle ⸻” before he could turn to leave the room, wilbur was standing in the door way with it in hand. 

“betty said you’d be needin’ this for ollie.” he says, offering it out. “nicky…” words were lost on him. nick lays ollie down, handing him his bottle and tucking him in. brushing blonde curls from his forehead he smiles, which earns him one in return. “i’m glad you’re here, and you brought the whole family with ya, it’s good to see you. wasn’t sure we’d see your face on the farm again. i ⸻” shaking his head, wilbur turns to leave. “you two best get on the road soon, wouldn’t want your friend callin’ scared again.” wilbur throws a grin in nick’s direction before vanishing out the door and down the hall before nick can hear his boots on the stairs. 

“that was…” his head shakes. “weird?” he says to helen as the two boys pass the door way. the way they were dragging their feet, they weren’t going to be up much longer. “you ever get the feeling you’re missing something but can’t quite put your finger on it?” he asks, setting up the nightlight on the small table in the room. “that’s the third time he’s wanted to say something but doesn’t. tomorrow… we will get to the bottom of all of this. i’m going to check on the girls, make sure they are almost finished.”  

nick leaves the room, a million more questions in the back of his mind ⸻ questions he won’t get any answers for anytime soon. “i see fresh washed faces annnnnnd” with teeth being shown he smiles. “perfect, off to bed. your mum and i will be in shortly.” nick makes easy work of cleaning up the bathroom after the kids, picking up their towels from the pond earlier and setting them aside to be used the following day ⸻ no need to dirty more towels up. 

a quick stop by the boys room confirms he was right, both boys were out already. ramon didn’t make it fully to his bed, laying half on the pull out bed henry was asleep on. quietly, nick moves the six year old to his own bed and covers him, doing the same with henry.” it seemed his old room still had a lot of the charm it used to when he slept in the same bed at that age. “good night, boys.” he says, turning the light out and closing the door over just enough that light from the hall can filter in through the opening. he stops by the youngest room again. “the boys are out. the girls are waiting on us.” 

[mythictold]

DEATH BECOMES HER Lunt-Fontanne Theatre, NY

[mythictold]

so fucking glad we did this ;)

[mythictold]

beep beep how’s my portrayal ?