Despacito (Slowly)

At Jake’s panicked voice, Khonshu immediately followed him into his fledgling’s inner space, surprised at the lack of resistance from the armor he had noticed forming around his children’s body. It just opened up for him, not even pausing.

It had been a long, long time since he had been invited there. Last time, his children were still starting the teenage years of human existence, and they all had been completely unaware of their true relationship so Khonshu hadn’t really taken notice of anything that could be out of place for a human’s mindscape.

Now, years later, he was keenly aware that he needed to make note of everything. Anything that looked out of place, different from what he expected, had to be recorded.

The first impression was that, once again, his fledglings had made their nest into a mirror of their real housing. The place looked exactly like the apartment they had just left, with the exception that the bed in the loft was not a queen but a tad bigger than a king, and that there were three doors in the wall to the left of it that didn’t exist in reality.

In the middle of the bed, snoring gently, he could see his Little Scholar and his Brave one, tangled in an embrace, their souls shining steadly.

As he watched, Jake walked over, and shook Steven’s shoulder forcefully. Steven didn’t stir, just hugged Marc closer.

“¿Ves, Papá?” Jake said, and Khonshu took a small moment to enjoy the fact that Jake had just taken up to call him by his real title immediately. “No despiertan… no reaccionan… ¿Qué les pasa?”

Khonshu walked closer to the bed, which was on itself a messy nest of bedsheets, comforters and pillows, and gently touched Marc´s forehead. At his touch, Marc stirred a bit, almost opened his eyes, but when Khonshu took away his hand, he burrowed back into Steven´s messy curls with a sigh.

It was nothing he had ever seen on a human. But then again, his fledglings were not fully human.

They are asleep, my Little Explorer. It's nothing to be worried about, he said, only to be hit in the shoulder by his fledgling.

“¡No me vengas con chingaderas!” Jake exploded. “Los he visto dormir antes, y siempre, siempre despiertan cuando les hablo. Estebancito a veces despierta antes de que yo diga nada… jamás han dormido tan profundamente.”

You are right in that it is not normal human sleep, Khonshu replied, emphasizing the word ‘human’. This is a restorative sleep… they are recharging their energy and will wake up once the night is done.

“¿Estás seguro?” Jake sounded dubious, as he looked at the figures in the bed. “Y entonces ¿Por qué sigo despierto?”

I suspect it has to do with the moon, Khonshu explained. You are the Pathfinder, and that aspect of myself has always been stronger during the New Moon… because that is when people need my help to find their way the most.

Jake seemed to consider this.

“¿Significa que no volveré a verlos despiertos?” He asked, heartbroken.

Of course not, my Little Explorer, Khonshu hugged him, taking full advantage of the fact that in the innerworld, he could touch them easily. They will wake up in the morning, and you will be awake too. I can’t say for sure, as you are all unique, but I suspect this sleep will only happen on the three days of the New Moon…. And you will probably fall to it when their own phases come up.

“¿Y por qué no había pasado antes?” Jake inquired, leaning his head against Khonshu’s chest… close to where Steven’s childhood memories lay.

That, I do not know. Khonshu answered truthfully. It may be because of your age, because you are finally working together again, or because you have accepted your Ennead half. I would need to ask my friend in Kamar-taj… but I think we should figure out any other changes before I do that.

“Sí…” Jake nodded. “Vamos pa’ fuera. No me gusta dejar nuestro cuerpo desprotegido tanto tiempo.”

At Jake’s words, the innerworld dissolved around them and Khonshu blinked inwardly at the ease in which Jake moved them from their collective space to the real world. His son was really powerful on this moonless night, it seemed. Which of course, gave him an idea.

Since we know your nestmates are safe… what do you say to a little patrolling, my Avatar? Then we could see if there are other changes you could inform them about.

And if he said it so that he could coax his little Explorer to summon the suit, just to see if it would be different for him? Well, that was between Khonshu and the hidden moon.

