TW/CW: Child abuse, descriptions of child abuse, OOC Khonshu, birb daddy to the rescue!
The night was calm and quiet, which, given the circumstances, was a blessing; given the sometimes-rambunctious child he had under his care.
Well, technically three... given that the "children" all inhabited the same body. There was calm, quiet Marc, the original personality; then the bubbly and sometimes overly-affectionate Steven, and then, finally, the rowdy and mischievous Jake (who was sometimes very overprotective of his "brothers" despite being the youngest personality amongst the three).
All had their own last names, of course, but Khonshu never bothered to use their full names unless they were in trouble. And boy, would they know it when they were in trouble.
But how, pray tell, did an ancient god wind up raising such "children"?
Well, it started one night when Khonshu was "exploring" the void, listening out for voices or feelings out for a presence he may have been able to use one day to carry out his will. Amongst the many voices and energies he picked through, he came across one that stood out the most: a young boy, by the name of Marc Spector.
Marc had a very unsafe home life; Khonshu observed. Stemming from the loss of his younger brother, Marc's mother began relentlessly abusing and tormenting him with the fact that it was "his fault" his baby brother died in that tragic accident. His father was just as bad, never defending Marc from the physical and emotional abuse his mother inflicted upon the poor child.
Khonshu spent a little time studying the dysfunctional family; and that's when he noticed... signs. Marc would enter dissociative fugue states. Every single episode would happen during a particularly bad beating; the other personalities emerged (Steven and Jake) when Wendy Specter would be overly abusive with Marc.
Khonshu would feel his skin prickle with an uncomfortable sensation. He himself was forbidden from injuring or killing a human (lest he gain the already ill-favored attention of the other Egyptian gods), so he was essentially powerless to aid the "children", or even offer much protection. They were innocent, helpless; like those he was sworn to protect. Yet he was paralyzed with rules and "regulations" on how to interact with mortals without rousing further scorn from his fellow gods.
So, he decided to... help, in a way. After the abusive episodes and drunken fists of Wendy, Khonshu would steal away in to Marc's bedroom and speak to whichever personality was in control at that time. Or, he would approach the boy during recess at school--which, arguably, didn't help the bullying there, either--it made him look even "more" crazy than the others thought he was before.
But, Khonshu continued to keep the boys company through it all. They were still very young, and developing their own mentalities. Khonshu helped that along, sitting and explaining to him what he was and who he was.
Good of the moon. God of vengeance, of justice. Protector of the innocent, a healer; and many other titles.
As the abuse went on, the "children" would spend more and more time isolated in their room, spending time with Khonshu. It was practically a dream come true for young Steven Grant, whom Khonshu had discovered, to a bit of twisted delight; that he was an Egyptophile. So Steven would pelt Khonshu with question after question regarding history, especially facts that others did not know. This, in turn helped with a few of their studies.
When Marc got a passing grade on his history exam regarding the building of the "wild West", he ran home to show his parent's, hoping for praise. All he was met with was cruel disdain from his mother with awful, pointless critique, and mild, autonomous congratulatory remarks from his father in passing.
Khonshu on the other hand, offered the boys praised on their studying efforts (even though his repository of knowledge is what ultimately aided them. As did his invisible presence in the classroom).
Yes, Khonshu's invisibility aided in many ways; and his presence gave the boys a sense of security. In many circumstances, Khonshu had become the father they'd wanted and craved so badly; despite their own father being there, Khonshu paid far more attention.
He wasn't sure when his dedication went from grooming and nurturing to eventually take on the role of his Fist one day, to becoming a sense of paternal affection--protection towards them.
It wasn't until one night, after a particularly rough beating from Wendy, that Jake had decided to up and run away; stealing packets of crackers and a jar of jam and a thermos of water, he packed some clothes in to their little school pack and ran away, curling up to sleep in a field. And that is where Khonshu had found "them".