*          *          *

Jake notó la diferencia en el aire nocturno de inmediato. En una noche normal, cuando Marc no estaba atento a las acciones del cuerpo, Jake acostumbraba conducir por horas, con los ojos abiertos y atentos para encontrar a quien necesitara ayuda. Pero en esta ocasión, en el momento en el que se subió a su confiable taxi, sabía exactamente a donde ir.

He ignored a couple of people who hailed him, as he also had the clear feeling that time was of the essence. Something deep inside of him was leading his actions, and Khonshu, who had taken his usual place sitting on the dashboard as some kind of customized hula girl, just watched him in silence.

Five minutes and three green lights later -for some reason, the moment Jake neared a traffic light, it immediately turned green for him- he was slowing down near two girls who were obviously drunk and being harassed by five men outside a club. No one was paying attention, but Jake could tell immediately that the girls were looking for a quick out, trying not to enrage the men who were getting closer and closer to him.

“Señoritas… ¿Su taxi?” He asked, leaning down on the passenger side enough to get a good look at the men.  The girls nodded immediately, and started getting in when one of the men grabbed the shorter girl by the elbow.

“C’mon, baby! Night has just begun… let us show you a real good time,”

“No… we… we really have to go, sorry,” the girl said, trying to shake the man´s hand away from her.

“Escuche a la dama, señor,” Jake said, now outside the taxi. He had moved incredibly fast, like a shadow, and none was more surprised than himself. He grabbed the man´s shoulder, who glared at him.

“What are you babbling about, you beaner?” Another one of the men yelled. “Speak English!”

The man also raised his fist to try and hit Jake, who swiftly moved to the side to avoid it, making the guy hit his friend with enough strength as to break his nose. This started a brawl, as the men were also drunk, and drunk enough not to realize they were being manipulated. As they fought among themselves, Jake helped the shorter girl into the taxi, and went back to the driver seat, speeding away before the five men noticed that their prey was gone.

In less than 10 minutes, he was stopping the taxi at the address that the girls had given him, insisted that he didn’t need them to pay the fare -as with all the excitement he had forgotten to start the meter- and gotten a sloppy kiss on the cheek as a reward.

That was a very good rescue, Khonshu said, once they were alone in the taxi again.  He was driving now apparently without direction, but as he turned on a corned, he wondered if that was true. How did you know you would be needed there?

“No lo sabia,” Jake answered honestly, turning again. Now that feeling of urgency was starting to build up again… and this time he was recognizing the streets. He was on his way to the museum. “Sólo… seguí mis instintos.”

You also did something new, you teleported between shadows. Khonshu said off handedly, making Jake almost hit the brakes.

“¡No me chingues!” Jake said, looking at his father. “¿En serio?”

Yes. You stepped out of the taxi into its shadow, then came out through the shadow of the man who was threatening the girls. Khonshu explained. I’m sure you did it instinctively, not really realizing it. How it was from your point of view?

“Solo… pensé que tenía que hacer que la soltara… y que tenía que hacerlo rápido.” Jake considered, taking a turn to the left. He was almost to the fountain where Crawley did his job, and immediately noticed why. Steven’s friend was being attacked by a gang of three men. The human statue was on the ground, getting his stomach kicked as the men yelled something about him owning money.

Jake quickly considered the situation. He couldn’t just go out there and kick the assailants’ asses because they were close to Steven’s work. Which meant he needed to conceal his identity somehow.

You could summon the suit, Khonshu said from the dashboard, sounding a bit eager.

Jake had never summoned the suit, despite having been the first one who had eagerly accepted to be their father’s Avatar in order to save Marc. But since then, he had mostly come out to front on the day, when the suit didn’t come out, and the one time he had fronted at night, he had been praying that the suit wouldn’t change for him the way it did for Steven, as he didn’t want his Morenita to clue in the fact that he existed.  So he wasn’t sure how to summon the suit, or even if he could.

Of course you can summon it, it is bonded to your body. You all can summon it, as long as you want it to come out, Khonshu said, as if he was reading his thoughts. Jake knew it wasn’t the case, it was just that their father knew him well. 

As there was no time to argue, as Crawley was moaning in pain, Jake did two things at the same time. He concentrated on repeating what he had done to save the girls, focusing on the shadow behind one of Crawley’s assailants, and also, asked the suit nicely to come out for him.

“Vamos, bonito,” he said in his head, almost like a seductive whisper. “Veamos qué podemos hacer juntos…”

This time, he felt their body sink into the shadow of the taxi's cabin, as easily as if he was just getting into a pool, and just like how he knew how to get anywhere when he put his mind to it, he knew exactly how to move to come up behind the men attacking Steven’s friend. At the same time he felt how the body was covered with bandages and a mask came up to cover its face. The suit was ready the moment he came out from the shadows as the avenging Fist of Khonshu he was.

As he did when he came out to protect Estebancito and Marquitos, he acted swiftly and knocked the first man quickly with one punch to the head. That's when the others noticed him, and left the human statue alone in order to attack whom they saw as a most urgent target.

Jake kicked the second one, elbowing the third hard in the jaw, hearing a satisfactory crunch as he broke bone with the strength of his hit. It was then when he caught a glimpse of his reflection in the fountain water.

The suit didn’t look exactly like Marc’s version, even if it also had a cape and cowl.

But where Marc’s was completely white, Jake’s version was mostly black except for the cape, the breast plate, the cloth around his waist and his boots. This suited Jake perfectly, because it allowed him to blend better in the shadows without losing the white of the moon.

This admiration of the suit lasted for just a second, as he turned his attention back to the second assailant who was still on his foot. But two punches well given, courtesy of those years when Jake had had the chance to practice boxing whenever he fronted, and the man was down. It was only then when Jake could check on Crawley, who was still breathing and conscious, but barely.

“Amigo, tengo que llevarte al hospital…” he muttered, as he carefully lifted the man in his arms.

“No… hospitals…” Crawley half muttered, spitting a tooth.

Jake cursed a bit under his breath, but decided to listen to Steven’s friend. However, the man needed urgent care, and if that was the case… he needed to find a doctor, soon.

He raised his eyes to the moon, then carefully sunk to the shadows again with his precious cargo.  Once Crawley was safe in the back seat, Jake let the suit go and looked at the expectant Khonshu who was waiting on the dashboard.

“Ok, papá… hora de ver si estos poderes funcionan… Necesito llegar a un doctor que pueda atender a Crawley.”

Trust your instincts, son, Khonshu replied, and thus, Jake just floored the accelerator and let his heart guide him through the streets of London.

*          *          *

Dr. Badr sighed as he lit the candles on the shrine to Khonshu that he kept in the lobby of the small clinic he shared with Andrea Sterman.  He knew that she disapproved of his open paganism, and they had had their arguments about it which usually ended with him pointing out that if she could live with the rod of Caduceus in all her diplomas then she could live with his god and his beliefs.

It didn’t mean that he wasn’t tired of the argument, or of the other argument he had with his parents and the High Priest, that he should return to their village and prepare for the upcoming war with Horus’s people which would be coming soon as the signs were all there. According to the High Priest the two latest signs were the strange eclipse that had happened in Giza a month ago, and the strange way in which all the stars had spun that same night all over the world. Badr wanted to believe, of course. His whole life he had waited for the day when Khonshu would address the church again, come back from his exile and lead the travelers of the night back to their rightful home. 

And yet… he doubted and insisted that his place was not in the small village west of London where the Church of the Healing Moon had finally set root, but here, in the city, doing what Khonshu himself had commanded his followers to do before he went away: Heal the sick, protect the defenseless, guide the lost.  That was his calling, and a war against a cult that, as far as Badr could remember? Had never done anything to attack them in millennia.

He knew of course that the Horus’s cult existed and was active. He had seen their work personally, as when he had helped young Reese to escape them -and his friend still didn’t know how close she had been to be one more of the many mysterious disappearances that never got solved in London- but at the same time he thought that it was not his place to fight them directly. Was he being a proudful idiot, waiting for Khonshu himself to send him a sign, as his father said when they had their weekly phone call? Or was he being a good follower, as his mother wrote in her letters, by not jumping the gun and keeping his eyes open?