Khonshu nearly went into a blind rage from their condition. Wendy had beaten Jake so severely that his eye was swollen shut, his nose was a bloody mess, and his lips were split in multiple places. And on his arms were raw, bloody welts; and most disgustingly, cigarette burns. Khonshu had never been so tempted to merely smite a person and be done with it in... maybe thousands of years.
But in the face of the teary-eyed child... Khonshu faltered. He couldn't leave them with their parents any longer. It was now actively dangerous to their health and lives if he were to do so... And he was a protector of the innocent... So technically he wasn't in the wrong for spiriting the boys away and raising them somewhere safely; somewhere far away from Chicago.
Khonshu settled in New York--though they inhabited a pocket dimension where he reigned supreme, and the spirits of previous Avatars dwelled in the shadows, watching over both the boys and their gods--only coming from his pocket dimension to falsify records to appear as their father. He explained their mental statuses, and what to expect from each boy's dietary preferences (namely Steven's) and other details he would need to provide at the school he enrolled them in.
Always appearing in a crisp white suit, he would "walk" the boys to school and drop them off, returning at the exact time on the dot to bring them "home" once again.
The unique thing about "home" that the boys had become accustomed to, was that, while there... they could split into their own bodies. Khonshu's realm did not apply itself to the laws of the mortal world, and thus, it allowed for some... wiggle room, as the boys would say.
Like right now. Khonshu could manipulate his realm in any manner of different ways; a particular favorite of the boys was a wide expanse of a grassy field, full of flowers and insects. (One of which Jake dared Marc to eat, much to Steven's horror. But because they technically weren't real, it had no effect or flavor on them.)
The stars were out, twinkling brightly as the moon hung, thinned and low; bathing them in a cool, golden light as they all sat together, pointing out the constellations.
"...and that's the Big Dipper!" Marc stated proudly, puffing out his chest.
"No, it isn't!" Steven huffed, scowling at Marc. "Its Ursa Minor."
"I thought it was that Orion one." Jake shrugged.
"Yes it is!" Marc snapped at Steven, his own face scratching up in a scowl.
"No, it's not!" Steven remarked.
"Is, too!"
"Is not!"
"Uh-huh!"
"Nuh-uh!"
"Boys..." Khonshu sighed, looking down at them.
"...sorry." All of them replied on a tiny peep.
Khonshu rubbed Marc's head gently, and though he couldn't show it with his appearance, Khonshu smiled at them spiritually. "Though, Steven is correct. That is, indeed, Ursa Minor, alternatively known as the Little Dipper."
"Told you." Steven grinned, playfully bumping his shoulder to Marc's.
"Whatever." Marc huffed under his breath.
"Now, Jake... I want you to point out the constellation Cygnus. Where is it?" Khonshu said, tipping his head to the side at the youngest alter.
Jake stands up, and looks right at the sky. Former, deceased Avatars stood at the far edges of the field, providing security to nonexistent threats to their young "siblings" as well as Khonshu; their loyalty never faltering, even in death.
The boy spins in a semi-circle, taking in all the twinkling lights above him in the magical sky; until he stopped and pointed at one. Indeed, it was the constellation Khonshu had mentioned.
"Very good," He praised with a satisfied nod of his head. Jake beamed with pride, grinning from ear to ear and adjusting his flat cap before sitting down next to Steven and Marc once more.
"Now, then..." Khonshu began, "I want to explain what the Aurora Borealis is."
The boys all tucked in, and Khonshu extended his long, lithe arm to pull all three of them close.
It wasn't a perfect life, but it was a life that these three boys could grow up safely in.
And Khonshu, at least, could be proud of that. Damn what the Ennead has to say.
Hi hi! Thank you all for the kinda insane response and love for my art and doodles I've been sharing! <3 Glad ya'll are enjoying me being absolutely stupid over Moon Knight.
Fun fact: I've been workin on all of these in the same file, which is getting a little out of control and now takes a bit to load every time I open it. I, humm, probably need to uh, start a new one ;;;
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