He didn’t know, and that was his own burden to bear.

Someone banged at the door, and Badr was about to turn around to tell them that it was open when he heard the door open violently and a grave voice yell in Spanish.

“¡Necesitamos ayuda!”

Badr turned around to see a tall, Latin-American man holding another man, badly beaten, in his arms. He could see and hear the panic in his voice, as he had seen it many times before in his practice. But those times had given the good doctor enough practice to help calm it down and also, get all the answers he needed to heal the sick, so he didn’t let his shock get the best of him and instead, motioned the panicked man towards the door of his office, to put the beaten man on the examining table.

There was no need to ask why he hadn´t taken his friend to a hospital. Dr. Badr knew that those questions were never urgent.

“Hablo Español puerquito,” he said to the healthy man, who had taken off his news cap and was scratching his hair. “¿Que le paso?”

The other man blinked, confused, and before Badr could repeat his question, he shook his head.

“Una golpiza. Pandilleros.” The man said quickly as if he understood that short words were the best way to communicate.

Badr nodded and started cleaning the blood off the man’s head, trying to locate all the wounds. He could see a nasty gash right over the man’s left temple, as well as some other surface cuts. And while he’d need to check it with some x-rays, he was pretty sure the man’s right arm was broken.

It took him about two hours to make sure his newest patient’s injuries were all treated. As far as he could tell, at least without the help of more equipment, there was no internal bleeding even if the poor man’s arm was indeed broken and would not be healing in at least two months.  But he had him stable, sleeping and in no pain, which was more than he could say about how he had arrived.

Badr washed his hands and went outside to meet the Latin-American man who had brought him his patient.  However, the waiting room of his practice was completely empty.

Dr. Badr frowned, and was about to close the door that was still open when he noticed one thing. He had been lighting the candles of Khonshu’s altar when the man arrived, and hadn’t finished yet. However, now all the candles were lit.

The other man must have done it, knowing the meaning of it.

That meant he was a Khonshu’s follower… one that wasn’t from the Church of the Healing Moon.

*          *          *

Jake regresó al departamento justo cuando los primeros rayos del sol se veían en el horizonte, aún lleno de energía, con Khonshu en su hombro. 

After saving Crawley and getting to that clinic where someone -probably the doctor who was attending to Steven’s friend- was a devout Khonshu believer, they had taken again to the streets. Khonshu had blessed the statue of the office, promising Jake to keep an eye on Crawley, so Jake felt a lot better about leaving the human statue behind.

There, with and without the suit, Jake had stopped five robberies, one attempted murder, bought some food for a kid who was planning to shoplift to feed himself before driving him to the closest shelter, and picked up three stray kittens who were now happily adopted in homes that Khonshu approved.

It had been his most active night in years, and he still feel that he had energy to go for another day if needed. Not only that, he was getting better at the teleporting between shadows. His father warned him that he shouldn’t get too comfortable with the ability, as he probably would only have it during the new moon nights, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t fun and now Jake wanted to figure out if there was a way he could carry his whole taxi -or even better, the limo- through a shadow to travel even faster if possible.  

He really couldn’t wait for Marquitos and Estebancito to wake up, as Khonshu had promised they would as soon as the night was over and the moon hid her face from the skies again. He wanted to let them know about his new abilities, as well as about the fact that the moon phases had more effect on them than they used to have, just so that they all could be ready for the nights where they would be on their own.

As he wasn’t sure if they would wake up soon, since the sun was starting to show, or until it was completely out, Jake decided to surprise them with a good breakfast. After a quick mental debate with himself, he decided to make the vegan pancakes that Gena had taught him to do as Steven would appreciate them and Marc had not complained about the flavor. 

He picked up the ingredients from the pantry, put on an apron that his Cielito had bought for him that read “Latinos cook Hot!” and, as he began making the batter, feeling energized and happy for once, he began to sing.

*          *          *

Yo no soy esa mujer, que no sale de casa,

Y que pone a tus pies lo mejor de su alma…

Steven woke up slowly as the lyrics in spanish entered his brain. It had been a couple of days since he had woken up to Jake singing, and he smiled, trying to enjoy it for a few more minutes before he had to fully wake up, front and go to work. He sighed and cuddled a bit more with his pillow, which, to his surprise, grunted.

It was then when he realized that his “pillow” was, in fact, Marc, who was still snoring softly, muttering something that sounded suspiciously like “five more minutes…” under his breath.

They were tangled together in the huge bed in their inner space, surrounded by bedsheets and pillows. And for the first time in… well, if he was honest to himself, Steven had to say “for the first time”, he felt actually rested and refreshed.

And he noticed that, in his sleep, Marc was smiling. And hugging him and not letting go.

It was almost perfect, and in fact, Steven realized, the only thing missing was precisely the one singing as he kept control of the body for them in the real world, keeping them safe from whatever was out there.

No me convertiré en el eco de tú voz,

En un rincón…

Steven looked up at the window that showed the real world, and saw through the body’s eyes the kitchen. Jake was cooking, and now that he was awake, Steven could smell the delicious aroma of those pancakes Jake made for them that were so fluffy they could be clouds.

Oh, he was going to front, if only to have the first hand sensation of those pancakes in his mouth. And later, figure out how to make tamales or something like that to pay Jake’s back.

“We… slept all night,” Marc said next to him, blinking. “I don’t remember the last time we slept all night, at the same time, without chemical aid.”

Steven turned to look at him, ready to tell Marc that maybe they had been too exhausted and it was not a bad thing, when he frowned. It was true that they had very strange sleep patterns, to the point that some days the body had to function with less than one actual hour of sleep in which all three of them had been unconscious. But even on the good days, or the days where he had not remember Marc and Jake? He knew that two of them asleep at the same time? Was pretty unheard of. Even if the three of them were in the inner space, leaving the body unconscious? They were awake.

And he knew that when he slept, Marc and Jake stayed awake.

“That is a bit odd, yes,” Steven agreed finally. “I don’t even remember arriving home… But.. he doesn’t sound worried…”

Yo no soy esa mujer, esa niña perdida

La que firma un papel y te entrega su vida

“He is singing with the batter mixer as a microphone… maybe he went insane due to worry?” Marc suggested as they could see Jake dancing as he cooked on the long mirror Marc had installed in the kitchen’s door.

“Puedo oirlos perfectamente, par de dos,” Jake  said, stopping mid verse to look straight at the mirror as if he was talking to them in real life and not in their mind. “Y tengo mucho que contarles antes de que Estebancito vaya a trabajar, así que no me molestaría que vinieran más al frente.”

*          *          *

Steven didn’t know what to do with the information that Jake gave them.

On one hand he was glad to know that the strange tiredness he had felt the previous afternoon was completely normal, at least for them, and that Jake hadn’t been alone nor worrying out of his mind -well, except for the first moment when he had been unable to wake them up.  He was also curious to know how Jake’s powers worked, and if he and Marc would’ve able to use the same abilities, even as Khonshu said that that was unlikely.  But at the same time having a concrete proof that they weren’t completely human scared him.

And they still had to talk to Layla about it, and she was going to meet them for lunch that day.

Why did Marc and Jake arrange all their important meetings around his lunch hour?

“Because you are the only one who has a steady job,” Marc pointed out, as Steven nibbled the pancakes Jake had made for him, getting ready to leave for said steady job. “I’m the one who could spend all day lounging in the couch until there’s some emergency that requires a merc or Moon Knight, and Jake is our sugar daddy.”

“¡Oye! ¡También tengo un trabajo! Mi taxi…” Jake started to protest, but Steven raised his hand to stop the argument before it gave him a headache.

“You own your taxi and medallions for it here and in New York! That alone makes you a millionaire compared to anyone else who drives a cab, mate,” he said, still not ready to call him a variation of love, as he did with Marc and Layla, even if he loved Jake the same. “Not to mention this building, a limo, and who knows what else…”

“Pero las cuentas están a tú nombre, Corazón,” Jake defended himself, making Steven pause. “Porque yo solo estaba poniendo atención a las cosas que tu querías hacer si tuvieras la lana necesaria para invertir.”

“It still means that you can simply not work if you didn´t want to,” Marc said, as Steven fed the Guses in their tank. “Steven needs to work so he can get that shinny college education he wants and can become Dr. Steven Grant, fearless adventurer!”

“I’m already a fearless adventurer,” Steven joked, finally ready to go out and face the world. Which once upon a time, was more than enough adventure for him. “Thanks to you both.”

“Tú siempre has sido temerario, corazón. Hasta cuando no nos recordabas, te enfrentaste a papá como si no fuera un dios egipcio que podía mandarnos al Duat.”

I would’ve never sent you there,  Khonshu finally piped in. He had been watching them argue among themselves, letting Jake explain everything without adding anything on his own. It seemed to Steven that the old bird liked just being able to keep an eye on them freely, instead of in secret as he had been doing before.

“Pero Estebancito no sabía eso,” Jake insisted, while Steven opened the door. “Y aún así te trato de poner en tu lugar.”

“I also convinced Mrs. Olivier on floor 4 that I am insane and probably dangerous, given how scared I was the first time I saw him.” Steven said, with such bad luck that the elevator opened up precisely to show said Mrs. Olivier who, upon seeing him, just started pushing the button again, probably to get away from them as fast as she could.  “See?”

Of course, his soulmates found that hilarious. They were still laughing when they reached the museum.

*          *          *

Layla twisted the straw on her drink once again, as she waited for her boys to come out of the museum. She was completely alone, having asked Tawaret to give her some privacy, and wondered if Khonshu gave Marc, Steven and Jake the same consideration.

Were they half-Ennead? She had been considering that question ever since Tawaret brought up the possibility, describing how bright their souls were.  Layla couldn’t see their souls, but with the new information she could start extrapolating what she knew.

For example, for a long time she had thought the fact that Marc had no scars, no visible bruises, even after a fight, was because of his suit’s healing properties. However, now that she was an Avatar herself, with her own healing suit, she knew the suit was good, but not that fast. Sure, a broken bone got mended immediately, but she was still sore the next day.

Marc was never sore. She guessed that was part of how Steven had been kept in the dark for so long about their night activities, but it was also strange. And of course, she remembered how Marc’s eyes shone when he called his suit. Did her eyes shine the same way? She didn’t know and she couldn’t ask anyone. Well, she could ask the boys, but then they would ask why, wouldn’t they?

Then there was how little they actually slept. Well, the body, she guessed. Because they weren’t all the time conscious at the same time, however, she knew of at least three days in which the body hadn’t had any sleep at all even if Marc and Steven swore that they had taken turns resting. But the body hadn’t rested and wasn’t that weird too? Or was it because they were the Avatars of a night god? But if that was the case, wouldn’t they sleep at daytime?

“AARGH! This puzzle has too many pieces!” She screamed in frustration, banging her head in the table.

“What puzzle?” Steven voice reached her, and she lifted her face to see her boyfriend standing next to her with two cups in her hand. She figured one was his tea, and, given how thoughtful he always was, the other was for her.

“You… don’t want to know,” Layla said, then sighed as he sat down. “No. Wait. We promised to be truthful to each other, and I’m not going to do the same thing to you that Marc did to me.”

“He says he’s sorry,” Steven looked puzzled, as he put one of the cups in front of her. Chai, her favorite, with just a cloud of milk. “So… what puzzle?”

“You, and Khonshu,” Layla said, truthfully this time, and then frowned because Steven shifted his eyes. As he usually did when he tried to hid something. So she had been right. Her boys were hiding something from her, and it was not just that apparently, Horus had tried to kill them and Khonshu had claimed them as his sons. “Tawaret and I have been talking and…”

To her surprise, Steven grabbed her hand, interrupting her mid-sentence.  But then he spoke and she realized that she had been wrong. It hadn’t been Steven. It had been Marc.

“Please, Layla,” he said, his voice low as if telling her a secret. “We’ll explain everything but… you can’t tell Tawaret any of it.”